"We need to talk about your production schedule," Carrie said as she walked into Kim's office on Friday and Kim nodded. Even though she was on maternity leave, she still had found herself down in her office more than she wanted to be. Frankly, she was pretty sure that Tommy was going to kick her out of her office soon, but she had gotten caught up on many things last week and this week. However, her YouTube schedule was not one of those things. Luckily, Carrie worked with her on this and she had already been front loading a ton of videos prior to disappearing for three months. Most of the world didn't have any reason to even realize what had happened as Carrie had kept publishing what was built up. "What stories are you interested in telling?"
"How much more do I have on deck?" Kim asked as Carrie looked through her notes and grimaced. "So I need to film next week."
"Yeah. I mean- we could post something saying you'll be taking a break now that baby Luca is here. A cute newborn picture or two will definitely appease people and give us a bit longer to get some ideas fleshed out," Carrie said as Kim nodded. She really wanted to do something with Tommy, but she didn't know if she could convince him. Right now, she just needed to be with him and she would manufacture just about any way to do that. "What's that look for?"
"Carrie…I don't know if we can do a birth story or anything like that about Luca. I was…I'm only remembering snatches of it here and there," Kim whispered as tears clouded her vision and she reached for some kleenex. "I didn't just go into labor in that universe. I nearly died."
"Traumatic birth stories have a place…" Carrie trailed off as Kim shook her head and Carrie quieted. Kim struggled to find the words. She had left this out with the rangers because she didn't want to tell them, but she recognized that her viewers would expect some sort of story about Luca's birth. She had practically guaranteed it.
"David, Thomas' brother, he held me for Kiros and when Tommy showed up before Kiros could…" Kim let out a shaky breath as she stood up and pulled up her shirt so that Carrie could see the jagged scars. Carrie stared at her as Kim let the tears fall. "I don't remember him doing this, but I know that it was brutal. I know I am lucky to be alive. I also know that I cannot tell this story, at least not right now."
"Okay. How about this- I will publish that announcement that baby Luca is here and that you're going to be taking a bit of a break and I'll think about some things that are not newborn related. Have you talked to Doc yet?" Carrie asked as she walked over and gave Kim a hug and she just shook her head no. "Do you need me to check your schedule…"
"Tommy got us on his calendar for a couple of weeks from now. He asked Erick for a day where…where it could just be us," Kim said as she let out a shaky breath. She was dealing with so many postpartum things right now and the traumatic birth was actually pretty low on her list of issues. "Carrie- thank you. I don't know that we've said that enough. You and Grant kept this place together, you took care of our children, and…"
"It's our jobs and we love our jobs. It also helps that you and Tommy had laid everything out so well that we just had to follow the roadmap. Speaking of Grant…" Carrie looked down at her hands and then back up at Kim. "We're going to be out of town for a couple of weeks right before term starts."
"Good," Kim said as she heard a cry on the baby monitor and slowly stood up from her desk. Luca had not slept well last night and that had drifted into his naps today. She was starting to think that they would have to keep Luca with them tonight while the twins stayed with Axel and Julia. They would willingly do that, but she desperately needed time with just Tommy. "Hey bubba, Mama's got you."
"Are…are you glad you had one more?" Carrie asked as Kim looked back at her and noticed that she looked nervous. "I…we're having a hard time and…"
"Carrie, I…" Kim walked over to her and Carrie wrapped her arms around her as she sobbed. She hadn't talked with anyone about the fact that they were even trying. Most people at the Academy didn't even know they were that serious. "Do you need some time just away from the kids?"
"No. It's not like that…I just…I want to know that it's worth it." Carrie stared ahead as Kim rubbed her back and she let out a sigh. It was absolutely worth it to her, but she just didn't have the same experience as Carrie.
"I wouldn't trade my babies for anything," Kim whispered as Luca let out another wail and she felt the milk flood into her breasts. "Little dude…please let mom and dad have a night alone."
"This soon?" Carrie asked as Kim looked away for a moment before nodding. "Really?"
"It's different this time…I just…I need Tommy. It wasn't this way with the twins and I don't know why it is this way this time," Kim whispered as Luca latched on and his cries quieted. Kim had not talked with Tommy about this just yet and she knew that she needed to tonight, he was already suspicious enough with the way she had been acting this week. She couldn't even begin to explain it to him. "Carrie, if you need a specialist…"
"That's part of why we're taking the trip. The specialist suggested that we get away from our stresses for a bit," Carrie explained and Kim just nodded. For the longest time she had never thought she would have children, so she had done research on ways to prolong her fertility, but she had never experienced infertility. "Please…don't tell the rangers."
"Babe!" Tommy called as he walked into their loft and enjoyed the silence for a moment. Kim must have taken the kids to stay with Julia and Axel while he finished up with a few dojo classes. While he loved his children, he knew that Kimberly needed time with just him and if he was honest with himself he needed time with just her as well.
"Bedroom!" Kim yelled back as Tommy smiled and then started down the hallway, stripping out of his gi as he went. He stopped in the doorway as he saw her changing out of her work clothes into pajamas. He snuck over to her and placed his arms around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. "God, you feel good."
"You don't need to bother with those," Tommy whispered in her ear and she settled more of her weight on him, settling against him. "Are you sure that this…I know after the twins…"
"I need you. I need all of you," Kim said as she looked back at him and he gave her a surprised look. He had already settled in his mind that she just needed him to hold her and have sometime alone, but this was a welcome turn of events. "I don't get it Tommy, but I just…"
Tommy massaged her breasts and she let out a moan. It was like she had never had him before and she was greedy for every touch that he gave her. He walked them towards their bed and bent her forward. She felt a thrill go up her spine as he held her close and ground his hips against her. It was always and never like this for her.
"Promise me you'll tell me to stop if it's too much," Tommy said as he leaned down and she just nodded. It was all too much and not enough at the same time. She lost her voice as he quickly stripped her and she felt him lose his boxers as well. He sensed her need and pushed into her core, slowly, pausing as he felt her adjusting. It had been far too long for the both of them. "Fu…"
"Dr. O!" Hannah's voice called on his communicator and he took a deep breath. "Dr. O!"
"Hey Han. Get in touch with Roberto or Abdalon- they'll be able to help with whatever is going on," Tommy said, forcing his voice to be normal. Everyone else on the team knew to call the others on Friday and Saturday night, but they hadn't given her that warning.
"Okay!" Hannah chirped and Tommy took off his communicator and chucked it on the ground. He then reached over and pulled Kimberly's off as well.
"I don't know how you sounded normal," Kim panted as he started thrusting against her and he shook his head. He wasn't sure that he sounded normal, he just hoped that he didn't sound like he was in the middle of having sex with his wife. "More Tommy. I need more."
Tommy jogged downstairs to grab their dinner. He had thought about cooking something tonight, but that plan had been completely derailed from the moment Kim yelled 'bedroom' to him. He agreed with her, something was very different about this time, but he was not going to complain. He enjoyed the amount of togetherness they had had since Luca had been born. It was something they had completely missed out on with the twins.
"Oh you're a saint," Kim said as she walked over to him, clad in a nursing bra and a pair of his sweatpants. She grimaced as he heard a breast pump whir on and he gave her a concerned look. She had had mastitis with the twins and neither one of them wanted to relive that experience. "I just need to pump, usually Luca would have fed at least once."
"You know that I couldn't do any of this without you, right?" Tommy filled his plate, but watched her out of the corner of his eye. She glanced up at him and he could see the confusion in her face. "I just…I want you to know that everything I'm doing isn't just for kudos or mind blowing sex or to look good to the outside world. It's because I know I can't do this without you and I want you with me."
"I…did I do something?" Kim settled her plate back on the counter and placed her hand on his arm. He smiled down at her as he shook his head. He hated when the first thing she went to was that she had somehow disappointed him, but it was something they constantly worked against and through. "I feel like I've done something."
"You've been telling me all week how much you appreciate what I'm doing. How it's making your life easier and I want you to know where I'm coming from on all of this. I saw how hard it was for Thomas to do this, to do life, without you and I'm not that kind of strong," Tommy said as he pulled her into him and she leaned into his body. She inhaled him and felt the calm rush over her. There was something about his scent that settled her and grounded her. In the years they were apart she had tried to find this scent time and time again, but it only existed here. In his arms.
"You're not the only one that's been thinking that this week. I was trying to figure out how to say it." Kim closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of him. She felt herself start to nod off and then strong arms picked her up. She blinked her eyes open as Tommy settled her on the couch and she clutched to his arm. "I'm sorry…I didn't think I was this tired."
"I am more than happy to be a pillow, but I need to eat." Tommy tucked her hair behind her ear and she let out a contented sigh. He extracted his arm from her grasp and heard her slight snore before he had even walked back to the kitchen. He chuckled as he remembered all of the times that one of them fell asleep, absolutely exhausted, with the other. This was always the best sleep for him and he was pretty sure it was up there for her as well. She curled into him and he heard the breast pumps slosh. Having seen her cry from spilled breast milk with the twins, he set down his food and carefully removed the pumps as she continued to snore against him. He would bag everything up after he finally got some food in him, for now he was going to enjoy this little bit of normalcy.
She walked into the kitchen, hearing Tommy moving around. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, but she felt so completely rested for once. She watched as he bagged up breast milk and marked off all the information she normally wrote down. He continued around the kitchen, washing bottles and generally getting things ready for the next day. He caught her staring and smiled as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"How long was I out?" Kim asked with a yawn as she snuggled against him.
"Three hours, maybe a little less. Do you want me to warm something up?" Tommy asked as she shook her head no while she grabbed a bottle of water and one of the pre-made sandwiches that was in the fridge. Tommy had insisted on making grab and go meals last week and she had never been so grateful that he took over planning right after she had their babies. If it had been left up to her, they would have nothing to eat right now. "I was about to go pick up Luca. I can wait for a bit if you…"
"Go get my baby," Kim whispered as he nodded before he went to grab his communicator and looked at his empty wrist. He looked at her and saw that hers was missing as well. When had they taken them off? "They're in the bedroom. Although I think you may have just chucked them off of us so that we couldn't get teleported, so they might be buried under clothing or behind something."
"I'm glad you remembered. I'll be right back." Tommy jogged off down the hallway and flicked on the light in their bedroom. He paused as he realized how much they had thrown around and pushed out of their way earlier. He spotted a communicator on the floor and picked it up. He realized it wasn't his, but didn't care about it too much- it would do the job he needed it to do. He landed in the Command Center and heard the room go silent. He looked over his shoulder to see Julia tending wounds on Axel with Luca in a baby sling on her chest. He glanced around at the other rangers and saw that they were also fairly beat up.
"The twins are out," Julia said as she motioned to the baby monitor on the counter and he shook his head. He was glad that his children weren't seeing the state they were in, but he also knew that he was not going right back to his home. He grabbed a pair of gloves and walked over to Brandon. "Tommy- this is one of the nights you're off. Take Luca and go home."
"And you're by yourself, Kim will understand. What happened?" Tommy asked as the rangers got even quieter and he looked around between all of them. "My job is to help. I can't help if I don't know what happened."
"I got jumped on a run in Central Park," Hannah said as she stood off to the side, hugging herself as she tried to keep it together. She had been in a few fights, but this was the first that showed her how much she needed to improve, how much she was behind everyone else. "There were so many of them."
"Hannah, it's not your fault," Brandon said as he winced from Tommy cleaning the gash on his side. "We've all been there."
"But why come after me, by myself?" Hannah asked as Tommy let out a sigh. He needed Kim here. He handed the gauze to Brandon and placed his hand over it to hold it to the wound. He pulled off his gloves before he went over to the console. He checked in on their home for a moment and saw that Kim had continued with cleaning baby bottles. He pressed the teleportation sequence and she landed in the Command Center holding a bottle and brush in each hand. She turned towards him and then saw the rangers over his shoulder. She felt them staring at her and she looked down to see that her new scars were glaring in this light. So much for them not having a reason to question her about Luca's birth.
"Hannah- can you repeat that? I'll go grab you a shirt," Tommy said as Kim gave him a thankful smile as she turned towards the newest female ranger and waited.
"I asked why would they come after me, when I'm by myself," Hannah said as Kim let out a sigh. She had experienced that so many times and it had always come down to something- it was to get to the other rangers. Well, really it had always been to get to Tommy.
"It's pretty common. It's happened to me a lot in the past and it was almost always to get Tommy off his game," Kim explained as Tommy passed her one of his extra shirts and she slipped it on. She looked at the other rangers and saw that Brandon and Axel had taken the worst beatings. Axel made sense- as the leader he was always going to attract the attention of whatever monster came in. Brandon didn't make as much sense. "Hmm."
"Yeah. I thought it too," Tommy said as he went back to cleaning wounds. They hadn't seen anything that would show that there was some sort of connection between Brandon and Hannah, but they had also been treading water to get things together at the Academy prior to the dojo events that they had to end the summer. They were just starting to get to know her. "What did they hit you with?"
"Some sort of blade. I haven't seen anything like it before," Axel explained as Tommy shook his head. He hated when some sort of weapon came into play that could cause this level of damage. "You captured some video, right?"
"Yeah," Julia said as Axel rubbed her back, trying to settle her. She hated being kept out of fights, especially ones where she saw Axel get hurt. "I can't…"
"Don't think about it Jules. As long as it's in a file I can see- I'll look at it in the morning," Tommy said as Kim walked over to Julia and he watched the two of them. He saw in Julia a look that he had seen on Kimberly's face too many times after a rough battle. It seemed that being the soulmate of a powerful ranger had some emotional repercussions that he had never acknowledged.
"Let me take him and you go rest. We'll get them cleaned up," Kim said as Julia gulped and then barely nodded. Luca stretched and let out a small cry before he realized Kim was holding him and he let out a sigh as he balled up her t-shirt in his hands. Julia gave Axel a quick hug before she turned and went back to their living quarters, waddling ever so slightly as she went. Kim waited for the door to slide closed and then locked eyes with Axel. "You have to take less chances right now."
"I didn't take any chances I wouldn't normally take." Axel defended as he slid off the counter and went over to pull up the footage. He wanted to see what had Julia so worried from her point of view. Hannah and Cameron joined him as they looked up at the screen and they watched the skirmish back.
"That would be it," Tommy said as Axel jumped in front of the other rangers to give them a chance to recover, but in the process got flung into one of the nearby buildings. "She doesn't have the same risk tolerance that she did a few months ago and her risk tolerance is only going to become less the further along she gets."
"Do not blame this on her being pregnant…I never reacted this way to something like that," Kim said as Tommy shook his head. "Oh c'mon. I didn't."
"And I quote 'if you pull that shit again, I will be the one you need to be worried about'," Tommy said as she started to argue with him and then deflated. She had said that to him, while she was pregnant with the twins. She could still remember the fight they had afterwards when he explained that he couldn't fight carefully if he was going to make it out of some fights alive. "It's normal, Axe and it'll go away once she can go back out with you, but from now until then- it's going to be hard on her."
"Sorry we disturbed your night," Hannah apologized as Kim shook her head. "They explained how Friday and Saturday are off limits."
"This is our job and while we do have some boundaries around certain times that you can't just teleport us at will, we need to come in for things like this." Hannah leaned in to her and she held the girl as she could feel how freaked out she was. There was something else that had happened in this fight that had scared the blue ranger, but it seemed like she wasn't ready to talk about it just yet. "Why don't you make yourself some tea? We're almost done here and they'll be back there with you pretty soon."
Hannah nodded before she also left the Command Center. Kim glanced over at Tommy and he then turned to the four male rangers. They all let out a sigh as Tommy waited. He had watched the video and it had seemed like the run of the mill monster of the week. Something was not adding up here.
"What are we missing?" Tommy asked as Axel and Cameron exchanged a glance. Axel then held up his arm to reveal some sort of brand, Cameron then did the same and Tommy let out a groan. "You guys thinking powers or monster?"
"Powers. Everyone has one now, including Jules," Axel said as he let out a sigh. "It freaked Hannah out. A lot. With where we both came from- I can understand why."
"What do you mean?" Kim asked as Axel bit down on his lower lip and looked away from them. "Axe- you knew Hannah before she became a ranger?"
"It's a long story and just…I can't talk about it tonight. The really short version- it's not the only brand the both of us have," Axel said as he turned around they noticed the brand on the back of his shoulder for the first time. "Honestly, I'm a bit freaked out too…I've just been in this world longer and I know that it's…it's not a cult. I'm going to go take care of Jules. We can talk about this more on Monday."
"Sure," Tommy said as Axel left and the other male rangers wouldn't meet his gaze. "I still feel like we're not getting the full story."
"How common is it to have more than one set of soulmates in a ranger team?" Brandon forced out as he looked at the floor. A stack of books clattered on the floor, Patrick walked over to them and held up the first book where they could all read the title 'Rebuilding the Power Rangers- Where Soulmates Come In'. "After these appeared, it was like I was on fire and every punch, every hit was more than normal. I…I think it may have overwhelmed her too."
"Go take care of her then. We'll read through these and we can meet up next week to talk through all of it with her. Maybe with all of you," Tommy said as Luca let out a cry and Kim gave him a shrug. They had been lucky he had slept through this much. "Pat, Cam…we don't know what this means for you just yet."
"Go home. Neither of us had anything crazy happen tonight," Cam said as Luca continued to wail and Kim gave Tommy a look. They were about two minutes from a complete meltdown and they all knew it. Tommy pressed the teleportation sequence and sent Kim home before he looked at Cam. "I'm okay Tommy, really. It's a lot to process though and…is this saying she wasn't it for me?"
"I don't know. We never found out about the soulmate thing until our backs were against the wall and we had to talk to the Command Center," Tommy said as Cam put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Go home. Rest. I'll dig into those this weekend and we'll meet first thing Monday."
"You sure you can do that?" Cam asked as Tommy glared at him and he held his hands up. "Fine. I just figured with a newborn you might not have the time."
"We'll make the time. We've got to understand what that actually means," Tommy said before he pressed the buttons and teleported back home. He landed in his bedroom and saw Kim was nursing Luca and had nodded off. This was going to be a long week.