Tommy lifted the bottle to his lips once more as he watched the footage play across his television. A laugh left his lips as Bulk and Skull began to gesture and yell about how they had been the ones to save the world.
"Where do things get so grey?" Tommy was silent for a time as he sped the tape up to the news coverage of one of his martial arts tournaments.
Halfway through him getting his butt handed to him, a knock from his front door startled him to nearly dropping his bottle. He didn't move for a moment until it came again. "What the hell?"
The knocking continued until he yanked the door open, ready to give the person a piece of his mind. Words were stuck in his throat, though, when he saw the petite figure before him.
Kim was there, in nothing but a tank and sweatpants, her hand raised to knock again. A nervous twitch of a smile played on her lips and she lowered her arm, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Sorry, it's so late, Tommy. I just got some interesting tidbit of information and I had to come see you."
Tommy gave her an odd look then regarded the bottle in his hand. He sat the thing down and continued to give it an odd look before returning his gaze to his guest. They stared at each other for a time.
"Can I come in?" The thought had crossed his mind, several times, but her coming in would probably be the end of things the way he was feeling at the moment.
"Um, it's a nice night." Tommy moved to cross the threshold and join her on the porch, but she side stepped him. "Fresh air is a good thing."
Kim's lips twitched, again, and she began rubbing her arms. "I don't have a jacket on me, and if you hadn't noticed it's pretty chilly out here in the sticks."
Tommy licked his lips and was silent for a moment. Finally he conceded and stepped aside so she could move passed him. "Come in, won't you."
"Thank you." She stood, arms folded over her chest just inside the door while Tommy grabbed his beer bottle and went to get her a drink. "You're watching an old tournament? Why?"
Tommy handed her a glass of water and took a sip of his own. "Nostalgia. Have a seat."
She did as suggested and took the liberty of pulling the throw off the back of the couch and snuggling up. "I'm probably the last person you want here. I hope Kat hasn't grown into one of those jealous types."
Tommy laughed a little and put his water on the table before them. "She hasn't grown into it. It's what she's always been. She just hides it really well."
Kimberly nodded, her face plastered with an overly bright smile. "That's big of her." The tone in her voice got Tommy's attention. "So, what I came here about, oddly enough, is a certain peace of paper you received from me."
Tommy's somewhat decent mood evaporated with that. "Of course. What else would you be here for if not to continue to rub the metaphorical salt in the still bleeding wound."
Kimberly didn't meet his eyes. "I'm not here to rub anything. Maybe." She snorted then gave him a side glance. "Sorry. My sensor bar has been totally annihilated."
Tommy's expression remained hard as he got up. For awhile he just walked with his hands running through his short hair. Everything was quiet in the room until a humorless laugh ripped through the air.
"Figures." He turned on her, his eyes darker than usual. She almost regretted her requested and cavalier mood when the green flashed through them. "This is so like you."
"What's like me, Tommy? Explain to me the inner workings of my mind." Any glimmer of regret had vanished. She looked at him from her place on his couch, still curled up in his blanket, drinking his water, and all in his house.
"You come in and make everything like it's okay. Or, you try to anyway. Then you leave your hand prints are all over everything. All over everything that is mine. I can't wash those away, Kim. And after you leave all that's left are death traps to further kill me."
He sighed and pulled out his wallet. "Now, you're asking me for the thing that made all your beautiful hand prints dangerous weapons. I was damaged from the moment I laid eyes on you, Kim. This just made it painful. The one good thing about it was that I never actually saw you put hand prints on it. They didn't exist for me."
His voice got weak. "You touch this and that little bit is gone. They'll be real. Don't ask me do to this."
Kimberly took a sip of water to steady herself.
"Tommy, I don't have any clue what that letter says."
Tommy stopped pacing and glared at her. "Nice. Rub it in my face just how easy it was to write me off, literally. So easy, apparently, that you don't even remember what's in this stupid thing." He waved the warn envelope around violently.
"Tommy, how long have you been caring that around?"
"Ever since you sent it. When did you forget what you wrote? Would've been nice to know so I could've gotten rid of it then. Maybe my life would've been easier."
Kim was quiet for a moment taking another drink and clearing her throat. "19."
Tommy shoved the Letter back in his wallet and looked up at her. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"That's when I stopped I crying over you. I was 19. Had been for about 3 months. Some friends took me to a party. I got good and sloppy drunk. There was a guy there who had long, dark, wavy hair and he was tan and he was tall. He was originally from London and he a spectacular accent. He was studying chemistry, and his focus was its further applications in medication. His eyes were blue and, really, he was a decent guy.
"We got to talking and then we got kissing-"
"I don't want to hear this."
"-He took me up to a room and we had sex."
Tommy's hands were shaking. "Kimberly, I don't want to hear this."
She stood up with such force the couch moved slightly. "You're going to. We had sex and I remember it. It was great! I enjoyed it. Funny thing, though, losing your virginity is supposed to be a good thing. And intense. It's supposed to be a good and intense thing that changes you forever. It's something that's supposed to create these invisible and unbreakable bonds between lovers. For me, it was just something I had that wasn't there anymore. I woke up the next morning, got dressed, went home and cleaned up. After that I went to practice and later class. Nothing changed for me.
"I ran into the guy a while later and we went on to have a pretty decent friendship until he started getting it into his head that we were more than friends. See, the sex we had changed things for him. Made him think that between us it was special. For him, I guess it was, but for me it was nothing more than a way to relieve stress."
Tommy was silent as he observed her standing before him.
"And here you are. You who can have a relationship with someone and live some semblance of a happy life. I can't even kiss a guy and focus on that. I go on a date and instead of taking in what's going on or getting to know the guy as possibly more than a one night stand, I'm thinking of the better things I could be doing. Half the time I leave not even remembering the guy's name.
"All that ended in one night. See, I had come to terms with the fact that I would always love you long before any of that started. So, if that was true, why was I acting like this." She paused for a moment and stared at Tommy, as if waiting for him to guess. "Okay. I'll tell you. I was still waiting Tommy. Waiting for everything to stop. Everything. Because that would be the moment I was okay.
"Nothing stops, Tommy. You wanna know why? Because I don't know how it all started. I will never have closure until I see that letter."
Tommy pulled it out of his wallet, again, and held it in his shaking hand. "Why?"
"I don't know where we ended, Tommy, and where our separate lives began. I was still thinking we were "us" when you had long moved into your own entity."
Tommy felt his eyes stinging. "Why are you doing this, Kim. I get that you were a different person after moving away. I get that. But, why are you coming in here and telling me all this. You know what the Letter says. You wrote it. Why are you giving me all this bullshit?"
Kimberly let out an aggravated cry and grasped her hair in angry fists. "Fine. Think I wrote that fucking thing, just let me see it."
"Answer one last question of mine." He watched her head bob up and down. "Who was the other guy and why didn't it last?"
Kimberly burst into giggles and doubled over. "You're gonna need to give me a second, 'cause that's just ridiculous." She laughed for a time then began breathing deep as it wore down. "Okay, you're asking me who another guy was and when did it end? Well, the last guy I seriously dated was a lawyer and it lasted about half a year. That ended five months ago."
Tommy glared and walked into the kitchen. "You're gonna make fun of me, fine. Leave and keep you're secrets. I don't care."
She followed him, her own anger gaining fire. "Don't you dare do that, Oliver. I already told you several times tonight I don't know what's going on. You asked and I answered. I have a right to see what's in that envelope."
Tommy opened his liquor cabinet and roughly pulled out a bottle of tequila. "You know damn well what's in the Letter. Stop pulling this and get out of my house. Bad enough you left me for a guy, but apparently he didn't even mean that much to you. Would have been nice if you could have remembered his name at least. What date number was he? Before you decided to do the decent thing and break "us" up?"
For a moment everything stopped as Kimberly's face went pale. "Finally. That got you to shut up."
Her mouth opened and closed as he decided against a glass and simply took a swig from the bottle.
"You look like a fish when you do that." She stared for another moment before taking a seat at his high rise island. "Make yourself at home. Again."
A tear ran down her face and that was the only warning he got before she broke. "I can't do this."
She was saying something more, but that was all Tommy could make out as sobs wracked her whole being.
"What? Can't do what, Kim? Keep lying to me? And, I suppose, yourself?" She flipped him off and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, stop."
He reconsidered using a glass and poured them both one. He had gotten through two before she finally calmed down enough to take drink from her glass.
"So, are you going to share with the class what exactly you can't do."
She flipped him off once more and took another drink before sighing deep. "I can't stay calm. I thought all the way here, "I can do this. I can take what ever he dishes out and handle it with out crying." Looks like I couldn't."
There was quiet in the room as she coughed a bit and took a few more drinks before sliding him her now empty glass. When he offered a refill, she passed stating that she had to drive home.
"So, you gonna tell me what's really going on? Why you're really here."
"Tommy, I have told you nothing but the truth all night. I really don't know what's in that Letter other than I apparently left you for some fictional man. A man that I had no clue even existed. I heard that from Jason when he came to visit after he lost his Gold Ranger powers. So, that I did lie about. I did know what you meant when you asked who I had left you for. It was just my messed up way of saying, "I had no one to leave you for, you idiot, so why would I?" Guess the message didn't get across."
Tommy looked at her for a moment than downed his drink. "So, what you're telling me is, and stop me if I get something wrong, is that you don't know what's in the Letter, except that you apparently left me for another person. You don't know who this person is cause he doesn't exist. And all this apparently amounts to you never having written a break-up letter to me and never considered it. Is that all correct?"
Kimberly nodded than got a strange look on her face. "Well, that's mostly correct. I did consider breaking things off with you at one point. It was a little while after our first year anniversary. You still had that habit of not kissing me a lot, but that never went away. I was insanely attracted to you, but you weren't reciprocating, so I considered saving myself the trouble of being hurt and just ending things.
"But I talked to an older girl from my gymnastics club and she got me…a very useful gift." The smirk on her face made him curious and worried, but than most of her looks did. "I tell you, that thing should be bronzed for all its years of faithful service."
Tommy blinked. "'Kay, now I have to know. I mean, I think I may already know, but I need confirmation. What did she get you?"
Kim gave him the sweetest smile. "A vibrator."
"'Kay, so long as we're clear." H laughed a bit before continuing. "Nice to know a vibrator kept us together. That's great."
"Tommy," she touched his arm and ignored his jump. "I had gotten over the notion of breaking up with you long before she got me that. The thought was gone from my mind the moment after I considered it. That little friend of mine was just a nice bonus."
He stared at her like she had a third head for a moment before she finally laughed. And laughed. And laughed.
"Tommy, I'm kidding. I didn't get my first vibrator until Sha sent me one as gag gift for graduation. It was a…novelty item."
Tommy took in her red face and opened his mouth before closing it and shaking his head. "Nope, don't want to know."
An impish smile lit up her face before she got serious again. "Everything else, though, is true, Tommy. Everything."
"I want to believe every word that comes out of your mouth, but I don't think I can." There was a brief pause as he asked another question that had been bugging him for a while. "Why didn't you call me?"
Kimberly brought her hand away from him and sighed. "I did. Took me forever to get anybody. Ask Rocky."
"So, say I believe you. And say I start asking around, which I have your permission to do, yes? Say I start asking around and people back up your statements. Where do we go? What are you looking for?"
She was quiet as she thought for a moment. "We move forward. You and Kat progress and I get closure. Don't think I came here to get you back, Tommy, 'cause I let go of that idea a long time ago. I would have never said anything at all, tried not to, if my curiosity hadn't gotten the better of me."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I'm trying to say goodbye, Tommy. Goodbye to our ghosts. Your ghost and mine. They've haunted me, and maybe you, for long enough."
'That's not what I want.' Tommy played with the Letter for a bit and slid it over toward her but didn't remove his hand. "We move forward?"
"Yes, Tommy. I told Jason long ago that I understand our book is closed. You and Kat have something and I'm not going to consider, well, not twice anyway, destroying that. There was a time when I wanted her pretty blonde head on a platter and her tall thin body quartered and served to you as stew. Like in Snow White: A Tale of Terror."
She paused her animated rant for a moment. "Have you ever seen that?"
When Tommy shook his head her smile fell. "Sad! Great movie. Sigourney Weaver and that little girl from While You Were Sleeping. It was a made for TV movie, but very good."
"Horror movie? I thought.… You hate them."
She played with her hands for a bit and gave him one of her sideway glances. "Well, it started with serial killers than progressed into horror. I had to have something to deal with all my anger toward you without coming over here and ripping your guts out. So, one night I rented Scream and never looked back."
"Anything else you wanna lay on me?"
She thought for a moment as she reached for the envelope before her and got up from her stool. "I know it was you who stole my gymnastics tapes. And I know why." With that she smirked and sashayed straight out his door, sending only a thank you his way.
Tommy didn't move until long after she had driven off.
"Shower. I need a cold, very cold, shower." He sent a look toward the bottle of tequila before capping it and putting it away. He was still mulling over her words when he gave up sleeping and decided to work out.
Alyx grumbled from under her comforter. "Who ever this is better have doughnuts."
She blindly searched for her phone and found it by her foot. "Hello?"
At first there was no sound other than heavy breathing. "Okay, I've seen tons of horror movies and psycho killer flicks to know to call the police, unless you start talking."
There was a little more silence. "I just needed to hear your voice."
Alyx sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Conner, this has to stop. I know you're still feeling the fear from me being out with no sign of coming to, but no more. You need to stop calling me like this. Hang up the phone, go to bed, kiss your girl and go to sleep. We're friends, but not for long if you keep this up."
"I know."
"Goodbye, Conner."
There was a pause before she heard him sigh. "Goodbye, Alyx."
Sleep escaped the both of them, though, as the younger set of Rangers were called to deal with a monster in the warehouse district of Angel Grove. Needless to say, none of them attended classes or work the next morning.
Tommy was not a happy man when Alyx yawned her way into the kitchen that afternoon.
"Today was your first day." She bobbed her head and shuffled through the kitchen to the couch. "I really don't know what's going through your head, Alyx."
He was angry for only three more seconds. That was the only time allotted to silence in the house as Alyx's retching filled it immediately after. A thump followed as she passed out only a few inches away from her stomach contents that spread across his wood floor. Tommy carefully picked her up and placed her on the couch. He got a bucket from under his sink and placed it near her before he set about cleaning up her mess before it reached his hand woven rug.
Once that was done he entered a staring contest with his phone.
"Shit." He picked it up and dialed the number he hoped he wouldn't have to for a good long while.
"Hi, Kim. I'm probably the last person you expected to hear from, but Alyx is sick." He paused and tried very hard not to sigh at the sound of her voice. He was hoping to stall talking to her again for that very reason. Control was not his friend at the moment. "Yeah. She just let loose on my floor and is now out.
"Well, the reason I'm calling is in regard to her dogs. Can you hold onto them for a while? I know she was supposed to pick them up today." Her tone got harsh and he couldn't help but smirk. "I'm not saying you don't love them. And I'm not saying you can't take care of them. I'm sure you've done a splendid job this last week, but I'm wondering if you want them off your hands. No, I'm not saying they're a burden." He paused as she continued to fume. "You know what, you hold onto them until she's better. How does that sound?"
She was very pleased with this and purred a few things about good faith and understanding. Tommy wasn't really coherent enough to respond so he just grunted his thanks and farewell before hanging up and checking on Alyx.
She was out cold until he crouched down to take in her appearance with a closer look. His head was right by hers, he was checking her pupil dilation, when she felt that was the time to barf, again. He fell back on his hands as she retched for about a minute straight before her eyes rolled back and she was out once more.
Katherine Hillard woke slowly, snuggling into her comforter and drifting off to sleep several times before she realized it wasn't a comforter she was snuggling into. It was a jacket and it wasn't hers. And she most definitely did not own a suede couch.
Very carefully she felt her head, making sure there were no serious bumps. She could have blacked out again. That was happening a lot lately.
"If you're wondering where you are, I'm getting sick of telling you. So, here's hoping it's the last time I have to."
Her eyes widened at the sound of male voice with a faint London lilt and she shot up into sitting position. There, across the room, and downing a glass of what she thought to be scotch, was a very tall and very attractive man. He had shaggy dark hair and tan skin that fit snug around his toned muscles. He would have looked exactly like Tommy, if he weren't slightly taller and a little bit bigger and some how sharper in almost every way.
"So, since you're so good at telling me where I am, apparently, why don't you get on with it."
He looked at her and she took in a sharp breathe at his glowing blue eyes.
"You and Tommy broke up again." She lifted her chin and swung her legs over the edge of the couch. She crossed them and her arms, squaring her shoulders and taking a business like stance. "You've failed."
A familiar scream ripped through her head and she swallowed her moan of pain. "What does it matter to you?"
He scoffed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. The muscles on his forearms flexed.
"Well, Ms. Hillard, considering my whole existing depends on you keeping Tommy off the dating market and away from Kim, it matters a lot to me."
Kat looked around his office. It was like any other high end swanky office, but there were pictures of her and him everywhere. Pictures of him with her family. Something was very wrong and her whole entire being was beginning to hurt.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Jessie Hillard. I'm your older brother." He watched her pale with disbelief. "Shocking, I know. It always is. See, we've been through this whole thing about 4 times. Hard to believe how big brother grew up so great. Here's the deal, sis, you and me, we were plans B and C."
A horrified look crossed her face and she let loose a strangled "No!"
"Oh, yes! Plan A was her and Zedd taking over the universe as they were. Plan B was The Letter. You pulled that off beautifully by the way, and it worked. Problem is, Kim was starting to lose her resolve about keeping her mouth shut in regards to her actually having anything to do with the thing. So, in comes Plan C: Me. Didn't have the desired effect, but it did a decent job. Here's the problem, though, Kim came forward two days ago about having not written the Letter."
Kat's head felt like a 25lb weight and she cradled it in her hands. "So, now it's time for Plan D: We finish the job, take over the Universe and rule it as Rita and Zedd would have. We are their heirs."
The room spun as Kat's vision fogged up. "Funny how they just seemed to plan for everything, huh?"
That was the last thing Kat heard before everything went black.