"You know- this would have been easier if you had just said that this is an excuse to have a reunion with the guys each year," Kim said as she placed registration forms in front of Tommy and he looked up from his work. She had convinced him to teach one less class per week and instead have that time be for all the administrative stuff that only he could do. He had hated it at first, but he now looked forward to this hour with her each week. He liked seeing how his dojo was so much better with her in it and he knew how much better his life was with her there. "Every academy that is coming is owned by or has a primary instructor that was a ranger."
"Well, yeah. We all need to get together and see each other every once in a while. I've got the best place to host something like that. Also- did the caterer get back to you? As much as you love to cook- this is going to be too much," Tommy said as Kim handed him another contract and he smiled. "That would be it."
"And here is the confirmation on the place you want to rent for the dinner. And the confirmation on the staffing. And the confirmation for the judges." Kim placed each of the papers in front of him in order and he laughed as he just nodded. He had gotten used to having to run this down himself over the years and, inevitably, something was forgotten about. This might just be the first year that things ran smoothly. "Ollie wants in too."
"Sorry- what?" Tommy asked as she placed the final form in front of him and he gave her a look. Their son was not going to compete in this, not if he had any say in it. "When did he tell you that?"
"He just asked a couple of days ago, but you made the rules for this- I'm going to need your signature too," Kim said as he looked up at her and shook his head. "Tommy. He's 8- he's going to be going against other 8 year olds. He really wants to do this."
"Kim, he's not…this is different…" Tommy trailed off as she locked eyes with him and he took in a deep breath. How could he explain to her how badly he wanted Ollie to stay away from combatant skills? It was one thing to have him learn the basic katas and a few striking sequences- it was another thing to put him in a position to really start learning how to fight. "We're both rangers. I don't want him to have more skills that make him an ideal candidate when he's older."
"It's kind of inevitable. I'd rather him actually be prepared," Kim stated as Tommy just shook his head and she rolled her eyes. The fact that Tommy couldn't see how that was already set in stone shocked her. "Are you going to tell him that you aren't going to sign it? Because I will not be the bad guy on this. You are going to have to own that you are the one that has a problem with it."
"I'll talk to him," Tommy said as he let out a sigh. He had gotten the reputation of being the fun parent with Ollie over the last several months, but that was going to come to an end now. "You really think it is inevitable that he'll become a ranger?"
"As inevitable as him asking if he can have the same last name as you." Tommy looked up at her as she held out another sheet of paper for him. He paused as she gave him a smile and he just shook his head in disbelief. Ollie had mentioned it to him awhile back, but he hadn't thought much more of it. Apparently, he had also mentioned it to Kimberly and she had been acting on pulling together a surprise for the both of them. "It took me a bit to actually get the paperwork together for it and he doesn't know that I've been working on it. So- it might lessen the blow of you saying no to him competing."
"Are you…are you sure?" Tommy asked as she just nodded and he just kept looking back and forth between her and the paper. "Kim- he's always had…you're okay with this?"
"It should have been your last name the entire time. If you're not ready…if you don't want this, you don't have to sign it. I mean…I shouldn't have sprung this on you." Kim sank away from him and he was around his desk and pulling her into him before she knew what was happening. She might have shocked him, but he was not going to push her or Ollie away. Not after how much he had fought to pull them in over the last seven months.
"It's not that…" Tommy started as the door was thrown open and he looked up to see one of their instructors standing there and he then saw the student next to him, sporting a black eye. "What happened, Cody?"
"Richard cheated," Cody muttered as the teenager walked into the office and Tommy went over to the freezer and pulled down a bag of ice. As much as he wanted to finish this conversation with Kim, the moment was broken and he watched her pick up the last sheet of paper and walk out of his office. He was going to have to track her down one afternoon this week and explain, preferably before she tore the piece of paper to shreds.
"Did he cheat or were you slow?" Tommy asked as Cody glared at him, but he met him head on and Cody let out a sigh. "It happens to all of us. The ice will help, if you'll dial your parents I'll explain to them what happened so that they'll not freak out when you get home."
Friday night rolled around and Tommy was burning the midnight oil to get everything finished at the dojo. Even with Kimberly making things more efficient, there was one thing that hadn't changed- him. Jason had come up early to help, but for once it was more distracting than helpful. Kim had bowed out as soon as she heard that Jason was going to be there and his entire body missed her presence. He had tried multiple times this week to get ten minutes alone with her to talk, but things kept coming up and he was slowly losing it.
"Dude- what's going on?" Jason asked as Tommy stumbled over another stack of mats and landed flat on his ass. "You good?"
"Kim asked me if I was okay with Ollie changing his last name. I freaked a bit and before I could sign the papers or even tell her I was okay with it a student came in with a black eye and I've been trying to find five minutes with her and I just…I was hoping we'd have some time tonight, but I couldn't exactly demand that she be here…" Tommy trailed off as he moved to setting up another sparring area. There was no way that Kim was still awake, so he'd lost his chance at having this talk before all of the other rangers were in town this weekend. He knew exactly what that meant for him once anyone else heard what was going on and he really wanted to avoid that. "I also wouldn't let Ollie compete."
"Sorry what?" Jason blurted out as he dropped his materials and stared at Tommy.
"Me not letting him compete is what caused you to short circuit?" Tommy shot back as he continued with his distracted work. "Not everything else?"
"It was only a matter of time on the other stuff…I thought, I don't know, I thought you'd be proud that he wanted to compete," Jason said as Tommy just shook his head and saw the shock in Jason's face. "How did Ollie take it?"
"Not great. Look, Jase- I just don't want him to become…to be like us," Tommy stated as he looked at the box in front of him and let out a frustrated groan. He had completely messed up the marks, again. "And I haven't been able to talk to him or Kim and by the time we get out of here the both of them will be solidly passed out. I can't take shit from you too about this, okay?"
"Trini is at Kim's…if either of them is out before midnight I'd be surprised. And we're basically done here. Why don't you give her a call and have her meet you at house?" Jason asked as Tommy just shook his head. "You want to go into this weekend- with all the rangers that'll be here- with there being questions with Kim?"
"Of course not," Tommy said as Jason shoved his cell phone into his face and Tommy glared at him before he shot off a quick text to Kimberly. To his shock, Kim texted him back immediately and he gave Jason a concerned look. "If I find out that you and Trini…"
"We wanted to give you two a night anyway, now we know that you need it, need it. Go home Tommy," Jason said as he saw him looking around the dojo and he could see that there were a million things going through his friend's mind about what still needed to be done. "Go. Take care of your family."
"Booty call?" Kim asked as she walked into his kitchen and he looked over at her. He was thankful for the glint in her eye as she walked up to him and gave him a hug. "What's wrong?"
"Where's the paper for Ollie?" Tommy asked as Kim gave him a confused look. He had texted her to sign a paper? "Kim, please."
"Well- the tournament paper is still in your office…" Kim trailed off as he gave her a long look and she stilled. "Oh, that one. Tommy- you don't have to. You're not…"
"Don't tell me what I'm not ready for, Kim. I've been trying to find 5 minutes all week to tell you that this couldn't make me happier but every time we've had more than three seconds…" Tommy got cut off as she launched herself at him and he caught her against him. He was not sure what reaction he thought she would have, but this wasn't it. "Babe?"
"It's at the apartment, I'll grab it for you tomorrow," Kim muttered against his neck as he held her tightly against him. "I'm sorry I avoided you."
"It wasn't obvious until tonight," Tommy whispered as he pulled away to lock eyes with her and she gave him a sheepish grin. "I get it though. I get why you'd protect yourself and Ollie like this."
"Yeah, but…we…I'm supposed to be trying to build things with you and that means trusting you with how I feel about stuff like this and I just…" Kim trailed off as his lips pressed against hers and she completely relaxed. "You're not going to let me be guilty about this?"
"Just don't make it a regular thing and we'll be fine," Tommy stated as he sat her down on the kitchen counter and went back to the hurried dinner he had thrown together. "Stay there, I just need to get some food in me."
"So you figured out these were just the right height too?" Kim asked as she leaned back and he caught the glint in her eye. "I was okay if this was just a booty call."
"You're never going to just be that," Tommy said as he held up half a sandwich and she gave him a look before she took it. "But it's been a long week."
"Yeah, me too," Kim muttered as she leaned against his side and he leaned his head down against hers. Neither of them spoke, they just took the strength that the other offered and tonight- that was what they needed. They needed this more than anything else tonight.
AN: Thank you to everyone that has read this story! Pinkgymnast93 had the 200th review on this story last week- which is always a huge milestone for any of my works. We're down to the last 10 chapters for this story, but we're not done with this universe. Keep an eye out for Just Deserts to drop in January 2024.