Hurrah!!!!! The final, yes you heard right, the final part of Flying
Home. Yayyy!!!!!! (Now if only I could get the readers as excited...)
Part Four
It seemed to Tommy that the world had been hazy, and the urgency
strong, and the emotion nearly overpowering, for an entire lifetime.
But in reality, only seconds had passed from the moment that he brought
Kimberly close to him and the painful instant when they parted and Kim
took a step back, placing herself just out of reach.
She stood feet away, eyes glowing with shock, her breath, like his own,
ragged. Her hand came up to cup her mouth as she stared at him.
"How...why...if..." Her words came and stopped, before any rational
thought could make itself known. Finally, Kim dropped her hand, her
gaze, and spoke to the street. "Why did you do that." Her tone was
harsh, it stomped on Tommy's hope like a spoiled child denied a new
toy. "You have a girlfriend."
Girlfriend? Oh, Kat. Tommy winced as he fell deeper into his self made
pit of horrors. But it wasn't too late to climb back up -if she was
willing to throw the rope down. "Kim, there's something I have to tell
you."
"Like what, Thomas, you've taken to kissing girls while Kat's away? Or,
you know, stranded on the street."
"I left her with Greg. She wasn't alone." He shut his eyes tight, and
realized he could have answered that better. A slight slap on the face
confirmed his fear. It didn't sting so much as hurt his already aching
heart.
"How could you kiss me when you're with Kat? The Tommy I knew would
never be so unfaithful." He heard the inflection in her voice change,
an accusation buried deep. "You didn't...?"
"No!" Tommy cried. "Of course I never kissed another girl while I was
with you, Kim, I didn't even look at other girls."
She rolled her eyes, as if in disbelief. "Yeah, Tommy, you only had
eyes for me."
"Yes!" He insisted, grabbing her arms and forcing her to look at him.
"I love you and no one else mattered."
His confession swept between them. A moment passed by, and streched and
yawned for an eternity. Finally, she shifted uncomfortably and he
loosened the tight grip on her forearms. "You mean loved, Tom. Past
tense. You love Kat now, remember?"
Remember? Of course he couldn't, he had never loved Kat. Not when she
first batted her eyelashes to hide a gleam of evil, or donned the pink
suit that was meant for another, even when she sat reclined in his arms
he hadn't felt anything. How could he have? His heart was empty and
vacant, and insanely lonesome without its better half. Without Kim.
"Kimber-," he started to say in the gentlest voice his jumbled mind
could muster, but she stopped him.
"You can't do this Tommy. You can't make up your mind and then change
it again. Not with something like this."
"When have I ever made a choice about us?" Tommy asked. But she was
already running away from him, the dead silence of night offering no
competition with the clinking of her shoes against the solid concerete
sidewalk. He listened to the rhythm, long after the sound ceased to
exist, until it beat in tempo with his own heart, and he slid down a
streetlight, 'til his knees were pulled up tight, like a child, and his
head rested against them.
What was going on? Were they all on the emotional roller coaster from
hell? Why was Kim running away and for goodness sakes, how had he ended
up meeting her on the street anyway?
Chalk it up to fate, Tommy told himself. And get used to the idea of
being alone.
**************
Kat knocked on the door timidly, wondering what had happened to Tommy
and Kimberly in the wee hours of the night. Perhaps they'd resolved all
their differences, and were presently wrapped in each other's arms,
maybe they were still talking. Whatever the case, she wasn't eager to
disturb them, but her purse and all her money was somewhere in the
apartment. She rapped lightly on the door.
"Hello? Is anyone home, its Katherine."
"June's alseep. I'll open the door." Kat turned to see Kimberly sitting
cross-legged on the floor, a coat draped around her shoulders. She rose
up and reached into a pocket.
"Have you heard from Tommy?" The blonde hated to ask, but it was
becoming obvious that he wasn't around.
Kimberly looked at her as though she had a secret that desperatly
needed telling, but she bit her lip and faced the door. It welcomed
them with a gush of warm air. "Ugh. June left the heater on again."
They walked inside, to the kitchen, and the taller girl grew worried, a
frown settling itself on her brow.
"Kim, are you all right? Did you talk to Tommy? I thought he was
walking this wa-"
"I talked to him. We ran into each other on the street." Kimberly Hart
cut her off, lifted an empty mug, and sighed. "Want some coffee? I
don't usually drink it, but I'm in purgatory right now, halfway between
sleep and awake."
The second Pink Ranger finally got the message. Whatever had happened
between them hadn't ended well. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"The coffee? Its not that interesting, StarBucks special blend, we have
cinnamon hazlenut creamer, and I think-"
"Kim," Kat said softly. "I meant about Tommy."
"I know." Her response came as a whisper, a hushed acknowledgement as
she plopped down on a stool and gestured to her friend to do the same.
She braced her legs on the stool seat, and leaned far back so that she
saw only the speckled white ceiling. "You're happy, aren't you?"
Kat raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. "Yes, I suppose so."
Kimberly nodded. "I wanted you to be. You both deserved to be."
Deserved to be? What did that mean? "Who, exactly, is you both?"
But Kimberly just shrugged and stood up. "I'm truly glad for you, Kat.
Despite everything. You can put your stuff in the room next to mine.
I'll see you in a few hours." And she slipped away into the hall.
Kat sighed deeply and followed suit. Things were confusing, and
complicated, and none of them might ever see clear daylight again.
A window was left open, and the kitchen stood empty, lonely and cold.
*************
"Okay, new plan." Tommy stared at his suitcase and its contents.
"But the first plane ticket to Walanakaria and never look back." It
wasn't such a crazy idea. Heck, he'd always wanted to learn a new
language! This was a golden opportunity. It was his big chance.
He fished out a pair of casual blue jeans, white t-shirt, and an well
worn brown coat. A simple outfit for simpler times ahead.
A clean break, that's what he needed.
A fresh start.
A new beginning.
A new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning...those
werelyrics to Kim's favorite song! He knuckles turned white as he
clutched the shirt in his hand, wringing it.
What was he thinking? This was practical at all. He had to resolve
things with Kim. With forced movement, Tommy pulled another outfit from
the travel bag.
A pair of black slacks, a crisp, white, collared, long-sleeve shirt,
and a longer jacket came out. Its pocket poofed out a bit, around the
tiny box inside of it. The proposal outfit. Tommy sighed as he
remembered how the scene had worked so well in his mind. She'd fallen
into his arms, he'd given her the ring, and hand in hand they rode off
into the sunset.
Only none of that had happened. But did that mean he had to abandon
what little was left? They could be friends. Sure, why not. They had a
lot of stuff in common. Shared a similar sense of humor.
Friends, lovers, wasn't it really all the same? That, and if he didn't
work it out with her, when their friends found out, they would probably
embark on some noble, well-meaning but poorly concieved journey to get
them back together.
And if there was one thing the Power Ranger team had struggled with, it
was getting people together. He didn't even want to think about the
Mary-George incident. Or the Janey-Bob misshap. Especially not the
Karla-Kenny attempt.
He didn't want to think of what would happen if they tried with him and
Kimberly.
Besides, the Rangers were a team. They would have to stay a team. It
was fate. Or something like that.
He threw on the blue jeans from one outfit, and the collared shirt from
the other. His hands hesitated on the jackets. Just then the a crash
pulled him from the room and out into the hall. He returned moments
later, shaking his head in confusion.
He could have sworn he heard something break. The brown jacket was
lifted up onto his shoulder then, and the ex-Ranger took one last deep
beath before leaving the hotel room.
Twenty minutes later he was at her house once more.
He didn't knock though. Not because he had run away again, or because
she opened it first. This time, he was drawn to soft sobs drifting out
of a window. Tommy followed the miserable sound until its source was
all too clear.
Kimberly was in tears, and instantaneously, he felt that familiar guilt
bite at his heart. It was his fault she was so sad. If he had never
come, never kissed her, never met her even, she would have been
happier.
But slowly, a thought dawned. He couldn't control who he met or how
he'd feel. It was insane to blame himself for things fate did. Sure, he
could've handled that scene in the alley a little better...all right, a
*lot* better. That didn't make him Atlas. That didn't mean he should
have to bear the weight of both a victim and a villian.
So, yeah, it could be his fault.
Unless...
Unless it wasn't.
He hadn't always been so passive in their relationship. Once upon a
time, all decisions were mutual. And, if he remembered correctly, those
were the *happy* times. From from the instant he'd recieved the Letter,
Tommy had let Kim make the important choices, assuming she knew answers
to everything. But since then, they'd had more ups and downs than a
roller coaster at Six Flags.
Realization hit Tommy like a drunk truck driver who hasn't slept in the
past thiry-seven hours. He never should have accepted the Letter. It
was a bad choice, a stupid mistake. He should have taken a plane to
Florida then, insist that she take him back.
Maybe he still could.
With a puff of breath to relieve the tension behind his eyes, Tommy
marched up to the front and banged loudly on the door.
"Just a minute." Her voice was tired, she was strangling back tears,
and he had to bury the urge to leave her alone. He knocked louder in
spite of it.
"Coming!" He heard the latch clink open, and knob began to twist.
Rather than wait, Tommy pushed it open, sending the girl behind the
door reeling back. "Hey!"
As Kim regained her balance, her brown eyes were wide with shock. "Tom?
What are you doing?"
"Something I should have done a long time ago." Without hesitatoin, his
arms fell upon her and gathered her close to his chest.
"Put me down" she cried, endeavoring to push him away. "I thought I
told you-" Whatever she was going to say would have to remain unsaid,
because Tommy was determined that this kiss wasn't going to end like
the last one.
When it did cease, it was because Tommy pulled back, still clutching
Kim to him. "I don't care what you told me. This time its my turn to
choose and I choose this, Kimberly Hart. I choose to love you and I'll
be damned if anyone, even you, is going to stop me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Really? I think you'll change your mind when your
girlfriend comes back."
"I don't have a girlfriend Kim, just a crazy lover that has me flying
across the country to reclaim her."
"But Kat-"
"Is a friend, all right? A friend, nothing more, nothing less."
"How can you say that? I saw how you two acted when I was still in
Angel Grove. Tom, she watched you like I do. Aisha even told me you
were dating. Don't deny it now that you're tired of your latest fling."
"Don't deny it? There's nothing for me to deny. Yes, Kat and I dated
*briefly*. The Rangers were pressuring me to move on, and she was a
temporary distraction. And so what if she had a crush on me while you
were around. Do you honestly think I would want someone else when I had
*you*?"
"You ended up together pretty soon after I left."
He throttled her a little, as if attempting to shake sense into her. "I
didn't know what I thinking. I was going out of my mind! You had just
sent me a letter that said I was a brother to you! I don't feel like
your brother, Kim, do you have any idea how it feels to be called that?
Would a brother make you feel like this?" He captured her lips in a
kiss again, and noted with satisfaction that there was less resistance.
"No," she murmured into his mouth after a moment. "Its too late. Its
too late now."
"Late?" he whispered.
"I waited for you to come for weeks. I fell asleep dreaming that you'd
rush to Florida and be mad with me for ever thinking you could love
with Kat, and carry me home. And then the other Rangers called and told
me not to worry because you were moving on. Don't think you broke him,
Kim, he was a little down at first but he's already getting back up." A
sob escaped her, and he kissed her forhead.
"Shh. It's okay, you don't have to cry. Listen to me: they were wrong.
I never got over you. I never stopped loving you."
"But-"
"I love you. As in present tense."
Her brown orbs searched his, deciding how much she could trust him.
And suddenly she threw herself into his embrace, hugging him like a
teddy bear, as though she'd seen so much truth in him it hurt. "I love
you too, Tom." She cried. "I'm sorry I made such a mess of everything
and I'm sorry I overreacted in the alley and-"
"Hey, even Power Rangers can't always be perfect."
She wiped her eyes and smiled back at him. "Just perfect most of the
time?"
"Exactly."
This time she was the one leaning foward to kiss him. And, oh, what a
sweet kiss it was, like eating fresh berries in the middle of a sunny
meadow. Or feeling cool grass between your toes and wind in your hair.
This kiss, this feeling, was bliss.
Tommy broke away in time, practically laughing with joy, and fumbled
desperately for something in his pocket.
This was it, he just knew it. This was the moment he had traveled
across the country for. The box had to be there, it just had to.
This was the one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-life-time moment.
Where was that ring?! He'd put it there, in the pocket...of his other
jacket. He looked up in dissapointment and met Kim's confused eyes.
"Tommy?"
The moment was fading! And the box, the ring...he shoved his hands into
his coat in frustration.
And thats when he felt the soft velvet brushing against his fingers.
The box was in the coat. The brown, leaving town coat. The wrong coat.
Mysterious Matchmaker had struck again, it seemed. Tommy fell to his
knees with a renewed grin, half in prayer, half to complete his plan.
"Kimberly Ann Hart," he gulped. "Will you marry me?
Epilogue
"This is the biggest turkey I have ever seen," remarked Kimberly Ann
Oliver, rubbing her protruding stomach. "And this time I can eat as
much as I want. I am eating for two, you know." The people around her
laughed.
A tiny girl with black pigtails held up and empty plastic cup. "Escuse
me," she asked, in a little voice. "Can...can I have more?"
"I'll get that." Tommy lifted the child to his shoulders and carried
her away, leaving only a trail of fading giggles.
"He's going to be a great father," Said the woman to Kim's left. "As
good, I think, as my Paulo." The woman's husband grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, enough about Tom. Let's move on to more important matters.
Like the gravy." Jason poured a glob of the brown sauce onto a waiting
mashed potato crater. "Whose the culinary genius that made it anyway? I
think I need to marry her."
"Why Jase," Rocky called, batting his eyelashes and placing both hands
on his face in mock flirtation. "I never knew you felt that way. But
Momma always did tell me that her secret recipes would help me catch
the perfect man."
"Hardy har har. How was I supposed to know that of all the pretty girls
helping out here, Rocky would be the one to cook the gravy?"
"Well, actually, us guys outnumber them. So the odds that it would be a
male chef are-"
"Billy, now is not the time for a math lecture." Kat handed him a
biscuit. "Eat this." Obediently, he took a bite and started chewing,
laughter in his eyes. She patted his shoulder.
Kim watched the interaction with interest. "Hey, Trini." She slid to
Tommy's vacant seat and whispered, "Is it just me, or is there
something between those two?"
The bell chimed then, and Trini scampered off to answer it. She
reappeared, moments later, with a couple.
"Everett!" Kat jumped up and ran to embrace the slender young
sandy-haired man. "What are you doing here?" Karen O'neal was the lady
with him; she stood back, wary.
"You're the one from the restaurant," She mumbled.
Everett caught her hand and gave it a squeeze, as if sensing her
apprehension. "I didn't know you knew each other."
"I didn't know either," said Kat
"Well now, we'll have to give you an introduction right and proper, I
suppose. Katherine, this is Karen. She is the love of my otherwise dull
life. Karen love, this is Kat, my dearest cousin from Australia. But,
what *are* you doing here, Kat?"
"I asked you the same thing."
"And I shall explain," called Tommy, walking up, speaking with a fake
accent.
"Tommy!" Karen shook his hand, and handed him the tray of desserts they
had brought. "How is everything?"
"Wonderful. Everyone! This is Karen and Everett. I met her while on my
epic quest in Florida. Invite them in, share the wealth, and whatever
you do, don't let them figure out how crazy we all are."
But Zack was already leading them away, asking questions like "So
you're Australian, but you spent half your life in Michigan, and then
took over the family business in Florida? How exactly does that work?
Are you guys like all over the world..."
Tommy shook his head. "Nevermind." A slim hand reached over his
shoulder and presented him with a glass half full of wine. He kissed
its owner on the cheek before jumping up on a chair and commanding the
guests' attention again.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat as his eyes surveyed the people there.
All of the Rangers he'd fought with were there, and Paulo and his huge
family, and Karen O'neal and her fiance. Life was good.
"A toast. To happiness, future baby Olivers, and...to our mysterious
matchmaker. Whoever you are."
*****************
An older man with blue eyes, graying hair, amd wrinkles around the
edges of his mouth stepped through a silver door frame and was greeted
by a crowd of people, all near the same age as he. They watched his
blank face expectantly, until he opened his mouth to speak.
They all sucked in their breath.
"It worked!" He shouted and a loud cry of joy went up through the room.
The man clapped another guy, this one with blue-black glasses, on the
back. "Well Billy. I'd have to say this little time machine of yours is
just about the greatest thing you've ever created."
Billy blushed. "Thanks Jase."
One of the women laughed in sudden delight. "I can remember!" She
cried. "Its like someone opened up the floodgates..."
Jase nodded. "Yeah..." He looked up grinning. "Yeah! I was their best
man!"
"And you spilled wine all over your own fiance." Someone intoned.
"And I helped deliver a pair of twins." Yet another woman remarked,
shaking her head so that the black strands of her hair swayed. "They
were the spitting image of their parents."
"Hey, were are they anyway?"
Everyone glanced around and, to their amazement, knew the answer.
"Baby-sitting their grandkids." Billy caught the gaze of a blonde. "Our
grandkids," he whispered.
"Someone break open a bottle of champagne! This is cause for
celebration." But someone already had. Glasses, teeming with the
bubbling drink, were passed around while the group laughed and
discussed all the memories they'd never had before.
Jason, their field man, paused for a moment to be taken aback.
Was it possible that so many people were made happy, so many lives
created and memories formed, was it possible all of that had stemmed
from a single love affair? That by taking two lovers who had lived
lonely, miserable lives and giving them a second chance, the friends
had given themselves a new chance as well?
Who could've imagined.
"Wait, wait just a moment," said Aisha. They turned to him. "I am now
entering the very first ever record. Ahem. June 17, 2023. Our first
mission to unite Thomas Oliver and Kimberly Ann Hart has been
successfully completed. Both are happy and well. All of us here have
been flooded with new memories, and yet retained our old ones as well.
Interesting effect. On a side note, we were also triumphant in our
secondary mission, to unite Member Kat's cousin and girlfriend. Because
we have been met with such great reslults, I propose mission two. I
have a neice, prettiest kid in the world, who just can't find the right
guy..." Laughter filled the room, as people began offering solutions,
strategies, and mapping out the plan.
One man leaned over to his friend. "Who says we need super powers to
make the world a better place. I say the Power Rangers are back!"
As they continued talking, no one noticed a new addition to the room: a
row of pictures on the wall. Several were of the group, of their
children, even an old one of Alpha leaning against the control panel of
the HQ.
One stood to the far right. A girl, high school age with brown hair and
pink and white overalls, and a guy with long, curly-ish locks and a
green tank top, stood together in middle of a park. She was leaning
against his chest, contentment shining in her eyes. His expression was
blank, save for the quiet, peaceful smile that bent the upper edges of
his lips as he looked down at the treasure in his arms.
And if anyone had looked it over, they'd have realized there was
scribbling on the back. A lazily written note to a friend in small
letters. It read:
All right, Trini, here's your copy of the
picture. Isn't he adorable? Don't tell the
guys I said this, but I think I'm in love.
Don't laugh, either. We may have just met a
few weeks ago, but mark my words. He's the one.
Cya, Kim
FIN
Review! I'm fanfiction.net or [email protected]. Thank you very
much!
Home. Yayyy!!!!!! (Now if only I could get the readers as excited...)
Part Four
It seemed to Tommy that the world had been hazy, and the urgency
strong, and the emotion nearly overpowering, for an entire lifetime.
But in reality, only seconds had passed from the moment that he brought
Kimberly close to him and the painful instant when they parted and Kim
took a step back, placing herself just out of reach.
She stood feet away, eyes glowing with shock, her breath, like his own,
ragged. Her hand came up to cup her mouth as she stared at him.
"How...why...if..." Her words came and stopped, before any rational
thought could make itself known. Finally, Kim dropped her hand, her
gaze, and spoke to the street. "Why did you do that." Her tone was
harsh, it stomped on Tommy's hope like a spoiled child denied a new
toy. "You have a girlfriend."
Girlfriend? Oh, Kat. Tommy winced as he fell deeper into his self made
pit of horrors. But it wasn't too late to climb back up -if she was
willing to throw the rope down. "Kim, there's something I have to tell
you."
"Like what, Thomas, you've taken to kissing girls while Kat's away? Or,
you know, stranded on the street."
"I left her with Greg. She wasn't alone." He shut his eyes tight, and
realized he could have answered that better. A slight slap on the face
confirmed his fear. It didn't sting so much as hurt his already aching
heart.
"How could you kiss me when you're with Kat? The Tommy I knew would
never be so unfaithful." He heard the inflection in her voice change,
an accusation buried deep. "You didn't...?"
"No!" Tommy cried. "Of course I never kissed another girl while I was
with you, Kim, I didn't even look at other girls."
She rolled her eyes, as if in disbelief. "Yeah, Tommy, you only had
eyes for me."
"Yes!" He insisted, grabbing her arms and forcing her to look at him.
"I love you and no one else mattered."
His confession swept between them. A moment passed by, and streched and
yawned for an eternity. Finally, she shifted uncomfortably and he
loosened the tight grip on her forearms. "You mean loved, Tom. Past
tense. You love Kat now, remember?"
Remember? Of course he couldn't, he had never loved Kat. Not when she
first batted her eyelashes to hide a gleam of evil, or donned the pink
suit that was meant for another, even when she sat reclined in his arms
he hadn't felt anything. How could he have? His heart was empty and
vacant, and insanely lonesome without its better half. Without Kim.
"Kimber-," he started to say in the gentlest voice his jumbled mind
could muster, but she stopped him.
"You can't do this Tommy. You can't make up your mind and then change
it again. Not with something like this."
"When have I ever made a choice about us?" Tommy asked. But she was
already running away from him, the dead silence of night offering no
competition with the clinking of her shoes against the solid concerete
sidewalk. He listened to the rhythm, long after the sound ceased to
exist, until it beat in tempo with his own heart, and he slid down a
streetlight, 'til his knees were pulled up tight, like a child, and his
head rested against them.
What was going on? Were they all on the emotional roller coaster from
hell? Why was Kim running away and for goodness sakes, how had he ended
up meeting her on the street anyway?
Chalk it up to fate, Tommy told himself. And get used to the idea of
being alone.
**************
Kat knocked on the door timidly, wondering what had happened to Tommy
and Kimberly in the wee hours of the night. Perhaps they'd resolved all
their differences, and were presently wrapped in each other's arms,
maybe they were still talking. Whatever the case, she wasn't eager to
disturb them, but her purse and all her money was somewhere in the
apartment. She rapped lightly on the door.
"Hello? Is anyone home, its Katherine."
"June's alseep. I'll open the door." Kat turned to see Kimberly sitting
cross-legged on the floor, a coat draped around her shoulders. She rose
up and reached into a pocket.
"Have you heard from Tommy?" The blonde hated to ask, but it was
becoming obvious that he wasn't around.
Kimberly looked at her as though she had a secret that desperatly
needed telling, but she bit her lip and faced the door. It welcomed
them with a gush of warm air. "Ugh. June left the heater on again."
They walked inside, to the kitchen, and the taller girl grew worried, a
frown settling itself on her brow.
"Kim, are you all right? Did you talk to Tommy? I thought he was
walking this wa-"
"I talked to him. We ran into each other on the street." Kimberly Hart
cut her off, lifted an empty mug, and sighed. "Want some coffee? I
don't usually drink it, but I'm in purgatory right now, halfway between
sleep and awake."
The second Pink Ranger finally got the message. Whatever had happened
between them hadn't ended well. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"The coffee? Its not that interesting, StarBucks special blend, we have
cinnamon hazlenut creamer, and I think-"
"Kim," Kat said softly. "I meant about Tommy."
"I know." Her response came as a whisper, a hushed acknowledgement as
she plopped down on a stool and gestured to her friend to do the same.
She braced her legs on the stool seat, and leaned far back so that she
saw only the speckled white ceiling. "You're happy, aren't you?"
Kat raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. "Yes, I suppose so."
Kimberly nodded. "I wanted you to be. You both deserved to be."
Deserved to be? What did that mean? "Who, exactly, is you both?"
But Kimberly just shrugged and stood up. "I'm truly glad for you, Kat.
Despite everything. You can put your stuff in the room next to mine.
I'll see you in a few hours." And she slipped away into the hall.
Kat sighed deeply and followed suit. Things were confusing, and
complicated, and none of them might ever see clear daylight again.
A window was left open, and the kitchen stood empty, lonely and cold.
*************
"Okay, new plan." Tommy stared at his suitcase and its contents.
"But the first plane ticket to Walanakaria and never look back." It
wasn't such a crazy idea. Heck, he'd always wanted to learn a new
language! This was a golden opportunity. It was his big chance.
He fished out a pair of casual blue jeans, white t-shirt, and an well
worn brown coat. A simple outfit for simpler times ahead.
A clean break, that's what he needed.
A fresh start.
A new beginning.
A new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning...those
werelyrics to Kim's favorite song! He knuckles turned white as he
clutched the shirt in his hand, wringing it.
What was he thinking? This was practical at all. He had to resolve
things with Kim. With forced movement, Tommy pulled another outfit from
the travel bag.
A pair of black slacks, a crisp, white, collared, long-sleeve shirt,
and a longer jacket came out. Its pocket poofed out a bit, around the
tiny box inside of it. The proposal outfit. Tommy sighed as he
remembered how the scene had worked so well in his mind. She'd fallen
into his arms, he'd given her the ring, and hand in hand they rode off
into the sunset.
Only none of that had happened. But did that mean he had to abandon
what little was left? They could be friends. Sure, why not. They had a
lot of stuff in common. Shared a similar sense of humor.
Friends, lovers, wasn't it really all the same? That, and if he didn't
work it out with her, when their friends found out, they would probably
embark on some noble, well-meaning but poorly concieved journey to get
them back together.
And if there was one thing the Power Ranger team had struggled with, it
was getting people together. He didn't even want to think about the
Mary-George incident. Or the Janey-Bob misshap. Especially not the
Karla-Kenny attempt.
He didn't want to think of what would happen if they tried with him and
Kimberly.
Besides, the Rangers were a team. They would have to stay a team. It
was fate. Or something like that.
He threw on the blue jeans from one outfit, and the collared shirt from
the other. His hands hesitated on the jackets. Just then the a crash
pulled him from the room and out into the hall. He returned moments
later, shaking his head in confusion.
He could have sworn he heard something break. The brown jacket was
lifted up onto his shoulder then, and the ex-Ranger took one last deep
beath before leaving the hotel room.
Twenty minutes later he was at her house once more.
He didn't knock though. Not because he had run away again, or because
she opened it first. This time, he was drawn to soft sobs drifting out
of a window. Tommy followed the miserable sound until its source was
all too clear.
Kimberly was in tears, and instantaneously, he felt that familiar guilt
bite at his heart. It was his fault she was so sad. If he had never
come, never kissed her, never met her even, she would have been
happier.
But slowly, a thought dawned. He couldn't control who he met or how
he'd feel. It was insane to blame himself for things fate did. Sure, he
could've handled that scene in the alley a little better...all right, a
*lot* better. That didn't make him Atlas. That didn't mean he should
have to bear the weight of both a victim and a villian.
So, yeah, it could be his fault.
Unless...
Unless it wasn't.
He hadn't always been so passive in their relationship. Once upon a
time, all decisions were mutual. And, if he remembered correctly, those
were the *happy* times. From from the instant he'd recieved the Letter,
Tommy had let Kim make the important choices, assuming she knew answers
to everything. But since then, they'd had more ups and downs than a
roller coaster at Six Flags.
Realization hit Tommy like a drunk truck driver who hasn't slept in the
past thiry-seven hours. He never should have accepted the Letter. It
was a bad choice, a stupid mistake. He should have taken a plane to
Florida then, insist that she take him back.
Maybe he still could.
With a puff of breath to relieve the tension behind his eyes, Tommy
marched up to the front and banged loudly on the door.
"Just a minute." Her voice was tired, she was strangling back tears,
and he had to bury the urge to leave her alone. He knocked louder in
spite of it.
"Coming!" He heard the latch clink open, and knob began to twist.
Rather than wait, Tommy pushed it open, sending the girl behind the
door reeling back. "Hey!"
As Kim regained her balance, her brown eyes were wide with shock. "Tom?
What are you doing?"
"Something I should have done a long time ago." Without hesitatoin, his
arms fell upon her and gathered her close to his chest.
"Put me down" she cried, endeavoring to push him away. "I thought I
told you-" Whatever she was going to say would have to remain unsaid,
because Tommy was determined that this kiss wasn't going to end like
the last one.
When it did cease, it was because Tommy pulled back, still clutching
Kim to him. "I don't care what you told me. This time its my turn to
choose and I choose this, Kimberly Hart. I choose to love you and I'll
be damned if anyone, even you, is going to stop me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Really? I think you'll change your mind when your
girlfriend comes back."
"I don't have a girlfriend Kim, just a crazy lover that has me flying
across the country to reclaim her."
"But Kat-"
"Is a friend, all right? A friend, nothing more, nothing less."
"How can you say that? I saw how you two acted when I was still in
Angel Grove. Tom, she watched you like I do. Aisha even told me you
were dating. Don't deny it now that you're tired of your latest fling."
"Don't deny it? There's nothing for me to deny. Yes, Kat and I dated
*briefly*. The Rangers were pressuring me to move on, and she was a
temporary distraction. And so what if she had a crush on me while you
were around. Do you honestly think I would want someone else when I had
*you*?"
"You ended up together pretty soon after I left."
He throttled her a little, as if attempting to shake sense into her. "I
didn't know what I thinking. I was going out of my mind! You had just
sent me a letter that said I was a brother to you! I don't feel like
your brother, Kim, do you have any idea how it feels to be called that?
Would a brother make you feel like this?" He captured her lips in a
kiss again, and noted with satisfaction that there was less resistance.
"No," she murmured into his mouth after a moment. "Its too late. Its
too late now."
"Late?" he whispered.
"I waited for you to come for weeks. I fell asleep dreaming that you'd
rush to Florida and be mad with me for ever thinking you could love
with Kat, and carry me home. And then the other Rangers called and told
me not to worry because you were moving on. Don't think you broke him,
Kim, he was a little down at first but he's already getting back up." A
sob escaped her, and he kissed her forhead.
"Shh. It's okay, you don't have to cry. Listen to me: they were wrong.
I never got over you. I never stopped loving you."
"But-"
"I love you. As in present tense."
Her brown orbs searched his, deciding how much she could trust him.
And suddenly she threw herself into his embrace, hugging him like a
teddy bear, as though she'd seen so much truth in him it hurt. "I love
you too, Tom." She cried. "I'm sorry I made such a mess of everything
and I'm sorry I overreacted in the alley and-"
"Hey, even Power Rangers can't always be perfect."
She wiped her eyes and smiled back at him. "Just perfect most of the
time?"
"Exactly."
This time she was the one leaning foward to kiss him. And, oh, what a
sweet kiss it was, like eating fresh berries in the middle of a sunny
meadow. Or feeling cool grass between your toes and wind in your hair.
This kiss, this feeling, was bliss.
Tommy broke away in time, practically laughing with joy, and fumbled
desperately for something in his pocket.
This was it, he just knew it. This was the moment he had traveled
across the country for. The box had to be there, it just had to.
This was the one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-life-time moment.
Where was that ring?! He'd put it there, in the pocket...of his other
jacket. He looked up in dissapointment and met Kim's confused eyes.
"Tommy?"
The moment was fading! And the box, the ring...he shoved his hands into
his coat in frustration.
And thats when he felt the soft velvet brushing against his fingers.
The box was in the coat. The brown, leaving town coat. The wrong coat.
Mysterious Matchmaker had struck again, it seemed. Tommy fell to his
knees with a renewed grin, half in prayer, half to complete his plan.
"Kimberly Ann Hart," he gulped. "Will you marry me?
Epilogue
"This is the biggest turkey I have ever seen," remarked Kimberly Ann
Oliver, rubbing her protruding stomach. "And this time I can eat as
much as I want. I am eating for two, you know." The people around her
laughed.
A tiny girl with black pigtails held up and empty plastic cup. "Escuse
me," she asked, in a little voice. "Can...can I have more?"
"I'll get that." Tommy lifted the child to his shoulders and carried
her away, leaving only a trail of fading giggles.
"He's going to be a great father," Said the woman to Kim's left. "As
good, I think, as my Paulo." The woman's husband grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, enough about Tom. Let's move on to more important matters.
Like the gravy." Jason poured a glob of the brown sauce onto a waiting
mashed potato crater. "Whose the culinary genius that made it anyway? I
think I need to marry her."
"Why Jase," Rocky called, batting his eyelashes and placing both hands
on his face in mock flirtation. "I never knew you felt that way. But
Momma always did tell me that her secret recipes would help me catch
the perfect man."
"Hardy har har. How was I supposed to know that of all the pretty girls
helping out here, Rocky would be the one to cook the gravy?"
"Well, actually, us guys outnumber them. So the odds that it would be a
male chef are-"
"Billy, now is not the time for a math lecture." Kat handed him a
biscuit. "Eat this." Obediently, he took a bite and started chewing,
laughter in his eyes. She patted his shoulder.
Kim watched the interaction with interest. "Hey, Trini." She slid to
Tommy's vacant seat and whispered, "Is it just me, or is there
something between those two?"
The bell chimed then, and Trini scampered off to answer it. She
reappeared, moments later, with a couple.
"Everett!" Kat jumped up and ran to embrace the slender young
sandy-haired man. "What are you doing here?" Karen O'neal was the lady
with him; she stood back, wary.
"You're the one from the restaurant," She mumbled.
Everett caught her hand and gave it a squeeze, as if sensing her
apprehension. "I didn't know you knew each other."
"I didn't know either," said Kat
"Well now, we'll have to give you an introduction right and proper, I
suppose. Katherine, this is Karen. She is the love of my otherwise dull
life. Karen love, this is Kat, my dearest cousin from Australia. But,
what *are* you doing here, Kat?"
"I asked you the same thing."
"And I shall explain," called Tommy, walking up, speaking with a fake
accent.
"Tommy!" Karen shook his hand, and handed him the tray of desserts they
had brought. "How is everything?"
"Wonderful. Everyone! This is Karen and Everett. I met her while on my
epic quest in Florida. Invite them in, share the wealth, and whatever
you do, don't let them figure out how crazy we all are."
But Zack was already leading them away, asking questions like "So
you're Australian, but you spent half your life in Michigan, and then
took over the family business in Florida? How exactly does that work?
Are you guys like all over the world..."
Tommy shook his head. "Nevermind." A slim hand reached over his
shoulder and presented him with a glass half full of wine. He kissed
its owner on the cheek before jumping up on a chair and commanding the
guests' attention again.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat as his eyes surveyed the people there.
All of the Rangers he'd fought with were there, and Paulo and his huge
family, and Karen O'neal and her fiance. Life was good.
"A toast. To happiness, future baby Olivers, and...to our mysterious
matchmaker. Whoever you are."
*****************
An older man with blue eyes, graying hair, amd wrinkles around the
edges of his mouth stepped through a silver door frame and was greeted
by a crowd of people, all near the same age as he. They watched his
blank face expectantly, until he opened his mouth to speak.
They all sucked in their breath.
"It worked!" He shouted and a loud cry of joy went up through the room.
The man clapped another guy, this one with blue-black glasses, on the
back. "Well Billy. I'd have to say this little time machine of yours is
just about the greatest thing you've ever created."
Billy blushed. "Thanks Jase."
One of the women laughed in sudden delight. "I can remember!" She
cried. "Its like someone opened up the floodgates..."
Jase nodded. "Yeah..." He looked up grinning. "Yeah! I was their best
man!"
"And you spilled wine all over your own fiance." Someone intoned.
"And I helped deliver a pair of twins." Yet another woman remarked,
shaking her head so that the black strands of her hair swayed. "They
were the spitting image of their parents."
"Hey, were are they anyway?"
Everyone glanced around and, to their amazement, knew the answer.
"Baby-sitting their grandkids." Billy caught the gaze of a blonde. "Our
grandkids," he whispered.
"Someone break open a bottle of champagne! This is cause for
celebration." But someone already had. Glasses, teeming with the
bubbling drink, were passed around while the group laughed and
discussed all the memories they'd never had before.
Jason, their field man, paused for a moment to be taken aback.
Was it possible that so many people were made happy, so many lives
created and memories formed, was it possible all of that had stemmed
from a single love affair? That by taking two lovers who had lived
lonely, miserable lives and giving them a second chance, the friends
had given themselves a new chance as well?
Who could've imagined.
"Wait, wait just a moment," said Aisha. They turned to him. "I am now
entering the very first ever record. Ahem. June 17, 2023. Our first
mission to unite Thomas Oliver and Kimberly Ann Hart has been
successfully completed. Both are happy and well. All of us here have
been flooded with new memories, and yet retained our old ones as well.
Interesting effect. On a side note, we were also triumphant in our
secondary mission, to unite Member Kat's cousin and girlfriend. Because
we have been met with such great reslults, I propose mission two. I
have a neice, prettiest kid in the world, who just can't find the right
guy..." Laughter filled the room, as people began offering solutions,
strategies, and mapping out the plan.
One man leaned over to his friend. "Who says we need super powers to
make the world a better place. I say the Power Rangers are back!"
As they continued talking, no one noticed a new addition to the room: a
row of pictures on the wall. Several were of the group, of their
children, even an old one of Alpha leaning against the control panel of
the HQ.
One stood to the far right. A girl, high school age with brown hair and
pink and white overalls, and a guy with long, curly-ish locks and a
green tank top, stood together in middle of a park. She was leaning
against his chest, contentment shining in her eyes. His expression was
blank, save for the quiet, peaceful smile that bent the upper edges of
his lips as he looked down at the treasure in his arms.
And if anyone had looked it over, they'd have realized there was
scribbling on the back. A lazily written note to a friend in small
letters. It read:
All right, Trini, here's your copy of the
picture. Isn't he adorable? Don't tell the
guys I said this, but I think I'm in love.
Don't laugh, either. We may have just met a
few weeks ago, but mark my words. He's the one.
Cya, Kim
FIN
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