Disclaimer: The Power Rangers belong to Saban Entertainment, not me. Don't get the wrong idea when reading some parts, it's a romance fic, NOT a sex one. The song "Truly Madly Deeply" is owned and sung by Savage Garden, so I do not claim any rights to that either. This story takes place around the beginning of the Turbo series. It is a Tommy/Kat fic, so for those of you that are disapproval of this relationship, I'm just telling you now not to read it. This is a new idea so I'm giving it a try.

Everlasting Love
by Wildfire K

Katherine Hillard sat at a table at the Angel Grove Youth Center on a Thursday afternoon, pen in hand, seemingly writing up a rough copy resume for university applications. She brushed her long straight blonde hair away from her face as Tanya Sloan and Adam Park walked in through the entranceway of the juice bar.

"Hey guys," Kat called, recognizing her friends immediately.

"Good afternoon," Tanya responded. "What are you up to?"

"Oh not much," Katherine answered. "With school out and all, and with our graduation parties long past, I just thought I'd jot a few things down on my resume before applying for Angel Grove University, in the fall. Of course, I'd have to type this up on my computer later on."

"Well what's stopping you from going to London for that ballet program?" Questioned Adam as he put a hand on Kat's shoulder.

"Adam, we've been through this already," Kat said to her friend. "I have my duties as a ranger, and there are a lot of other opportunities out there as well," she finished. As the 3 continued their brief conversation, Tommy Oliver came through the doorway, smile on his face, his long brown hair tied back to a ponytail behind his head as he approached his friends. Justin Stewart was over in the corner playing arcade games.

"Hey guys," Tommy said, smiling, his dark brown eyes meeting with Katherine's gorgeous blue ones. Justin slammed his fists against the joystick of the arcade game he was playing with, uttering a sigh of "Aww man!" before coming over to meet his friends.

"Hey Justin," Kat greeted him. "Is something wrong?"

"Naa... it's nothing," the 12-year-old Blue Ranger answered. "Just lost my quarter," he continued, his eyes widening as he saw Tommy standing next to him.

"I've got some change if you need some," Tommy offered to his younger friend.

"Don't worry about it," Justin said, smile coming across his face as a thought came to his mind. "Hey Tommy," Justin continued. "Soooo... when are you gonna pop the question?"

"Justin!" Tommy stammered. "I said I was thinking about it. Let's not rush into things here, there's no hurry."

"Wait a second," Kat cut in. "Thinking about what? And rushing into what?"

"Um... it's nothing," Tommy said, covering up for himself.

"Tommy, I know that look," Kat said, staring right into his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Tommy, we talked about this. You said you'd ask her when you saw her," Justin tried to encourage his friend.

"Is this about me?" questioned Katherine.

"Oh alright, I guess now's as good a time as any," Tommy said aloud. "Kat, look, I'm sorry that, well, ever since we began dating, we haven't really been out that much, and I just feel well y'know, I just feel terrible about it, like I've let you down..."

"That's alright," Kat assured him. "I understand how busy you are, with your racing and karate and all."

"Well yeah," Tommy answered. "That's part of the reason why I'm here. Y'see, I've got the weekend off, and my uncle said I don't get practice again till Monday."

"And...?"

"Well, I really don't know how to ask you this, but..." Tommy suddenly stopped.

"Listen, Tommy," Kat said, holding Tommy's hand. "You can ask me anything, you know that."

"Okay, it goes like this," Tommy summoned up the courage. "I was supposed to go to practice Saturday, but I told my uncle about the lack of time you and I have had together, so that's why he gave me the weekend off. And with that, he gave me his cabin, just for a few days, down by the lake." Tanya and Adam began to turn away, acting as though to go about their own business, although it was apparent that they were still listening.

"Go on," Kat urged Tommy.

"Kat," Tommy said. "I was wondering if, well... if you'd like to come down to the cabin with me? Just the two of us, and just for the weekend?" He finally asked. _Oh great, NOW you've done it_ Tommy thought to himself. _As if to say a girl really wants to spend an entire weekend alone with a guy who she knows will probably wanna make out with her the whole time._

"I—"

"I mean, I'm sorry," Tommy cut in. "If you don't want to, then—"

"Tommy, wait," Kat said to him. "I.. I'd love to," she responded. _Uh-oh_ she then thought. _What now? Good job Katherine. You've done it this time, allowing yourself to be thrown into his arms once again, as if a girl had such little respect for herself that she'd allow a guy to do this to her_

"Great!" Tommy exclaimed. "I'll pick you up tomorrow night, around 6? Is that alright with you?"

"Sure thing. I'll be there," Kat said while closing her books. Tommy bent down and gave her a peck on the right cheek before leaving the room. Kat remained silent for several seconds, before Adam and Tanya turned back around to face her.

"Well well well," Adam said sarcastically. "Just the two of you lovebirds all alone with no one else around for miles."

"So, you need help deciding what to wear?" Tanya offered.

"Guys, look," Kat answered. "He's right, I really do need to spend time with him. I care about him so much, almost too much, to the point where I let him go racing all the time because I don't want to interrupt in his time. Maybe this is a good thing."

"Oh, you know it's a good thing, girl," Adam said smiling to her. "Relax, I bet you're gonna have a great time together."

"Down by a lake?" Justin suddenly questioned. "Skinny dipping, anyone?"

"Justin!" Katherine beamed at him.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," Kat replied. "Okay, guys, I guess I should get your opinion on this. Honestly, I don't know if I want to do this. I mean, it's one thing to go on a date, but to be alone at a cabin in the forest away from the rest of the world for an entire weekend? Guys, do you think that's pushing it?"

"Kat, you have this great guy who a lot of other girls would kill just to go out with," Tanya said. "Tommy must really like you to ask you for something like this. And even if it's pushing it, who knows? It may be better for your relationship with him. I think it's great. Now, let's go back to your place and I'll help you start packing. If my best friend needs help for anything, hey, you know I'm there."

"Thanks, Tanya," Kat said.

Later that day... Adam and Tommy walking in the park...
"Man, I... I just can't believe I asked her that," Tommy said, hands dug deep in his pockets.

"Neither can I, but what provoked you to do that?" Adam questioned the team leader.

"Like I said, I haven't taken her out much, but I care about her, like you wouldn't believe. I guess I just want to make her feel, I dunno... special?" Tommy responded. "I just don't know what she thinks of well, a guy and a girl, alone in a cabin, in a world of their own, like they're the only two people on the face of this planet, with a nice lake out back. I'm just a little afraid, y'know?"

"Of what?"

"Well," Tommy said nervously. "I mean don't you think a girl may be, offended by this?"

"Tommy," Adam said, patting his friend on the back. "She accepted, didn't she? And she knows just as well as you do that you need some time to yourselves. That's what love is all about. Relax, I bet you two are gonna have a great time." Just as Adam finished speaking, a group of Piranhatrons appeared in a blinding flash just ahead of them. The two rangers flinched back for a moment, then took their fighting stances, before the Piranhatrons spread out around them, ready for attack.

"Let's take these guys!" Tommy exclaimed. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Adam responded. Executing the move they had done in practice, Tommy performed a few kicks, as 3 Piranhatrons surrounded him. Trapped, Tommy somersaulted backwards, as Adam came running up, leaping over Tommy and landing a flying double kick on two of the three Piranhatrons that attacked his friend. With two Piranhatrons coming up from behind the two rangers, Adam came charging up towards Tommy, who cupped his hands as Adam took another leap into the air, Tommy using his hands to boost Adam from his feet, over Tommy's head and Adam executing another perfectly placed double flying kick to the chest of both Piranhatrons, knocking them both over, Adam landing on his feet.

"Guess that practice sure paid off," Adam said jokingly to his friend.

"Yeah, but it's not over yet!" Tommy answered, while grappling with another Piranhatron, which lifted a knee into Tommy's gut, causing him to staggar to his knees, but Tommy was quick to recover, with a sweep kick, tripping the Piranhatron. Adam battled the rest of them, trying to out-maneuver the larger group. However, being out-numbered, Tommy and Adam found themselves trapped and surrounded by Divatox's drones.

"Should we call the others?" Adam suggested to Tommy, a Piranhatron tackling Adam to the ground and hitting him against the side of his head.

"I think we can take 'em," Tommy said back. "But we'll have to take it another step higher. SHIFT INTO TURBO!"

"Desert Thunder Turbo Power!"

"Red Lightning Turbo Power!"

With the Red and Green Turbo Rangers now fully morphed, the Piranhatrons were of nearly no match, as Tommy and Adam finished the fight after a few seconds of kicks and punches, causing the Piranhatrons to retreat.

"Man, what do you think that was all about?" Adam said, demorphing.

"I dunno, let's just wait and see if anything else happens," Tommy responded.

"Can't you idiots do anything right!?" Divatox shrieked at the defeated Piranhatrons. "You can't even defeat two rangers!"

"But Divato—"

"No buts!" Divatox cut in. "The next time I send you brainless idiots out there, do the job right!"

"Auntie D!" Elgar called.

"Not now, imbesile," Divatox beamed at her nephew.

"But it's important!" Elgar demanded.

"Oh alright," Divatox gave in, "I'm getting nowhere sending these worthless water suckers to attack the Rangers, what is it, Elgar?"

"I was spying on the Rangers earlier on in the day," Elgar said. "The Red and Pink Ranger are gonna be out of town... ALONE at some cabin."

"A cabin? Where?"

"Somewhere in the Angel Grove forest," Elgar answered his aunt.

"Elgar! This has been the best news all year!" Divatox said, joy in her voice for the first time in a while. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Um.. thinking about what?" Elgar asked.

"Fool!" Rygog cut into the conversation. "Divatox, you're not seriously thinking of waking Black Venom, the sleeping vampire are you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Divatox said sarcastically.

"Excuse me," Elgar butted in. "What's a Black Venom?"

"He's a vampire sleeping in a cave, deep within the forest of Angel Grove," Porto came into the conversation. "And before you ask, he is known as the sleeping vampire because he's been asleep for over 300 years. To wake him would spell doom. When awake, he can sense the nearest human beings to him, for vampires stalk humans nearby, and without anybody in the forest but red and pink lovebirds, this dangerous vampire is gonna rid us of two rangers!"

"Perfect!" Divatox exclaimed.

"But..." Elgar still confused continued to ask questions. "Just how dangerous is this guy?"

"Well let's put it this way," Porto explained. "If a vampire bites a human being's flesh, that human being becomes a vampire. The longer Black Venom sleeps, the more energy he has when he awakes. He will be very strong when we wake him."

"Um... we?" Elgar shivered.

The next evening...
"Well Kat, he should be here soon," Tanya said to her friend. Tanya was helping pack Katherine's clothes and other belongings into a backpack, as Katherine stood in front of a mirror, comb in hand in the bathroom.

"I won't need to take much," Katherine said, brushing her hair, which she left straight and long, her bangs brushed away from her forehead. "Tanya, are you sure I should wear this?" Katherine asked her best friend, staring down at her pink way-too-short sleeveless crop-top, too short cut off blue jeans, and brown sandles, her entire outfit exposing her bare shoulders and arms, her stomach, most of her legs, down to her bare toes. "I mean, isn't this a little too revealing?"

"Well you're not supposed to look elegant when going with a guy to his cabin. Don't you wanna look your best for him?" Tanya tried to encourage her.

"Yeah, but..." before Kat could finish answering, her door bell rang. Tanya was quick to get up to answer the door. It was Tommy.

"Oh, um... hey Tommy," Katherine greeted her boyfriend, who was wearing a red tank top, blue jeans and sneakers, with his hair tied back to a ponytail.

"Hey Kat," Tommy said smiling at her. "Whoa, you look great tonight," Tommy finished, suddenly realizing what she was wearing. "Hey, let me get your bag for you."

"It's okay, I got them," Kat offered.

"No, don't worry about it," Tommy insisted, taking her backpack from the ground. Slinging the backpack over his left shoulder, Tommy gently offered out his hand, and Katherine, taking him by the hand, the two of them walked out the door together.

"Bye Tanya," Kat said, waving to her.

"See ya," Tommy said.

"I'll take care of things while you're gone, have fun guys!" Tanya replied. Tommy, like a gentleman, opened up the passenger door of his jeep that he had taken for this trip. Allowing Katherine to step in, he closed the door before coming around to the other side and taking the driver's seat. Within a few seconds, they drove off.

While driving down the highway, Tommy and Katherine engaged in a minor conversation.

"Then what happened?" Katherine asked.

"Well, I tried to tell Zach that his fly was open," Tommy said trying not to laugh. "But being 20 feet away he had no clue what I was trying to signal to him. It wasn't until Angela came and gave him a few funny looks before he realized what I'd been trying to say." The two of them broke out laughing. _Man! I never knew she had a body like THAT_ Tommy couldn't help thinking, staring out of the corner of his eye at what Kat was wearing. _Oh come on Tommy, you always knew she had a great body, but it's what's inside that counts too. Besides, she's cute, smart, and very sweet, I better treat her right_

Divatox, Rygog, Porto and Elgar teleported into the heart of Angel Grove's forest.

"Alright, so where is this cavern where the vampire is sleeping, Porto?" Divatox demanded from her trusted assistant.

"I've got the coordinates right here," Porto answered. "We should head northeast, it's not that far."

"Well good, 'cause I'm gettin' hungry, can we eat now Auntie D?" Elgar said.

"Not now you idiot!" Rygog answered for his boss. "Why do we always have to bring him with us?"

"Hey!" Elgar smacked Rygog in the arm.

"I see it!" Divatox exclaimed, pointing off into the distance, brushing her cape out of the way and adjusting her gold mask.

"It's definitely around there," Porto lead the way. Walking about a hundred paces in the direction they were headed, the group reached the entrance of the cavern. As they came upon it, all before them was near-pitch blackness, except for a torch that hung from the side of the rocky cave to the left. Elgar grew an eerie feeling, just an aura that the cavern possessed.

"Um... Elgar, why don't you go first?" Divatox pushed him forward.

"What? Why is it always me?" Elgar said angrily yet sounding scared, and tip-toeing into the entrance of the cave. "See that? It wasn't so hard!"

"Oh keep your trap shut," Rygog said, grabbing the torch from the side.

An hour and a half had passed by since Tommy and Kat left the house.

Tommy pulled up on a sandy trail, his uncle's cabin now visible in the distance. He continued to drive down a few more minutes before pulling into the front of the cabin. They observed the small place, door in the front center, upside-down V-shaped roof, the brown painting still maintaining it's nice color. A lake was behind the cabin, along with a short boardwalk leading to it. The hills in the background along with the sun that was beginning to set, the setting was pleasure to the human eye.

"Well, we're here," Tommy said.

"Wow, your uncle's got quite a nice place," Katherine commented. _Alright now Katherine, just be yourself_ she thought to herself. _Just play it all by ear and see what he does, and DON'T throw yourself at him_ Tommy came out of his door, came around and opened up Kat's passenger side door, allowing her to step out. Kat took her bagpack, as Tommy took his, along with a Sony Radio he lifted up and took in his left hand. Putting his right arm around Katherine, they walked into the front door. Opening the door, they stared at the place inside. _There isn't much here_ Kat thought. _Just a small coffee table that needed to be dusted, a small lamp, a 14 inch television, a wooden chair, and... ONE bed!? Oh my goodness! Did Tommy KNOW this? Is he trying to pretend he didn't know a thing and then lure me into having sex with him? Be calm now Katherine, you know him better than that, he wouldn't do this to you_

"Well, I guess we can just leave our bags here," Tommy said, placing his bag against the side of the bed and putting the radio onto the chair.

"Tommy," Katherine slowly said his name.

"Yeah?"

"Who gets the bed?" Kat asked, looking a little embarassed.

"Uhhh..." Tommy staggared back, not realizing there was only room for one. _Damn it! Why didn't I ASK my uncle about what he HAD here before I CAME here? Kat must think I'm a real idiot_ "I... I'm sorry."

"For what?" Katherine looked at him, although she already knew what it was.

"It, it's not what you think," Tommy said, looking embarassed. "Listen, I'll pull out a blanket and sleep on the ground, it's my fault. Please don't get the wrong idea."

"It's alright," Kat said. "Forget about it, we'll worry about it later," she finished, her Australian accent becoming slightly thicker the more nervous she got.

"I guess so," Tommy said, plugging his radio into a socket on the wall. Turning his radio on to KAGV, Tommy began unpacking his bag, as did Kat. For a few minutes they said nothing to each other, just continued thinking. _I can't believe it_ Tommy thought. _Here I am out in the middle of the woods with a beautiful girl, and I don't know what the heck we're gonna do. I'm here to have fun and be alone with her, but here I am a nervous wreck. Way to go Tommy, you've really done it. I dunno what I'm gonna do, best to play it all by ear and see what happens_

_Is he trying to lure me onto the bed with him?_ Kat thought. _No wait, he has more respect for you than to come on to you so quickly, Katherine_ something in the back of her mind said to her. _Just see what he does for the night, and just try to have a good time. If he wants to sit down and talk, then just go along with it. If he wants to watch tv with his arm around you, let him. If you feel that you're ready to sleep with him, and if you really take it that far, then a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do_ She continued to think, as the DJ's voice came over the radio.

"I think it was something like," Tommy tried to think. "Wasn't it 'promise not to step on my feet and you have a deal' or something along those lines?"

"Good memory," Katherine said, extending her hand, taking Tommy's. Before she knew it, she was standing so close to Tommy, she could almost feel his breathing. She gently wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, as he placed one hand behind the back of hers, the other one behind her waist, on her lower back. With her exposed belly, Tommy felt Katherine's smooth skin against his fingers. This made him even more nervous, yet at the same time gave him a good feeling of touching the body of his girlfriend. The two of them let the lyrics of "Truly Madly Deeply" sink into their minds as they stared in one another's eyes...

As the song came to an end, Katherine found herself laying her head on Tommy's shoulder. As she lifted her head up, and her blue eyes met with Tommy's dark brown ones, the two of them shot the same romantic look for one another. Tommy's arms were now around Kat's waist, Kat's arms still gently around the back of Tommy's neck. Without saying a word to one another, Tommy reached up to Katherine's face, brushing a long strand of blonde hair back and gently placing his hand against the side of her neck, she motioned towards him. The two met in a passionate kiss, one that lasted for about 20 seconds, one that neither of them would ever forget.

Deep within the cave in the forest of Angel Grove, Divatox and company walked through the vampire's domain. It was dark, Rygog still carrying the torch, as they came to a dead end.

Elgar frowned a stupid look, "Ahh just great! All this time and we come to a stupid dead end!"

Rygog shot him a look of anger, "You fool! I told you we should have gone left earlier."

"Shut up, both of you," Divatox ordered. It's got to be around here somewhere. Just THINK about what Black Venom would do to those two little rangers.

"I know, Auntie D," Elgar sighed. "But there's nowhere to go from here, how do we find him if we're stuck at this dead end?" but before anyone could answer, Porto spotted something peculiar against the wall.

Pointing at a dusty part of the wall, Porto uttered out, "What's that? Rygog, bring that torch closer to here so I can see." Porto brushed away the dirt against the rock, and spotted a small handle much similar to that you would find on a suitcase. It was closing what appeared to be a panel.

"It looks like a secret panel!" Divatox said in relief, her evil intentions once again crossing her mind. "Well what are you waiting for? Open it up already!" At her command, Rygog used his powerful arm to yank open the panel. A few bats flew out, but now there was a deep hatch in the wall, although the entrance size was questionnable of who could enter through it.

"The vampire must be in there," Porto said to the group.

"Elgar, get in there and check," Divatox ordered.

"No way! I've got the creeps for this kind of—" but before Elgar could finish, Divatox and Rygog had already lifed him up off his feet and scooped him up, shoving him into the hole in the wall to the side. Rygog then tried to fit through, but found himself too large, Porto did the same.

"Just great you two," Divatox said sarcastically. "I told you to cut down on those fried fish." Then changing the subject, she yelled in through the hole, "Elgar! What do you see?"

Elgar called from behind the wall, "I can't see anything, it's too dark. Hand me the torch already!"

"Let me get in there," Divatox said. With Rygog giving her a boost, she squirmed through the hole in the wall and in through the other side. Extending her hand out, Porto handed her the torch. Divatox was amazed at what she saw. It was a small, round room, with walls of stone. A coffin lay right in the center, with several strange symbols engraved onto it's outside. Around the room was red carpet flooring, and a black cape hang on a hook against the wall. The coffin had to be around 7 feet in length, about 3 feet in width, grey colored, with a lock on it.

"Are we gonna—"

"SHH!" Divatox cut Elgar off. "Be quiet for crying out loud," she whispered. Coming closer to the coffin, she stared at the funny looking symbols all over it. "Elgar, the minute we open up this coffin, we'll leave the torch on that hook over there on the wall. So go remove that cape from it. Vampires when exposed to light get really upset, so the light from this torch should be enough to wake him up."

"Right away Auntie," Elgar replied weakly as he took the black cape off the wall and placed the torch onto it. Divatox motioned towards the coffin and grabbing the lock, she pulled it open. Slowly, she lifted up the lid of the coffin, all the way until she could see it's complete contents. Inside of it lay the vampire known as Black Venom. Dressed in a black attire completely covering his arms down to his wrists, down to his feet and his black shoes, Black Venom's skin was as white as paper. His aqua colored hair and white fangs from his teeth were enough to scare just about anyone. He wore a red belt around his waist, and his nails were the color of blue, long and sharp. He had a long narrow face, eyes shut, still sound asleep. All in all, an unpleasant sight.

"Alright, there he is, now let's get out of here," Divatox motioned to her nephew to get out through the hatch, which she followed, meeting Porto and Rygog back in the cave again. "It's complete, the vampire should take it from here. It's night time, so you can bet he'll be out there tonight," Divatox said. Then, raising her hand up in the air and teleporting out, she yelled the battle cry "Viva la Diva!" before she, Rygog, Elgar and Porto disappeared in a bright flash.

At the cabin, Tommy and Katherine finished sharing their passionate kiss, Kat leaning her head against Tommy's left shoulder once again. Before they knew what they were doing, Tommy let himself fall backwards, right onto the bed behind him, Katherine hanging on to him, falling on top of him.

_Oh my goodness_ Kat thought to herself. _Are we going to go all the way this time?_ She felt this temptation coming over her, a soothing feeling of love for Tommy. She knew that some day or another, if things were going as well as they way they had been now, it wouldn't be long before sex became a part of their lives. It was dark outside, just the perfect time, and the perfect place. Katherine was now in a straddle position on Tommy, her hands on either side of his face, her legs to either side of his body. He reached up and touched her by the back of her neck once again, Kat tilting her head forward to meet Tommy in another kiss. He wrapped both arms around her, and they were making out before long.

Down in the cavern where Black Venom's tomb had been opened, the sleeping vampire felt dim light reflect his eyes, enough to take the vampire out of it's unconscious state. Barely opening it's eyes, Black Venom let out a wailing cry...

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!"

It was enough to wake the entire forest of sleeping animals nearby, for the 300 years of sleep had now come to an end. Sitting up, surprisingly not stretching its body, Black Venom quickly arose from his coffin, standing up and to the outside, beside it. Looking around, he boldly asked "Who DARES to disrupt the sleep of Black Venom!?!?!?" Taking the red cape and slipping it over his shoulders, Black Venom grabbed the torch from the wall and, in a single breath, he extinguished the fire into nothing. "Light, oh woeful, despisable, irritating light! Whomever did this to me will pay, but first, I must feast on the flesh of worthless humans. Humans beware, Black Venom has arisen!" Pulling his cape across his hideous face, he disappeared into dust for a moment, and only seconds later he had changed his form into a bat, flying out the open panel and into the dark night.

"Ay yi yi yi yi!" screamed Alpha 5 from the Power Chamber, the alarm sounding, indicating a disturbance.

Zordon emerged in his tubing, "calm down Alpha, and behold the viewing globe." The static image changed into the image of a bat flying in the forest.

"Should we call the rangers?" questioned Alpha to the ranger mentor.

"Not yet," Zordon responded. "Alert Tommy and Katherine, they are nearby. The other rangers may be resting now, call them only when necessary."

Sharing passionate kisses with Tommy, Katherine pulled herself just a slight bit away from him, the two lovers smiling at one another. Katherine was still in a straddle position over his body, when Tommy reached his hands out and touched her long, smooth, sexy legs gently, running his hands from her thighs down to her ankles. A feeling of passion came upon the red and pink rangers. Katherine felt herself letting her sandals slide off onto the floor beside the bed, as Tommy pulled her closer. Not giving it much thought, Katherine helped Tommy pull off his red tank top, dropping it to the floor, exposing his muscular chest. Kat placed her hands upon his pectorals, gently rubbing her hands against them. Tommy gently slipped off Katherine's crop-top, leaving it on the ground beside them, exposing her black lace bra. Katherine then willingly undid her shorts, slipping them off, exposing her black lace underwear, Tommy running his hands all over her sexy body.

_Oh my goodness_ Katherine thought to herself. She didn't know what she wanted to do... is it time for this now? She wished she knew the answer. But now nearly naked and on top of Tommy, there was little time to think. She felt she may as well go with the flow. Tommy brushed Kat's long blonde hair away from her shoulders, to her back, and then gently touched the strap of Kat's bra. Gently pulling down one strap, then the next, Tommy had gotten his first glimpse of his girlfriend's bare breasts. They were rather nice, large too. The feeling between them was indescribable, Kat grabbing Tommy's right hand, and placing them between her breasts. She let him touch her for several seconds, sharing kisses-a-plenty.

"Beep beep beepbeep beep beep!" came the sound of Tommy's communicator from the coffee table.

_Darn it!_ The two thought to themselves. _Why now!?_ Letting Katherine slide off of him, Tommy knew he still had the responsibility of being a leader to the Power Ranger team. He slid off the bed, bent over, and took his communicator. Answering it, "yes Zordon?"

"Tommy, there is a disturbance out in the forest near your location," the mentor's voice came over the communicator. "You and Katherine must report to the Power Chamber as soon as possible."

Katherine, although hearing her mentor's voice loud and clear, suddenly felt a horrible feeling come upon her. _Oh gosh! Why did I do this? Now relax girl, you didn't quite do it yet, but you were close, but are you ready? Why strip down to nearly nothing and..._ Before thinking any more about what had nearly gone down, Katherine realized she was wearing nothing but her underwear, and quickly clasped her hands across her bare breasts. Picking up her bra and putting it back on, Katherine began re-suiting up into her crop-top and shorts. Her bare feet walking along the floor of the cabin, she slipped her sandles on and made sure she had covered herself up.

"Right away Zordon," Tommy answered. Slipping his tank top back on, Tommy found himself slightly dumbfounded. Looking back at Katherine, who was just finished putting her clothes back on, Tommy managed to utter out, "Kat, I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"I'm sorry too," Kat cut in. "I shouldn't have come on to you like that."

"No, it's not your fault, it was me who came on to you," Tommy tried to reassure her. "Look, I, um... do you think we were rushing into things?"

Katherine looked downwards towards the ground. "Maybe we are. Tommy, do you think... this was a mistake?"

"Of course not," Tommy said, putting an arm around her. "Being with you is never a mistake."

Katherine smiled at the comment. "Well, we've got a job to do right now."

"Yeah, let's get to it." Clicking a few buttons on each of their communicators, two streaks of red and pink light shot out of the cabin.

The streaks of pink and red crashed down into the Power Chamber. Tommy and Kat approached their mentor and Alpha 5.

"What's the problem?" Tommy asked.

"Disturbing news," Zordon said before filling them in on the facts. "The sleeping vampire, Black Venom has awaken." (You know the story) He informed them of the vampire's history and the dangers to watch out for, and eventually concluding with, "I would like for the two of you to journey into the forest and observe the situation. Morph if need be, defend yourselves with everything that you've got, but come back with the facts, don't start a war against him yet. A battle with Black Venom will need careful planning and the rest of the team. For now just go out and confirm his presence, and be careful. For if a vampire were to feast on human blood with it's venomous bite, that human being would become a vampire in due time. I can only hope you make it back safely. Be careful and may the power protect you."

"We'll be careful, Zordon," Tommy assured his mentor. "Let's go." Tommy and Kat teleported out of the Power Chamber

The streaks of red and pink shot down into the ground in the middle of the dark forest. Looking around them, Tommy and Katherine observed the setting around them. As expected, trees were everywhere, although they seemed haunted with the dark skies, and the strong wind breezing against their bodies. Katherine shivered and covered up her open stomach with her arms and tried to keep her hair in place. She wished she hadn't listened to Tanya and had worn longer shorts. Tommy tried to ignore the strong wind and the two of them looked around for a while. Searching past trees high and low, the couple found and heard nothing but the rattling of animals in the night. The trees seemed like giants all around them, just the thought of being out in the open, where any danger may approach, where anything can happen gave the pair an uneasy feeling. They had read the fairy tales about staying away from the forest, but they had a job to do.

"We're getting nowhere!" Tommy beamed, seemingly frustrated. "I mean, we can't see much out here and there's so much to search, I don't know where to start." His hair was getting messed up in the wind. He had felt just as uneasy feeling as Kat did, and realized they were standing relatively close to each other.

"Tommy, I'm scared," Kat admitted.

"Me too," he said back, touching her on the arm. "Look, let's get this over with and then we can go back." He opened up his arms and allowed Kat to come right into them, him wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," he tried to assure her. A bat flew by, flapping its wings and squeaking in the night, directly above them. Katherine let out a scream, Tommy clutching onto her and and pulling her head against his chest to comfort her, but he didn't know what was in store. The bat flapped its wings above them continuously, and then flew behind a bush. Seeing a bright glow and what appeared to be shapeshifting, the bat emerged into the hideous appearance of Black Venom, the vampire. Behind the bush and being so dark, Tommy and Katherine couldn't see him clearly. Tommy loosened his grip on Katherine somewhat, and just taking her by the hand, he approached the bush to where he had seen something. He came upon the spot where he expected to see something, but instead saw nothing but footprints along the ground. Something was obviously there just a few seconds ago, and had trailed off, probably not far.

For several seconds, nothing happened. Tommy continued to look around him, when suddenly, as he turned his back, a large figure tackled him from behind. Katherine heard Tommy hit the ground with a 'thud.'

"Tooommmyyyy!" Katherine exclaimed in concern. The vampire Black Venom had shown his face now, an unpleasant sight as he was standing over Tommy. Tommy, on his knees on the ground, looked up at his adversary.

"Humanssss..." the vampire hissed. "You dare enter this forest, and dare to show yourselves here."

Without saying a word, Tommy got to his knees and executed a low sweep kick, tripping Black Venom to the ground. Grabbing a loose branch from a tree, Tommy placed one foot on Black Venom's chest, and the edge of the long branch against the vampire's chin. Katherine shuddered back for a moment, but came up to stand next to Tommy.

"So you're Black Venom..." Tommy said slowly.

"Why of course I am," the vampire replied, as if nothing had happened. He swept the branch away from his chin and brushed away Tommy's leg from his chest, then lifted up both his legs and kicked Tommy square in the abdomen, knocking him back into Kat, who was behind him. Tommy quickly scurried to his feet and tried to help his girlfriend, but Black Venom was quick to attack. The Red Ranger used a spin kick to try to keep his foe back, but it merely angered him. The vampire lunged forward, attempting to tackle Tommy, but was unsuccessful as Tommy tumbled backwards. As he looked up, suddenly, Black Venom had disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Katherine questioned, looking around.

Tommy responded, "I've got no idea, stay alert." Black Venom re-emered from a bush behind Tommy and at a quick speed, clobbered Tommy from behind with a tackle, and, laying over top of the Red Ranger now, Black Venom clasped a powerful hand onto Tommy's neck, beginning to choke him out. Surprised by the ambush, Tommy was unable to fight back in the downed position, trying to throw his opponent to the side, but the vampire was too strong.

"Now to suck your blood!" the vampire taunted.

"Leave him alone!" Katherine yelled, leaping forward and jumping onto the back of the vampire, trying to pry him off. The vampire let go of the red ranger and now concentrated on the seductive female attacking him. With her forearms wrapped around his neck choking him and her legs around his back, he reached up and grabbing her by face and hair, pulled her over his head to the front, slamming her back-first against the ground. Black Venom now stood over the fallen Pink Ranger.

"You may have saved your mate, young woman, but you haven't saved yourself!" the vampire now clasped a hand around the back of Kat's neck, and opening his mouth wide to expose his long fangs, he began to approach his mouth to her neck.

"NNOOOOOOO!!!" Tommy wailed. He was quick to the defense of his girlfriend, hitting a flying kick into the side of Black Venom's face. Now enraged, Tommy lay over top of the vampire. He grabbed his enemy by the hair with his left hand, and, forgetting the basics of karate not to hurt an opponent, he used a clenched fist and began beating at the face of the vampire, repeatedly. He continued the pounding until he himself had a bloody fist, smacking the vampire with powerful right hands. "Damn you!" Tommy shrieked.

Katherine was getting up to her feet, "Tommy stop! We've gotta get out of here!" she remembered Zordon's orders to leave at the sight of danger and report back.

But Tommy at first didn't listen. A night with Kat had made him realize how much he cared for her, and with the way Black Venom attacked her, he wasn't about to let it happen. After a short while, Tommy got up and backed off. Black Venom appeared unconscious, almost dead, yet... his skin was so hard that he didn't bleed. Tommy's fist however was now covered in blood. He had busted and bruised his own knuckles while punching the vampire.

"Oh no, Tommy, your hand," Katherine said, seeing his fist. "Let's go."

"I'll be fine," he answered. "And we can't let this guy run loose around here. It's too late to go back to Zordon now. We've gotta stop him here and now. Shift into Turbo!"

Tommy quickly pulled out his turbo shifter, but before he could utter out the command to morph, the vampire suddenly sat up at lightning speed, and using his hand in a single motion, swept the turbo shifter right out of Tommy's hand, causing him to drop it. Katherine then tried to morph to help Tommy, but the vampire slapped her in the face, and she hit the ground and dropped the key to her turbo shifter.

"Pathetic!" Black Venom screeched. Grabbing Tommy with both hands wrapped around his neck, Black Venom lifted him up and pinned him against the trunk of a tree. The vampire opened up his mouth... and sunk his teeth right into the flesh of Tommy's neck. Tommy screamed, but it was too late.

"NNNNOOOOOOO!" Katherine wailed.

Before anything else could happen, Black Venom turned back into a bat and flew off into the night. Tommy collapsed into the ground, unconscious. Katherine had already picked up hers and Tommy's turbo shifters, and then dropped to her knees on the ground beside him. She touched his face, but he was cold. She then tried to take a pulse, and to her relief, was a slow, but present heartbeat.

She found herself beginning to cry, "How could this happen?" she lay her head down against his chest, and the tears continued to come down the side of her face. She clutched onto his body with her arms, but she knew there was nothing she could do now. He had done everything to save her, but fell victim to the vampire. Suddenly her communicator rang. She was slow to answer.

"Katherine," Zordon's voice came up loud and clear. "Hurry up and teleport you and Tommy back to the Power Chamber before anything else happens." Without answering, Kat tried to lift Tommy's big body with one arm, and then clicked a few coordinates before they teleported away.

"Victory is OURS!" Divatox said in celebration. "The leader of the Power Rangers has been defeated, and the rest are soon to follow!"

Porto was standing next to her. "What a pretty sight it was to see Black Venom suck blood from Tommy and leave the Pink Ranger in a state of dismay. Where do we go from here?"

"Nowhere," Divatox answered. "At least for now. Let's see how the vampire fairs when the other rangers join the heat of the battle."

Katherine teleported into the Power Chamber with Tommy's unconscious body. Adam, Tanya and Justin streaked in there on after, after being informed by Alpha over the communicator about what had just happened. Tommy dropped to the ground, with Kat still holding on to him.

"What do we do?" Justin asked.

"Rangers, we must do everything we can to save Tommy."

Tanya looked up at Zordon, "Is he..."

"No," Zordon assured to the other rangers' relief. "But with the venom now in his system, within a few hours, Tommy will... become a vampire. Katherine, I'm sorry."

"Isn't there something we can do?" Katherine said, still slightly crying. Alpha opened up the door at the back of the Power Chamber, a lab where Billy used to work in. Now that he was no longer around, the back room was used as a storage area for supplies. A furnishing similar to a hospital bed lay in the center of the back room. Adam brought Tommy to his feet, and managed to carry him over, and lay him down on the bed.

"For now, we can only hope for the best," Zordon said, not knowing what else to say.

The rangers gathered around Tommy's bed. Adam grabbed a bandage from the room and wrapped up Tommy's bloody hand. Zordon advised the rangers to stay away from the wound on his neck where the vampire had bitten him. For a few minutes, the other four rangers just stood speechless around him.

"He saved my life," Katherine said, holding his non-bloody hand.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Tanya asked her best friend.

"I hope so."

"We've gotta put an end to this," Adam said. "If only there were a way we could save him."

Tommy's eyes slowly opened up, the rest of the rangers hushing as he slowly regained consciousness. Seeing his friends around him, Tommy reached up and touched Kat's face gently.

"Kat..." he said softly.

A weak smile came across her face, "Tommy, oh thank gosh you're okay!"

"Don't worry man, we're gonna try and find a way to save you," Adam encouraged his friend. "If it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna make sure Black Venom pays for this!"

"Adam," Tommy weakly uttered out. "Don't go after him. It's too dangerous."

"After what he did to you!?" Adam was furious.

"Not yet," Tommy tried to command, but was ready to pass out again. "One way only... to save me," he had a hard time speaking.

_How does Tommy know how to save himself from this?_ Justin thought. "How?" he asked.

"Sam... Trueheart," Tommy could speak nothing more than a low, weak voice. "Told me one day... how to stop this..."

"How?" Kat said, almost pleading, still holding on to his left hand.

Not answering her question, Tommy felt himself beginning to slip into unconsciousness once again. Again touching Katherine's face, and brushing her long hair back, he managed to weakly say the words... "I love you." His head fell back and he was once again asleep.

"I love you too," Katherine said, although she knew he couldn't hear her. She felt herself about to burst into tears once again, but hesitated. _Be strong, Kat, be strong!_ The rest of the team paused with the look of love that for a split second had occurred between the Red and Pink Rangers.

"Rangers," Zordon gathered the team together. "We have no other ultimatum. Go to the reserves on the outside of Angel Grove, and go visit the Indian cheif who sent Tommy on his vision quest, Sam Trueheart. He possibly may know the answer."

The 4 rangers teleported out of the Power Chamber.

Streaks of Green, Blue, Pink and Yellow shot down into the reserves of Angel Grove, to the outside of where Sam Trueheart's tribe lived. Tommy's brother, David spotted the rangers as the approached the village, and was quick to meet them. However, he found it peculiar his brother's friends would be here but not Tommy himself, especially at this time of night. It was only the fire that was set up that allowed him to see them.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" David asked the team.

"It's a long story," Tanya explained. "We need to speak to your father, Sam."

"I'll get him, where's Tommy?"

"It's a long story," responded Adam. "We'll fill you in later."

A few moments passed as David went to find Sam Trueheart. Sam arrived shortly afterwards, and the rangers filled he and David in on what had transpired.

Back at the Power Chamber, Alpha engaged in a conversation with Zordon.

"Alpha, try and lock down Black Venom's coordinates," Zordon commanded. "If the rangers return, I fear what may happen, but for now just locate the villain before he gets too far."

"Right away," Alpha obeyed his orders, then stopped to ask, "Wait, Zordon. Do you KNOW how Tommy can be saved? Is there any way at all? You of all beings should know"

"Alpha, there is a way. But I sent the rangers to visit Sam Trueheart for he knows what to do as well, and I feel that Tommy's family deserves to know what is going on," the mentor answered.

"Then how do we save him?"

"Alpha," Zordon said. "I'm not ready to risk another ranger's life in a situation like this. It is up to her on whether or not she is willing to do this."

"You're confusing me," Alpha said with all due respect. "Who do you mean by 'her' and you haven't answered my question."

"All will be revealed soon, Alpha."

"So Black Venom is loose," Sam Trueheart said at the conclusion of what the rangers had just told him.

"My brother's gonna become a vampire?" David was concerned.

"Do not panic, David," Sam tried not to let the young man worry. "This has happened before."

The rangers and David looked at Sam dumbfoundedly.

"Well let me explain," offered the chief. "Over 300 years ago, a great ancestor of mine was confronted by Black Venom. My ancestor was a brave warrior, but the powerful vampire was too much for him to handle. Black Venom injected his venom into my ancestor, who was in the same situation as Tommy is in now."

"Then... was your ancestor saved?" Adam asked.

"It was a slim chance," Trueheart answered. "But yes. There is only one way to save a man from the wrath of the venom. A superstition believes that nothing can overcome the power of love. Love is the root of all life. It leads to happiness and an end to many problems. My ancestor was saved by his wife, his one true love. Only a kiss onto the lips of the victim may save him from becoming a vampire," he paused for a moment before continuing. "It is believed that every human being has a soul mate. That soul mate is like a part of him or her. The woman of Tommy's dreams, his one true love, his one true soul mate is the only one that can save him now. A kiss, a simple, long, passionate kiss, one with meaning, one with love is his only hope now."

All eyes stared at Katherine.

"But it's not that simple," Same Trueheart was sad to break bad news. "There is a bad side to this. If the kiss doesn't come from his true love, if it were any other woman in this world, that woman would suffer the same fate. It can go either way, his one lover's love is the only thing powerful enough to save him. For if it weren't his soul mate, then the one whom kisses him may become a vampire as well. A woman would be risking everything to save her mate in a situation like this."

For several minutes, no one spoke. They mearly glanced at one another, mostly at Kat, who had sat down on a rock with her head hung low.

"Kat..." Adam's voice drifted off as he didn't finished the sentence.

"We know it's gonna be hard for you," Tanya said. "But are you ready to do this?"

"I..." Kat was slow to finish, "I don't know."

"We'll understand if you don't want to," Justin tried to help her.

"No, I can't leave him like this," Katherine demanded. "Look, something has to be done," she had made her decision. "I've got to try, but I'm just not sure."

"Not sure of what?" Adam questioned.

"That, well," _Adam should have known the answer_ Kat thought. "What if I'm really not meant for him?"

"And then you become a vampire," Justin warned.

Now she was in a dilemma. This was the hardest decision of her life, and she was destined to find out if Tommy and her were meant to be together. It had to happen, she had to know. What if he hadn't gotten over Kimberly and had never told her? What if there's another woman in his life? Nonetheless, Kat felt if she didn't try, she would go on for the rest of her life wondering.

"I'll do it," Kat finally said.

Tanya shot a concerned look at her, "are you sure?"

"Yes. I know it's a big risk, but I've gotta take that chance, to save him, like he did for me. I owe so much to him," Katherine summoned up the courage. "But I'm still not sure if we're meant to be..."

"Katherine," Sam Trueheart said to her softly, crouching down beside her. "If you love him so deeply as to risk yourself to save him, and if you feel deep down inside you that you are meant to be... then you really are his one true love," he paused for a moment. "I have faith in you, and Tommy will be counting on you. I can only hope that you have the faith in yourself. Be strong... be strong..."

"You're right," Kat stood up.

"He's already told you that he loves you," Adam said. "Now it's up to you to return that love."

"This has to be done before he fully becomes a vampire, otherwise all is lost," Sam added.

"Well I've got a job to do," Katherine clicked a few buttons on her communicator. "Let's get to it. Thanks Mr. Trueheart." Kat and the other rangers teleported back to the Power Chamber.

Four streaks shot down into the Power Chamber just moments later. By then, Zordon had already told Alpha the whole story. The rangers hurried over to the back room where Tommy lay, still unconscious, they gathered around his bed. Tommy's skin was now a pale white. His fingernails were becoming slightly longer, the fangs in his mouth beginning to form and his hair slightly darkening. The metamorphosis was already underway, and there wasn't much time left.

"It's now or never," Adam wanted to get this over with just as much as Kat was.

"Right," Kat answered. She brushed her long blonde hair back, and closed her eyes, thinking about Tommy touching her earlier on and telling her he loved her. Katherine bent down, a hand placed to either side of Tommy's face, and she gently pressed her lips against his. She felt her heart pounding ever so quickly, she was scared of what may happen.

The other rangers watched in anticipation, as Kat passionately kissed Tommy for several seconds. She then lifted her head up, and looked down at Tommy. The team waited several moments for a reaction.

Suddenly, Tommy's skin once again grew back to it's original color, the long nails and fangs disappearing, his hair returning to dark brown. His eyes shot open, and a smile came across Kat's face. Tommy was back to normal. He sat up and stared at Katherine, blankly. He had dreamt about her just momentarily, and he knew what she had done to save him. He was now saved, all knew it. He got up and flung himself towards Katherine, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her again. The rest of the ranger team just watched, tears of joy coming down their faces.

"Thank you," Tommy said to who he now knew as his soul mate.

"That was very brave of you, Kat," Zordon complimented.

"Thanks Zordon," she replied. She and Tommy had an arm around each other, thinking that everything was over now, that is, until the alarm sounded. On the viewing globe shown was Black Venom, terrorizing the streets at night, citizens flocking away. Two torpedoes came down at him, obviously fired by Divatox, and the vampire grew to full size, now trashing buildings.

"Rangers, I know this is a very special time, but now you must stop Black Venom from ruining the city," Zordon ordered.

"Right away," Tommy answered. "Shift into Turbo!"

"Mountain Blaster Turbo Power!"

"Desert Thunder Turbo Power!"

"Dune Star Turbo Power!"

"Wind Chaswer Turbo Power!"

"Red Lightning Turbo Power!"

5 streaks of light shot into downtown Angel Grove. The rangers were quick to confront Black Venom. They had to hold him back at least until dawn. It was now 5:48 am, the sun would surely come up by 6:00.

"I've got a score to settle with you!" Tommy bellowed, pointing at the monster. "We need TurboZord power now!" The rangers teleported into their zords, and with a few fancy contractions, they merged into the Turbo Megazord.

"So you're back for more," Black Venom screeched. "I'll suck the enery from your zords, and then your blood!" he taunted, charging up at them and striking the Megazord with his claws, knocking it over. The Turbo Megazord swung its powerful arm and knocked Black Venom aside, then stood back to its fighting stance. For several minutes, they engaged in battle, Black Venom getting the upper hand, slamming the zord against several buildings.

"We've gotta do something!" Justin exclaimed.

"Backup power's failing," Adam reported.

"Everybody brace yourselves!" commanded Tommy as Black Venom came swooping down, crashing at them and digging his powerful nails into the zord. The vampire was attempting to inflict permanent damage into the Megazord, heaving it up high over its head, and slamming it down onto the streets again. The Turbo Megazord was by far no match for what the vampire was capable of doing. The minutes ticked by as Black Venom continued to slaughter the powerful zord.

It was only moments later before the sun came peaking over the hills in the distance. The clock had struck 6 am. The vampire was exposed to light for the first time in 300 years, exempting the moonlight of the night.

"AAAAAHHHHH! I was so close! Not the sun!" Black Venom shrieked.

The Turbo Megazord had recieved a massive amount of damages, but was just barely able to stand. "You're finished now!" Tommy taunted. The Turbo Megazord drew out it's sabre, and took a slice at Black Venom, the zord's first offense since the battle began 12 minutes ago. "Turbo Megazord SPIN OUT!!!" Tommy commanded. With the command, the zord spun around at hyper speed towards the vampire, striking it and causing the vampire to hit the ground and explode. The battle was over, Black Venom was defeated. The rangers celebrated their victory. Tommy gave Katherine a long hug.

The Turbo team had all gone home for a good rest after what had just transpired over the past night. It was an experience they would never forget, especially Tommy and Kat. The pair now walked back to the cabin they had been staying at by the lake, holding hands, coming down the winding trail to its doorstep.

"I never realized how much you meant to me until now," Tommy said, looking straight into Kat's eyes. "You've always been there for me, through thick and through thin. I'll never forget everything you've done for me, from being there to comfort me when I had broken up with Kimberly, all those times in battle, and most of all saving me," he stopped for a moment. "For as long as I have lived, I've always knew that there was somebody out there for me, the one that I love, the one that I care for and want to be with for the rest of my life. I've had this feeling of passion around you ever since the day I first met you at the Youth Center. I'm glad I found you...."

"The feeling's mutual, Tommy," Kat assured him. "You've put yourself on the line to save me so many times as well. Things I'll never forget is you diving into that waterfall to save me, fighting for me and everything else. We've been through so much, and I'm grateful for everything you've done."

Touching her hand, Tommy looked straight into Katherine's eyes, Tommy uttered out the words, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kat answered. The two walked back into the cabin arm in arm, closing the door behind them.

They did not come out for several hours.

End