Title: A Love Story
Author: Mykkila09
Chapter: 4 of 4
Chapter Title: Meant To Be
Setting: ZEO era; after the letter but before Jason joins the team as the Gold ranger.
Story Summary: Both Kim and Tommy get advice from a friend, who help them realize that they should stop living life to make others happy and should start living it to make themselves happy. It's basically one of the ways I thought the show could've gone after that abominable and totally out of character letter.
Chapter Word Count: 5139

A/N: ok, here it is…the final chapter; it's also slightly longer than the last three. Hope everyone enjoys it.

A/N 2: this chapter is based on two songs: some of the conversation between Tommy and Kim is based on Far Away by Nickelback (totally awesome song), while the ending chorus is taken from Love Story by Taylor Swift. It also has everyone in it.

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban. I am not making any money from this fic.

Original Posting Date: Sunday 27th Feb. '11.

*Sometimes being far away is the only way to get closer*

Tommy and Kim stayed locked in each other's embrace for a few more minutes before pulling away slowly.

"I'm so glad I came home," Kim smiled at him even as tears continued falling.

"Me too," Tommy smiled before he reached up a thumb to brush her tears away. "Please don't cry Beautiful."

"I never thought I'd hear that name from you ever again," Kim looked down briefly before looking back up. She was going to say something else, but was stopped by the arrival of the others.

"What the hell is going on?" Tanya demanded as she reached them. "Who is this Tommy?"

"Kimberly," Rocky pulled Kim out of Tommy's arms and into his own, tightening them around her in a hug. "I missed you little crane…welcome home."

"I missed you too Rocky," Kim, a little surprised at first, hugged him back just as tight. "More than I thought I would."

The two pulled back from their hug to look at the others. Kim noticed that Billy and Adam looked a little hesitant, but they seemed to get over it because in the next second, she was hugged by both of them.

"Welcome home," Billy whispered in her ear as he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"It's good to have you back," Adam said before he stepped back from the hug.

"Kim," Tommy gestured to Tanya who was staring at Kim with her arms crossed. "This is Tanya; she replaced Aisha as the yellow ranger. Tanya, this is Kimberly Hart, she was the first pink ranger."

"Nice to meet you," Tanya said politely as she held out her hand for Kim to shake; she was excited at meeting another original, especially Kimberly as she had heard how she was a really good person, but she felt torn as Kat was her best friend and this was the girl that everyone said Tommy was head over heels for. And from the looks of things, she was the reason Tommy had broken things off with Kat.

"Kim," Billy looked at his friend. "What are you doing here? I thought you were training in Florida?"

"I was," Kim said as she looked at them before looking at Tommy. "But I'd rather talk to Tommy first."

"Alright," Tommy nodded. "We can talk outside."

"Okay," Kim smiled at him and smiled at the others before allowing Tommy to lead her out.

Just minutes after they left, Kat walked over to them.

"Hey guys," she said. "Was that Tommy I saw leaving just now?"

"Yeah," Tanya nodded. "It was him."

"Oh," Kat looked to the door. "Who's that with him?"

"Kimberly," Rocky answered with a smile.

"What?" Kat turned to look at him in shock. "She's here? I thought she was supposed to be in Florida?"

"We all did," Adam answered. "But I guess something happened to change that."

"And we won't know what that something is until we speak with her," Billy added.

"Oh," Kat looked to the doorway again.

Tanya looked at her best friend, sensing the dejected tone to her voice; she had spoken with Kat over the break-up and knew that while the blonde understood, there was still a part of her that hoped Tommy would change his mind and realized he could move on from Kim and he could do it with her. She herself had thought the same thing, but now that Kimberly was back in town, she knew that that was never going to happen.

~…~

"So," Tommy said as he and Kim walked away from the gym. "What's up? Why are you here, not that I don't want you to be, I'm just surprised that you are."

"I don't know where to start," Kim sighed and crossed her arms.

"I don't know about you," Tommy grabbed one of her hands in his to lace their fingers together. "But I've heard that the beginning is always a great place." The two chuckled before Tommy squeezed Kim's hand. "Talk to me Kim."

"When I got the offer to go to Florida," Kim started, "I was torn; while a part of me wanted to stay in Angel Grove with the rangers and with you, the other part wanted to go as it had always been a childhood dream of mine to know if I was good enough to make it to the Olympics and if I was, then to go. So, after much debating, I decided to go to Florida; at first, things were good. I was training to be an elite gymnast and I had the backing and support of my friends, my mother and best of all, I had your support." She stopped to smile at him before she continued. "The first few months were ok. I missed you guys a lot, but it didn't bother me because I knew I'd be coming home for Christmas. Spending time with you guys made me miss you guys even more and it made me appreciate you a lot more to know that I was clear across the country, but you were still as in love with me as I was with you and that you were patient enough to wait for me. I felt so loved that Christmas."

Tommy said nothing as he listened to Kim as she poured her heart out; he wanted to interrupt her, but he didn't as he knew she needed to say what she had to say. So he waited.

"I was in such high spirits to know that you guys had so much faith in me," Kim continued, "And I carried that with me back to Florida; and then, thing started to change. My mother became more controlling when it came to my gymnastics, her and the coach. They wanted me to spend less time talking to you guys and more time perfecting my moves. Soon enough, I started to lose my drive and my passion for the sport. My mom kept pressuring me and before I knew it, I let her talk me into making one of the biggest mistakes of my life."

"Kim," Tommy looked at her with wide eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Tommy," Kim looked at him as she spoke. "I never meant to write that letter; I never wanted to break up with you. It was all my mom's fault; she pressured me into writing it. She told me that it was for the best, that I needed to let you go to and to concentrate on my future. Silly me believed her; I listened to her and I lost the one person that meant the most to me."

"So," Tommy's heart pounded as elation spread through him. "There was no other guy?"

"No," Kim shook her head. "There never was and there never will be; you're it for me Tommy."

"Beautiful," Tommy smiled and it was so full of love and so bright, that Kim felt her breath catch in her throat. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

"I think I do," Kim whispered. "I am so sorry Tommy; I'm sorry I listened to her and I'm sorry I hurt you."

"It's ok," Tommy reassured her. "I spoke with Rocky and he made me realize something; the past few months were just as much my fault as they were yours. Yeah, you wrote the letter, but I chose to believe it; I chose not to come after you even though my heart was screaming at me to do just that. Rocky was right when he said that I gave up before I even fought and I'll never forget that."

"So what do we do now?" Kim asked. "Where do we go from here?"

"I know what I want," Tommy told her, "the question is, what is it that you want? I still love you Kim, and I want us to try again…I want us to have a second chance."

"So do I," Kim smiled, "I still love you and I want those same things as well. I'm tired of being far away from you Tommy. I don't want to leave you anymore, I want to stay here. Being in Florida these last few months was hell, especially after I sent the letter. A close friend helped me to realize that I was living my life to make my mom and the coach happy, but not me."

"What about gymnastics?" Tommy asked; he had to make sure this was what she really wanted and that there would be nothing to pull her back, because he had no intention of ever letting her go again.

"Like I said," Kim shook her head, "I slowly lost my drive and my passion for it; doing gymnastics stopped being something I loved and being fun, to something I did to make mom and coach happy. My heart just wasn't in it anymore and what kind of gymnast would I be at Olympics if I no longer held any love in performing the sport?"

"So?" Tommy couldn't stop the grin; he knew what she was saying, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"So," Kim smiled coyly. "I'm here to stay. I want to be with you again. You still have my heart Tommy and that's something that will never change."

"God I love you," Tommy's words were spoken vehemently as he pulled Kim into his arms and claimed her mouth in a kiss that was passionate and gentle at the same time. It lasted for a few minutes before he pulled back to rest his forehead against hers. "You've been far away for far too long Beautiful."

"I think that after everything that has happened, I needed to hear you say that," Kim confessed. "I'm not leaving you anymore Tommy. I'm right where I want to be."

"I believe it," Tommy smiled.

"Forgive me for being away?" Kim asked.

"I'll always forgive you Kim," Tommy assured her. "When you left, I used to dream all the time that you'd be back with me and I told myself I'd never let you go."

"You won't have to," Kim smiled. "I love you Handsome." She was about to kiss him again, but she stopped.

"What is it?" Tommy asked when he saw the expression on her face.

"What about Kat?" Kim asked.

"Kat and I are over," Tommy smiled, "I broke things off two days ago. I realized I wasn't over you and I couldn't continue being with her when I knew I'd never feel for her the way she wants me to. You have my heart Kim, and you'll always have it. Kat was never going to, so I had to break things off."

"Oh," Kim smiled brightly. "Two days ago huh? That's funny; I got here two days ago."

"You've been in town the past two days?" Tommy looked at her in disbelief. "Where have you been staying?"

"Hotel," Kim admitted sheepishly. "I didn't want anyone to know I was here before I was ready, so I stayed in the hotel room."

"I'm sure my parents won't mind if you stay with us," Tommy said after a few minutes, "they've always liked you."

"Do you really think they'll be ok with having their son's girlfriend stay in the same house as him?" Kim asked. "And where would I sleep?"

"You can sleep in my room," Tommy said, "it's not like they don't know what we may or may not do. They had caught us before."

Kim blushed as she remembered the time during Christmas, when Melissa and James Oliver had walked in on her and Tommy as they were having sex; it was one of, if not, the most embarrassing moments in her life.

"If you're sure," Kim murmured.

"I am," Tommy nodded emphatically.

"Ok," Kim smiled up at him. "What about the others? What are we going to tell them?"

"The truth," Tommy answered.

"Is there a reason Billy and Adam aren't happy to see me?" Kim asked as she and Tommy turned to walk back to the youth center. "They were a little hesitant to hug me; Rocky seemed to be the only one, other than you, to be really happy to see me."

"Well," Tommy's brows furrowed as he thought on his friends. "Rocky really wants us back together and with you back in town, he's happy because he knows what it means. As for Adam and Billy, I think Adam's maybe choosing Kat's side because Kat is Tanya's best friend and Adam likes Tanya. I don't even think he realizes that that's what he's doing."

"And Billy?" Kim asked. "What's his excuse?"

"You know," Tommy shrugged, "I'm not really sure. You'd have to ask him."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Kim looked away before looking back at him.

"Hey," Tommy looked down at her. "What happened to the girl who wasn't afraid to speak her mind, especially if she's not in the wrong?"

"Her mother and her coach happened to her," Kim shrugged. "They basically ripped my self-confidence to shreds, especially my mother. I spent so much time listening to them, that I guess I forgot how to truly stand up for myself."

"I'm beginning to really hate the coach and your mom," Tommy frowned. "I can't believe they did that to you."

"It's fine," Kim smiled, "I gained back some confidence when I stood up to my mom and told her I quit and that I was going home. It felt real good."

"Yeah?" Tommy grinned; his little firebird shined through. "Think you have some of that confidence left over to go talk to the others?"

"I have you back," Kim grinned, "as long as I know you're there with me, I can have the confidence to do anything."

"Good," Tommy smiled, "let's go then."

The two smiled at each other once more before turning around to head back to the youth center.

~…~

Kat kept looking to the doorway every few minutes; Kimberly's appearance had thrown her for a loop. She had thought that if she gave Tommy a few days, he would see that he could move on from Kim and learn to love someone else…her. But now, with Kimberly back in town, she knew that was never gonna happen, her only hope was that Tommy wouldn't forgive her for what she did, but even as she thought that, she knew he would; Tommy was the type of guy that forgave easily, it was one of the reasons she had fallen for him.

"Are you going to be ok?" Tanya asked Kat when she saw the way her friend kept looking at the door.

"I'm not sure," Kat answered, drawing the attention of the three boys. "I don't really know what to think right now."

"Well I for one am glad Kim is home," Rocky smiled, "I really missed her."

"But what about the letter?" Adam's brows furrowed. "I mean, we all heard what it said."

"So?" Rocky looked at him. "I really don't care as I never believed the letter in the first place."

"You didn't?" Billy was surprised.

"No," Rocky scowled at the blond. "And I can't believe you did. Out of all of us here, you knew Kim the longest and it never occurred to you how totally out of character that letter was for Kim?"

"Well," Billy started, a slight grimace on his face at the chastising tone in his friend's words.

"Come on," Rocky cut him off. "You've been there to see how Kim and Tommy got started, we came after, but even then, I still saw the connection between the two of them and just how much they meant to each other. You know Kim, do you really think if she was breaking up with Tommy she would've told him in a letter and then sent it to such a public place as the youth center, of all places, where anyone could read it? No, she wouldn't have."

Billy looked away in shame, as did Adam, as he knew that Rocky was right; they had known Kim long enough to know she wasn't the type of person to do something like that.

"I mean," Rocky frowned, "Geez Billy, if there was anyone who should've never believed that letter, it should've been you."

"Isn't that a bit harsh Rocky?" Kat frowned at him.

"No," Rocky didn't even look at her; a part of him was angry at the blonde because he knew how she felt about Tommy. Since before Kim had left for Florida, he had picked up on her feelings for Tommy, and he wasn't the only one; Aisha, and Kim, had picked up on it as well. Which was why, when Aisha had switched places with Tanya, she had told him to keep an eye on the blonde to make sure she didn't make a move on Kim's territory.

He and Kat could never really get along because he always felt as if she never really made the effort to get to know him. All she saw ever him as, was the jokester, the guy that was never serious, and add to the fact that she seemed to always be about Tommy…

"He's right Kat," Billy sighed. "I should've known better than to believe the letter."

"So why didn't you?" Rocky asked.

"I'd like to hear the answer to that myself," Kim said as she and Tommy joined them. She had heard Rocky defend her, even without knowing the real reason for the letter, and it had warmed her heart more than anything to know that he believed in her. At the same time, it hurt to know that Billy, her childhood friend, had cut all ties with her instead of talking to her about her and Tommy's breakup and that he believed the letter.

"Kimberly," Billy turned to her, as did everyone else.

"Just tell me why Billy," Kim looked at him, before looking at Adam. "Tell me why the two of you believed that letter and why the two of you cut all ties with me. Tommy I could understand as I knew that that's what he would've done the moment I sent it; from the sound of things, Rocky never believed in the first place, so tell me, why did my childhood friend and a friend I'd gotten really close to, believed the letter and decided to stop being my friend just because of it."

The group was silent as they waited on the answer from the two boys. Kim avoided looking at Kat as she knew the exact reason why the blonde would believe the letter without talking to her and why the blonde had decided to stop talking to her as well, and as for Tanya, well, she reasoned that she didn't know her, so she'd save her judgment for later.

"I guess," Adam went first, "I guess the reason why I stopped being your friend after the break-up was because I was so blindsided by it. I didn't see how you and Tommy started, but I got here to see the two of already together and becoming stronger each day. You guys had—have—such a strong connection between you two that I was in awe. Seeing it made me hope to have someday what you did.

"When the letter came, it kinda felt like everything was falling apart; I mean, if you and Tommy, the most perfect, strongest, purest and truest relationship I had ever witnessed, could fall apart, then what about the rest of us. I didn't want to believe the letter, so I figured if I stopped talking to you, then it wouldn't be true. Crazy, I know, but it's true; add in to the fact that I…" he paused, glanced at Tanya and flushed slightly before continuing. "I like Tanya and since Tanya was—is—Kat's best friend, I guess I wanted to stay in her good graces, so I kept myself from calling you and apologizing. But I'm saying it now, I am so sorry for ending all ties with you; you became one of my best and closest friends and I let you down."

Kim looked at Adam, they all did, especially Tanya; no one said anything as they let his words sink in. Never did they thought that that would be his reason.

Kim for her part could understand where he was coming from and she knew that while she wouldn't have stopped talking to her friends, she would've felt similar to how he had felt. So she let him know.

"Believe it or not," She sighed, "I understand and I forgive you."

Adam smiled and got up from his seat to walk over to Kim, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you."

"Even princes make mistakes," Kim smiled and kissed him on his cheek. "But I'm glad to have my prince back."

Adam laughed, as did Rocky and Tommy, at the reference to his ninjetti animal; ever since they had gone to Phaedos, Kim always called him her "prince".

"I really am glad our crane is flying with us again," Adam pressed a kiss to Kim's cheek before letting go and moving back to his seat.

Kim smiled before she turned to Billy. "So? Are you going to tell me?"

"I'd have to say," Billy started with a sigh, "that my reasons, or part of them, are similar to Adam's reasoning. I felt the same way as well."

"And what's the other part?" Tanya asked; she was just as curious as to why Billy would stop talking to Kim. She knew she was ok as she had never met Kimberly; all she knew was what the others had told her and from the way they talked about her, Tanya knew that she was a really good person, and she also knew that probably the only reason she disliked Kim, was because Kat was her best friend and she didn't want to see her hurt. It was wrong, she knew, to judge Kim before even meeting her, but she had done it…and she was sorry.

Just seeing Tommy's reaction when he had seen Kimberly and seeing the two of them together, she had seen the connection; one she hadn't even realized was missing between Tommy and Kat. She knew she was rude earlier, both to Tommy and Kim—Tommy when he had broken up with Kat and Kimberly when she had introduced herself—but she was willing to apologize and get to know Kim as a friend.

"The other reason is simple," Billy explained, "I didn't keep in contact with you after the letter, because I felt as if Tommy needed me. I truly did want to keep talking to you, but I guess I thought that since Tommy was the one to get dumped, he would need my support more than you would. I was wrong, and I never should've chosen sides and I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

Kim didn't hesitate; Billy was her childhood friend and while it had hurt that he had stopped talking to her, she understood his reasons. And besides, she was never able to stay mad at him for long; it's been that way since they were kids. "Always Billy."

"Thank you," Billy said as he stood to hug Kim. He squeezed her before letting go.

"So," Rocky looked at Kim. "What's the real reason for the letter?"

Kim sighed before she launched into the tale she had told Tommy; by the time she was finished, the others felt even worse, Kat especially, about how they had reacted.

"I'm sorry!" Kat blurted out, making everyone look at her. "You gave me everything Kim; you became my first friend in Angel Grove, you gave me a place in your group and you trusted me with your powers and the others and I repaid you by dating Tommy. I knew he was yours, I think a part of me always knew that, but I didn't want to see it. When you left, I admit I saw it as my chance to get closer to him and then when the letter came, while a part of me was hurting for both of you, another part was glad as I thought I would finally have my chance with him."

Kim stayed quiet as she listened to the blonde talk; she knew she should be angry, but she couldn't. She couldn't really blame Kat for falling for Tommy, although, she did have an idea about that.

"I truly am sorry," Kat continued; hearing the others speak just now had broken something in her and she finally realized what she knew all along. Kim and Tommy belonged together and that she owed everything to the petite brunette.

"It's ok Kat," Kim smiled at her. "I can understand why you'd fall for Tommy and to be honest, I knew before I left for Florida that you felt something for him. Did you ever think that, maybe, your feelings for him aren't really yours?"

"What do you mean?" Kat was puzzled as were the others.

"Well," Kim said as she sat in the chair next to Rocky. "When you came to us, you were already under Rita's spell. We all know that Rita was really angry that she had lost Tommy as her green ranger and I think she was slightly jealous of the relationship between me and Tommy. So, maybe it's possible that when Rita placed the spell on you, she transferred some of her own feelings into you as well."

"What?" Tanya looked at the group as the friends looked at each other.

"I never thought of it like that," Adam said.

"It does have a certain possibility to it," Billy murmured.

"So you think my feelings for Tommy aren't real?" Kat asked.

"No, that's not what I'm saying," Kim shook her head. "I think that that's what happened at first, but then, when the spell was broken, there was some residual magic left over, but as time went on and you got to know Tommy, I think you actually started falling for him. But I believe that only happened because you were under the spell, which kinda served as your spring board, so to speak."

Everyone was quiet as they thought on what Kim said.

"I never looked at it that way," Kat looked down; to think, all her feelings for Tommy was because of the spell from Rita.

"Kat," Kim reached out to grab the blonde's hands in hers. "I didn't say it to hurt you or anything, nor did I say it to undermine you're feelings for Tommy. I do believe that you had truly fallen for Tommy, and I had already decided that if I came back here and he was truly happy with you—happier than he has ever been with me—then I would've backed off, no matter how much I still loved him."

"Thanks Kim," Kat smiled. "I've had a few days to think things over since Tommy and I broke up and I guess while a part of me hoped we'd get back together, deep down, I knew we wouldn't because I knew he always belonged to you."

"So," Kim smiled at her, "do you think we can retry this friendship thing?"

"You'd still want to be my friend after everything?" Kat was shocked.

"Yes," Kim smiled. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Ok," Kat nodded. "I'd like that. Welcome home Kim."

"Thanks," Kim smiled. "It's good to be home."

Everyone smiled at each other, happy that they had managed to get through this hurdle together.

~..~

Later, after the friends had spent time with each other catching up, and visiting Zordon, they had ended up back at Ernie's.

"So what now?" Kim asked as she looked around; it had been a very good day, better than she expected.

"Now," Tommy stood up from his seat, pulling Kim with him. "We go talk to my parents; I don't want you staying at the hotel."

"Alright," Kim smiled before looking at her friends. "We'll see you guys later."

"Definitely," Kat smiled, looking forward to spending time with her predecessor and friend.

"Count on it Kim," Rocky grinned. "We have lots to do."

"I know," Kim giggled and Rocky's smile grew, along with Adam, Billy and Tommy; they had missed hearing that.

"It was nice meeting you Kim," Tanya smiled at the brunette.

"Same here," Kim smiled before she turned to Tommy. "Let's go Handsome."

"See ya guys," Tommy waved before grabbing Kim's hand in his, leading her to the door.

As they left, Kat watched them with a sad smile.

"You ok?" Tanya asked, seeing the look on her face.

"I will be," Kat turned to her. "Tommy may have been the first guy I fell in love with, but he's not my guy—he never was—he was always Kim's. Seeing them together, I know that that's where they belong, and you know something?"

"What?" Adam asked as he had heard the blonde, as did the others.

"I think being far away from each other helped them," Kat smiled. "I think it helped us."

"How so?" Billy asked.

"Tommy and Kim learned to appreciate each other a lot more," Kat explained, "and Kim and I have never been closer. I guess it is true what they say, distance does make the heart grow fonder."

She turned back to the door, just in time to see Tommy leaning down to kiss Kim and the pure love on both faces as they pulled back to smile at each other.

"They were far apart," Kat murmured, "and the distance made them even closer."

"They're it, aren't they?" Tanya asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Rocky nodded. "They're the real deal."

~…~

"We're gonna make it, aren't we Tiger?" Kim asked as she got in Tommy's jeep.

"Yes," Tommy looked over at her. "We will."

"I've dreamed of finding someone for me for so long," Kim smiled. "Someone that was my own…that would protect me…that would love me. I never believed it would happen…until I met you, and then with everything that happened in Florida, I lost the belief." She looked at him. "But I found it again."

"Like I told you Beautiful," Tommy reached out to grab her hand. "Believe it…believe me, hold on to me and the fact that I love you and that we are meant to be…hold on to that because I'm never letting you go…never again."

"Good," Kim grinned before leaning over to kiss him. "Because I'm not letting you go either."

~…~

High up in the mountains, Zordon smiled as he watched the scene on the viewing globe; his falcon and crane—the Lord and Lady of the Skies—were flying together once more, just like they were destined to…just like he always knew. His pink princess had found her prince.

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,
It's a love story, baby, just say yes

A/N 3: so, that's it. We have reached the end of the story. I hope you guys liked this chapter and that everyone's part was ok. Thanks to everyone that has read, reviewed, placed this story on alert and in their favorites...you guys are awesome. Since you're at this point, only left to do is review...

Ta ta for now...

Kila