When She Was Bad
Part III: The Power to Change
by MegaSilver

"Ba-abe!" Divatox laughed as she stepped off her SubCraft.

"My roommate!" Rita laughed. "I haven't seen you since the college reunion!"

"Oh, yes. What a party," Divatox snickered. She inhaled deeply. "Ahh... I can almost smell the riches of the Earth from here! When we conquer it, I think I'll melt all the precious metals out of the ground and use them to buy up Aquitar. What do you think?"

"I think not!" Zedd marched into the docking room. "First, we'll milk its radioactive core for all the energy it's worth. Then, we'll drill into the exact center, and tap the Morphing Grid's most powerful point of access in the universe!" He laughed out loud. "Sweet power... all MINE!"

"Oh, YEAH?" Divatox snorted. "And what about ME?"

"Don't listen to him, Di!" Rita rolled her eyes. "You'll get the treasures. Besides, when we have the Morphing Grid's full power, we can take down Aquitar no sweat! No need for gold!"

"I still want the gold."

"Whatever. Come on, let's go talk out our plans over lunch!"

Kimberly entered her house on Wednesday night to hear her father arguing with her mother over the phone.

"Well, you’d better give me an explanation, because I want to know what happened to my daughter!" he shouted. "Perhaps you ditching her? No, you know what? I don’t give a damn if you thought it was ‘best.’ Yeah, sure, and if it was so important for her to finish school here, why didn’t you at least leave her with me instead of with some family I hardly knew? Well, I don’t care how well you knew them! No, I’m not implying anything. You’ve gone out of your way to keep me away from her for too long, and guess what? This time, you lost!"

As he spat these harsh words, Kimberly stole away into the bathroom to wash up. The hell do you think you are? Quit dragging me into this! You got divorced and you still can't get along! As the water ran from the faucet, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, crying silently. She brushed away her tears, dried her hands, and tried to regain a presentable composure as she walked to the dining nook.

"Oh, hi," Mr. Hart said as he hung up the phone. "I—didn’t know you were home."

"Well, I am."

"You—didn’t—hear any of that, did you?"

Kimberly removed the pink scrunchie from her hair. "No," she lied. How could you say that about my friends? "Why?"

"I was just having a pretty heated debate. Nasty business. Why are you so late?"

"I work out after school."

"Okay," sighed Mr. Hart. "Well, I threw a lasagna in the oven; it should be ready pretty soon. You hungry?"

Kimberly shook her head. "I had a sandwich at the Youth Center." She rose. "I’m—going upstairs."

As she entered her bedroom, Kimberly took note of the diamond pendant in her opened jewelry case—the gift Tommy had given her at the airport before she left. "For encouragement," he had smiled.

She fingered the necklace for a moment, then burst into tears. How could I? How could I have thought it would have helped to do that? Holding tightly to the necklace, she fell onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.

"Katherine, are you certain that this is what you’d like to do?" inquired Zordon.

"Yes, I am," said Katherine. "There is no other choice."

"You understand that giving her powers may not help her?"

Katherine took a deep breath. "I do. But even being on the team may help her."

"How’s that?" asked Justin.

"I just—don’t think she’s aware that she needs help. She’s been trying to do this on her own, and it’s obviously not working. If we get her back on this team, that might cause her to seek the help she needs."

"But what if it doesn't? Or if you go through everything she went through?"

"It is not likely that we will have to worry about that," stated Zordon. "The Turbo powers are not mystically bonded to you like the Ninja Powers were, and Katherine is giving them up willingly."

The next day after school, Tommy entered the Youth Center and cautiously approached the punching bag, which was being hopelessly mauled by powerful blows from a once lighthearted young woman.

"Kim?"

Kimberly stabilized the punching bad and turned around. "Hi."

"Can I talk to you?"

Kimberly shrugged. "Sure, I guess." She threw down her gloves and took her hair down. "What’s up?"

"Umm… do you want to… sit down first?"

"Okay." Kimberly accompanied Tommy to the Rangers’ favorite table.

"Look, Kim, ever since you’ve gotten back, I’ve noticed—"

"Here we go again." Kimberly rolled her eyes.

"Kim, I’m serious. We’re all concerned about you. I’m concerned about you."

Kimberly returned her glance back to Tommy. "You are?"

Slowly, Tommy nodded. "I don’t understand everything that’s happened," he said. "It hurts sometimes to think about it, but I know that it couldn’t have been—"

"The letter, right?" Kimberly interrupted. "Look, I… I wish I could undo what I did. I hurt you, and in the end, I caused myself a lot of pain. I just thought… I didn’t feel right, and something made me think that I could help myself by destroying my old life. But that wasn’t the answer. And then I realize, just a moment to late, that I’m still in love with you." She covered her mouth. "Oh, no." She swallowed hard. "It’s too late to take that back… isn’t it?" She stood up. "I’m sorry; I’m… just going to ruin things now. I’d better go."

"No, wait, Kim," Tommy protested. "What’s wrong? What made you feel this way?"

Kimberly seated herself again. "I—I don’t know. It’s just like, after I left—well, a little before, actually—I just felt this void. It threw me into this sick depression, and… I couldn’t deal with it. I had to be strong. I had a huge competition coming up." She started to cry.

"I know what you mean," he said gently. "I felt a lot like that when I lost my Green Ranger Powers. I don't know what I would have done if you guys hadn't been there for me. I couldn't have made it on my own."

Kimberly blew her nose. "But you guys weren't there for me. I tried coming home, and—that hasn't helped either."

"Maybe—coming home wasn’t enough. Maybe you need to be with us again."

"But how can I? After everything that’s happened, I just don’t—"

"Come with me." Tommy led her out of the Youth Center.

"What are we doing here?" asked Kimberly when she saw that they were in the Power Chamber.

"I’ll let Katherine explain," said Tommy. He teleported away.

Katherine stepped in front of Kimberly. "This isn’t easy for me," she told Kimberly. "But you need this more than I do." She spun her wrist and drew forth her Turbo Morpher and key. "A long time ago, you gave me your powers to save my life. I’ve kept them for you since then, and now I want you to have them back."

Kimberly almost took the objects before her. Then, suddenly, she drew back. "I can’t let you do that."

"Yes, you can."

"No." Kimberly looked Katherine in the eye. "I hurt Tommy—and probably the team along with him. I could never come back."

"Maybe you don’t think so. But this can help you heal." Katherine set the Morpher and key aside for a moment. "Kim, remember what you went through before you left. We can only imagine what that must have done to you. And you never had time to recover. This could help you, Kimberly." She took the Morpher and key once more. "These are yours, Kimberly. Take them."

Kimberly slowly reached out and touched the objects, then gripped them, then lifted them up. "How do I use them?"

"Put the key in the ignition slot," instructed Katherine.

Kimberly followed her friend’s instructions and felt a wave of energy rush through her body. When it cleared, she was clothed in the attire of the Pink Turbo Ranger. She removed her helmet. "Thank you, Katherine," she whispered. She pulled her friend into a hug.

"There’s something else you need to know," Katherine told her.

"What’s that?" Kimberly drew apart from Katherine.

"Tommy’s—still in love with you. He couldn’t see it until I told him."

"You—"

"I did. I guess he hasn’t said anything, but he is."

Meanwhile, Adam, Tanya, and Justin sipped smoothies at their table as Tommy and Jason sparred on the nearby mats.

"So, what do you suppose happened to Divatox?" Justin wondered out loud.

Adam shrugged. "Don’t know. I guess she went back to her own world."

They were silent for a few minutes. Then Tanya shot up from her chair. "Maybe not."

Divatox and Rygog stood in the doorway of the Youth Center, surrounded by a flock of Tengas and a mob of Piranhatrons. Patrons screamed and fled as she laughed at their terror.

"Whoa!" Ernie dropped the tray of pizza he was carrying. "What the hell?"

"Everyone out!" ordered Tommy. "We’ll clear this up."

"But—"

"GO!"

Divatox snickered as the Youth Center was evacuated. "Excellent," she hissed. She point her staff forward. "Attack! Take only the Rangers!

The Power Chamber’s emergency alarm began to sound. "Kimberly, we have an emergency at the Youth Center," announced Zordon. "Your friends have fallen under heavy attack with no room to Morph."

"I’ll get there right away," said Kimberly. "Make sure Katherine gets home safely, Alpha. Back into action!" She activated her communicator and entered the code to teleport out. Nothing happened.

"Aiyiyiyiyi!" screamed Alpha. "A magnetic energy rupture is blocking our teleportation abilities. You’ll have to get there by Zord!"

Without a word, Kimberly took off from the Power Chamber.

Tommy sailed through the air and landed on the weight set. When he recoiled back to knock away the responsible Tenga, a Piranhatron ripped a metal bar from the set and beat him unconscious.

"Tommy!" exclaimed Jason. He tried to reach his friend, but to no avail. Not a moment later, he too was knocked out by a blow to the head.

"Stash him!" ordered Divatox. "That one’s of no use to us."

Kimberly maneuvered the unfamiliar Zord through the streets of Angel Grove, racing through street lights and stop signs, trying to avoid hitting anyone else. The Wind Chaser didn't drive quite like a normal car, and, beyond taking periodic control of the Ninja MegaZord, she'd never piloted a ground Zord before. Dear God, please don’t let it be too late, she prayed.

After an intense battle, swarms of Tengas had Tanya, Adam, and Justin in their fierce clutches.

Divatox approached Justin and tenderly massaged his neck. She flashed a crystal pendant in front of him. "Look into the crystal," she whispered. "Be one with it. Be in it." As Justin fell under the crystal’s hypnotic spell, Divatox raised her claw-like nails and slashed his throat open.

"JUSTIN!" cried Adam and Tanya as their young friend fell to the floor.

"Take them away!" shouted Divatox. At her command, the Tengas vanished. Divatox and Rygog marched over to Tommy and lifted him up. "The platinum trophy, at last!"

Kimberly dashed through the hallway of the Youth Center, each step seemingly blurred and slowed. At last she reached the main room, horrified at the sight of a fierce battle. She ran over to Justin and placed her hand on his wrist. No pulse. She dropped his arm, removed her helmet, and began to cry.

Why? Why did this have to happen now? If only I'd been faster or... if Kat hadn't called me now...

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone groaning behind the Juice Bar counter. Kimberly ran over to investigate. "Jason!" she gasped. She grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

Jason winced as he rose up and climbed over the counter. "My head," he moaned.

"What happened?"

Jason rubbed his head and tried to think. "Last I remember, Divatox attacked us with Piranhatrons and Tengas and everyone left but Adam, Tanya, Justin, Tommy, and myself. They knocked Tommy out cold, I felt a blow to my head, and I woke up behind the counter just now." He squinted and peered around. "Where’d they go?"

Kimberly hung her head. "Justin’s dead. The others were gone when I got here."

"Captured?"

"Maybe." She reached out and touched Jason’s head gently. "Well, you don’t have a concussion; that’s good."

"I still can’t see completely straight."

Kimberly nodded. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I just… need to rest a minute." He lay on the counter.

"Okay. Can you call 9-1-1 to get this place sealed off and cleaned up? I have to go get this straightened out and find the others." She prepared to leave.

"Wait, Kim." Jason held up his hand and staggered over to Justin’s body. He reached into the coat pocked and drew out the Blue Turbo Key. "Gosh, this feels morbid," he winced as he held it out to Kimberly. "I’m sure you’ll need this, though."

Rita hissed after seeing Divatox’s plunder. "There’s only three here!" she snapped.

"Oh, like you could ever do better!" Divatox groaned. "Gimme a break! It would have been four, but one was absent. And the other…" She smiled pleasantly. "Little brat. I never did like children, and I absolutely abhor being foiled by one of them."

Zedd was gasping for air. "You—you—you killed the Blue Ranger?" He threw his head back and laughed. "The last time a Ranger was killed in this universe was long before Christ Himself walked the Earth!"

"Aww, bullshit," Rita snarled. "You know, you don’t have to make such a big deal out of the whole thing!"

"You’re right," agreed Zedd.

"HEY!" Divatox growled. "I went out of my way to help a former roommate and her skinless hubby, claimed a simple trophy kill for myself, and this is the thanks I get?"

Rita rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

"Ah, yes." Zedd agreed. "It is time for a little fun with our favorite Red Ranger. Anyone care to watch?"

"I do!" Rita and Divatox shouted.

"Let us be gone, then!"

Tommy awoke to find himself chained to a steel chair in a stone-walled room, surrounded by Zedd, Rita, and Divatox.

"Welcome to our chambers, Red Ranger! Have a good nap?" Zedd laughed.

"Don’t even get me started, Zedd." Tommy yanked at the chains to see just how secure they were.

Zedd spotted Tommy’s feeble escape attempt. "Oh, I don’t think so! You’ll never break through these chains without your powers, and you can’t reach your Morpher."

"What do you want, Zedd?"

"Oh, it’s rather simple, if I do say so myself."

"Is it now?"

"You know," began Zedd, clearing his throat, " there was an era of history where Zordon was my worst enemy. For over ten millennia, he foiled my plans and the plans of my loyal subjects. He would be stopped by nothing, not even encasing in a time warp. Somehow, he managed to keep in contact with that pitiful robot and find his precious Power Rangers." Zedd paced around Tommy. "Yes, Zordon and his Power Rangers stabbed the heart of everyone who tried to harm their planet. All that time, I loathed him beyond human comprehension, beyond anything I had ever hated before. Then, in the midst of all this, you came along. You were the most powerful Ranger yet, the best fighter and swordsman… and to that end, you were on our side."

Rita and Divatox squeaked with delight when they began to see where this was going.

"So what do you do? You betray the dark side and become one of them! You turn your magnificent powers on us and ally yourself with my worst enemy! And despite everything we do to take you out for it—stealing your powers, destroying your Zord, grinding your Power Coin, nuking the Command Center… you somehow always manage to bounce back, each time becoming worse and worse of a pain in my ass! Congratulations, Tommy Oliver. You are now, in place of Zordon, the one being in this universe that I hold in the utmost low status, below all other forms of life imaginable."

"I suppose you’re going to kill me now?"

"Last time I tried that, you broke my staff. But last time, you weren’t chained to a chair unmorphed, either. Still… I see no reason to rush things." Zedd dug a nail into Tommy’s shoulder. "I’ll see to it that you lead a very long life in my chambers."

Tommy winced, trying not to make it known that he was in pain. "Let me go, or you’ll live to regret this."

"Right." Zedd withdrew his staff. "And just why will I regret it?"

"There’s still four other Rangers out there. They’ll find me soon enough."

"Correction," Zedd chuckled. "There is but one Ranger left outside my palace!"

"What?"

"Let’s see, Adam and Tanya in the dungeon, chained to the wall… Katherine—well, somewhere… Justin in the Youth Center covered in blood… that’s one Ranger left outside my palace. Alive, that is."

"No!" Tommy struggled in vain.

"Oh, yes," Divatox smirked.

"You BITCH!" Tommy cried.

Divatox pretended to be hurt. "Ooh…" she sniffed. "Now that wasn’t very nice."

Kimberly handed Justin’s key to Alpha. "Oh, aiyiyi!" wailed Alpha. "No! Not Justin!"

"I’m afraid so, Alpha." Kimberly brushed a tear away from her eye. "Katherine’s okay, isn’t she?"

"She is. We got the teleportation unit working again shortly before you arrived."

Kimberly was breathing hard. "If only… why did we try this now? If only Katherine had been there…"

"Kimberly, it was unavoidable," Zordon reminded her. "Had you girls not been here, you would likely have been injured and Katherine captured as well. Then we would be nearly out of luck."

"Yeah, but if only I could have gotten there sooner." She let out a long sob. "I was Morphed, and I could have—"

"Kimberly, don’t dwell on such things!" pleaded Alpha. "Please don’t fall apart on us now. We need you more than ever!"

"Alpha’s right," agreed Zordon. "I’m afraid our grievances must wait. Though Justin is no longer with us, we must be thankful for his willingness to guard, protect, and use the powers of the Blue Ranger until the bitter end. Divatox meant to hurt us, and so she did, but since Justin faithfully protected his key, you need not face this challenge alone. Prepare now to welcome your new teammate."

Adam and Tanya sat chained in a cell, guarded by Piranhatrons.

"Adam?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Adam was silent for a moment. "I don’t know. I can’t think straight yet."

"Neither can I." Tears came to Tanya’s eyes. "Adam, he was just a kid! How can anyone do that? Why would they want to, no matter how horrible they were?"

Adam shook his head. "I wish I knew."

All of a sudden, the head of a Piranhatron flew through the bars. Adam and Tanya looked over to see the Blue Ranger taking the guards out.

"Oh, my…" Tanya gasped.

"Justin?"

When the last guard was down, the Blue Ranger sliced the door open. "We have to get downstairs right away," he told them as he shot their chains off.

"Jason?" exclaimed Adam.

The Blue Ranger removed his helmet. "I’m back."

"When—"

"I’ll explain later. Come on, let’s go!"

Zedd made a small incision in Tommy’s lower back with an Exact-O knife and massaged the wound with the blade. "Tell me when this hurts," he taunted. All of a sudden, pink lasers began to penetrate the doorframe. Zedd dropped his knife. "What the hell is going on out there?"

Tommy opened his eyes and recognized the laser. "You’re out of time, Zedd," he breathed.

"Really?"

Just as Zedd spoke, the door collapsed and the Pink Ranger stood outside. "Let him go now!"

"KIMMY?" Rita flinched as she recognized the voice.

"Kimberly!" exclaimed Tommy. He jerked on the chains a bit at the shook, but immediately winced at the pain in his back and shoulder.

"I thought I fed you to my fianceé!" Divatox sneered.

"Yeah," groaned Tommy. "In case you’re blind or something, she was freed."

"Oh, shut up!" Divatox smacked Tommy upside the head. "You gonna fight or just stand there?" she asked Kimberly. "Because either way, you’ll get your ass kicked!"

Without saying a word, Kimberly charged forward and flung her sword at Divatox, who just grabbed the blade with her nails. "Nice try," she chuckled. "My turn." Her eyes glowed red-pink and fired two powerful lasers at Kimberly’s chest. The Pink Ranger was thrown across the room and against the wall.

"Just a moment!" Rita stood in front of Divatox. "Once, my husband fought Tommy with Kimberly as the trophy. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go solo with Kimberly with Tommy as the prize!"

"Forget it!" thundered Zedd. "I won’t take even the slightest chance of losing my favorite torture bag!"

Rita glared at Zedd. "You mean you don’t think I can win?"

"Not against the Pink Ranger. Although… you are a rather skilled fighter. I suppose if it was you versus Kimberly, no powers on either side, I’d feel fairly secure."

Rita grinned at Kimberly. "What do you say? You and me, with swords… or take on all three of us!"

The Pink Ranger struggled to her feet and drew out her sword. "I accept," she agreed. "Power down!" There stood Kimberly, holding only her sword. You took my powers, you bitch. You ruined my life. You killed me, and then I killed the person I loved. And now you're going to pay!

Rita’s hideous attire gave way to a young, ample-bodied woman. She chose a sword from the collection on the wall and took a fighting stance. "You have a date with Death, you little tramp!"

Kimberly formed a stance. "Save me a seat." With that she and Rita began clashing their swords together.

Adam, Tanya, and Jason made their way down to the torture chambers. "There they are!" exclaimed Jason.

Divatox peered out from the doorway. "We’re having a private party here, if you don’t mind!" She extended her finger and brought forth a conglomerate of Piranhatrons to keep the intruders out.

Kimberly continued to fight Rita, giving it everything she had. She blocked an attempted stabbing and kicked Rita in the gut. Ruin my life again, why don't you?

Rita whipped back up off the ground. "You’re strong," she purred. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" She threw her sword up at the chandelier above Kimberly and sliced it off the ceiling.

Kimberly narrowly averted the deadly blow of glass and cornered Rita with her sword. "Let him go," she demanded.

"NO!" Zedd roared.

"Let him go or you're her widower! I mean it!"

Zedd cut the chains with his staff. "This isn’t over," he warned.

Kimberly grabbed Rita and kept the sword near her throat as she gathered up Tommy and helped him to the doorway. She then shoved Rita at Zedd, dashed out the door, and slammed it shut.

"NO!" wailed Divatox. "We’re locked in!"

"That pink tramp!" screamed Rita, pounding on the door. "Well, I’m sure they found a nice surprise on the other side."

Divatox flipped her ponytail. "Aren’t I brilliant?"

Outside, Kimberly struggled to protect Tommy as she helped her friends fend off the Piranhatrons. She snatched a nearby torch and lit several of the soldiers, then twirled it to the sharp end to spear a few more.

At long last, the Piranhatrons were cleared and Tommy was back on his feet. "Kim, are you okay?"

"Are you?"

"I’m fine, Kim. Just a little sore."

"You got cut on your back," noticed Jason.

"It’s already closed. Wait—what—Jason?"

"In the flesh." Jason slapped hands with his bro. "Wish I was here under better circumstances, though, man."

"So do I." Tommy turned back to Kimberly. "Are you all right?"

Kimberly’s composure was beginning to crumble as everything came back to her—the events of the day, the last week, the last year. She struggled to keep the tears back, but it was no use. "I just—I can’t—" Finally, she lost it completely and found herself in Tommy’s arms. "I’m so sorry," she whispered.

"Shh. It’ll be okay, Kim. I’ll be here for you."

Zedd glowed a bright neon red. "You…" he said to Divatox. "You have no idea the misery and pain your mess caused me."

Divatox looked up from applying her lipstick. "What? You have a problem with a guest in your home trying to help you with your issues?"

"Guest? I was under the impression that you'd moved in! You told me we'd get rid of the Power Rangers. Until we do, you will bow to me as your lord and master."

"Uh-huh." Divatox fired a shot of hair spray into Zedd's face. "Oops. Sorry," she purred as Zedd howled from the burning. "That's my culture's way of saying, 'Suck dick, asshole!'" She turned her nose up and trailed off to the Subcraft. "Oh, by the way. Shoot at the Subcraft, and our damage control system launches a truck nuke right back at you. And you don't want that. Believe me."

"You're just leaving?" exclaimed Rita.

"I'm surprised you aren't," commented Divatox, sneering at Zedd. "Anyway, you have my number. Call me if the domestic abuse ever gets out of hand."

Rita glared at Zedd as the Subcraft departed. "Way to go, moron! Without her help, we'll never take those Rangers down!"

"Perhaps not immediately. For now, we'll just have to watch and wait."

"Yeah, try telling that to Dark Specter!"

Zedd took a few deep breaths. "On the other hand, perhaps… a relocation might do us some good."

"Amen." Almost as soon as Reverend McWilliams finished his prayer, people began to leave the cemetery. All except for Katherine. Even the Stewarts left before she did. She stood at Justin’s grave for over an hour until Tanya came to join her.

"There you are," Tanya sighed. "Your mom was wondering where you were. I thought you’d still be here."

Katherine brushed away a tear. "I can’t believe it," she said. "Even though I’ve seen the body and everything, it’s just… I don’t know quite how to put it." She took a deep breath. "In the year and a half that I was a Ranger, things got—a lot more critical. I mean, the machines were more destructive than anything Rita and Zedd ever made, and even Tommy, Adam, Rocky, and Jason seemed shocked at the death tolls. But…" Katherine blew her nose. "But we’ve never buried a teammate before."

Tanya nodded. "Yeah. Aisha told me in one of her letters that the news briefings she’d heard were pretty rough compared to what she remembered. Still, this is pretty hard to take."

Katherine shut her eyes. "I only wish I could have been there for him."

"It wasn't your fault, Kat. If you hadn't been away, you might have been taken, too, and then no one could've saved us. We might all be dead now."

"I suppose..." Katherine swallowed. "Eventually, I can make myself belive that. Right now—" She was crying for real now, and Tanya took her into a hug. "Right now, I hate Kimberly!" As her sobs subdued, a horrified look appeared on her face. "I didn't say that—did I?"

"It's okay," assured Tanya. "That wasn't you talking."

At last, Katherine and Tanya started out to the parking lot. "Now I know," murmered Katherine.

"Know what?"

"Kimberly—when she wrote that letter—how it wasn't her."

Kimberly sat forlornly on her dad’s porch swing, sipping an orange juice, recovering from the shock of the power and emotions overtaking her body. She made no attempt to move when a red Jeep Wrangler parked in her driveway.

Tommy hopped out of his car and sat beside Kimberly on the swing. Both were silent for a few minutes.

Kimberly broke the placidity. "I don’t—understand how you can care about me after what I did to you."

Tommy rubbed his hands together. "Honestly, Kim, for a while, I didn’t know. I didn't understand how you could do such a thing. I loved you, and you pushed me away and tore a piece of my heart out."

Kimberly flinched.

"But I think I finally do understand. I think… I knew what you were going through. All that same stuff happened to me when I lost my powers, and I tried to push you and our friends away. I knew that it wasn't the real you who had written that letter. The Kim I knew wouldn't have done that if everything had been all right. Everything that happened in the three weeks before you left… God knows what that did to you."

Kimberly turned her head to face Tommy. "I thought letting you go would help. I was wrong, though. I made a mistake, and it made things worse. I hurt the one person I loved, and I hurt myself, all for a stupid sport with no meaning to anyone. I wish I could say I was sorry, but it won’t do anything. It won't change what happened."

"No," admitted Tommy. "It won't. But maybe you can change what happens."

Kimberly swallowed. "I don’t understand."

Tommy placed his hand on her shoulder. "Kim, do you love me still?"

"Y-yes," she answered hesitantly."

"You may not believe it now—maybe someday you will—but I still love you. I want to help you. It will be hard for both of us; things will be awkward for a while, but maybe when you're feeling like your old self, we can try again."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure, Beautiful." Tommy put his arm around her. "Kim, remember what I told you when you lost your powers? I'm here for you; I always will be."

"I'll never forget that again," Kim promised as she let herself fall into Tommy's arms—a place she never thought she'd be ever again.

Tommy held Kimberly like he thought he would never be able to ever again. "I love you, Kimberly. I’ll never give you a reason to forget."

"I love you, Tommy."