Song and Dance
by Ellen Brand

When I woke up this morning,
Wiped the sleep from my eyes,
I found a new day dawning,
And suddenly, I realized
You're gone.

The sounds of country music from his sister's room brought Tommy Oliver out of his sleep. _Mm, that sounds familiar,_ he thought sourly. _Sounds like me. Kim left me._ Another wave of desolation poured over him. It had been almost a month since he had received that letter from Kimberly telling him that she had found someone else, but it still came as a shock to him every morning.

Tell me I was dreamin',
That you didn't leave me here to cry,
You didn't say you don't love me anymore,
It was just my imagination, tellin' lies,
Tell me that you didn't say goodbye.
I'm in a state of confusion.
Please say things aren't what they seem.
But if this is really happening,
Just let me go back to dream
You're home.
Tell me I was dreamin',
That you didn't leave me here to cry,
You didn't say you don't love me anymore,
It was just my imagination, tellin' lies,
Tell me that you didn't say goodbye.

Tommy sat up. He could understand why Chelsea liked country music so much, even if it wasn't one of his favorites. There was always at least one song that perfectly expressed whatever mood you were in. This one was perfect. He certainly wished that he'd just been dreaming, and he was more interested in dreaming about her than anything else. It had begun to take its toll on his battle performance, as well. With a sigh, he got out of bed and headed for the shower.

After cleaning himself up, he was getting dressed when the sounds of another song floated through the wall to him. Stopping to listen, he tried to place it. _Bryan White,_ he realized. He was one of Chelsea's favorites, and she listened to him all the time. This was one she particularly liked, and she listened to it a great deal.

We agreed that it was over,
Now the lines have all been drawn.
The vows we made
Began to fade,
But now they're gone.
Put your picture in a shoebox
And my gold ring in a drawer.
I'm not supposed to love you anymore.
Now Sherry says she's jealous
Of this freedom that I've found.
If she were me,
She would be
Out on the town.
And she says she can't imagine
What on Earth I'm waiting for.
I'm not supposed to love you anymore.
Oh, I shouldn't care or wonder where
Or how you are,
But I can't hide this hurt inside
My broken heart
I'm fighting back emotions that
I've never fought before,
Cause I'm not supposed to love you anymore.

Tommy started. Did somebody up there have it in for him today? This was the perfect description of his relationship with Kim. He still loved her with all his heart, but as far as everyone else knew, he wasn't supposed to love her. Kat, in particular, couldn't quite understand. She'd tried hard to cheer him up, even pushing Heather Thompson at him, but what she didn't seem to realize was that he couldn't just turn off his feelings for Kim like a switch. That would take time, and perhaps would never happen.

Flopping down on his bed, he began to cry. He missed Kimberly so much, and hurt so badly. Sometimes, at night, he wished that he had never moved to Angel Grove, never become a Power Ranger, and never met Kimberly.

As he was absorbed in these dark thoughts, he heard his sister change the tape, and another song came on. He listened, and smiled slightly, hearing Garth Brooks begin to sing. He liked Garth, actually. The man was an excellent performer, and his songs were touching. The words to this one suddenly caught his attention.

Looking back
On the memory of
The dance we shared
'Neath the stars above,
For a moment,
All the world was right.
How could I have known
That you'd ever say good-bye?
And I, I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end,
The way it all would go.
Our lives, are better left to chance,
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance.

Instantly, Tommy was plunged into a memory of a dance that he and Kim had attended. It had been the last dance of the school year, in early June. He had just returned to the Ranger team, and the dance had been held out in the courtyard of the school. The stars had been shining brightly, the air had been warm, and he had been holding Kim tightly. He had never felt so happy in his life.

Holding you,
I held everything.
For a moment,
Wasn't I the king?
If I'd only known
How the king would fall,
Well, who's to say?
You know, I might have changed it all,
And I, I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end,
The way it all would go.
Our lives, are better left to chance,
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance.

Tommy smiled. The song was right. Despite everything, no matter what happened to him in the future, he would always have his friends, and always have his memories of being loved by Kim. If he had to do it all over again, he decided, he wouldn't change a thing.

Cheered by that thought, he rose and began throwing his practice gear in a bag. For the first time in almost a month, he actually felt like working out again, rather than doing it just because he had to. As he walked out the door, the last strains of the song followed him.

Yes, my life, it's better left to chance,
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance.

End