Title: Reclaiming His Crane
Author: Mykkila09
Chapter: 1 of 5
Chapter Title: The Falcon's Decision
Settings: during ZEO and then TURBO; starts out with that atrocious episode, "There's No Business like Snow Business" and that God-awful letter and ends with T: APRM.
Summary: Tommy gets the letter and after thinking things over, he decides not to let things end that way and to follow his heart.
Chapter Word Count: 6,787

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban; no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. If you didn't get that...I do NOT own and I am NOTmaking any money off of this.

A/N: a two-part story; had it as a one-shot, but by the time I got to the end, I decided to add on another chapter. This is just another way I thought that awful, awful, horrible, nightmare-inducing (for all T/K fans) episode could've gone. Thanks to Falcon4Crane who was my bouncing board and told me to go for it...thanks girl. Enjoy.

'Thinking'
"Speaking"
letter
...letter throwback

When Tommy Oliver woke up, he was in a good mood; he stretched and rolled out of bed, smiling at the picture of his girlfriend of almost three years Kimberly Hart, before he headed to the bathroom. After doing his morning routine, including taking a shower, he got dressed and headed downstairs.

When he got to the kitchen, he saw his parents; his mom Melissa was standing in front of the stove while his dad James was sitting at the table.

"Morning mom, morning dad," Tommy greeted as he walked in and took a seat.

"Morning son," James lifted his cup in greeting.

"Hey Tommy," Melissa turned to her son. "There's tea on the stove, and here's your breakfast." She placed a plate on the table.

"Thanks mom," Tommy smiled as he moved to the stove for a cup of tea; because he was a martial artist, he preferred drinking tea to coffee. After getting his cup, he walked back to his seat and sat down, digging into his breakfast with gusto.

"What are you going to do today?" Melissa asked her son.

"Well it's Saturday," Tommy answered, "so, the guys and I decided to meet at Ernie's before possibly heading out to the park."

"As always," James teased. "You guys do that no matter what the day."

"We like Ernie's," Tommy laughed as he finished his breakfast. "Thank for breakfast mom."

"Don't forget you have to call Kim later on," Melissa told him.

"Come on Mel," James laughed, "you know that's the one thing the boy won't forget to do."

"Dad," Tommy rolled his eyes as he got up from the table and placed his dishes in the sink. "I'll see you guy later and I won't forget to call Kim."

"Bye sweetie," Melissa smiled as he walked out the kitchen before turning to look at her husband and shaking her head.

"What?" James said defensively. "You know it's the truth. The boy has the worst memory and forgets everything, but when it comes to do something for Kimberly, he has the memory of an elephant."

Melissa could only laugh.

Tommy shook his head with a smile when he heard his mother's laughter as he left the house. His good mood growing, he had no idea the turn his day was about to take.

~...~

Walking into the youth centre twenty minutes later, Tommy saw his friends sitting at what had become their usual table. Smiling, he headed to where they were.

"Hey guys," He said as he pulled up a chair.

"Hey Tommy," everyone answered.

"You're early," Rocky DeSantos, their Spanish friend, commented with a grin.

"Shut up Rocky," Tommy groaned as he leaned back in his seat.

The others laughed as they looked at the two boys.

"I am so glad we can hang out," Kat, a blonde and blue-eyed Australian, said as she took a sip out of her smoothie. "It's nice to relax without having to worry about fighting the Machine Empire."

"I hear you," Tanya, an African-American girl, nodded in agreement. "But don't say anything else, don't wanna jinx us."

"Shutting up," Kat laughed as she cast a look at Tommy, the boy she was in love with; she knew that Tommy was more than in love with Kim, but she couldn't help how she felt. Tommy was everything she ever wished for in a boyfriend, only thing was, he was Kim's. But it didn't stop her from dreaming and in a corner deep in heart, tucked away securely, was the purely selfish wish that things would end between him and Kim so that she could have her chance. She was drawn out of her thought by Tommy sitting up.

"Where are you going?" Billy, a blond and blue-eyed boy, asked Tommy.

"Thought I'd do some weights," Tommy answered as he got up from his seat and headed over to where the weights were. The friends all looked at each other before they followed him.

Tommy sat down on the bench after adjusting the weights to how he wanted and started in on his exercise. As he worked, his thoughts drifted off to his girlfriend and he couldn't help the calm feeling that came over him; thinking about Kim always did that for him.

'I miss her so much. I can't wait until she's back home, but I'm still happy she's able to follow through on her childhood dream. I'm so proud of her.'

"Hey Tommy," Adam, a Korean teen, started as he and the others joined their friend. "What are your plans this summer?"

"What do we always do every summer?" Tommy teased his friend. "We've always either hung out at the park or the beach or here." He stopped for a minute before directing his question to Billy, Adam and Rocky. "You guys realize our summers have always been the same?"

"I know right," Rocky laughed. "The only thing that's different now is that Kim isn't here."

"How is it different?" Tanya asked; she had never met Kim as she had joined the team after the brunette had been in Florida, so whatever she knew was from what she heard from the others.

"Because usually," Billy answered, "Kim would have some gymnastic meet or something, so we'd all go. Or, Tommy and the others would have a martial arts expo."

"Or we'd just be watching her perform for us," Adam added with a smile as he thought on his friend. Ever since he had met the petite brunette in their sophomore year, they had gotten close as he had found it easy to talk to her; plus all the trips the experiences they had as rangers had bonded them even further.

"And then her and 'Sha would drag us to the mall if there wasn't any battles to be fought," Rocky laughed.

"Please," Tommy spoke up with a smile. "Even after we had a battle those two would still insist on going shopping."

The boys laughed while Tanya shook her head with a smile. Everything she heard about the former pink ranger had her wishing she had gotten to meet her, but she knew that she eventually would.

The talk continued on, with Tanya asking questions about the former rangers and the others explaining to her with the occasional input from Kat.

Sometime later, they were interrupted by Ernie walking over to them, a letter in his hand.

"Hey guys," Ernie greeted them with a smile.

"Hey Ernie," the friends smiled back.

"Tommy, got a letter for you from Kimberly," Ernie held the letter out to him.

"Hey Adam," Tommy said, "Read it for me."

"Sure thing man," Adam took the letter from Ernie and opened it.

Dear Tommy,

Everything is going great here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me as ready as I'll ever be for the competition. Tommy, this is the hardest letter that I've ever had to write...

"Tommy man," Adam stopped and looked at his friend. "Maybe you should read this in private." Around him, the others looked at each in shock, one thought running through their minds; Is Kim breaking up with Tommy?

Tommy sat up and took the letter from Adam, a frown on his face as he continued reading.

...You've always been my best friend, and in some ways, you're like a brother. But something has happened here that I can't explain. It's been both wonderful and painful at the same time…Tommy…I've met someone else…

Tommy, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you, but I feel like I've found the person that I belong with. He's wonderful, kind and caring. You'd really like him. And everything would be perfect, if it wasn't for hurting you…but I have to follow my heart…

I will always care about you Tommy. Please forgive me.

Kimberly

"What?" Rocky looked from the letter to Tommy and back. "I don't believe this?"

"Tommy," Kat started, pity and sorrow in her eyes.

"I-I've got to go," Tommy stuttered out as he stood up. He could feel the tears building and he didn't want his friends to see him cry.

"Are you going to be ok?" Tanya asked.

"Y-yeah," Tommy tried to smile, but he failed. "I'll see you guys later." With that, he hurried from the youth centre.

The others looked at each other, while Kat bit her lip as she watched him leave; she wanted to go after him.

"He shouldn't be alone," Kat turned to her friends.

"He needs to be alone," Rocky countered before shaking his head. "I can't believe it. I can't believe Kim broke up with Tommy and in a letter to boot."

"I know," Adam frowned and clenched his fists before relaxing them. He could feel panic setting in, so he tried to stop it. 'This can't be true! It's Tommy and Kim, the falcon and the crane, the leader and the heart! They can't be over!' Adam knew he might sound unreasonable to someone else, but to their friends—and basically all the students at AGHS—Tommy and Kim were the guiding stone for relationships. Everyone wanted a relationship like the two of them; the girls wanted a guy that was so completely in love with them that they didn't even notice other girls and guys wanted a girl that was patient and understanding and all that Kim was. The two of them as a couple represented the hope that all the students had for their own future.

But now, that hope was being threatened. If Tommy and Kim—the power couple—couldn't make it, then what hope did the rest of them have? None at all.

"I'm going to check on him," Kat said. "Billy, let's go."

"Guys," Rocky tried to stop them. "Just leave him alone. Give him some time to deal with this." He knew he himself would need time to deal with it. He couldn't believe that Tommy and Kim were over. While he hadn't been there for the start of them, he had still seen them as they got stronger. Every time he saw them together, he was always awed; the pure love and tenderness and gentleness and such a strong bond that was between the two of them always had him happy for them and wondering if he'd ever find that kind of bond with someone.

On the surface, he was shocked and angry at Kim's letter, but deep in his heart, he didn't believe that Kim had thrown Tommy away so callously.

"I can't," Kat's voice was filled with determination and without a look at her friends, she took off after Tommy.

"I'll go," Billy said and he hurried after the blonde.

~...~

Tommy clenched the letter in his fist as he walked through the park. Tears burned his eyes as the words echoed in his head over and over.

...I've met someone else...

'I don't believe this! How could she do this to me? Did I do something to cause this? Was it my fault?' Tommy questioned himself as he walked, barely realizing that his tears had spilled and was running down his cheeks.

His day had started out so perfectly and now it was ruined. He'd never thought Kim would break up with him; he'd naively thought they'd be together forever. He always knew Kim was it for him; he didn't want anyone else. He wasn't even looking at anyone else.

'But apparently Kim was,' he thought bitterly, 'she found someone else...someone she believes is the one she was meant to be with...funny, I always thought that was me. I guess I was wrong.'

He heard his name, recognized the voice to be Kat's, and hastily wiped his tears; he didn't want them to see him cry.

"Tommy," Kat said when she stopped in front of him. "Are you ok?"

"No I'm not," Tommy shook his head. "My girlfriend just wrote me a 'Dear John' letter."

"I am so sorry," Kat said as she reached out to place a hand on his arm.

Tommy stepped slightly back, allowing the blonde's hand to fall. "Me too. Look guys, I know you're worried, but right now, I just need to be alone. I'll see you guys later."

"Where are you going?" Billy asked.

"Home," Tommy answered before he turned and walked away, his friends watching him with sadness.

~...~

Tommy slammed the door to his house shut behind him, thankful that his parents had already left for work as he didn't really want to talk to them; he knew he'd eventually have to tell them about him and Kim, but right now, he couldn't.

He took the stairs two at a time and quickly went to his room, the door slamming shut as he threw himself on his bed. He closed his eyes and finally let the tears go. He was hurting so badly because he couldn't understand what went wrong between him and Kim, why she fell in love with someone else and he didn't know how he was going to move on with his life without her. She was his everything,

As he lay there, his thoughts drifted off and memories of his past with Kim assaulted him; from their first sighting, to their first meeting, their first kiss, and their first date...everything had been so perfect, or so he thought. His thoughts then drifted to the letter and all the hurt and anguish welled up inside of him and he got up off his bed and started pacing.

"God damnit Kimberly," Tommy balled his fists. "How could you do this to me? How could you hurt me like this? I loved—love you and you love me...or I thought you did."

His tears fell faster and he didn't bother to wipe them away. His heart was breaking in his chest and he couldn't truly understand why it was happening. Pain erupted throughout his body and he found himself releasing it on his room; everything was swept from his dresser, his sheets were torn from his bed, his chair and desk overturned. Tommy vented and when he was done, he collapsed to his knees and bowed his head, one hand clenched in his shirt over his heart.

"Why Kim?" the words were so filled with pain and so heart-wrenching. "Why?"

Tommy wrapped his arms around himself as the sobs ripped from him; if there was anyone around, their heart would hurt at the pain that was escaping him. Some while later, Tommy's sobs died down as he got himself under control.

He stood up and looked around, teary eyes taking in the dishevelled appearance, before he moved to the bed. As he sat down, a crinkling noise drew his attention and when he looked down, he noticed it was the letter.

Sighing, he picked it up and—against his better judgment—he started rereading it, over and over. As he read, the pain hit him, but the more he continued reading, the pain slowly faded away to be replaced by anger. By the time he had reread for what seemed like the twentieth time, his body was tensed with the anger. Standing, Tommy crushed the letter in his hand before he raised his wrist and pressed a button on his communicator, teleporting from his room to the Command Chamber.

~...~

He landed just feet away from Zordon's tube and wasted no time in walking over to the main control.

"Zordon," Tommy started as he looked up at his mentor. "I know we're not supposed to use our powers for personal gain, but, do you think you can allow me to teleport to Florida? I received something shocking from Kim and I really need to see her and talk to her about it."

Zordon said nothing but looked at his red ranger for a few minutes. "The rules are in place for a reason Tommy."

"I know Zordon," Tommy breathed deeply to bring his anger under control to prevent himself from snapping at his mentor. "And I understand." He took another deep breath before he looked at his mentor with determined eyes. "As much as I wouldn't like to, I will do it with or without your consent, though I'd rather have it and if it wasn't really important I wouldn't ask."

Zordon stared down at Tommy and recognized the look in his eyes as the same look as when he had he had gone to Zedd's palace to rescue his former pink ranger despite his concerns and objections and he knew that Tommy meant his word; even if he didn't allow him to go, he would teleport down there at some later date when he Zordon least expected it. He couldn't help but to be proud of him.

"Very well Tommy," Zordon nodded. "You may go. If there is any trouble, you will be teleported back immediately if you are needed."

"I understand," Tommy said gratefully before he turned to the robot. "Alpha, being as how I've never been to Florida, can you teleport me to just outside Kim's gym?"

"Sure Tommy," Alpha turned to the controls, getting the coordinates that he needed before turning to Tommy. "Ready Tommy."

"I'm ready," Tommy nodded.

"Teleporting now," Alpha said as he pushed a button and Tommy disappeared in the red light.

He reappeared minutes later outside a building—the training centre Kim was at—and smiled grimly. He was going to talk to Kim and get answers to his questions.

He headed to the entrance of the gym and opened the doors, walking inside. He came to a stop just inside the entrance to the floor area and looked around; spotting Kim near the beam, he almost smiled but then he saw the guy kiss her on her cheek and his almost smile turned into a frown and a glare. Straightening up and squaring his shoulders, he walked over to them, his eyes giving a quick flash of green.

~...~

Kim's eyes held determination as she stared down the end of the beam; it was another day at practice and she was on the beam today to get her routine down. For her, it was a piece of cake as she always felt comfortable—her accident months before notwithstanding—and she knew she could and would nail it.

Taking a deep breath, she finished out her routine and ended with a front flip dismount, her hands in the air.

"Nice," a voice sounded and she turned to see Danny Mitchell standing there.

"Thanks Danny," Kim smiled at him as he walked over to her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"Practice is over," Danny smiled, "so I thought I'd come see you."

Danny was part of the men's gymnastics team and he practiced at a different gym than the girls, courtesy of Coach Schmidt's rules; the boys had not only a different dorm building, but also a different gym, though sometimes the boys would end up at the girls' gym.

"That's sweet," Kim smiled at him. The two started walking but stopped suddenly by another presence; when Kim looked up, her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "Tommy?"

"Hello Kimberly," Tommy spoke through gritted teeth as he tried to control his anger. "We need to talk."

"Who are you?" Danny frowned at the guy before taking a step towards Tommy. "You can't just demand her to talk to you."

Kim looked at Tommy, barely registering Danny's presence; she could feel the anger in him and knew what he was there about—the letter, the one she had sent a few days ago. She heard Danny say something and saw the way Tommy's eyes narrowed; it was the quick flash of green that had her stepping between the two boys.

"It's fine Danny," Kim held a hand to his chest, though her gaze never left Tommy. She knew what he could do if he lost control. Danny would have no chance. "This is Tommy."

Danny's eyes cleared from confusion as the name registered before he turned to Kim. "You don't have to talk to him, you know?"

"Yes...she does," Tommy injected, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. It really was taking all his control not to hit the guy. He knew, without a doubt, that this was the guy in the letter and it pissed him off to no end; all he wanted to do was just smash his face in.

Kim seemed to sense that—no surprise—and she quickly turned to Danny. "Really, it's fine. Tommy and I need to talk. So go."

"Are you sure?" Danny looked down at her. "Because I can—

"She's sure," Tommy cut him off with a growl.

"Ok," Kim grabbed Tommy's arm and began pulling him away, "time to go. Danny, I'll talk to you later."

Danny said nothing, his eyes trained on Tommy; this time, they held a hint of fear and slight confusion. For a second, he could've sworn he had seen Tommy's eyes flash green. 'But that's impossible. People's eyes just can't switch colours like that,' Danny shook his head. 'It was a trick of the light...yeah...that's all it was.'

He watched Kim and Tommy leave, and he couldn't help but to be filled with a sense of dread; he knew that by the time they were done talking, things would change. Whether it would be better for him or not, he wasn't sure.

~...~

Nothing was said between Tommy and Kim as they headed to the dorm building. Kim still had a hold of Tommy's hand and was surprised that he hadn't pulled his hand away from hers. Periodically he would clench her hand, but other than that, no move was made to remove his hand from hers.

They passed gymnasts, the girls looking at Tommy with appreciation and lust, but neither made attention and soon enough, they were on Kim's floor and heading to her room. They stopped in front of the door and Kim pulled out her key, unlocking it.

Her roommate, Denise Davis was sitting on the couch with her boyfriend Antonio Bernard.

"Hey Kim," Denise smiled at her friend. Her smile faded slightly when she saw the boy with Kim and her eyes widened slightly as she recognized him from the pictures that Kim had in her room.

"Hey Deedee, hey Tonio," Kim smiled briefly before she pulled Tommy towards her room. "We'll be in here."

"Ok," Denise nodded, a slight frown on her face, as she looked at the two. Her gaze drifted to Tommy and took in the tenseness in his body. She knew immediately what was going and shook her head before turning to her boyfriend. "Let's go."

"What?" Tonio looked at his girlfriend. "Why?"

"Because," Denise said patiently as she stood up and pulled him along. "Kim needs to talk with Tommy and I have a feeling that there are things that will be said that we don't need to hear."

"Thanks Deedee," Kim turned grateful eyes to her roommate before she opened her bedroom door, allowing Tommy to go in.

"No problem," Denise shook her head with a smile and headed to the door, closing it behind her.

Kim sighed before she stepped into her room, closing and locking the door behind her. She saw that Tommy was leaning against the window, so she sat down at the foot of her bed.

"What are you doing here?" Kim asked after a few minutes of silence.

"This," Tommy said and withdrew the letter from his pocket and threw it at her.

"Oh," Kim said as she watched the paper fall to the bed.

" 'Oh'? That's all you have to say?" Tommy's eyes blazed as he moved from the window to where she was sitting.

"What else can I say?" Kim asked as she looked up at him.

"I don't know," Tommy started, "how about, I'm sorry Tommy for writing such a cold letter and breaking your heart, or I'm sorry Tommy for not having the decency to call you and talk to you about wanting out of the relationship, or I'm sorry Tommy for cheating on you. Any of those could do Kimberly."

"I'm sorry," Kim looked away, not wanting to see the emotions raging in Tommy's eyes.

"Somehow," Tommy scoffed, "I don't think you are."

"I am!" Kim looked at him. "I never wanted to hurt you Tommy."

"Well what the hell did you think would've happened when I got that letter?" Tommy shouted. "Did you think I'd be happy? Did you think I'd be ok? Was I supposed to jump for joy about having my heart ripped from my chest and trampled on?"

Kim winced at his words. "No, of course I didn't expect you to be happy or ok."

"Did you know that I was with the others when I got the letter?" Tommy ignored her words. "We were hanging out at the youth centre when it came and I asked Adam to read it as I was working out."

Kim looked up at him, eyes wide with horror. "Oh my God, Tommy, I didn't—

"You didn't what?" Tommy cut her off harshly. "Do you know how it felt to have the others look at you with pity or to hear the person you love more than anything break up with you using something as cold as a letter? DO YOU?" the last part was shouted.

Kim felt her eyes fill with tears. She'd never heard Tommy like that before and he'd never yelled at her either. But she couldn't blame him. "I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean for the others to know what was in it."

"Then why'd you send it to the youth centre in the first place?" Tommy asked.

"Because I knew you spent more time there than at home," Kim sniffled.

"Was that him?" Tommy asked as he paced her room.

"Yes," Kim nodded as she wiped a few tears away.

"I don't get it Kim," Tommy looked at her. "How could you cheat on me?"

"I didn't cheat on you Tommy," Kim stopped him.

"But in the letter," Tommy glanced from the letter to her. "You said you meant someone else."

"I did," Kim nodded, "but I didn't cheat. Yes, I met someone else, but nothing happened...at least, not yet. I knew I was going to hurt you, even if I didn't mean to or want to, and I wasn't going to add to it by cheating. I told Danny I couldn't be with him until time had passed."

"Oh isn't that nice," Tommy sneered before he sighed. "If you haven't even started dating yet, then why didn't you just call me?"

"I-I don't know," Kim admitted softly and ducked her head. She wanted to say something, anything, but she knew she couldn't; she deserved to let him talk, to hear what he had to say, his anger.

"You don't know," Tommy shook his head. "Wow. And if it wasn't bad enough that you met someone else and you told me in a letter, a letter! You demeaned our entire relationship by saying I was like your brother." He glared at her. "Are you fucking kidding me Kim? A brother? The things we did were as far from a sibling relationship as ever, unless you're telling me that you're into incest. I mean, how the hell could you even say that?"

She had never heard Tommy swore before and it scared her a little. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest from the anger and pain that she heard in his voice.

"Just tell me why Kim," Tommy looked at her, anger fading to be replaced by sorrow and his eyes took on a pleading look. "Did I do something? Was it because I didn't call enough? Or was I too busy? Why Kim? Why would you do this?"

"Tommy," Kim stood up and walked over to him, a fresh set of tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know you don't believe me, but I am truly so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Just tell me why Kim," Tommy's eyes filled with tears and they spilled over as he looked at the girl he loved more than anything. "Please."

Kim took a deep breath. "You did nothing wrong, never think that. Danny and I met and became friends when I came back after Christmas break. We bonded because of how similar our situations were; he came from a divorced home, his dad wasn't really in his life, especially after he found out his son wanted to be an Olympic winner and not a cooperate business man. We hit it off because of that and we started getting close. But I wasn't going to do anything because I was in love with you and I wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with you."

"Something changed," Tommy pointed out, "because you did just that."

"Danny," Kim shrugged, "he started saying how I wasn't being fair to either one of you. He said it wasn't fair to let you keep believing that we were still together when I wanted to be with him, that I should do the right thing and let you go. He told me how it would be easier on me if I had a boyfriend that could empathize with what I went through as a child and what I was going through in being in Florida, someone that was there in the flesh and not across the country.

"And then he started saying how it wasn't fair to you either to have a girlfriend clear across the country and that you shouldn't have to deal with something like that. He said that you deserved a girlfriend you could count on to actually be there to take on dates and to kiss and hold and all that other stuff. At first, I didn't pay attention to anything he was saying, but then, after hearing it over and over, day after day, I guess he got to me subconsciously and soon enough, I started thinking the same things and the next thing I know, I'm writing you the letter," Kim finished with a sigh.

Tommy stayed silent as he let Kim's words wash over him. He had been so hurt when he read that letter as he had thought that things were ok between the two of them; he loved her and knew that he wanted no other in his life. Teenager though he may, he already knew that he was going to be with her forever and that someday, she would wear his ring and carry his last name.

He was more than angry with her after the whole thing had sunk in and it was why he had come to Florida in the first place—to get answers. He couldn't understand how Kim could cheat on him. But now, listening to what she said, he had to admit that while she did have some blame, most of it rested on Danny. The guy had liked Kim and had seen an opportunity to get her. The words from the letter came back to him;

...I feel like I've found the person I was meant to be with...

It all made sense now; Danny had played on her insecurities about being away from home and had used their similar childhood experiences to bond with her even further until he had managed to convince Kim that he was more right for her than he Tommy was.

Tommy sighed before looking at Kim; she looked so heartbroken and remorseful that he knew he just couldn't stay angry at her, no matter how much he wished it—he never could and he had no doubt that he never will. He still loved her and he still believed that they belonged together.

"Tell me this Kim," Tommy spoke and waited until she looked into his eyes before continuing. "Are you still in love with me?"

Kim's eyes widened in shock and it had her speechless.

"Kim," Tommy took a step closer and grabbed her arms. "I love you, even after this, I still love you and that won't change. Right now, all I want to do is go downstairs and kick Danny's ass for what he did." Seeing the look on her face made him smile and he took a step closer, slowly lowering his head. "As far as I'm concerned Beautiful, you and I are still a couple and that's how it's going to stay. Danny can go take a flying leap head first off a cliff. So, I'm going to ask again, are you still in love with me?"

Kim swallowed a few times before she whispered. "I never stopped."

"Good," Tommy grinned and closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a kiss.

Kim was surprised—though she shouldn't have been—for a split second before she found herself kissing back. Tommy's arms moved from her arms to her waist, pulling her closer, and in turn, she wrapped hers around his neck.

Their passion rose and hands roamed as the kiss deepened. To others, it would look like two lovers who couldn't keep their hands off of each other, to Tommy and Kim, it was a reaffirmation of their love and bond and their status as a couple.

Due to the necessity of air, the kiss broke minutes later and the two stared at each, breathing heavily.

"I'm not letting you go Beautiful," Tommy said as he pressed his forehead against Kim's. "We've been through too much to just end things like this or to throw our love away. You're mine."

"Ok," Kim smiled up at him. "I'm sorry about the letter."

"Water under the bridge," Tommy shook his head, causing hers to move slightly with his, "already forgotten. I know it's hard Kim, us being so far apart, but we can make it."

"I know," Kim nodded, "and I shouldn't have doubted us and allowed Danny to influence me in writing the letter. I regret doing that."

"Maybe Zordon will let me teleport down here now and again," Tommy said.

"I don't think he'll allow that," Kim pointed out, "what with the whole personal gain thing."

"After everything we've been through," Tommy countered, "we deserve it. We, more than the others, have sacrificed a lot for the powers."

"I love you so much Handsome," Kim said, "and I promise, from now on, I won't let what happened with Danny to happen again. If I start to feel overwhelmed or have any doubts, then I'll call you."

"Good," Tommy grinned, "that's what I want to hear." He kissed her once more. "I should be getting back."

"Do you have to go already?" Kim pouted.

Tommy glanced at his watch. "Whoa, yeah I do. I can't believe so much time passed when we were talking and no battles either."

"I guess even the universe wanted to make sure we were uninterrupted," Kim teased before sighing. "Alright, I should let you get back. Tell the guys I miss my playful ape, my genius wolf and my bashful prince."

"I will," Tommy nodded before he kissed her again. "I'll see you Beautiful."

"Bye Tommy," Kim smiled as she stepped back from him, giving him enough room to teleport.

Tommy smiled before he pressed his communicator, teleporting from Kim's room.

~...~

Tommy landed in a secluded spot near the youth centre; he had decided to go there because he knew that his friends were probably worried about where he had been all day—even though he suspected that they had already gone to Zordon to find out where he had disappeared to. Knowing they'd have a ton of questions, he sighed and made his way to the doors of the building.

When he got to the entrance of the gym, he saw his friends sitting around their table and walked over to them.

"Hey guys," he greeted.

"Tommy!" echoed around him as they turned to him.

"Have you been in Florida all day?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "We didn't even realize it was so late." He had left for Florida just after lunch this afternoon and it was almost dinnertime.

"We?" Rocky grinned at him. "So, you did see Kim."

"Yep," Tommy answered.

"And what happened?" Adam asked.

"Well," Tommy rubbed the back of his head. "I kinda yelled at her a bit."

"So?" Kat spoke up, hope fluttering inside her. "Are you guys over?"

Tommy grinned. "No. After I yelled at her, we talked."

"And what did she say about the letter?" Billy asked.

Tommy looked at the group; they were not only his friends, but they were his teammates. He loved Kim and would do anything for her. This situation not only affected him, but it affected them to; they deserved to know everything. So, really, there was only one thing to do and it was also the most logical; he lied.

"The letter was a fake," Tommy said, to the shock of the others.

"What?"

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, "seems like one of the girls in the gym was jealous of Kim. Not only because she was the new girl that the coach handpicked, but also because of how Kim talked about all of us here; apparently, Kim was one of the few that managed to not only stay in contact with her friends, but to also keep up a relationship."

"And?" Tanya asked.

"Well," Tommy continued, "she hated how Kim was always so happy and acted like nothing could shake her, so she dared Kim to write a letter. One that was mean and cold and basically totally different from the Kim we know."

"I knew it!" Rocky interrupted, a bright grin on his face. "I mean, you're right; the letter was so different from our crane. Kim isn't the type of person to do something like this. Even if she had met someone, she would've called to explain or something."

"Anyways," Tommy shook his head with a laugh at Rocky. "Kim wrote the letter to prove she could and then she threw it away, or so she thought, but the girl grabbed the letter after Kim left and then she mailed it out."

"So it wasn't Kim," Adam breathed a sigh of relief.

"No," Tommy smiled, "I mean, she did write it, but it wasn't anything."

Kat felt her heart break and the pinprick of tears as her hopes were crushed. She tried to keep it from her voice. "So, you're still a couple?"

"Yes," Tommy grinned, "Kim and I are still together and that's not gonna change any time soon, if at all."

"Yes!" Rocky pumped a fist in the air. "The stars have been realigned and all is right with the universe."

"What the hell man?" Tommy laughed along with the others.

But Rocky didn't care; Tommy and Kim were still together and he was happy for that.

Tommy shook his head at his friend, but said nothing else. Truthfully, he could understand his friend's reactions. Thinking on Rocky made him remember Kim's message.

"Hey," Tommy said, stopping the others' laughter. "I got a message from Kim."

"What is it?" Tanya asked.

"It's for you three," Tommy gestured to Rocky, Adam and Billy.

"What'd she say?" Billy turned curious eyes to Tommy.

"That she missed her playful ape, her genius wolf and her bashful prince," Tommy smiled.

"We miss her too," Adam smiled at the thought of her

"What does that mean?" Tanya looked at the others.

"Before I joined the team," Kat explained to her friend, "they were the ninjetti."

"Kim was the crane," Billy continued with a smile, "which is why we always call her crane our little crane; I was the wolf, Rocky was the ape, Tommy was the falcon, Aisha was the bear—

"And I was the frog," Adam finished. "I didn't really like it at first, but Kim helped me to accept after we got back from Phaedos."

"Oh," Tanya smiled. Sometimes she wished she had joined the team earlier on than she did as the stories she had heard about their experiences were interesting. "What's Phaedos?"

Billy, Rocky and Adam launched into tales, each boy more at ease and relaxed now that they're heart and strength were back together, and told both Kat and Tanya about Phaedos and their experience.

Tommy leaned back in his seat and watch his friends; he felt so relaxed and in such a good mood that they Machine Empire could attack and he wouldn't really care. He had reclaimed his crane and as far as he was concerned, all was right with his world.

A/N 2: so...what did you guys think? Review and let me know. The next half of this will be out next Friday.