"What happened out there?" Zach asked as they crashed in Thomas' dorm room and he shook his head. He still wasn't sure, he just knew that he felt an ache growing the longer that it took for Trini and Kimberly to get here. He hadn't thought it wise to ask any of the guys to pick her up after this morning. "You're virtually invincible and you get taken out by some chick that is like half your size."

"Her name is Kimberly," Thomas said as he propped himself up against the headboard and he rubbed his chest, trying to make the ache go away. He hadn't been injured there, he just felt like something was missing. "And I don't know what happened…but I have some guesses."

"Care to share them with the group? Dude- none of us want whatever that is to get close to you again," Rocky said as Trini knocked on the door and Thomas felt the relief flood him as Kimberly walked in behind her.

"Not yet," Thomas said as he nodded to the foot of the bed and Kimberly moved his legs as she slid onto the bed with him. She settled his legs over her lap and he reached for her hand. He could feel the nerves rolling off of her. "You okay?"

"A bit freaked out, but otherwise- yeah. I actually feel really good," Kimberly admitted as she looked around the room. These were Thomas' friends. These were the people that she had heard so much about. "This is where all of you live?"

"During the school year, yes. Unless you're a special case- then, apparently, they'll give you a room year round," Thomas joked as she gave him a concerned look and he knew that she knew why he was getting to stay here now. It had just gotten much more dangerous for him to be at home.

"Something major must have happened for them to cancel classes for the rest of the week," Rocky mused as they all looked at Thomas. He had only heard about this afternoon, something else must have happened when Theo and Robert left. "What do you know?"

"You don't need to find out from me," Thomas hedged as the others gave him a look. Since when had he held out on them with things like this?

"It's that bad?" Trini asked as Thomas tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. He did not want to worry Kimberly, she had not been brought up in this world and what had happened today was terrifying. "C'mon, Thomas."

"Tommy- what is it?" Kimberly whispered as he looked over at her and just shook his head. He didn't catch the confused looks from his friends as they all picked up on the fact that he had not corrected her when she called him Tommy. He was just focused on trying to think of a way to get the worry to disappear.

"Huh- that's weird. We've got to go to the auditorium at 3," Zach said as he read off the message on his communicator and Thomas glanced down at his communicator to see that he had no message. "Seriously- you don't have to go?"

"Apparently not," Thomas said with a smile as he looked at the clock on the wall. He was glad to see his friends, but he was even happier that he'd get a little time with just Kimberly. She was doing a great job of hiding from them just how freaked out she really was. "It also looks like you better get going- it's a bit of a hike."

"Ughhh…why do you have to be responsible?" Jason grumbled as they all pushed themselves to their feet and filed out of the room. "No funny business, lovebirds."

Thomas inwardly groaned as he felt how uncomfortable Kimberly suddenly was. Although they both wanted to have a chance at dating, he knew how unrealistic it still was. He didn't want to give her false hope. He didn't want to give himself false hope, but if today had proven anything- it did him no good to deny how he felt.

"He always like that?" Kimberly whispered as Thomas nodded his head. Jason had changed a lot over the last year, but he hadn't learned when to shut up about some things. This was a time when he really wished Jason had mastered that skill. "Is your condition better?"

"Condition?" Thomas asked as he sat up a bit more and gave her a confused look. She nodded and he rolled through his mind trying to come up with what they must have told her. He had no idea what condition they had said would cause him to throw power out of his body and writhe on the ground in pain.

"Your uncles said that it's a genetic condition that some of the Truehearts have," Kimberly continued as his eyes widened. It suddenly hit him what must have happened today and what Theo and Robert had been about to tell him. He realized how long he had been silently staring at her and offered her a quick smile. How in the world did he explain this to her? Did he even explain it to her right now?

"Yeah, I'm doing better," Thomas said as he let out a shaky breath and could tell that his actions weren't comforting her. The realization that she was his soulmate made him want to comfort her even more, but he was also startled by it. "Kimmie, thank you."

"This is what friends do, Tommy," Kimberly hedged as she hastily looked away from him and he felt the punch in his gut. That night. She was still going back to the night she had kissed his cheek and he had told her that they couldn't date. He understood it, but he really wished that he could change it.

"Now it's my turn to call bull shit," Thomas said as she snatched her head up and locked eyes with him. He forced himself to sit up and crawled to the other end of the bed before settling with his back to the wall and he then pulled her into his side. She curled into him and he felt the ache go away completely. This was what he needed. "We're going to figure this out. I'm going to figure something out. We can't keep doing this."

"Yeah. And you'll tell me when you do?" Kimberly asked as he nodded and she closed her eyes. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt exhausted. "I'm sorry…I'm so tired."

"Sleep- I've got you," Thomas whispered as he heard her doze off and he stared ahead of him. How was he going to explain all of this to her?