Trey and Kim stood in the airport, staring at one another. The other Rangers were starting to shift a little uncomfortably, wondering why they were staring into one another's eyes like they were. Tommy cleared his throat a little, but neither the former Pink Ranger nor the Gold Ranger so much as looked up.

"Ummm...," Kat tried to get their attention. "We do sort of need to get your bags and head for Tommy's, Kim."

"Okay," Kim murmured, not removing her eyes from Trey for so much as a second. "If you say so."

Rocky, Adam, and Tanya picked up Kim's bags and headed for Tommy's car while the two new lovebirds slowly took one another's hands and began to walk out. "I'm Trey of Triforia," Trey said quietly. "I have seen you in my dreams for a thousand years."

Kim smiled softly. "I've seen you in mine, too. Though not quite for that long," she replied. The rest of the world didn't seem to matter; both of them vaguely sensed the fact they were going somewhere else, but they were still together, so it didn't seem to matter. "What does that mean? And that..whatever it was we saw."

"The silver cord," Trey told her. "It is a legend of my people that those who see it binding them are soulmates, meant to be for all time. But...never has it been between people of two entirely different worlds."

Kim's eyes widened. "Will that...be a problem?" Despite having first met him under thirty minutes earlier, she was not willing to be parted from him at any time in the near future. And for Kim at that moment, where he was concerned, the near future meant any time in the next few trillion years.

"No," Trey said firmly. "I'd like to take you back to meet my parents sometime soon, and you'll have to be presented to the people as my future Queen, but they won't mind once I tell them about the Cord."

"Good." Kim smiled. "I feel like I waited my entire life for you, Trey."

"I know I waited my entire life for you," he replied, caressing his hand over hers. A faint blush touched her cheeks, and she ducked her head a little. She had never felt like this before, with Tommy or anyone else.

Trey slowly put his arms all the way around her, and Kim leaned back to enjoy the strange strength of him. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel small or weak or helpless, as if she were something that needed protecting. She felt supported, not sheltered. Companioned, not dominated. She had loved Tommy to distraction, but she had always felt as if he were in the spotlight of everything, while she was nothing more than the cute girl by his side. She had wanted to go to the Pan-Globals not just to fulfill her dream, but to take the chance to shine for herself.

I love him. The words echoed in her mind over and over and she felt a deep warmth filling her entire body at the thought. Everything she had lived for had prepared her for this moment. She gazed up at Trey's face and realized she was ready.

Trey glanced down at her, and smiled. It had been so very long since he'd even looked at a female with anything but friendliness. But now, looking at Kimberly Hart, he knew his life was complete. Even if the silver cord hadn't bound them, he sensed he would love her. Her courage, her heart, and her wisdom matched his own, and he could hardly wait for his people to get to know her.

I wonder. Something occurred to him, and he made a decision in a moment. It would be something that none of his people would ever disagree with. If she could take it. If it took to her. I'll ask her later. When we're more settled.

"Are you and Tommy happy?" Kim spoke first, breaking the near-tense silence between the two.

Kat smiled. "Very. But that's old news. What sort of looks are you and Trey giving each other?" she hadn't known the true Gold Ranger that long, but in that time, she had never seen him looking at a female or male the way he was at Kimberly. From what few conversations that they'd had, she'd learned very little of Triforian mating customs, but she was almost positive that 'staring mindlessly into your chosen's eyes' wasn't anywhere on the list.

"I love him," Kim said it simply and matter of factly. "I was born for him and he was born for me. That's all there is to it."

The Pink Zeo Ranger frowned. "You don't even know him." Since when did that stop true love? You fell in love with Tommy the first moment you saw him, spell or no spell.

"So?" Kim shrugged. "We're skipping all the stuff like getting to know you." Quickly she explained about the silver cord binding the two of them, and Kat raised an eyebrow. She'd heard quite a bit of unusual things over the last few years, but that had to be one of the more impressive.

"Quite a welcome home present," Kat admitted. Kim's answering smile was just as delighted as her own was. "Have you thought about how your mom is going to react?"

Kim couldn't help but grin even wider. "I think she's going to have a lot to adjust to. There's no way I can tell her about Trey without letting her know that I was a Ranger, really. I'm going to have to talk to Zordon about it..." her eyes went distant for a moment, then refocused. "That can wait, though. She's still in France, so I'll just wait until she comes home for Christmas."

She bounced up suddenly. "Come on! I have a new boyfriend to get to know!" she grinned widely. "And I want to find out more details on what's going on, where Jason and Billy are, and everything else!"

Kat grinned and got up. She had the feeling that things were just starting to change now that Kim was back and in love with Trey. Yes, things were just now starting to change.

The Triforian Ranger glanced up at him, and smiled. "That does not end my nervousness, Tommy. I have something very important I wish to discuss with her, and the longer I wait, the more concerned I grow that something will interfere."

Adam tilted his head a little. "What do you want to ask her?" The Green Zeo Ranger had heard of whirlwind courtships, but he was seriously hoping that Trey wasn't going to be proposing this soon!

"I don't want to say right now," Trey looked up at the stairs, and his entire body seemed to light up as Kim and Kat came down. Like two magnets drawn by a powerful force, the two girls split apart, Kat going over to Tommy and Kim making a bee line to Trey. "But I do now."

Kim looked curious. "Trey?"

The Prince stood up, taking her hand in his. "Kimberly, I love you and I want to be with you forever. But all of my people, even with the Silver Cord, might not accept you. Unless..." he looked at her and she frowned.

"Unless?"

"There is a long-standing tradition that if there is any question about the suitability of an heir or the heir's choice in mates, they can attempt to claim one of the two powers that have been kept in the royal family for untold millennia." Trey took a deep breath. "I never spoke of them because the Silver Zeo Ranger powers are only capable of being used by a female. If they could've been used otherwise, I would have told them to your friend Billy."

Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking of Billy, then Trey continued. "I can take you to Triforia, Kim, and you can attempt to claim the Silver Zeo powers. If you can claim them, there will be no objections from any faction...and there are many...to you and I marrying one day."

Kim looked at him for a moment. There was no decision to be made. It wasn't the power she wanted. It was just the chance to marry Trey one day. "Yes, Trey. I will try."

He wrapped his arms around her once again, slowly bending his head until he could lay a gentle kiss upon her lips. Kim returned it with all of her soul, knowing he had given her a new chance not only to be a Ranger, but to love someone, and be loved in return. And a chance was all she had ever wanted.