Chapter 46 Future for Two

Six Weeks Later

Kimberly sat in her bedroom, patiently applying makeup to her face. Tommy had promised to take her out somewhere special for a date, but he wouldn't give any details. She didn't mind this, but she was curious as to what her boyfriend had in mind. It had been six weeks since the battle with Maroon and Rita, and things were finally going back to normal. Kimberly though, still had nightmares of her time spent in captivity, as well as Maroon's "rape" of Tommy. She'd still not told him about it yet, and she knew the longer that she put it off, the worse it would be when he found out. She wondered if Tommy would think she was lying to him. He'd already had enough to deal with by killing Maroon. Kimberly suspected that he still had trouble coming to terms with her death. He didn't like killing her in a blind fit of rage, that Kimberly was certain of.

Turning on her curling iron, Kimberly decided she'd tell Tommy in a few weeks. She'd let him settle down some more and get back to concentrating on his studies. There were times when she forgot that she had finished her schooling, but that he was working on finishing his. She sighed and realized that she needed to decide on whether or not to head to college or off into the real world. She wanted to go to college, but her original major was no longer going to work out. Her original plan had been to major in physical education and then earn her coach's certification, which would not only allow her to coach a gymnastics team, but also teach physical education within the school system. She'd never thought of doing anything else, but that was before the accident. Now she had to choose.

Her eyes rested on a picture frame of a little boy in a wheelchair—Jayden. She'd kept in contact with his mother and given Jayden her new address. The two were now penpal buddies. Kimberly and Jayden exchanged letters every two weeks, and he'd just recently sent her that photograph of himself. He was in his backyard, holding up his ball and bat. His mom had been teaching him to hit a baseball. Jayden had told Kimberly he wanted to play in Little League with his friends. He wouldn't join though because he didn't know how to hit the ball and, according to Jayden, he had to "know how to wham it outta the park." Kimberly had laughed at Jayden's wording. He was such a cute kid. She was secretly making plans with his mother to visit in the summer when Jayden had no school, just for a few days.

Thinking about letters got Kimberly to think of the one she'd received from Trini. She'd called Trini a few days after she'd settled into her apartment and told her all of the goings on. Trini had been pleased to hear that Tommy and Kimberly had gotten back together. She confessed to Kimberly that she had been on the verge of telling Jason, but only because she hated having to lie to everyone about why Kimberly had broken up with Tommy. Their friends had wanted answers, but Trini could never supply the right one. Trini had even been devilish enough to hint at Tommy asking her hand in marriage. Trini's reasoning? "He doesn't want you offing him again!" Kimberly chuckled at the thought. Trini had a weird sense of humor at times.

The telephone rang, startling Kimberly from her thoughts. She backed her chair up, stopping beside the nightstand and picked up the ringing device. She made sure the cord was untangled before holding it to her ear. "Hello?" she called into the mouth piece.

"Hey Beautiful."

Kimberly smiled at his nickname for her. "Hi Handsome. Why're you calling?"

"Just to say I love you." Kimberly could also picture the smile on Tommy's face as he said those words. "And to make sure you're going to be ready in fifteen minutes. I'm almost ready to leave."

A small laugh escaped Kimberly's lips. "You mean, you aren't going to be late?" she joked.

Tommy laughed. "Nope. I'll be there very soon, no longer than fifteen minutes. You'd just better be ready."

"I'm finishing my hair. Where are you taking me, Tommy?"

"Some place special. You'll see."

"Are you sure I didn't have to dress up?" asked Kimberly, biting her lip. She hated being underdressed for a date, even though it was Tommy and she knew he wouldn't mind. Part of her still was influenced by what others thought and she had a reputation to uphold.

"Not at all. Just dress casually, Kim. You've nothing to worry about. I know you're going to love it."

"Easy for you to say. You already know what it is." She teased.

"I'll see you soon. Bye," said Tommy, and Kimberly heard the click as he hung up. She placed the phone back in its cradle before wheeling herself back to her vanity. She dressed for the date in a pair of tan khakis with a lavender turtleneck. She'd worn a simple golden chain around her neck, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, leaving her bangs to fall freely. She'd curled her bangs after applying her makeup. She hoped Tommy would love it. She gave herself a final once-over in the mirror. Perfect she thought to herself. The doorbell rang and she called out, "Come in!" She knew it was Tommy. The door opened and closed, but Tommy's footsteps were not heard.

Kimberly maneuvered her wheelchair around her bed, making her way toward the door. She wheeled herself into the hallway and toward the living room. There stood Tommy, wearing black jeans with a red polo. Kimberly flushed as she noticed his biceps protruding from the fabric. Her eyes were then drawn to his hands, which held a beautiful bouquet of pink and white roses. "Oh, Tommy! They're lovely. You didn't have to though," she protested.

Tommy leaned down and kissed her softly. "Of course I didn't have to do it. I wanted to. It's too late to protest; you can't return flowers."

"I was kidding, Tommy!"

Tommy laughed. "I know you were." He handed the flowers to Kimberly and she smelled them.

"They're perfect, Tommy. Can you put them in that vase over there?" Kimberly pointed to an empty vase setting on the small table outside the kitchen area. She had just emptied the dead roses Tommy had given her almost two weeks ago. He always seemed to know when she'd run out of fresh flowers.

Tommy placed the flowers in the vase, filled with fresh water and some flower feed. He turned to face Kimberly. "Are you ready to go?" he asked her.

"Sure. I'd still love to know where we're going though," she replied.

"You'll see soon enough," Tommy promised. He moved toward the door, and pulled it back. "Ladies first," he gestured.

Kimberly grabbed her small black purse and was surprised when Tommy stopped her hands from wheeling herself out the door. "No, no. Let me, Beautiful."

This surprised her. She'd talked with Tommy and told him he didn't have to do things for her, that she wanted to try and do as many things on her own as possible. Tommy had promised her, but there were times he wanted to be a gentleman. Now was one of those times. Kimberly willingly gave control over to him. He took the key to her apartment and locked the door before handing it back to her. "Any hints?" she asked hopefully. She knew she was pushing the subject, but she was curious.

"Okay, okay. Just one though," warned Tommy.

"Tell me."

Tommy grinned cheekily. "We're going somewhere in Angel Grove."

"That doesn't help, Thomas Oliver."

"You asked for a hint. I gave you one."

Tommy directed Kimberly to his vehicle. Technically, it wasn't his. His was in the shop. Instead, his father had loaned him the family truck for the weekend. Tommy was grateful. So many things had fallen into place so that he could have this special date with Kimberly. Tommy stopped in front of the doors to the red Ford, and then moved in front of Kimberly. "To keep this a surprise, you're going to have to let me blindfold you, Beautiful. Otherwise, you might figure it out before we get there."

"All right, but this had better be really good," warned Kimberly playfully.

Tommy pulled a blue blindfold from his pocket and gently placed it around Kimberly's eyes. Knotting it in the back he said, "I promise you it will be."

Kimberly tried to rely on her other senses as her sight was removed. She felt Tommy lift her from her chair and place her into the passenger seat. The metal clanging she heard next meant that Tommy had placed her wheelchair in the back of the truck; there was no room for it in the cab. Kimberly felt the vibrations as the truck roared to life, felt Tommy shift the gears and maneuver out of the parking lot. After that, she gave up trying to figure out where he was heading. Her senses couldn't handle processing that.

The drive was short. Kimberly was certain five minutes had barely passed since leaving her apartment. Tommy shifted into park and Kimberly could feel him leaning closer to her before giving her a small peck on the cheek. His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, "Now, I'm leaving the blindfold on. I won't take it off until we're inside. There're steps here, so I'm going to carry you up them and then put you in your wheelchair, okay?"

Kimberly nodded in agreement. She was very curious to know what Tommy was up to. She heard him lift her wheelchair from the truck bed and then his receding footsteps. He soon returned and opened the truck door for Kimberly. Kimberly felt his strong arms lift her lithe body from the truck and he carried her a short distance before setting her down in her wheelchair. Once again, Tommy took control. She heard a door open and the sound of her wheels on wooden flooring. Finally, Tommy stopped.

"We're here," he whispered teasingly into her ear.

"'Here' is still darkness for me," retorted Kimberly.

"Don't worry. I'm taking the blindfold off now." Kimberly felt him reach behind her head and gently pulled the blindfold off of her head. Kimberly quickly closed her eyes at the sudden light. Slowly she opened them, letting her eyes adjust to the lighting. Suddenly, the lights dimmed even more, just as Kimberly's eyes focused. She realized where she was. Tommy was right. It was in Angel Grove; a spot Kimberly knew all too well.

"Tommy…how?" she asked softly.

"My parents are out of town. I got permission from them to do this. I wanted to surprise you with something special. I was going to take you somewhere in town, but I decided a home cooked meal is better." Kimberly made to say something, but Tommy held up a hand to stop her. "Before you say anything about my cooking, I had help. Turns out Katherine is very skilled in the kitchen."

Kimberly smiled. "I wasn't going to say anything about your cooking, Tommy. I was going to say what a nice surprise this was."

Tommy grinned sheepishly. "Oh."

Kimberly laughed. She loved Tommy's surprise for her. He'd brought her back to his family's home for a dinner in. They were in the dining room, and Tommy had cleared all the chairs away from the table except for one. Atop the table were a few long white candles, a vase full of pink roses in the center. The table had been set for two, and Kimberly guessed it was Tommy's mother's good china. Tommy pulled a matchbook from his back pocket and lit a match, holding it toward the candles in the center of the table. Flames leaped to life, casting shadows on the room. "Just make yourself comfortable. I'll return with our food."

Tommy disappeared into the kitchen and Kimberly rolled herself closer to the table. Tommy had worked really hard on setting everything up. Soft music began to drift in from the kitchen and Tommy returned carrying two plates. Kimberly tried to sneak a peek as to what her dinner held, but the plates had been covered by another plate on top. Tommy noticed Kimberly's sneaking glances. "Not yet," he laughed. He set the food down and made another trip to the kitchen, this time returning with two wine glasses and a bottle of sparkling apple cider.

Kimberly watched him pour the drinks before taking a seat across from her. "Dinner is served, beautiful lady," stated Tommy in a corny French accent that caused Kimberly to crack up laughing. Tommy removed the plates covering the meal and Kimberly glimpsed down at the food. Tommy and Katherine had made fettuccine alfredo, a piece of French bread on either side. Kimberly was about to pick up her fork and begin eating, but Tommy jumped up. "Forgot the salad!" He rushed into the kitchen, returning with two bowls of crisp, fresh garden salad. He set one in front of Kimberly.

Kimberly laughed. "Everything looks delicious, Tommy."

"You'd be surprised at how easy it was to make," commented Tommy. He then raised his wine glass, and gestured for Kimberly to do the same. "I want to make a toast, to us," he began. Kimberly watched and listened. "Let's face it. Everything we've been through these past few months has been a living hell, especially with Rita." Kimberly nodded. "Here's to us and our future, one that Rita won't interfere with again." He moved his glass toward Kimberly's.

"Let's hope it stays that way," she added, clinking her glass with his.

They both drank, the bubbly liquid tickling their throats. Only time would tell these two young teens that their love and dedication to each other was not cemented in stone yet. Rita Repulsa was conjuring a new plan, one more devious than the first. She expected it to succeed, and she expected it to break apart Kimberly and Tommy, just as it had before. The two were happy together, but only time would tell for how long.

FIN

Well everyone, it's been a great run. I must say I've enjoyed writing this fic as much as you've enjoyed reading it. This is my first long fic I've ever finished. Thank you all for pushing me along and keeping me going. Sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I had writer's block and then scrapped the original version. Reunions are too cliche and I decided to avoid having one. After the writer's block came the wisdom teeth extraction so...not much time for writing.

Dedications

Windmill into the Fall is dedicated to all my loyal readers and reviewers, especially those who have been with me since the very beginning. I'd also like to thank boredgirl84 and dthstlkr69 for giving me ideas for some chapters. My final specific dedication goes to Harry2. He gave so many of his own ideas to this fic and they really helped out.

Thanks to everyone. Please review and look for the sequel, After the Fall sometime this year :) I'm going to concentrate on Unlucky Clover for now. THANK YOU!