Always a Ranger - Part 16
Everything or Nothing
By Jeannine Trevizo
Kimberly
woke up stiff. She yawned and stretched, trying to recall where she was when
her hand touched Tommy’s crystal prison and it all flooded back to her. Her
eyes popped open, and she found that she was still in the folding chair in his
basement, the only differences being that now the room was empty of anyone save
her and Tommy and someone had covered her with a blanket.
She
was glad that they hadn’t woken her. She wouldn’t have moved anyway.
Sighing,
she pulled the blanket aside and stood, feeling the years of abuse to her body
from gymnastics and being a ranger in every bone today. Suddenly she realized
she had no idea of when it was. Where was Hayley and the team? Shouldn’t they
be trying to save Tommy?
“I’ll
be right back handsome,” she spoke aloud, wondering for the hundredth time if
even encased as he was if he could hear her.
Quickly
she made her way to the console and found a note from Hayley, simply stating
that they were at a dead end, it was late and that since Tommy was stable as
long as he stayed in the amber, they’d all come back later and start another
round of tests to find a way to free him.
She
stood there, looking at the rest of the message when her stomach grumbled
loudly.
With
a slight guilty glance, Kim looked at where Tommy stood fossilized and realized
that she had to leave him for a little while at least. She couldn’t do him any
good if she was falling apart, and she hadn’t eaten anything for the last day
or more. As it was, she wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep.
With
that, she headed slowly for the stairs to avail herself of his refrigerator,
shower and some clean clothes.
The
refrigerator was better than hers, but still obviously a bachelor’s. It took
everything she had not to search for some liquor. Times like this were enough
to drive even an ex-ranger to drink. Still, she was able to find some peanut
butter and a few pieces of bread to make a sandwich, a half-decent banana and
poured herself a glass of water. She ate mechanically, knowing that she needed
to put food in her stomach.
Once
she was fed, she went straight to her bag, simply pulling out her clean jeans
and an Olympic Team t-shirt along with some basic undergarments and headed to
the shower. She didn’t want to take too long, so she simply ran the bar of soap
all over and rinsed off. He had a towel right outside the stall, and she dried
off, and then put on her clothes, leaving the clothes she’d traveled to
Reefside in folded on his hamper.
Clean
but with still damp hair, Kim padded her way back down to the basement and to
his side. Settling in the chair, she continued her vigil.
“I’m
back Tommy,” she whispered, “and I promise I’m not going anywhere again until
we get you lose.”
---
Ethan,
Kira and Conner walked into the command center that afternoon with Hayley to
find Kim still sitting beside Dr. O. Hayley sighed and went straight to the
console while the rangers focused on Kim. Kira could tell that she’d changed
clothes, but beyond that, she was exactly where they had left her the night
before. As they got closer, Kim’s attention drifted from staring at Tommy’s
form to the group of rangers heading her way. She sat up a little straighter as
the three teens loomed over her.
“Hey
guys,” she said with a half grin. “How was school?”
“Fine.
Hayley sent a message saying that Dr. O was sick, using the computer’s voice
print of him. We got a weird substitute,” Ethan remarked.
“Oh,
so you guys are back?”
“Yeah.
Hayley’s gonna get started on another round of scans,” Conner commented, noting
how the former pink ranger seemed to twist uncomfortably in her chair.
“Come
on Kim,” Kira finally said, reaching a hand down to the older woman. “Hayley
will call us down if she finds something that can help Dr. O. Until then, you
look like you need a break.”
“Good
idea. I bet you’re like Dr. O and don’t eat when you get worried, aren’t you?”
Ethan stated, and Kim looked at him puzzled.
“How
did you know he does that?”
“It’s
obvious. But that’s besides the point. You don’t need to be sitting right here.
How about Ethan and I stay down here and we’ll come get you and Kira if
something happens?” Conner suggested.
“Well…”
Kim began to argue, but stopped as she saw the resolve in the faces of the
current ranger. “Fine. Kira, how about we go upstairs and I make us something
to eat?”
Nodding,
Kira headed for the stairs with Kim trailing behind her, Ethan and Conner watching
them both seriously. Once the two climbed the stairs, the two male rangers
turned to where Hayley was working.
“So,
anything we can do?” Ethan asked.
“Not
really. Why don’t you get comfortable.”
With
that, Ethan fished out his laptop and Conner reached for his soccer ball and
proceeded to practice. They both would rather have been upstairs in the kitchen
listening to Kim tell them stories about the days of the original ranger teams,
but they’d promised they’d come up with news. Still, from how Kira and Kim had
been when Kim had first showed up, the two seemed like they had some things
they needed to discuss on their own.
Kira
and Kim moved to the kitchen where Kira pulled out a chair and sat, letting Kim
forage through the refrigerator. She felt weird enough being in Dr. O’s house
sometimes. But she wasn’t about to go through his fridge. That was something
Kim could do though…
After
a few minutes, Kim put out some carrot sticks, a couple of glasses of water and
some fruit she’d been able to uncover in the back of the fridge on the table.
Kim took the opposite chair to the yellow ranger and Kira stared at her until
she grabbed one of the carrot sticks and started chewing. Only then did Kira
relax, grabbing the water and taking a small sip. As Kim ate, she looked at the
yellow ranger closely for the first time since she’d arrived. The strain she
saw there made her heart ache. She remembered that all too well. She finished
off a second carrot and then reached across the table to lay her hand over Kira’s.
“I
can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am you had to go through that,” Kim said
sorrowfully.
Kira
knew instantly that Kim was referring to the white ranger’s identity.
“So
am I,” Kira replied simply, her voice fairly emotionless.
“He’s
confused right now,” Kim said, making a guess and watched Kira’s head shoot up.
“How…”
“So
was Tommy, right after. It took him a while, even with the support of the whole
team to get comfortable. But it happened. Trent will be the same.”
“I
hope so. Because right now, he’s steering clear of all of us.”
“You
too?”
“Yeah.
I think especially me.”
“Because
he likes you and doesn’t want to hurt you…”
Kira
nodded, starting to get a clue.
“Tommy
was very much the same.”
“Did
you being you stop him from attacking?”
Kim
frowned. Even though near the end she knew Tommy had known who the rangers
were, he’d attacked them in battle every time. It was only when they were
unmorphed that he simply settled for verbally tormenting her.
“You
could say while we weren’t in uniform we had a truce of sorts. But it didn’t
stop him from grabbing Jason while he was in civilian clothes, and when he was
walking away. Why do you ask?”
“Trent,
the white ranger stopped in his tracks during our last real battle, when my
powers got disrupted. I demorphed, he stood there, looked at me, and then
called me by name before he backed off.”
“I
don’t…” Kim began, wondering for the first time if she could have broken
Tommy’s spell like that. “No. That never happened with Tommy and me. But you
should feel good about your relationship with Trent. He obviously cares for you
if he could stop himself.”
Smiling
grimly, Kira nodded, taking a sip of the water again.
“How
did you get past it? I mean, when it was Dr. O… he tried to kill you all…”
“He
wasn’t himself, just like Trent isn’t. The power of evil… it’s hard…”
Before
Kim could say anything else, Conner called up from the basement and they both
looked at one another.
“Let’s
go,” Kira stated, and the two women headed down the stairs.
“Anything
with Dr. O?” Kira called out first as she stepped down into the command center,
Kim following right behind her. The two women met the others at the central
computer terminal site.
“No,
something else,” Hayley said, staring at the computer screen. “The satellite is
picking up a strange reading in the forest.”
“Come
on, let’s take a look,” Conner announced, as he, Ethan and Kira turned to head
out.
As
they left, Kim watched them go as Hayley stared at the energy signature and
wondered what it could be.
-
As
the rangers finally walked back into the basement command center after
defeating the monster and retrieving a piece f the meteor, Kim and Hayley both
breathed a sigh of relief to see them back to their normal personalities and
clothes.
“Good
to have all of you back,” Kim joked, and the three teens smiled self
consciously.
“I
assume you’re feeling back to normal,” Hayley said as she took the meteor
fragment from Ethan, moving to machinery she’d improvised.
“Thank
goodness,” Ethan blurted out.
“I
heard that,” Conner replied.
“Hey,
since the meteor changed Trent to good, couldn’t we use it to fight the effects
of the dino gem?” asked Kira as Hayley placed the container in the cylindrical
slot.
“That
may work, but let’s try this first.”
“Come
on Hayley,” Ethan cheered as the group all gathered around behind the dish
array and table full of equipment.
“Activating.”
The
group watched as electrical beam from the dish struck the amber, the material
sluicing from Tommy’s form, and Kim found herself frozen in place behind the
team, staring at the uncovering of his helmet, then his chest… when the machine
sparked and blew up in a cloud of smoke. The group collectively yelled and
screamed at the sound of the mini-explosion of the machine, and Kira turned
quickly to the rock she thought could help Trent.
“The
rock, it’s fried!” Kira cried out, pulling the casing to show the melted stone.
“Yeah,
but look…” Conner said brightly, pointing to Dr. O.
“It
worked,” Hayley announced as they all saw Tommy fully free of the amber and
standing somewhat disoriented in place.
Conner
and Ethan moved to make sure he didn’t collapse to the floor as Hayley quickly
moved to power his suit down, the black ranger uniform suddenly disappearing to
reveal his normal clothes. With deliberate slowness, he eased his back
straighter, the movement immediately relaxing the members of the team as Ethan
and Conner backed up to give their teacher some breathing room.
“Oh
God Tommy,” she said softly as she watched him move, prompting him to quickly
turn his head in her direction and look at her in disbelief.
She
really was there.
“Kim,” he
said huskily as he saw her standing near Kira and the machinery, looking tired
but relieved.
He reached
out towards her and she quickly ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.
Everyone smiled and Kira fought back tears at the emotional reunion taking
place before them.
“God Tommy, I
was so worried,” she cried into his chest as his arms nearly crushed her to
him.
Tommy reveled
in the feeling of having her there, in his arms when she would normally have
been on the other side of the country. That sudden thought brought him up
short.
“Wait. What
*are* you doing here?” he questioned suddenly, realizing that she shouldn’t be
here, in his arms, even if that was the only place she truly belonged.
“I couldn’t
reach you and it scared me. You had been so upset and worried when we talked
last, and I thought that maybe something *bad* had happened. So I asked Gregor
for a few days vacation… I haven’t taken any since I started except the extra
time they gave us last month. So, here I am.”
His face
fell, and she knew he was feeling guilty.
“I’m sorry
for not calling you. I just…”
“It’s okay
Tommy. I’m more concerned about you. Are you okay?”
“I…”
As she asked
that, Hayley was there, running the scanner over him, checking her data against
her files on her friend.
“He’s just
fine, considering he was getting his ass kicked right before he got encased.”
“So, what
happened? Did you stop Trent?” Tommy asked.
“Sort of,”
Kira said, looking down in confusion.
“They’re
getting through it Tommy,” Kim said lightly, tightly holding onto the love of
her life, and Tommy knew that for now it was better to table the discussion.
“So, now that
Dr. O’s all better, are you staying Kim?” Conner asked, making everyone swing
their attention to the woman in question.
“I…”
Tommy glanced
at the woman at his side. He didn’t want to scare her, but he’d heard
everything she’d said to him while he’d been encased. While he’d thought he was
dreaming, once he’d been freed, he’d half expected to find his lover there. But
Conner’s question cut into a tough subject. Personally he wanted nothing more
for her to leave her job with the Olympic team and stay with him now, but he
knew they had to talk about it some more.
“You’re are
still planning on moving to Reefside?” Kira quickly asked, concern lacing her
voice.
Kim still
hadn’t been able to answer them when Tommy pulled away and sat on Kim’s
previously abandoned chair.
“It’s so nice
to see my students worried about my love life,” Tommy sighed with a hint of
humor.
“Please Dr.
O. You’re lucky that Kim even wants anything to do with a high school teacher.
I mean, really, do you make *any* money?” Conner said jokingly.
“Alright,
enough beating up on the teacher,” Tommy nearly barked.
“Guys, I
think he’s had a little too much excitement, considering he was a statue until
just a few minutes ago. How about everyone head home and we’ll fill you all in
after we talk some more?” Kim stated with a smile.
With some
trepidation, they relented. Hayley reached past everyone and gave Tommy a hug
and glanced briefly at Kim before taking her leave. For the rest, it was
another round of hugs and goodbyes before they finally left, leaving Tommy and
Kim alone. She turned to where he sat on the folding chair and gave him a
come-hither stare that had his blood boiling just looking at her. He rose from
his seat and allowed her magnetism to pull her to her side.
“So, now that
they’re gone, how about I get a proper hello?” she whispered.
Smiling,
Tommy leaned down and kissed her with everything he had, pulling her to him so
tightly, he wasn’t sure where his skin stopped and hers started.
“Okay, how
about we go upstairs, get comfy on the couch and talk about all this?” Tommy
asked.
The two of
them walked hand in hand to the stairs, Tommy giving Kim a little shove to send
her up the ladder first. Once they were settled on the couch, Tommy took Kim’s
hands in his and stared at her. It seemed they were always making decisions on
couches – his and hers.
“Kim, I can’t
tell you what it means that you came out here when you couldn’t reach me.”
She lowered
her head, and Tommy reached over to tip a finger beneath her chin to bring her
gaze back to his. He nearly gasped at the emotion he could see pouring from
them, as well as the streaming silent tears that accompanied them.
“I was *so*
scared. I thought I’d made the biggest mistake of my life by not staying when
I’d been here last month. All I could think of was that if you were dead, I’d
sacrificed everything for nothing.”
“Kim…”
“No. I
learned my lesson. I can’t go back this time,” she stated emphatically. “Things
with Trent still aren’t resolved, and Mesogog is still after you all. You still
need me.”
“Yes, I do
need you,” he stated seriously and emotionally. “But I can deal with you being
in Boston. But what about your job, the gymnastics team? Don’t they factor into
this?”
She frowned
and then glanced away from him, and Tommy felt his heart seize in his chest.
Only a few weeks ago he’d been wishing that she’d stayed when she’d been here
last. And now she was saying just that. That she didn’t want to leave him
again.
Except he
knew he couldn’t let her do that.
“Beautiful,
look at me,” he nearly whispered, and waited for her brown eyes to meet his. “I
love you. And I love that you’re ready to be with me. But I couldn’t live with
myself thinking that my actions, my stupidity was responsible for you giving up
on something that we both know means a lot to you. Those girls. They’re going
to the Olympics in a few months. And you’re supposed to be with them.”
“But Tommy…”
“No Kim. It’s
my turn to make the hard decision. As much as I love you, I know that it would
be wrong to hold you here. I know you’ll be moving here after the games to be
with me. So, for now, you need to go back.”
There was
silence for a long time, and Kim swallowed hard. She’d intentionally put the
thought of the girls out of her head when she’d decided to stay. Because she
knew if she didn’t she wouldn’t have been able to make a choice between Tommy
and 16 girls who looked up to her and needed her guidance and support.
“If you’re
sure…”
“Kim, I’ll be
here in September waiting on you. I promise I’ll be more careful and that no
matter what happens I will never not call you again.”
“Alright. All
that really matters right now is that you’re safe and that we’re here together.
Even if I’m not staying this time, I’ll be back for good soon. And when that
day comes, it’s you and me – forever.”
Tommy pulled back,
simply holding her hands so he could watch her smiling face even more closely.
Yeah, she was right about saying that their being together forever really was
all that mattered. Then a very important piece of information that had been
buried by evil rangers floated back up to the surface. Something even his Swiss
cheese brain wasn’t about to let go for very long.
Tommy hadn’t
been able to have more than a few moments of peace the last few days, so the
comment had been buried in his memory. But now, with the woman who’d dropped
that bombshell in his arms, he couldn’t help thinking about it again. Kim had
been thinking of them in terms of being married. Of course, it wasn’t like he
hadn’t.
He recalled
specifically the moment when he’d put her on the plane what seemed like years
ago and thinking that the next time he got her in Reefside, after the Olympic,
he wasn’t going to let her go again. And the lengths he was considering to do
that.
Like marrying
her.
Not like that
was such a hardship. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time, even during their
time apart that he hadn’t thought that one day they might get married. Of
course, there was the short period of time when he and Kat were sleeping
together that he had considered being married to her. But the reality of that
was he couldn’t love her like she deserved, even if he’d been dreaming of their
children’s children.
Kim had
always been the only one he could see proposing to. Waiting at the end of a
church aisle or wondering where they should go for a honeymoon.
And he
finally realized now that after her comment, he wasn’t the only one.
“Kim, what
did you mean by that wedding comment before the white ranger showed up?” he
asked simply and felt Kim freeze up I his arms.
Kim could
recall the comment she’d let slip just like she’d said it minutes ago, not
days… ‘Sure we’re not. I’m sure that
Jason will make some comment about it at our wedding.’
There was
silence, and he wondered if maybe he should have left well alone.
“Where’s that
Swiss cheese memory when I need it,” she mumbled disappointedly as she moved
away from Tommy to stand in the middle of the living room, bringing him to
stand beside her.
“Beautiful,
you didn’t really think I’d forget what you’d implied, did you?” he asked her
seriously, taking her hand as his face took on a worried look.
“I’d hoped
you would,” she began, and then went quiet as she saw the look of fear in his
eyes. Quickly she raised a hand to his cheek, and he leaned into it. “Tommy, I
didn’t mean it like that. I mean, damn it… I don’t know how to explain myself
to you. I wasn’t suggesting that you should marry me, or that you have to marry
me or anything.”
“You know
I’ve thought a lot about that subject too,” he offered sincerely.
“I…” she
trailed off, and Tommy smirked, knowing he had stunned the words right out of
her. Serves her right he thought, she had done the same thing to him when she’d
first brought this up.
“Look,” he
finally jumped in, realizing that she was feeling pressured and skittish. “I’m
not suggesting anything. I just wanted to let you know that I understand.”
“I just…” she
stammered out.
“You think
about it.”
“Yeah,” she
admitted, and bent her head as she felt her cheeks burn with a fiery blush.
“So do I,” he
stated seriously as he lifted her face to meet her eyes with his own. “We’re
taking things step by step. And yeah, I’d love to walk over to the phone right
now, call Jase, Rocky and Adam and the rest of the guys and tell them to start
the bachelor party planning, but we have all the time in the world to do that.
All I care about right now is that we’re in love, and that you’re still
planning on coming out here after the games.”
“I made you a
promise. I’ll be here on the first flight from Athens as soon as the closing
ceremony finishes. You know I can’t stand any more time away from you than
necessary.”
He smiled,
and then pulled her close for a scalding kiss, his hands roaming across her
back and sides as she simply held his head to her firmly, willing him to never
move. After breaking apart, he looked around and noticed the one lone gym bag
in the corner near the door.
“You only
packed one bag?” he asked teasingly.
“I was
thinking about not having to wait at the carrousel when I got here…” she
replied with a blush.
“Hey, I’m not
complaining. That just means we’ll have to spend whatever time you have left in
bed, since you don’t have any clothes…” he commented with a leer.
With that, he
reached over and scooped her up, Kim gasping slightly in surprise as he swiftly
carried her to his bedroom… their bedroom.
They had a
lot of catching up still to do.
-End-
OR GO TO CHAPTER 16.5 - the NC-17 conclusion
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