Post by whitetiger on Aug 14, 2009 13:46:31 GMT -5
Title: One Day You Will
Author: Lyndsey
Author's Notes: This story will involve the use of a great deal of song lyrics. In fact, a few songs actually gave me the idea for this story. If you don't like fanfics that involve lots of songs, stop reading.
Note 2: I am setting the story in 2009 and making that the year of the rangers' 10 year reunion. I know that doesn't align with the PR timeline, but I need to do this to make references to the movies, groups, actors that I want to.
Disclaimer: Saban (or is it Disney now) owns the Power Rangers, characters, yada, yada. I have nothing except this story.
Chapter 1: Falling Slowly
“Well this heart of mine
Has been hardened like a stone
It might take some time
To get back what is gone
But I’m movin’ on
And you don’t hold my dreams
Like you did before
Oh, when I would curse your name…hey”
The lyrics to Lady Antebellum’s hit song blasted out of the Audi S5 convertible’s speakers as it shot along PCH, or Highway 1 as the non-Californians called it. As the car sped along the winding highway that hugged California’s coastline, the three occupants inside seemed to be enjoying the fresh air, ocean views, and sunshine California was known for, but underneath it all, tension amongst the friends laid heavy.
“Well I heard the news
That you were back in town
Just passing through
To claim your lost and found”
Long blond hair whipped around her head until Katherine Scott finally gathered it in her right hand and held it in a side ponytail. Her lovely pink lips were pressed together in a tight line as she occasionally glanced at the driver of the car, who was lip syncing along to the lyrics of the song he had put on repeat for a good half an hour. The young woman glanced over her shoulder, raised her sunglasses, and gave her husband a look, showing her concern with a single expression and emotion in her eyes.
Jason Scott helplessly communicated back to his wife that same concern with his eyes before he shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head back on the headrest. His Rayban aviators blocked out the sun’s blinding rays as he began to wonder if he and Katherine had done the right thing in talking Tommy into going to their ten year high school reunion and on the road trip his friends had planned afterwards. Tommy had been adamant about not going to the reunion or on the road trip until Jason had used the one word he knew would trick Tommy into going: Kim. Stating that the only reason his best friend was not going was because of that one particular person had been all the reasoning Dr. Tommy Oliver had needed to relent to attending the reunion and trip.
“But I’m over you
And there ain’t nothing that
You can say or do
To take what you did back”
Kat’s thoughts were echoing Jason’s as she studied the system in Tommy’s car, searching for the button that would take the song off of repeat. At the time, their plan had sounded wonderful. Kim, who was now a famous singer/songwriter, had managed to talk the group she was touring with, Lady Antebellum, into performing a secret show at their high school reunion. Talk of music and their favorite bands over lunch one day had led Rocky to suggest that the gang go on a road trip throughout California, stopping in a different city each night to see a band. It would be their last big hurrah as Rocky had put it, since a few of the couples were beginning to consider having a baby. Seeing this as a last chance for them to spend some time in their late twenties together and childless, Kim had jumped on the idea. She had had everyone email her the names of their favorite bands, and she had left the rest to her assistant, who had drawn one of the band’s names out of a hat for each night of the week they were out, based upon location, to determine who they would be seeing. Kim, in fact, had handled everything: tickets and backstage passes, cars, hotels, food…
It pays to have a friend in the business Kat thought. I just hope having talked Tommy into going doesn’t blow up in our faces. These lyrics…
“You've got nerve to waltz right in
And claim what's mine is yours again
'Cause I’ve been doin' fine without you
Forgettin' all the love we once knew
And girl, I ain't the one that slammed that door
Now you see a change of thinkin'
But I ain't got a heart for breakin' up
So go and pick your bags up off my floor
Oh, 'cause love don't live here anymore”
Every gathering of the group in the past five years had resulted in either Tommy or Kimberly storming off or slyly leaving before anyone knew he or she had left as a result of a snide or sarcastic comment one of them made towards the other. Though the two had supposedly talked about the letter about a year after what happened at Muranthias, they were only at the very least civil with each other whenever the group gathered together for a party or to go out. It didn’t help that all of the Rangers had pretty much partnered up with a fellow teammate either. Many had tried to date civilians, but to have to hide such a huge part of who you were with someone you were trying to connect with had taken a toll on many of them.
Tanya and Adam never tried to date anyone else; the two had eloped during their first year of college. It had been Jason and Kat who had paired up next. After learning first from Tommy and then from Kat that their relationship had turned into a deep friendship rather quickly, Jason had opened up to Kat about the huge crush he had on her and how he had never pursued anything because of his friendship with Tommy over wine one night. Once Tommy had given him the OK, he had poured his heart out to her. That fact alone had put Kat in tears, as she realized she had never asked the same thing from Kim before she started to date Tommy. That and the fact that Kat had revealed her secret crush on Jason, which she had also not pursued because she didn’t want to hurt Tommy anymore at the time, had made the two inseparable. As soon as Kat had finished her training at the Royal Ballet Academy in London, she had moved back to California and married Jason in a small oceanside ceremony.
Next up had been Rocky and Aisha surprisingly. Though the two had been friends practically since birth, neither had expressed feelings for the other. It wasn’t until Aisha had left for Africa that Rocky’s heart began to express its true feelings for her. Counting down the days until she returned, Rocky had gone and asked Aisha’s parents if he could actually be the one to pick her up at the airport. Meeting her with a dozen red roses, Aisha had slapped Rocky across the face, stunning him. She had exclaimed, “It took you this long to figure it out,” before throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss that had left the rest of the airport cheering at the two. Marriage followed a year later.
Billy and Trini had gotten together following his return from Aquitar. In fact, none in the group had actually known that Billy was returning to Earth. He had just teleported to Trini’s apartment in Boston one day, professing his love for her. The stunned expression on Trini’s face had almost sent Billy teleporting off before she could say a word. Instead, she had merely walked over to him and kissed him. No words had needed to be spoken. The two then moved to Pasadena, CA, where Billy did work for NASA and Trini taught foreign policy classes at Cal Poly Pomona.
And last, there was Zack. Zack had followed Kim into the music business, working as a back-up dancer for acts such as Britney Spears and Madonna before moving into behind the scenes work as a producer. Finally finding his calling, he had produced albums for artists ranging from Coldplay to the country band Kim was on tour with, Lady Antebellum. He had never really been involved in a serious relationship, casually dating fellow dancers or artists. His heart just couldn’t deal with keeping such a big part of himself secret from someone he was trying to forge a relationship with. After a chance meeting while visiting Tommy in Reefside, he had actually begun to date Hayley to the shock of all his friends. Zack himself had not understood his friends’ reactions. As he had explained, Hayley was a gorgeous girl who didn’t come with all the baggage that most involved in the music industry did. She already knew their secret, and her brains challenged Zack…something he had not realized he missed until they had been engaged in a deep discussion late one night. Both were taking the relationship slow due to their schedules, but Zack knew deep down that what he had with Hayley was going to blossom into something that would last both their lifetimes.
“Yes,” Kat said out loud as the song moved onto the next one on the CD. She then took it a step further and hit the button for the radio, a Rolling Stones song soon taking the place of what they had been listening to.
“Hey,” Tommy murmured slowly, the song pulling him out of the trance he had been in.
“I just thought it might be nice to listen to the radio for the rest of the drive,” Kat said softly, turning her head to meet Tommy’s gaze. Placing her hand on his right arm, she stated matter of factly, “ We ARE seeing them tonight, you know?”
“Which is even more reason we need to listen to them, to get pumped up,” he stated enthusiastically.
“No man,” Jason said loudly so that he could be heard over the wind. “Concert burnout. Let’s just listen to the radio. We only have twenty minutes left.”
“Whatever,” Tommy stated shaking his head. Changing the topic all of a sudden, he added, “You know, I really wish I had brought Samantha tonight.”
Kat was thankful that her big Chanel sunglasses were dark so that she could roll her eyes undetected behind them. “Tommy, you’ve only been dating the girl for three weeks, and we’re all leaving tomorrow morning for the road trip.”
“She could have come with us…”
“No man,” Jason once again exclaimed vehemently. Tommy glanced up into his rearview mirror to see Jason shaking his head back and forth. “Rangers only.”
“Rangers only,” Tommy repeated softly. Looking up into the rearview mirror, he stated, “If I end up leaving early, don’t hold it against me.”
“Not an option,” Katherine replied, her tone expressing her sentiments. “We already discussed this earlier. You chose to go, and now you’re in for the ride. No bailing if things get uncomfortable.” She turned onto her left side so that she could face Tommy, raising her eyeglasses a bit so she could look into his eyes directly while still holding her hair with her right hand. Looking deep into eyes, she softly commanded, “And you are going to hold your tongue.”
Tommy smirked at his ex-girlfriend, loving how she still knew him so well and hating it at the same time. He started to come up with a witty reply, but instead bit his lip. “Whatever you say, Kat.”
“Damn straight,” she replied, readjusting herself in the seat to face forward and straightening her silk black dress in hopes that it would not wrinkle up too much.
“So you ready for this bro?” Jason leaned forward and shook Tommy’s shoulders with an excited gleam in his eye.
Tommy Oliver smiled and then dropped the expression immediately, smoothing his into something more nonchalant. Trying to hold that face, he replied, “You’re worse than the girls sometimes, Jas.”
“Fuck you, man. I know you’re just as excited to see…what was her name…”
Tommy threw a quick glance to his right to see Kat smirking. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, Jas.”
“Oh shaddup, Tommy. You were always a horrible liar. I know all you boys are excited as hell to see Jessica Mayer and her double D’s. It’s amazing what a Playboy spread will do for your career.”
“How’d you know,” Jason asked, a puzzled expression claiming his face.
Kat turned around to glance at her husband over her shoulder, throwing him a triumphant grin. “You left Rocky’s email up, silly. Sometimes, you just make it too easy…”
“Damn it, Jas. Out of all the boys you break the bro code the most.”
“Fuck you, Oliver, you never upheld the bro code, especially when Kim… ” Jason stated bitterly, crossing his arms in front of him.
“Don’t you dare,” Tommy started to answer back before Kat interrupted the two.
“Hush, both of you. No fighting, remember? This week is all about having a great time. Understand?”
“Yes maam,” both Tommy and Jason answered demurely.
Turning once more to Tommy, Kat took a big breath before asking him, “Please remember to hold your tongue.”
Tommy gave her back the infamous grin that he had learned later on in life could let him have his way with most girls. “I will, Kat.”
“And that smile doesn’t work on me anymore, so don’t bother.”
Jason sighed as they passed the Angel Grove city limits sign. Well, here goes nothing.
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“Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won,” Kimberly Ann Hart sang fiercely as she strummed her guitar harshly, playing along to the CD in the background. Tears freely flowed down her face as she choked out the words to the academy award winning song from the movie Once that managed to get to her every time.
What the fuck was I thinking planning this trip? I cannot deal with being with him for a week straight. It’s going to crush me.
Instantly, Kim’s thoughts drifted back to the last time the group had gathered together at Aisha and Rocky’s house in Santa Barbara for a barbeque. Kim strummed the guitar even harder thinking about the bitter words she had exchanged with Tommy.
“Who’s the guy of the week this week, Kim,” Tommy asked smugly, picking the US weekly off of the dark chocolate wood coffee table.
“Tommy, stop it,” Kim said in an annoyed tone, refusing to meet his gaze and instead staring at the redwood floors in Aisha’s house.
“Let me see,” Tommy continued as he flipped to the page he was seeking in the magazine.
Trini and Billy both rolled their eyes. Kat sat up and started to say something but stopped when Jason laid a hand upon her arm and shook his head. Tanya and Adam both grimaced and squirmed uncomfortably on the loveseat they were seated upon. Aisha lowered her head to her hand, her arm resting upon one end of her couch. Rocky, innocently, went to stand behind the chair Tommy was seated in, eager to see who Kim was dating as well.
“C’mon, c’mon,” Rocky eagerly stated, hopping from one foot to the next.
“Ahh,” Tommy breathed, smiling broadly as he came to the page and settled back into the seat. “Country darling Kimberly Hart was recently spotted out with Chris Pine at Nobu, sharing an intimate dinner. We can now safely assume that she and Adrian Grenier are dunzo.”
“Damn Kim, that’s like…what? Four different guys in the last two months alone,” Rocky exclaimed, but soon wished he hadn’t once he looked into the daggers his wife was shooting him with her eyes.
With a smug and bitter expression, Tommy stared Kim down. “Someone sure gets around quite a bit these days.”
“Fuck you, Tommy,” Kim exclaimed as her head snapped up, unwilling to deal with his snide comments any longer. Swinging her hair over her shoulder, she stood up swiftly, turned on her heel and walked towards the DeSantos’ front door.
“Kim wait,” Aisha pleaded, chasing her friend.
Kim turned to meet her as she pulled a large pair of Dolce & Gabanna glasses that would completely hide her eyes from her black balenciaga purse. “Sha, go have a good time with everyone.”
“Girl, I won’t if you leave.” Stepping close to her friend, she took Kim’s hand in hers. “Please don’t let him get under your skin like that.”
Kim stared down at her hot pink Christian Louboutin heels. Unable to meet her friend’s gaze she answered, “I’m honestly not, Sha. It’s just best if one of us goes. Now go have a good time.”
Aisha sighed, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her True Religion jeans. “Alright Kim, I’m not going to beg. Call me soon, OK?”
“Of course,” she answered, embracing her best friend in a tight hug. Putting her glasses on, she placed her other hand on the doorknob. “I’ll Facebook you when I get to the airport, K?”
“You better.” Aisha threw a glance over her shoulder and saw the rest of the group moving out through the french doors onto the brick patio in her backyard. “I’m sorry, Kim.”
“Stop it. Now go,” Kim said, giving Aisha a push as she opened the front door. “Love ya.”
“Love you too, girl.”
Kim was so focused on her guitar and the song that she didn’t hear the door to her tour bus opening.
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Billy quietly opened the door to Kim’s tour bus, hoping it wouldn’t wake her if she was sleeping. Leaving Trini at her parents’ house, he had decided to come check up on Kim and see how the set-up for the reunion was going before it started.
The reunion was taking place out on the beach behind the Youth Center, which had ironically been sold back to Ernie. A stage had been set up so that the lake was directly behind it. Tables for dinner had been set up to the left of the stage, and a bar had been set up on the small blacktop area behind the Youth Center that allowed trucks to unload all of the food needed to run the place. The whole class had voted for it, opting for a more comfortable setting rather then a stuffy conference room at one of the hotels downtown. Their class in particular had been frequent customers of Ernie’s juice bar, and now that it was back in his hands they could not pass up the opportunity to hold their reunion there.
Singing graced Billy’s ears as he slowly climbed the steps of the tour bus, and he wondered if it was a new song Kim was rehearsing. “Kim,” he called out softly.
“Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along”
Beautiful Billy thought as he turned to walk down the short hallway, stopping suddenly when he saw Kim sitting on the edge of the double bed at the end of the hallway. Kim’s beautiful face was red at this point, her eyes puffy. As she played the last few chords, she was strumming so hard that she actually ended up breaking a string. Abruptly, her playing stopped.
Billy heard her mutter, “Fuck,” as she glanced down at the string she had just broken. It broke his heart to see his dear friend so down, and yet it wasn’t the first time he had stumbled upon her like this. Somehow, Billy always ended up being the one discovering Kim crying before a show or at her house. He never quite knew what to say, but thankfully he never needed to. Somehow his presence always seemed to calm her; something he was grateful for. He just wished he knew what it was that caused Kim to break down like this. She was one of the strongest women he knew, but whenever he found her like this she was such a weak representation of her true self.
As he passed the bunks that served as the sleeping quarters for her band members, he realized the CD Kim had been singing along to had stopped. “Kim,” he again called out softly as he stopped to stand in the doorway of her room on the road.
“Shit,” Kimberly exclaimed as her eyes met Billy’s, dropping her guitar in the process. She raised a hand to her chest, letting out a small sigh. “I didn’t even hear you, Billy.” Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she forced a big grin onto her face.
It hurt Billy to see the phony smile that Kim had plastered on her face for him. Every single time…
Kim stood and stepped over her guitar to envelope her longtime friend in a close hug. “How are you? Where’s Trini?”
“I’m great. Trini is still getting ready at her parents’ house,” Billy answered as he hugged her tightly, hoping to somehow push away whatever it was that was causing Kim to shed so many tears. Stepping back, he looked down at the friend he had known since he was five with a smile. Despite being red in the face, she was still stunning. Her loose-fitting boyfriend jeans had been rolled up to mid-calf. The white tanktop she had on hugged the curves which had driven many of their high school friends, and now her male fans, wild. And her long brown hair, which now hung past her breasts and was as wavy as Kate Hudson’s due to the latest perm technique from Japan, hung freely around her face. Billy’s close scrutiny soon left Kim squirming uncomfortably, and she looked down at the black toenail polish on her toes. Sinking down onto the edge of her bed again, she gave Billy a small smile. “I’m a mess, huh?”
Billy quickly shook his head, mentally kicking himself for spending such a long time trying to analyze Kim’s face.
Kim raised her eyebrows and gave him her best “yeah right” face before leaning over the bed to grab a compact from her purse that was on the floor. “Oh god, I’m all splotchy.”
“Kim,” Billy tentatively started, unsure of whether or not he should even try to discuss her current state with her. “Are you OK?”
Kim glanced up from her compact to give her friend an endearing smile. “Of course I am, Billy. You know how emotional I get. This darn song just makes me cry every time I listen to it,” she explained as she turned her face left and right to study her puffed up eyes in the mirror. “Do you think some cucumbers over the eyes will get rid of this puffiness before showtime?”
Billy let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he sat down next to her. Whatever was troubling her she was certainly not going to discuss with him. “It’s only three, Kim. You aren’t scheduled to go onstage until seven. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know, Billy,” Kim said softly, placing a hand on his left knee. “It could get ugly if I don’t look my best before I go onstage. Don’t you have some do-hicky that can fix this,” she asked while pointing a finger at her tear-stained face.
Billy actually allowed himself to laugh a bit more loudly at Kim’s question this time. She’ll never let anyone else carry whatever burden she’s dealing with. Damn her spirit sometimes! Placing a hand over the one she had laid on his knee. “No, I don’t. But wait until you hear about the invention I am working on. It’ll blow your mind.”
Seeing Kim’s face light up relieved him. “Really,” she asked turning on the bed to face him. She clapped her hands together excitedly and leaned forward. Raising her eyebrows, she exclaimed, “Tell me now!”
“Well…”
“Hey Kim! Hey… Billy, right,” Hillary Scott asked as she leaned up against the doorframe to Kim’s room. Taking a tentative look at her tourmate, she asked gently, “Kim, are you OK?”
Ever the actress when need be, Kim let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m fine, Hil. I was just listening to a song and got all emotional.”
Hil smiled and clicked her tongue. “Gotcha. Hey, I didn’t mean to bother you, but you know the owner of this place right?”
“Yeah, Ernie. Why,” Billy asked with an inquisitive expression.
“Well, I wanted to take a shower, and I could use the one on the bus but I remembered you said that this was also a workout place…”
“And you’d rather shower in the larger one in the Youth Center. It should be no problem,” Kim replied.
Hillary leaned in and raised her eyebrows, “No one would be in there, right? It’d be all I’d need to have some crazy fan snap a picture and Tweet it out to the world.”
“Ernie shut the place down for the day for the class reunion,” Billy answered with a smile.
Hillary breathed out a sigh of relief. “Great. Can one of you come ask him for me? I don’t want to impose.”
“Sure, I’ll join you. The bus shower makes me claustrophobic anyway. Just let me gather…”
“Kim, I’ll take Hillary down. Why don’t you get your stuff together and meet her.”
Kim looked up and gave Billy a smile. Gratefully, she answered, “Thanks, Billy.” Turning to Hillary, she stated, “I’ll meet you in a second.”
“Sounds good,” Hillary replied as she and Billy started walking down the hallway towards the front of the bus. Kim could hear her telling Billy as they left, “I swear, Billy. I have never sweat more than when I am on a tour bus. Road grime is just the absolute worst….”
Kim’s eyes wandered aimlessly around her little room on the bus as she tried to focus her thoughts. Moving over to a tiny closet she grabbed the tight red t-shirt, worn leather belt, and J Brand dark denim pair of skinny jeans she’d be wearing for her performance. Please let me get through this Kim thought as she added her toiletry bag to the things she was carrying and started to head down the hallway. I hope I can pull this off…
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Song Notes:
"Love Don't Live Here"- Lady Antebellum
"Falling Slowly"= Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Author: Lyndsey
Author's Notes: This story will involve the use of a great deal of song lyrics. In fact, a few songs actually gave me the idea for this story. If you don't like fanfics that involve lots of songs, stop reading.
Note 2: I am setting the story in 2009 and making that the year of the rangers' 10 year reunion. I know that doesn't align with the PR timeline, but I need to do this to make references to the movies, groups, actors that I want to.
Disclaimer: Saban (or is it Disney now) owns the Power Rangers, characters, yada, yada. I have nothing except this story.
Chapter 1: Falling Slowly
“Well this heart of mine
Has been hardened like a stone
It might take some time
To get back what is gone
But I’m movin’ on
And you don’t hold my dreams
Like you did before
Oh, when I would curse your name…hey”
The lyrics to Lady Antebellum’s hit song blasted out of the Audi S5 convertible’s speakers as it shot along PCH, or Highway 1 as the non-Californians called it. As the car sped along the winding highway that hugged California’s coastline, the three occupants inside seemed to be enjoying the fresh air, ocean views, and sunshine California was known for, but underneath it all, tension amongst the friends laid heavy.
“Well I heard the news
That you were back in town
Just passing through
To claim your lost and found”
Long blond hair whipped around her head until Katherine Scott finally gathered it in her right hand and held it in a side ponytail. Her lovely pink lips were pressed together in a tight line as she occasionally glanced at the driver of the car, who was lip syncing along to the lyrics of the song he had put on repeat for a good half an hour. The young woman glanced over her shoulder, raised her sunglasses, and gave her husband a look, showing her concern with a single expression and emotion in her eyes.
Jason Scott helplessly communicated back to his wife that same concern with his eyes before he shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head back on the headrest. His Rayban aviators blocked out the sun’s blinding rays as he began to wonder if he and Katherine had done the right thing in talking Tommy into going to their ten year high school reunion and on the road trip his friends had planned afterwards. Tommy had been adamant about not going to the reunion or on the road trip until Jason had used the one word he knew would trick Tommy into going: Kim. Stating that the only reason his best friend was not going was because of that one particular person had been all the reasoning Dr. Tommy Oliver had needed to relent to attending the reunion and trip.
“But I’m over you
And there ain’t nothing that
You can say or do
To take what you did back”
Kat’s thoughts were echoing Jason’s as she studied the system in Tommy’s car, searching for the button that would take the song off of repeat. At the time, their plan had sounded wonderful. Kim, who was now a famous singer/songwriter, had managed to talk the group she was touring with, Lady Antebellum, into performing a secret show at their high school reunion. Talk of music and their favorite bands over lunch one day had led Rocky to suggest that the gang go on a road trip throughout California, stopping in a different city each night to see a band. It would be their last big hurrah as Rocky had put it, since a few of the couples were beginning to consider having a baby. Seeing this as a last chance for them to spend some time in their late twenties together and childless, Kim had jumped on the idea. She had had everyone email her the names of their favorite bands, and she had left the rest to her assistant, who had drawn one of the band’s names out of a hat for each night of the week they were out, based upon location, to determine who they would be seeing. Kim, in fact, had handled everything: tickets and backstage passes, cars, hotels, food…
It pays to have a friend in the business Kat thought. I just hope having talked Tommy into going doesn’t blow up in our faces. These lyrics…
“You've got nerve to waltz right in
And claim what's mine is yours again
'Cause I’ve been doin' fine without you
Forgettin' all the love we once knew
And girl, I ain't the one that slammed that door
Now you see a change of thinkin'
But I ain't got a heart for breakin' up
So go and pick your bags up off my floor
Oh, 'cause love don't live here anymore”
Every gathering of the group in the past five years had resulted in either Tommy or Kimberly storming off or slyly leaving before anyone knew he or she had left as a result of a snide or sarcastic comment one of them made towards the other. Though the two had supposedly talked about the letter about a year after what happened at Muranthias, they were only at the very least civil with each other whenever the group gathered together for a party or to go out. It didn’t help that all of the Rangers had pretty much partnered up with a fellow teammate either. Many had tried to date civilians, but to have to hide such a huge part of who you were with someone you were trying to connect with had taken a toll on many of them.
Tanya and Adam never tried to date anyone else; the two had eloped during their first year of college. It had been Jason and Kat who had paired up next. After learning first from Tommy and then from Kat that their relationship had turned into a deep friendship rather quickly, Jason had opened up to Kat about the huge crush he had on her and how he had never pursued anything because of his friendship with Tommy over wine one night. Once Tommy had given him the OK, he had poured his heart out to her. That fact alone had put Kat in tears, as she realized she had never asked the same thing from Kim before she started to date Tommy. That and the fact that Kat had revealed her secret crush on Jason, which she had also not pursued because she didn’t want to hurt Tommy anymore at the time, had made the two inseparable. As soon as Kat had finished her training at the Royal Ballet Academy in London, she had moved back to California and married Jason in a small oceanside ceremony.
Next up had been Rocky and Aisha surprisingly. Though the two had been friends practically since birth, neither had expressed feelings for the other. It wasn’t until Aisha had left for Africa that Rocky’s heart began to express its true feelings for her. Counting down the days until she returned, Rocky had gone and asked Aisha’s parents if he could actually be the one to pick her up at the airport. Meeting her with a dozen red roses, Aisha had slapped Rocky across the face, stunning him. She had exclaimed, “It took you this long to figure it out,” before throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss that had left the rest of the airport cheering at the two. Marriage followed a year later.
Billy and Trini had gotten together following his return from Aquitar. In fact, none in the group had actually known that Billy was returning to Earth. He had just teleported to Trini’s apartment in Boston one day, professing his love for her. The stunned expression on Trini’s face had almost sent Billy teleporting off before she could say a word. Instead, she had merely walked over to him and kissed him. No words had needed to be spoken. The two then moved to Pasadena, CA, where Billy did work for NASA and Trini taught foreign policy classes at Cal Poly Pomona.
And last, there was Zack. Zack had followed Kim into the music business, working as a back-up dancer for acts such as Britney Spears and Madonna before moving into behind the scenes work as a producer. Finally finding his calling, he had produced albums for artists ranging from Coldplay to the country band Kim was on tour with, Lady Antebellum. He had never really been involved in a serious relationship, casually dating fellow dancers or artists. His heart just couldn’t deal with keeping such a big part of himself secret from someone he was trying to forge a relationship with. After a chance meeting while visiting Tommy in Reefside, he had actually begun to date Hayley to the shock of all his friends. Zack himself had not understood his friends’ reactions. As he had explained, Hayley was a gorgeous girl who didn’t come with all the baggage that most involved in the music industry did. She already knew their secret, and her brains challenged Zack…something he had not realized he missed until they had been engaged in a deep discussion late one night. Both were taking the relationship slow due to their schedules, but Zack knew deep down that what he had with Hayley was going to blossom into something that would last both their lifetimes.
“Yes,” Kat said out loud as the song moved onto the next one on the CD. She then took it a step further and hit the button for the radio, a Rolling Stones song soon taking the place of what they had been listening to.
“Hey,” Tommy murmured slowly, the song pulling him out of the trance he had been in.
“I just thought it might be nice to listen to the radio for the rest of the drive,” Kat said softly, turning her head to meet Tommy’s gaze. Placing her hand on his right arm, she stated matter of factly, “ We ARE seeing them tonight, you know?”
“Which is even more reason we need to listen to them, to get pumped up,” he stated enthusiastically.
“No man,” Jason said loudly so that he could be heard over the wind. “Concert burnout. Let’s just listen to the radio. We only have twenty minutes left.”
“Whatever,” Tommy stated shaking his head. Changing the topic all of a sudden, he added, “You know, I really wish I had brought Samantha tonight.”
Kat was thankful that her big Chanel sunglasses were dark so that she could roll her eyes undetected behind them. “Tommy, you’ve only been dating the girl for three weeks, and we’re all leaving tomorrow morning for the road trip.”
“She could have come with us…”
“No man,” Jason once again exclaimed vehemently. Tommy glanced up into his rearview mirror to see Jason shaking his head back and forth. “Rangers only.”
“Rangers only,” Tommy repeated softly. Looking up into the rearview mirror, he stated, “If I end up leaving early, don’t hold it against me.”
“Not an option,” Katherine replied, her tone expressing her sentiments. “We already discussed this earlier. You chose to go, and now you’re in for the ride. No bailing if things get uncomfortable.” She turned onto her left side so that she could face Tommy, raising her eyeglasses a bit so she could look into his eyes directly while still holding her hair with her right hand. Looking deep into eyes, she softly commanded, “And you are going to hold your tongue.”
Tommy smirked at his ex-girlfriend, loving how she still knew him so well and hating it at the same time. He started to come up with a witty reply, but instead bit his lip. “Whatever you say, Kat.”
“Damn straight,” she replied, readjusting herself in the seat to face forward and straightening her silk black dress in hopes that it would not wrinkle up too much.
“So you ready for this bro?” Jason leaned forward and shook Tommy’s shoulders with an excited gleam in his eye.
Tommy Oliver smiled and then dropped the expression immediately, smoothing his into something more nonchalant. Trying to hold that face, he replied, “You’re worse than the girls sometimes, Jas.”
“Fuck you, man. I know you’re just as excited to see…what was her name…”
Tommy threw a quick glance to his right to see Kat smirking. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, Jas.”
“Oh shaddup, Tommy. You were always a horrible liar. I know all you boys are excited as hell to see Jessica Mayer and her double D’s. It’s amazing what a Playboy spread will do for your career.”
“How’d you know,” Jason asked, a puzzled expression claiming his face.
Kat turned around to glance at her husband over her shoulder, throwing him a triumphant grin. “You left Rocky’s email up, silly. Sometimes, you just make it too easy…”
“Damn it, Jas. Out of all the boys you break the bro code the most.”
“Fuck you, Oliver, you never upheld the bro code, especially when Kim… ” Jason stated bitterly, crossing his arms in front of him.
“Don’t you dare,” Tommy started to answer back before Kat interrupted the two.
“Hush, both of you. No fighting, remember? This week is all about having a great time. Understand?”
“Yes maam,” both Tommy and Jason answered demurely.
Turning once more to Tommy, Kat took a big breath before asking him, “Please remember to hold your tongue.”
Tommy gave her back the infamous grin that he had learned later on in life could let him have his way with most girls. “I will, Kat.”
“And that smile doesn’t work on me anymore, so don’t bother.”
Jason sighed as they passed the Angel Grove city limits sign. Well, here goes nothing.
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“Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won,” Kimberly Ann Hart sang fiercely as she strummed her guitar harshly, playing along to the CD in the background. Tears freely flowed down her face as she choked out the words to the academy award winning song from the movie Once that managed to get to her every time.
What the fuck was I thinking planning this trip? I cannot deal with being with him for a week straight. It’s going to crush me.
Instantly, Kim’s thoughts drifted back to the last time the group had gathered together at Aisha and Rocky’s house in Santa Barbara for a barbeque. Kim strummed the guitar even harder thinking about the bitter words she had exchanged with Tommy.
“Who’s the guy of the week this week, Kim,” Tommy asked smugly, picking the US weekly off of the dark chocolate wood coffee table.
“Tommy, stop it,” Kim said in an annoyed tone, refusing to meet his gaze and instead staring at the redwood floors in Aisha’s house.
“Let me see,” Tommy continued as he flipped to the page he was seeking in the magazine.
Trini and Billy both rolled their eyes. Kat sat up and started to say something but stopped when Jason laid a hand upon her arm and shook his head. Tanya and Adam both grimaced and squirmed uncomfortably on the loveseat they were seated upon. Aisha lowered her head to her hand, her arm resting upon one end of her couch. Rocky, innocently, went to stand behind the chair Tommy was seated in, eager to see who Kim was dating as well.
“C’mon, c’mon,” Rocky eagerly stated, hopping from one foot to the next.
“Ahh,” Tommy breathed, smiling broadly as he came to the page and settled back into the seat. “Country darling Kimberly Hart was recently spotted out with Chris Pine at Nobu, sharing an intimate dinner. We can now safely assume that she and Adrian Grenier are dunzo.”
“Damn Kim, that’s like…what? Four different guys in the last two months alone,” Rocky exclaimed, but soon wished he hadn’t once he looked into the daggers his wife was shooting him with her eyes.
With a smug and bitter expression, Tommy stared Kim down. “Someone sure gets around quite a bit these days.”
“Fuck you, Tommy,” Kim exclaimed as her head snapped up, unwilling to deal with his snide comments any longer. Swinging her hair over her shoulder, she stood up swiftly, turned on her heel and walked towards the DeSantos’ front door.
“Kim wait,” Aisha pleaded, chasing her friend.
Kim turned to meet her as she pulled a large pair of Dolce & Gabanna glasses that would completely hide her eyes from her black balenciaga purse. “Sha, go have a good time with everyone.”
“Girl, I won’t if you leave.” Stepping close to her friend, she took Kim’s hand in hers. “Please don’t let him get under your skin like that.”
Kim stared down at her hot pink Christian Louboutin heels. Unable to meet her friend’s gaze she answered, “I’m honestly not, Sha. It’s just best if one of us goes. Now go have a good time.”
Aisha sighed, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her True Religion jeans. “Alright Kim, I’m not going to beg. Call me soon, OK?”
“Of course,” she answered, embracing her best friend in a tight hug. Putting her glasses on, she placed her other hand on the doorknob. “I’ll Facebook you when I get to the airport, K?”
“You better.” Aisha threw a glance over her shoulder and saw the rest of the group moving out through the french doors onto the brick patio in her backyard. “I’m sorry, Kim.”
“Stop it. Now go,” Kim said, giving Aisha a push as she opened the front door. “Love ya.”
“Love you too, girl.”
Kim was so focused on her guitar and the song that she didn’t hear the door to her tour bus opening.
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Billy quietly opened the door to Kim’s tour bus, hoping it wouldn’t wake her if she was sleeping. Leaving Trini at her parents’ house, he had decided to come check up on Kim and see how the set-up for the reunion was going before it started.
The reunion was taking place out on the beach behind the Youth Center, which had ironically been sold back to Ernie. A stage had been set up so that the lake was directly behind it. Tables for dinner had been set up to the left of the stage, and a bar had been set up on the small blacktop area behind the Youth Center that allowed trucks to unload all of the food needed to run the place. The whole class had voted for it, opting for a more comfortable setting rather then a stuffy conference room at one of the hotels downtown. Their class in particular had been frequent customers of Ernie’s juice bar, and now that it was back in his hands they could not pass up the opportunity to hold their reunion there.
Singing graced Billy’s ears as he slowly climbed the steps of the tour bus, and he wondered if it was a new song Kim was rehearsing. “Kim,” he called out softly.
“Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along”
Beautiful Billy thought as he turned to walk down the short hallway, stopping suddenly when he saw Kim sitting on the edge of the double bed at the end of the hallway. Kim’s beautiful face was red at this point, her eyes puffy. As she played the last few chords, she was strumming so hard that she actually ended up breaking a string. Abruptly, her playing stopped.
Billy heard her mutter, “Fuck,” as she glanced down at the string she had just broken. It broke his heart to see his dear friend so down, and yet it wasn’t the first time he had stumbled upon her like this. Somehow, Billy always ended up being the one discovering Kim crying before a show or at her house. He never quite knew what to say, but thankfully he never needed to. Somehow his presence always seemed to calm her; something he was grateful for. He just wished he knew what it was that caused Kim to break down like this. She was one of the strongest women he knew, but whenever he found her like this she was such a weak representation of her true self.
As he passed the bunks that served as the sleeping quarters for her band members, he realized the CD Kim had been singing along to had stopped. “Kim,” he again called out softly as he stopped to stand in the doorway of her room on the road.
“Shit,” Kimberly exclaimed as her eyes met Billy’s, dropping her guitar in the process. She raised a hand to her chest, letting out a small sigh. “I didn’t even hear you, Billy.” Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she forced a big grin onto her face.
It hurt Billy to see the phony smile that Kim had plastered on her face for him. Every single time…
Kim stood and stepped over her guitar to envelope her longtime friend in a close hug. “How are you? Where’s Trini?”
“I’m great. Trini is still getting ready at her parents’ house,” Billy answered as he hugged her tightly, hoping to somehow push away whatever it was that was causing Kim to shed so many tears. Stepping back, he looked down at the friend he had known since he was five with a smile. Despite being red in the face, she was still stunning. Her loose-fitting boyfriend jeans had been rolled up to mid-calf. The white tanktop she had on hugged the curves which had driven many of their high school friends, and now her male fans, wild. And her long brown hair, which now hung past her breasts and was as wavy as Kate Hudson’s due to the latest perm technique from Japan, hung freely around her face. Billy’s close scrutiny soon left Kim squirming uncomfortably, and she looked down at the black toenail polish on her toes. Sinking down onto the edge of her bed again, she gave Billy a small smile. “I’m a mess, huh?”
Billy quickly shook his head, mentally kicking himself for spending such a long time trying to analyze Kim’s face.
Kim raised her eyebrows and gave him her best “yeah right” face before leaning over the bed to grab a compact from her purse that was on the floor. “Oh god, I’m all splotchy.”
“Kim,” Billy tentatively started, unsure of whether or not he should even try to discuss her current state with her. “Are you OK?”
Kim glanced up from her compact to give her friend an endearing smile. “Of course I am, Billy. You know how emotional I get. This darn song just makes me cry every time I listen to it,” she explained as she turned her face left and right to study her puffed up eyes in the mirror. “Do you think some cucumbers over the eyes will get rid of this puffiness before showtime?”
Billy let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he sat down next to her. Whatever was troubling her she was certainly not going to discuss with him. “It’s only three, Kim. You aren’t scheduled to go onstage until seven. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know, Billy,” Kim said softly, placing a hand on his left knee. “It could get ugly if I don’t look my best before I go onstage. Don’t you have some do-hicky that can fix this,” she asked while pointing a finger at her tear-stained face.
Billy actually allowed himself to laugh a bit more loudly at Kim’s question this time. She’ll never let anyone else carry whatever burden she’s dealing with. Damn her spirit sometimes! Placing a hand over the one she had laid on his knee. “No, I don’t. But wait until you hear about the invention I am working on. It’ll blow your mind.”
Seeing Kim’s face light up relieved him. “Really,” she asked turning on the bed to face him. She clapped her hands together excitedly and leaned forward. Raising her eyebrows, she exclaimed, “Tell me now!”
“Well…”
“Hey Kim! Hey… Billy, right,” Hillary Scott asked as she leaned up against the doorframe to Kim’s room. Taking a tentative look at her tourmate, she asked gently, “Kim, are you OK?”
Ever the actress when need be, Kim let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m fine, Hil. I was just listening to a song and got all emotional.”
Hil smiled and clicked her tongue. “Gotcha. Hey, I didn’t mean to bother you, but you know the owner of this place right?”
“Yeah, Ernie. Why,” Billy asked with an inquisitive expression.
“Well, I wanted to take a shower, and I could use the one on the bus but I remembered you said that this was also a workout place…”
“And you’d rather shower in the larger one in the Youth Center. It should be no problem,” Kim replied.
Hillary leaned in and raised her eyebrows, “No one would be in there, right? It’d be all I’d need to have some crazy fan snap a picture and Tweet it out to the world.”
“Ernie shut the place down for the day for the class reunion,” Billy answered with a smile.
Hillary breathed out a sigh of relief. “Great. Can one of you come ask him for me? I don’t want to impose.”
“Sure, I’ll join you. The bus shower makes me claustrophobic anyway. Just let me gather…”
“Kim, I’ll take Hillary down. Why don’t you get your stuff together and meet her.”
Kim looked up and gave Billy a smile. Gratefully, she answered, “Thanks, Billy.” Turning to Hillary, she stated, “I’ll meet you in a second.”
“Sounds good,” Hillary replied as she and Billy started walking down the hallway towards the front of the bus. Kim could hear her telling Billy as they left, “I swear, Billy. I have never sweat more than when I am on a tour bus. Road grime is just the absolute worst….”
Kim’s eyes wandered aimlessly around her little room on the bus as she tried to focus her thoughts. Moving over to a tiny closet she grabbed the tight red t-shirt, worn leather belt, and J Brand dark denim pair of skinny jeans she’d be wearing for her performance. Please let me get through this Kim thought as she added her toiletry bag to the things she was carrying and started to head down the hallway. I hope I can pull this off…
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Song Notes:
"Love Don't Live Here"- Lady Antebellum
"Falling Slowly"= Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova