Pink Surprise

Disclaimer: Yup, it’s the same disclaimer every time. Don’t you get tired of reading these things? Oh well, I don’t own Power Rangers!

Timeline: Set during the last segment of “Stakeout” and a little bit after ;)

Summary: Syd receives a special present for her birthday. The problem is, who sent it?

Note: The idea for this story popped into my head right after I saw the episode “Stakeout” and I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. It’s a little pointless but I think I’ll have tons of fun writing it! Stay tuned for chapter 2!

With that said, readers should also note that most of this story is based on Nicolas Sparks's Book 'The Gaurdian' -it's an excellent book and I will be taking some scenes from this story. What you see here and what you see in the book is just that and I don't own anything concerning The Gaurdian. This story is written out purely for entertainment purposes.

x-x-x-x-x

“Surprise!”

Syd shrieked with happiness as her fellow teammates, and other various SPD members jumped out from behind the white fence.

“Happy Birthday Syd!”

The pink ranger laughed and ran towards Jack, engulfing him in an exuberant hug. Releasing Jack, she quickly turned around and hugged Bridge, whom she noted looked very adorable in a tie. Her eyes lit up with delight as she spotted a two layered cake, cupcakes decorated with pink icing surrounding it. “I love you guys!”

Jack followed her as the pink ranger went to inspect her cake. Stopping next to the table, Jack didn’t hesitate to apologize. “I’m sorry for making you work yesterday. I never knew birthdays were such a big deal. I thought I could make it up to you by throwing you the birthday party you never got to have.”

The pink ranger grinned. “Thanks Jack! Now I have a gift for you.” Syd reached for a cupcake and carefully stuck a candle into it. “Half my birthday. It would make me really happy if you’d share it with me.”

The red ranger was stunned for a moment. “You mean, every year on this day, it’ll be my birthday too?”

Syd nodded. “Yeah, and if you know what you’re doing, you can milk it for a WHOLE week!”

Jack laughed. “Awesome!”

The two rangers shared a smile and another hug before moving to join the party.

x-x-x-x-x

An hour later, Syd sat happily on the bench as the she watched everyone having a good time. It was pretty funny watching Commander Cruger dancing with Kat. The big blue dog’s tail kept hitting Kat’s legs every time he turned. Jack was sitting at a table, chatting with Sam and Piggy, while Bridge and Z were dancing as well.

A shadow loomed over her and the pink ranger glanced up to see Sky towering over her. “Hey,” the blue ranger moved and sat down beside her. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks Sky!” Syd grinned and playfully pouted. “Do I get a birthday hug?”

Sky gave her an amused glance and held out his arms. Blushing pink, Syd felt her heart pound rapidly as she fell into his arms. She closed her eyes and savored the moment as Sky briefly held her. The moment passed and she was disappointed when Sky released her.

A moment of silence passed before Syd spoke up. “So why are you wearing your uniform at a party?” she asked, and then teased, “Do you wear it to sleep too?”

Sky shrugged, avoiding her question. He then grinned and held out his hand. “Hey, you want to dance?”

A delighted smile graced her lips and she took his hand. “I’d love too!”

Sky stood up and led her over to the grassy area where Bridge and Z and several other cadets were bopping to the music. The pink and blue rangers quickly joined in. A few minutes later, swing music began to play.

Sky looked at Syd. “Do you know how to swing dance?”

Syd nodded, wondering where this conversation was going. “Yeah, my mom-“

She never got to finish her sentence as Sky grabbed her hand and pulled her into the dance sequence. She was more than impressed as Sky began leading her into the complicated dance steps. Syd quickly caught onto his lead and pretty soon they were at the center of attention. Everyone gathered around and watched as Sky and Syd dance with each other. It was astounding to watch, they had not seen such chemistry before.

Once the song was over, both rangers were startled to the sudden applause that had started. They glanced at each other, and Sky shrugged, blushing red. Syd laughed. They both had been having too much fun to notice that people had been watching them.

“I didn’t know you guys could dance like that,” Z remarked, as the small crowd dispersed. Bridge and Jack had joined them as well.

“My mother taught me when I was little,” Syd replied, “I’ve always loved dancing.”

“What about you Sky?” Bridge asked, “You danced totally awesome. I didn’t think you were the type to dance.”

“Totally didn’t see that one coming,” Jack added.

Sky flushed a dark red. “My dad forced me to learn,” the blue ranger muttered, “when I was younger, whenever I would complain about the dance lessons, he would always say, ‘dancing always attracts the ladies, you’ll thank me someday’. I’ve had dance lessons ever since I can remember.”

“Awesome!” Syd piped up excitedly. “We should go dancing sometime Sky! I’ve always wanted to go, but I’ve never been able to find a partner that could dance.”

Bridge, Z, and Jack raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances with one another. Syd’s suggestion had sounded like she was inviting Sky out on a date.

If possible, Sky blushed even redder. “Sure,” he mumbled, “my dad always gets these invitations to parties and stuff, and being a business man, he also has to throw parties of his own. They always involve dancing. I’ll write home and ask for an invitation for the next party okay?”

“Yay! Thanks Sky! This has been my best birthday yet!” Syd cheerfully told the group. “Thanks for the great party you guys, nothing could make this day get any better!”

x-x-x-x-x

Syd hummed happily as she stepped out of the shower. Slipping into her bathrobe, Syd wrapped a towel around her damp hair and headed out into the room she shared with Z. She sat down in front of her dresser and began drying her hair, while observing her reflection. Suddenly, she stopped as she spotted something and turned around to face her bed.

There, sitting innocently on her pillow, was a small box wrapped in pink with a white bow, along with the prettiest pink rose she had ever seen. Syd leapt up from her chair, forgetting all about her hair for the moment and quickly ran over to her bed. Picking up the flower first, Syd delicately felt the rose petals. ‘It’s so pretty!’

Syd sat at the edge of her bed, placing the rose back on her pillow and reached for the box. Inspecting it carefully, she found a small label tied to the bow with her name on it. Yup, it was definitely for her. Carefully, she unwrapped the box and lifted the lid, only to see another box lying inside. Taking out that box, she lifted the velvet lid and gasped in surprise at what she found.

A simple, but very beautiful, silver necklace lay in the middle of the box, a small pink gemstone hanging from the silver chain.

Picking up the necklace gently, Syd held it closer to her face. Who could’ve gotten her such a beautiful gift? Lowering her hand, she looked around to see if she had gotten some kind of note. A few seconds later, she spotted a small white piece of paper that must’ve fluttered to the ground when she was unwrapping the gift. Picking it up, she read:

Happy Birthday Sydney!

A beautiful rose for a very beautiful lady and a necklace fit for a princess. I hope you like these gifts gorgeous. Make your birthday a good one.

Beautiful? Gorgeous? Syd was heavily blushing. No one had ever called her those words before. But the main question on her mind was: Who had gotten her such a wonderful gift?

x-x-x-x-x

Bridge and Z were sitting on the couch watching Jack and Sky play video games, when Syd came bursting into the room.

“Whoa,” Bridge held up his hands, as Syd took a moment to catch her breath. “Where’s the fire?”

The pink ranger ignored his question as she looked at Z. By now, Jack and Sky had stopped playing their game and watched Syd with interest. “Z, did you see anyone come into our room while I was in the shower?”

The yellow ranger shrugged. “I couldn’t tell ya. I’ve been out here the whole time. Why, what’s up?”

“Someone left this on my bed,” Syd held up the necklace, “with no name on the note. I’m guessing it’s a birthday present because the note did say ‘happy birthday’. I want to thank whoever gave this to me.”

“Wow,” Bridge remarked, taking the necklace from the pink ranger and inspecting it. “This must’ve cost a fortune!”

“Syd has a secret admirer!” Jack teased gleefully.

Syd took the delicate chain back from the green ranger and stared at it as it dangled from her hand. Did she really have a secret admirer? Sydney felt her heart slowly sinking. If she did have a secret admirer, she would have to reject him.

She was already in love with someone else.

Syd let out a bored sigh as the man across from her droned on and on. Taking a bite out of her salad, the pink ranger silently cursed her parents for forcing her to go on this date, telling her that it would be ‘good’ for her social image. ‘Like I care about my social image,’ the pink ranger thought. Although he was wealthy, Richard was boring. It was too bad her parents thought highly of him and had often disapproved of the men she chose to go out with. Syd inwardly shrugged. She didn’t care what her parents thought. She didn’t care that other people from their social standing thought that her job as SPD was not suitable for their kind of people. She loved what she did and she loved the feeling of knowing that she was helping the world become a better place. She didn’t care about the money (even though it was nice to have), she didn’t care for the gossip that went around and she certainly didn’t care about the snobbish attitudes that everyone in her neighborhood seemed to have. Sometimes it sucked growing up in a high class society.

Syd was bored out of her mind.

Pushing her food around her plate with her fork, Syd let her mind wander. After she had received the necklace, she had debated whether or not she should wear the piece of jewelry. After much thought, Sydney decided that she would wear the necklace. After all, it was a birthday present wasn’t it? Just because she had received a present from a mysterious person, didn’t mean she had a secret admirer right?

However, she was proved wrong. A couple of days after she started wearing the necklace, she received another package. This time, the gift contained a dainty bracelet to match her necklace. The bracelet had proved to Syd that she indeed had a secret admirer and while she was flattered at the special attention, she refused to wear the bracelet. She didn’t want to encourage her admirer anymore than she had too. There was room for only one person in her heart, and that was Sky.

But if the gifts were from Sky……

Sydney couldn’t even begin to imagine how happy she would be.

“So what do you think?”

“Huh?” Syd was shaken out of her thoughts as Richard looked at her expectantly. He had obviously just asked her a question, problem was, she had no clue what. She decided to take a shot in the dark. “Oh, um… yes?”

Apparently it was the right thing to say.

Richard nodded, delighted at her answer. “Exactly what I thought!”

The pink ranger sighed in relief and nodded, pretending to be interested as he continued on talking. Her mind began wandering again. She couldn’t wait to get back to the Academy… maybe when she got back; she would go looking for her blue ranger to see what he was doing and offer to keep him company…

A loud beeping interrupted her daydream and once again she was pulled out of her thoughts.

Richard reached into his pocket and withdrew a pager. The beefy man frowned. “I’m sorry Sydney,” Richard began, “I’m going to have to end our dinner date early. They are calling me in for an important last minute business meeting.”

Syd tried her best to look disappointed (it was hard when all she wanted to do was jump for joy), “It’s alright.”

Richard gave her an apologetic look. “I’ll make it up to you.”

Panic filled her as she desperately tried to think of an excuse, “Uh, sure… if I’m not busy working or something.”

The man’s mouth wrinkled in distasted at the mention of her job. He clearly thought that women were too weak to be on the police force. “Well… will you make it home alright?”

Syd nodded, anger apparent in her eyes while she tried to keep her voice neutral, “I’m an SPD officer. I can handle it.”

Richard nodded and quickly paid the bill. With a wave, he turned and left. The pink ranger let out a sigh of relief, quickly finishing her salad before gathering up her things to leave. As she was heading towards the door, she unexpectedly collided with someone. A pair of hands reached out to keep her from falling.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Syd gushed, embarrassed for not being more careful. She looked up, hoping the other person wouldn’t be too annoyed. Her blue eyes widened in shock. “Sky?”

x-x-x-x-x

Sky was disgusted. How could someone be so self-absorbed? This was the worst date he had ever been on. And that was saying a lot. ‘This is the LAST time I do any favors for dad!’

The night before, Sky had received a phone call from his father, begging Sky to take out a client’s daughter, so they could do ‘business.’

Flashback

“I know you hate doing this son,” his father pleaded, “and I hate doing this to you, but I can’t think of anything else! Can you please take Jessica out?”

Sky groaned. “Dad, you say this every single time! And every single time, the girls are just mindless bimbos that chatter about nothing but themselves.”

“Please? It’ll only be for a couple of hours. And besides, you don’t have a girlfriend. What could it hurt?”

The blue ranger rolled his eyes as he cradled the phone to his shoulder. “My sanity.”

“Sky! Please?”

“Dad, those girls are annoying, shallow and unintelligent. I don’t even want to sit at a dinner with a mindless bimbo for even a minute. What makes you think I’ll last a couple of hours without blowing my temper? I’ll be bored out of my mind!”

“It’ll be three hours tops, I promise!”

Sky hesitated, deciding to help his father out and already regretting the thought. “Three hours?” He could last that long right? ‘Nope,’ Sky decided, ‘I can’t. But I’ll do it for dad.’

“Three hours,” his father confirmed.

“Alright fine. Three hours. Not a minute more. If it gets to a point where I can’t take it anymore, I’m ditching.”

His father sighed in relief. “I’ll take what I can get. Thank you Schuyler.”

End Flashback

Sky bit back a groan. Sometimes he wished he didn’t idolize his father so much. The blue ranger tried to pay attention to the stream of chatter that Jessica was keeping up.

“And that’s what happened at my senior prom. Of course Linda Manes was SO not happy that I made Prom Queen, but you know how it goes,” the blonde flashed what she thought was a charming smile, “the best always win.”

Sky nodded. Reaching up he rubbed his forehead. Sheesh, this woman could talk a lot, he was beginning to get a headache. She was the usual, typically spoiled, snotty daughter of a successful business man. In a way, Jessica reminded him of Syd. They were both blonde and full of chatter, but that was where the similarities end. While Jessica was superficial and cared about her image and nails, Syd was fun (well, she cared about her image and nails too, but to a certain extent) and Sky knew he would be able to talk about anything with her. He most certainly wouldn’t be bored.

Glancing at his watch, the time read: 7:59pm. Only twenty-nine minutes had passed? The blue ranger bit back another groan. He must’ve lost as least half his brain cells just listening to Jessica’s mindless chatter.

“And that was how I got my nails done…..”

The blue ranger snapped. ‘That’s it! I can’t take this anymore! Even Syd doesn’t go this far!’ Sky cleared his throat and gave a fake smile. The woman in front of him stopped talking and looked at him. “I’m sorry Jessica, but I forgot to finish something for work. I have to leave,” Sky knew he was being rude, but at the moment he just didn’t care. He quickly threw some money on the table and left before Jessica even had a chance to say anything.

He was so focused on getting out of the restaurant that he didn’t notice someone else was also heading towards the doors in a hurry. They crashed. Sky managed to regain his balance and quickly reached out to steady the young woman in front of him. Her blonde hair covered her face as she blurted out, “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Regaining her footing, she looked up. Brown eyes met blue, and surprise filled her voice. “Sky?”

He blinked. “Syd?”

“What are you doing here?” they asked at the same time.

Sky was about to respond but then shook his head. “I’ll tell you later, let’s just get out of here as soon as possible.”

The pink ranger nodded. “I’m with you. Can I get a ride?”

“Sure.”

x-x-x-x-x

Twenty minutes later, Sky and Syd found themselves walking around the park. A warm breeze was gently blowing, making Syd’s long hair fly softly. There was a comfortable silence as the two came upon a bench, and Syd sat down with Sky following.

“So what were you doing at the restaurant?” Syd asked, breaking the silence. She was half curious and half afraid at his answer.

“I was on a date-“

Syd felt her heart begin to sink and white hot jealousy filled her.

“-and it was the most horrible date I’ve ever been on.”

The jealousy was gone. Syd perked up. “Why?” she asked.

Sky sighed. “It was a favor to my dad. It was one of those business deals. Definitely boring, and I hated it. My father always asks me to take client’s daughters out. I think it’s his way of getting me to settle down or something.” He shrugged.

“Your dad is a business man too?”

“Yep.”

“Wow, he accomplished a lot in his life. First being a ranger and then being a business man? Double wow.”

Sky smiled slightly at the awed tone in the pink ranger’s voice. He was feeling much more relaxed now that he was away from Jessica and the stuffy atmosphere of the restaurant.

“So what happened tonight?”

Sky smirked. “She got annoying so I ditched her.”

The pink ranger laughed and nodded with understanding. “So that’s why you were in such a hurry to leave.”

The blue ranger nodded. “Exactly,” he paused, “What about you?”

Sydney rolled her eyes. “Same reason as you. My mom set me up.”

Sky raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t go so well?”

“Nope.” There was a silence and Syd continued. “My parents are starting to throw suitors my way. They want me to quit SPD and move back home and join the Country Club. You know the whole ‘drink tea every afternoon while gossiping about the neighbors kinda thing’. The whole ‘social standing image thing.’ My mom just doesn’t understand the satisfaction of working for yourself. I enjoy what I do at SPD and no one and nothing can make me quit. Plus, the guys my mom sets me up with are completely boring!”

Sky chuckled at the tone in her voice at her last statement.

“It’s not funny Sky! All they care about is money,” Syd rolled her eyes once more, “money is nice, but it doesn’t buy you happiness.”

“Amen to that.”

There was a comfortable silence as the two rangers sat observing the beautiful scenery that the park provided. Suddenly Sky remembered something and reached for his wallet. Pulling out a folded piece of paper, he passed it over to Syd, who took it questioningly.

“You interested in going?” he asked.

Syd unfolded the piece of paper and saw that it was an invitation.

You are herby invited to:

Miss Starshine’s Dance Gala

On Saturday April 23

Bring a partner and enjoy the dinner provided as well spending the evening dancing under the stars! We hope to see you there.

-K.R.

Syd glanced at Sky. “A dance Gala?”

The blue ranger shrugged. “Her name is Kathy Robinson. She was involved in all kinds of dance productions in her time and was very successful. She’s a close friend of the family. She hosts these kinds of parties all the time.”

The pink ranger inspected the invitation carefully. “You want to take me?” she asked, hope filling her voice.

Sky grinned. “Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to go dancing with me?” he teased playfully.

Syd blushed, glad that it was dark, and nodded.

“So you want to go?”

The pink ranger nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!”

The blue ranger chuckled and Syd was blown away by the look of ease on his face. Why couldn’t he show this side of him more often?

Because then he wouldn’t be the Sky you know and love. And it pleases you that he trusts you enough to show this part of himself.

Syd mentally nodded at her inner self. She blew a stray wisp of hair from her face as Sky glanced over at her. “Alright, when we get back to headquarters I’ll tell the Commander that we need Saturday off.”

Nodding her head once more, Syd replied, “Okay.”

Silence was regained and Syd smiled softly to herself. ‘Dancing with Sky,’ she thought, ‘I can’t wait!’

Suddenly she froze as a thought came to her.

‘WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?’

The rest of the week passed by very slowly for Sydney. The week was filled with battles, arrests, and training but even with all the activities going on, Saturday still couldn’t come fast enough. The pink ranger was becoming more and more excited for the Dance Gala each passing day.

Finally, Saturday rolled around and Syd had spent most of her morning shopping for the perfect outfit and shoes. After two hours of searching, Syd found the prettiest pink sundress and had immediately fallen in love with it. She grinned happily. It was perfect, not too formal but not informal either. Paying for the dress, she headed towards the shoe store. Finding the shoes that were perfect for dancing, she paid for them and headed in the direction of the nail salon. She wanted to look perfect.

Late that afternoon, Syd finally finished getting ready. She smiled in satisfaction as she observed her image. ‘Yup, I’m going to knock his socks off!’

Z walked into the room, with an apple in hand. The yellow ranger stopped short at the sight of her friend all dressed up. Her eyes widened. “Whoa, where are you going?”

Syd grinned as she twirled in front of her mirror. “Dancing.”

Z nodded. Finishing her apple, she headed over to her dresser. “Well, you look awesome. I’m going to take a shower. Have fun Syd.”

“Thanks Z!”

The bathroom door slammed shut as Syd finished getting ready. As she was about to slip on her shoes, there was a knock at her door. The pink ranger felt her heart flutter and she smiled. ‘Just in time!’

“Syd?” Sky’s voice was muffled by the door.

“Give me a minute Sky!” Syd called as she rushed to get her shoes on. Quickly grabbing her purse, Syd pressed the button that commanded the door to slid open. Grinning, she enjoyed the look she received from Sky.

The blue ranger stared. Stunned, words couldn’t form as he stared at his teammate. How had she managed to make herself appear ten times more attractive? Sky swallowed, and then grinned. He could tell it was going to be an interesting night. He was sure that he had the best looking date already.

x-x-x-x-x

“Wow, this is a pretty nice place Sky,” Syd observed as she and Sky entered the large ballroom-like restaurant. The ceiling had dark blue wallpaper covering it and was painted so that it looked like they were dancing under stars. The pink ranger clutched to Sky’s arm as she watched the various people moving around on the dance floor. Despite her nervousness, Sydney was very excited. She loved dancing and Sky being there with her as her dance partner, made her all the more excited and happy.

“The evening is usually split into three parts. The beginning is usually for what they call ‘relaxing dancing’. That’s when everybody and anybody can dance,” Sky explained as he led them through the crowd to a table reserved just for them. “The second part of the evening is the competition/dinner. What happens is that the judges, whom are watching the people dance, will choose fifteen couples to compete against each other, while the remaining people sit down to eat and watch the competition. The top three couples of the competition will win some nice prizes.”

“Cool!” Syd paused, “What kind of prizes?”

The blue ranger shrugged. “Couldn’t tell ya. It’s different every year.”

“What about the third part of the evening?”

“Oh, that time is ‘relaxing dancing’ again. It gives time for the judges to decide the best couples of the competition and it gives a chance for the competitors to relax and grab something to eat, while the people that were sitting down can go dance again if they want too.”

“Cool!” Syd remarked once more.

“Well,” Sky glanced at Syd. “Do you want to dance?”

The pink ranger raised an eyebrow. “Do you even have to ask? Let’s go!”

x-x-x-x-x

The next hour whizzed by as the blue and pink rangers danced their hearts out. Sydney was having the time of her life, the evening was turning out better than she could’ve ever imagined. And it looked to her that Sky was having a pretty good time too. As the song was finishing up, an elderly woman approached them.

“Hello,” the woman smiled pleasantly, clutching a clipboard. “I’m Edna Wayne.”

Sky and Syd smiled back. “Hello.”

“Are you enjoying your evening?”

Sydney nodded enthusiastically. “Very much!”

The woman gave another gentle smile. “Excellent. Would you two like to participate in our competition?”

Syd froze and a million thoughts ran through her mind. Seeing the pink ranger’s hesitation, Sky quickly replied to Edna’s question. “We would love too.”

Syd looked alarmed as Edna looked pleased. “Names please?”

“Sky Tate and Sydney Drew.”

The elderly woman scribbled their names down and handed Sky a large badge to be pinned to his back. “Alright, you two are number 7. The competition starts in thirty minutes. Good luck!” She walked away.

Syd rounded on Sky as soon as the woman was out of earshot. “Are you crazy?”

The blue ranger looked bewildered. “What? I thought you wanted to dance?”

“I do but-“ Syd paused, suddenly feeling silly. What was she so afraid of?

As if Sky knew what she was thinking, he rubbed her arms in an attempt to calm her down. “Relax, we’re here to have fun remember? We don’t have anything to lose.”

Syd blinked. He was right. They were there to have fun. Boy, for an uptight guy, Sky sure knew how to let loose when he wanted too. The pink ranger grinned. “Alright, let’s do it.”

Sky patted her hand. “There’s the Syd I know. Who cares what others think? Just follow my lead.”

The thirty minutes passed by very quickly and soon the competition started. Syd and Sky watched as groups 1 to 5 went out first. The music started and almost immediately there were series of fast paced motions on the dance floor.

The pink ranger was getting nervous. All of them danced so well, she and Sky had never practiced any of the dances together. Heck, she didn’t even know which dances Sky knew the steps too. What if she tripped and fell? She quickly forced the thought out of her mind. She was there to have fun. There was no use in getting paranoid about it.

Syd’s heart pounded with anticipation as she saw that their number was about to be called. ‘Here goes nothing!’

Edna stood up at the microphone. “Okay, numbers 6 to 10, your dance will be to the Cha-Cha-Cha.”

Syd let out a sigh of relief. She knew how to dance to the Cha-Cha-Cha.

Sky grinned. “You ready?”

She nodded and grinned back, her smile wasn’t as confident as Sky’s. “Ready.”

A moment later, the music began and Sky began leading. Syd was surprised to feel her body relax and immediately began following the blue ranger’s lead with ease. Step after step, twist after twist, turn after turn, each of their dance moves flowed together, moving in time with the upbeat melody. Syd had forgotten about the competition and the audience and just focused on Sky. It was as if they were the only ones in the room, his touch made her see things clearer but at the same time blinded her… she loved him so much…

All of a sudden, she was aware of the beaming smile on her face and of the loud applause. The pink ranger blinked. They had finished the dance already? Sky turned to her, breathing heavily. He grinned. “See? I told you we would be fine.”

Sydney laughed. “Thanks for signing us up Sky! That was so much fun! Think we’ll make second round?”

The blue ranger shrugged as they walked off the dance floor. “We’ll find out in a few minutes.”

They sat on the bench provided as groups 11 to 15 went up. Sky grabbed two water bottles from a nearby refreshment table and passed one to Syd. Sitting in silence, they watched as the competition started on the dance floor.

x-x-x-x-x

“Number 5!”

Syd held her breath as the judges named the contestants that would compete in round two.

“Number 12!”

She was starting to lose hope.

“Number 6!”

The pink ranger crossed her fingers. She had no clue why she wanted to be in the competition so much.

“Number 7!”

Whoosh. She was able to breath again as she heard their number being called. Sydney squealed and turned to Sky. “We did it Sky!” she cheered happily. The pink ranger was so excited that she hugged the blue ranger without a second thought. Syd grabbed his hand and began to pull him out onto the dance floor to join the other competitors. Sky smiled, seeing her so excited and followed willingly.

This time they were in the first group that was called to perform. A man walked on to the stage, he was obviously one of the judges for the night’s events. Standing in front of the microphone, he waited till the applause died down before speaking. “Alright, congratulations numbers 5, 10, 7, 12 and 3 for making it to the second round. Your next dance will be the Jive, also known as the swing dance. Good luck!”

Sky and Syd’s eyes locked. Syd grinned, feeling very confident about this round. She knew they could nail this dance.

And nailed it they did.

They danced with the same intensity, the same determination, and the same undeniable chemistry as before. By the time the music was over, both were grinning in satisfaction, confident that they would make the third and final round.

They were proved right.

Sky and Syd beamed proudly as they were called out first.

“Number 7! Number 5! Number 13! Number 2! And Number 10! Ladies and Gentlemen, the 5 finalists for this dance competition!”

The five groups headed out on to the dance floor. The man that had just announced them waved his hands, signaling the applause to stop. “Alright,” the man continued, “Congratulations to these ten people out on the dance floor. As you know, Kathy Robinson has been hosting these Dance Galas for years and now she would like to say a few words. Please welcome Mrs. Kathy Robinson!”

Another elderly woman came onto the stage as everyone began clapping. Sky immediately recognized her; after all, she was the one that had taught him how to dance. She was tall and very slim –probably from all the years of dance she had done. There was a very motherly presence around her and she had a kind smile on her face. “Good evening everyone! I see a lot of our regulars,” Kathy’s eyes traveled around the room and then rested on Sky and Syd. She winked at Sky knowingly, “as well as some fresh new faces!”

Sky smiled and gave a slight nod.

“As most of you know, every year we give out prizes to the top three dance partners. This year, here is what the top three winners will receive:

Third place winners will receive $600 gift certificate each for a shopping spree at New Tech City Mall, and tickets to a concert of their choice.”

Syd’s eyes widened. “Wow, I like that prize!”

Sky smirked. “Of course you would.”

“Second place winners will receive a 5 day, all expenses paid, vacation to Victoria Beach just outside of New Tech City, tickets to see the Broadway play ‘Cats’ and $900 gift certificate each for a shopping spree at New Tech City Mall.”

“Wow, that’s EVEN better!”

Sky rolled his eyes in amusement.

“And first place winners will win a two week vacation, all expenses paid, destination of their choice. They will also compete in the Universe Dance Competition, and receive $1500 spending money.”

“Wow!” The pink ranger turned to her teammate. “You weren’t kidding when you said that there were some good prizes!”

“And we actually have a shot at snagging one of the prizes,” Sky reminded her.

“Alright,” Kathy continued, “This part of the competition is a little different from the first two rounds. In this round, it will be just you and your partner. First up, number 13!”

Walking over to sit down at the bench, Sky looked at the pink ranger and reached out to grab her hand. Giving it a slight squeeze, the blue ranger smiled. “We’ll be fine.”

Syd felt her heart beat rapidly, partly from the anticipation of the competition and mostly from Sky holding her hand. She nodded.

“Number 7!”

Sydney let out a shaky breath. “That’s us.”

“Come on,” Sky pulled her out onto the dance floor and they stood in front of the judges.

Kathy smiled, seeing her former student. “Number 7, you will dance to the Salsa.”

Both rangers nodded and got into position. “Relax,” Sky whispered, seeing how tense Syd was, “you know the steps, just follow my lead.”

Syd relaxed a tiny bit.

Sky looked at her. “You trust me don’t you?”

It was all she needed. The pink ranger smiled and nodded. She was there to have fun. Who cared if they didn’t win? She was with Sky and that was all that mattered.

The music started and immediately they began to move to the fast paced rhythm. Moving in time to the beat, Syd barely had time to think as Sky led her through the steps. Every twist, every turn, every dip left her breathless and all she could concentrate on was Sky. She was disappointed when the music came to a stop, it seemed like it had just started!

The pair was met with a silence before a thunderous applause sounded. The rangers beamed, took a bow and walked off the dance floor.

Sky led Syd over to the table that had been reserved for them and they both sat down, looking forward to the dinner awaiting them. All that dancing had worked up an appetite and they were extremely hungry.

“Did you have fun?” The blue ranger asked as she took a bite of the chicken on his plate.

The pink ranger grinned enthusiastically. “I had a blast!” She took a sip of her water. “I’m really glad we came.”

‘Me too.’ Sky smiled. “Even if we don’t win anything?”

“Even if we don’t win anything,” she confirmed. “Did you have fun?”

“I had a great time Syd.”

The two finished their dinner and spent the next forty minutes talking comfortably. The lights dimmed and the music softly came to a stop. Kathy Robinson came out on stage with an envelope in hand. “Okay everybody, I’m sure you’re all dying to find out who won those awesome prizes right? Drum roll please! Here are this year’s winners…..”

x-x-x-x-x

The red, green and yellow rangers were seated in the Recreation Room eating breakfast the next morning. Both Jack and Z paid no attention as Bridge flipped open the daily newspaper that the Academy had provided.

Bridge’s eyes widened with surprise. “Whoa, what is this?”

Z took a bite of her pancake and leaned over the green ranger’s shoulder. “What’s up?” A moment later, she was also stunned into silence.

By now, Jack was very curious. “What is it?”

There was no response.

The red ranger tried again. “Guys?”

Silence.

“Come on guys, don’t keep me in suspense. What’s in the paper that’s so interesting?”

Wordlessly, Bridge handed the newspaper to Jack. The red ranger took the paper and read the headline.

“ ‘Annual Dance Competition, the Best it’s Ever Been?’ ” Jack looked up. “That’s what got you guys all speechless?” The red ranger rolled his eyes and returned to his breakfast. “You two are so weird.”

Z shook her head as if to shake off her shock. “Look at the picture you dork!”

The red ranger glance at the black and white photograph provided and his eyes widened. Right in the middle of the picture, smiling happily, both of them holding a 2nd place trophy were…

“Is that Sky and Syd?”

Bridge snatched back the newspaper from Jack as Z commented, “Weird isn’t it? I can definitely see Syd doing something fun and spontaneous like dancing, but Sky?” The yellow ranger shook her head, “this is kind of mind blowing.”

“We all saw him dance at Syd’s party,” Jack pointed out.

“I know,” Z responded, “and that was very mind blowing.”

“Guys, it says here that Sky and Syd won 2nd place in the dance competition,” Bridge told them as he read the article, “they won a shopping spree, Broadway tickets and a 5 day vacation, all expenses paid.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool,” Z remarked, “Syd must be pretty happy, that girl loves to shop!”

“Tell me about it.”

The doors of the Recreation Room slid open and the three rangers turned to see their two teammates walking in, both looking tired but cheerful.

“Morning!” Syd went to grab a breakfast tray before settling down next to Z at the table. Sky followed, sitting in between Jack and Sydney.

“Well, it looks like you guys had fun last night,” Bridge grinned as he looked at his longtime teammates, “have you two seen the newspaper yet?”

The blue ranger shook his head. “Is there anything interesting?”

Jack snorted. “I’d say there is.”

Sky glared at Jack slightly before reaching for the newspaper that Bridge held out to him. Taking a sip of his water, he read the headline.

The green, red, and yellow rangers watched with amusement as Sky choked on his water, while Syd looked at the blue ranger with concern.

“Are you okay Sky?”

“We made the front page!”

That got Sydney’s attention. “What?” she shrieked. She snatched the paper from Sky’s hand. “Where?”

Sky pointed out the photograph and Syd’s eyes widened. “EWW! Look at my hair!”

“Forget your hair,” Sky retorted as he recovered from his temporary shock. He grabbed the newspaper back from the pink ranger. “We’ll have bigger things to deal with. My parents probably saw this already. I’m willing to bet everything I own that my dad is laughing his butt off right about now.”

As if reading his mind, Boom walked into the room with a cordless phone in his hand. “Sky? Your father’s on the phone.”

The blue ranger dropped his fork and it fell onto his plate with a clatter as he slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned. His other hand reached out for the phone. “Thanks Boom.”

Sky let out a sigh before bringing the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Sky! I had no idea!”

Sky let out another groan. “Dad, it’s not what you thin-“

“Didn’t I tell you those lessons would come in handy one day? I told you dancing attracted the ladies!”

“Dad-“

“Where did you meet her, huh son?”

“Dad-“

Bridge, Jack and Z were all shaking with silent laughter as Sky tried to get a word in. Even Syd was grinning with amusement.

“It’s too bad you two didn’t win first place. Your mother and I would’ve flown out to see you two dance!”

“Dad-“

“She’s awfully pretty too. Why didn’t you tell us you were seeing someone?”

“Um, Dad-“

“Invite her over for dinner, your mother and I want to meet her!”

“DAD!” Sky bellowed into the phone, “Can you please listen to me for one sec?”

“Don’t take that tone with me Schuyler Tate Collins! Now you bring your lady friend over for dinner this coming Friday night. Your mother and I will be expecting you. In fact, your mother’s already planning on what to cook. I’ll even talk to your Commander into letting you have some time off okay? Love you son!”

The line went dead.

Sky stared at the phone in his hand with disbelief. Pressing the off button, he set the phone aside while turning to Syd. “Looks like we’re having dinner with my parents this Friday.” He gave her a hopeful look. “Unless you don’t want to come?”

The pink ranger laughed. “Are you kidding? I want to meet your parents! Especially your dad. He seems like such a funny guy!”

Sky sighed. “Suit yourself. Just be prepared for a lot of questioning and teasing. And don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Syd just grinned.

“Sydney, how could you be so irresponsible?”

“Mother, it wasn’t like we were doing anything wrong!”

“Nonsense. Your father and I raised you to be better than that. Associating with a middle class society is completely unacceptable! I don’t know what’s gotten into you.”

“Mom, you just don’t understand!”

“You’re right, I don’t understand! Why settle for some middle class man when you could marry someone from our society? You’ll be taken care of and would never have to lift a finger. You could have anything and everything you desire! Sydney, you need to stay away from that boy, he doesn’t look like he’s financially stable.”

“Who said I was going to get married anytime soon? I’m only nineteen! Mother, not everything is about money and image!” Syd shrieked.

It had been the same argument over and over for the last hour. Sydney’s mother had seen the newspaper that morning and had been furious. Demanding an explanation, Melanie Drew had called the Academy to listen to what her daughter had to say.

“Honestly Sydney, your father and I just have your best interests at heart. We’re not getting any younger you know. We want to make sure you’re taken care of in the future.”

“By throwing me at strangers? Mom, I can take care of myself!”

“You shouldn’t have too.”

“Mother, for heaven’s sake, I’m not a little girl anymore!”

“You certainly are acting like one. You listen to me Sydney Drew! I want you to stay away from that boy! For all you know, he could be a scam artist.”

Syd felt like throwing her phone against the wall. “How dare you accuse Sky of trying to come after our money! You don’t even know him!”

“I know enough.”

“You can’t judge by a picture mother! Sky is not like that! Not only is he my teammate, he is also my friend! I’m not going to let you talk trash about him like that, he’s a good person!” Syd bit back a scream, she was tired of arguing with her mother. “And I’m not going to ignore him either!”

“Alright fine.”

Syd gave a sigh of relief as she heard her mother give up. She had won this round.

“-But I’m not going to forget about this. Your father and I met a nice young man a few nights ago. I want you to have dinner with him on Thursday night.”

Syd bit back another scream of frustration. “Mother! Another blind date?”

“Sydney-“

The pink ranger rolled her eyes at her mother’s tone. “Fine mother, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Syd hung up the phone fuming. Z exited the bathroom and gave a soft whistle. The yellow ranger didn’t even bother disguising the fact that she had been listening to Sydney’s argument with her mother. Probably all of China had heard the whole conversation. “That was a pretty intense argument.”

“She always does this!” Syd walked over to her bed and flopped on it angrily. Reaching over to grab Peanuts, the pink ranger hugged the stuffed animal to her chest. “All she cares about is our image! She doesn’t care about what I say or think.”

“You going to be okay?”

Syd gave Z a tired smile. “I’ll be okay. I’m just tired of having the same argument every time we speak. My mom just doesn’t understand that what she wants for me isn’t what I want.”

“Sounds like you’re holding out on your own pretty well though.”

The pink ranger paused. “Yeah well, I’m pretty stubborn when I want to be. And I refuse to give up my life just because of how she wants me to live it.”

Z nodded and gave her a smile, letting Syd know that she supported her all the way. “That’s the way to do it Syd. Remember, you’ve got the team behind you.”

“I know,” Syd smiled, and then wrinkled her nose. “Can you believe I have another blind date this Thursday? It’s going to be a total bore!”

Z shot her friend a sympathetic glance. “Tough luck. I don’t envy you at all!”

x-x-x-x-x

Adrian Drew looked at his wife with concern written all over his features. Sydney may have gotten her looks from her mother, but he was thankful that she had inherited his stubborn nature. His wife meant well, but sometimes she didn’t have the best judge of character.

Adrian did not feel comfortable with the fact that his only daughter was being forced to date a man he had just met only days before. “Dear, maybe we should let Sydney make her own decisions. She is an adult now.”

“She’s only nineteen!” Melanie snapped. “She doesn’t know anything about the world!”

“She probably knows more than we think.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake Adrian! I’m just trying to keep her safe, prolong her innocence as much as possible.”

“Honey, she’s a Power Ranger. She probably sees more dangers in one day than we do in a lifetime.”

“Precisely!” Melanie threw her hands up in the air. “If she settles down, she’ll be away from all that! She’ll be safe. We won’t have to worry every time we listen to the radio because we would know our little girl is no where near all that destruction! Jake Hemmington is wealthy and stable, he can give her anything her heart desires, but most importantly, she’ll be away from all the dangers!”

Adrian sighed. There was no convincing his wife when her mind was made up.

It seemed the Drew family was full of stubborn people when they set their minds to it.

x-x-x-x-x

Thursday Night

“Where’s Syd?” Sky questioned later that week.

It was Thursday night and the rangers were relaxing in the Recreation Room after a hard day of training.

“She’s out on a date,” Z replied, looking up from her book.

“She’s on a date?”

Bridge tore his attention way from the video game he was playing with Jack. Was it just his imagination or was that jealousy he detected in Sky’s voice?

“Her mother made her go,” The yellow ranger informed the others before returning to her book.

The green ranger noticed that although Sky relaxed a bit at that statement, he still looked a little on edge. Bridge smirked. Sky was a little more disturbed than he let on.

“When is she coming back?”

“No clue. She left awhile ago.”

Bridge raised an eyebrow. “Why are you so interested Sky?”

The blue ranger shrugged, looking nonchalant. “I need to talk to her about our dinner plans tomorrow.”

“You know, I think it’s unfair that you guys get the whole day off tomorrow and we still have to train,” Jack grumbled.

Sky shrugged once more. “You win some, you lose some.”

“How come you guys get the whole day off anyway?” Bridge asked, “I mean, the dinner I can understand, but what about the afternoon?”

“We’re going to watch the Broadway in the afternoon.”

“Oh.”

The doors of the Recreation Room slid open and Syd walked in. Flopping tiredly on the couch next to Z, Syd let out a sigh of relief. “Whew, I’m glad that’s over.”

“How’d it go?” The yellow ranger asked.

The pink ranger stretched her arms and yawned. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Compared to the other dates my mom forced me on, this one was actually somewhat enjoyable.”

“Really?” Z asked.

Syd nodded, the others listening closely to the conversation. “Yeah, Jake was a complete gentleman all night. He didn’t try anything and asked lots of questions. It was an interesting conversation.”

Bridge noticed the look in the pink ranger’s eye. “What’s wrong Syd?”

Syd shook her head, unsure of how to respond. “I’m not sure. Jake did everything right and we had a good time…”

Sky frowned. “But?”

The pink ranger shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about him seemed… off.”

Z looked puzzled. “Off?”

“Yeah,” Syd nodded, “It’s one of those instinct feelings you know? I was sort of uneasy throughout the whole date.”

“Maybe you’re just tired,” Jack suggested, “I mean, we’re all on edge lately, what with Gruumm attacking us every second day.”

“Maybe.”

“Are you going to see him again?” Sky asked.

Syd rubbed her forehead and sighed. “Yeah, I guess. At least once more so my mom would get off my back.”

The blue ranger was still frowning as the others went back to their activities. Sydney’s story had left him feeling uneasy. Why did he suddenly have this feeling that something bad was going to happen?

x-x-x-x-x

Friday

Friday proved to be a much better day for Sydney. She and Sky headed towards New Tech City Theater to watch ‘Cats’ after having lunch. Syd was looking forward to watching the Broadway; she had heard great reviews about it.

As they were walking along the street, she heard someone call her name.

“Sydney!”

Both Sky and Syd turned to see a tall man with dark hair and brown eyes walking towards them.

Syd frowned. “Jake?”

Sky’s guard immediately went up. The same Jake that Syd had gone to dinner with the night before? He could definitely see why Sydney’s mother had approved of Jake. Jake Hemmington was very handsome and judging from his business suit, he was also very successful and wealthy. Sky stared. He definitely did not like this guy.

Jake gave Syd a charming smile “Fancy meeting you here.”

The pink ranger looked a bit uncomfortable. “Um, yeah,” she responded, “Where are you headed?”

“Back to work. And you?”

“Heading to a Broadway with my friend Sky,” Syd paused and turned to the blue ranger. “Jake, this is Sky, he’s one of my closest friends. Sky, this is Jake.”

The blue ranger extended his arm and met the other man’s hand in a firm grip. “Nice to meet you,” he said politely.

Jake met his gaze evenly. “Likewise.”

There was an awkward pause.

“Well, it was nice running into you Jake, but we have to get going or we’ll be late for the play,” Syd said, looking at her watch. She was anxious to leave.

“Of course, don’t let me keep you. Have a good time.”

The pink ranger let out a sigh of relief as she and Sky walked away.

“I can see what you meant when you said something was off about him,” Sky commented as they walked along the street, “I got a weird feeling about him.”

“So it wasn’t my imagination huh?”

“Nope.”

“Weird.”

Eager to get off the subject, Sky shook his head as they saw the New Tech City Theatre in their view. “Let’s just enjoy this play okay? And we still have to have dinner with my parents afterwards.”

Syd perked up, Jake was long forgotten. “I can’t wait to meet them!”

Sky gave another slight shake of his head. “Trust me, they are just as excited to meet you.”

x-x-x-x-x

Syd began to feel nervous just as Sky pulled into the driveway of his home. The pink ranger stared in awe, Sky’s house was huge! She stood with Sky as the door opened. The blue ranger smiled warmly as a figure was revealed. “Hi Phillips!”

“Master Sky!”

Sky leaned over and gave the older man a gentle hug. “It’s just Sky, Phillips. No master involved. You know that.”

“My apologies.”

Sky led Syd through the door and into the hallway. “Phillips, this is Sydney Drew.”

The butler gave a little bow. “It’s a pleasure Miss Drew. Welcome!”

“Please, call me Syd,” the pink ranger responded, liking the man immediately. Sky’s house had a cozy feeling to it and already she felt at home.

“Sky!”

A woman emerged from one of the many rooms in the house. Dressed in a light pink skirt and a white t-shirt, the shorter woman reached up to hug Sky. There was an obvious affection in her eyes.

“Hi mom.”

The woman then turned to Sydney with a warm smile on her face. “And you must be Sydney!” She shot a meaningful glance at her son. “Sky told us so little about you!”

“It’s so nice to meet you Mrs. Tate.”

“It’s Collins actually,” Sky cut in, “my last name is Collins.”

Syd gave Sky a confused look. “Huh? It is? I thought your last name was Tate.”

“It’s a long story.”

“Tate is his middle name. It’s for his protection,” Sky’s mother smiled at the younger woman’s confusion. “And please, call me Jen.”

Syd returned Jen’s smile. She liked Sky’s mother.

“What’s this, a party? I can’t believe you started without me!” A man with dirty blonde hair and handsome features strolled into the room, a beaming smile on his face.

“Hi dad!”

Wes Collins reached out to hug his only son. “Good to see you son.” Wes pulled back, “I heard you left Jessica at the restaurant,” the former red time force ranger gave an amused chuckle, “she wasn’t very happy about that.”

Sky shrugged, not feeling the least bit guilty.

“You must be Sydney!” The man noticed the pretty blonde and greeted her with a cheerful smile. He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you!”

Syd smiled, already charmed by Sky’s father. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Collins.”

“Wes,” Sky’s father corrected. “We don’t do that formal stuff around here. Let’s go eat huh? I’m starving!”

Wes led them into the kitchen where the four of them sat down at the dinner table.

“So Sydney,” Wes began, giving Jen a twinkling glance, “Tell us how you and Sky met.”

The pink ranger grinned. “Call me Syd! Everyone does,” Syd paused, “Sky and I met two years ago when I arrived at SPD to train.”

Wes and Jen exchanged a glance. “Sky failed to mention that,” Jen murmured, shooting her son a glance.

Sky’s ears turned red and the blue ranger gave a simple shrug.

“Do you two train together?” Jen asked.

Sky coughed. “Actually mom, Syd is the B-Squad’s pink ranger.”

Syd was met with surprised looks from Sky’s parents.

Jen looked delighted. “Pink?”

“Mom was a pink ranger too,” Sky informed Syd.

Syd’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Jen nodded.

“Wow!”

x-x-x-x-x-x

“She’s a very nice girl Sky,” Jen told her son later that night as Wes gave Syd a tour of the house. The two were standing at the kitchen sink, doing the dishes. “Why aren’t you two dating again?”

“It’s kind of complicated mom,” Sky replied.

“How so?”

“Well, for one thing, we’re both rangers.”

Jen smiled. “That didn’t stop your father from wanting to date me.”

“We’re too different.”

“And your father and I are exactly alike?”

Sky shrugged. “The situation is completely different.”

“Sky, answer this,” Jen paused and looked at her son. “Do you like her?”

Silence.

“Maybe,” Sky muttered. He looked up at his mother. “I don’t know why I feel this way mom.”

Jen smiled. Her son was falling in love; she could read it in his eyes. “Sky, take my advice. Don’t deny what you’re feeling. Trust it. And whatever you do, always know that your father and I are proud of you.”

Sky smiled softly as Wes and Syd came back into the kitchen. “Thanks mom.”

“So, who wants to go out for dessert?” Wes asked.

x-x-x-x-x-x

The four went to one of New Tech City’s more popular hang outs. Walking inside ‘Sunny Spot’, they were greeted with a happy atmosphere. Customers were laughing and there was chatter all around. Music was playing, and several people were dancing.

“Mr. Collins!”

An elderly man at the counter waved. Wes waved back. “Hi Tom! And it’s Wes! Mr. Collins is my father!”

Moments later they were seated at a table. Opening the menu, Wes read out the selections. “Oreo Cookie Cheesecake with Chocolate Glaze, Strawberry Ice Cream with Whipped Cream and Nuts, White Chocolate Dipped Strawberries,” Wes looked up, “there’s so many choices!”

Jen laughed. “Take it easy Wes.”

Syd smiled and exchanged a look with Sky. Sky’s parents were obviously very much in love.

Suddenly a song began playing through the speakers of the hangout.

Everybody's looking for that something
One thing that makes it all complete

You'll find it in the strangest places
Places you never knew it could be

Jen’s eyes lit up. “Oh I love this song!”

Wes chuckled. “Do you now?”

Some find it in the faces of their children
Some find it in their lovers eyes

Who can deny the joy it brings
When you've found that special thing

Grinning, Wes stood up and held out a hand to his wife. Both Sky and Syd watched with interest.

“Would you like to dance, milady?”

Jen let out a happy laugh, her eyes twinkling. Smiling widely, the former pink time force ranger accepted her husband’s hand. “I would love too.”

You're flying without wings

 

Syd watched as Wes and Jen headed out to the large area where other various customers were dancing as well. The pink ranger sighed dreamily. “That is so romantic!”

Sky chuckled and continued to watch his parents, a smile on his face.

Some find it sharing every morning
Some in their solitary lives
You'll find it in the words of others
A simple line can make you laugh or cry

“I really like your parents Sky,” Syd told the blue ranger, but then she smiled wistfully. “I really wish my parents, especially my mom, are as carefree as your parents.”

“They’ll come around Syd,” Sky replied, patting the pink ranger’s shoulder.

“I sure hope so.”

The two rangers turned to watch Jen and Wes dance once more.

Syd gave a little giggle. “Now I know where you get your dancing abilities from.”

The blue ranger grinned and shrugged. “You know what they say, like father like son.”

Some find it sharing every morning
Some in their solitary lives
You'll find it in the words of others
A simple line can make you laugh or cry

“I’m really glad I came tonight,” Syd’s blue eyes danced.

Sky smiled. “Me too.”

You'll find it in the deepest friendships
The kind you cherish all your life

And when you know how much that means
You've found that special thing

“I didn’t know your mom was a ranger Sky, it’s so cool how she was pink!”

Sky looked at the blonde with amusement. “You two would get along really well.”

“Your parents still act like they’re teenagers huh?”

The blue ranger laughed and gave a slight shake of his head. “They always act like that, I think it’s because they’ve been through so much together. They even overcame time.”

Syd looked at Sky curiously, wondering what he meant by that last statement. The pink ranger gave a slight shake. There would be another time to ask Sky what he meant. Right now all she wanted to do was enjoy this moment. Just sitting and talking with Sky. “That’s so romantic!”

You're flying without wings

“Sweetie look!”

Jen nodded her head in the direction of their table. Wes turned his head and they watched as Sky stood up and shyly offered his hand to Sydney.

“They are so adorable,” Jen cooed, placing her head on Wes’s shoulder, watching as Sydney accepted Sky’s hand.

Wes chuckled. “What do you think of Sydney?”

“She’s a good girl, and I can tell she’s dedicated. Sky picked well.”

“We always taught our son to have good judgment.”

Jen laughed. “According to Cruger that’s not the case, Sky’s been getting into a bit of trouble lately. Apparently, our son let an assassin into the Academy.”

“I heard,” Wes grinned, “And I’ll have to talk to him about his position as the blue ranger.”

“He wanted to be the red ranger so badly.”

“Being the blue ranger is just as good as being the red ranger. After all, Lucas was an awesome blue ranger.”

“He wanted to take after you.”

Wes laughed. “He did. He’s a power ranger isn’t he?”

But for me it's waking up beside you, yeah
To watch the sun rise on your face
To know that I can say I love you
at any given time or place

“Think Sky will do something about his feelings for Syd?”

“I don’t know,” Wes responded, “he might resist the idea for awhile, he can be pretty stubborn when he wants to be.”

“I hope he doesn’t resist the idea, I really like Sydney.”

Wes gave his wife an adored look. “He gets his stubbornness from you.”

“Very funny.”

“I wasn’t joking!”

It's the little things that only I know
Those are the things that make you mine, all mine
And it's the flying without wings
Cause you're my special thing
I'm flying without wings

Jen smiled. “I’m glad I was able to stay with you.”

He gazed at her, love shining in his eyes. “I love you.”

The former pink ranger snuggled deeper into Wes’s embrace. “I love you too.”

Wes wrapped his arms tighter around Jen’s waist. “I’m flying without wings,” he sang along to the music

You’re the place my life begins
And you'll be where it ends
I'm flying without wings
And that's the joy it brings
I'm flying without wings

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

“You look tired,” Bridge noted when Sky walked through the doors of their room later that night. Jack was sitting in Bridge’s desk chair tossing a stuffed football in the air. Both rangers looked at Sky as the blue ranger flopped onto his bed.

“I am tired,” the blue ranger responded.

“Did you have fun?” the red ranger asked.

Sky smiled softly. “Tons.”

“So what’s the deal with you and Syd?”

Sky sat up. “What do you mean?”

Jack gave him a bored look. “Dude, it’s so obvious, even a blind man can see it.”

The blue ranger was silent for a moment but then smiled. “I think I like her.”

Bridge grinned. “I knew it!”

Jack snorted. “Just like?”

Bridge sent a warning glance at Jack that said, ‘don’t push your luck.’

“Yeah,” Sky paused. “It’s different.”

“You’re making no sense,” Jack announced before turning to Bridge, “that’s usually the first sign that a man is in love right?”

Bridge grinned and nodded. Sky just ignored the red ranger’s words.

“So what about that Jake guy?”

The blue ranger’s eyebrow furrowed. “What about him?”

“Isn’t Syd going out with him?”

“No,” Sky paused, “I don’t think she has feelings for him.”

“She doesn’t,” Bridge spoke up, “I read her aura.”

Sky smiled and relaxed.

“She does think he’s good looking though.”

Sky’s smile disappeared; a frown was back on his face.

“Man, he’s whipped,” Jack muttered and Bridge grinned.

Sky however, didn’t hear Jack’s comment. His mind was on their pink ranger.

x-x-x-x-x-x

The next day… Syd and Z’s room.

“So you had fun last night?”

The pink ranger nodded. “I had a blast! Sky’s parents are so wonderful!”

The two girls had woken up early that morning and for once Z had decided she wanted to participate in a gossip fest. She was, after all, a girl. She wasn’t as girly as Syd was, but she did like to feel pretty and liked to dress up once in awhile.

And right now she wanted to indulge in gossip.

“So how’d it really go with Jake?”

A look of surprise appeared on the pink ranger’s face. “How did Jake get into this conversation?”

The yellow ranger shrugged. “I brought him into the conversation.”

“Well, our first date went pretty well. But I’m only going to see him once more then break off all contact.”

“I bet your mother isn’t going to be happy about that.”

“Yeah well, she’ll live.”

Z laughed.

Stretching, Syd stood up. “Come on, we have to get to training.”

“You go on ahead,” Z replied as she searched through her closet, “I still have to find my shoes.”

The pink ranger shrugged. “Okay.”

Heading out of her room, Syd walked down the hallway heading towards the Stimulation Room when a voice stopped her.

“Sydney!”

The blonde stopped and turned. Her blue eyes widened in surprise. “Jake?”

Jake Hemmington was walking towards her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I thought I’d drop by to see how you were doing.”

“I’m fine, but I’m kind of busy right now. I’m about to be late for training. Why aren’t you at work?”

“I am. Kind of anyway, I don’t have another meeting till later this afternoon, so I decided to drop by.”

Syd stared. “Just to see me?”

Jake gave a charming smile. “I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do,” the business man paused. “So, did you have a good time Thursday night?”

The pink ranger nodded. “I did.”

“I called you this morning, but I guess you were still sleeping or something.”

“You called? Why?”

“Just wanted to hear your voice. Good memories you know?”

“Already?”

“I was charmed.”

Syd gave a small smile and looked up at Jake. ‘Flattery is such a nice way to start the day,’ she thought.

After a moment, Jake began to tug at his watchband. “Actually, besides wanting to see you, there is another reason why I came by.”

“Oh I get it, now that I’m all buttered up, the truth comes out huh?”

Jake laughed. “Sort of. The truth is I wanted to see if you’d like to go out again this Saturday night.”

The pink ranger hesitated. She knew that she should go out on another date with Jake before breaking things off. But there was a difference between wanting to and should. An image of Sky flashed through her mind. “I can’t, I’m busy. I have plans with some friends.”

It wasn’t the actual truth of course, but Jake didn’t need to know that.

Jake frowned and immediately the pink ranger felt bad for lying. “How about Friday?”

The handsome business man shook his head. “Wish I could, but I have to head for Cleveland this evening and won’t be back until Saturday morning.”

Syd inwardly sighed. So much for blowing him off right away. “Okay, I’ll cancel my plans on Saturday.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah…. I’m sure.”

He met her eyes, staring as if he was seeing her for the first time. “That’s great,” he said, and before she realized what was happening, Jake leaned in and kissed her. It was just a peck, but a kiss nonetheless.

“Thank you", he murmured.

Before she could think of anything to say, Jake turned and started towards the doors. Caught by surprise, all Syd could do was watch him go.

x-x-x-x-x

“Did he just kiss her?” Sky asked, his mouth hanging open.

A few minutes earlier, Sky had been heading towards the Stimulation Room himself when he had seen Jake walk in, looking around the Academy. Careful to keep himself hidden, the blue ranger watched as Jake found Syd just down the hallway. Jack had walked up just as Jake was leaning in to kiss her.

“That’s what it looked like to me,” Jack answered.

“They don’t even know each other!”

“They do now.”

“Thanks Jack. You’re making me feel a whole lot better,” the blue ranger muttered.

“What? Do you want me to lie to you instead?”

“Right now, I think I would,” Sky mumbled.

“Alright,” Jack said, thinking about it. “That fellow sure is ugly.”

At Jack’s comment, Sky put his head in his hands.

x-x-x-x-x

In the confines of his car, Jake smiled and gave a soft laugh. Sydney was adorable.

Their evening together had been wonderful. He’d enjoyed her company, of course, but what he’d come to admire most was her courage. No other girl he had dated could say that she saved the world literally. It was refreshing, that a girl from a high class society could be so original, different and unique.

She was also very lovely. The look of struggle as she debated whether to break plans with her friends… he felt as if he could watch her for hours and never grow tired of it.

His cell phone rang, and he checked the caller ID.

Jerry Tokins from work.

Instead of answering, he summoned Sydney’s image again. It had to have been fate, meeting her the way he did. He could’ve been at a thousand other places that morning. It was by chance that he had met Adrian and Melanie Drew for a quick business meeting. Once Melanie Drew had shown him a picture of her daughter, Jake had been interested. Very interested.

The cell phone rang again.

Yes, the date had gone well, but there was one thing. Today, towards the end…

Maybe he shouldn’t have kissed her. It wasn’t as if it had been planned, but he had been so happy when she said that she’d see him on Saturday that he couldn’t help himself. It just happened. A surprise for both of them. But was it too much, too soon?

‘Yes’, he decided, it probably was and he regretted it. After all, they had been only on one date. There was no need to rush. It would be better to take it easy the next time he saw her.

The cell phone rang a third time, but he continued to ignore it. In the back of his mind, he replayed the scene again.

Very adorable.

x-x-x-x-x

On Saturday night over dinner, Jake stared across the table at Syd, a faint smile playing over his lips.

“What are you smiling at?” Syd asked.

Jake seemed to come back to her, a sheepish look on his face. “I’m sorry; I was just daydreaming there for a second.”

Syd let out a quiet sigh. “Am I that boring?” She sincerely hoped she was. Maybe then he would want to end their date early and she could go home.

“Not at all, I’m just glad you were able to come out with me tonight,” Jake smiled, bringing up his napkin to dab at the corner of his mouth.

Syd forced herself to smile.

His eyes met hers. “Have I told you how lovely you look this evening?”

The pink ranger resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Earlier in the evening she had been flattered. But there was a huge difference between being flattered and being annoyed. “About a dozen times.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“If you don’t mind.”

The evening dragged on and Syd kept glancing at the clock on the wall of the restaurant. She couldn’t wait to get back to the Academy. Even training and the thought of sweating was better than this!

The weather was still warm when they finally finished eating and left. Expecting him to offer his hand or arm, she was surprised when he did neither. Syd was relieved, but part of her wondered if he was just losing interest or holding back because he sensed that she’d been caught off guard by his kiss earlier that week. The other part of her wondered why Jake had chosen that night to tell her that he had been married once before. Wasn’t that the kind of thing you would find out on the first date?

Flashback

She was trying her best to look interested as Jake kept up the conversation, she really was. Just as she was taking a bite of her spaghetti, Jake said something that caught her interest.

“I guess I should mention, that I was married once,” the businessman was saying. “To a woman named Susan.” And then he fell silent.

Though she was a little surprised, Syd said nothing. She could feel him debating whether or not to go on, but when he did, the tone in his voice was flat.

“I don’t know what went wrong. I could spend all night talking about it and trying to make sense of it, but I still wouldn’t be able to figure it out. In the end, it just didn’t work out.”

End Flashback

Syd inwardly shrugged, dismissing the fact that he had been married once before. Jake was probably a private person and kept things to himself until he felt like sharing. Syd could understand that, after all, Sky was exactly the same way.

Jake smiled at her and immediately she knew that he didn’t want the evening to end just yet. The pink ranger bit the corner of her lip. She could handle another hour or two right?

x-x-x-x-x

“Stop pouting Sky.”

Sky grunted in response. Jack raised an eyebrow and tried again. “Come on Sky, lighten up.”

“It’s not attractive,” Z added.

“Are you saying Sky isn’t attractive? Or that he is attractive, but not attractive when he’s looking like that?” Bridge asked.

The yellow ranger blinked, not having a clue of what her friend just said. She decided to say the first thing that came to her mind. “Um yeah, the second one.”

Bridge nodded, leaning back in his seat, satisfied with her response. “I thought so.”

The four rangers had decided to go out for the night. Or rather, Jack, Z and Bridge wanted to go out and had decided to drag Sky along to the local hangout and keep the blue ranger from sulking all night.

Their efforts were proved useless as Sky sat around and sulked anyway. While they had been waiting for their food and drinks, Bridge had taken the time to explain why his roommate was in such a foul mood in a few simple words. “Syd’s on a date with that rich guy,” the green ranger had announced, “Sky’s jealous.”

Both Jack and Z snickered as Sky flushed a dark red and had immediately replied, “I’m not jealous!”

And thus, began the teasing and sulking.

All week long Sky had been in a bad mood. Ever since he had seen Jake kiss the pink ranger, he had been next to impossible to deal with. He would mutter to himself about the unfairness of it all so regularly that even Commander Cruger had begun to notice something was wrong. At least one good thing had come out of the situation though, Sky blew off his anger in all of their battles during the week. Containing criminals had never gone so quickly.

But tonight had been the last straw. While Bridge, Jack and Z knew and understood why Sky was being so grumpy and negative, the three of them were also becoming annoyed with his attitude. All night long, the three of them had tried their best to engage him in their conversations, asking for his input, trying to pull him out of his misery and all they would get were glares, grunts and sarcastic comments in return. Finally, they saw that no matter what they said or did, Sky’s mood would not change. So they gave up and had decided to tease him once more.

“You know Sky,” Jack spoke as he reached for Z’s drink. The yellow ranger had gone to the bathroom moments earlier. Jack knew that the bathroom lines were huge and it would take Z awhile to get back. The red ranger had already ordered another drink to replace the one he had just taken. “I’ve said it a bunch of times this evening, but I’ll say it again. You need to lighten up.”

Sky just grunted. Things should’ve not been this way tonight. Syd was supposed to be with them. Syd was supposed to be the one sitting next to him, smiling and laughing and maybe even flirting with him a bit. And she would’ve been if it wasn’t for Jake.

Jake.

He hated that guy.

Didn’t know him. Didn’t want to know him. Didn’t matter. Simply hearing his name caused him to scowl, and he’d been scowling a lot, all evening long.

“My, aren’t we in a mood this evening,” Jack commented, exchanging an amused glance with Bridge.

“You guys have been bugging me all night,” Sky muttered.

“Considering the way you’ve been acting all week, you deserve it. We had a great dinner. Bridge and I have been engaging you with our sparkling personalities all night long, and Z’s been making sure that you’re not always sitting alone at the table like some loser whose date just stood him up.”

Next to him, Sky saw that Bridge was nodding his head in agreement with everything the red ranger had just said. Sky scowled. “That’s not funny.”

Jack shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to be funny. I’m just speaking the truth. When in doubt, when you need answers, just come to me. For instance- you need to lighten up about this whole situation with Syd. You’re letting it ruin the whole night.”

“Look- I’m doing my best okay?”

“Oh,” Bridge spoke up, raising an eyebrow, “I see. Sorry. I guess I’m just imagining all the deep sighs coming from you huh?”

The blue ranger glared. “Yeah, yeah. You guys are funny. The both of you should head to the circus with your act. Believe me, I’ll be the first to pack your bags.”

Jack leaned back in his seat, grinning. “Aw, c’mon Sky. We were just having a little fun.”

“Yeah- at my expense.”

The red ranger smirked. “No need to get hostile.”

Bridge grinned taking a sip of his drink. “Besides, you’re the only one here that’s sulking. Who else can we pick on?”

Sky glared at them once more before turning away.

“Alright, alright... we’re sorry,” Jack held up his hands, “But listen- I’ll say it again. Just because Syd’s out with Jake doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your chance forever. She doesn’t even like the guy. Instead of moping around, use it as a challenge. Maybe this should inspire you to ask her out.”

“I was planning on that.”

Both Bridge and Jack sat up straight. “You were?”

“Yeah, after I saw Jake kiss her, I decided to do exactly that. You know, take charge and fight for her, that kind of thing.”

His teammates still looked incredulous. “Really?”

“Tonight was supposed to be the night I ask her out,” the blue ranger muttered.

Jack studied him. “Good,” he finally said, “it’s about time. I’m proud of you.”

Sky waited for more, but Bridge and Jack stayed silent. “What? No jokes this time?”

Bridge shrugged. “No reason to make jokes.”

“Because you guys don’t believe me?”

“No, we believe you,” Jack answered, “We kinda have too, I guess.”

The blue ranger was confused. “Why?”

Jack smirked. “Because we’ll get to see you do it.”

“Huh?”

“Looks like your opportunity has finally arrived, my friend.”

“What do you mean?”

“The gods are with you, Sky.”

“Jack, what the hell are you talking about?”

The red ranger raised his chin, nodding in the direction of the door. “Guess who just walked in?”

x-x-x-x-x

Jake wrinkled his nose with disgust as he stepped into the local hangout after Sydney. The place was bustling with laughter and chatter, but the wealthy businessman took no notice to any of it.

‘Sydney,’ he thought, ‘belongs at a glamorous party or in a gorgeous gown watching a soap opera. Not at a place like this.’

“I didn’t realize this place would be so crowded!” Jake shouted over the noise. “Are you sure you want to stay?”

“Of course! I always come here. It’ll be fun, you’ll see!”

Though he flashed a quick smile of agreement, privately Jake was doubtful. This place struck him as a refuge for those who drank to escape their problems or for people who were desperate for the companionship of a stranger. Sydney didn’t belong in a place like this anymore than he did.

x-x-x-x-x

“So that’s him huh?” Z asked, observing Jake with interest. This was the first time she had been able to get a glimpse of the man.

Jack nodded, casually taking a sip of his drink. “That’s him.”

The yellow ranger continued to stare. “He’s really something, isn’t he?”

“I think I heard one of the C-level cadets use the word sexy,” Bridge offered.

Z raised a pointed finger at Bridge as if he had made a valid point. “Yes exactly. Sexy… Very sexy. In a handsome stranger kind of way, I mean.”

Sky crossed his arms and sank lower into his seat. Could this evening get any worse?

“My thoughts exactly,” Jack nodded in agreement with Z.

“They make an attractive couple, don’t they?” Z continued watching Jake and Syd (whom were still standing at the entrance) with interest.

“They certainly stand out in a crowd,” the red ranger responded.

“It’s like one of those People magazine articles about Hollywood’s most glamorous couples,” Bridge added.

Jack nodded. “Like they should be starring in a movie together, huh?”

“Exactly.”

The blue ranger scowled. “Knock it off guys. I get it. He’s wonderful. He’s perfect. He’s Mr. Everything.”

Sky was met with three stares, each bright with amusement.

“We’re not saying that Sky,” Bridge offered, “We’re just saying he looks like he is.”

Z gave the blue ranger a meaningful look. “There’s no reason to lose hope Sky. Looks aren’t the only thing that matters.”

Sky glared at them. “Yeah, he’s good looking, rich and has a job,” he stated sarcastically, “I’m sure no girl would want that.”

“Uh Sky? In case you forgot, you have all that too, you just don’t flaunt it like he does,” Bridge pointed out.

Both the red and yellow rangers looked interested. “You’re rich?” they asked.

Sky ignored them and scowled even more. “That’s beside the point.”

Bridge leaned toward Z. “I guess you should know that Sky’s been having a hard time dealing with all this. It’s the first time he’s ever had to deal with being jealous when it comes to girls. And judging from his expression, I don’t think we’re helping.”

“Oh really?” Z asked innocently, raising an eyebrow while smiling.

“I’d be fine if you three would stop picking on me,” the blue ranger snapped, “you’ve been at it all night.”

“But you’re such an easy target this way,” the yellow ranger laughed, “Pouting does that you know.”

Another glare was sent her way.

“Take it from a woman who knows Sky,” Z dismissed Sky’s glare with a wave of her hand, “unless you want to lose out to a guy like that, you’d better change your tune before it’s too late. If you keep acting the way you’ve been acting all night, you might as well say goodbye right now.”

Sky blinked at her honesty. “So I should act like I don’t care?”

“No Sky, act like you do care, like you want what’s best for her.”

“How do I do that?”

“Be her friend.”

“I am her friend.”

“Not right now, you’re not. If you were her friend, you’d be supportive and happy for her.”

Sky stared. “Why should I be happy that she’s with him?”

“Because,” Z responded as if the answer was obvious. “You know Syd isn’t even interested in Jake. She’s just going out with him to keep her mother from getting on her case.” The yellow ranger gave Sky a sincere smile, “Do you really think that we’d be giving you such a hard time if we didn’t believe this was all going to work out for you two in the end?”

As much as they teased him, Sky knew that his friends were right and his stern expression softened. What Z said made sense.

He supposed he could forgive them.

x-x-x-x-x

Scanning the crowded area, Syd craned her next trying to see if there was any place to sit. Sometimes it didn’t pay to be so short. Her face lit up as she spotted Sky and the rest of her friends sitting at the table in the corner. “Come on! I see a place to sit!” And without stopping to wait for Jake, she took off in the direction of the rangers’ table.

“Hi guys!” She greeted happily once she had reached their table.

“Hey Syd!” Jack responded as Jake walked up beside the pink ranger. “Going to join us?”

“If you guys don’t mind.”

“Why would we mind?” Bridge asked, as he stood up. Offering a hand towards Jake, the green ranger introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Bridge!”

Syd slid in and sat next to Sky as the other rangers introduced themselves to Jake.

“So Jake,” Z said, “Tell us about yourself.”

x-x-x-x-x

‘It could be worse,’ Sky mused as he sat at the table listening to the conversation around him. ‘At least now I sort of know what I’m up against.’

The conversation was stilted, almost and very awkward, because it was obvious that Jake felt quite uncomfortable around them. Jake had been reserved all night, he seemed kind of shy as he only responded to questions directly asked to him. His discomfort was very obvious and it was quite clear that Jack and Z’s outgoing personalities as well as Bridge’s friendliness was overwhelming.

He knew quite a bit about Jake Hemmington now, thanks to Z and Bridge’s constant questions. Jake was intelligent (and yes, good looking, but he wasn’t willing to admit it out loud), well educated and well traveled, and very financially stable. He learned that the businessman had once been married and had been very much in love with his first wife. He learned that Jake preferred fine dining, enjoyed watching theatre, and that his most favorite hobby was photography. And the way he felt about Sydney was obvious. Whenever she spoke, Jake’s eyes never left her face; he acted like a husband waking up on the first morning of his honeymoon.

Through it all, Sky kept smiling and nodding, hating Jake’s guts. The blue ranger hadn’t said much during the conversation himself, preferring to shoot glares at Jake when he wasn’t looking. When he wasn’t glaring, Sky was watching how Jake interacted with Syd. The businessman always looked at her with affection shining in his eyes, but Sky noticed that the pink ranger wasn’t returning the same look- which made the blue ranger very happy and it also gave him hope.

Jake cleared his throat and that pulled Sky out of his thoughts.

“Well, it was very nice to meet you all,” Jake said, standing up, “But we’ve got to get going. I have a meeting in the morning and I still have to get Sydney home.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Syd quickly cut in, “you don’t have to drive me back to the Academy. I can just catch a ride with these guys.” The pink ranger gestured an arm around the table, indicating her teammates.

“Yeah, we can take her home,” Jack nodded. “After all, we all live and work at the same place.”

Jake frowned slightly. “Are you sure?” he addressed Syd, the tone in his voice hinted that he wanted to be alone with her. “I don’t mind driving you home.”

Syd smiled. She either didn’t notice, or pretended not to notice the implied meaning in his tone. “I’m sure,” she replied cheerfully, “no need for you to go out of your way.”

“But I don’t mind,” he protested.

“I’m sure you don’t, but you have a meeting in the morning and I want to hang out here a bit more with my friends, so it all works out.” There was no mistaking the stubbornness in the pink ranger’s voice.

Jake hesitated. “Okay,” he answered after a moment of silence. He began to lean down.

The pink ranger knew what was coming and turned her head slightly so Jake kissed her cheek. He pulled back and smiled slightly. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!” Syd called cheerfully, waving. As soon as the restaurant door closed behind him, she gave a sigh of relief. “Finally!”

x-x-x-x-x

In the car, Jake sat for a moment frowning. What had happened tonight? The date had started off well in his opinion, but had Sydney been bored the entire time? In his mind, he replayed the whole evening once again. From what he remembered, Sydney had certainly looked like she was enjoying herself. But then again… her face completely lit up once she saw her friends. Had she planned to run into them that night?

Lost in his thoughts, Jake started the engine before pulling out of the parking lot.

x-x-x-x-x

“Now that wasn’t so bad was it?” Bridge asked. They were sitting around the table, waiting for Syd and Z to come back from with some food.

Sky shrugged, not wanting to answer.

“And he seemed nice enough,” Jack added, “Kind of quiet, but he was very polite.”

Sky reached for his drink. “I didn’t like him.”

“Oh, now there’s a surprise,” Bridge said, laughing.

“I don’t trust him.”

Jack smirked. “Well, since you missed your opportunity a few minutes ago, I guess we’ll have to hang around here for awhile longer.”

“What opportunity?”

“You said tonight was the night you were going to ask her out, remember?”

“Shut up, Jack.”

x-x-x-x-x

Okay, so maybe he chickened out.

He had been ready though. He had envisioned sweeping her off her feet and her excitedly saying that she would go out with him. He had planned to led her away from everyone else, away from the crowd and casually ask if she wanted to catch a movie and go for dinner the next day.

But the moment Syd and Z returned from the bathroom, Sky’s determination failed him and his courage flew out the window. All of the pep talks that Bridge and Jack had given him were forgotten once he looked at the pink ranger. He let out a quiet sigh. How in the world am I ever going to ask her out?

The girls sat down and Jack looked pointedly at the blue ranger.

“So Sky,” the red ranger pressed, not one to beat around the bush. “Isn’t there something that you’re supposed to ask a certain someone?”

Z and Bridge gave him gleeful looks while Syd looked at him questioningly, curiosity shining in her blue eyes.

“Uh no,” Sky muttered, shooting Jack another glare.

“Really?” Jack went on; ignoring the look Sky gave him. All night long, Sky had been glaring at him and the others nonstop. That look didn’t faze him in the slightest anymore. “That’s funny, I could’ve sworn I heard you say that you were going to ask a certain someone a certain question tonight.”

Bridge hid a smile behind a gloved hand, while Z didn’t even bother disguising the fact that she was laughing at him. “It must’ve been your imagination,” Sky muttered under his breath.

There was a silence.

“You guys are weird,” Syd announced, not having the slightest clue what was going on. There was no mistaking how tense Sky was though. To take the attention off him, Syd quickly changed the subject. “So what did you guys think of Jake?”

Their responses were quick and straight to the point.

“Quiet.”

“Shy.”

“Totally hot.”

The pink ranger blinked and rolled her eyes at Z’s comment. “He’s not that hot,” she said and then turned to Sky. “What about you?”

Sky shrugged. “You want my honest opinion?”

“Of course I do!”

“I don’t like him.”

She nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Sky stared. “What?”

“Well, remember when we went to that Broadway and we ran into him?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“You said you got the same feeling about him that I did. Something about him was off.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, so that’s why I wasn’t surprised when you said you didn’t like him,” Syd explained.

“I didn’t sense anything off about him,” Z rested her chin in the palm of her hand, thinking thoughtfully; “he was just really shy.”

The pink ranger shrugged. “Oh well.”

The conversation and the subject of Jake was long was forgotten and for the next hour, the five rangers sat around the table and talked. Sky had remarkably loosened up and all traces of the brooding, grumpy, sulky Sky was gone. Bridge, Jack and Z sat back and watched the transformation that had taken place.

Jack leaned over and bumped Z with his arm, catching her attention. The yellow ranger turned to face her longtime friend.

“It’s funny how he’s all Mr. Nice Guy once Mr. Rich Man is out of the picture huh?”

Z nodded. “A totally obvious sign that he’s hung up on her.”

“No kidding!”

“It’s kind of amusing to know that if you put him in front of a monster, he’s all brave, serious, and in control, but when you put him next to a girl he likes, all he can do is glare at his competition.”

Jack laughed, “I have to agree with you on that one.”

The yellow ranger leaned back in her seat, watching as Syd told some story to Bridge and Sky. Z noted with an amused smile, at how intently Sky was listening to the pink ranger’s tale. “It’s never dull around here.”

Some time passed and finally, Syd yawned. “Hey guys, mind if we go home now? I’m so tired!”

Jack exchanged a meaningful glance with Z and Bridge. The green ranger nodded his head slightly, letting the red ranger know that he agreed with whatever Jack was planning. Jack leaned back in his seat and threw his hands behind his head, his elbows sticking up in the air. “Do we have to leave so soon?”

The pink ranger pouted. “I’m tired though.”

Jack let out an exasperated sigh and discreetly gave Z a wink. “Anyone else tired? You can leave with Syd if you are.”

The yellow ranger quickly caught on and smiled. She shook her head. “Nope, not tired.” Z turned to the green ranger. “How about you Bridge?”

Bridge grinned. “I’m not tired either.”

There was a brief silence before Jack kicked Sky in the leg under the table.

“OW!” The blue ranger glared at his leader.

The red ranger ignored Sky’s yelp of pain and was unfazed by his murderous looks. “What about you Sky? Are you feeling tired?”

“Well actually-“ Sky started to say before he let out another yelp of pain as Jack kicked him once more. Shooting another annoyed glare at the red ranger, he turned to Syd, who was looking at him expectantly. “I’m pretty tired too. Come on Sydney, I’ll take you home.”

The pink ranger grinned and kissed his cheek. “Thanks Sky!”

He blushed before following Syd out the door.

Watching their teammates go, the three remaining rangers grinned at one another. Shifting, a sudden thought just occurred to Bridge. “Uh guys?”

Both Z and Jack regarded him with questioning looks.

“We all came here together in one car and Sky just took our car. How in the world are we getting home?”

X-x-x-x-x

In the car, Syd sighed happily. This was where she had wanted to be tonight. With her friends. With Sky. Laughing, joking, and having a good time.

“Did you have fun tonight?”

The pink ranger turned in her seat and observed the blue ranger’s profile. He was so handsome! “I had a blast once I met up with you guys.”

“You didn’t have fun on your date?”

Syd rolled her eyes. “He overdid it with the compliments.”

Sky laughed, still focused on the road. “I thought girls liked to hear that they’re pretty.”

“We do, it just gets annoying when you hear it thirty times in a row.”

The blue ranger gave another chuckle.

There was a comfortable silence as Sky continued driving. Suddenly there was a loud buzzing sound in the air, causing both rangers to jump slightly in their seat.

“What was that?” Syd asked, startled.

Sky shifted and lifted his right elbow a bit, both his hands still on the steering wheel. “Can you get that? It’s my cell phone.”

Syd reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a vibrating device. Flipping it open, she answered, “Hello, Sky Tate’s phone!” cheerfully.

“Hello,” a female voice responded, her voice sounding pleasantly surprised. “Whom am I speaking with?”

Feeling a little puzzled, she exchanged a glance with Sky. The blue ranger shrugged as she responded, “This is Sydney Drew. I’m Sky’s friend.”

“Oh hi Sydney!” the woman’s voice replied cheerfully. “It’s Sky’s mother. How are you?”

The pink ranger’s eyes lit up. “Hi, Mrs. Collins! I’m great, how are you?”

“Call me Jen honey, and I’m doing wonderfully. Is Sky around?”

Syd glanced at Sky and then noticed that they had arrived back at the Academy. “Yes, he’s sitting right next to me, we were driving and we’re just pulling into the parking lot right now. Hang on just a sec Mrs. Collins!”

“I’m glad you two are driving responsibly. Never drive while talking on a cell phone. And remember to call me Jen dear!”

Syd grinned and passed the cell phone to Sky. The blue ranger held the phone up to his ear as he got out of the car. “Hi mom.”

“Hi honey. I was just calling to ask if you wanted to have lunch with your father and me tomorrow afternoon.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, your aunt and uncle are coming as well.”

“Uncle Eric and Aunt Taylor are coming too?”

“They just arrived from Silver Hills an hour ago.”

Sky grinned. “Lunch sounds great mom.”

“Perfect. Meet us at noon at ‘La Casa Encantada’.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Oh and Sky? Bring Sydney along. And the rest of your teammates too. We all want to meet them.”

“Okay,” the blue ranger chuckled, “I’ll ask them if they’re interested in coming.”

“Wonderful. See you tomorrow son. Love you.”

“Love you too mom.”

Sky hung up and together he and Sydney walked through the SPD Academy Entrance. “Are you interested in having lunch with my family tomorrow?”

The pink ranger’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes! I adore your parents Sky! Can I really come?”

He laughed. “Well, they did invite you.”

“Then I’m there!”

X-x-x-x-x

“Oof!”

The wind was knocked out of him as Sky landed on his back for the third time that day. Syd’s face appeared above him as she bent over, her hands placed on her knees.

“You must be getting really rusty Sky,” the pink ranger commented, grinning. “I’ve been able to kick your butt three times today. What happened to the best fighter on our team huh?”

He caught his breath and Syd extended her arm. The blue ranger grabbed her hand and pulled himself into a sitting position. “Yeah well,” he shrugged, “I’ve been preoccupied lately.”

And preoccupied he was. He had shown up on the training field bright and early that morning, as usual, when he learned that Sydney was to be his sparring partner for the day. So naturally, when he saw her (looking stunning as always) he turned into a bumbling idiot and became distracted, much to the amusement of his teammates.

Across the matt, Jack snorted when he heard Sky’s response. “Yeah,” the red ranger muttered, “he’s preoccupied with jealousy and spends half the time glaring at his friends.”

Z, who was standing next to him, rolled her eyes, while suppressing a smirk. She elbowed the red ranger in the ribs as Syd shot a curious glance at them. Jack and Z straightened and merely grinned at her with knowing glances.

The pink ranger shrugged and resumed training. The sooner they were done, the sooner she could grab a shower. She hated sweating. She blew a strand of hair out of her face, this time she would have to spar against Sky and Bridge. Rounding on Sky, the petite girl was able to tackle the blue ranger to the ground once more, before flipping backwards and tackling Bridge as well. Standing up, Syd placed her hands on her hips. “Really, what’s gotten into you guys today? I’m not a bad fighter, but usually when you two team up against me, I barely make it out of there in one piece.”

Bridge groaned, shooting a glare at the red ranger. “Can’t blame me, I’m tired. It was a long way home last night you know.”

The pink ranger frowned. “Why’s that?”

“Jack had the brilliant idea that we walk home.”

“And the three of you walked home because…?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bridge quickly replied, “I’ll be fine. I’ll just catch a quick nap before lunch or something.”

Syd just shrugged, quickly letting the subject drop. The rangers trained for another hour, Sky managed to regain some control and was doing much better. At least he had been able to keep Sydney from pinning him to the ground again.

“Sydney!”

Their training was interrupted as a man walked out onto the field. All five rangers stopped their sparring and three of them watched with interest as the man made his way towards their pink ranger. Syd’s eyes widened. “Jake? What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a guy visit for any reason?”

Sky’s face had taken on a dark expression as soon as he saw Jake. Sky glared at the man. What the hell is he doing here?

Bridge stood up from his place on the matt and walked over to where Sky was standing. The green ranger observed his friend’s expression. Boy, if looks could kill, Jake would’ve been six feet under in an instant. Bridge placed a hand on his roommate’s arm. He didn’t need to take off his gloves to see that Sky was not happy. His roommate was projecting his emotions like a satellite. “Calm down Sky.”

“Must be nice, being a business man and all,” the blue ranger muttered under his breath. He was so caught up in his jealousy that he appeared not to have heard Bridge’s comment. “Doesn’t he ever have to work?”

“Guess he makes his own hours,” Jack answered, as he and Z made their way over to where Sky and Bridge were standing. All four rangers watched the interaction between Syd and Jake.

“Um… it’s nice to see you again…” Syd said, giving Jake a small smile.

“Actually, I just stopped by to say hi and give you something,” Jake pulled a small rectangular shaped box out of his pocket.

The pink ranger had a wary look in her eyes as she glanced at the object in his hand and made no move to accept the gift. “What’s the occasion?”

The business man shrugged. “No occasion. I just saw this and it reminded me of you, is all.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

Jake shrugged once more and extended his arm.

Still, the pink ranger made no move to take the box.

“What’s wrong?” Jake frowned.

“I can’t accept this Jake.”

“Why not?” The man looked puzzled and slightly hurt.

“Because I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”

Sky’s dark expression disappeared at Sydney’s words and a genuine smile appeared on his face. He grinned gleefully at Jake’s back.

Jake was still frowning. “Why?”

The pink ranger gave an apologetic smile. “I just don’t think we’re right for each other. I’m sorry if I had your hopes up.”

Jake absently scratched the side of his cheek, continuing to hold the box in his hand. “So that’s it then? For us, I mean?”

Syd’s expression answered for her.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“No,” she protested, “it’s not that. I just don’t think we’re right for each other. You’ll find someone else though. Someone that will be perfect for you.”

There was an awkward silence as Jake looked thoughtful at Syd’s answer. Finally, he gave a small smile. “I understand,” he offered his hand, “friends?”

Relieved, Syd smiled and took his hand. “Sure.”

“Okay, well I should go,” Jake straightened his jacket and once more offered the box to the pink ranger. “Take it, it was meant for you anyway.”

Looking unsure, Syd hesitated before reaching out to accept the gift. “Thank you.”

With a small wave, Jake turned and walked off the field.

X-x-x-x-x

“It’s gorgeous,” Z remarked as she held up the locket to inspect it further.

Syd shrugged. “You can have it if you want.”

Later in their room, while they were getting ready to head for lunch, Syd had opened the gift that Jake had given her. Inside, nestled in some cotton, was a small heart shaped locket with the letters ‘S.D’ engraved on it. If you opened the locket, you could see tiny diamond studs decorating the edges.

The yellow ranger gave her roommate a look. “Are you kidding? It has your initials on it. What am I supposed to tell people what the letters stand for if I wear it? ‘Stupid Dork’?”

The pink ranger grinned. “You could,” she teased.

Z stuck out her tongue at her roommate.

Syd shrugged. “What am I supposed to do with it? It’s not like I’m going to wear it anyway.”

“You could sell it,” Z suggested as she examined the piece of jewelry. “This looked like it cost Jake a small fortune.”

“Who would want a locket with the initials ‘S.D’ on them?”

The yellow ranger shrugged. “What are you going to do with it then?”

Syd stood up from the bed and reached for the locket. Crossing the room, she opened her dresser drawer and carelessly threw the locket in. “There,” she said, shutting the drawer.

Her roommate raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you’re nice. Poor guy, he was so hung up on you too. That was obviously expensive jewelry Syd.”

“So?” Sydney shrugged, “I have a bucket full of expensive jewelry.”

Z rolled her eyes. “That was beside the point.”

Syd flopped into the chair in front of her mirror. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she replied as she began to braid her hair into two pigtails, “I’m not interested in Jake. Never had been.”

Z shrugged. “Your call.” The yellow ranger stood up and stretched before something caught her attention. “Come on let’s –Hey! What’s that?”

Syd turned, “What?”

The yellow ranger pointed to an object on Syd’s nightstand. Sydney was out of her chair in a flash. Grabbing the small box, she carefully pulled apart the pink wrappings. Her breath caught.

“What is it Syd?”

The blonde looked up. “Earrings.”

“Earrings?”

“Remember the necklace I got for my birthday?” Syd asked.

“The one that just mysteriously appeared on your bed?”

“Yeah,” the pink ranger nodded, “these earrings match with the necklace.”

“Seriously?”

Syd fell silent, looking at the earrings in wonder. “I received a bracelet too.”

“Wow,” Z paused. “Why don’t you ever wear them? You wear the necklace all the time.”

The pink ranger shrugged. “I don’t want my secret admirer to get the wrong idea.” Syd turned away, avoiding Z’s questioning gaze and placed the earrings on her dresser. ‘Besides, my heart already belongs to Sky.’

X-x-x-x-x

Wes and Jen were already seated at the table when the rangers arrived at the restaurant.

“Mom! Dad!”

Both former rangers looked up and smiled when they saw their son standing at the entrance. Wes stood up and motioned with his arm for all of them to head towards their table. Jen reached up and hugged her son. “Hi honey.”

Sky kissed his mother’s cheek. “Hi mom,” he greeted before moving to greet his father. “Hey dad.”

“Hey son,” Wes grinned, his expression turned into the one he often had when he was about to tease someone. “Gee Sky, I’m beginning to wonder if you ever change your clothes. It seems like every time I see you, you’re wearing that hideous uniform.”

Before Sky could retort, a new voice answered for him. “It’s better looking than your ridiculous Silver Guardian uniform, Wes.”

“Well you wear the same thing,” Wes shot back, grinning.

“I know,” came the reply, “and I think it looks ridiculous.”

Everyone turned and spotted a slim blonde woman and an Asian man with a smirk on his face, standing behind them.

The blue ranger’s face lit up. “Uncle Eric! Aunt Taylor!”

“Hi Sky,” Taylor greeted warmly with a smile.

“Hey kid,” Eric grinned, looking up at the blue ranger. “Shit, you’ve gotten taller. You’re like a freaking tree.”

Taylor smacked the back of Eric’s head.

“OW!” He shot his wife a murderous look. “What the hell was that for?”

Taylor smacked him again and Eric let out another stream of colorful curses. The former yellow wild force ranger glared right back at her husband. “Don’t swear in front of Sky!”

The Quantum Ranger shot another glare at his wife and rolled his eyes. “You’re so difficult to deal with sometimes!” he snapped, “The kid is twenty years old for crying out loud! I’m sure he’s heard a couple of swear words in his lifetime.”

“Maybe,” Taylor snapped right back, “But that’s no reason to influence him!”

Sky laughed, while the others just exchanged amused glances.

“Hey,” Wes spoke up, “Why don’t we all site down? I’m starving, and Sky still has to introduce his friends!”

Eric and Taylor immediately stopped arguing and everyone sat down. Sky quickly introduced his teammates and both Jen and Wes smiled warmly when he introduced Sydney.

Eric elbowed Taylor. “That must be the girl he’s smitten with,” he muttered.

Taylor agreed, smiling. “Aw, young love. That’s so cute.”

Eric rolled his eyes.

Everyone laughed and joke all through lunch. Jen, Taylor, Wes and Eric entertained the rangers with stories of their own adventures during their ranger days and the rangers in return told their own tales. Halfway through her meal, Syd felt the little hairs on the back of her neck raise and she tensed. The pink ranger paused and looked up around the room.

Next to her, Bridge noticed her discomfort. The green ranger lowered his fork. “What’s wrong Syd?” he asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know,” Syd consciously reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s this weird feeling I have. It feels like… it feels like... “ Syd paused, trying to find the right words to describe her discomfort. “It feels like someone’s watching me,” she finally uttered, still looking uneasy.

Bridge looked up and observed the restaurant. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. “Maybe you’re imagining things,” he suggested.

“Maybe,” Syd agreed, though she was convinced it wasn’t her imagination. Shrugging, Syd shook her head and tried to get back into the lively conversation around her.

The feeling stayed with her until they left the restaurant.

x-x-x-x-x

That evening, Syd sat in front of her mirror, quietly humming to herself, while brushing her hair. Carefully and skillfully, the pink ranger pulled her hair into a firm French braid. Once finished, she searched her dresser for an elastic band. After a few seconds of searching and finding nothing, she decided to check her purse. With one hand holding onto the end of her hair, she stood up and moved over to her bed, reaching for her purse and dumping out the contents on her blanket.

Many things fell out, her mini hairbrush, various items of makeup, her lip gloss, keys, a few photos, her wallet, a few elastic bands, and a small pink box.

The small pink box caught her attention. Quickly grabbing a rubber band and tying her hair in place, she held up the box to her face for a closer inspection. Curiosity overcame her and she quickly threw the small mess on her bed back into her purse before opening the box. Gently pulling apart the white ribbon, Syd’s eyes widened in shock once she lifted the lid.

It was a star shaped locket, no bigger than the size of her palm. Taking the delicate object out of the box and inspecting it, the pink ranger immediately fell in love with it. ‘It’s beautiful.’

Carefully, she pried open the locket, wanting to see what the inside looked like- and received a pleasant surprise. A soft sweet melody filled her ears and she gazed at the object with wonder.

It wasn’t a locket; it was a miniature star shaped music box.

‘Who in the world could’ve gotten me something so beautiful?’

She quickly checked the box to see if there was a note.

There was.

Syd placed the music box on her bed and opened the card.

Sydney-

When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out. I wish that the stars would forever shine in your eyes. Never stop smiling, because I love to see you smile.

“What are you reading?”

Syd jumped, startled at Z’s sudden appearance. “You scared me!”

The yellow ranger shrugged. “Sorry. What were you reading?”

“Look at this,” Syd held out the music box.

The yellow ranger’s eyes widened. “It’s beautiful. Where’d you get it?”

“It just showed up in my purse!”

Z shook her head. “Another present from your secret admirer? Three gifts in one day, that’s gotta be some sort of record. Boy Syd, you’ve really got guys falling at your feet huh?” She laughed, “First your secret admirer, then Jake, and now you’ve got Sky too.”

The last statement caught Syd’s attention. “WHAT?”

Realizing her little slip up, Z quickly searched her mind for something to say. “Uh… uh… oh gee, look at the time! Bridge said he’d make me some toast, it’s supposed to be all buttery and stuff. Gotta go, bye!” The yellow ranger turned and ran out of the room.

“Z, wait!”

But the doors had already slid shut, leaving Syd alone in the room to ponder her thoughts.

‘What did Z mean by that?’

X-x-x-x-x

Inside the rented Victorian house, Jake Hemmington made his way up the stairs to the corner room. He’d painted the walls black and covered the windows with duct tape and a light-blocking tarp; a red light dangled over a small table along the far wall. His photography equipment was on the table: four different cameras, about half a dozen lenses, and boxes of film. He turned on the lamp and turned it a bit so that the lighting was dimmer. Near the shallow containers of chemicals he used to develop the film was a single photograph that he had taken of Sydney on their last date.

Carefully, he inspected the photograph. ‘She looked happy last night’, he thought, ‘as if she’d known her life had suddenly changed for the better’. And she was very lovely too. Studying her expression, he couldn’t find anything to explain what had happened earlier that day. What happened to cause her to not want to see him anymore?

He shook his head. No, he wouldn’t hold her mistake against her. She was confused. Anyone who cared as much as she did was a treasure, and he was lucky enough to have found her.

He knew quite a bit about Sydney Drew now. She was an only child; her mother had been unable to have anymore children after Sydney had been born. Her mother had been a former model and took pride in being wealthy. Her father owned a very successful business company and would do anything to see his daughter happy. She started talking and walking at the age of 1 and was always demanding attention as she grew up. From the age of 7, she had won every beauty pageant she was entered in, started gymnastics at a young age (when she was 10!) and becoming an Olympian at age 15. She joined SPD when she was 16 and continued training for the next two years, while becoming a fashion model and a singer at ages 17 and 18 at the same time.

She was such an amazing individual, with amazing talents.

Their childhoods were very different. While Sydney had lived the life of a princess, he had lived a different lifestyle. The drinking. The beatings. The cockroach-infected kitchen. The smell of mold and rotting drywall. The disgusting tap water from the sink that made him sick to his stomach. His only escape had been his photography. He had discovered beautiful photographs in books that seemed to whisper of other places, of magical landscapes and spent longs hours at his school library just studying the beautiful images. His mother had noticed his interest and somehow persuaded his father to spend money on a small inexpensive camera and two boxes of film as a Christmas present when he was twelve years old. It was the only time in his childhood that he could remember being truly happy. He would take pictures at dusk and dawn because he liked the light at those hours; he became a pro at moving silently, obtaining close-ups that seemed almost impossible to get. When he finished his roll of film, he would run inside and beg his father to have them developed. When the photos were ready, he would stare at them in his bedroom, trying to figure out what he’d done right or wrong.

In the beginning, his father seemed amused at his interest and at times even glanced through a few photos. Then the comments started. “Oh look, a bird,” he’d say, and “Oh, another bird.” Eventually he began to resent the money being spent on his son’s hobby. You’re just throwing it all away aren’t you?” he’d snarl, but instead of suggesting that Jake do some chores around the neighborhood to pay for developing the photos himself, his father decided to teach him a lesson.

He’d been drinking again that night, and both Jake and his mother tried to stay out of his way. Something happened, Jake wasn’t sure what, but a moment later his father came into the kitchen with his beloved camera, setting it on the kitchen table. In his other hand was a hammer. After making sure he had his son’s attention, he smashed the camera into tiny pieces.

Later that year, his father died. His memories of that day were vivid: the disbelieving look on his mother’s face, the dripping of the faucet, the officers’ hushed tones. And his mother’s hysterical screaming once they were alone. “What are we going to do without him?” she sobbed, shaking him by the shoulders. “How could this have happened?”

Here was how: his father had been drinking at a bar, near downtown. According to the witnesses, he played one game of pool and lost, then sat at the bar drinking the night away. He’d been fired from his job three months before and had begun spending his nights at the bar, looking for pity in the company of alcoholics.

He left the bar a little past eleven, driving home after stopping at the 24-hour market for some cigarettes. A neighbor, who was walking his dog, saw him as he was nearing home. The garage had been left open, and his father pulled the car into the small space.

This was where the speculation began. He had closed the garage door, and there was no doubt, that the room was filled with high levels of carbon monoxide. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Jake’s father had committed suicide. People who knew Jake’s father disagreed with the evidence. ‘He’s a fighter,’ they had said, ‘he wouldn’t have killed himself.’

In the end, it was ruled as an accident, and the death was attributed to alcohol.

Many people came to the funeral. His mother cried bitterly into her handkerchief, while Jake stood beside her. People came and went, offering their condolences. He played the part well, keeping his eyes downcast at all times, once in a while even bringing a finger to his eye, pretending to wipe away tears.

The next day, however, when he was alone, Jake returned to the cemetery and stood in front of his father’s grave.

And spat bitterly on it.

In his darkroom, Jake tacked Sydney’s photograph to the wall. ‘It’s easy to get confused,’ he thought. No, he wouldn’t hold her mistake against her. He knew she couldn’t help it and he understood. He forgave her for what she had done.

He stared at her image, noting the loveliness of her face. How could he not forgive her?

X-x-x-x-x

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there was a light breeze in the air the next morning as Syd took a walk through the park. But the pink ranger took no notice of the weather, as she sat on an abandoned bench, the star locket clutched in her hand. She let out a sigh, and felt herself relax as she listened to the soft melody of the small music box.

She hadn’t been able to sleep well during the night. Z’s comment had her pondering the meaning all night long, and as much as she hated to admit it, her roommate’s words gave her hope.

“Three gifts in one day, that’s gotta be some sort of record. Boy Syd, you’ve really got guys falling at your feet huh?” Z laughed, the tone of her voice was filled with amusement, “First your secret admirer, then Jake, and now you’ve got Sky too.”

Syd shook her head of the memory. ‘No use getting all worked up about it now,’ she thought as she stood from the bench. Making her way back towards the Academy, the pink ranger had a determined thought. She would definitely question the yellow ranger later.

-x-x-x-

Z had woken up earlier than usual that morning and left the room in order to avoid the pink ranger. She hadn’t meant to let it slip that their normally uptight blue ranger had feelings for their diminutive pink ranger. Heading towards the room that Sky and Bridge shared, she silently cursed herself. She should really learn to watch what she said sometimes. But what’s done is done. There was no use going back now.

“Bridge! Sky!” she called, knocking on their door, “you guys up yet?”

She waited patiently, smiling slightly as she heard groans through the door. A moment later, Sky’s voice answered, “You can come in Z.”

The yellow ranger entered the room. Bridge was sitting up in bed, yawning and rubbing his eyes. It was obvious that the green ranger had just woken up.

Sky, on the other hand, looked wide awake. He was sitting on his bed, his uniform perfectly in place as always, and a worn out copy of the SPD Handbook in his hand.

She rolled her eyes once she saw the book. ‘Typical,’ she thought. Didn’t Sky own any other books?

Bridge let out another yawn. “Morning Z. What’s up?”

The yellow ranger paused. “Actually, it’s more like, what’s out,” she turned to Sky. “You have the hots for Syd right? Have you told her yet?”

She watched with some amusement as Sky’s ears turned red. “I-I don’t… I-I… well, I… That’s none of your concern!” he sputtered.

Z bit her lip. “Well, you’re going to have to tell her how you feel.”

Bridge gave her a curious glance. “Why’s that?”

It was the yellow ranger’s turn to blush. “Well, umm… I ‘think’ I accidentally told Syd you were interested in her.”

“What?” Sky stood up, glaring at his teammate.

She held up her hands as if to defend herself. “Calm down Sky it just kind of slipped out, I didn’t mean it!” Z paused, looking at Sky nervously. “I don’t think Syd knows anything for sure, I ran out before she could ask.”

Sky suddenly looked ill. “I have to ask her out?”

“Don’t you want too?” Bridge asked, pulling back his covers.

“Well, yeah-“

“And haven’t you waited long enough?”

“Yes, but-“

“Stop being such a chicken Sky. What are you so afraid of?”

“Rejection!” Sky exploded.

There was a silence after that statement.

“All I can say is,” Z shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, “you have to take a chance on that Sky. Besides, I don’t think you’ll have that problem. Just ask her out.”

-x-x-x-

Several hours later, Syd was standing over the sink in her bathroom, holding on to the dish towels she’d hastily wrapped around the broken faucet, doing her best to stop the flow of water that had exploded toward the ceiling like a powerful geyser. She grabbed another towel, adding it to the others, and then tightened her grip, which reduced the spray somewhat. Unfortunately in doing so, the water ended up spraying at her.

Turning her face sideways, Syd reached over and grabbed her morpher, keeping her chin as high as she could to keep the water from hitting her face. Frantically, she pressed a button that would enable her to get in contact with the others. Quickly, she tried contacting the first person that came to her mind.

“Bridge! Bridge are you there?”

There was no answer. The pink ranger sighed with frustration. Quickly, she pressed another button, this time trying to get in contact with her roommate. Again, there was no answer. Next she tried Jack, but it was the same. No answer from him either. Disconnecting, Syd pressed the blue button on her morpher, praying that Sky would answer on the other end.

-x-x-x-

Sky was on the couch, munching on some vegetables, a tray of salad dressing in his lap and a novel in his hand. When his morpher suddenly buzzed, Sky was ripped from his novel and he jumped; his hand jerked upward, sending a handful of baby carrots all over the place, his book fell to the ground and he shifted spilling the salad dressing all over his lap. Acting on instinct, he tried to wipe off the dressing with his hand and ended making an even bigger mess. Great, now his hand was going to be sticky as well.

He reached for his buzzing morpher with his other hand. “Cadet Tate.”

“Sky!” Syd’s voice floated through the device, sounding stressed. “Are you busy?”

The dressing was beginning to soak through the fabric of his pants and he shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable. “Not really.”

“You sound a bit distracted.”

“It’s nothing big, just had a little accident here with my snack.”

“Huh?”

Finally, he found a dish towel that had been tossed to the side and began cleaning up the mess he made. “It’s nothing, what’s up?”

“I need you!”

“What- You do?” His ego inflated, and for a moment he forgot about the mess he was sitting in.

“My faucet exploded! Help me please!”

“Oh,” he said, his ego deflating just as quickly. “How did that happen?”

“I don’t know! I just turned it on and it exploded!”

“So call Bridge- he’s the mechanical genius.”

Her voice sounded exasperated. “I tried! He didn’t answer. Can you help me?”

Sky chuckled. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“You won’t be long will you? I’m stuck holding a rag and I think there’s more water starting to flow out.”

“I’m on my way.” Sky felt a smile float over his face as he stood up. As he was heading towards his room to change clothes, that small feeling of happiness stayed with him.

-x-x-

“Syd?” Sky called out as he entered the room. Colors of pink and yellow flashed out at him.

“In here Sky!” Syd answered from the bathroom as she loosened her grip slightly from the faucet. “I think something happened though. It doesn’t seem to be leaking anymore.”

“I just shut off the water with the valve outside your room. It should be fine now.” The blue ranger entered the bathroom and one word immediately came to mind: breasts. The pink ranger was soaked to the point that he could clearly see the outlines of her breasts. It didn’t help that she was also wearing a white top.

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” Syd spoke as she wrung the excess water from her hair. “The water was totally out of control, and I couldn’t stop it!”

Sky barely heard her. ‘Don’t stare,’ he commanded himself. ‘Whatever you do, don’t stare at her chest. A gentleman wouldn’t stare. A friend wouldn’t stare. DON’T STARE!’ Squatting, he opened the toolbox that he had brought with him. “No problem,” he mumbled.

Syd tugged at her shirt that was sticking to her skin. “Are you okay?” she asked as she saw Sky shifting.

Sky began searching for a wrench. “I’m fine.”

The pink ranger gave him a searching look. “You’re kind of acting like you’re upset.”

“I’m not upset.”

“You won’t even look at me.”

“I’m not staring.”

“That’s what I just said.”

“Oh.”

“Sky?”

“Here it is!” he said suddenly, happy that he found the opportunity to change the subject. He held up the wrench for Syd to see. “I was hoping this was in here.”

The pink ranger just kept staring at him, her confusion showing in her eyes. “I think I’m going to go change,” she said finally.

“I think that’s probably a good idea,” Sky muttered.

Syd left the bathroom, and Sky let out a sigh of relief. The job at hand gave Sky something to focus on. He wasn’t a mechanical genius like Bridge was, but he knew enough to get by. He spread some towels on the floor and soaked up most of the water. By the time Sydney had finished changing, he was already on his back working to fix the faucet – only his torso and lower body was visible.

“How’s it going under there?” she asked, leaning against the doorframe.

At the sound of her voice, Sky raised his head, bumping it as he did so. “It’s going good. I’m just about done.”

“Already?”

“It’s not that hard –just had to tighten it a bit.”

Syd saw his arms cranking the wrench and admired the wiry muscles of his forearms as he worked. ‘Nice,’ she thought as she heard a plink as something dropped beneath the cabinet.

“Got it,” he announced. Sky slid out from under the sink and, seeing that she’d changed, felt himself relax. It was easier this way. Less threatening. Less revealing. He stood, brushing his hands as he did so. Then, excusing himself from the bathroom, he vanished out the door for a moment. After turning the water valve back on, he came back in and tried the faucet, making sure that it wasn’t leaking.

“Looks like you’re good to go.”

“You made that look too easy,” Syd remarked as she watched him wipe his hands with a towel.

Sky shrugged. “It was something I picked up from Bridge. I just know the basics.”

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” Syd looked up at Sky, hope shinning in her eyes. “In all this commotion, I didn’t get a chance to eat lunch yet. You up for some pizza?”

Sky smiled. “Pizza sounds great.”

She returned the smile. “Great, let’s go!”

-x-x-

They walked through the park, heading towards ‘Sunny Spot’. Once inside, the two laughed and joke all the way through lunch. They spoke of SPD, his parents, her parents, and their friends. As they were finishing up their pizza, Sky finally found the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind all day.

He looked at the pink ranger, suddenly feeling like a little boy again. She was awfully pretty and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what a girl like her would be doing with a guy like him, but darn it, he was going to give it a shot. “Hey Syd?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you like to go watch a movie and have dinner with me tonight?”

Her blue eyes rose to meet his, and she paused. Seeing her hesitation, Sky felt his heart slowing begin to sink.

“You mean like a date?”

Feeling the heat rush to his cheeks, Sky adverted his gaze and nodded. “Um, yeah.”

“I’d love too.”

Their eyes met, and the blue ranger released his breath. They smiled shyly at one another.

Tonight was going to be both interesting and nerve wrecking.

-x-x-

“So you finally asked her out huh?” Jack asked.

Sky sat on the floor, his back leaning against the couch in the recreation room, watching as Bridge and Jack played a video game.

“It was time,” Sky gave an elaborate shrug. He looked calm and cool on the outside, but on the inside, he was shaking with nervousness and excitement. It was obvious he was pretty pleased with himself.

“Are you sure it’s even a date?”

Sky raised his eyes as if Jack’s question tried his patience. “Oh yeah. It’s definitely a date.”

“Well, that’s good. I’m glad you finally decided to take some action instead of brooding around,” Bridge remarked.

Jack snorted from his spot next to the green ranger. “That makes two of us.”

-x-x-x-

Sky and Syd left a little before seven-thirty that evening. Halfway through dinner, Syd had decided that she didn’t feel like watching a movie. Instead, she wanted to take a walk through the park and Sky wholeheartedly agreed. Taking a walk meant that they would make conversation – much better than watching a movie and having no conversation at all.

There was a comfortable silence as they walked on the pathway. There was a slight breeze and Sky, noticing that Syd was shivering a bit, took off his jacket and covered her shoulders. The pink ranger smiled gratefully and slid her arms into the sleeves.

“So,” she spoke, her voice light and happy as always, “you never did tell me why you’re using ‘Tate’ as your last name.”

Sky smiled slightly at her curious tone. “My dad’s rich Syd. If people found out that I’m attending SPD, the newspapers would be hounding me.”

The pink ranger nodded, showing that she understood. Being that she grew up in a high class society, she understood all about always being in the public eye. Everyone always gossiped, and rumors were always spreading. Either you had money or you didn’t. And you were always judged based on the amount of money you had.

“Tell me about your parents.”

She was quiet, looking thoughtful as she contemplated her answer. “Well, my dad’s a businessman too. He and my mother were married for a year before I was born. Growing up, he was the only one that kept me sane. My mother drove me crazy- she involved me in all these activities. She really objected when I announced that I had wanted to join SPD. She really cares about our image and what society thinks of us. My daddy though, I think he just wants me to be happy. He didn’t complain when I said I wanted to join SPD."

There was a comfortable silence as they continued walking.

“It was a great idea to go to the park. It’s a beautiful night.” Sky sneaked a look at her and boldly reached for her hand.

Syd smiled with delight as his fingers interlocked with hers. “Yeah, it is,” she agreed.

-x-x-x-

Syd sighed happily as Sky left. The doors slid shut behind her and she gave an excited squeal, jumping up and down a few times. Z, who was sitting on her bed, lowered her book and gazed at her roommate with an unreadable expression.

“Why are you so happy?”

“He kissed me!” Syd gushed as she flopped onto her bed with a dramatic sigh. She leaned back on her bed and stared at the ceiling dreamily. Everything in her room suddenly just looked so much brighter; there was a slight breeze in her room from the opened window. But Syd took no notice of anything as she closed her eyes and replayed those last few moments in her mind, when Sky had leaned in and kissed her lightly.

“Who did? Sky?”

Z’s voice reached her ears and she sat up, her eyes dancing with delight. “Yup!”

The yellow ranger’s eyes widened and she placed her book down. “Whoa, you mean he finally had the guts to ask you out?”

“Yes! We went to dinner and then we took a walk around the park.”

Z got off her bed and walked over to Syd’s side of the room, settling herself onto her teammate’s bed. “Alright, you’re going to tell me all the details!”

Syd happily complied, and began her tale. Outside, a breath of wind shook the leaves above, sounding like the faint rattle of shaken pebbles in a jar. After a moment it stopped, but it wasn’t quiet. From the road, a passing car drove by, the sound of the engine rising and falling, before disappearing. A child’s voice carried from the distance. There was a faint brushing sound, something scraping the bark of a nearby tree. Something snapped, and a moment later a branch fell from the tree.

Lost in the pink ranger’s story, neither girl noticed a shadow slipping away.

X-x-x-x-x

“You awake?” Syd asked into her morpher the following morning.

Sky struggled with the sheet and sat up in bed as he recognized her voice coming from his morpher on his nightstand. As he reached for the device, he caught the blinking numbers of his digital alarm clock. 9:00am? He hadn’t slept this late in awhile. The blue ranger yawned before bringing his morpher to his lips. “I am now.”

“So come on. The day’s a-wasting,” She responded, giggling. “I thought you’d be up hours before now.”

Sky rubbed his eyes and yawned once more. “Maybe I was more tired from last night than I thought.”

“Just from a little walk?” Syd teased.

He chuckled. “I guess so.”

“Well, get up and get dressed. I was thinking we could go to the beach together. It’s supposed to be a great day. I figured we could head there first with RIC and let him run around for awhile and the others could come later on during the day. How does that sound to you?”

X-x-x-x-x

Sky stood on the boat taking in a breath of fresh air. The last few hours had been wonderful and he wouldn’t trade them for anything. After Syd’s late morning ‘phone’ call, Sky had quickly gotten dressed and headed out to meet her. She had been waiting for him at the SPD entrance with a picnic basket, dressed in flip flop sandals, denim shorts, and a baby pink t-shirt. A pair of pink tinted sunglasses rested on top her head. Together, they headed out to the beach. He had been nervous, but all that had been washed away as soon as Syd had greeted him with her usual wide smile and given him a kiss on the cheek. And throughout the next few hours, he had been pleasantly surprised, as well as happy to find out that their new relationship still hadn’t changed the friendship between them. She still teased him about wearing his uniform 24/7. And he still told her stories about his parents –which she found fascinating and had told him on several occasions that it was like a fairytale. They sat on top a red and white checkered blanket and had eaten the delicious meal that Syd had carefully prepared, played immature beach games, splashed each other in the water and had even attempted building a small sand castle afterwards.

And he had also been able to steal a few kisses.

Sky grinned as he reminisced. He had like that part best.

Now they were just waiting on the others to arrive.

“RIC! Down boy, stop nudging me or I’ll drop all these drinks on you and damage all your circuits! What if Bridge can’t fix you if something happens huh?”

The blue ranger felt his smile widen as he turned and watched as Syd struggled up the steps to the boat, carrying several cans of soda, RIC barking happily behind her. Reaching out, he grabbed a couple cans of soda, taking some of the load that Syd carried.

“Thanks!” She flashed him her trademark smile as she set the drinks down on the floor of the boat they had rented.

They heard a car door slam and Bridge’s voice floated out to them. “Hi guys!” A moment later, a flash of green appeared and Bridge bounded up the steps grinning, carrying two small coolers of food.

“Hey Bridge,” Syd greeted sitting on one of the lawn chairs they had brought on board.

Jack and Z then came on board, the red ranger carrying a few fishing poles and the yellow ranger holding sunscreen, towels, hats and anything else she thought they needed for their beach trip. Sky walked forward; helping Jack with the fishing poles and within no time at all the red and blue rangers were engaged in a contest to see who could catch the most fish. Bridge sat across from them, reading a novel that he had brought along, enjoying the peace sounds the waves made. Z sat next to Syd on a lawn chair, both girls watching as Sky and Jack competed. There was already a basket filled with a few flopping fish.

An hour later, Syd was standing at the railing when she felt Sky slip his arms around her and nuzzle her neck. She leaned into his embrace, feeling content as he moved to stand beside her.

“Hey there,” she greeted.

“Hi. You looked lonely up here.”

“Nope. Just enjoying the breeze. I was getting kind of hot sitting on the sun.”

“Me too. I think I might be sunburned.”

Syd laughed. “So did you win?”

“I don’t want to brag, but let’s just say that my basket had a lot more fish than his did.”

“So what’s Jack doing now?”

“Probably pouting.”

The pink ranger glanced behind her. Jack was leaning over the side of the boat, filling an empty soda can with seawater. When he saw Syd looking, the red ranger stood and brought a finger to his lips, begging for her silence.

Syd adverted her gaze and smiled up at Sky. “Did you have fun today?”

The blue ranger nodded and looked out to the sea. “I had a blast. I’m glad we went to the beach today.”

“I’m glad,” she paused, “I had tons of fun too.”

The weather remained glorious for the rest of the day. Lunch was informal affair- sandwiches, chips and a container of potato salad all filled their stomachs. At one point, Jack offered Sky the soda can he’d filled earlier and Sky took a drink before choking and spraying it overboard. Jack roared, Bridge and Z laughed, and Syd giggled. And after Sky had wiped his chin, he laughed as well. But he didn’t forget. Later, he grabbed a salmon from the basket and used it to flavor one of Jack’s sandwiches by running the fish over the bread.

Jack turned green as he gagged, then threw the sandwich at Sky. Sky retaliated by launching a spoonful of potato salad. Bridge joined in the food fight by shaking up a soda can and opening it to spray at his friends.

While all this was going on, the girls sat back and watched with amusement. Z leaned close to Syd, “So immature,” the yellow ranger rolled her eyes, grinning, “never forget that men are more immature then women.”

The sun was starting to set; the hot temperature was starting to cool down. Stepping off the boat and back onto the sandy beach, Syd let out a happy sigh, looking forward to going home and settling on the couch for their movie night later on in the evening. She went to help Z pack things away when she glanced around the beach. It was then she registered that something was wrong. Glancing around the beach, nothing seemed amiss. Shielding her eyes from the sun with her sunglasses, she scanned the various boats, then the water’s edge, then the people on the shore.

It was there. Something was there.

And whatever it was, it didn’t fit.

Frowning, Syd turned her head and casually glanced around the beach once more. Then she realized what had snagged her attention. And she was right. It didn’t fit, not on a hot day at the beach. Puzzled, she glanced around once more.

Someone wearing jeans and a brown shirt was standing near the dunes, holding… what was that? Binoculars? A telescope? She couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, it was definitely focused on the boat.

On her.

Syd suddenly felt her heart rate speed up as the man lowered whatever he was holding, and for an instant she almost convinced herself that she was mistaken. But then, as if knowing exactly what she was thinking, the person waved, his arm moving back and forth slowly. I’m here,’ he seemed to be saying.

Jake.

She felt the blood drain from her face and the little hairs on her arms rose, and she inhaled sharply.

But when she blinked, Jake was gone. Taking off her sunglasses, she turned fully around and scanned the area with her eyes. Nothing. No sign of him anywhere. It was as if she had been seeing things.

Sky noticed her discomfort and reached her side in a moment. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Syd was still staring toward the beach. Sky’s eyes followed hers, and after finding no sign of Jake, no sign of anything unusual, Syd curled beneath his arm, feeling safe and comforted. “It’s nothing. I think the sun is getting to me,” she said.

‘It had to have been the sun,’ she thought, ‘it couldn’t have been real. No one can move that fast.’

No one.

X-x-x-x-x

Later, they had decided to head to the grocery store to get snacks for their movie night that evening. Jack, Syd and Sky headed toward New Tech City Supermarket, bickering over which things to buy. Sky opt to buy veggies and crackers, while Jack wanted chips, candy and other various goodies. After fifteen minutes, Syd had enough of their arguing and promptly told both men to shut up and that they would buy what each wanted. She added two bags of baby carrots and two bags of Doritos Chips to their shopping cart and that was the end of the argument.

Pushing the cart down the aisle, Syd bent over to search for the kind of dressing she knew Sky liked eating with his carrots, when she realized to late that her cart had crashed into another.

“Oh my goodness! I’m sorry!” Syd automatically apologized as she reached out for her cart. She looked up to see the person that she had crashed into and froze.

“Hello Sydney,” Jake said casually, “how are you?”

Her face paled as she stared at the man in shock. She blinked and gathered her courage. ‘Don’t let him get to you,’ she thought. Mustering a small, but uncomfortable smile, she tried to remain calm. “Hi Jake, I’m alright. How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

There was a silence.

“I’m sorry for bumping into you,” the pink ranger finally offered. She glanced around quickly looking for any sign of Sky or Jack, and swallowed. She and Jake were alone in the aisle. She didn’t have a good feeling about this.

Jake held up his hands. “No damage.”

There was another pause.

“Hey Syd! I forgot what kind of candy you wanted,” Sky appeared down the aisle, carrying a package of candy in each hand, “Did you want the gummy bears or the sour peaches?” The blue ranger stopped once he saw who was standing with his girlfriend. His face took on an unreadable expression. “Jake,” he stated coolly. Turning, he faced Syd and observed her expression carefully. She was tense, clearly she was uncomfortable but there was relief shown in her eyes at his presence. Sky clenched his fist, the candy still in his hand, as he faced Jake once more, resisting the strong urge to rearrange the man’s face.

A dark expression also appeared over Jake’s face as well once he saw Sky. The businessman nodded, a neutral expression covering his face. “It was nice seeing you again Sydney.” And then he was gone.

Syd let out a sigh of relief and walked over to Sky. He dropped the packages of candy into the cart and his arms folded around her as she buried her face into his chest, breathing in his scent. “Only you Sky,” she mumbled, “There’s only you.”

Understanding what she meant, Sky smiled, rubbing her arm in an attempt to comfort her. He kissed the top of her head. “I know.”

X-x-x-x-x

Later that night as Syd changed into her pajamas, the phone on her nightstand rang. Two rings went by before she picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

There was no answer.

“Hello?” she tried again. There was no reply on the other end, though it seemed the line was still open. Shrugging, she hung up. Maybe it had been a wrong number. Gathering up all the things she needed for their movie night (pillows, blankets, her stuffed animal Peanuts etc.), she was about to leave her room when the phone rang again.

Once more, there was silence on the other end. Only this time, before she lowered the phone, she thought she heard a faint click as the caller hung up. Placing the receiver back, she picked up her things and left for the recreation room, ready for the movie.

Less than a minute after she left, the phone rang.

X-x-x-x-x

The next morning Syd and Sky were taking a walk around the downtown area of New Tech City, patrolling for any signs of disturbance. Gruumm had been especially quiet lately and the rangers were all on guard. All around them, people were strolling around, enjoying the nice weather.

“Sydney!”

Both rangers turned as someone called out the pink ranger’s name. A man stood off to the side, dressed in business clothes and carrying a briefcase in one hand, watching them curiously with a smile on his face.

Syd shrieked and her face lit up as she ran over to the man, her arms opened wide. “Daddy!”

“Hi Princess,” the man opened his arms and gathered his daughter into them. “Do you want to grab some lunch or are you too busy working?”

Syd released her father and looked at Sky. The blue ranger shrugged and glanced at his watch. “Our shift is officially over in two minutes.”

Syd grinned. “Yes daddy, I’d love to have lunch!”

Adrian Drew looked at the young man that his daughter was with. Recognizing him as Sydney’s dance partner from the newspaper all those weeks ago, Adrian smiled warmly at Sky. “Would you like to join us for lunch too?”

Sky held up his hands as if to protest. Syd quickly grabbed one of his hands and intertwined it with hers. “He’d love too!”

Adrian smiled, missing the glare that Sky gave Syd. “Excellent! Come on, I know a great place to eat at.”

X-x-x-x-x

He was impressed.

In the short amount of time that he’d known Sky Tate, the boy had managed to impress him beyond words.

Adrian Drew had always been protective of his daughter, even if he always didn’t show it. Sydney was his entire world and he loved her with his whole heart. In the past, he had done everything he could think of to make his daughter happy. Whatever she wanted, she would get. That pink dress? Got it. To stay up past bed time an hour later than usual? Okay. Demanding a hug every ten minutes? Most definitely. Whatever she wanted, she would get.

Like most fathers, he would shoot death glares at any male individuals that came near Sydney with bad intentions. In fact, there were more times than he could count; Sydney would be upset with him for scaring away her current love interest. Adrian would just shrug his shoulders and comment that if the boy was frightened of her father, he wasn’t good enough for her anyway.

But he was impressed with his daughter’s latest boyfriend. Sky had a good head on his shoulders; Adrian observed as he watched how Sky and Sydney interacted. He could certainly see why his daughter was taken with him. Sky was intelligent, quiet, and was also very sure of himself. From watching the rangers’ battles on television, Adrian also knew that Sky was strong and was capable of protecting his daughter in times of danger (not that Sydney needed protection of course, but it was reassuring to know that someone would be looking out for his daughter at all times). And the best part: he wouldn’t have to worry about Sydney being taken advantaged of.

The businessman grinned as he saw Sky offer a napkin to Sydney as she spilled some juice. His daughter was happy and that was all that mattered. He approved of Sky.

Besides, their relationship was still new, there would be plenty of time to scare the boy later.

X-x-x-x-x

“Hey, where’ve you been?” Curious eyes followed the pink ranger the moment she entered the bedroom.

Syd grinned at her roommate as she flopped onto her bed. “Out to lunch with Sky and my daddy.”

The yellow ranger raised an eyebrow. “Wow, the boyfriend meeting the parents already. That must’ve been interesting.”

The pink ranger shrugged. “It was completely unexpected. We ran into my father just as our shift was ending. He invited the both of us to lunch, Sky was about to back out but I made him go.”

Sympathy washed over Z. “Poor Sky,” she commented, “It must’ve been nerve wrecking for him. You guys just started dating!”

The pink ranger giggled. “I know, but the sooner the better right? Besides, daddy approves, I can tell.”

The yellow ranger rolled her eyes. “Sure.”

There was a moment of silence between the girls before the phone on Syd’s night table rang.

“You should probably pick that up,” Z commented, “Your phone has been ringing practically all morning. Every time I picked up, the caller would hang up.”

Syd reached for the phone, letting it ring once more, she picked up. “Hello?”

Silence.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Still, no answer.

Syd felt her heart beat faster as she set the receiver down. And a moment later the phone rang again. Z frowned as she saw the frightened look on Syd’s face. The yellow ranger stood up from her bed and crossed over to Syd’s side of the room. Snatching the receiver off the hook, she barked, “Look, whoever this is, stop calling!”

A shiver went down Z’s spine as she heard the caller hung up. Hanging up, the yellow ranger met the pink ranger’s gaze. Her eyes reflected exactly what Syd was feeling.

Fear.

X-x-x-x-x

Jake slowed his breathing, concentrating on Sydney’s image. In his darkened room, he leaned against a chair and thought of Sydney while he waited for the photo to finish developing. She had been nice enough to him at the supermarket, but he knew she regretted running into him. He shook his head, wondering why she had tried to hide it. Even though she was confused right now, he knew she was different from other people. She was one of a kind, better, like he was.

She was strong, unlike his mother.

Jake snorted. Sydney was nothing like his mother. His mother was weak, unable to cope with being alone. Shortly after his father’s death, his mother had begun heavily drinking. One night he had awoken to her grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” his mother had all but screamed, “you somehow killed him didn’t you?”

Many nights after that, his mother would beat him with a belt. Jake would cower under his bed and hide. Then one day, when he came home from school, he found his mother sleeping peacefully in the recliner chair. She never woke up.

Later, the police found out that there was an over dosage of sleeping pills dissolved into her vodka. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Jake’s mother had followed his father’s example and committed suicide. Jake was sent to live in a foster home the following week.

The first couple that had taken him in was nice enough, but for the most part, he ignored them. He came and went as he pleased, wanting nothing more than a place to sleep and food to eat. The couple had two boys. It was these two boys who stole his camera two months after he’d moved in, selling it at a pawnshop in order to get money.

When Jake found them, they were hanging out in a vacant parking lot next door. On the ground was a baseball bat, and he reached for it. They laughed at first, since they were both taller and heavier. In the end, they were rushed to the hospital in a pair of ambulances, their faces smashed beyond recognition. Jake had been sent to the juvenile detention center the very next day. There, he sat on a wooden chair as an officer named Ivan McFadden questioned him. Officer McFadden told Jake how badly had injured the two boys and that he was going to spend the next few years in jail. But Jake hadn’t been afraid, just as he hadn’t been afraid when the police had come to question him about the deaths of his mother and father. He had known this was coming. He looked down and began to cry.

“I didn’t want to do it,” he said quietly. “But they took my camera and I told them to give it back. They said they wanted to kill me and I was scared. One of them attacked me with a knife!”

With that, Jake opened his jacket and Officer McFadden saw the blood soaked shirt. Jake had been taken to the hospital; he’d been slashed across his stomach. The only reason it hadn’t been more serious, Jake claimed, was that he had been able to escape at the last minute. McFadden had found the knife on the roof top of the house, exactly where Jake said he’d seen one of the boys throw it.

The two boys, not Jake, had been sent to jail, despite their pleas that neither of them had ever touched the knife, let alone slashed Jake with it. But in the end no one believed the two boys; they did have criminal records after all.

Jake sighed and leaned further into his chair. He knew from experience that all hurdles could be overcome. Sydney just needed the right person to help her. Together, they would be able to accomplish anything, but Sydney had to want him to do this for her.

Was that too much to ask?

X-x-x-x-x

She laid awake, unable to sleep, her room covered in darkness. All evening long she had been in a trance. She was beginning to become paranoid from all the mysterious phone calls she had been getting, every little noise had made her jump and who could blame her? Some psycho was calling her every two minutes and hanging up once the phone was answered.

Who wouldn’t be a bit on edge?

Syd let out a sigh and rolled over, catching the blinking red lights on her nightstand. 2:01 Am. So she had been lying there for close to three hours now. Every time she closed her eyes, the sound of the shrill ringing of the telephone would go through her mind.

She didn’t have the proof, but she was certain the mysterious caller was Jake. Who else could’ve it been? No one else would prank her. At least, not on purpose. And she was pretty sure her frequent calls weren’t pranks. She let out another sigh.

A soft moan came from the left side of the room and a moment later, a light flickered on at the table next to Z’s bed. Her roommate stared at her with sleepy eyes. “Can’t sleep?” Z yawned.

The pink ranger shook her head. “Nope, sorry I didn’t mean to wake you, go back to sleep.”

Z sat up and let out another yawn. “What’s wrong?” Then she peered more closely at her friend. “I know what’s bothering you,” she paused, “it’s those phone calls isn’t it?”

Syd sat up as well, hugging Peanuts to her tightly to her chest and nodded. She glanced nervously at her phone. Even though it had been unplugged earlier in the evening, the pink ranger stared at it as if it was going to ring any moment. “It’s really creeping me out.”

“Have you told the Commander yet?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think it’s something to worry about.”

The yellow ranger stared at her in disbelief. “Yeah, right. Some person is calling you every two minutes and the minute you answer, he hangs up? I think this is something to worry about.”

“I’m going to get my number changed in the morning.”

Z stared. “But you’re still on edge aren’t you?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Syd nodded. “Yeah.”

“You think it’s Jake?”

Meeting the yellow ranger’s eyes, Syd could only nod.

“You should tell someone. Sky or the Commander, anyone! If it’s really Jake, then he’s harassing you.”

Another nodded. “Yeah,” Syd paused. “You’re right. I’ll tell Commander Crugger in the morning.”

“Good,” Z observed her teammate. “Think you can sleep now?”

The pink ranger let out a sigh. “I’m going to try.”

The yellow ranger nodded and a moment later the room was dark once again. Syd stretched out on her bed, still holding tightly onto Peanuts. She closed her eyes and rolled to her side. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, Syd sat back up once more. She was still feeling uneasy and just couldn’t sleep. A quick glance at the other side of the room told her that Z had fallen back asleep. Slowly, carefully, she pulled back her covers and got out of bed as quietly as she could. Grabbing Peanuts, she slipped out of the room.

The hallway was silent and filled with dimmed lighting. She padded silently down the hall and stopped just in front of a set of doors. With the same quietness she used to sneak out of her room, she silently slipped through the doors. In the room there were two beds, each of them occupied. Female cadets were normally not allowed into the males’ rooms without being invited but at the moment Syd didn’t care. She moved towards the bed on the right side of the room and for a moment just stood there watching at how soundly Sky slept. The pink ranger gave a soft smile. He looked so adorable.

Carefully, she crept onto Sky’s bed, trying not to wake him or Bridge in the process. However things didn’t go as she planned. Sky stirred, letting out a soft sigh as he did so. He opened his eyes slightly and noticed a silhouette from the moonlight through the curtain. “Syd?” the blue ranger mumbled sleepily.

“Shhh,” Syd whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

The blue ranger opened his eyes fully and observed Syd’s expression. Even in the dim darkness he could tell something was bothering her. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Her answer was simple enough but Sky knew Syd. He knew that she wouldn’t have come to him if there wasn’t something bothering her. She was frightened about something, but wasn’t ready to reveal it yet. Well, he wasn’t going to send her back to her room. Not when she obviously needed him. Shifting slightly, the blue ranger moved so there would be some space on the bed. “C’mere,” he commanded in a soft voice, stretching out his arms slightly. The pink ranger scrambled into them, softly placing her head on Sky’s chest. His arms closed around her, one hand rubbing her shoulder. Immediately Syd felt all the tension and her worries fade away and she relaxed.

Wrapped up in Sky’s arms and feeling very safe, Syd was asleep within minutes.

X-x-x-x-x

Sunlight shone through the window when Bridge woke up that morning. The green ranger sat up and yawned while stretching. A glance at the right side of the room gave him the surprise of a life time. He blinked once. Twice. Three times.

Syd was in their bedroom. Curled in Sky’s arms. In Sky’s bed.

Bridge fought back a chuckle and shook his head as he headed into the bathroom. Minutes later, he came back into the room and found Sky awake but still lying on the bed. The green ranger stood at the foot of Sky’s bed. “Do I even want to know?” he asked the blue ranger with amusement.

Sky shrugged as best as he could without waking Syd. “Couldn’t tell you if I knew,” he nodded his head at Syd, “she came in here last night. Said she couldn’t sleep, something was obviously bothering her.”

Bridge grinned. “Well, it’s obviously not bothering her now.”

Sky smiled. “I guess not.”

“Going to head out to breakfast soon?”

Sky let out a contented sigh. “I should. But I’m too comfortable to move at the moment.”

“I’ll bet,” the green ranger chuckled. “I’ll save you two some food.”

“Thanks Bridge,” the blue ranger smiled with appreciation as his roommate left. He laid there for a moment just listening to the pink ranger’s rhythmic breathing. After a few minutes, when he noticed the time on his alarm clock, he hesitantly woke Syd up.

Gently, he nudged her side. “Syd,” he called softly, “hey, it’s time to wake up.”

The pink ranger stirred, but didn’t open her eyes. Instead she snuggled deeper into Sky’s embrace and buried her face into his chest. “Mmmm, I don’t want to get up,” she mumbled into his shirt.

Sky chuckled. “You’re going to have to get up. If the Commander finds out you slept in my room, we’re both toasted.”

Syd let out a groan then opened her eyes. “Fine.”

The blue ranger glanced down at his girlfriend and smiled. Nothing would ever top the feeling he felt when he had woken up next to her. He was disappointed when she sat up, and immediately missed her warmth. With a groan, he pulled her back to him.

“I thought you said we had to get up,” Syd giggled as she flopped over so that she was lying on her stomach.

“They won’t miss us if we’re a few minutes late.”

The pink ranger grinned as she leaned forward to kiss him. All traces of her uneasiness from the night before were forgotten.

X-x-x-x-x

“Um, Syd? I think this is hopeless.”

Sky held onto the bark of the tree, trying to maintain his balance as the pink ranger skated expertly around him.

The guys had the day off while the girls had to head into duty around mid-afternoon, so that left plenty of time to hang out after breakfast. After everyone had eaten, Jack had suggested that they all go rollerblading in the park. Everyone, except Sky, had immediately been excited at the idea. When asked why he was so objected to the suggestion, the blue ranger had simply blushed and mumbled that he had never rollerbladed in his life. After giggling and poking fun at Sky for a few minutes, Syd offered to teach him how to rollerblade successfully. After much hesitation and prodding, Sky finally agreed to go. So the five of them grabbed their gear and headed towards the park for a few hours of fun before Syd and Z had to go patrol the city.

“I can’t believe you’re twenty years old and you’ve never rollerbladed in your life,” Syd said as she came to a stop in front of him.

Sky glowered at her. “Yeah well, I’ve never had any time for things like this.” He cautiously let go of the tree trunk and rollerbladed unsteadily towards a nearby bench, stumbling but managing not to fall. Sitting down, he took off his helmet. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered.

“Aw, come on Sky,” Syd cooed, following him and taking off her own helmet. The pink ranger sat next to him and placed a hand on his arm. “You aren’t that horrible, you’re starting to get the hang of it!”

Sky just snorted.

“Look at how much you’ve improved from an hour ago!” She smiled impishly, “at least you’re not falling down as much anymore!”

“I get more injuries from trying to learn how to rollerblade than I do in battles,” Sky continued muttering.

The pink ranger let out another giggle and stood up, moving so that she faced him. She bent over and placed her hands on her knees so that they were face to face. “You’ll get the hang of it.”

Sky had a gleam in his eyes and his face took on a mischievous expression. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap. Syd shrieked with surprise as his hands ran all over her stomach, tickling her. After a few minutes, Sky stopped and Syd regained her breath, both of them still laughing.

Shifting so that she was sitting in a more comfortable position on Sky’s lap, she playfully slapped his shoulder. She grinned as she felt Sky’s strong hand running through her hair then reaching to cup her face, and softly stroking her cheek. Closing her eyes, she wholeheartedly embraced the wonderful sensation of Sky’s lips on hers.

X-x-x-x-x

“So what do you guys want to do now?” Bridge asked.

A few minutes earlier, Syd and Z had left –heading back towards the Academy to begin patrolling the city. Sky winced as he rubbed his arm. He could see that there was a bruise beginning to form from where he had fallen a few hours before. It felt so good to be back in regular shoes!

“Let’s head to the mall,” Jack mused as they threw all their rollerblading gear into the SPD jeep. “I’ve wanted to pick up some CDs for awhile now.”

And so they headed towards the mall. After Jack had bought his CDs, the three of them walked around the building, passing various shops.

“Do you guys think I should buy something for Syd?” Sky asked as they passed a particular shop that caught his eye.

“Why not?” Jack answered, “Women love presents.”

“Can’t hurt,” Bridge added.

So a minute later, they found themselves inside the store that had caught Sky’s attention. Walking into the shop, Sky was immediately overwhelmed with all the selections. The store was huge! There was everything from shoes, to lingerie, to jeans and shirts. Feeling lost, Sky turned to his friends only to see similar expressions on their faces.

“Where in the world do I start?” Sky murmured still in awe at how large the store was.

“Is there anything I can help you gentlemen with?” A tall slim Asian woman in her early thirties walked up to them. Her name tag read “Denise.”

“Um yes,” Sky replied still looking around the store, “I want to surprise my girlfriend with something, only I don’t know where to start.”

Denise smiled. “I see. Do you know her size?”

Sky paused to think for a moment. “I’m pretty sure she’s a size small.”

Denise grinned, her eyes twinkling. “Well, we can provide gift receipts for you, so if the clothes don’t fit, your girlfriend can come back and exchange the clothes for the right size.”

The blue ranger grinned. “Alright.”

For the next hour, Denise showed Sky various tops and pants while Bridge and Jack stood around giving their opinions once in awhile. The blue ranger let out a frustrated sigh; he never knew shopping took so much energy. Why did girls find it so enjoyable? So far, he had only managed to find a pair of jeans that he was sure Sydney would like and they had been in the store for two hours already! Everything that Denise had showed him, he just couldn’t imagine Syd wearing. Sky let out another frustrated sigh as Denise left him to help another customer.

“Hey Sky! What about this one?”

The blue ranger looked across the room to see Bridge holding out a light blue sleeveless shirt. A smile stretched out on his face and he walked over to his teammate. Taking the shirt from Bridge, he held it out in front of him. Perfect.

“Do you think there’s one in pink?” he asked.

Luckily there was a similar style to the shirt he held in his hands that was in light pink. The pink shirt had long sleeves with the word ‘cute’ stitched in small letters at the hem.

Sky took both shirts and threw them over his arm, placing them on top of the jeans, all the while grinning.

“Can we go now?” Jack complained from where he sat on the couch that the store provided. A bag emblazoned with the store’s name was sitting next to him. “We’ve been here for over two hours. I’m seriously bored out of my mind.”

Sky ignored the red ranger’s complaints. “Not yet.”

Jack sighed.

“Whatcha got in the bag?” Bridge asked, pointing to the small bag.

“A shirt for Z,” Jack replied, “She’ll kill me if she finds out that we’ve been in the mall this entire time and that Syd gets all the presents and she didn’t get anything.”

“Oh,” Bridge paused, “she’ll actually kill you?”

“Well not kill me, more like hurt me,” Jack looked up at the green ranger, “she’s not as girly as Syd, but she’s still a girl. She’d definitely get mad if Syd got something and she didn’t. So I got her something small.”

Bridge looked thoughtful. “Think I should get her something too?”

The red ranger shrugged. “Go for it.”

Sky heard none of his teammates’ conversation as he headed over to the section where all the accessories were displayed. Scanning the items carefully, he finally picked out a white belt with a butterfly buckle. Looking up, he scanned the racks that held the hair pins. After a minute, he reached up and selected a large butterfly clasp. He added the belt to the collection on his arm and clutched the hair clasp in his hand, before walking over toward another section of the store. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks when he realized which section he had walked into.

The section that held all the lingerie and bathing suits.

Blushing red, Sky was about to turn and walk away when something caught his attention. Glancing at it, Sky walked over to the item and cautiously picked it up. As he looked at the bright pink bikini, Sky tried to shake all the images of Syd wearing it out of his head. As he was about to put it back, a voice rang out behind him.

“Sky?”

The blue ranger turned to see his father looking at him with an amused expression.

“I-um, uh, dad!” Sky sputtered, blushing even redder with embarrassment at being caught holding such an item. “What are you doing here?”

“Buying something for your mother. What are you doing here?”

Sky mumbled a sentence that Wes couldn’t decipher.

Wes looked at his son, a wide smile on his face and all the while shaking his head. “No need to be embarrassed son, it’s not like I haven’t ever bought something like that for your mother.”

‘That is TOO much information dad!’ Sky thought as he tried to put the bikini back on the holder. “Um, I was just-“

Wes chuckled and clapped his son on the shoulder. “No need to explain Sky. Just make sure to use a condom okay? Your mother and I would love to have grandchildren, but we’d prefer it if you wait a few years first.”

He wanted to curl up and die from the humiliation at those implied words. “DAD! It’s not what you thin-“

Wes waved his hand, brushing off Sky’s comment. “You’re an adult now Sky, I trust that you do the responsible thing.” The blue ranger watched as his father picked out a pair of lacy black lingerie, he turned and jammed his eyes shut -he wanted to throw up at the thought of his father picking out underwear for his mother.

There was a tap on his shoulder and Sky turned to face his father once more. Wes grinned. “Invite Sydney out for dinner with us on Sunday okay?”

Sky could only nod numbly as he watched his father walk away to pay for the merchandise. Just as Wes was about to walk out of the store, he turned to face his son.

“Hey Sky,” Wes called out; “If I were you, I’d go for the light pink!” And then he turned and left.

If it was possible Sky blushed harder. He sucked in a breath of air and let it out slowly, trying to will his cheeks to go back to their normal color. He placed the bright pink bikini back on the holder and after a moment’s hesitation reached for the bikini that was the lighter shade of pink. He then turned and walked quickly out of the section.

Walking over to the couch where Bridge and Jack were sitting, Sky let out a sigh of relief, happy to be away from all the bras and underwear. “Okay I’m ready to leave now, just let me pay for all these.”

“Whoa,” Jack nudged Bridge with his elbow and then pointed to the pink bikini. “Looks like someone is having impure thoughts of our little pink ranger.”

Sky glared at the two of them. “Shut up, it’s only a bathing suit. I just had a run in with my dad and now I’m mortified to no end. Let’s get out of here before something else embarrassing happens.”

Both Jack and Bridge fought the urge to snicker as they followed the blue ranger towards the register. As Sky placed all the items on the counter, Denise smiled at him. The woman reached for an elegant black number that hung on the rack near the counter. “Do you think your girlfriend would like a dress like this?”

Sky looked at the dress and instantly knew that Syd would love it. The blue ranger smiled. “I’ll take it.”

Denise folded the dress and the clothes and placed them into boxes. A minute later, all three rangers exited the store, each one looking exhausted.

“Finally,” Jack huffed. “Man, I’m never going to the mall with you ever again. You take forever.”

“Cut him some slack,” Bridge cut into the conversation, “being the perfectionist that he is, he wants everything to fit Syd perfectly.”

The red ranger shrugged and rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Let’s head to the food court, I’m starving!”

X-x-x-x-x

Syd hummed happily as she brushed her curly hair. Patrolling had gone well and she had finally told Commander Crugger about her mysterious phone calls. The big blue dog had promised to keep an eye out for Jake in case he was ever found wandering around the Academy. Afterwards, using Z’s cell phone, she had called the phone company requesting a number change and they had promised to change her number by that evening. The pink ranger was in a particularly happy mood after that and had even plugged her phone back in.

She was in such a good mood that she had begun singing and dancing as she began cleaning up her room. “There’s an angel in my heart,” Syd rattled off the lyrics at the top of her head as she cleaned off the top of her dresser. She continued singing as she cleaned, putting things back into their rightful places. Once she finished, she turned and was startled to see Sky standing in her doorway, watching her.

Syd blushed as he gave a little clap and walked into the room. He placed a bag onto her bed before gathering her into his arms and kissing the top of her head. “You have a beautiful voice,” he told her.

Syd grinned at him and reached up to give him a quick peck on the lips.

They stayed in each other’s embrace for a minute. “I bought you something,” Sky spoke after the moment of silence.

Her blue eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Sky paused, suddenly nervous. “I don’t know if they’ll fit though. I’ve never picked out clothes for a girl before.”

Her laughter was like music to his ears. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Sky was still anxious. “There are gift receipts in there if you don’t like them. You can go exchange them for something better.”

Syd placed a kiss on his lips. “I’m sure I’ll love them,” she said before reaching for the bag. Pulling out the box, she lifted the lid and pulled out the various items that he had picked out just for her. “Oh this is so cute!” she exclaimed as she held out the pink shirt in front of her. Sky smiled at seeing her delight. Those two long excruciating hours in the store was worth every minute just to see the expression on her face.

Syd’s breath caught in her throat when she pulled out the black dress and held it up in front of her. “Sky…” she trailed off, unable to form the words.

“Do you like it?”

“Oh my goodness, Sky… I love it!” Syd turned to face him, her expression showing everything she felt. “But Sky, this dress, it looks so expen-“

“It looks like it was made for you,” Sky interrupted.

She looked up at him and their gazes met. Syd gently placed the dress on the bed and reached up to pull Sky into a deep kiss. When air became a need, they reluctantly pulled apart.

“Wow,” Sky gasped, “I should buy you things more often if that’s the reaction I’m going to get.”

Syd playfully punched his shoulder and laughed. “Silly, you can get that reaction anytime.”

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “Is that a promise?”

She smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Syd turned once more to the pile on the bed. Pulling out the last item, she raised her eyebrows as she held up the bikini.

She turned to face Sky and watched with amusement as he turned bright red. “Had some interesting images in the store huh?”

Sky coughed and shifted his gaze. “Maybe.”

The pink ranger laughed. “Well, if you play your cards right, I might just model it for you.”

He gave her an interested look. “Really now?”

“Mmhmm.”

They stared at one another for a moment before Syd reached out and grabbed all the clothes. She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you so much Sky!”

“You’re welcome.”

Smiling excitedly, Syd headed towards the bathroom. “I’m going to try these on.”

The blue ranger grinned. “Take your time.”

As the door shut behind her, Sky settled himself onto her bed and waited as she tried on the clothes. Minutes passed and out of nowhere the sudden shrill of the telephone rang. Seeing that Syd was preoccupied, Sky reached over and picked up the receiver.

“Hello, Sydney’s phone.”

There was a silence and Sky paused, “Hello?”

Shrugging to himself, the blue ranger hung up.

The phone rang again. This time Sky glanced at it with puzzlement before answering once more.

The same thing happened again. No answer.

Sky shook his head and placed the receiver down. Moments later, all thoughts were forgotten as Syd stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in the elegant gown. His breath caught. “You look stunning,” he told her sincerely.

Her hair was partly pulled back by the hair clasp and she twirled in front of him before looking at herself in the full length mirror. “I love this!”

“How about wearing it to dinner on Sunday night with my parents?”

Syd met Sky’s gaze in the mirror and smiled. “I would love too.”

Then Syd quickly turned and headed into the bathroom once more. She came back out wearing the jeans, belt, and the blue shirt. “You look good in blue,” he told her appraisingly as his eyes traveled up and down, taking in her casual appearance.

She laughed. “You know, I think this color might become a permanent part of my wardrobe.” She gave him an amused look. “You’re not that bad at picking out clothes. All of these fit me perfectly except for the jeans – they’re a little loose around the waist, but if I put them in the dryer they’ll shrink a bit so it’s not a huge deal.”

Before Sky had a chance to comment, the phone rang. All traces of happiness on Sydney’s face were gone and she stared at the phone nervously. Giving her a puzzled look, Sky reached out and picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Who is this?” a woman’s voice demanded.

“Um, this is Sky Tate,” the blue ranger answered cautiously. The woman was completely rude!

“Where is my daughter? Let me speak to Sydney right now!”

Wordlessly, Sky handed the receiver to Syd, his expression was not happy. “I think it’s your mother,” he told her crossly.

That was all she needed to hear. Her face took on an angry expression and she answered the phone. “What is it mother?” she snapped.

“Sydney, who was that boy? It’s that boy from the newspaper wasn’t it? What have I told you about associating with the middle class society?”

“Mother, I’m really busy at the moment. Did you call to annoy me or to actually discuss something important for once?”

“Sydney I will not have you taking that tone with me! Now you listen to me, I am your mother and I love you. I only have your best interests at-“

“No mother!” Syd burst out, “If you really love me, you would be happy for me and support me. Instead, you’re trying to make me live by society standards when I don’t want too! If you can’t support me in the things I do, then I don’t think we have anything further to discuss. Goodbye mother.”

With those words, the pink ranger slammed the receiver down, letting out a sigh as she did so. Sky opened up his arms and she fell into them. I’m sorry about my mom,” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry about it.”

They sat in silence enjoying each other’s embrace, when the phone rang once more. The pink ranger rolled her eyes, “it’s probably my mom again.”

She picked up the receiver. “What do you want now mom?”

There was a silence. Chills went down her spine and she clutched the phone more tightly. “Hello?” There seemed to be a distinct sound of someone breathing at the other end of the line.

Noticing the look of fear on her face, the blue ranger frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Syd slowly set the receiver down, her body paralyzed with fear. She turned towards the blue ranger and looked at him. His eyes reflected concern for her. She felt her eyes tear up and despite the warmth in her room, she shivered. “I’m scared,” she told him honestly.

X-x-x-x-x

He was angry. No, he was more than angry –he was downright enraged. He didn’t think he’d ever been so angry in his life –and this included the time he’d been pissed off at Cruger for giving the red morpher to Jack. No one was allowed to terrorize the people he cared about, not if he had anything to say about it.

In front of him, Syd sniffed loudly. In telling him all her fears, all her worries, and her distress over the phone calls, she had been reduced to tears. Sky let out a sigh, the images of him pounding Jake’s face in oblivion disappeared and he felt his anger melt away into concern. Now was not the time to be angry, Sydney needed him. He held out his arms, and without hesitation, the pink ranger rushed into his embrace, burying her face into his chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” His voice was soft as he rubbed her back soothingly.

Syd held onto him tighter. “I didn’t think there was anything to worry about at first. But then, the phone kept ringing and ringing –it wouldn’t stop.”

A thought suddenly struck him. “This was why you came running into my room last night, wasn’t it?”

Still frightened, she could only nod.

“And you’re sure it’s Jake?”

Syd nodded once more, raising her eyes to meet Sky’s gaze. “I don’t have any proof, but yeah.”

Seeing that the fear was still in her eyes, Sky rubbed her arm in an attempt to comfort her. “Don’t worry,” he promised, “I won’t let anything happen to you, not while I’m around.”

Syd gave another sniff, and then smiled softly. Gently, she laid her head on his shoulder. “I always feel safe when I’m with you,” she said quietly, “did you know that? Even before we became rangers, Bridge and I had no doubts that you’d always be there to back us up. It made fighting monsters easier for me because I knew you would be fighting alongside me. I wasn’t scared of anything with you around.”

Sky tightened his embrace. To hear her words strengthened his resolve and desire to protect her. And he would protect her as best he could –or die trying.

The couple stood there for a few moments enjoying their embrace when the phone rang. Immediately, Syd froze and could only stare at the ringing telephone. Sky frowned and reached to pick up the receiver. “Hello?”

A moment later the frowned was off his face and he nodded as he listened to the voice on the other end. “Yes, I’ll tell her. Thank you.” Sky hung up the phone and turned to the pink ranger. “That was the phone company. They were calling to let you know that they’ve changed your phone number as you requested.”

Syd looked relieved. “Thank goodness!”

“Come on,” Sky reached out and grabbed her hand, “Let’s go find the others and forget what just happened.”

Syd followed and moments later they were in the Recreation Room where Z sat, watching Bridge and Jack play video games.

The yellow ranger looked up as they walked in and just stared at Syd. The pink ranger shifted self-consciously. “What?” she asked.

Z shook her head. “Nothing. It’s just weird to see you not wearing something pink for once.”

Syd looked down at her outfit. In all the commotion, she had forgotten that she had been trying on the clothes Sky had bought for her. She grinned. “What do you think?”

“I think you look good.”

“She better look good,” Jack called from his spot on the floor. Never taking his eyes off the screen, he continued, “Bridge and I suffered for over two hours in that store waiting for Sky to pick everything out.”

Bridge glanced up at the couple. “You look good in blue Syd,” the green ranger complimented, “hey, maybe you should force Sky to wear pink!”

Sky mock glared as the others laughed.

-x-x-x-

Across town, Jake Hemmington stood above the tray of chemicals in his darkroom, watching as the image on the photographic paper slowly took form. Watching the process, he anticipated the ghosts and shadows darkening, becoming real. Becoming Sydney. He stared at her image, noticing for the millionth time, her beauty.

As always, he returned to the photography, the single constant in his life. Staring at the beauty of reflected light and shadows on the images brought a sense of purpose, reminding him that he controlled his own destiny.

Studying the photographs in front of him, he again took note of the similarities between Sydney and Susan. Same hair. Same eyes. Same air of innocence. From the moment he had seen Sydney’s picture, he thought they could’ve been sisters.

Jake shook his head, feeling the memory of Susan pull at him.

They had rented a house in Bermuda for their honeymoon, not far from all the large resorts and the finest sights. It was quiet and romantic, with ceiling fans and white wicker furniture and a porch that faced the ocean. There was a private beach where they could spend hours in the sun alone, just the two of them.

Oh, how he’d been looking forward to that! He’d taken dozens of photographs of her during the first few days. He loved her skin; it was so soft and silky to touch and by the third day, her skin had darkened to bronze, and in her white summer dress, she was dazzling. That night, he’d wanted nothing more than to take Susan in his arms and slowly peel the dress from her body and make love to her in their room with candles glowing all around.

But she had wanted to go dancing at the resort.

‘No,’ he’d said, ‘let’s stay here, it’s our honeymoon.’

‘Please,’ she’d said, ‘for me. Will you do this for me?’

So they went. It was loud and filled with drunks, and Susan was loud and kept drinking. Her words began to slur and later she swayed as she made her way to the rest room. She bumped into a young man and nearly spilled his drink. The young man touched her arm and laughed. Susan laughed with him.

Jake seethed as he watched it happen. It angered and embarrassed him. But he would forgive her, he told himself. She was young and immature. He would forgive her, because he was her husband and he loved her. But she would have to promise her not to do it again. But that evening, when they were back at the house, he’d tried to talk to her and she wouldn’t listen.

‘I was just having fun,’ she’d said as she dismissed his concern. ‘You could’ve tried to have fun too.’

‘How could I, with my new wife flirting with strangers?’

‘I wasn’t flirting.’

‘I saw you.’

‘Stop acting crazy!’

‘What did you say to me? What did you say?’

‘Ow! Let me go… you’re hurting me! Stop it!’

‘What did you say?’

‘Ow… please… Ow! Honey, stop!’

‘What did you say?’

In the end, she disappointed him, Jake thought. And Sydney disappointed him too. Sydney cared for him, he knew that. But why couldn’t she realize that too?

Jake left the darkroom and made his way to the bedroom. On the bed, next to all the clutter of the cameras and lenses, he reached for his cell phone. His home phone, he knew, would leave a traceable record, but he had to hear her voice tonight, even if it was only the one word “Hello.” When he heard her voice, he could see the two of them together, living their glamorous future.

He dialed the number, and then closed his eyes in anticipation. But instead of Sydney’s familiar voice, there was a recording from the phone company. He ended the call and dialed again, more carefully this time, but got the same recorded message.

Jake stared at the phone. ‘Oh Sydney,’ he wondered, ‘Why? WHY?”

-x-x-x-

For Sydney, the days began to acquire a new rhythm. After the excitement and chaos of the past month, the next week of Sydney’s life was startlingly quiet. She didn’t see Jake anywhere during the week or the following weekend. Her days had become uneventful (with the exception of Gruumm attacking at odd times) and she kept her fingers crossed that it would stay that way.

And it seemed as if it would. Her phone was evidence to the fact that unlisted, it was an effective way to stop unwanted calls and it was a relief to not hear the phone ringing nonstop every two minutes. Syd was not the only one who was relieved; it seemed that the yellow ranger was happy about the situation herself. Having the phone ring constantly was annoying.

Only five people- Sky, Z, Jack, Bridge and her father- knew the number, and since she spent all day with the rangers, that left her father to be the only person in the world that would have a reason for calling her. But after being informed of the situation and hearing how the calls had rattled Sydney, Adrian Drew was apparently giving her a break, not wanting to be responsible for putting his daughter on edge all the time.

Slowly, the pink ranger began to let her guard down. But that didn’t stop her from seeking Jake out every time she stepped outside the Academy. And so, of course, were the rangers and Commander Cruger and Kat. When she was driving, she would sometimes turn suddenly onto a different road and stop, staring in the rearview mirror to see of anyone was following her. She’d scanned parking lots and always kept an eye out for suspicious movement whenever she was on duty patrolling the city. She kept pepper spray in her pocket and a supply of small iron metals in case she needed to use her special powers.

Everyone noticed that she was acting a little paranoid, Jack even commented on it once or twice, but she didn’t care. As the old saying went, it was better to be safe than sorry.

And then there was Sky. The blue ranger hadn’t so much as let her out of his sight for more than a few minutes except when she was showering. Although having him around was great, there were moments when it became a little suffocating. Some things were better done without Sky right there. Like shaving her legs, for instance. But all in all, she was grateful to have such a caring man in her life.

Commander Cruger had stopped by a few days earlier and with Sky holding her hand, Syd told the Commander everything she knew about Jake Hemmington. The pink ranger felt a lot better when Cruger had promised to double security around the Academy. Visitors would have to report to someone of Authority before being able to set foot inside.

One sunny day, Syd found herself alone in the Recreation Room with RIC by her side. Two weeks had passed and still, there had been no sign of Jake. For a moment, Syd wondered where everyone was and then remembered that everyone had plans. Jack and Z had gone off to visit their friends from the streets. And Sky and Bridge had to report to Kat for special adjustments on their ranger suits. The pink ranger let out a sigh, she was bored. Looking out the window, she spotted the Juice Bar, a place that sold fabulous smoothies, across the street from the Academy and suddenly, she in the mood for a strawberry shake. Syd grinned and looked at the robotic dog next to her. “Hey boy, wanna come with me to get something to drink?”

RIC barked happily and she took it as a yes. Syd jumped up and headed towards the doors. “Come on boy!” Heading across the street towards the Juice Bar, Syd opened the door to the cozy shop and walked up to the counter. After ordering, she looked around at the various customers and tensed up when she noticed someone talking to RIC but heaved a sigh of relief when she recognized the person.

“Hey Sandra!” Syd greeted cheerfully as she neared the slim woman and RIC.

Sandra Connell was a Real Estate Agent and Sydney had met her often when her family had first moved to New Tech City a few years ago. Syd ran into her often over the years while working at SPD.

Sandra turned. “Sydney! How wonderful it is to see you. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. Just had a craving for a smoothie, so I came over here.”

“It’s a nice day for it,” Sandra smiled, “or it was when we got here. But now it looks like it might start to rain in a little while.”

“We?” Syd asked.

“Yeah, my client is looking for a house somewhere in this neighborhood. Said he was tired of living alone and wanted to be near people. He seemed pretty interested in this one house, so keep your fingers crossed for me.”

It was as Sandra was speaking that RIC suddenly stood and moved to Syd’s side. The robotic dog’s eyes were flashing red and he was growling. Syd felt her heart begin to pound as she turned in the direction in which RIC was staring. Her eyes took a moment to adjust and she drew a labored breath. In the background, she could hear Sandra going on.

“Oh, here he is now,” Sandra was saying.

Before Sydney could move, before she could think to do anything other than stare, Jake was standing beside Sandra. He smiled at her, making Sandra flush a little.

“As I was saying before,” Jake spoke to the Real Estate Agent, “that house was pretty nice. I really enjoyed the view it gave from the window.”

“Oh yes,” Sandra said, “It’s a wonderful investment.” She laughed, but neither one of them was listening to Sandra now. “Oh where are my manners? I’d like you to meet a friend of mine…”

“Hello Sydney,” Jake said, “What a nice surprise.”

Syd said nothing; it was all she could do to remain standing. RIC continued to growl.

Sandra stopped in midsentence. “Oh, you two know each other?” she inquired.

“You could say that,” Jake spoke once more. “Isn’t that right Sydney?”

The pink ranger tried to steady herself. ‘You bastard,’ she thought, ‘how did you know I’d be here? How did you know?’

“Hey Syd, what’s with RIC?” Sandra asked. “Why is he acting so upset?”

Before she could answer, Jake glanced toward Sandra.

“Sandra- did you bring all the information and prices I requested? I think I should take a look at them while I’m considering that one house on the corner.”

At the word prices, Sandra’s eyes lit up. “Of course I did. It’s all in the car,” she said. “Let me go get it, I’m sure you’ll be pleased, they’re all very reasonably priced. I’ll be right back.”

A moment later, Sandra was gone and Jake turned his smile on Sydney. “You look wonderful,” he said, “I’ve missed you. How’ve you been?”

It was then that Syd realized what was really happening. She took a step backward, suddenly glad that RIC was between them.

Jake smiled and gestured an arm toward the shop window where a house was clearly insight. “It’s a great investment, isn’t it? I’m thinking that this would be a great place to settle down. A man needs a place to call home, and this way, we could be neighbors since the Academy is minutes away.”

The pink ranger paled, still not saying a word.

Jake’s smile became wider. “Would you like that, Sydney? Me, living minutes away from you? …No? Then maybe I wanted to talk to you. You changed your phone number and you won’t go anywhere alone. What else could I do?”

She backed away another step; RIC stayed in place, as if daring Jake to approach her.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Syd finally found her voice and she snarled. “I don’t want anything to do with you. Why can’t you get that through your head?”

“Don’t you remember our dates?” Jake asked, his voice suddenly going soft. He looked almost wistful, and the whole scene suddenly struck Syd as surreal. “Our time together was special, why can’t you see and admit that?”

“We've only been on two dates! There’s nothing to admit,” she said, taking another step back, “You’re crazy.”

“Why are you acting this way?” He sounded worried, puzzled. “Sky’s not here now –it’s just us.”

Syd’s eyes darted sideways, to the entrance of the shop. It was time to get out of there. “If you make one move toward me or try to follow me, I’ll scream.”

He offered a gentle smile, as if patiently trying to explain something to a child. “There’s no reason to be scared. You know I would never hurt you. I love you.”

Syd blinked, not believing what she was hearing. He loves me? “What the hell are you talking about?” she finally said, the words coming out with more force than she anticipated.

“I love you,” he said again. “And we can start over now. We’ll go to Paris, or if you don’t want to, we can go anywhere you want. It doesn’t matter. And we’ll just chalk up this infatuation with Sky as a mistake okay? I forgive you.”

As he spoke, Syd continued back away, her eyes growing wider with every word he uttered. But it just simply wasn’t his words that scared her; it was also the look of sincerity he had on his face. Jake held out his hand, “Now come on, let’s go someplace quiet and grab a bite to eat.”

Syd inhaled sharply. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” She hissed.

“Don’t be this way, please. I’ll make you happy Susan.”

For a second, Syd wondered if she had heard Jake correctly, but she knew that she had. Jake had just called her by his wife’s name.

“You… are… completely… insane,” Syd sputtered.

This time her words stopped him.

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” Jake spoke, his voice acquiring an ugly tone. “You shouldn’t say things you don’t mean.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Sandra coming back into the shop. Jake was still staring at Sydney when Sandra reached them. “Something wrong?” Sandra asked as she looked from one to the other.

Jake finally tore his eyes away from Syd. “No,” he said, “Not at all.”

The pink ranger barely heard him answer. “I’ve got to go,” she said suddenly, starting to back away again.

Jake smiled. “Bye Sydney. See you around.”

Syd turned and rushed out of the shop, forgetting about her drink. RIC stayed for a moment longer, making sure that Jake wouldn’t follow, before turning and following Syd. Once she was out of the shop, she started to run, and then began running even faster. Hearing a noise, she glanced behind her; there was no sign of Jake, but she continued to run. The doors of the Academy were in sight, she kept forcing her legs to keep moving, not daring to slow down till she was inside. Minutes later, she was in Sky’s arms, choking back tears. But she was too frightened, and Sky held her while she cried. After she had calmed down a bit, she tearfully told the blue ranger what had just happened.

Sky’s face had gone white. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. “Let’s go to the Commander.”

-x-x-x-

Commander Cruger and Kat were seated at the table in the Command Centre across from Syd and Sky, their eyes on Syd as she recounted her story. The other rangers were standing around them listening with rapt attention. It hadn’t taken long for Syd to tell them everything. Though the words were important, it was the look on the pink ranger’s face that convinced everyone that the situation was more than serious. This man, Jake, sounded dangerous. Despite the outer calm she was trying to maintain, it was clear to everyone that Sydney Drew was pretty much a wreck. Even Kat Manx, who couldn’t be frightened easily, became spooked, goose bumps rose on her skin when Syd had told them how Jake had called her Susan.

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Kat spoke to Cruger once Syd had finished speaking. Sky had pulled Sydney into his embrace once more, and the other rangers gathered around them. Sydney was so shaken and Sky and the other rangers looked so worried, it was hard for everyone to focus.

“What do we do Commander?” Jack looked toward Anubis for guidance.

“First of all, let’s remain calm,” the big blue dog spoke in his usual tone.

“Let’s get all the facts,” Kat spoke up once more. She looked at the pink ranger, “Do you have any idea how he knew you were out there?”

Syd shook her head. “No.”

“But he was there before you were?”

“I guess he rode with Sandra. I don’t know how long he was there, but he definitely arrived before I got there. I saw her car by the side of the road, and I didn’t see them walking in,” Syd’s voice quivered a bit.

Sky looked almost sick. And angry. So did the other rangers.

Kat looked worried. “Why did you go out there in the first place?”

“I’m an idiot,” Syd mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.” The pink ranger took a deep breath. “I hadn’t seen or heard from Jake in awhile, and I guess I hoped it was over. The shop was just across the street, and RIC was with me, I just assumed that nothing would happen.”

“I don’t think you should do that in the future, Cadet Drew,” Cruger spoke, concern was evident in his voice, “try not to go anywhere alone alright?”

Syd gave a humorless laugh. “I don’t think you have to worry about that anymore.”

“And what do you know about his wife, Susan Hemmington?” Anubis asked.

“Nothing at all. Jake said he was married to her for a few years and that it didn’t work out. He didn’t say any more than that. We never talked about her.”

“And again, he didn’t threaten you specifically?” The Commander asked.

“No. But he didn’t have to say anything. He’s insane.”

‘No arguments there,’ Kat thought as a shiver went down her spine. ‘Sounds pretty insane to me.’

“Alright, I know you’re worried and I know you’re scared. And believe me, I’m on your side, so don’t think I’m going to leave here and forget about this. You’re one of my rangers, and no one messes with my rangers. I’m going to look into Jake Hemmington’s past to see what I can come up with,” Anubis Cruger had never looked so serious. “I give you my word that we’re going to do everything we can to help you, Cadet Drew.”

Syd smiled softly at her Commander and nodded, looking much more reassured. “Thank you Commander.”

“Alright,” the big blue dog nodded at Sky. “Cadet Tate, please take Syd to the Recreation Room and get her something to eat. The rest of you go with them, be prepared to report back here later when we start this investigation of Jake Hemmington.”

“Yes sir!”

The rangers left and Cruger turned to Kat. His eyes were serious. “I don’t like the sound of this Kat. This couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

“I agree with you Doggie,” Kat nodded, “let’s get to work.”

-x-x-x-

“Here.” Sky handed Syd a glass of water as he sat down beside her on the couch in the Recreation Room. The pink ranger accepted the glass, giving her boyfriend a grateful smile. Sitting on the bean bags in front of them, were Jack, Z and Bridge, each of them were giving her a concerned look.

“You gonna to be okay?” Jack asked.

The pink ranger shrugged her shoulders slightly. “As okay as a person can get in a situation like this.”

“Don’t worry Syd,” Bridge said, “We’re not going to let this creep keep harassing you like this.”

“Yeah, we got your back,” Z added.

Syd smiled and leaned into Sky’s embrace. “Thanks guys.”

Though her shift didn’t start until 8:30am, Kat Manx was seated at the computer by six. She typed furiously, trying search engines, hacking into the city files, looking for anything that would be linked to Jake Hemmington. Next to her, sat a copy of Jake’s files. She abandoned her computer for a moment as it loaded its search and picked up the file, reviewing it once more. The file listed all the basic things: Jake Hemmington’s name, his address, phone number, place of work, etc. Kat had review the whole file before searching and as she’d suspected, there was nothing helpful there about Jake’s background. The cat alien gave a sigh in frustration. She needed something to help get the ball rolling and she wasn’t sure where to begin, since the information on Jake Hemmington was still sketchy.

Something beeped and Kat placed the file back onto the desk and shifted her gaze to the screen. The computer had found a lot of information on his business company, Kat smiled gave a small triumphed smile. It was a start at least.

The computer beeped again and this time Kat fully smiled. She clicked on a link and soon she pulled up information on the house that Jake was currently renting. She pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and quickly wrote down the landlord’s name and number and began the investigation. Calling the landlord, she apologized for calling so early in the morning and asked a few questions about the house.

She learned that the house had been owned by the landlord’s grandparents; the rent was always paid on time through his corporation and Jake Hemmington had put up both a security deposit and the first and last months’ rent in advance. The owner himself had never met Jake; he hadn’t visited the property in years. A local real estate company was in charge of management, and gave her the number to contact them.

So she called the manager and after a bit of persuasion, he had faxed over the rental application that Jake had filled out. The application listed Jake’s social security number and driver’s license and Kat copied all that information down as well. Using the information she’d found, Kat then began searching for anything that might give them an idea of Jake’s background. She spent the next hour searching, and eventually came up with Jake’s record.

Nothing.

Apparently, Jake Hemmington had no criminal record, nor had he ever been arrested.

Letting out another frustrated sigh, Kat decided to check his credit record. Using the rental application as a guide, she typed in the information required and clicked on the ‘submit’ button. Within seconds, Jake’s records were spelled out in plain detail over a number of pages.

The only recent inquiry had been made by the management company for the house rental –that was no surprise- but what struck her was that none of the records seemed to make much sense. Especially for a wealthy employed businessman. There were no credit cards currently registered or in use, no open auto loan, no personal credits lines. Nothing. She had hit a dead end.

Kat slammed a fist onto the desk. What else? Without a doubt, she knew she also had to find out more about Susan Hemmington. But without further information to go on, there was nothing she could do.

Her best bet, she decided, was to wait until Jake’s business company opened so she and Anubis could talk to the people there. Jake was wealthy, and also working on a major deal, so undoubtedly they had other references. Maybe one of them would know something to help her with this case. But that would mean another hour of waiting for them to open.

Not knowing what else to do, Kat reviewed the file again. But this time her eyes focused on his house address and she found herself thinking: Why not? She wasn’t even sure what she was looking for exactly; she just wanted to see where he lived in hope that it might give her more of an impression on the man.

Ten minutes later, she found herself driving a plain black jeep and turning onto the gravel road where Jake Hemmington lived. She was struck by how remote these homes where. Most of these homes were old, but in still good condition and she wondered why a wealthy businessman would choose to live this way. It was convenient to neither town nor to his job, or to anything else. And the road kept getting worse. As she drove farther, the homes grew older and more run-down. A few of the houses even looked abandoned. Another few minutes, the numbers on the mailboxes were getting larger. She was getting close now.

Kat slowed the car. There, she assumed, was his house on the right. Set back from the road, the house was two stories, not as neglected as the others, but the yard was horribly overgrown with weeds.

Still…

People who lived in this neighborhood probably did so because it was family property or because they had no other choice. Jake was wealthy and Cadet Drew had said on more than one occasion that he liked to do things in style. Why would he have chosen to live in a place like this?

Was it because he wanted to hide?

Or was he hiding something?

Kat didn’t stop the car; instead she drove past and made a U-turn. The same questions running through her mind as she passed the house again and made her way back to the Academy.

-x-x-x-

Jake Hemmington drew back from the curtains, frowning slightly.

He had a visitor, but he didn’t recognize the car. It wasn’t Sky or Sydney, he knew. Sydney didn’t own a black jeep and always used the SPD jeep the Academy had provided and Sky always used his motorcycle, and he was pretty certain that they wouldn’t have come to look for him here. And no one else who lived out here would have searched for him. The road ended a couple of miles up, and none of his neighbors owned a Honda.

But someone had come. He’d watch them creep up the road, driving way too slowly, knowing they were looking for something. The U-turn had confirmed his suspicions. If it had been a wrong turn or someone lost, they wouldn’t have slowed in front of his house –and only his house- then sped up again.

It wasn’t any of the other rangers either, he knew. The other two, Bridge and… Jack, was it? They owned motorbikes like Sky did. And the other female ranger used the same SPD jeep that Sydney did.

Jake’s eyes narrowed.

Someone had come to see where he lived

-x-x-x-

Kat made it back to the Academy with a few minutes to spare before her shift officially started. She jotted the number of Jake’s business company on a scrap piece of paper, and then put Jake’s files back in their proper spot. She dialed the number, and a secretary answered; after explaining who she was, Kat asked if she could speak to one of the members working on the business project with Jake Hemmington.

As she was waiting, Kat reminded herself to tread carefully; the last thing she wanted was for Jake to find out what she was doing.

After a few moments, a man by the name of Michael Harris answered the phone. She identified herself and pretended that she was a student in college, doing a business report. After asking a few unimportant questions regarding to the business project, she finally asked what she had wanted to know all along.

“Mr. Harris, if you don’t mind me asking, you worked with Jake Hemmington, didn’t you? What’s he like?” There was a long pause and Kat thought she had lost the connection. “Hello? Mr. Harris, are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m here,” Michael Harris sounded unsure whether or not to go on. “What do you want with him?”

“Oh nothing, I was just wondering if I could set up an interview with him,” Kat pressed, taking out a pad of paper, ready to take notes on anything that might be important, “I heard he was very successful and I was wondering if I could get some tips for my class.” She crossed her fingers, hoping that the man on the other line would buy her story.

Michael Harris took a deep breath. “I don’t think you should meet with him. He’s dangerous.”

Kat’s eyes widened, but kept her cool. Gripping the phone tightly, she kept her voice at an even tone. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“The company hired him because he keeps costs down, but he does it by scrimping on safety. I’ve had men hurt out there because of him.”

“How so?”

“He puts off maintenance, things break and people get hurt. One week, it was the boiler. Another week, it was one of the cranes. I’ve reported him to the corporate, and they promised to look into it. But I guess he found out and he came after me.”

Forgetting all about her cover story, Kat sat up straighter, more alert than ever. “He attacked you?”

“No… but he threatened me. He started off like we were friends, you know? Asking about my wife and the kids, things like that. And then he told me disappointed he was that I didn’t trust him, and that if I wasn’t more careful, he’d have to let me go. Like everything was my fault, and he was doing me a favor by trying to protect me. And he puts his arm around my shoulders and sort of mumbles that it would be a shame if there were anymore accidents… The way he said it gave me a feeling that he was talking about me and my family specifically. He gave me the creeps, and to be honest, I was thrilled when he quit. I danced for the rest of the day. So did everyone else on the project.”

Kat raised an eyebrow. “Wait… he quit?”

“Yeah. He left about a month ago, haven’t seen him since.”

A few minutes later, Kat hung up the phone, staring intently at the notes she had made while she was talking to Michael Harris.

Jake was dangerous, Michael had said. Alright, Kat already knew that. What else? Jake had also quit his job a month ago. It wasn’t something that would normally matter, but the timing didn’t escape her.

Jake Hemmington had quit around the same time Sydney had told him he didn’t want to see him anymore.

Was there a connection?

Commander Cruger walked in and the first thing he noticed, was the cat alien frowning at a piece of paper. The big blue dog raised an eyebrow and headed over to where Kat sat. “What do you have there, Miss Manx?”

Kat looked up, startled, but relaxed when she saw him. “Doggie, I’ve been working for the last two hours, trying to find some information on Jake Hemmington. I think you’ll find this very interesting…” And she proceeded to tell the Commander all she had learned so far.

-x-x-x-

Syd would always remember it as the last normal day she would know.

She hadn’t slept well the night before. The minute her head hit the pillow, she had been restless. Finally, she tossed back the covers and climbed out of bed, once again heading toward Sky’s room. Lying in Sky’s arms did little to help her insomnia, but she did manage to get in a few hours of sleep.

She spent the better part of her morning in a daze; it had been her worst training session yet. Finally she decided to give up and headed towards her room to take a shower, eat lunch and call it a day. She sincerely hoped that Grumm wouldn’t be starting any battles today; she just wasn’t up for it.

Stepping inside the room, she saw that Z was staring at her. The yellow ranger had a look of concern on her face as Syd came further into the room.

“I look that bad, huh?”

“You look like you could use a break,” Z observed. “Were you able to sleep at all last night?”

“Only for a couple of hours,” Syd sighed, “I kept waking up in the middle of the night.”

Z looked sympathetic. “Don’t worry Syd. We’ll make sure Jake stays away from you.”

“Thanks Z,” Syd headed towards the bathroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower okay?”

“Sure.”

The pink ranger stepped into the shower and immediately let her worries wash away with the hot water. She relished in the feeling, even if it was only short lived. Once she’d finished, she stepped out and dried herself before getting dressed. Stepping back into the room, she noticed that it was empty and assumed that Z had gone to get some lunch. She proceeded to dry her hair and it was when she was putting away her hair dryer that she froze.

Sitting innocently on her night table, right below her calendar, partially hidden by a stack of catalogs, was the locket Jake had given her ages ago. Seeing the expensive piece of jewelry suddenly made her feel ill, she didn’t want the thing in the Academy, let alone in her room. But as she reached for the locket, a frown suddenly appeared on her face, and she stopped.

Hadn’t the locket been inside her drawer? Hadn’t she put it in there?

She hadn’t touched it since Jake had given it to her.

What was it doing on her nightstand? And how did it get there?

Slowly, she reached for it. Picking up the locket with trembling hands, she brought it closer to her face, inspecting it carefully. ‘Calm down,’ she told herself, ‘it’s just a locket.’ For a moment, she considered throwing it in the garbage, but then decided not too. Instead, she’d sell it. Granted, it wouldn’t be worth much since her initials were engraved on them, but she’d get something, and the money could go to charity. It was like killing two birds with one stone. She’d get rid of the locket and the money would go to a good cause.

Looking at the locket once more, she frowned. She blinked, trying to figure out what was bothering her. The locket itself was the same, but something was different. Something…

Syd bit at the corner of her lip. Something was different about the locket, but what?

‘Stay calm,’ she told herself once more. But no matter how much she said the words, she couldn’t stop her fingers from trembling. She took a step, and her fingers fumbled with the locket. The locket slipped from her hands and tumbled down the front of her uniform before bouncing against the tile floor with a metallic ping.

Her breath caught as she bent over and she stared at the locket in shock. Her legs seemed to lose feeling and she collapsed onto the ground, still staring at the jewelry in disbelief.

The locket had popped open in the fall when she had dropped it.

And from both sides, in pictures he’d chosen especially for her, Jake was smiling back at her.

Syd did the only thing that came to her mind. She screamed.

-x-x-x-

The pink ranger’s cries brought Z running into the room. The yellow ranger took one look at her roommate before rushing to her side. “Syd? Syd! What’s wrong Syd?”

It seemed as though Syd didn’t hear her words. The pink ranger’s face was white as she stared blankly at the locket in front of her. Tears were welled up in her eyes and Z could see that Sydney was beyond frightened. The yellow ranger brought her morpher to her lips, pressing the blue button that would enable her to contact the blue ranger, she barked, “Sky! Are you there?”

Seconds passed, and then she heard, “Yeah? What’s up Z?”

“Get up to my room quick! Something’s wrong with Syd!”

Moments later, Sky came barreling into the room, with Jack and Bridge following. “What is it? What happened? What’s wrong?” he demanded.

Z looked up and shook her head. “I don’t know. I heard her scream and I found her like this.”

Sky squatted down next to Syd and wrapped an arm around her. “Syd? Honey? Tell me what’s wrong, please?”

His voice seemed to bring the pink ranger back. Syd turned toward him, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Sky… he… I…I just want it to stop! Why? Why me?” She choked out, “he was here!” The pink ranger threw herself into Sky’s arms sobbing hysterically.

Sky held her close, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. The blue ranger looked at Z questioningly. “What’s going on? Who was here?”

The yellow ranger’s attention was directed at the piece of jewelry sitting on the floor. Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh my god,” she gasped.

“What is it Z?” Bridge asked. Beside the green ranger, Jack stood looking alarmed.

Z picked up the locket and turned to face them. The yellow ranger was feeling a little scared herself as she showed them the locket. “Do you guys remember the day Syd told Jake that she didn’t want to see him anymore?”

Sky frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Z ignored Sky’s words. “And do you guys remember Jake giving Syd something as he was leaving?”

Bridge nodded. “I vaguely remember that day.”

“Me too,” Jack added.

She held out the locket. “Jake gave this to her, but his pictures weren’t in there at the time and now they are!”

There was a pause and everyone fell silent as realization sunk in. The only sound was Sydney’s muffled sobs into Sky’s uniform.

“That bastard!” Sky suddenly snarled, “How did he get into the Academy? Cruger doubled security!”

Bridge took off a glove and waved his hand around the room, hoping to use his psychic abilities to see if he could answer Sky’s question in any way. There was nothing. The psychic residue from Jake had probably long since disappeared by now. The green ranger frowned. “Hey Z,” he held out his hand. “Let me see that for a minute.”

Wordlessly, Z handed him the locket.

As soon as the small metallic object touched his hand, Bridge saw a flash of images.

Flash! Jake lifting the locket from the dresser drawer. Flash!

Flash! Jake placing the pictures into the locket. Flash!

Flash! Jake placing the locket onto the dresser. Flash!

The green ranger shook his head. “Nothing. All I see is Jake taking out the locket and putting in the pictures.”

“Nothing on how he got in?” Z asked.

“No,” Bridge shook his head once more. “He would’ve had to touch something else. Jake’s residue is long gone from the room by now.”

“All right,” Jack tried to take control of the situation. “Z, pack some of your things and Syd’s things into a small case or something. It’s obvious that it isn’t safe for you guys to sleep in here anymore, I think it’s safe to assume that Jake is psychotic and smart if he was able to get past security, so now we have to take extra precaution. Bridge, stay here and help Z.” Jack then turned to the blue ranger. “Sky, go get Syd some water or something to calm her down, then bring her to Cruger. I’ll meet you there.”

Sky nodded and lifted Sydney into his arms, carrying her into the Recreation Room. Z went to the pink ranger’s side of the room and reached into the dresser and began pulling out various items of clothing for Syd, while Bridge headed towards the closet and pulled out Syd’s overnight pack. Jack picked up the locket and headed towards the Command Centre, determined to bring Jake in once and for all. His mouth was set in a firm straight line, his lips pressed together.

Jack was an extremely loyal person. Syd was his friend, and no one messed with his friends. He was going to do everything he could to put an end to Jake Hemmington.

-x-x-x-

“Syd?”

Sky was looking at the pink ranger cautiously. Sydney had finally stopped crying, but now she was just staring blankly at nothing in front of her and Sky wasn’t sure what to make of it. He placed a glass of water onto the table and sat beside her. “Come on Syd, look at me.”

Finally, the pink ranger turned her head and faced him. Sky looked a little surprised at seeing her blue eyes so lifeless, but given the situation, it was understandable.

“I’m so scared Sky.”

“I know,” Sky wrapped her in his arms once more. The blue ranger closed his eyes, feeling her helplessness; and his feelings of anger were coming back full force. There was nothing worse. Most people lived under the illusion that they were in control of their own lives, but that wasn’t completely true. Yeah, you could decide what to have for breakfast, or pick out what to wear, or how to do your hair, but as soon as you stepped out into the world, you were pretty much at the mercy of everyone else around you.

And now, Sydney’s illusion of security had been shattered, and she wanted Sky-someone, anyone, really- to put it back together. What had she said? I just want it to stop! Yeah, who wouldn’t want that? What she really meant was that she wanted things to go back to the way they were. Back to when she was saving the world and making it safe.

Sky kissed the top of her forehead. It wouldn’t be that easy. Jake was smart, Sky knew that. And also, part of the problem was that Sky was feeling kind of helpless himself. He was an SPD cadet, and he had special powers, and he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. But they didn’t know a thing about this guy. Clearly, the man was dangerous, and until they found out more about him, all of them couldn’t do anything.

He wanted to personally rearrange Jake’s face.

-x-x-x-

Jake lowered the camera. Equipped with a telephoto lens, the camera served as a makeshift set of binoculars, and he’d been watching Bridge and Z packing. Jake smiled as he watched the yellow ranger pack a fluffy pink towel. Today was the day she’d find it, he knew. From his position in the tree, hidden by branches and leaves, he had watched delightedly when Sydney had found the locket. He took great pleasure in watching her reaction, moved by her tears. Such powerful emotions.

She mesmerized him.

It was nasty business he knew, but there was no other way. It was time to end Sydney’s little infatuation with Sky once and for all.

-x-x-x-

The Command Center was eerily silent; the only sounds were the beepings coming from the console and Kat’s furious typing across the keyboard. Commander Anubis Cruger paced furiously back and forth as he mulled over the latest events. The big blue dog growled at the thought of someone breaking into SPD Headquarters.

“Are you sure about this Cadet Landors?” Cruger asked.

Jack stood in front of his Commander, a grim expression on his face. “Yes sir.”

“And there was no sign of entry or anything?”

Jack shook his head. “No sir.”

Commander Anubis Cruger growled even louder. This was an unexpected turn of events. Beside him, Kat stood looking worried. “Where is Syd right now?”

“With Sky,” Jack answered. “He’s trying to calm her down.”

The doors to the Command Center slid open, and in walked Bridge and Z, each carrying a small case. “We’re done,” Z announced as she set the overnight bag she was carrying onto a small stool.

“Going somewhere Cadets?” Cruger asked with an eyebrow raised.

“No sir,” Jack spoke up for the yellow ranger, “I figured that since Jake was able to get into the girls’ room, it wasn’t safe for them to sleep there anymore. So I told Z to pack a few things.”

The Commander nodded. “Excellent Jack.”

The doors of the Command Center slid open once more, and this time Sky entered with Syd. Everyone could see that the pink ranger was still shaken up, but was calm for the moment.

“Are you alright Cadet Drew?”

Sydney gave a little sniff and nodded her head.

“Alright, now this is what we’re going to do,” The Commander paused and looked at the pink and blue rangers, “Syd, you’re going to have to leave.”

Syd looked startled.

“It isn’t safe here for you anymore,” Cruger continued. “If Jake is able to get past security, then we’re going to have to take all precautions necessary, starting with keeping you safe.”

“But where should I go?” Syd’s voice shook.

“Anywhere. Just get out of town. Stay out of sight until we catch this guy.”

“Alone?”

Cruger shook his head. “No, Cadet. Sky will go with you.”

Sky nodded and grasped Sydney’s hand.

Jack stepped up. “The Commander’s right. I’m betting that Sky’s a target too. You’ve both got to get out of here.”

“But what if you’re wrong?” Syd asked, tearfully. “What if he finds me? Finds us?”

“What if you stay here and he finds you anyway?” Jack challenged. “Syd, he’s already been able to get into the Academy. Who knows what else he can do?”

“Take one of the unmarked SPD vehicles,” Z now spoke up, “get on the main highway and stay on it. You’re either going back or forth so you’ll know if someone is following you. Once you get off the highway, make lots of crazy turns to make sure no one’s behind you. The important thing is that you get away before Jake even realizes you’re gone.”

Bridge moved forward. “I’ll go pack some of your things for you right now Sky, so that way you guys can leave right away.” The green ranger walked off and moments later the doors closed behind him.

Cruger fixed his eyes on both Sky and Syd. “I cannot tell you how serious this situation is, Cadets. I’m sure you both already know just how serious it is. You both are fine rangers and you’ve been trained. Do whatever you have to, to stay safe.”

Sky nodded, casting a glance at the SPD blaster strapped to his leg.

Minutes later, Bridge walked back into the Command Center, carrying a small case. “Here Sky.”

“Thanks Bridge,” Sky smiled gratefully as he reached for the case.

Z stepped forward, giving Syd and Sky each a hug. “You guys be careful.”

“Yeah,” Bridge added, “Stay in one piece.”

“We’ll be keeping in touch,” Jack tapped his morpher, “Don’t worry guys, we’ll do everything we can to get this guy.”

Sky nodded. “Thanks, we’ll call you guys once we reach our destination.” With a small wave, the blue ranger grabbed the overnight bags with one hand and Syd’s hand in the other, and began leading her toward the doors.

Two seconds later, they were gone.

Z let out a sigh. “I hope Jake doesn’t follow them.”

“Sky can handle it,” Jack said confidently. The red ranger turned to Cruger, “What do we do now Commander?”

The big blue dog’s eyes narrowed. “Now we find out everything we can about Jake,” he turned to Kat. “Miss Manx?”

It took about ten minutes for Kat to explain everything she knew about Jake Hemmington to the remaining rangers. Jack, Bridge and Z listened with rapt attention, as she described Jake’s strange credit history, his seeming desire to keep a low profile, Michael Harris’s comments about Jake being dangerous, and the fact that he no longer had a job.

Jack had a thoughtful look on his face as he drummed his fingers against the main console. “Guys,” he announced, “I think it’s time we pay Jake Hemmington a little visit.”

-x-x-x-

Twenty minutes later, Bridge and Z were pulling into the driveway of the rented Victorian house, and Jack parked his motorcycle in front of the lawn. Once out of their vehicles, each ranger unsnapped their blasters from their legs, holding them tightly in their hands and surveyed the area.

Up close, Z thought the house looked even older than it had from the road. Light blue curtains were drawn in the front windows. There was no sign of Jake’s car, though Z suspected that it could’ve been parked behind the house.

The engine of their squad car ticked as it cooled down. A flock of banded dotterels broke, chirping and squawking as they left the trees in flocks, flying away as fast they could. A squirrel raced past, seeking safety in the upper branches of a tree. Nothing else, there were no other sounds. No sign of movement through the windows. Nothing. It was deadly silent.

“Looks like he may have run,” Jack whispered, observing the area.

‘No,’ Z thought with sudden certainty, ‘he’s still here.’

-x-x-x-

Jake watched them from behind the trees. He’d been out back, thinking that a little fresh air would do him some good, when he heard their cars pull up. The businessman grinned a malicious smile. So the rangers had figured out that he’d been inside the Academy and were now investigating him, were they?

He had expected them, of course, just not so soon.

-x-x-x-

Jack, Bridge and Z made their way carefully to the front door, the porch creaking beneath them. Standing before the moldy peeling door, they glanced at each other before Bridge raised a gloved hand and knocked. Z stood off to the side, a hand gripping her blaster. Her eyes flashed to the window, watching and waiting.

Then, instinctively, she held the blaster in front of her.

-x-x-x-

Jake watched the rangers.

Taking a long, deep breath, he quietly backed further into the trees. He’d already known his time as Jake Hemmington had come to an end. It was too bad; he wished he could’ve had at least enough time to pack his things. His cameras and lenses were inside the house, and he regretted having to part with them. And all his photographs too, especially the ones of Susan in his briefcase. He knew that it was unlikely the rangers would be able to use those photos to find out more about Susan –he’d been extremely careful to destroy any photograph that even hinted of where they’d lived- but he wouldn’t be able to replace them. He’d miss the ones of Sydney as well, but he wasn’t as concerned about those. They would have the rest of their lives to make up for the ones he’d left behind.

He wondered if Sydney still had the locket with her. ‘Probably not,’ he thought. More than likely Sky had told her to throw it away. Jake shook his head. Sky was a bad influence on her. So what would she do? ‘She’d run,’ he immediately thought. Yeah, she’d throw away the locket and then probably try to hide, bringing along that idiot with her. In fact, she was probably gone already.

Another reason to get away from here.

He considered his options. If they went around checking the back of the house…

It was a gamble, but what other choice did he have? Quietly, he began moving towards the SPD squad car.

-x-x-x-

“Let’s head around the back,” Z said quietly. Her blaster felt strangely light in her hand. “I’ve got a funny feeling that he’s still here.”

Both Bridge and Jack nodded, and the three of them left the porch. Jack headed toward the gravel drive on the left side of the house, while Bridge and Z headed the other way. Jack slowly walked up the path leading toward the backyard, his blaster held out in front of him. On the other side, Bridge and Z had to navigate between the trees, twigs napping beneath their feet. Tall grasses and weeds brushed their uniforms, making a small rustling sound. Near the rear of the house, they paused. Bridge was in front and flattening himself against the house, he peeked around the corner.

Jake’s car was parked there, the door on the driver’s side open.

Bridge held the blaster to his chest, turning to Z; he nodded in the direction of the car. The green ranger took another peek, scanning the yard for a glimpse of Jake, and then nodded for Z to follow. The green and yellow rangers crept around the back, trying to be as silent as possible.

They passed the corner windows.

Listening…

The birds had gone silent, Z noticed.

Past the porch. They saw that the rear door to the house stood open. Bridge motioned in that direction and Z nodded. In front of them, they saw Jack coming from the other side of the house. Bridge waved to get the red ranger’s attention and pointed toward the opened door. Jack nodded to show that he understood, and began moving toward the house with them.

The car was closer now.

Z paused, looking from side to side. ‘He’s out here,’ she thought. ‘And he’s watching us right now.’

‘He’s stalking us the exact same way he stalked Syd.’

A flash of Syd’s frightened face crossed the yellow ranger’s mind. Z gripped her blaster tighter, the perspiration from her hand growing slick. She took a deep breath as Bridge started approaching the open door.

It was then that they heard the siren.

It was a piercing wail, agonizing and shrill, and Z nearly pulled the trigger of her blaster. She hesitated only momentarily before locking gazes with Bridge and Jack.

It was coming from the front of the house. Jack scrambled down from the back porch and began running back the way he came, Bridge and Z following him. They rounded the corner and pushed through the branches, leaves and twigs slapping against them as they made their way to the front.

But when they reached the front, they saw nothing.

Everything was exactly as it had been before.

The only difference was that the alarm on their squad car was blaring. The lights flashing red and blue.

They spilt up again, Jack approaching the front of the house, Z moving forward into the yard and Bridge heading toward the squad car to turn off the siren.

The yellow ranger’s mouth was dry and she was breathing hard, trying to stay calm. A short distance away, she eyed a group of low-growing trees surrounded by bushes. ‘That’s where he is,’ she thought. ‘He’s hiding, and he wants me to come get him.’ Behind her, she could hear Bridge moving across the gravel, back toward her.

Z held out the blaster in front of her and pointed at the bushes. “Mr. Hemmington, this is Cadet Elizabeth Delgado, and my blaster is drawn,” she called out slowly. “Come out slowly and you will not be hurt.”

Jack turned at the sound of her voice and, seeing what she was doing, started toward her, crossing the driveway. Like her, Jack held out his blaster.

From the back of the house came the sound of a car engine turning on. The engine gave a loud roar as the accelerator was slammed to the ground, rocks spitting out from behind the tires. It was racing toward them from the side of the house.

Jack stood stunned in the middle of the drive; he saw the car a moment before Bridge and Z did.

The car wasn’t slowing down.

For a moment, Jack was stunned. He pointed his blaster at the car but hesitated in firing, and by then Z could see what was going to happen. “JACK! LOOK OUT!”

Z’s voice shook Jack out of his frozen state and at the last possible second, the red ranger dove out of the way as the car whipped past him. Jack landed on his chest, and his blaster flew from his grasp. Jake’s car roared down the road, veered around the curve, and vanished from sight, the tires screeching, leaving a trail of small rocks in its wake.

Both Z and Bridge ran towards Jack. The red ranger was already getting up and had begun searching for his blaster by the time they reached him.

Seconds passed before they found it. Jack ran toward his motorbike, while Bridge and Z ran toward their jeep. Bridge opened the door to the driver’s seat, and Z reached the passenger side and jumped in; their doors slammed shut simultaneously. Instinctively, Bridge reached for the ignition keys.

The keys were gone.

It was then that Bridge realized that the wires connecting to the radio had been torn from the dash.

“Damn!” Bridge shouted, slamming a fist on the steering wheel.

Z didn’t have time to react to the fact that Bridge had just cursed. The yellow ranger grabbed her morpher and contacted Cruger, though she didn’t hold much hope that the big blue dog would be able to catch Jake in time. Jack raced toward their squad car.

“That stupid son of a gun stole my keys!” The red ranger hollered.

Bridge looked every bit as angry as Jack did. When Z hung up her morpher, the yellow ranger looked at her teammates. “Now what?”

Jack stepped back as Bridge opened the car door and stepped out. “Let’s go inside.”

A moment later, the three rangers blasted the house door open and headed inside.

-x-x-x-

Z was struck by how normal the house looked once she entered.

‘Anyone could have lived here,’ she noted, looking around.

The kitchen was sparkling clean, the kitchen sink gleaming in the sunlight, a washrag folding neatly to the side. There wasn’t a single speck on the stove or a used dish on the counter. The refrigerator –obviously old- looked like it was in good condition. There was no dishwasher or a microwave oven –the kitchen seemed almost cozy, the kind of kitchen that grandparents of children might have.

The three of them moved onto the living room, and again nothing was out of the ordinary. The furniture was plain, and nothing was out of place. Yet… something was missing.

It took a moment before Z realized what was wrong. ‘There’s nothing personal here,’ the yellow ranger thought. ‘Nothing at all. No pictures or paintings on the walls, no newspapers, no magazines, no plants. No television, no stereo system. Nothing!’

Just a couch, a table, and lamps.

Z looked up at the stairs. Behind her, Bridge and Jack came in, their blasters held to their chests.

“It’s kind of empty, huh?” Bridge offered.

“I’m going up,” she said.

The red and green rangers followed her as she headed up the stairs. At the top, they peeked down the hallway before starting toward the right. Opening the door, they found the darkroom and flicked the switch. Bathed by the reddish glow, Z suddenly felt her knees weaken as she realized what Jake had been doing with his time since he’d quit his job.

“Oh my god,” was all she could say.

-x-x-x-

Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Jake slowed the car once he reached the main roads. His heart was pounding from the rush of adrenaline. He was free! He had escaped when escape seemed impossible, and he laughed loudly to himself. He could still see the shocked looks on the rangers’ faces when he sped down the driveway.

Too bad that Jack Landors had jumped out of the way in time. He would’ve loved to have felt that delightful thud as the car crushed him, but oh well; Jack would live to see another day.

Jake laughed again, and began to focus on his plan.

He had to get rid of this car, but he wanted to put as much distance as possible between New Tech City and himself as he could. He turned the car onto the highway that led out of New Tech City. Driving along for a few minutes, he found a small rest stop and pulled over. There, he’d park the car where it wouldn’t be spotted right away, and began planning his search for Sydney.

Susan had tried to run once, too, he remembered, and she thought that she had been careful. She took a train halfway across the country and hoped that he would just simply let her go. But he had tracked her down, and when he opened the door to the run-down inn where she was staying and found her sitting on the bed, she hadn’t even been surprised to see him. Susan had been expecting him, and by the end, the waiting had worn her down. She didn’t even have the energy to cry or scream. When he handed her the locket, she slipped it around her neck, as if knowing she had no choice. He helped her up from the bed, ignoring the lack of energy of her movements, and put his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent, as Susan’s arms hung by her side.

“You didn’t think I’d let you go that easily, did you?” he had whispered.

Susan’s words came out shaky. “No, you couldn’t let me go.”

“You were wrong to run, weren’t you?”

Susan began to cry. “Please… don’t hurt me…not again… please…”

“But you tried to run away,” he had said, “That hurt me, Susan.”

“No… please… no…”

Jake shook his head of the memory.

It was time to find Sydney. And dispose of Sky.

-x-x-x-

Standing in the doorway of the darkroom, Bridge and Jack both blinked a few times, their heads turning from side to side as they tried to take it all in.

“I think I’m going to be sick!” Bridge announced. And indeed, he did look a little green.

Taped to the walls were hundreds of photographs of the pink ranger.

Syd leaving the Academy. Syd on the training field. Syd taking RIC for walk. Syd at dinner. Syd at the supermarket. Syd sitting on her bed. Syd on the beach. Syd on the street. Syd in the park. Syd patrolling the city.

Syd everywhere she’d been over the past month.

Z felt something collapse inside her. She wanted to stay longer, but she knew it was important to check the rest of the house. Jack and Bridge were still frozen in place.

“I can’t believe this guy,” Jack announced as Z brushed past him. In the second room, Z found Jake’s workout equipment. He had hung a mirror in there, surrounding it, were more pictures of Sydney. The yellow ranger moved to the final door, which she assumed was Jake’s bedroom. Turning the doorknob, Z decided to poke around, while they waited for Cruger to arrive.

Pushing the door wide open, she saw old dresser drawers that looked as if it might have been left behind by whoever had lived here before. In the closet, she found several of Jake’s business suits, hanging neatly. To the right side of the room, there was a dart board. Pinned to the dart board was a photo of Sky and Syd. Bunches of darts were stuck to Sky’s side of the photo. Z snorted. ‘Even if he is an insane psycho path, he’s still a typical male. Jealous to the boot.’ Against the wall, was a night stand with the phone sitting on top.

But it was the framed photo on the night stand that caught her attention.

At first, Z thought it was Sydney. The hair was the same, and her eyes were a similar shade of blue; but yet it wasn’t Syd. The yellow ranger realized after a moment, that it was someone who closely resembled her. Holding a daisy to her cheek, the woman in the photograph was younger than Syd by a year or two, her smile almost childlike.

Picking up the frame, Z’s eyes observed the photo carefully and noticed the locket around the woman’s neck. The same locket that Syd had received from Jake.

The same locket…

She took a step and her foot hit something; whatever it was, it felt heavy, though it shifted slightly. Looking down, Z saw the corner of a briefcase poking out from beneath the bed.

The yellow ranger pulled it out and set it on the bed.

Inside were dozens more photographs of the woman in the frame, and she started looking through them.

Bridge came in with Jack following. “What do you have there?” the green ranger asked.

Z turned. “More pictures.”

“Of Syd?”

“No,” Z shook her head at her teammates. “I don’t know for sure, but I think this woman is probably Susan.”

-x-x-x-

Ten minutes later, Anubis Cruger, Kat Manx and Boom arrived at Jake’s home, where Bridge, Jack and Z were waiting outside on the front porch, several of Jake’s items at their feet.

“What happened?” Kat asked, hurrying up to the three waiting rangers.

“Jake tried to run me over, that’s what happened,” Jack said sourly.

Three pairs of startled eyes were looking at the red ranger. “WHAT?”

“We were going to the backyard to inspect the house,” Bridge started off explaining, “Jake somehow managed to get to the front of the house and over to our squad car. He triggered the alarm, grabbed our keys and when we were running back into the front yard to see what happened, he somehow got into the backyard and got into his car.”

“He came at Jack with full speed,” Z added.

“Are you alright?” Cruger spoke to Jack.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Pissed off, but I made it out in one piece.”

The big blue dog’s eyes narrowed. “Good. He tried to kill one of my rangers and that doesn’t happen on my watch. Let’s get back to the base and you can tell me everything you’ve found.”

“Yes sir!”

-x-x-x-

Victoria Beach was about forty minutes from New Tech City. Covered by soft white sand, the beach was very crowded with tourists during the summer, though few people lived there year round. During the spring, visitors seemed to have the beach all to themselves.

Like all houses there, the main floor of the house had been built above the garage and storage areas. Steps led from the back porch to the beach, and the windows along the back of the house gave a wonderful view of the waves as they rolled in.

Syd stood at the window, staring at the sparkling water and the beautiful sunset.

Even here, it was hard her for to relax. Or feel completely safe.

She and Sky had stopped at the supermarket along the way, buying enough food to last them a week. Neither of them had any idea how long they would be here, and she didn’t want to go out in public unless she absolutely had too.

The curtains were drawn on every window except for the one she was looking out of; Sky had parked their vehicle in the garage so it couldn’t be seen from the road. As they were driving, Sky had taken Z’s advice and exited the highway four times, taking crazy turns and twists through neighborhood roads, constantly checking the rearview mirror. No one had followed them; they were sure of that. Still, Syd couldn’t shake the feeling that Jake would somehow find her.

Sky came up behind her and enveloped her into his arms. “Maybe they’ve already caught him,” he offered, not knowing what else to say.

Syd tore her gaze from the window and made the effort to shrug. “Maybe.”

“We’re safe here,” he rubbed her arms, “you know that, right? There was no one following us.”

“I know.”

She was doubtful, but kept her opinion to herself.

“Victoria Beach is beautiful isn’t it?”

Syd raised her eyes to the window once more. To be honest, she hadn’t really noticed. The pink ranger frowned. “Victoria Beach? Why does that name sound so familiar?”

Sky smiled slightly as she turned to face him. “Don’t you remember?”

Syd shook her head.

“This is where we were supposed to take our 5 day vacation after winning that dance competition.”

Now she remembered. She and Sky had won that dance competition a little more than a month ago. God, had it really only been a month? Her life had changed so drastically since then. The pink ranger buried her face into Sky’s chest. God, she just wished this nightmare would end.

Sky held onto Syd with one arm and with his right hand, reached for his morpher. “I’m going to contact Jack to let him know we made it.”

Syd never looked up as she nodded.

-x-x-x-

Like Sky and Syd, Jake also stopped at the supermarket. After pulling his car into the rear corner of the parking lot, where it wouldn’t draw attention by remaining parked in the same spot for a few days- he grabbed the bags from the store before heading into the bathroom of a nearby gas station. Staring into the dirty mirror above the sink, he came up with a plan.

In the bags were the items necessary for the change he had gone through once before: scissors, hair dye, tanning cream and a pair of reading glasses. It wasn’t much, but just enough to alter his appearance from a distance. It was enough to hide for a short time.

It was enough to find her.

Still, there was the problem of where she had gone. And she was gone, he was sure of that. Sky was also probably with her.

So, she did run as he had predicted. But where? Jake smiled, knowing that he would have the answer soon enough. Even when people tried to be careful, they still made mistakes. And Sydney’s mistake came down to this: someone knew exactly where she was.

Bridge, Jack, and Z probably knew where she was. That Commander and his cat assistant also probably knew as well. They would want to talk to her, to tell her what they had learned, to keep an eye on her.

One of these people would lead him to her.

Jake hummed happily as he began his transformation. Twenty minutes later, he left the gas station, wearing glasses, tanner and his hair shorter and darker. A new person, a new man.

‘Now all I need is another car,’ he thought as he headed back toward the parking lot of the supermarket.

-x-x-x-

Back at the Academy, Bridge shouted in triumph as he managed to find out Jake’s original birth place. “He used to live in Lorraine City,” the green ranger informed Kat, while pulling on his glove from where he had been inspecting the briefcase. “He’s had that briefcase for awhile. From the images I saw, it seems like he’s been on the run for awhile too.”

Kat nodded and made a few more notes on her pad of paper, then set to work. Her first call was to Lorraine City’s Police Department, where she was passed from person to person until she was able to reach Detective Noah Anderson. She told him who she was and about the investigation. As she spoke, she heard the detective whistle.

“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “I’m not at my desk right now, so I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

Kat hung up the phone, and glanced around the Command Centre. Jack sat at a table near by, studying the files that they had found at Jake’s house. From the looks of things, they were mostly business files from the project the businessman had been working on. On the other side of the room, Z was sitting, all the photos of Susan in front of her and the locket sitting next to the photos. Bridge was trying to see if he could sense anymore hints on Jake’s past, and Cruger had gone out to patrol the City, leaving Kat in charge.

When Detective Anderson called back, the alien cat picked up on the first ring.

“We’ve got information on a few Jake Hemmingtons,” he said, “It’s not that much of an unusual name, so more than one popped up in the system. Tell me about him.”

Kat gave a brief description – height, weight, hair color, eyes, age and race. Over the phone, she could hear Anderson typing the information into the computer.

“Hmm,” he said, sounding puzzled.

“What is it?” Kat asked.

“I don’t think we have any information on him.”

Kat listened with disbelief. “Nothing?”

“Not based on what you told me. We have records of five individuals with the name Jake Hemmington. Three are deceased, one is African American, and the other is in his late sixties.”

Kat cursed under her breath. Jake was in his late twenties.

“I’m sorry there isn’t anything else,” Noah Anderson paused, “If there’s anything else you need, just call. This man sounds like a pretty bad guy, not the kind of person we want walking around in public.”

Kat thanked the man and hung up.

“Any luck?” Jack looked up from his files.

She shook her head. “None,” Kat threw her hands up in the air in frustration, “This doesn’t make any sense. A guy like this doesn’t just appear out of thin air! I know Jake’s done this sort of thing before, there’s just got to be some record around somewhere.” Kat glanced at Z. “Any luck on getting any information on Susan?”

The yellow ranger shook her head. “Nope.”

Kat only sighed. It seemed like they reached a dead end on every aspect.

-x-x-x-

Pushing her hair behind her ear, Z studied the photographs of Susan. Unlike Syd, Susan appeared to have posed happily for most of them. The yellow ranger noted that in some photos, there was an engagement ring –which later turned into a wedding band. Z was sure that Susan had been indeed, Jake’s wife. She searched the computer for any files mentioning Susan Hemmington, looking for the obvious. The computer listed several individuals, and after checking them all out, she found that none of those people matched the woman in the photograph.

Hesitating only a moment, the yellow ranger asked Kat for the number to Detective Noah Anderson in Lorraine City and dialed it.

“Sure, no problem,” Detective Anderson said in response to her request. “Ever since you guys called earlier, I’ve been thinking about that guy. For some reason, his name sounded familiar. Let me check the computer for a Susan Hemmington.”

Z held her breath while she waited.

“No,” the response came after a minute. “No murder victims or missing persons listed under the name of Susan Hemmington.”

Z clenched her teeth and thanked the man before hanging up.

-x-x-x-

In Lorraine City, Detective Noah Anderson thought about the phone calls he had received from SPD. Kat Manx had wanted information on Jake Hemmington and even though he had searched without success, he knew he had heard the name before. As he’d told Cadet Elizabeth Delgado, the name was familiar. He was sure he’d heard it before.

Rising from his desk, he decided to ask around. Maybe someone else in the department would know and be able to clear it up for him.

-x-x-x-

Kat leaned back in her chair and picked up Jake’s file once more. Her eyes went over Jake’s home address, phone number and place of work. Listed under place of work, was information on people whom he had worked for in the past, association lists, previous experience, and education background.

Wait…

People who he had worked for in the past?

“Gotcha,” Kat whispered. Picking up the phone, she called information and dialed Oxford Construction Company in Mount Royal City, the last company Jake had worked for, before forming his own business.

After identifying herself, Kat was soon on the phone with Jeffery Hayer, the vice president –who had been with the company for more than ten years.

“Jake Hemmington? Sure, I remember him!” Jeffery’s voice lit up with recognition. “He was an awesome manager. I wasn’t surprised when he formed his own business!”

“When was the last time you talked to him?” Kat asked.

“Hmm, let’s see… it must’ve been about four years ago,” Jeffery replied cheerfully.

“Mr. Hayer, do you know if he was married?”

It took a moment for Jeffery to answer. And when he did, his voice sounded amused. “Married?”

“Yes, was he married?”

Jeffery laughed. “Nope. We were all pretty sure he was gay.”

Kat gripped the phone tighter, wondering if she heard him right. “He’s gay? Are you sure?”

“Well, not a hundred percent sure, but we’ve always suspected.”

Kat frowned. Jake, gay? How was that possible? “Did he get along with everyone?” she suddenly asked, remembering what Michael Harris had said about Jake being dangerous.

“Absolutely. He was a nice guy, really knew his stuff. Everyone around here respected him. Like I said, he was an awesome manager.”

When Kat said nothing, Jeffery Hayer felt the need to fill the silence. “Is Jake in some sort of trouble?”

Kat found her gaze drifting toward Z, where the yellow ranger was still staring at the photographs. “Mr. Hayer, do you know if Mr. Hemmington was ever into photography?”

“Jake? Well, he might’ve been, but if he was, he never mentioned it to me. Why?”

“No reason,” Kat suddenly ran out of questions. “Thank you for your help Mr. Hayer.” The alien cat hung up the phone, shaking her head in puzzlement and wondering why none of what she’d just heard seemed to make any sense.

-x-x-x-

It took longer than he imagined finding a car, but Jake exited the parking lot in a gold colored Toyota. Heading into traffic, Jake checked the rearview mirror to see if anyone was following him. As far as he could tell, no one had been watching him.

Teenagers were stupid these days. It was hard to believe that some kids were ignorant enough to leave their keys in the ignition. Didn’t they realize that someone would take advantage of their stupidity? He would’ve never been so careless, but he wasn’t complaining. He needed a car, and this one would serve his purpose.

-x-x-x-

Detective Noah Anderson sat at his desk in Lorraine City, still pondering about the mystery at hand. He had discussed the situation with a few people in the department.

Like him, they recognized the name, but didn’t know where they had heard it. One person had even gone so far as to look up the same information that Anderson had, convinced that Jake must have had a criminal record, only to get the exact same results.

Frowning, Anderson leaned back in his chair. Why was the name so familiar? Familiar not only to him, but to everyone in the department?

He bolted upright as the answer suddenly came to him. After tapping the keyboard of his computer, he scanned the main information that came up on the screen. His hunch confirmed, he stood up from his seat in search of the detective he had to talk to.

-x-x-x-

The day went on.

Kat had come across one dead end after another in the course of her calls. In the last few hours, she had talked to three people, all who had known Jake Hemmington at one point in time. Two were former coworkers, and the last one had been a manger who vaguely remembered Jake. All three people had said the same things about Jake Hemmington.

He was a nice guy who got along with everyone.

Probably gay.

If his hobby was photography, they didn’t know about it.

Kat slammed a pen down onto the table. Who was this guy? She wondered. And why did it feel as if everyone had been describing someone else entirely?

The phone rang and she reached for it. “Kat Manx speaking, SPD.”

“This is Detective Noah Anderson from Lorraine City.”

Kat sat up straight. “Hey, did you find anything?”

“Sort of. After your call, I kept thinking about how familiar the name Jake Hemmington sounded, so I asked around the department. It finally hit me where I heard the name before,” the detective paused. “One of the other detectives here told me something interesting. It concerned a case he investigated three years ago about a missing person.”

Kat reached for her pen. “Susan Hemmington?”

“No, not Susan.”

“Then who’s the missing person?”

“Jake Hemmington. The guy you called about.”

Kat paused. “Huh?”

“Jake Hemmington,” Detective Anderson said once more. “He’s the missing person.”

Kat Manx stared at the paper in front of her with disbelief. “But he’s here!”

“I understand that. But three years ago, he vanished. He didn’t show up for work one day, and after a few days, his secretary finally contacted us. I talked to the detective in charge of the investigation and he said that it looked like Jake just packed up and took off. Clothes were on the bed, a suitcase was missing, and his car was gone. He made cash withdrawals from the bank and that was the last anyone saw of him.”

“He ran?”

“That’s what it seemed like.”

“But why?”

“No clue. There wasn’t any legal trouble. From the looks of things, it seemed like he wanted to start over. He just vanished,” Detective Anderson said.

“Why didn’t his family report him missing?”

“That’s the thing; there was no family. All his relatives were deceased and he had no siblings.”

“Can you send me the file?” Kat asked.

“Sure. I’ve already sent it to you. Hope it helps.”

“Thank you Detective.”

Kat hung up the phone just as Commander Cruger walked into the Command Centre.

“Well, it looks like Grumm has decided to take a break for the moment,” Doggie Cruger announced, setting his Shadow Saber down, “let’s hope it stays this way until we arrest Jake Hemmington.”

Kat stared at the file that Detective Anderson had sent over, the pages of the file printing off one by one. “He’s not Jake Hemmington,” she said quietly.

Cruger, Jack, Bridge and Z stared at her.

“What do you mean?” Bridge asked. “What are you talking about?”

The three rangers abandon whatever they were doing and headed over to where Kat sat. They looked at her expectantly.

Kat picked up the first page of the file that was printing off. “His name isn’t Jake Hemmington. The real Jake Hemmington has been missing for three years,” she handed the page to Jack. It was a picture of the missing person, a man with grey hair, and heavy features. It was clear that it wasn’t the man they were looking for. “This is the real Jake Hemmington. Detective Noah Anderson just sent this to me from Lorraine City.”

They all looked at the picture.

Jack blinked in confusion. “This is Jake Hemmington?”

Kat nodded.

“But how can this be?” Z asked.

“Are you saying that this guy took over this man’s identity?” Bridge pointed at the picture Jack was holding.

Kat nodded once more.

Cruger growled. “Then who in the world are we looking for?”

Kat shook her head, shrugging her shoulders in defeat. “I have no idea.”

-x-x-x-

“This is insane!” Jack roared. “How can he just take over someone’s identity like that?”

“This guy is more than just crazy,” Bridge added. “He needs to be locked up for good.”

Z nodded. “I agree with you. I can’t believe all this started just from two dates with the guy. Poor Syd, I can’t imagine what she’s going through.”

“Kat, tell us what you know about this man,” Cruger demanded.

“He’s educated. He likes photography and has an eye for it, which means he’s been doing it for awhile,” Kat listed all the things she knew, “He had a wife named Susan once, but we don’t know anything about her. He’s probably sociopathic; he’s been stalking Sydney since they’ve met and seems to confuse her with his wife. They look a lot alike, and he’s even called her by his wife’s name. He’s probably been in trouble with the law before and has experience in hiding from the police.”

Cruger growled.

Jack whistled under his breath. “At least things can’t get any worse.”

Suddenly there were noises heard coming from the hallway. If one listened closely, it sounded like a very pissed off woman shouting. Heavy footsteps were heard and a minute later, the doors slid open and a woman ran into the room, breathless and her hair falling out of her ponytail. She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept in days; her eyes showed that she was worried. She looked around the Command Centre for a moment and spotted Cruger, immediately approaching him with an angry expression on her face.

“Where is he?” She shouted, “Where is Sky?”

The doors slid open again a minute later and a man rushed in. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, once it did; Wes hurried to his wife’s side. “Jen honey, calm down. We’re not going to get any answers if you keep yelling at him.”

Jen huffed, but kept the stern expression on her face. “I want to know where my son is,” the former pink ranger demanded, “We’ve been calling his cell phone for the last three days. He and Sydney were supposed to have dinner with us on Sunday night and Sky never called to cancel and that’s not like him.”

Wes placed his hands on Jen’s shoulders. “Forgive my wife for yelling Commander. We’re just worried.”

Cruger cringed slightly under Jen’s glare. As did Kat and all the other rangers.

Z elbowed Jack slightly in the ribs. “And you said it couldn’t get any worse,” she muttered under her breath. “It looks like Mrs. Collins is going to murder Cruger.”

Cruger gazed at Wes and Jen. “There’s been a situation.”

“What kind of situation?” Jen demanded.

“Syd has a stalker,” Jack stated bluntly. “This guy is psycho, and right now, Sky and Syd are in hiding.”

Wes and Jen’s eyes widened at the red ranger’s brief statement.

“What do you mean?” Wes asked calmly.

Cruger kept silent, not knowing how to start.

Jen’s eyes narrowed. “You better tell us what’s going on right now.”

-x-x-x-

Knowing they would be searching for him, Jake had driven south for a few hours before he checked into a run-down inn right off the highway, the kind of place where customers could pay in cash and no identification was necessary.

Now he was lying on the bed, his hands entwined behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. ‘They can look,’ he thought, ‘but they won’t be able to find me.’

He wondered if the rangers had learned that he wasn’t really Jake Hemmington. Even if they had, it wouldn’t matter. They couldn’t connect him to Hemmington’s disappearance or learn his former identity. The hard part had been finding the right person, a man without a family. Searching through all the professional association lists by using the internet had been so time consuming, but he had stayed at it, all his searching had eventually led him to Jake Hemmington. He had been on the run from the law, moving from place to place, and it was in Sandburg Town that he finally found the right man.

Ironically, Jake Hemmington had been born in Lorraine City -like he was. He’d watched the real Jake Hemmington as he watched Sydney now. He learned that Jake was short and was becoming bald, obviously gay, and that he spent most of his time alone. Occasionally, Hemmington worked late at the office, and one night he watched Jake move toward his car in a darkened parking lot, head down as he sorted through the keys.

Hemmington didn’t hear him approach, and he placed a gun to Hemmington’s head.

“Do exactly what I want,” he had whispered, “and I’ll let you live.”

Obviously it had been a lie, but the lie had served its purpose. Hemmington had done everything that he had asked him to do and had answered all of his questions. Jake had gone to the bank and had packed a suitcase as he asked. Jake had even allowed himself to be tied and blindfolded, in hope that his cooperation would be rewarded with his life.

He had driven them to the mountains and told him to lie down on the side of the road. He remembered the begging and the whimpering and how Jake started crying once he heard the unmistakable click of a gun being loaded. He laughed at the man’s weakness. Had he been in that situation, he would have fought or tried to get away, but Hemmington was weak and four hours later was buried in an unmarked grave that would never be discovered.

Without anyone pressing the search, he’d known that Hemmington’s file would be buried in the pile of other missing persons and forgotten. As long as Jake Hemmington was missing and not dead, the identity was easy to assume. He had trained himself to not answer his real name, and when he spoke it now, it sounded foreign.

He had taken care of the real Jake Hemmington, just like he had taken care of his mother and father. And the boys in the foster home. And Susan.

Now it was time to take care of Sky.

-x-x-x-

The Command Centre was busy with activity. After hearing the full story, Wes had immediately contacted Eric at Silver Hills and informed him of the situation. The former Quantum Ranger had promised to spread the word about the man who posed as Jake Hemmington around. Jen had called Adrian and Melanie Drew to inform them of the situation, horrified, the Drew family had promised to be there as soon as they could.

Now, two hours later, Adrian and Melanie Drew had arrived. Adrian had immediately done everything he thought he could do. He hired the best bodyguards, tripling the security around the Academy. He hired workmen to check the security of every window, ordering more lasers, everything he thought that could be an asset. Cruger had stated that it was all unnecessary, but Adrian was adamant. He had everything money could buy, but all he really cared about was keeping his daughter and her boyfriend safe. Unfortunately, the only person who really knew the pink and blue rangers’ whereabouts was Jack, and the red ranger was keeping it all under wraps.

While all this was going on, Melanie Drew sat on one of the stools in the corner, staring blankly into space, ignoring the flurry of activity that was going on around her. It was her fault. Her daughter was in danger and it was her fault. She had been the one that kept pushing, setting up Sydney on all these blind dates, just to keep their name well known in the high class society. She had been the one delighted, when she ran into Jake Hemmington and had happily given the man her daughter’s phone number.

Melanie shuddered.

She was a terrible mother. What kind of person would set their own daughter up with an insane person that was on the run from the law? And on top of that, she felt horribly guilty. The moment she had seen Jen and Wes, she knew she had made terrible accusations about Sky Tate Collins. Sometimes it was hard to believe just how incredibly shallow and selfish she was. Wes and Jen Collins were no strangers to the media- Wes was wealthy and was also famous for being the Red Time Force Ranger. The minute she heard that Sky was Wes’s son, she knew just how deeply Sydney cared for Sky Tate -no, Sky Tate Collins. She had seen the rangers on television many times, had seen Sky in action, Melanie knew that the feelings between the blue and pink rangers were real.

Melanie had always known Sydney hated their lifestyle. The endless parties, the numerous appearances -her daughter couldn’t stand it. But it was the only world Melanie had ever known, had been taught to know -she didn’t know how to react to her daughter’s lifestyle. And now… now… her pride and joy was in danger. If she had just trusted her daughter’s judgment -then maybe none of this would’ve happened.

The blonde woman looked around her. Up ahead, she saw her husband working closely with Wes Collins. She wished that she had listened to Adrian more. She wished she had seen what her husband had. That Sydney was strong and could take care of herself. She wished she hadn’t been so critical about her daughter’s relationship with Sky Tate. She wished…

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Melanie looked up and saw a pair of warm brown eyes that were filled with worry like her own. Jen Collins sat down next to her and offered her a tired smile.

“I don’t think a penny can cover it,” the blonde woman finally replied.

“What’s on your mind?”

Melanie didn’t know what it was, but there was something about the woman next to her that was extremely comforting. “I’m a horrible mother,” she began.

Jen raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“I forced Sydney to date a man that I knew nothing about all I cared about was the fact that he was wealthy. And because of that, he’s now stalking her,” tears began to well up in Melanie’s eyes. “Sydney is in danger because of me, and the man she loves is in danger as well, trying to protect her. “

Jen placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I’m sure Sydney understands that you just want what’s best for her, after all, you’re a mother, and mothers always want what’s best for their children.”

“Why are you being so kind?” Melanie’s blue eyes were filled with surprise. “I judged your son harshly. I thought he wasn’t good enough for my daughter. Everything I said was based on what I saw in a single photograph from a newspaper clipping.”

Jen shrugged. “Because, my son loves your daughter and your daughter loves my son. That is enough reason for me to try and get along with you.” And with that Jen stood up from her spot and headed over to where Wes was, ready to help in any way she could.

Melanie watched as the former pink time force ranger walked away, a feeling indescribable washing over her.

-x-x-x-

Night had fallen, crickets chirped and the moon was glowing brightly in the distance. The fireplace roared with life, flames dancing as it burned the wood.

Syd sat on the couch, absentmindedly playing with the necklace around her neck. Sky came from the kitchen, into the living room and sat next to Syd, handing her a glass of warm milk. Syd gave a small smile, accepting the glass and took a sip. She then set the glass down on the table and leaned into Sky’s embrace as he placed an arm around her.

“Are you feeling better?” Sky asked after several moments of silence.

“A little.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you Syd, not if I have anything to say about it.”

The pink ranger smiled, hearing his promise. “Thank you.” Her hands went to her neck again, and she started fiddling with the gem that hung from the chain.

“Huh,” Sky said a moment later, his voice filled with wonder.

Syd lifted her head from his shoulder. Her blue eyes looked up at him questioningly. “What’s wrong?”

The blue ranger had a grin on his face. “You’re wearing the necklace.”

She looked down. It was the necklace she had received for her birthday so long ago. To this day, she still didn’t know who sent it. She frowned. “Yeah, so? I haven’t taken it off since I got it for my birthday.”

“Why don’t you wear the bracelet and the earrings?”

As he asked the question, Syd could only stare at Sky as the realization hit her. No one, besides Z, had known that she had received more gifts. “You… you… it… how did… you…” She sputtered.

The blue ranger was amused. “Did you like the music box? There was one shaped as a teddy bear, but I figured you would like the star shaped one better.”

“You were the secret admirer?” Syd finally burst out.

“Who’d you think it was?” he retorted, grinning.

At second later, his oxygen supply had been cut off as Syd leapt at him. But Sky wasn’t complaining -he rather liked having her lips on his.

Five minutes later, they parted, each breathing heavily.

“Wow…” Sky blinked. “That was… wow.”

The pink ranger giggled, wrapping her arms around him. Looking into his eyes, her expression turned serious. “I love you Sky.”

His eyes lit up with joy and he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. “I love you too Syd.”

-x-x-x-

Throughout the evening, SPD was busy with events.

A photograph of ‘Jake Hemmington’ had been sent out to the nearest cities so that everyone would be aware that a dangerous man out on the loose.

Around 1:30am, it was reported that a gold colored Toyota car had been stolen.

At 2:45am, it was reported that a black car had been left in the supermarket parking lot for the last twenty-four hours.

Everyone was too busy to notice any of these reports.

-x-x-x-

The following morning was sunny and bright. Jake woke and showered, then hopped back into the stolen Toyota. An hour later, after buying a cup of coffee and a few magazines, he pulled into New Tech City, feeling as if he had come home.

With his new disguise, his darker hair, his tan, and his glasses, he didn’t recognize himself when he looked in the rearview mirror. Wearing blue jeans and a white wife beater, he looked like any other family man heading toward the park for the weekend.

He headed towards the bench that was placed directly off to the side of the small park. It gave him full view of the SPD Academy and still gave him enough time to get to his car if need be. Now all he had to do was wait for one of the rangers to come out. And he would wait all day if he had too; one of the rangers was going to lead him to where Sky and Sydney was.

-x-x-x-

When Z approached Bridge’s desk, she thought he looked as tired as she felt.

“Anything?” she asked.

Bridge looked up, shaking his head and yawning. “Nothing. What about you?”

“Not much, I keep hitting one dead end after the other.”

Bridge fell silent, thinking. Without new information, there was nothing they could do to catch this guy. Was he still in town? Bridge was willing to bet he wasn’t. What would he do next? Bridge could only wonder. Was he still after Syd? Probably.

The problem was that this man had become Jake Hemmington. There was nothing personal in the house, with the exception of his clothes, his cameras, and his photographs of Susan. And the pictures told the green ranger nothing, except that he was an excellent photographer. Those pictures could’ve been taken anywhere, and because Jake developed them, there wasn’t a lab they could trace him back to…

Bridge’s thoughts suddenly froze as he felt an answer come to him.

Pictures that were taken anywhere at any time?

Excellent at photography?

Expensive camera gear?

His own lab to develop them?

‘Okay so this isn’t a hobby for him,’ hethought. Alright, he already knew that. The green ranger stared at the stack of photos of Susan in front of him. ‘This is something that he’s been doing for a long time. Years, even.’

What if…

It was a long shot but…

But what if he had the cameras for awhile?

If that was the case, then it meant…

This man might’ve been using the cameras long before he became Jake Hemmington.

Z looked at him curiously when she saw the expression on his face. “What is it Bridge?”

“Z,” Bridge suddenly spoke. “Where are Jake’s cameras?”

The yellow ranger looked surprised. “The cameras? They’re in the evidence room.”

He jumped up from his chair and started toward the evidence room.

“Where are you going?”

“I think I found a way to figure out who this guy is,” Bridge called.

A moment later, Z was struggling to keep up with him.

-x-x-x-

Two minutes later, Bridge signed out all of Jake’s photography gear.

“What are you doing?” Z asked as she watched him.

“The cameras,” Bridge explained, “the lenses. This stuff is expensive right? The pictures could’ve been taken at anytime, even with these cameras, right?”

“Sure,” Z shrugged, looking confused. “So what?”

“Don’t you see?” The green ranger asked. “What if he’s had these cameras all along?”

Then it dawned on her. “The serial numbers on the cameras.”

Bridge pointed at her. “Exactly, it would’ve had to have been registered somewhere in order for him to buy the cameras.”

“Bridge, you’re a genius!” The yellow ranger cheered.

Minutes later, they had the list of serial numbers they needed. They spilt the information, each taking half and got to work.

Z sat down at her own desk and called her half of the numbers. She called information and received phone numbers for the camera manufacturers, then dialed the first one. After she explained that she needed to verify the name and address of the owner, the person on the other end typed in the serial number.

“It belongs to a Jake Hemmington…”

Z hung up and tried the next one. And the next one. And the next. On her fifth call, however, a different name was offered.

“The camera is registered to a Jordan Drover of Lorraine City, just outside of New Tech City. Do you need the address?”

Z’s hands were shaking as she wrote down the information.

-x-x-x-

Kat looked over the list. “Are you sure this is him?”

“The name was registered on four different pieces of equipment, and according to their records, it had never been reported as stolen,” Z answered.

“That name showed up on my half the list as well,” Bridge added. “I’m willing to bet this is our guy.”

“Alright,” Kat nodded, sitting down at her desk. She reached for the phone and called Detective Noah Anderson in Lorraine City. Within minutes, he was able to give her the information Kat needed.

“Jordan Drover is wanted for questioning in the disappearance of his wife, Susan Drover, four years ago,” he said.

-x-x-x-

Knowing that staying in one place would make people suspicious, Jake grabbed his things and moved from one bench to another.

He wondered what the rangers were doing inside, but then again, it didn’t really matter. He had learned long ago to be patient, and after glancing toward the windows, he raised the newspaper in front of him again. He had read every article a few times now, some more than that. He knew when and where movies were playing, he knew that the community center was offering free dance classes for seniors, but the paper shielded his face from curious people around him.

He wasn’t worried about being discovered. He knew they were looking for him, but no one would think to look for him here. Even if anyone did, between the newspaper and his altered appearance, he was certain that no one would recognize him.

It was only a matter of time now.

-x-x-x-

An hour later, with pages will coming through the fax machine from Lorraine City regarding Susan’s disappearance, Kat sat at her desk, preparing herself for the call she knew she had to make. After she had dialed, a female voice picked up on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Is this Lily Holden?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“This is Kat Manx. I’m calling from the SPD Academy in New Tech City.”

“New Tech City?”

“It’s located just outside of Lorraine City,” Kat said. “I was wondering if you had a moment to talk.”

“I don’t know anyone in New Tech City.”

“I’m calling about your sister, Susan.”

There was a long silence at the other end. “Have you found her?” The woman’s voice was weak, as if expecting the worst.

“I’m sorry, but no, we haven’t. But I was wondering if there’s anything you could tell me about Jordan Drover.”

At the sound of his name, Kat heard Lily Holden draw a sharp breath. “Why?”

“Because we’re looking for him.”

“Because of Susan?”

Kat wondered how much to say. “No,” she said finally, “he’s wanted in connection with something else.”

There was another long pause. “He killed someone, didn’t he?” Lily said automatically. “He killed someone in New Tech City.”

Kat hesitated. “Is there anything you can tell me about him?”

“He’s crazy,” Lily said. The woman’s voice shook, but she kept calm, as if she was doing her best to stay in control. “Everyone was afraid of him, including Susan. He’s dangerous, violent… and he’s smart. Susan tried to get away from him once. He used to beat her. She went to the supermarket one night for groceries and we never saw her again. Everyone knew he did it, but they never found her.”

Lily then began to cry. “It’s been so hard…you don’t know what it’s like… to not know… I mean to not be certain… I know she’s gone, but still, there’s like this tiny hope that you cling on to… You try to move on, and then something happens that makes it all real again…”

Kat listened to the sobbing on the other end, sympathy washing over her. “What was he like in the beginning of their relationship?” she asked gently after a moment.

“What does it matter? He did whatever you think he did. He’s evil… he’s horrible… he’s a nutcase…”

“Please,” Kat said, “We need all the information we can get.”

“And you think this’ll help? It won’t. We’ve been looking for him for years. We hired private investigators; we made sure the police stayed on the case…” Lily Holden trailed off. “He’s insane.”

“He’s here,” Kat said, “And we want to make sure he doesn’t get away. Please, can you tell me what he was like?”

Lily left out a soft sigh, as if she was trying to calm down. “It was just like you’d expect -he was charming and handsome and pursuedd Susan until she fell head over heels for him. He seemed nice at first and we all liked him. They eloped after dating for eight months, and after they were married, things changed. He became possessive, and he didn’t like it when Susan called us. Pretty soon, she rarely left the house, but on the few occasions we did see her, we saw bruises. Of course, we tried to talk some sense into her, but it took a long time before she listened to us.”

“When you say that Susan tried to run away once… what did you mean by that?”

“She finally accepted that she had to. For a couple of days, he acted as if nothing had happened. He tried to get us to tell him where she went, but of course we wouldn’t tell him anything. We knew what was going on by then. Susan went to Peyton Town, a place where she could start over, but he hunted her down. I don’t know how he did it, but he found her and brought her back. She stayed with him a couple of weeks, until my mom and I finally went over there and dragged her back. She moved in with our parents and she even seemed to be doing better for awhile. And then one night, Susan went to the supermarket and we never saw her again.”

After hanging up, Kat sat, thinking about the phone call, and the words Lily had used still ringing in her ears.

He hunted her down.

-x-x-x-

After sorting through the information, Kat went to see Cruger and the rangers. Wes, Jen, Adrian and Melanie stood by closely, waiting to hear what the cat alien had to say. Cruger took a moment to glance at the pile of papers that Kat had handed to him. When he finished, he met her eyes.

“Are you sure about this?”

Kat nodded.

“Alright, Kat, Bridge and Z excellent work.”

“What do we do now sir?” Jack piped up.

Kat cleared her throat. “Until we find him, I think it’s best if we send one of the rangers and RIC to stay with Sky and Syd. If what we learned about Jordan is true, then you know what he’s capable of doing and what he’s likely to do next.”

Commander Cruger nodded and fixed Jack with a steady gaze. “Do you think you can handle it Cadet Landors?”

Jack saluted. “Yes sir!”

A few minutes later, Kat and the remaining rangers left the Academy and piled into one of the SPD vehicles.

No one noticed the stolen Toyota when it pulled into the traffic behind them.

-x-x-x-

She didn’t know what to do.

Normally, Jen Collins was a fast thinker and acted on her gut instinct, but this time things were different. This time she was helpless. This time she wasn’t dealing with pathetic monsters, stupid spells, and she wasn’t fighting Ransik. This time it was a human being, a living, breathing (crazy) human being.

A crazy human being that was after her son.

‘Please stay safe, Sky,’ the former pink ranger prayed as she glanced around the SPD Command Centre. Wes was currently on the phone, probably with Eric, trying to figure out what to do next. Adrian Drew was next to him, listening to Wes’s side of the conversation, preparing to help any way he could.

Her eyes then fell on Melanie Drew. Sydney’s mother wasn’t looking like her usual glamorous self. Jen wasn’t one to pity, but in all honesty, she felt sorry for this woman. She was a mother, and no matter what, a mother would always have a connection with their children.

It looked like Melanie Drew was finally getting over her conceited self at last.

Before Jen could go over to her, Wes appeared next to her. The former red ranger gathered Jen into his arms and gave her a hug. “How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better,” she replied, breathing in her husband’s scent.

“We’ll get him back,” Wes promised. “We’ll get him and Syd back and put this psychotic man behind bars.”

Jen only buried her face into her husband’s shoulder.

-x-x-x-

“His name is Jordan Drover,” Kat began, “The real Jake Hemmington has been missing for three years.”

Syd stared at Kat. “I don’t understand.”

They were seated at the kitchen table of the beach house. Sky and Syd sat on one side of the table, Kat sat across from them. Jack, Bridge and Z were standing around them.

Sky reached for Syd’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “How is that possible?” Sky asked.

“The real Jake Hemmington wasn’t married, and he had no relatives to speak of. There was no one to notice if his social security number was back in use. And because he was considered missing -not deceased- there was nothing to raise any alarms.”

It was Sky’s turn to stare. “You think Jordan Drover killed him.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Kat paused. “Yes.”

Syd let out a shaky breath and looked out the window, suddenly numb and feeling cold. On the beach, she saw an elderly couple stop in front of the house. The man bent over and picked up a seashell, then put it in a plastic pail before moving on. ‘How can something so horrible be happening, when there is so much love and joy out there in the world?’ Syd thought.

The pink ranger turned her attention back toward Kat. “So who is Jordan Drover?” she asked. “And how do you know that’s his real name?”

“Bridge and Z discovered who he was by looking up the registered serial numbers in the cameras. The cameras were the only link to his past, and once we knew who he was and where he was from, we were able to learn the rest easily,” Kat replied. “Jordan was raised in Lorraine City as an only child. His father was an alcoholic and his mother was a house wife. There was more than one accusation of abuse in their home -the police had investigated half a dozen incidents over the years- until his father passed away. I talked to one of the detectives on that case. The detective is retired now, but he remembered the events well. He said that Mr. Drover had committed suicide, but because they couldn’t prove anything, they let it go. But he suspected the kid had closed the garage door and turned on the engine back on after his father had passed out.”

As she listened, Syd felt her stomach lurch. “And the mother?”

“Died less than a year later of drug overdose. Again, it was ruled as a suicide.”

There was a silence in the kitchen and Kat let the unspoken accusation hang for a moment before continuing on. “He spent the next few years in foster care. His juvenile records are locked so we can’t say what else he may have done. He went to college for a few years, graduated, met Susan and got married.”

“What happened to Susan?” Sky asked.

“Susan has been missing for a few years now,” Kat said. “The last time anyone saw her was at the supermarket. A witness remembered seeing Jordan Drover’s car in the parking lot that night, but no one saw what happened to her. Jordan vanished the same night she disappeared.”

“You mean he killed her,” Sky said flatly.

“That’s what Susan’s family believes.”

“Oh god,” Syd moaned. “I can’t believe this. It’s one nightmare after the other.”

“It’s disturbing,” Bridge spoke up finally. “At his house, we found hundreds of pictures of you taped to his walls.”

“There was even one of Sky with darts thrown at it,” Jack added.

“Why me?” Syd asked. “Why did he choose me?”

“Well, we don’t know with any certainty,” Kat said, “but let me show you something.”

Sky breathed in sharply. ‘There’s more? What now?’

Kat pulled out a single photograph and slid it across the table. Sky and Syd looked at it, and then slowly raised their eyes again.

“A real close resemblance isn’t it? This is Susan.”

“She looks a lot like me,” Syd breathed. “I think she could probably even pass as my younger sister or something.”

“When I first saw the picture, I actually thought it was you,” Z said, then pointed at the picture. “Look at this.”

Goosebumps rose on Syd’s skin as she looked at what Z was pointing too. Hanging from the woman’s neck was the locket that Jake… Jordan, whoever… had given Syd.

“Susan Drover,” Syd whispered. “S.D.”

Next to her, Syd heard Sky inhale sharply.

“I know this is hard,” Kat said gently, “but there is another reason why we’re here. Because of all this, we would like to have Jack and RIC stay with you two for a few days.”

“Here at the house?” Syd asked.

Kat nodded.

“I think that’s a really good idea,” Sky said.

-x-x-x-

Jack went out to the car and was getting the overnight bag he had packed when he saw Z scanning the homes along the beach.

“Is it always so quiet out here?”

“I guess so,” Jack replied.

The yellow rangers studied the homes again. Only a few houses had cars parked in the driveway. Down the road, she spotted a gold colored Toyota parked in one of the driveways - something a teenager would drive. It was quiet, maybe too quiet, but Z supposed that it was better for Sky and Syd to stay here, rather than in the city.

“So you’ll be staying awake all night?” Z asked.

“Yeah,” Jack replied, dragging the bag up the steps. “I’ll get some sleep early in the morning. You guys will keep me posted on what’s going on right?”

“Of course.”

The red ranger nodded. “Alright, be careful Z.”

Z hugged the man she considered her brother. “I will. And you better stay safe!”

“I’ll do my best.”

-x-x-x-

That night, Syd couldn’t sleep.

Outside, she could hear the sounds of the ocean waves as they lapped along the shore in a steady rhythm. Next to her, Sky was sleeping soundly, his arm wrapped around her waist. Quietly, she detached Sky’s arm from her waist and got out of bed. She walked over toward the window and made sure it was locked tightly before looking out. Looking down below, she could see Jack circling the house, making sure that no one was there. Turning from the window, Syd cast a glance at the weapons lying on the night table next to their bed. Her blaster was within reaching distance, as was Sky’s. There was a small pile of iron metals next to her blaster, ready for use. And if she really needed it, she would be able to morph and access her Deltamax Striker.

The pink ranger was glad that Jack was there. Not only was the red ranger strong, he also provided them with more weapons in case Jake did find them.

-x-x-x-

From his spot, Jake watched as the red ranger walked around in front of the beach house. He was a little more than annoyed that Jack Landors had decided to stay with them, but he knew that no ranger could stop him. Neither could Sky or that hideous looking robotic dog. He and Sydney were meant for each other, and he would overcome any obstacles to their ultimate happiness. Everything else was an inconvenience, no more challenging than changing his appearance or stealing a car. Or having to start over again.

He wondered where they would end up after leaving New Tech City. He could imagine Sydney enjoying Paris, the fashion capital of the world, or New York City, where they could enjoy new weather productions every season. Or even Australia.

‘It would be wonderful’, he thought. ‘Magical’.

‘Sleep well,’ a malicious smile came to his face, ‘because tomorrow night, it begins.’

-x-x-x-

The following evening was nice and cool. The breeze was steady, and the sky was beginning to dim as the sun began to set. The ocean was calm and there were a few seagulls flying in the air.

From his spot near the beach house, Jake watched as Syd stepped out, taking in a breath of fresh air. With the light glowing from behind her, she looked like a descending angel. Jake found himself growing aroused by the thought of what was going to happen next.

Yesterday, after he had located them, he had pulled his car into the driveway of a home that was plastered with realty signs. Though many homes along the beach were still vacant this time of year, this one looked as if it had been unoccupied for awhile. A quick check revealed an alarm system for the house but not for the garage, and he had worked his way through the simple lock with a screwdriver he had found in the glove compartment of the gold Toyota he had stolen.

He had slept on a dusty air mattress he had found on the shelves and inspected the baseball bat he had found in the corner. That baseball bat would come in handy. He spent several hours that morning trying to figure out how to turn that robotic dog off.

In the distance, Jake could see RIC crawling around in the grass. As quietly as he could, Jake made his way towards the robotic dog.

-x-x-x-

“I hate this game,” Jack grumbled, studying the game of solitaire in front of him. “It’s impossible to win.”

As Syd slipped the plates into the cupboard, she glanced toward the table. “Put the red eight on the black nine.”

The red ranger blinked, still trying to see it. “Where?”

“The sixth column.”

“Oh yeah, there it is.”

Lost in the game, Jack kept his eyes focused downward.

Sky washed the last dish and pulled the plug from the drain, then looked up at the window. With the kitchen light playing against the glass, all he could see was his own reflection.

-x-x-x-

Outside, Jake suddenly pounced on the unsuspecting RIC. Struggling for a moment, he finally found the switch and flipped it. A second later, all of RIC’s systems were shut off and the robotic dog laid still.

Placing RIC toward the side of the beach house, Jake crept toward his hiding place again and settled in to wait.

-x-x-x-

Sky and Syd were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching as Jack continued to lose one game after the next.

“You know Jack, if you haven’t won one game by now, it’s probably not in the cards,” Syd called out.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that!” Jack’s reply sounded determined.

Syd grinned and leaned further into Sky’s embrace. After a few more minutes of watching Jack lose, the pink ranger turned to Sky and met his gaze. “You know, my father always told me to do things that make me happy,” she paused, a true smile appearing on her face. “I know you love me and I love you, and you make me happy. Even with all this horrible stuff going on, you’ve still made me happy. I just wanted you to know that.”

Feeling touched at her words, Sky pulled her closer to him. “You’ve made me happy too Syd. And you’re right, I do love you.”

“I don’t know how I would’ve handled these last few weeks without you. I’m sorry for dragging you into all of this, but you don’t know how grateful I am, to have you with me.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for…”

“Sure there is. I should’ve just ignored my mother and not gone out on that date in the first place. But I did, just to make her happy. If I had listened to my heart, there would have never been a Jake. And I want you to know that I’m thankful not only that you put up with all of that, but that you’re here for me now.”

Sky kissed the top of her head. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

-x-x-x-

In New Tech City, Z spent most of her evening trying to learn all she could about Jordan Drover. From all the documents Kat had gathered and calling people who had known Jordan, the yellow ranger grew more horrified and frightened when she learned just what had happened in his past.

Bridge came running into the Command Centre. “We just got a call,” the green ranger announced. “His car has been located in the parking lot of New Tech City supermarket.”

Wes looked up from his position at the console. “Has anyone spotted him?”

Bridge shook his head. “No. It was also reported that a gold Toyota car was stolen.”

Z frowned. A gold Toyota?

-x-x-x-

Syd wandered to the window and put her face to the glass, scanning the beach.

“Where’s RIC?” she asked.

Sky came up beside her. “No idea. I think Jack let him out a few hours ago. I’m sure he’ll be back any minute.”

The pink ranger nodded. In the distance, she could see faint lights from a trawler off coast. Though the sun was starting to go down, there was still plenty of light left. “Maybe we should go look for him.”

“Sure.”

-x-x-x-

Jake leaned forward when he saw her appear in the window, her face illuminated. He knew with sudden certainty that he would never love anyone as much as he loved her.

Then Sky broke into the image, ruining it. Jake clenched his hand as they both vanished from the window and scowled. Sky always ruined everything. He shook his head. He didn’t regret what would happen to the mighty blue ranger.

Jake waited, knowing what she was going to do. In a moment, he would hear her voice, echoing the salty air. She’d call for RIC, but RIC wouldn’t be coming.

RIC would stay exactly where he was.

-x-x-x-

Z Delgado squinted as the lights in the evidence room flickered on brightly. Lack of sleep in the last couple of days had taken its toll, and her eyes ached. Maybe she needed some sleep in order to get rid of this nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

Still, the yellow ranger couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. And it had something to do with that car that Bridge had announced was stolen. What kind of a car had it been? A gold Toyota? The yellow ranger frowned as she rubbed her forehead, wondering why that particular car seemed so familiar.

-x-x-x-

Jake watched as Sky and Sydney headed down the beach, calling for RIC. As they moved further into the distance, he could feel the adrenaline race into his system and he gripped the baseball bat he had found tighter. It had begun.

When they finally vanished from sight, he crept quietly toward the house. Staying low in the shadows, he walked up the porch steps and through the door. It was time to get rid of the first annoyance.

-x-x-x-

Jack was cleaning up the pile of cards when he noticed that the house had gone silent. The red ranger heard footsteps, but thought nothing of it, assuming it was Sky.

“Sky?” Jack called out, putting the cards down on the kitchen counter. Heading towards the opened front door, he barely noticed the shadow moving toward him from behind.

-x-x-x-

Jake stared at the fallen figure of Jack Landors. Gruesome business? Yes, but necessary. And in its own way, inevitable. Nothing would stand in the way of his and Sydney’s happiness.

Jake turned and headed toward the door, baseball bat in hand.

One down, only one more to go.

-x-x-x-

Z paced back and forth in the Command Centre. She couldn’t figure it out, but she knew it was there. Something in her subconscious, something obvious, and something just out of reach. And she knew it had to do with the stolen car.

‘Okay’, she thought, going through the facts again. Jake’s car had been abandoned. Check. The car was stolen around the time Jake had vanished. Check. Put those two together and she knew Jake had taken the stolen car. Check. But what had Bridge said? A gold Toyota? Z frowned, frustrated that no ideas were coming to her.

‘Maybe I had seen the car somewhere… but where?’

Z paced around some more.

‘Where have I been lately? Well... I only went to talk to Syd and Sky at the beach, when we all dropped Jack off…’

Z stopped pacing. ‘No,’ she thought, ‘it couldn’t be…’

“Shit!” The yellow ranger swore before rushing off to find the Commander and tell him she had seen the car parked near the beach house.

Jordan Drover had found out where Syd had been hiding.

-x-x-x-

Sky frowned as he heard a yell coming from the house. ‘That sounded like Jack.’

“Hey Syd,” the blue ranger called. “I think something happened to Jack at the house. I’m going to check up on him quickly okay?”

The pink ranger nodded before continuing to call out for RIC. Sky turned and headed up the porch steps and into the house.

Stepping into the doorway, the blue ranger immediately registered that something was wrong. The deck of cards that Jack had been playing with earlier, were scattered all over the place. He walked along the small hallway and saw the red ranger lying face down in the middle of the floor.

“Jack!” Sky rushed up to his leader. Quickly, he pressed two fingers to the red ranger’s neck and let out a sigh of relief as he felt a faint pulse. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow. The blue ranger looked up just as the shadowy figure launched itself from the top of the stairs.

The momentum of the attack sent him tumbling backward; his head collided with the stairs as something crashed down on him, crushing his rib cage and driving the edges of the stairs into his lower back.

The pain was staggering. He could feel someone reaching for his neck and taking hold. The hands began to tighten, and Sky fought nausea as the pain rolled through him. Even opening his eyes was difficult, but when he saw the face of Jake Hemmington, his thoughts suddenly came into focus.

Syd! He wanted to scream. Jake’s here! Run!

But he made no sound. Cut off from oxygen, he began to grow dizzy, his mind a jumble. As he struggled to draw breath, he reached instinctively for Jake’s hand, trying to pry them off. Sky swung wildly, his fist connecting with Jake’s face and Jake’s grip weakened. It was all Sky needed.

The blue ranger lunged toward Jake, feeling satisfied as his fist connected with Jake’s jaw once more. But Jake took control and kicked Sky in the stomach. A moment later there was a loud Bang! And then there was pain shooting from all directions in Sky’s body, starting with his stomach. Sky blinked in shock, and he seemed to lose control of his tongue. His body weakened and Jake shoved him off.

When Jake stood, that was when Sky saw the gun.

Jake stared down at him, and Sky rolled away.

Need to get up… have to stand… gotta get to Syd…

He knew Jake would be going after Syd next, and he had to stop that from happening. He had to save Syd. He tried to override the pain, to figure out what to do next…

There was a kick to his head, and Sky felt his vision sway back and forth.

Dizzier… weaker… have to save her… have to protect her… I promised…

Another kick to his head, and then there was nothing.

-x-x-x-

The SPD vehicles sped through the roads like speeding bullets, whipping between cars, lights flashing.

Z sat in the backseat, grasping onto Bridge’s hand, praying hard. In front, Commander Cruger kept his eyes on the road, his paws gripping the steering wheel tightly. Behind them, there were half a dozen more SPD vehicles following them.

‘Ten minutes,’ the yellow ranger prayed. ‘Hang on Syd, all we need is ten more minutes.’

-x-x-x-

Jake stood over Sky’s still body with wide eyes, breathing hard, energized as never before. His hands were tingling, his legs shaking, but the adrenaline was still pumping through him.

This was nothing like Jack, or the real Jake Hemmington, or even Susan. Susan had fought, but not like this. Susan had died at his hands, but there had been no sense of a victorious conquest, just a sense of sorrow.

No, tonight he felt triumphant, unbeatable. He was on a mission and the gods were with him.

Jake gave a malicious smile as he glanced at the unconscious form in front of him. Turning, he placed the gun in the pocket of his jacket and headed out the door. ‘It was a beautiful night’, he thought. In the shadows ahead, he could make out Sydney’s form. ‘We’ll be alone’, he thought, ‘no more complications, no one to stop us.’

He began to walk more quickly, excited by the thought of seeing her. Sydney, no doubt, would be frightened when she saw him. She would probably react the way Susan had when she’d found him waiting in her car that night outside the supermarket. He’d tried to explain himself to her, to make her understand, but she’s struggled and dug her nails into his skin, and he’d put his hands around her throat until her eyes had rolled back in her head, watching and knowing that she had forced him to do it, forced him for her own selfish reasons to let their future slip away.

But he would treat Sydney with the patience she deserved. He would talk to her in hushed tones, and once she really understood the nature of his love for her, once she realized that he’d done this all for her-for them- she would accept it and come with him. She’d probably still be upset about Sky, but eventually he would comfort her and she would see why he’d had no other choice.

He would want to lead her to the bedroom afterward, but he knew there wasn’t enough time for that. Later tonight, once they were safely away, they would stop at a motel and make love, and they would have a lifetime together to make up for what they’d missed.

-x-x-x-

“RIC!” Syd called. “RIC!”

Sighing, she turned, intending to head back toward the house, when she froze. At first, she refused to believe what her eyes were seeing, and she tried to blink the image away. But when she looked again, she knew she wasn’t imagining things.

Though his hair was a different color, though his skin was darker, and though he wore glasses, she recognized him immediately.

“Hello Sydney,” Jake said.

Syd stared at Jake without breathing as everything clicked into place.

He was here. He’s done something to RIC. He’s done something to Jack. He’s done something to Sky.

Oh, God…

Sky…

And now he was here for her.

He was slowly walking toward her.

“You…” was all she could say.

A brief smile flickered across his face. Of course, he seemed to say, who were you expecting? He stopped a few feet away.

Syd suddenly felt as if she were about to vomit, but she forced the bile back, trying to maintain some control. Trying to figure out what to do, trying to understand what had happened to Sky, and Jack.

Oh, God. Sky…

“Where’s Sky?” she demanded, wanting to know but suddenly afraid to find out. It was all she could do to keep her voice steady.

Jake looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face. “That’s over now,” he said matter-of-factly.

His words carried an almost physical impact, and all at once she felt her hands begin to shake. “What did you do to him?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” she screamed, unable to control herself. “Where is he?”

Jake took another step toward her, his voice gentle. “I didn’t have a choice, Sydney. You know that. He was controlling you and I couldn’t let that continue. But you’re safe now. I’ll take care of you.”

He took another step, and Syd suddenly slid back.

“He didn’t love you Sydney,” he said. “Not the way I do.”

‘He’s going to kill me,’ she thought, ‘He killed Sky and Jack, and now he’s going to kill me.’ Syd moved backward, as Jake took another stepped toward her, her terror building with each step he took. She could see in his eyes exactly what he was going to do.

‘He’s going to kill me, but he’ll rape me first!’

‘Screw you, she thought, ‘and screw this!’ Syd took a few steps further back, and her hand brushed the front of her jeans. Feeling the small lump, she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out the object. What she saw gave her a tiny ray of hope. She still had a chance to get away.

-x-x-x-

Sky drifted in and out of consciousness. Trapped somewhere between a world of reality and dreams, his mind was finally able to latch onto the fact that he was bleeding heavily.

And that Syd needed him.

Trembling, he clutched at his stomach and slowly began to rise.

-x-x-x-

Syd tried to stay calm as Jake advanced toward her. She clutched the small metal in her hands and felt it absorb. “Fist of iron!” She swung her hands and felt a large amount of satisfaction as her fist struck Jake’s nose.

Jake staggered and landed backwards into the sand at her unexpected action. His eyes narrowed and he stood up. “That wasn’t very nice,” his voice became chilled and cold. He came toward her again.

Syd ducked as he swung at her and pounded him in the stomach with her hands once more. She gulped slightly as she felt the last of the iron metal drain away. She needed more iron metals.

-x-x-x-

Back at the house, Sky was trying to stand, reaching for anything to help steady himself. Damn Jake for shooting at him. Every step he took, there was pain shooting through him, his thoughts were random and fragmented-

Getting up… need to contact Cruger and Bridge and Z… have to get to Syd… gotta get Jack help… but the pain… Jake shot me… pain… so much blood… Syd… need to get to Syd… have to help her… pain… the ocean… so painful… she’s outside… Syd… Syd… hold on Syd… I’m coming… Syd…

The blue ranger took a step, breathing heavily. Another step. And another.

Hold on Syd!

-x-x-x-

Syd grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at Jake, watching as the sand hit his eyes, distracting him for a moment.

‘I need to run,’ she thought wildly, ‘but there’s no where to hide!’

Just as she turned and started to run, Jake reached out and grabbed her by the arm and swung her around to face him, keeping a firm grip.

“You really are a prize,” Jake grinned, as he caught his breath. “I’ve known it from the moment we’ve met.”

Syd struggled to get free, wishing she had more iron metals. “Let me go!”

“Don’t be this way, Sydney,” Jake said. “Can’t you see this was always how it was going to turn out?”

Syd jerked her arm. “Let me go right now!”

Jake tightened his grip, making her wince. He broke into an amused grin, as if asking, see how pointless this is?

“We should probably be going,” he suggested calmly.

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

Suddenly a blue shield hit Jake, throwing the man backwards. Unprepared for the unexpected help, Syd landed backwards also. The pink ranger turned her head and saw Sky standing off to the side. In a flash she leapt up and was running toward him.

“Sky!” She reached him just as he collapsed forward. “Oh my god, Sky! What did he do to you?”

Indeed, the blue ranger looked a mess. There was blood trickling down the side of his face, a large cut on his forehead. Syd was horrified to find that most of his shirt was soaked in blood as well.

Jake stood up and let out a roar. “I thought I had gotten rid of you! You’re supposed to be dead!”

“Looks like you messed up,” Sky panted, breathing heavily.

Jake let out another frustrated cry and a minute later, Syd saw the gun.

Her eyes widened in terror as the gun was pointed at them. At Sky.

What happened next was a blur. Sky somehow managed to find the strength to stand and create a large blue shield in front of them as Jake fired his gun. Sky pushed Syd out of the way, shielding her as Jake fired more shots.

Sky stood up once more, but before he could create another shield, Jake shot him.

Syd screamed and watched in horror as Sky seemed to fall backwards in slow motion, his shirt becoming more soaked with blood. Tears came to her eyes as Sky landed on the sand. “SKY!” She screamed, as she rushed toward him, half crawling and half running, placing his head gently on her lap. “Hang on Sky,” she whimpered, softly stroking his hair, “we’ll get you to a doctor and everything, you’ll be okay. You can’t leave me!”

“Syd,” Sky rasped out, “run, get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving without you!” Syd firmly told him, tears were running down her cheeks.

“Enough of this nonsense,” Jake was rapidly approaching.

Syd placed Sky’s head gently down on the sand and moved to stand in front of him. “You’re a monster!”

“Why do you keep fighting me?” Jake asked, his voice and expression was calm, as if he was trying to reason with a child. “Don’t you understand that it’s over? Sky isn’t controlling you anymore. It’s just the two of us now, there’s no reason for you to act this way.”

“You are insane,” Syd hissed. “You killed the only man I’ve ever loved. You’re a total monster; you deserve to be locked up for good!”

“You shouldn’t say things you don’t mean, Sydney,” Jake stopped in front of her, just three feet away. “Think of all we can do together.”

“We’ll do nothing together!” she screamed. “I hate you!”

“Don’t say that.”

“I hate you!” she screamed again.

“This has gone on long enough,” his voice was low, “I know you’re upset, but I don’t want to hurt you Susan.”

Syd stared at him, angry tears still flowing. “I’m not Susan!”

Jake stared back at her, his expression curious, as if he didn’t know what she meant. He blinked, and his head began tilting to the side. “What did you say?”

“I’m not Susan!” she screamed again.

Jake shook his head and raised his arm to aim the gun at Syd. Syd began to tremble uncontrollably.

In the distance came the sound of sirens.

“We have to go now,” Jake said. “We’re almost out of time.”

But all Syd could do was stare at him.

“NOW!” Jake boomed.

-x-x-x-

Z looked around the beach house in horror. It was a mess; there was blood on the carpet, chairs overthrown, and a table knocked over, playing cards scattered everywhere, the mess was endless. The yellow ranger walked along the hall and froze once she saw the still body lying in the middle of the floor.

“JACK!”

She rushed up to the red ranger and knelt down beside him. At first she believed Jack was dead. Blood was pouring from his head, but as she bent over to check on him, he moved his arm and moaned.

“Oh thank god!” she exclaimed, “Jack don’t move! Help is on the way!”

Z raised her eyes as Bridge came in carrying RIC.

“Oh no,” Bridge looked down at Jack. “Is he-?”

“Still alive,” Z confirmed, trying to stay calm. “What happened to RIC?”

“His systems were turned off,” Bridge explained as he flipped the switch back on and a moment later RIC was active once more. “I’m going to help Commander Cruger. Stay with Jack okay?”

Z nodded. “Bridge, be careful!”

-x-x-x-

“FREEZE! SPD!”

Jake and Syd spotted Commander Cruger at the same time.

Jake pointed the gun toward the big blue dog and fired wildly; a moment later, a choked sigh escaped him. There was a sharp, burning pain in his chest, a sound like a freight train to his ears. Suddenly the gun in his hand seemed unnaturally heavy. He fired again, missed, and felt another burning sensation in his throat, forcing him backward.

He gasped, trying to draw breath as he felt the blood pooling in his lungs. He couldn’t swallow, the sticky fluid making it impossible. His strength was fading quickly. The gun slipped from his hands, and he dropped to his knees, his mind slowing. He opened his eyes, taking in the scene in front of him.

The blue dog had a sword held out in front of him. Next to the dog, stood a man in a green and black uniform, pointing his blaster at him. He gaze landed on Sydney, who was frantically trying to wake Sky up. All he had wanted for Sydney was happiness, their happiness. The shapes around him were growing darker, dimming by the second. He tried to move toward Sydney, but he didn’t have the strength. He tried to speak, but his mouth couldn’t form the words.

But still, he clung to his dream, his dream of a life with Sydney, the woman he loved. ‘Sydney,’ he thought, ‘my sweet Susan…’

Jake fell forward into the sand.

Syd stared at his body, and then turned toward Sky.

“Oh baby, Sky honey, wake up!” She wept, more tears were coming. She kissed his forehead. “You were so brave… you can’t leave me yet… there’s still so much we haven’t done… I love you Sky! Wake up please…”

“RIC! Emergency Transport Mode!” Bridge commanded.

“Stay strong Sky, you can’t leave me yet,” Syd continued to whimper as RIC gently carry Sky back toward the SPD jeep.

There was no telling what would happen now.

-x-x-x-

The Command Centre was silent, the only sounds coming from the console. Wes, Jen, Adrian and Melanie were alone with Kat, the men pacing around as the woman sat by and watched.

“I can’t stand not knowing anything!” Jen finally burst out. “What the hell is happening over there?”

“Only time can tell,” Kat replied grimly.

“This is ridiculous!” Jen roared. Days of pent up tension and stress were finally getting to her. She turned to Wes. “We were power rangers and we can’t even do anything to help them!”

Wes’s eyes looked sad. Exhaustion and worry over Sky had caused the both of them to have sleepless nights. He hated being helpless.

Adrian and Melanie didn’t look much better. Though he knew nothing about police business, Adrian had stubbornly stayed up with Wes, insisting that he had to do something to help, even if it wasn’t much. After all, his baby girl was in danger. Melanie was in no better position. Though she had restless nights, all the blonde woman could do was sit numbly and watch as the others took charge.

“Can’t we watch them through a screen or something?” Jen asked.

“We can only monitor them if the rangers are morphed,” Kat explained. “The minute they morph, it’ll show us footage.”

Jen let out a frustrated sigh. “Great,” she said sarcastically.

Two hours passed, and all four adults and Kat resumed to what they had been doing before Jen’s outburst. Only this time, it was Melanie and Kat who were sitting, Jen had joined the men in pacing around.

Suddenly, sirens were heard and the squealing of tires as the cars halted to a stop. Minutes later, there was a storm of pounding feet and lots of yelling. They all rushed out of the Command Centre and into the hallway, where they were instantly flattened to the side as two stretchers passed by them, heading toward the infirmary.

Jen’s eyes widened in horror once she saw her blood stained son being rushed by, “SKY!” She felt strong arms wrap around her shoulders and she gazed up into her husband’s eyes. Wes’s eyes showed every drop of fear that she felt.

“MOVE BACK!” The doctor hollered as they rushed Sky and Jack to the infirmary. “We need three units of blood for this man, STAT!”

They could only watch numbly as Sky and Jack disappeared behind the swinging doors.

“THEY HAVE TO SAVE HIM! PLEASE, DON’T LET HIM DIE!”

Kat, Jen, Wes, Adrian and Melanie turned to the hysterical voice that was coming down the hallway.

Seconds later, there was more chaos as Syd came rushing wildly toward them, sobbing hysterically, with Bridge and Z right on her heels. Syd ran past the adults and was nearing the infirmary doors, but before she could go inside, Bridge grabbed her by the arms, preventing her from entering the room.

“Sydney!” Melanie cried out. The blonde woman looked equally as horrified as Jen did. Her daughter looked a mess, there were bruises along her arms, and dried blood on her hands.

The pink ranger was oblivious to her mother’s horrified cry as she fought against Bridge and Z, trying to break free. The bottom of the pink ranger’s shirt was covered in blood, Sky’s blood, but she took no note of it and didn’t care. “Let me go Bridge!” Syd cried out desperately, struggling. “I have to get in there! Sky needs me! I have to make sure he’s alright!”

“You can’t go in there Syd,” the green ranger replied, trying to reason with her, “You’ll only distract them! They need to concentrate on helping Sky and Jack.”

“Let me go!”

“No Syd, I know you want to go in there, but you can’t!”

“LET ME GO!”

“Bridge is right, Syd,” Z said gently as Syd collapsed to the ground, her energy spent. The yellow ranger knelt next to her roommate. “Sky will pull through. You guys have been through so much; he’s not going to leave you now.”

Tears fell down the pink ranger’s cheeks as her body was racked with uncontrollable sobs and she fell against Bridge. “Jake shot him twice, he shot him twice. He lost so much blood…”

“Maybe we should get you cleaned up,” Z suggested, not knowing what else to say.

Syd shook her head. “I’m not leaving!”

By now everyone had gathered in the waiting area of the infirmary. Adrian stepped toward his daughter. “Sydney honey, maybe you should see a doctor. You’re covered in blood, you could be seriously hurt.”

Syd glared at everyone around her, the tears were still flowing. “I said I’m not leaving! This isn’t my blood! This is Sky’s blood! He got shot trying to protect me, Jake was shooting at us and he couldn’t put up his shield in time and… and…” the tears were flowing harder now and she couldn’t stop shaking. She glared at the infirmary doors as if Sky was standing right there. “Sky, you are such an idiot! If you die on me, I’ll never forgive you!”

The pink ranger tried to stand, but as she was getting up, everything around her became dizzy and she swayed. A second later, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted.

“Syd!” Bridge moved forward and caught the pink ranger just before she fell to the ground.

Kat stepped forward and felt the pink ranger’s pulse. “She’s okay,” Kat announced. “The stress and shock was too much for her, she just fainted.” The alien cat turned toward the yellow ranger. “Z, I think maybe you should take Syd and her parents back to your room and get her cleaned up a bit. We’ll inform you if anything changes.”

Z nodded. Adrian moved to take Syd from Bridge and together the four of them disappeared from view.

“Now, Bridge,” Kat turned toward the green ranger. “Why don’t you tell us what happened?”

The green ranger nodded. He began the story, telling Wes, Jen and Kat exactly what happened, starting with how Z had figured out where Jake really was. How they rushed up to the beach house, and how they found Jack unconscious and how RIC’s systems were all shut off. Bridge explained how he had rushed outside to the beach and found Commander Cruger striking Jake with his sword. He explained how he also had shot Jake with his own blaster.

“Where is Doggie now?” Kat asked, giving her head a little shake. It was kind of hard to believe that ‘Jake Hemmington’ was dead.

“He’s still at the beach, Jake’s body is still there, he and the SWAT team are cleaning up,” Bridge replied.

Jen clutched Wes’s head. Her baby, her only child was hurt and hurt badly. She blinked back tears, forcing herself to stay strong.

Time would only tell if Sky would make it or not.

-x-x-x-

Syd awoke to sounds of a woman sniffing. The pink ranger blinked a few times before looking around with her eyes. She was back in her room, at the Academy. It had been a dream… just a really bad nightmare… there was no Jake, and Sky was…

Sky!

Syd bolted upright with a cry. It hadn’t been a nightmare, it had really happened. She was dressed in her SPD sweatshirt and sweatpants, but she took no noticed of her attire as she looked around the room wildly. Immediately, three faces appeared in her line of sight, each face was looking at her with concern.

“Syd!” The yellow ranger exclaimed. “You’re awake!”

“Where’s Sky? Is he alright?” Syd asked urgently, throwing back her covers. The pink ranger didn’t wait for an answer as she leapt out of bed and rushed toward the infirmary before anyone could say anything. She ran as fast as she could, and stopped short just as she reached the waiting area.

Jen was sleeping in Wes’s arms, the former red ranger sat in one of the chairs waiting anxiously. Bridge was pacing back and forth. She rushed up to Bridge. The green ranger stopped short when he saw his best friend. “Syd, you’re awake!”

“Tell me he’s going to be okay Bridge,” she pleaded, “tell me he’s already made it, and that he’s just sleeping right now.”

Bridge’s face fell. “I’m sorry Syd,” he said finally, “we haven’t heard anything yet.”

Tears began to well up in her eyes once more. Bridge gathered his best friend into his arms, “He’ll make it Syd. He’s never let us down before.”

The pink ranger sniffed. “If he dies on me, I’ll never forgive him!”

Adrian and Melanie stood back as they watched Z join Bridge and Syd’s embrace, forming a group hug. “Our little girl is all grown up now,” Adrian murmured, wrapping an arm around his wife. Melanie could only nod. “I wish there was something I could do or say to comfort her,” she whispered.

“Let her be, she’ll come to us when she’s ready. Right now, she needs her friends.”

By now Jen was awake and the former pink time force ranger approached Syd. Syd detached herself from Bridge and Z before rushing into Jen’s arms. “I’m sorry,” Syd whimpered, “it was my fault, he was trying to protect me.”

“Shhh,” Jen whispered. “No sweetie, it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Sky loves you, and he would do anything to protect you.”

Syd shifted, her gaze landed back on the infirmary doors. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be in there,” she whispered.

Jen hugged her tighter. “Don’t say that honey,” she whispered into Syd’s blonde hair. “It’s not your fault, Sky loves you. He’s strong and we have to pray that he pulls through.”

Syd sniffed, taking comfort in Jen’s embrace.

-x-x-x-

An hour later, a man dressed in a white lab coat stepped out into the waiting area. Dr. Wood was momentarily surprised when a group of people rushed at him, but regained control as he looked at all the expectant faces.

“Mr. Landors is doing well,” the doctors announced. “He has a slight concussion, but with plenty of rest he’ll be up and about in no time.”

Z smiled with relief and Bridge wrapped an arm around her. She let out a sigh and fell deeper into the green ranger’s embrace. Jack was going to be okay!

“What about Sky?” Syd asked fearfully, her voice small. “Is he going to be okay?”

The doctor’s expression fell. “I’m afraid at this point only time will tell. His injuries were very severe. He was shot in the stomach and in his right shoulder. His rib cage was cracked and he lost a lot of blood. He has a concussion and suffered a blow to his head and is in critical condition.”

Z and Bridge had unreadable expressions on their faces. Syd became paler with every word that came out of the doctor’s mouth. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Miss Drew-“

“Answer my question!”

“Perhaps-“

“Is Sky going to be OKAY?”

“Maybe-“

“DAMN IT! ANSWER MY QUESTION! IS SKY GOING TO BE ALRIGHT?”

“Somebody hold her down!” Kat announced, coming into the room with a needle in hand. Within minutes, Syd was resting comfortably.

Bridge gave the doctor an apologetic look. “She’s usually not like this; she’s been through a lot these last few weeks.”

“I can imagine,” Dr. Wood shook his head. “As I was saying, Sky is in critical condition, but he is stable for now. He is currently sleeping, but you may visit him if you’d like.”

Wes and Jen nodded. “Thank you, doctor.”

-x-x-x-

Sky groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. The light was unusually bright and he could hear soft voices talking somewhere in the distance. He blinked rapidly against the bright light and tried to open his eyes completely. Where was he?

“Sky!”

He turned his head slightly to the left and saw his parents standing by his bedside. He blinked again and looked around, realizing that he must be in a hospital somewhere.

“Mom? Dad?” he rasped out.

“Oh thank god,” Jen cried. Wes looked relieved as well.

“What happened?” Sky asked weakly, his voice harsh and dry. As soon as he voiced his question, the events came flooding back to him. “Where’s Syd? Is she okay?” He tried to sit up but was immediately plagued by the pain that seemed to rip through his body. He winced and laid flat on his back once more.

“She’s fine,” Wes said quickly, reassuring his son. “She was worried about you though, Kat had to sedate her because she was becoming too hysterical.”

Concern flowed through him. “Where is she now?”

“She’s resting on the couch in the waiting room, the sedative should be wearing off soon,” Jen answered. “Don’t ever do that to me again Sky, I don’t think my blood pressure can take another scare like that!”

“And I can only take so much stress in one lifetime,” Wes added.

Sky tried to nod. He looked up at his mother. “I’m sorry I didn’t call to cancel for dinner. I know I must’ve worried you.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for! Jeez Sky, you got shot, and all you can think about is not calling to cancel for dinner?” Jen said admonished. “We’re just glad you’re safe.”

Sky took a deep breath. “How long was I out?”

Wes gave a wry chuckle. “Try fifteen hours.”

“That long?”

“Yes, that long,” Jen stroked his hair. “You had us so worried.”

“I’m sorry mom. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jen bent over to give the blue ranger a hug. “Now, I believe you have some very worried friends waiting to see you.”

Wes clapped Sky’s left shoulder lightly and ruffled his hair. “Try not to get into anymore trouble, alright son? I’d like you to live for another few decades.”

Sky chuckled. “Don’t worry dad, I won’t.”

“We’ll check up on you later.”

Wes and Jen left as Bridge and Z came into the room. The yellow ranger stared at him cautiously, as if she didn’t know what to make of the situation. Bridge however, pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat down.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” he answered honestly.

Bridge rolled his eyes. “I can imagine.”

Z approached him now. “I’m glad you’re going to be okay Sky.”

“Thanks Z,” Sky tried to smile, but even the slightest effort was painful. “How’s Jack?”

“He’s okay,” she answered. “Sleeping as we speak.”

“And Syd?”

The green ranger’s expression turned serious. “Oh man, you should’ve seen her Sky. She was a wreck. She was so scared, heck, the condition you were in scared all of us.”

Sky did his best to shrug. “She was in danger. I promised that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.” He looked up at Z and Bridge, “she’s really okay?”

“She fainted once and now she’s knocked out cold, but the sedative Kat gave her should be wearing off soon,” Z said. “Don’t worry, she’ll be in here to visit you the moment she wakes up.”

Sky smiled. “I can’t wait to see her.”

Z rolled her eyes. “Typical.”

“Wait,” Sky suddenly frowned. “What happened to Jake?”

“Cruger got him with his sword, and then Bridge shot him with his blaster,” Z answered.

It took a moment for things to sink in. “So, he’s gone?”

“Gone and staying gone.”

“Wow,” the blue ranger paused. “So that’s it then. It’s truly over.”

“Looks like,” Bridge said.

There was a moment of silence and then Sky let out a yawn.

Z giggled. “I guess that’s our cue to let you get some rest.” The yellow ranger leaned over the bed and quickly gave Sky a hug. “Take it easy, okay?”

Bridge clapped Sky on his left shoulder. “Yeah, get plenty of rest. We’ll stop by again later.”

“Thanks guys.”

The door closed behind his fellow rangers and Sky closed his eyes. So, Jake was finally gone. Dead. After the last few weeks, it was hard to believe this entire nightmare was finally over. He and Syd would be able to return to their normal lives once again. Sky let out a sigh and prepared to get as comfortable as he could. Just as he was about to drift off, there was a soft knock at his door. He opened his eyes. “Come in,” he called out, his voice was still dry.

The door opened and Arian Drew walked into the room, followed by a blonde woman, whom Sky assumed was Sydney’s mother. He made the attempt to sit up.

“No, please, don’t get up.” Adrian held his hands in front of him, as if he was going to push Sky back into his original position. “It’s not necessary.”

Not having the energy to argue, Sky nodded and laid back, breathing through the pain.

Adrian and Melanie stood next to the bed. “We just wanted to thank you,” Adrian wrapped an arm around his wife, “for protecting our daughter the way you did. It was very brave of you to risk your life.” Adrian’s eyes showed gratitude. “I am in your debt.”

Sky stared up at the man. “Sir,” he croaked. “I won’t lie to you. I love your daughter, more than I’ve ever loved anyone. I would do it again.”

Adrian nodded. “My daughter is lucky enough to have found such a noble young man.”

“Thank you sir, that means a lot.”

Melanie cleared her throat and turned to her husband. “I’d like to talk to Sky privately for a moment.”

Adrian nodded and turned to leave; leaving Sky to wonder what Sydney’s mother was going to say to him.

There was a brief silence before she spoke. “I need to apologize.”

Surprised, Sky kept silent as she continued. “I should have never been so rude or judgmental towards you. You protected my daughter at all costs, almost losing your life in the process, and for that I will be forever grateful to you.”

Sky took a deep breath. “Mrs. Dr-“

“Please,” Melanie held up a hand, “let me finish. I was so caught up in my world of glamour that I refused to accept Sydney’s chosen lifestyle. And believe me, her becoming involved with SPD was not what I had in mind for her future. I judged you so harshly, and you didn’t deserve that. I’m truly sorry.”

“Mrs. Drew, I accept your apology,” Sky started again, looking up at the woman in front of him, “but I have to tell you right now, that I love Sydney. I want to be with her, and I would really like it if we had your approval of our relationship. It would mean a lot to Sydney too. Syd refuses to admit it, but she needs her mother, and it hurts her whenever the two of you fight.”

Melanie smiled and patted the blue ranger’s arm. “You don’t need to ask for my approval, you already have it,” she paused, then winked. “You know, I’ve always wanted a son. Maybe you and Sydney could settle down sometime soon?”

Sky blushed. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet, Mrs. Drew. But maybe sometime in the future? A few years from now, perhaps?”

Melanie laughed and patted his arm once more. “Fair enough. Now I suggest you rest, so you can recover faster. I expect Sydney will be up soon and then you two will be able to spend all the time you want together.”

“Thank you Mrs. Drew,” Sky called out as the blonde woman turned and left. He leaned back into his pillows and gave a soft chuckle. Wonders will never cease.

-x-x-x-

Syd pushed opened the door quietly, careful to not make a sound. At the sight of Sky, tears welled up in her eyes. But she blinked them back; she had done enough crying already. Sky had a bandaged wrapped around his forehead, and though his shirt concealed it, the pink ranger was sure there were more bandages around his stomach and right shoulder. There were bruises around his neck, where Jake had tried to suffocate him. She reached his bed and carefully sat down at the edge, reaching up; she softly ran her fingers through Sky’s tousled hair. The blue ranger stirred, but didn’t open his eyes. Instead, he leaned in further into her hand as she was stroking his cheek with her thumb, a soft smile playing at his lips.

She sat there, watching him sleep, time passed and after what felt like hours, Sky opened his eyes to find her smiling at him.

“Hey,” his voice was soft, and his heart filled with joy at seeing her.

“Hi.”

“Are you okay?”

She laughed softly, again tears coming to her eyes. “You’re the one that got shot twice, and you’re asking if I’m okay?”

He grinned. “Are you?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” her voice fell soft. “Thanks to you.”

Sky gave a relieved smile at her answer. “Everyone said you were fine, but I had to make sure.”

Syd smiled, feeling touched, and then her expression turned serious. “You scared me. I thought you were going to die.”

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you awake. You were so pale… and you wouldn’t open your eyes,” Syd’s voice cracked, “I thought that Jake…”

“Shh,” Sky soothed, reaching up to brush away her tears. “It’s all over now.”

She intertwined her hand with his. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“Like I would ever leave you.”

Syd stared at him, and smiled softly. “You should get some more rest,” she said finally.

He raised an eyebrow. “I just woke up! It seems like I’m always sleeping.”

“That’s because you need to rest in order to recover faster. Don’t worry we’ll take care of you.”

Sky grinned. “I know you’ll take care of me. I doubt Jack will want to do my laundry though.”

She laughed then kissed his forehead. “Of course I’ll take care of you. I’ll even do your laundry, if you want.”

“Syd, do you even know how to work the washing machine?”

There was a silence. “I could learn…”

Sky rolled his eyes. “That’s okay. I’ll do my own laundry. It would be bad if one of my white shirts suddenly went pink because you put a red sock in the machine.”

Syd pouted, and then grinned. Leaning forward, she gently kissed him on the lips. “Get some rest now.”

He yawned. “Stay with me?”

Syd stretched out along the bed, careful not to touch his injuries. She laid her head on his uninjured shoulder, his arm wrapped around her waist. “Always.”

“I love you Syd,” he murmured sleepily.

“I love you too,” she replied before reaching up and pressing another slight kiss to his lips. Within minutes, the both of them fell asleep.

Melanie and Jen walked by the room a half an hour later, and peeked in. The sight of their children curled up together, made them both smile widely, making each woman wish they had a camera to capture the moment. After watching them for a few minutes, Jen reached out and quietly closed the door. With Syd by his side, Jen had no doubts that Sky would recover in no time.

-x-x-x-

-Four months later-

“Hey Jack, over here!”

Bridge’s shout drew Syd’s attention as she handed the packet of hot dogs to Z. She watched with a smile as Jack sent the bright orange Frisbee whizzing off to the green ranger, who jumped, caught it and passed the disk onto Boom. The game had been going on for almost an hour now; the men were playing enthusiastically, while the women were preparing the food and watching the barbecue.

Four months had passed since that awful night on the beach. Jack had been released after a week, the red ranger had suffered a concussion but for the most part he was okay. Within days, he was up and about and fighting battles once more. Syd had heard from Z that their red ranger had taken a liking to a red headed nurse while he had been in the infirmary and was flirting it up. Sky had been in critical condition for a week and little by little he gradually began to improve. He stayed in the infirmary for almost four weeks and for the entire time, Sydney camped out in a chair by his bed, holding his hand, whispering to him even when he slept. She had taken care of him like she had promised and she did it whole heartedly. She even did his laundry and thankfully, no shirts had turned pink.

Once Sky had been released from the hospital, the next few weeks passed in a blur. Nothing was the same anymore. For the most part, things returned to normal, though, Syd was now unable to sleep without Sky by her side and would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to sneak into his room and climb into his bed.

SPD had more questions and also more information about Jake’s past –but she found that she didn’t care about any of it. Jake Hemmington was dead –in her mind, he would never be remembered as Jordan Drover- and that was all that mattered. The nightmare was truly over. All they had to worry about now was Grumm attacking at odd moments.

The game was soon interrupted when the smell of sizzling hamburgers and hot dogs filled the air. Like typical males, the men rushed toward the food like a dog chasing its tail.

“Take it easy Wes! The food isn’t going anywhere, there’s enough for everybody!”

Jen Collins could be heard in the background, yelling at her eager husband for taking too much food.

Sky came up behind Syd and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Is the food ready yet?”

“Mostly,” she wrinkled her nose. “You’re all sweaty.”

Sky merely grinned, giving her another kiss as he accepted the plate she handed him and moved to sit down next to Bridge. The pink ranger watched the scene for a moment, smiling fondly at all the people around her. Jen and Wes were eating and laughing with Taylor and Eric with her own parents listening in. Syd had to smile at that. Her relationship with her mother had improved beyond words and now they were slowly developing the close mother/daughter relationship that most people shared. Commander Cruger and Kat were chatting nearby with Boom and Jack about SPD weaponry and other things. Bridge and Z were flicking potato salad at each other, and there, watching their friends throw food at each other was Sky.

Sydney grabbed a plate and moved to join their picnic lunch. She slid in next to Sky and felt a small thrill of pleasure run through her body as his arm wrapped around her waist. The two exchanged a kiss, before Syd picked up her hamburger and took a bite. She gave a knowing smile as she saw Z flick a spoonful of salad dressing at Bridge, which had successfully landed on the tip of his nose. Though she had been pretty occupied with the events of the last few months, she had noticed that the green and yellow rangers had gotten closer. Syd shook her head at her friends and made a mental note to ask Z of her feelings for a certain green ranger when she had the chance. Their flirting was just too obvious!

The pink ranger grinned happily. What started out as a pink surprise had escalated into a nightmare, but the outcome had been everything she had ever dreamed of having. She had wonderful family, awesome friends, and the love of her life was by her side.

Syd looked around the table once more, listening to the happy chatter all around her.

This was how it was supposed to be.