A/N: Thanks again to RaptorZeroOne for pointing out the last chapter. Also thanks to RaptorZeroOne and Green-Extreme-Ninjetti13 for following and putting this on their favorites and Pinkgymnast93 for reviewing.
Tommy went through his routine, losing himself in the familiar moves. No matter how stressed he was, going through the motions had a calming effect on him, allowing him to forget all the bad things that had happened to him over the years. Right as he was about to finish, he sensed Jason watching him and attempted to ignore it, completing the rest of his spin kicks before stopping and looking at his friend.
"Not bad." Jason said, nodding at him.
"Thanks." Tommy replied, smiling at him. Even after all these years, he still craved Jason's approval, respecting the other male as his equal in many ways. He hadn't seen Jason in a few weeks, laying low and ignoring everyone after watching Kimberly in the Olympics and he knew he had to set things right between them. "Sorry about the other day. Guess I'm not over things." Jason nodded, kicking off his shoes before standing on the mat, bowing to Tommy.
"You want to spar?" Tommy asked, surprised. They didn't fight each other much anymore, preferring to team up instead, or work on skills together. Jason didn't respond, watching his friend. "Ok." Tommy said, a competitive grin spreading over his face when he bowed to Jason before getting into a ready stance.
They spent the next half hour practicing, sparring, and showing each other new moves they had been working on. Towards the end, Tommy cracked a smiled, watching as Jason visibly sighed in relief. When they were done, they bowed to each other again before walking off the mats to shower. When they were done, Tommy looked at Jason, noticing how his friend was avoiding his gaze.
"What's going on?" Tommy asked him. Jason shuffled, looking away.
"You haven't been answering anyone's texts. We've been worried about you." Tommy was silent, and Jason hit his shoulder. He knew how hard it had been- the news had talked about Kimberly non-stop, and Angel Grove was a buzz with one of their own being a star. Tommy had barely gotten over Kimberly to begin with, and to have her face splashed all over was clearly wearing his friend down.
"Come on, the guys are meeting us for lunch." Tommy glanced over at Jason, knowing something was up.
"Why?" He asked. It was rare they would all get together unannounced, and the look on Jason's face confirmed his suspicions. "I don't need babysitters." Tommy stated, surprised at the feelings of anger and annoyance that were welling up inside him.
"I know you don't. That's not why we're having lunch." Jason told him. "We're picking Kim up at the airport at 3. She's coming home." Tommy stopped, his jaw dropping. "That's why we've been trying to get in touch with you Tommy." Jason said, grabbing Tommy by the arm as his teammate's knees started to give out, helping him onto a near-by bench, patting his back while the former Green Ranger shook.
X
Kimberly sat ram-rod straight in her seat, watching at the plane started it's descent. The familiar sights of her home town made her smile, and she took a deep breath. Her parents had gone home right after her gold medal win, unable to take more time off work. Kimberly had stayed through the closing ceremonies, realizing that her time doing gymnastics was rapidly ending, and she had a 'what do I do with the rest of my life' size hole.
The congrats came in quickly from her friends, family, and casual fans who wanted to connect with her. Every person who meant something to her except for the one who meant the most, the one she had hurt deeply with her stupidity. On impulse, she picked up her phone, hitting Trini's number to talk to her best friend, asking her to come pick her up from the airport. She had forgotten about the time difference, but once Trini woke up she was thrilled to talk to her, putting Jason on the phone once they were done.
Within moments of them hanging up, a mass text message had shown up on her phone, announcing that she was coming home. Kimberly ran through the names, realizing that a number that could be Tommy's was missing. She wondered why, but had little time to think about it between getting ready to go and speaking to her friends as they called her back.
There had been several stops on her trip back, including a visit to her mom in France, but finally she was home, fixing her hair as the plane taxied to the gate. She had promised Trini she would wear pink- an homage to her former life. It was weird to pull out her old clothes again, but they gave her a sense of comfort.
After what seemed like forever, the seat belt light went off, and she was able to grab her bag, filing out of the plane, waving at the flight attendant's. She had signed autographs for all of them, grateful to enjoy a little bit of celebrity. She practically floated down the hall, following the signs for the baggage claim, stopping when she saw all her friends standing there. Trini and Aisha made it over to her first, almost knocking her to the ground with their enthusiasm.
"Hey now, don't break her guys." Zack laughed, separating them before giving Kim his own hug.
"You look great." Kim whispered to him, and Zack blushed, trying to cover it up. Billy was next, followed by Rocky and Adam, with Jason bringing up the rear. He gave her an extra squeeze before letting go, and Kimberly looked around, realizing they were missing someone. Blinking back tears, she turned to her friends, listening as the took turns telling her about their lives since the last time she had been in town.
X
"I still can't believe I got both my girls under one roof again." Aisha's mom said later on that night, giving Kim another hug.
"Can I help you with anything?" Kim asked, not wanting to be burden.
"No, no, I've got it all under control." She responded, loading up the dishwasher. Aisha's parents had been kind enough to invite everyone over for dinner that night, and the rest of the gang had just left, hugging Kim and promising to see her soon. Kimberly's original plans had been to get a hotel, but when Aisha's parents found out, they insisted she stay with them, not taking no for an answer.
"Why don't you go to bed Kimberly? You look exhausted." Mr. Campbell suggested, wiping down the stove. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow." Kimberly nodded, looking over at Aisha.
"I've got a paper to work on, I'll try not to wake you up when I go to bed." Aisha promised, giving her one last hug.
"Have a good night Kimberly." Aisha's mom said, waving at her. Practically the second they heard the door shut, she turned, looking at her daughter. "No Tommy?" She asked, and Aisha shook her head.
"He bailed right after lunch. Said he wasn't ready." Aisha replied, pulling out her laptop.
"I thought they'd go running right back to each other." Her mother responded sadly.
"Now hun." Aisha's father responded, kissing her. "You can't force these things." He reminded her.
"I know. I just love that boy so much." Aisha and her dad exchanged glances. Tommy had been a regular fixture at their house when he was dating Kimberly, and after Kim left, he still came over for dinner sometimes just to talk, and would visit along with the rest of the group after Aisha stayed in Africa.
"Is that why you asked Kimberly to stay here? So you can see Tommy?" Aisha teased her mother.
"He was so sad when she broke up with him. I thought maybe I could help." Aisha's mom replied.
"Mom, stop crushing. Trust me, he's taken." Aisha said, thinking about the look on Tommy's face when he had left after lunch that afternoon. Her mother playfully slapped her hand, smiling at her daughter.
"If you two are going to boy-talk, I'm leaving." Her dad announced, pulling a snack out before heading into the living room.
"Thanks again for letting Kim stay here mom. You guys are the best" Aisha said, frowning at her laptop screen.
"You know I love having a house full of kids." Her mom replied, walking over to kiss her daughter on the temple before following her husband into the living room. Aisha giggled, shaking her head as she turned back to her paper.
X
"I can't stay here anymore. This is getting crazy." Kimberly told Aisha a couple of days later. Word had gotten out that she was back in Angel Grove, and the deliveries had been non-stop. Balloons, toys, flowers, you name it, she received it.
Jason and Billy had already taken loads of stuff to the nursing homes and dropped things off to the shelters, and Trini had helped them call local florists to stop deliveries. "Seriously, you guys are going to run out of house soon." Kimberly said, watching as another delivery truck stopped. Trini giggled, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"At least no one will have to cook for a week." She said, gesturing towards the buffet laid out in the kitchen. Kim groaned, while the other two laughed some more.
"We'll get it under control." Aisha promised, shaking a pink rabbit at Kimberly and Trini.
"I hope so." Trini's mom came in just then, looking around and sighing. "I've never been so popular." She commented. "I hope people are staying for dinner tonight. Actually, I hope they're moving in." She said, evaluating the stuff everywhere.
"I really need to get a hotel. This isn't fair to you guys." Kimberly protested, watching as Jason and Billy pulled up.
"Nonsense. This is the most fun we've had in a long time." Aisha's mom reassured her. "I've got to check in at work. Let me know who's staying." She said, smiling at her daughter before heading upstairs.
"Your mom's amazing." Trini said, picking up a toy and hugging it.
"Please take it." Kimberly begged. "Give it to your little cousin. Doesn't she like elephants?" Trini nodded, tucking the toy away. Jason came in just then, carrying a box along with Billy.
"Mission accomplished." He announced, looking around.
"Apparently it didn't do much though." Billy continued. Jason walked over to Trini, giving her a quick kiss.
"I gotta go. Billy will take you home." He said. Trini nodded, turning back to Aisha. Jason glanced over at Kimberly, noting the look on her face. "I'll see you Saturday." He said, tossing her a smile.
"Bye." Kimberly said faintly, watching Jason leave. Biting her bottom lip, she ran into the kitchen, picking up a box before jogging out the door, waving at Jason as he was backing up, relieved he stopped, handing him the box without a word, watching as Jason looked down at it and back at her, nodding his understanding before pulling away.
X
"How's the purge going?" Zack whispered, watching Tommy practice.
"It's a mess." Jason replied, shaking his head.
"Aisha's parents are saints to let her stay there." Adam snorted, watching as Rocky managed to pin their former leader down, starting his victory dance only to get flipped on his back.
"Ooo." Zack teased, jumping up. "Let's see how you are against a pro." He said, doing a flip before dancing around on the mat. Tommy shot him a lock, and Zack stopped, bowing to him before starting their own sparring match. Rocky rolled off the map, heading to the punching bag to practice his kicks.
"Imagine if we all fought together against Rita and Zedd." Adam commented, watching as Tommy swept Zack off his feet.
"I know. It would have been great." Jason agreed, stretching to warm up, waving at a former classmate of theirs who had just come in. Mark hesitated a second before jogging over, greeting them, and chatting about school
"I heard Kimberly's back." Mark stated, glancing over at Tommy.
"Yes." Jason said shortly. Mark had grown up with them as well, and he had tried to date Kimberly several times before Tommy had entered the picture.
"Relax man, I'm just making small talk. Besides, I wouldn't want to be the act that follows that." He said, gesturing towards Tommy who had just finished his match with Zack.
"Good point." Jason said, remembering meeting the guy who had convinced Kimberly to give Tommy up in the first place. He hadn't been impressed with him either, but once again he had kept quiet. Mark kept talking, not noticing Tommy was coming up behind them.
"-My number, I'd love to get together with you guys sometime." Mark said, doing a double take when Tommy appeared at his side.
"Hey man, how are you? Ready for the competition this weekend?" He asked, and Tommy nodded silently, looking over at Jason. Ignorant of the tension in the room, Mark, turned back to Jason.
"I've got a class, but tell Kimberly I said hi and congrats on the medal." He said, tapping Jason on the shoulder, fist bumping Zack and saying goodbye to the rest of the group and leaving. Tommy's face paled slightly at the mention of his former girlfriend, but he managed to keep quiet, turning so no one noticed the look on his face.
"Man I can't wait until Saturday." Adam said, trying to distract everyone.
"Yea, Tommy defending a title is always a great time." Zack agreed, accepting the towel Jason had handed him.
"Thanks for the workout guys. It's always appreciated." Tommy said, forcing down whatever he was going to say next and heading towards the showers. The four remaining Rangers looked at each other, sighing.
"He just needs time guys." Rocky said, trying to sound positive.
"I hope so." Jason muttered before following Tommy to the locker room.
X
Kimberly spent her Saturday working on correspondence, trying to get together all of the gifts she had gotten since the games. Aisha had gone out with the gang to watch Tommy's competition, begging Kimberly to go, but she refused.
She didn't want to distract him and didn't want the first time they saw each other to be in front of a huge crowd. He had ignored her calls and had refused to accept the box of desserts from his favorite bakery she had given Jason.
Kimberly realized that the ball was in his court, and if he didn't respond then she would have to accept and move on. While doing her work, she pondered trying to write him another letter, but stopped herself, knowing that it would just bring back bad memories.
"How you doing hun?" Aisha's mom asked, poking her head in.
"I'm ok." Kimberly replied, stroking her hair.
"The girls said they tried to get you to come to Tommy's victory dinner." She said softly, settling herself on Aisha's bed. Kimberly frown, turning away.
"I'm trying to respect his space." She muttered. She had told Trini and Aisha that much that night when they called after the tournament, trying to convince her to come out with them to celebrate Tommy's victory.
"You two can't avoid each other forever." Alena reminded her.
"What am I supposed to do? He doesn't want to see me." Kimberly said, stroking her hair.
"He will." Alena promised her, patting Kimberly's knee.
"If there's one thing I know about Tommy, it's how much he loves you. If there's another thing, it's that he's always willing to forgive."
"I hope so." Kimberly said.
"For now, focus on what you want to do with your life. You need to start weighing your options."
"I know." Kimberly promised.
"Good. I know it was hard for you to leave the first time, and I understand that you don't want to do it again, but you need to figure out your future without worrying about your friends. They love you, and they'll be there for you no matter what."
"Thanks Mrs. Campbell." Kimberly said, accepting the woman's hug.
"Are you coming downstairs, Derrick made roast chicken and it smells amazing." Kimberly nodded, following Aisha's mother downstairs, smiling at Aisha's parents as she picked over her food, trying to ignore their concerned glances at each other.
