A Different Side of You
By
BloomingViolets
and
Pink-Green-White-4ever

Disclaimer in Part One

-x-x-x-x-x-

“What now?” Sky asked, rubbing his still bandaged head. It had only been a few days since he and Syd had been trapped in the cave, and the Blue Ranger was still on the mend.

“We’ve got a new simulator training program Kat’s created for us, in the wake of learning that Headquarters has officially labeled A Squad missing in action,” Jack started. “Let’s get going, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get our prize.”

Z and Bridge shared a look. “What prize?” the two asked in unison.

“The afternoon off.”

The group of five moved quickly to head to the simulator room.

xxx

“Everybody ready?” Jack asked loudly, noting that each of the others nodded. Bridge and Syd were off to one side of the room while Z and Sky were on the other. “GO!”

A slew of laser fire rained down on the five as they rolled, ducked and dodged the Krybots and fired at whatever was shooting at them. Suddenly, the Krybots backed off and they heard a chittering and chattering noise.

“What the heck is that?” Z ground out as she and Sky helped each other to their feet. Bridge and Jack were on the other side of the room, helping Syd up.

The strange noise got louder and louder, as if it were approaching them. Jack rolled his eyes and peeked around the corner of the wall that he, Bridge and Syd were hiding behind. “Oh man, that’s ugly!” Jack grimaced, hiding behind the wall as a shot rang out and connected with the wall near Jack’s head.

“Split up?” Sky called out.

“YES!” Jack ordered. The team split up, Syd sneaking around one way while Bridge went with Jack to give the Red Ranger cover fire. Sky and Z also split up, Sky heading to the left and Z moving to the right to help Bridge cover Jack.

“NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!” Syd suddenly screamed. The others were momentarily stunned by her outburst and the fact that she was still screaming in horror.

Sky swore under his breath when he got a good look at the monster they were fighting; it was a mutant spider. “COVER ME!” Sky hollered to the others, who did as asked while he skidded across the floor toward where Sydney lay curled in a ball, alternating between screaming and sobbing.

The others continued to fire while Sky hunched over Syd’s prone form. “Sydney?”

“NO! NO! NOT THAT! MAKE IT GO AWAY!”

Sky felt like the breath had been knocked right out of him when he saw her tear stained face; it was like being back in the cave all over again, only this time worse. “Sydney, listen to me!” Sky roared, his hands reaching down and lifting her up to face him. “Syd.”

“Sky! Please! Make it stop! Make it go away!” she cried, trembling uncontrollably.

“Sydney, listen to me,” Sky forced his voice to remain level. His heart was beating fast, not only because of the situation but because of the look on her face. “Together, Syd; we have to do this together. In order for you to overcome your fear of Spiders, you’re gonna have to face this!”

“NO!”

Sky slid his arms around her and pulled her close to him. “Yes, Sydney. Look at me!”

The harshness of his voice was just what was needed to snap her out of her daze. “Sky?”

“Together,” he told her, their eyes locking. He picked up his blaster and motioned toward hers. “Ready?”

Sydney nodded and turned with him, her body shaking as she looked upon their rival. “On three.”

“One…two…three!”

The pair started firing on the monster, their blasters ripping into it. Before long, it seemed to explode and then the simulation ended.

“Syd!” Bridge and Z cried out together, rushing toward where they knew the Pink Ranger was, Jack right behind them. What they found was Sydney in Sky’s embrace, her face buried against his chest, her sobs muted. The trio was surprised to see Sky’s head bent close to hers while he whispered something they couldn’t make out in her ear.

“I’m going to take her to her room, I think she’s had enough for today.” Sky’s voice brooked no argument from the others, who watched in shock as he led Syd out of the simulator.

“What was that all about?” Jack asked no one in particular, both Z and Bridge shrugging in response.

xxx

Halfway to Sydney and Z’s room, Sky had to pick the Pink Ranger up and carry her as her legs had simply given out on her. Sky was surprised to find that she barely weighed anything as he carried her down a (thankfully) empty hallway.

The door to the girls’ room slid open easily enough and Sky made a beeline for Syd’s bed, where he laid her nearly sleeping form down. Shaking his head, Sky moved to leave when a hand gripped his tightly. Looking down, he noticed Sydney looking up at him, tears still pooling in her eyes. “Get some sleep, one of us will come check on you in a bit, ok?”

Sky pried her hand off his and moved toward the door.

“Please don’t go. I don’t want to be alone right now.”

He stopped just in front of the door, his head bowing as he heard her fragile voice call out. Sighing, he turned around and moved back over to sit with her on her bed. Watching her lay there, Sky realized just how tiny she really was, even though most of the time she seemed larger than life and not always in a good way. He flinched slightly when she stroked her fingers across the top of his hand, but he didn’t pull away. The Blue Ranger suddenly felt himself mesmerized by the feel of Sydney’s silky finger tips dancing across his wrist and hand. In fact, he was so lost in the feeling that he never noticed that her fingers had fallen off his hand and were caressing the top of his right thigh until certain parts of his anatomy started becoming effected.

“Sydney?”

“Hmm?”

“Please, don’t do that,” he gasped softly, closing his eyes as he tried to get his body under control.

“Why?”

“Because it makes me want what I can’t have.”

Syd looked startled, though Sky never saw the look on her face because his eyes were closed and quickly sat up. She wasn’t sure what Sky meant by that comment and wasn’t entirely positive she wanted to know. However, the pained look on his face made her soften. He looked so uncomfortable. Grinning, Syd acted on impulse and did the first thing that came to mind. She kissed him.

Sky’s breath caught in his throat when he felt her petal soft lips crash into his. He had no time to think of the consequences of their actions, as his body was already betraying his mind. He was kissing her back like she was the very air he needed to survive.

Neither one of them realized it, but Sky had somehow moved them so that they were laying flat on her bed, his body covering hers. Both of them were so lost in each other that they had no concept of time.

Sydney unconsciously worked to push Sky past his limits, past reason. She moaned and whimpered and cried softly under him, her body arching toward his as his hands roamed her sides, coming dangerously close to her chest. She felt certain parts of his body respond to her vocalizations and her arching, and would have patted herself on the back had she been able to. It took her a moment to realize it, but Sky was painfully hard and throbbing against her as she worked around on the bed so that her legs were on either side of his hips, her body cradling his. She also allowed her mouth to open under his, in silent invitation. He didn’t refuse.

Their tongues began a fiery duel, each trying to out do the other by forcing their tiny muscular appendage into the other’s mouth. Sky groaned loudly when Syd’s lower half thrust up against his own, and in that instant, reality seemed to snap back into place.

Tearing his lips from Syd’s, Sky pushed up onto his hands and looked down at his teammate and arch enemy in shock and bewilderment. “What the hell are we doing?”

Sydney, too dazed to say anything merely looked up at him and felt her heart break as the iron curtain came crashing down around him, metaphorically speaking. She watched Sky’s shocked eyes grow cold seconds before he scrambled off her bed, allowing her to sit up.

“Sky?” she whimpered softly, watching him shake his head.

“We can’t do this! It’s a mistake! We don’t even like each other!” Sky yelled before he turned and rushed out the door, leaving Sydney to curl her legs up to her chest and bury her face in her knees to hide her sobs.

xxx

The day proved to be rainy as Sydney drove along the highway that would lead her to the children’s home. The clouds above were grey – it was such an ugly color, but for once Sydney didn’t mind it. The weather matched her mood exactly.

As she drove alone, the Pink Ranger silently cursed herself for being so stupid. What the heck had she been thinking when she kissed Sky like that? And what was worse – she had wanted it! Was there something wrong with her?

Sydney slowed down the vehicle as the stoplight ahead of her turned red. She leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes, remembering the way she felt being in Sky’s arms. She had been so aroused last night… and she knew Sky had been as well. She opened her eyes… just what exactly was Sky Tate to her? They had known each other for most of their lives… spent most of the years fighting…

What happened? How did things get so screwed up like this?

She remembered being frightened beyond belief with the simulator incident yesterday… and how comforted she felt when Sky was next to her, fighting against the spider… and then afterwards in her bedroom…

She had never felt so safe.

The stoplight turned green and she continued driving.

“It makes me want what I can’t have.”

Sky’s words from last night echoed in her mind. What exactly had he meant by that? Did he have conflicting emotions like she did? And his words just before he had fled from her room – why did his words cut her so deeply?

Hate.

She didn’t understand what that word meant anymore. Whenever she had thought of that word, Sky’s name immediately came to her mind. But now… she knew she was supposed to hate him – it had been her resolve ever since she had been a little girl – but now… she couldn’t hate him anymore… and she couldn’t understand why.

Things had been so much easier when they had hated each other and argued nonstop.

The school came into view and Sydney quickly parked her vehicle before gathering her things and heading inside. She walked along the hallway, waving to the various children that were milling about and her mood brightened. Children were the absolute best.

“Sydney!”

Up ahead, she spotted Caitlynn talking with a man she didn’t recognize, Caitlynn was grinning and waving at her to come over to where she stood. Her pace became a little quicker and a few moments later, she was standing in front of them.

“Sydney,” Caitlynn smiled, gesturing to the man standing next to her. The Pink Ranger shifted her attention to him. “This is Bob Conrad from the Habitat for Humanity; he’s been a friend of mine for years. Bob, this is my favorite volunteer in the entire world, Sydney Drew.”

The Pink Ranger held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Conrad!”

Bob Conrad chuckled as he shook hands with Syd. “So you’re the little lady that’s going to be making lunches for my workers, eh?”

She nodded. “Yep! Don’t worry, all of you will be well fed!”

Bob let out another chuckle and turned back to Caitlynn. “Your volunteer is one charming lady,” he winked. “Well Caitlynn, I think we have everything under control. Thanks for your time. I’ll be seeing you ladies on Friday!”

xxx

“That was a flashback to 2003 with LeAnn Rimes and Ronan Keating’s ‘Last Thing On My Mind’ for all you romantics in New Tech City,” the D.J. blared from the radio next to him. Sky shook his head, his eyes on the blue prints on the desk before him. Mr. Conrad loved listening to the soft rock and oldies station, which is where the dial on the radio was set. Sky had to admit, some of the music was cool, but a lot of it was ballads and love songs, and he preferred alternative if given the choice.

“Tate, you finished with those blue prints yet?” Dale Burke called over the phone. Dale was a contractor and architect, the same that Mr. Conrad had used on every job they’d done for Habitat for Humanity.

“Just about! Give me ten minutes!” Sky called back, this time remembering to shut off the phone so no one else could bug him. He was having a difficult time concentrating. Every time he looked down at the blue prints, a song would come on the radio that would remind him of Sydney, and suddenly his thoughts would start wandering back to last night when he and Sydney had practically had sex on her bed.

What the hell were we thinking? Had his brain completely jumped out of his head and gone on sabbatical? He tried to shake his head to dispel the image of his body covering Syd’s, the irritating Pink Ranger moaning and whining softly under him as her body arched toward his. There had been a lot of shock there, especially when he’d felt the heat coming from her lower body. That’s what had snapped him back to reality, the simple fact that once he’d felt the heat of her he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in that heat.

This is Sydney we’re talking about, stop thinking like that! He shook his head once more. They had been enemies for years and only barely tolerated each other for the sake of the team. How the hell could things have changed so quickly? When had they changed?

His words from the night before came back to haunt him almost as much as what had happened between him and Syd. “It makes me want what I can’t have.” Did he want Sydney Drew? That was the million dollar question that he couldn’t answer.

“Sky you’re still here?” Bob asked, walking into his office and seeing the Blue Ranger sitting behind the desk.

Sighing, Sky nodded. “Yeah, still checking over the blue prints; when do we start?”

“Friday. Everyone’s meeting here and driving over together. I met with Caitlynn and her volunteers today, they seem genuinely concerned about the kids and eager to help us out with whatever we need.”

That made Sky smile. There was nothing like the welfare of a child to bring people together. “Sounds awesome. I think I’m gonna give these back to Dale and then head out. I have an early training session in the morning.”

Bob nodded. “Take care and drive safely.”

“I will.”

xxx

“Let’s face it, we’re getting no where.”

Bridge looked up expectantly from his plate of super buttery toast while Z shut her disc man off and took off her headphones. “What the heck are you talking about Jack?”

The Red Ranger stood near the bank of windows in the common room, his arms folded over his chest, gazing out at the city that was spread out below him. “I meant exactly what I said, we’re getting no where.”

“Jack?” Bridge stated before he was interrupted.

“I mean, we’re no closer to getting a truce between those two then we were when we went to the Collins and Grayson households,” Jack growled, spinning around to face his friends.

“Not entirely true,” Z pointed out, getting looks of confusion in response. “What about yesterday’s simulator incident? Those two worked pretty darn well together when they put everything aside, so much, I don’t think they even realized it.”

“The question is then, what was the key to getting them to work together? To get them to put aside their differences?”

There was a silence as the three Rangers were momentarily stumped. Z sighed and rubbed her forehead with her hand. “I think the question we should be asking is, what did Sky do to make Syd hate him so much?”

“Oh! Pick me! Pick me! I know! Pick me!” Bridge threw his arm up in the air and practically danced out of his seat. Jack winced when Bridge’s leg bumped the plate of toast and sent it flying, only to have Z catch it last minute and give the Green Ranger a look of mild amusement.

“What Bridge?”

“The Spider. It was the spider.” When Jack and Z looked at Bridge as if he should continue, the Green Ranger stood up and began to pace back and forth while gesturing. “Sydney started crying out in fear when she got a good look at the spider and then Sky saw what it was and took off to help her. Remember what Mrs. Grayson said about Spiders and Syd?”

The only responses that Bridge got were blank looks from the Red and Yellow Rangers. “Don’t tell me you guys forgot already?” There was a silence and Bridge let out a dramatic sigh. “She had nightmares about them when she was little!”

Jack and Z’s eyes widened and their mouths dropped open in remembrance. “You’re right!” Jack gasped. “Dana said Sydney had nightmares about a Spider monster after her first visit to the academy.”

“You don’t think that Syd somehow had to face a mutant spider in the simulator when she was trapped, do you?” Z asked, trembling slightly at the thought of a six year old Syd, like the one they saw in the pictures on the walls of the Grayson home, facing something like they had the day before. Even though it had been fake, that simulation would be enough to scare any innocent child.

Bridge’s face scrunched up while Jack’s face went hard. “Not only do I think that, I think Sky’s the one who locked her in there.”

xxx

She had to admit, this might not be that bad. Sky was, as every girl in the academy was prone to agree to, easy on the eyes. And this morning was no exception. He was wearing a pair of snug blue jeans, with rips in some very enticing places. He also wore a tight white t-shirt with a blue and white plaid flannel shirt over that. On his feet were a pair of beat up, black work boots, and in his hands were the tool belt she’d seen him with sometime the week before and his backpack.

“Good morning Z,” Sky greeted, smiling briefly at her before going to the machine in the corner and punching in the button code for a couple bottles of water.

“Where you off to so early on our day off?” Z asked.

“I’ve got a project going on and it’s going to take all day,” Sky told her, sitting down next to her on the couch. “How about you? Plans with Bridge today?” he teased.

It was no secret to the Blue Ranger that Z was slowly developing feelings for Bridge. “Would you believe no?” Z asked, trying to stay off the topic of Bridge. Considering their Green companion asked her to do this, she was scared what kind of signals this was going to send to Sky who knew her secret. “He and Jack are going to Mariner Bay for the day, something to do with researching a project.”

Sky looked genuinely surprised. It seemed lately that Z and Bridge were attached at the hip. “What about Syd?”

Z shrugged. “She said she had something to do today too, so I’m all on my lonesome.”

“I’d ask you to come with me, but I don’t think you’ll have any fun where I’m going. It’s all work and no play.”

Before Z could tease him about his comment, the common room doors opened revealing a freshly scrubbed Sydney. The Pink Ranger was wearing a pair of blue jean short overalls with a white top underneath and a pink hoodie. Her feet were adorned with a pair of white and pink tennis shoes and her hair was pilled back into a tight ponytail, minus any curls. And for once, both the Yellow and Blue Rangers noticed she was wearing next to no makeup.

“Wow, Syd, what’s with the getup?” Z cracked, watching Sydney ignore Sky and stride across the room. Ever since the day they had battled the simulated spider, Syd and Sky had been avoiding each other like the plague, both on and off the battlefield.

“Believe it or not, I’m going to be getting dirty today, so I didn’t want to put a bunch of junk on.”

Both Z and Syd shot looks at Sky when he snorted and laughed at Sydney’s comment. “Sydney, actually get dirty?”

“Oh, come on Sky,” Z playfully started, lightly slapping his thigh. She almost choked when she saw Sydney’s eyes darken. Oh, this was good. “Syd’s not that bad. I mean, remember the incident after Bridge and Boom had to rebuild R.I.C.?”

Sky looked startled by Z hitting him, but it wasn’t so much that she’d hit him, it was more WHERE she’d hit him. Sydney, likewise, was in mild shock herself. She’d always thought that Z had a thing for Bridge, but maybe she’d been wrong. The Yellow Ranger was apparently not shy about touching Sky intimately now that she was use to him. Rolling her eyes, Sydney turned away from then and headed for the food synthesizer, ordering up a few bottles of water, same as Sky had.

Z noticed Sky was scooting away from her slightly and that Sydney had suddenly lost all interest in them. ‘Dang,’ she thought to herself, before deciding to give up for now and plan another attack for later.

“See ya!” Syd chirped, practically bouncing out of the room. Z chuckled when Sky shook his head but kept his eyes on Syd’s backside until the common room doors shut.

“Well, I gotta go. See ya later, Z!” Sky called, practically jumping up from his seat and following Sydney out the door.

“Bye Sky!” Z called, watching him leave before shaking her head. “God, he has it bad.”

xxx

“Sky!” Bob Conrad called out when Sky hopped off his bike after arriving at the school.

“Mr. Conrad. Is everyone here?” Sky asked, grinning. He was really looking forward to working with the same crew from the last project.

Bob smiled and nodded. “You bet. Hungry? The school’s volunteer staff brought in muffins and bagels and coffee for breakfast.”

“I could use some coffee, it’s still cool this morning,” Sky replied, the pair heading toward the tent where all of the other workers on site were standing.

“Caitlynn, allow me to introduce Sky Tate. Sky, this is Caitlynn Roberts, the director for the school,” Bob introduced the older woman to Sky. Immediately, Sky was at ease with Caitlynn. She seemed friendly and genuinely concerned about the kids of New Tech City.

“Thanks for helping out, Mr. Tate. I wish I could stay longer, but my star volunteer is waiting at one of the local churches for me. We’re cooking up a big lunch for all of you. Bob, if you need anything, Ally’s wondering around. See you later,” Caitlynn called, turning and rushing off toward her car.

Bob and Sky shared a chuckle before downing the rest of their coffee. “Well, Sky, how about we get started building these kids a new place to learn.”

Sky beamed. “Let’s get to work.”

xxx

Caitlynn couldn’t help but smile when she entered the church kitchen. Standing there, an apron wrapped around her front to keep her from getting dirty, was Sydney Drew, elbow deep in making pie crusts from scratch. Caitlynn took a moment to watch her young friend work. In everything Sydney did, whether it was teaching the kids to read, write, or even making pie crusts as she was now, the blonde always gave each task her all. It made Caitlynn proud to see a girl who had the world at her fingertips giving back to those less fortunate.

“Need some help?”

Sydney looked up, making Caitlynn laugh. Syd’s face was covered in flour already and the poor girl hadn’t been at it all that long yet.

“Jamie and Roxanne went to get more bread from the store for the sandwiches, and Melissa’s in the other room putting together the supplies to be taken over to the food tent.”

“You’ve been busy already,” Caitlynn teased, donning an apron and moving to start cutting vegetables for the chicken soup and the salads.

“You said lunch was at noon, that doesn’t give me much time,” Syd laughed. “How’s it going at the site?”

The older woman grinned and popped a carrot in her mouth, chewing and swallowing before she replied. “Pretty good. Bob’s crew has been there since early this morning and the last of his volunteers showed up before I left. They’ve got the roof off of the old building and are already adding the foundation for the expansion areas.”

“Is it gonna be big?”

“Huge. They’re adding on two new wings, two stories each, and a new office up front,” Caitlynn told her. “We’ve got nearly two hundred hungry construction workers to feed.”

“Then let’s get busy, this food isn’t going to make itself,” Syd teased, tossing a handful of flour in Caitlynn’s direction, making the older woman laugh.

xxx

“Well?”

Z was startled to by the voice. Looking up, she saw Jack and Bridge sitting around her, looking at her expectantly.

“Well what?”

“How’d it go this morning?” Jack asked, alluding to the fact that Z had been set to flirt with Sky.

Z shook her head. “It didn’t faze her much. Her eyes got dark, and she looked slightly…I don’t think annoyed is the word, maybe disgusted works better. She didn’t say anything to me. In fact, I think Sky was more surprised and annoyed by it then Syd was.”

The boys looked forlorn. “Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way?” Bridge asked.

“If this isn’t the way, I don’t know much else we can do besides sitting them both down and directly asking them what’s going on or what happened,” Jack told them, leaning back on the beanbag chair he was sitting on.

“I can try again when they both get back, but you two should be there to help. Maybe if we start flirting with both of them, it might trigger something?” Z suggested, looking at Jack.

The boys nodded, knowing there wasn’t much more they could do.

xxx

Her back ached even as she hauled yet another tray of food from the van to the tent that had been set up for lunch. She’d spent the better part of three hours cooking, and now she was hauling food and supplies and setting up.

She had to admit though the ache was a good one. She was doing only a minor part in the massive project – the construction workers and volunteers were creating a miracle. They were giving deserving children a safer place to learn.

“Sydney!”

At the sound of her name, Sydney looked up and smiled. “Mr. Conrad, it’s nice to see you again,” she smiled, extending her hand. Bob took her hand and shook it softly.

“Likewise. Caitlynn’s been telling me you’ve been preparing for lunch practically all morning? I have to say I can’t wait for the food, I’m starved.”

“I’ve made most of it,” Syd grinned in triumph. “What I didn’t do, I coordinated. Hey, we have to keep you guys happy and well fed, right? You’re doing us a big favor.”

“Just what a man wants to hear!” Bob smiled. “Sydney, allow me to introduce one of my best workers, Sky Tate. Sky, meet Sydney Drew, Caitlynn’s star volunteer.”

The Pink Ranger shifted her gaze to the person standing next to Mr. Conrad and she froze. As soon as she heard Bob mention Sky’s name, her whole body went numb with shock and her mind completely shut down. All she could do was stand there, gaping at Sky. She couldn’t have been more shocked if lightening had hit her. What in the world was Sky doing there?

For his part, Sky looked equally shocked. His eyes were wide open and his mouth had dropped. He had seen her first, believed himself to be dreaming and even went as far to pinch himself while Bob had been talking to the Pink Ranger. He had felt pain shooting up his arm and knew it was no dream. So he did the only thing he could do, he stared.

“YOU!” the two of them hissed at each other, startling Bob. “What are you doing here?”

“I take it you two know each other?” Bob asked, watching both their shocked looks turn into angry glares.

Sydney was the first to back off, giving Bob an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately we do, Mr. Conrad. Sky and I are both on the same squad at SPD We’ve known each other for quite awhile now.” Feeling uncomfortable and having the sudden need to get out of there, the Pink Ranger quickly made a break for it. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go make sure everything’s ready for lunch.” With that, Sydney smiled at Bob again before pushing past Sky and running off.

“Well, that was interesting,” Bob said as he watched Sydney run off. He shook his head and chuckled softly as he got no response from Sky. The Blue Ranger was staring after the tiny blonde and hadn’t heard a word he said. ‘Ah, young love’, he smirked to himself. It seemed to him there was much more between the two, just from seeing them together this one time, then mere dislike.

xxx

Sky sat in the grass, his plate on the ground in front of him and glared. His deep blue eyes were trained on the petite blonde flitting around, talking and chatting with the other construction workers and volunteers.

“God, would you look at her?” one of the guys, a few years older than Sky, grinned and told his friend. “Wouldn’t you like to get a piece of that?”

“I know. Could you just imagine the kind of things a girl with that kind of body could do?”

Jaw clenched, Sky turned his attention back his lunch. He was confused, and mad as hell. Who did they think they were? They were talking about Sydney as if she was an easy lay, which he knew she wasn’t. When he found an empty plate staring back at him, Sky stood up and moved to the trash can, stopping briefly in front of the guys who’d just been talking. “Might I suggest you stop looking at her like that? She has a nasty iron fist that could rearrange your face,” Sky told both of them in his sweetest and most sarcastic voice.

The two guys watched Sky walk away. “Is that Sky’s woman?” the first guy asked.

“Sky, have a woman? That guy is so anal, I can’t even begin to see that even being a possibility.”

Sky was the first back to work, but his eyes kept wandering back to Sydney, who was standing with a group of people, and doing what looked like some heavy flirting. ‘Oh God’, he thought angrily. She was getting to him, and he hated it. He hated seeing her flirt and tease the guys he worked without outside of SPD, but what he hated most was that he wished to God she’d do that with him instead of practically screaming at him whenever they were within five feet of each other.

“Hey Sky.” Turning, Sky was surprised to see one of the female volunteers, Tammi, standing next to him. Tammi was a sweet natured young lady, just out of high school, who had started volunteering with Mr. Conrad’s group the summer before. She was bright, a quick study, not afraid of hard work, and Sky knew she had a crush on him. He wasn’t as clueless as most people thought.

“Tammi, hi. What can I do for you?” Sky asked, and was only mildly concerned and annoyed when she stepped closer to him.

“Nothing. I just wanted to see what you guys were doing over here?” she told him, leaning close to him.

Sky gulped. “Actually, um, I’m making sure the foundation’s level while it’s drying.”

The young lady smiled charmingly up at him. “Interesting. So what happens if it isn’t drying level?” she asked, leaning so close to Sky that the Blue Ranger could see down her very low cut tank top.

“Uh…”

“SCHUYLER TATE COLLINS!”

Sky had never been more relieved in his life to hear Sydney screaming his name. “Excuse me, Tammi, here comes hurricane Sydney,” Sky muttered, moving around the girl and toward the blonde who was glaring and marching toward him. “What?”

“How dare you? You are not my father, stay out of my love life!” Sydney hissed at him.

The blue jean clad man could only stare as Sydney leaned forward and poked a finger at his chest. “What?”

“How dare you tell them about my powers to scare them? Do you want me to tell your little fan club about your little ability to create freaky shields?” Sydney growled, her voice lowering in tone, as she gestured toward Tammi.

“Sydney, wait a second!” Sky defended himself. “First of all, they were talking about you like you were a piece of meat. I wouldn’t let them talk about you, or any other girl for that matter, like that.”

“You’re not my father, don’t you dare think you can decide who’s talking about me in a bad way. Why, you…you… butt-faced miscreant! Stay out of my love life!” Sydney screamed at him before she turned and fled, leaving Sky staring after her. Exasperated, irritated, and down right pissed off, Sky spun around and was surprised to see that Tammi was no where to be seen. ‘Thank you, Syd. Your timing has never been more perfect’ he thought with a wry smile.

Then it hit him. Butt-faced miscreant? He had scared off guys that were talking about her like she was some property and she called him a butt-faced miscreant? Syd had called him plenty of names before, but butt-faced miscreant? That was new. Original, he had to give her that, but she totally overreacted!

“Oh no she didn’t,” Sky muttered, swinging back around and stomping off, to the surprise of everyone around him, in the direction Sydney had gone. Sky found her near the parking lot, bent over the fender of the Caitlynn’s van as she reached inside the back doors to reach something. Anger radiated off him, and probably would have drawn a decent heat seeking missile if there’d been any in the sky. About the only thing that made him stop in his mission was the sight of her nicely rounded behind in the tight jean overalls she was wearing. ‘Damn her’ he thought, realizing his body was starting to respond to the image of her backside.

Shaking his head to clear it, Sky leaned forward and grabbed her arm, before standing back up and dragging her with him. “OW!” Syd squeaked in protest, swinging out at whoever had grabbed her arm so tightly. “Sky! LET GO!”

“Excuse me, but did you just call me a butt-faced miscreant and then stalk off?” Sky demanded, his grip on her arm tightening.

Sydney merely gasped, his fingers like a vice on her arm. She squirmed and wiggled and yanked her arm, trying to get away from him. “Sky…” she nearly cried, tears welling in her eyes. “Sky, you’re hurting my arm.”

The sound of her breathy voice jolted Sky back into the present. His eyes went to where he held her arm. He let go and swore, watching as red marks appeared where his fingers had been. ‘Oh no’ he thought, reacting without thought. He pulled Sydney into his arms and cradled her against his chest. “God, Sydney, I’m sorry,” he whispered, his hand stroking her arm where he’d hurt her. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Sydney looked up at him, the tears that had pooled in her eyes streaming down her cheeks. Neither of them realized they were moving until their lips touched. It wasn’t like the heated kisses they’d shared before, this one was tender, innocent, apologetic, and yet, still passionate.

“Sydney?”

Caitlynn’s voice startled them back into reality. With a parting glance, Sydney grabbed one of the trays out of the van and hurried off, leaving Sky staring after her, more confused then ever.

xxx

“Ok guys, I think it’s time to call it a day!” Bob called to the men up on the roof of the existing building. A few of them weren’t quite ignoring him, but then they were, as they kept working. Everyone was enthusiastic about getting the school done. Shaking his head, Bob moved to speak with Caitlynn and some of her volunteers.

“Jesse! Don’t run over there!” Sydney called out, chasing a little brown haired girl in a pink dress, who was heading for where the volunteers were still throwing pieces of the roof down. The little girl giggled, and continued to run from the Pink Ranger, thinking Sydney was playing a game of tag with her. “JESSE!”

Sky was just coming off the ladder from the roof when he heard Sydney scream and saw her lunge forward. He reacted instead of thinking, jumping off the last couple of steps and tackling Sydney before he threw up the biggest shield he’d ever created as a piece of roofing went crashing down on the two of them where they had tackled the little girl, Syd’s body covering the smaller one under her, and Sky covering her. Sky felt his heart jump up into his throat, even as he looked up and saw the familiar blue of his power. It had been too close a call.

“SYDNEY! SKY!” Bob and Caitlynn turned and yelled just as the boards and shingles came crashing down. Neither saw the blue shield that surrounded the trio until the dust settled and whatever hit Sky’s shield fell to the ground around where they lay.

“Syd?” Sky gasped, pushing himself up as his shield dissipated. Sydney and the little girl lay unmoving, which scared Sky. “Sydney?”

A groan rang out in answer, followed by the near hysterical crying of a little girl. Sky looked down and helped Jesse wiggle out from under Sydney, who had apparently been knocked unconscious. “Syd?” Sky frantically asked again, reaching down to cup her cheeks with his hands as he bent over her.

“Jesse?” Syd called out, her eyes opening slowly.

“She’s fine Sydney,” Caitlynn’s voice soothed from over Sky’s shoulder. Jesse was wrapped in Caitlynn’s arms, still shaking with fear. “Sky, is she okay?”

The Blue Ranger looked down at his teammate and saw that her eyes were completely open, and she looked more aware. Carefully, Sky pulled her into a sitting position and held her in his lap, his brow furrowing in concern as her head leaned against his chest. “Sydney, are you alright?”

“I think so, just sorta woozy,” she told him, closing her eyes again. “Is Jesse okay?”

“She’s fine. She looks more frightened that you’re hurt then from what happened to her,” Sky murmured in her ear, his free hand stroking her hair from her face.

“Jesse, honey, next time, no running off, ok?” Sydney told the little girl, who nodded and blinked away tears.

“I sorrie.”

“It’s okay,” Sky told the little girl, smiling reassuringly at her. “Come on, Syd, let’s get you standing.” Slowly, the pair worked in quiet tandem until they were both standing up. “You’re not gonna be able to drive back.”

“I hate to admit you’re right, but I don’t want to chance me trying to drive back,” Syd told him, her hand tightening on his bicep as she tried to steady herself.

Sky nodded, and turned to Bob. “Mr. Conrad, do you think you can bring my bike back to the Academy? I’m gonna drive Syd’s jeep back.”

Bob nodded and reached his hand out for Sky’s keys, which the Blue Ranger surrendered quickly before he wrapped an arm around Sydney and began leading her over to the SPD jeep parked next to Caitlynn’s van. “All your stuff in here?” Sky asked her as he helped her into the front seat, securing the seatbelt around her as she leaned her head against the seat.

“Yeah,” Syd replied, stifling a yawn.

“Don’t go to sleep, I’m gonna get you back to base and have Kat and Dr. Felix take a look at you,” Sky ordered before he spun around to talk to Caitlynn. “I’m sorry.”

Caitlynn waved him off. “Don’t worry about it Sky. Just get her taken care of. And give me a call if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Sky nodded as he hurried around the jeep and hopped into the driver’s side, starting the engine and then gunning the vehicle. He pulled out of the parking lot and speed back towards the Academy, his heart filled with an unexplainable fear the entire way.

xxx

For the first time in his life, Sky was actually worried about Sydney. ‘Ok, so that’s not entirely true’ he thought to himself. He’d been plenty worried about her a few days before when they’d faced off with Kat’s giant simulated spider. He’d taken one look at that monster, had seen her freaked out, and had thought she was about to get herself killed. This was just as bad.

“Sydney, don’t go to sleep,” Sky reprimanded her softly for what seemed like the millionth time on the drive back to the academy. He’d already used his morpher to call ahead and let Kat know what had happened, so he knew all he had to do now was keep her awake until they got home.

“Sky, I’m sleepy, I can’t help it,” she murmured softly, her head lulling to the side before she snapped to attention.

Sky’s face softened marginally as he looked over at her when he stopped at a stop light. He may fight and argue with her constantly, but the last thing in the world he wanted to see was her hurt. “I know, but we’re almost there. When Dr. Felix gives the word, we’ll get you tucked into bed for the rest of the afternoon, okay?”

Sydney’s eyes were trained on his, and he could tell she was doing everything she could not to give in to the want for sleep. “Alright.”

Ten minutes later, Sky was carrying her through the busy hallways of the Academy, lower level cadets jumping out of the way as the mighty B Squad Blue Ranger barreled through the crowd. It was a shock for them, considering how everyone knew that Syd and Sky fought like cats and dogs.

“Lay her down here, Sky,” Kat commanded when the pair walked into the infirmary. Dr. Felix was washing his hands at a nearby sink while Sky carefully laid the nearly dozing Pink Ranger on one of the beds before he stepped back and watched on.

For a few minutes, Dr. Felix and Kat hemmed and hawed and said things in low tones before they broke apart and Kat moved to talk with Sky. “Well?” he asked, sounding more worried than he’d wanted to.

“Thankfully, it’s not a full blown concussion, so he says she can sleep for a while and then head to her room. Caitlynn called and talked to Commander Cruger already; it’s a good thing you were there, you both saved a life,” Kat told him, grinning. Despite his relationship with Syd, the feline could see how tense and anxious he was to know the prognosis on his teammate. “She’ll be fine, Sky, you can stop worrying now. Why don’t you go grab something to eat and get ready for some sleep yourself?”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather sit with her for a while, just in case,” he told Kat, looking sheepish as he said it. Kat merely smiled a knowing smile and nodded before moving to leave the infirmary so she could inform the Commander of Syd’s health. ‘It’s about time,’ she thought, grinning at Sky’s antics.

Once Kat was out of the room, Sky grabbed one of the chairs and moved it to Syd’s bedside. He could tell she was fighting going to sleep still and sighed. “Sydney, just rest, its okay; you’re safe,” he whispered to her, unconsciously taking her hand in his. She looked at him through barely open eyes, before she squeezed his hand and fell asleep in an instant. Sky sat beside her, his thumb stroking her hand, his eyes on her face as she slept. The last part of his defensive wall crumbled. It was in that second, he looked at her and realized he had feelings for her that had nothing to do with her being his teammate or mortal enemy.

He was falling for Sydney.

xxx

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Jack quipped when Syd and Sky slowly walked into the common room together. It took the other three members of B Squad a second to realize Syd was practically clinging to Sky, whose arms were wrapped around her waist, helping to hold her up. “What happened?” The Red Ranger demanded to know.

“I had a small accident today,” Syd told him, her voice sounding small and tired. The Pink Ranger looked seriously ill as Sky sat her down.

“What do you want to eat, Syd?” Sky asked her, crouching in front of her.

She pondered her selection carefully. “How about some chicken soup in a cup and some grape juice?” she asked softly.

“Sure,” Sky murmured, moving toward the food synthesizer in the corner.

“You had an accident? What kind of accident?” Z asked, her eyes darting to Sky’s back.

“I was trying to save a little girl, and Sky had to save me,” Syd told them, before promptly closing her mouth. She and Sky had made an unspoken agreement to not really talk about what had happened.

Bridge, Z and Jack all looked incredibly surprised by her admission. The three of them shot Sky questioning glances when he returned, handing Sydney a mug with Chicken soup in it before sitting down on the couch next to her, a glass of grape juice in his hands.

Sky paid them no attention, his eyes and thoughts on Sydney as she gingerly brought the soup to her lips and sipped. She still looked tired and that worried Sky more than he cared to admit. “Better?” he softly asked, handing her the grape juice to drink. After a good swallow of it, she nodded and shyly handed him back the cup. Sydney managed a dazzling smile despite the dull throbbing behind her eyes. She still had a massive headache from being knocked unconscious, but decided she could deal with that now that there was a truce of some sort between the two of them. “Yes, thank you.”

“Wow, looks like we got ourselves an honest to goodness hero,” Z teased, leaving forward and swatting Sky’s leg. She was debating on whether or not to flirt with him with Bridge in the room and considering Syd’s condition but… she figured a healthy dose of jealousy might not hurt the Pink Ranger so much. “You’re awesome, Sky!”

Bridge and Jack did not miss the narrowed look Sky gave Z, nor did any of them miss the darkening of Sydney’s eyes. If only looks could kill… the thought ran through their minds and they laughed inwardly. “So hero, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” Z started again, watching Sydney slowly lower her cup of soup.

“I don’t know. Maybe shower and stretch out with a book. Why?” Sky shrugged, handing the juice to Sydney so she could finish it.

“Just wondering. I was thinking about dinner and a movie, you interested?” Z asked, smiling up at him.

The Red and Green Rangers looked shocked that Z had not included Sydney in the invitation and so did Sky. Sydney, on the other hand, looked downright hurt and looking full blown mad. “Uh, sure, I guess,” Sky mumbled.

A low, definitely feminine growl could be heard, two seconds before Sky hollered in surprise. Sydney was on her feet like a shot and stomping toward the door, her half full cup of chicken soup suddenly in Sky’s lap. Jack and Bridge shared a look while Sky glared at Z who was trying to look surprised while trying not to laugh at the predicament. ‘Well, that explains it,’ Z thought, turning a sidelong glance at her Green and Red counterparts.

“What the hell was that about?” Sky demanded to know of Z. Just from the look he was giving her, the others obviously knew he wasn’t talking about Syd dumping her soup in his lap.

“What do you mean?” Z asked, trying to play innocent.

“You know what I mean, Elizabeth. What the hell has gotten into you? Were you lying to me when you told me you had feelings for a certain someone?” Sky demanded angrily, wiping his pants with a towel he’d gone and gotten from a table nearby.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Z replied, praying to God he wouldn’t say anything further and put her and Bridge in a bad position on what the hell she’d been doing flirting with him. She glared at Jack and then Bridge, letting them both know they were on her shit list now.

Sky shook his head. “You know what, I’ve had about all I can take of psycho female teammates and their weird mood swings today. I’m going to go shower and go to bed,” he announced before stomping out of the room.

“Nice one, Z,” Jack sarcastically replied.

Bridge, being the smart man he was, kept his mouth shut as his sorta girlfriend got up and stuck her finger in the face of her ‘brother’. “Shut up, Jack! That was your entire fault! Both of your faults! Aren’t you the two who told me to flirt with him to get a rise out of her?” she insisted. Neither male answered her, both sitting on the couch slightly terrified of the look in her eyes. “Need I remind you, I have to share a room with her and now she thinks I like Sky, which I don’t, thank you very much!”

“You know, you two make a cute couple,” Jack nonchalantly told her.

“No, we don’t! And besides, why would I settle for him when I want Bridge?” Z argued, then turned and stomped off toward her room.

Bridge and Jack shared a look before both of them broke out smiling.

xxx

Sydney sighed happily as she drove her neon pink Malibu down the highway toward Mariner Bay. It had been a stroke of luck that Commander Cruger had given B Squad a rare weekend off. They had to keep their morphers with them at all times (just as a precaution) but they were free to leave New Tech City. Syd, having heard that news, immediately made plans to head home and spend the weekend recouping at her parents’ house. Her grandfather and her aunts and uncles and their spouses would be stopping by for dinner, ‘and best of all,’ she thought happily, ‘no Schuyler Tate Collins for the whole weekend!’

“Can a girl get any luckier?” she asked herself, pulling into the driveway of her parents’ house, of the home she’d spent some of her happiest years in. It never failed to amaze her how much she liked the fact that this place never changed. The world around her might, but home always remained the same.

After grabbing her duffle bag, she sprinted from the garage to the back door and promptly announced her arrival. “I’M HOME!”

“Sydney, indoor voice!” Dana called out laughingly as she entered the kitchen where Syd was standing, grinning. The two women hugged tightly, Sydney burying herself in the secure and loving embrace of her mother.

“How’s the head, Munchkin?” a new voice asked, breaking up the mother daughter moment. Sydney grinned and peered around her mother’s form to see her Uncle Ryan leaning against the kitchen door.

“You know me, Uncle Ry, I have a hard head. Other than some mild dizziness, I’m fine.”

“I want to take a look at that before you head back to the academy, young lady,” Dana admonished her daughter, giving the patented ‘Mom’ look.

Sydney just grinned. It was so nice to be home, but she sobered; there were two people missing from the equation. Frowning, she looked at her mother, who was moving toward the refrigerator. “Where’s Dad and Grandpa?”

Dana gave Sydney a look, like she was pondering exactly what to tell her daughter. Deciding to test the waters, Dana opted for the truth. “Visiting Wes.”

Sydney’s eyes darkened much the same way Carter’s did when he was angry, Dana noted, and her daughter’s expression tightened. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Your dad’s extending an invitation for the Collins’ to come over for the barbecue tomorrow night.”

The Pink Ranger rolled her eyes and sighed. I should have known. “Lovely,” she muttered.

Looked like it wasn’t going to be a Sky-free weekend after all.

xxx

Grinning, Sky punched in his personal access code for the front gate before easing his navy blue Jeep down the driveway toward his parents’ house. His only thought was that he planned on enjoying the Ranger free weekend at home – he hoped. Cruger had given them a full three days off and he had decided to come home and get his head together. Too much Gruumm, too much activity and entirely too much Sydney. Now he could kick back and relax, and recharge his batteries. And the best part? No Sydney Drusilla Grayson for three whole days.

Once the Jeep was parked in the garage, Sky headed in through the side door, wondering if both his parents were actually home, considering their cars were not in the garage. “I’m home!” he called, tossing his stuff at the base of the stairs.

“Master Sky, welcome home,” Phillips greeted him, emerging from the living room.

Sky grinned and rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to say it, Phillips, it’s just Sky. It was cool when I was eight but I’m too old for the master bit now.”

Phillips grinned at him, and then spotted the bag lying next to the stairs. “I see what wonderful manners your academy has been teaching you.”

“Sorry. I’m going to take it to my room. Are Mom and Dad home?” Sky asked, turning to grab his bag before he headed up the staircase.

“Your father is on his way home from Silver Guardians Headquarters and your mother is shopping with your Aunt Taylor. Dinner is at six, so you have time to shower and take a small nap,” Phillips informed him, watching the young man he’d helped raise race up the stairs.

“Okay. Thanks!”

An hour later, Sky was descending the stairs when the doorbell rang. Skipping the last two steps, he all but raced to the door. What he found on the other side both surprised and annoyed him slightly. “Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Grayson, come in,” Sky gestured.

“Hello Sky,” Carter grinned at him. “Your dad home?”

Sky shrugged. “Not sure, I just woke up from a nap. Follow me.”

The trio walked back into the living room, where voices could be heard. When they entered, they say Wes and Eric watching TV and fighting over who was winning the football game while Jen and Taylor were shaking their heads and laughing at them.

“Sky! Carter! Mr. Mitchell!” Jen greeted, jumping up to hug her son and then Carter before shaking Mr. Mitchell’s hand. “What brings you over?”

Carter grinned. “Well, Dana took it into her head when Syd said she was coming home to throw a last minute party. I was wondering if you guys wanted to come and of course, the invitation includes Eric and Taylor.”

Jen and Wes shared a look and then saw the scowl on Sky’s face. They couldn’t pass the opportunity to hang out with some of their friends up. Besides, if Kat’s call earlier that morning was remotely true, then there was a mini truce between their son and Carter and Dana’s daughter. “Sure, we’d love too. What time?”

“Come over around five or so, Ryan and I are starting the burgers around six.”

Sky inwardly groaned, knowing he wasn’t going to get away with skipping out on this trip. ‘Great. Just great.’

xxx

She couldn’t help but giggle when she felt familiar hands pushing on her lower back. Grabbing the ropes of the homemade swing her dad had built for her, she looked over her shoulder and grinned at her uncle. “Higher Uncle Ry!” she laughed.

“You’re too big to go much higher, Brat,” Ryan told her lovingly.

If there was one thing Sydney loved, it was spending time with her uncle. He always made life seem so fun and worth living, despite all the hardships she faced on a daily basis.

“Did Dad and Grandpa really go over and invite Wes, Jen, Taylor and Eric to dinner?” Sydney asked, her face scrunching up. She liked Mr. and Mrs. Meyers and she loved Mr. and Mrs. Collins, she just really didn’t want to deal with Sky and if Wes and Jen were coming, it was a given that Sky would be too. Especially since she knew he’d gone home for the weekend just like she had.

“I’m afraid so. Sydney, try to get along with him, for once, please,” Ryan begged.

“I’ll just avoid him,” Syd muttered, continuing to pump her legs while Ryan continued to push her on the swing.

xxx

He could say one thing for sure – Dana Mitchell Grayson knew how to throw one hell of a party. It seemed more like a Ranger Reunion than a family get-together. All of the Graysons’ teammates and their spouses were present, their kids running around and laughing. His parents, Uncle Eric and Aunt Taylor, and his aunt’s teammates, minus Merrick and Shayla, were also present with their spouses and children. And in the midst of it all, stood the one person he’d wanted to avoid this weekend.

She looked good, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a pink and blue tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, small curled wisps framing her face. Her eyes seemed to sparkle every time she swung up one of the younger kids onto her hip or hugged them tightly.

“She’s great with kids, isn’t she?” a voice announced, slightly scaring Sky. Turning, the Blue Ranger found Carter Grayson standing next to him.

“Yes Sir, she is.”

Carter just grinned. “Sky, I just wanted to thank you. Dana and I both want to thank you.”

“For what, Mr. Grayson?”

Carter fixed the young man with a look. “Commander Cruger called and let us in know what happened at the children’s school the other day.”

The Blue Ranger’s face flushed a deep red. He and Sydney hadn’t spoken about what had happened, not between them or to anyone else. “Sir?”

“You’ve saved my daughter numerous times in the last couple of months, Sky. I appreciate it, and so does her mother,” Carter told him.

“Sir, I didn’t do it for thanks. She’s a fellow Ranger, one of my teammates, and…”

“She’s becoming one of your friends now too.”

Sky shrugged and found Syd with his eyes. She was standing with her mom, his mom, her Aunt Kelsey and his Aunt Taylor, laughing about something. “In a way, yeah.” His eyes followed her when she moved to talk to her younger cousins.

The former Red Ranger nodded. “I’ve always wondered how long it would take you two to work out your differences. What started this whole business, anyways?”

Sky looked embarrassed by the question. “To tell you the truth, I don’t remember.”

Carter shook his head. “Well, whatever the case, I’m glad you two are getting along. See you later.”

Once Carter walked away, Sky shook his head. He had the sudden urge to check on Sydney. Downing the rest of his drink, Sky started toward her and her cousins. “Sky!” Nina Mitchell, Ryan and Kelsey’s 16 year old daughter, called out, jumping into his arms for a hug.

“Ni, it’s been a while. How’ve you been, Shorty?”

“Good. I’m getting ready to enroll at SPD.”

Sky couldn’t help but grin and chuckle at that. Nina was as bad as he was, wanting to be like her parents - she wanted to be the Yellow Ranger like her mom as bad as he wanted to be Red like his dad. “Look me up when you get there, okay?”

Nina nodded before raising an eyebrow when she noticed Sky’s attention was elsewhere instead of on her. Turning, she saw who had his sole attention – Sydney. “Go say hi, but be nice would ya,” Nina ordered, nudging Sky toward her cousin.

Sky rolled his eyes at her but moved toward his teammate. Sydney was kneeling down to talk to Nina’s youngest sister, six year old Bailey. “Hi Sky!” Bailey chirped, startling Sydney, who looked up over her shoulder and tried to smile though she wasn’t happy to see him.

“Hi Bails,” Sky flirted with the little girl, who looked more like Sydney than Nina. She smiled back at him, liking the fact that he was being nice instead of scary.

“Sky,” Syd started, standing to her full height, which wasn’t much when compared to Sky’s.

“Can we take a walk and talk?” Sky quietly inquired. Sydney nodded, and then grinned at Bailey. “Why don’t you go ask my dad or yours to push you on the swing?”

Sky inclined his head toward one of the gates when Bailey raced off toward Carter and Ryan. Syd nodded and they moved to walk out front where it was quieter. “How are you feeling?” Sky asked, trying to figure out what to talk to her about. He’d never really attempted to have a normal conversation with her before, so this was new territory for him.

The blonde shrugged. “I’ve been a little dizzy here and there, but Mom’s looked me over and said I’m okay. How about you?”

“My wrist finally stopped throbbing,” he grinned at her, reminding her of their time in the cave with Broodwing not long ago. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“How’d we end up hating each other so much?”

Sydney’s face turned stony and her eyes grew angry. “What?”

“How’d we get this way?” Sky started, gesturing to each of them. “We were friends when we were little.”

“You’re really a piece of work, Schuyler!” Syd nearly screamed at him, blinking back tears. “Think about it, Sky! Think back to my first visit to SPD!”

The Blue Ranger stood there, wracking his mind for an answer. “Sydney, give me a clue, please?”

“The simulator, Sky!” Sydney barked at him before spinning away from him and running into the house.

Sky shook his head, trying to figure out what she’d meant. Realizing he wasn’t coming up with any answers, Sky headed to the back to ask his father a few questions.

xxx

The door was flung open, followed by Sky’s tall form bursting through and heading for his closet. He’d always kept a journal, ever since he’d learned to write, so he knew the answers he was looking for would be in the one from the summer he’d been eight and the summer Sydney had been six, when she’d first visited SPD.

That summer had been the first time he’d been allowed to go with his father to SPD too. He remembered spending an afternoon with Sydney and Carter before her dad had driven him to SPD to drop him off. He remembered that he and Sydney had been poking around the simulator where the Rangers had been training while their dads talked. But he couldn’t remember much more than that.

Shaking his head, Sky dug through some boxes in hopes he’d find what he was looking for. After looking in several of his journals, Sky finally found the one from that summer. For an hour he read through it until he came to his entry from that night.

The Blue Ranger paled when he read what he’d written. He was the one who had accidentally closed the simulator door, and in the process of trying to open it, turned it on, with six year old Sydney inside, facing a giant simulated criminal in the form of a spider.

“Oh God, no.”

tbc.....

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