So, I know it's a bit late for a Valentine's day fic, but I only recently found inspiration thanks to my partner in Crime. So, I'm dedicating it to him, it was his idea after all.
In this universe, the letter never happened and Kim made the decision to stay in angel grove. Therefore, she continued on to be the Pink Zeo Ranger. Katherine would take her place for the Turbo team.
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers in any way and I'm not making a single cent off of this.
This chapter contains a nod to the crew of Power Rangers Hyperforce. I'm totally loving the show and I highly recommend it! For information on where and when to watch it, feel free to PM me and I'll do the best I can to direct you!
Last but not least. I hope you all enjoy this one shot. It was one of the rare times where I was tearing up while writing it.
Dedicated to Fanficrulez
Angel Grove High School- 1997
One week before Valentine's Day
Adam Park's eyes flashed in anger. There in the middle of the hall was Shawn and his new girlfriend, Veronica.
Gosh she was such a bitch…she and Shawn deserved each other.
If parading down the halls of the school were all that was going on, he'd have turned a blind eye and walked away, but they'd just shared a very public kiss in front of everyone, including Tanya Sloan.
He'd loved the beautiful girl from the moment she stepped into the command center with her Zeo Crystal. Now, his heart wrenched when the look of pain crossed her pretty face. She'd turned on her heel and walked away. Kimberly Hart and Katherine Hillard both looked scandalized. A second later, Kim's face morphed from angry to plotting. Katherine however looked like she wanted to say something, but Kimberly suddenly grabbed her hand, dragging her away.
No, he couldn't sit back and say nothing. He started to storm towards them when suddenly Tommy and Rocky grabbed his arms and dragged back towards a side hall. Seconds later, he was pinned against the wall, none too gently, and Tommy was in his face.
"What are you doing?"
Adam sneered at him. "I can't get let him get away with that! He did that on purpose!"
"Yeah, we know that." Rocky said. "Shawn's a dickhead and deserves a beatdown, but that will get you a detention and if you're in Caplan's office, you'll miss your shot to fix things."
That got the green Zeo ranger's attention. He looked at Rocky in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nope, he's not saying a thing till you've calmed down." Tommy said. In a softer voice, he added, "Besides you're a Ranger and a middle school brawl is beneath you. You're a way better man and fighter than Shawn. Sending him to the ER would be dishonorable."
That subtle reminder the proverbial cold bucket of water being dumped on him. His honor was very important to him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, working to center himself. When at last he was calm again, he opened them back up and looked at his friends, they let go of him and stepped back from him.
"Thanks guys. I owe you."
"You owe us nothing." Tommy said. He paused to look at his new digital watch; it had been a Christmas gift from Kimberly. She'd finally had enough of his being late to everything.
"Hey, we have study hall next, if you can hold in the rage monster, we can put our heads together and find a way to fix things up."
Tanya did her best to hold in her emotions till she walked into the girl's bathroom. She could feel hear her best friends' footsteps and was grateful for their support. Once inside, she broke down. No tears were cried, but she did let lose many colorful curse words in both English and her native language and Kimberly and Catherine patiently let her get the anger out of her system. When at last she'd run out of steam, Kimberly held out a water bottle and Kat hugged her tightly.
"Feel better?" She asked.
Tanya sighed. "Yeah, but now there's no way I can go to the dance now. Not if they're going to be there. I was kind of looking forward to it."
Kimberly shook her head. "Nope, I wouldn't give up so easily. We've got a week till then and we're going as a group anyway. I think this calls for a shopping trip."
Kat was nodding, "That sounds like a good idea. How about after school?"
"That sounds amazing. Let's do it. We'll take my car."
Tanya looked lost. "What exactly do you have in mind?"
"That little display was meant to rub Veronica in your face. Shawn has always been about image. So, we're going to the dance in style, you're going to show up to the dance in such a way that he'll know once and for all that he's nothing to you. It's really going to piss him off."
"That doesn't make such sense."
"That's okay, just let us do the planning this time around. For now, if you should see those losers, act like you're above it all. Pay him absolutely no attention. You couldn't care less about them and you hope they get the crabs."
Tanya looked confused. "What does seafood have to do with them?"
Kimberly chuckled. "It's a kind of lice that infests that area down there." Saying this she pointed towards the ground and Tanya broke into a grin but said nothing more as the warning bell rang.
"Come on, Girlie, it's time for study hall."
After school
Tommy pulled Kimberly aside as the final class let out. After sharing a brief kiss, Kimberly told him of their plan.
"Perfect. The guys and I have been planning something too. The Frog was absolutely livid today. We've been talking about getting them together for some time. I hate that Tanya got hurt, but with D-bag Shawn out of the way, Adam and Tanya can finally have a chance."
"What exactly are you planning, my Falcon?"
Tommy loved it when she called him that. He grinned at her. "Don't you worry about that, Beautiful. I may be a guy, but I do have my romantic moments."
Kimberly grinned up at him. "Don't I know it. Okay, we'll coordinate to make sure our plans don't collide."
"You got it. I can't wait to talk tonight."
"Me either. But first let's get this show on the road; the mall is waiting."
"Be careful. If you need me, let me know." That was the code word for a monster attack.
"You bet, Handsome." She kissed him on the lips and then whispered. "May the Power protect you."
He kissed her back. "You as well. Be careful out there."
The next day, before school.
"You've got to be kidding me." Adam said looking like a dear in the headlights. Tommy had led him to the band room before school. In there, they found the lead singer for Flames at Midnight. They were a local garage band and they were the fan favorite at the school. They'd won every single battle of the bands they'd ever participated in and this year, they had been invited to play the Valentine's Day dance.
The lead singer, Joe, was watching them with rapt attention. He was a handsome dude with short black hair and keen eyes. He picked slowly at his guitar as he listened to them talk.
"Adam, I know you can sing. Tanya lives for music and this is the most romantic way I can think of to get her attention and show her how you feel. I've been watching you two eyeing each other; when Tanya told Shawn off, I saw you absolutely beaming."
"What, I was proud of her! He'd been tearing her down at every possible moment. She's an amazing player and he should have been worshiping at her feet!"
"Exactly, I know you hate being on stage, but if you have the balls to do this, there's no way she'd reject you. Not to mention that you'd be putting that idiot in his place once and for all."
That was all it had taken to convince him, and Tanya was worth a few minutes of discomfort.
"You know, I was nervous the first time I was on stage too." Joe said. "But I had the support of my band mates and my brother to boost me up.
Adam gave Tommy a look. "Would you go up with me? I don't think I can do this alone."
Tommy thought about it for a moment. "You bet, and I bet we can talk Rocky into making it a trio." Tommy paused and looked at Joe again. "Would that be okay with you guys?"
The young rocker nodded with a grin. "Yeah, this could work, but it will take some time to plan this out. Do you have any idea what song you'd like to sing?"
Adam shook his head.
"Well, if you could come to my garage after school, we can go through my cd collection. We'll make sure you're well prepared before the dance."
Adam nodded. "I'll do it for Tanya."
The night of the dance
Tanya looked at herself in the full length mirror in the girl's bathroom. For the dance she wore a yellow, off the shoulder, knee length dress. Her hair was done up in a romantic style (according to Kat) and she wore a simple gold chain and matching earrings. She was never much for a lot of makeup, so she kept it simple with minimal coverage. Along with the dress, she wore simple pumps and a sheer yellow scarf.
Kat walked up beside her. "Okay, I'm ready to go. Billy's waiting outside to escort us to the gym."
Adam fidgeted as they waited in the wings. The band had already played a few cover songs but he knew that he was up next. Tonight, he wore a simple green button down shirt and black slacks. Over his shirt, he wore an emerald green vest and his usual pendant. Tommy put an arm around his shoulder. "When you go out there, Tanya will be in the front, focus only on her and sing only for her. You're more than ready for this."
Adam nodded. He'd practiced with the band for an hour every day of the last week. Joe had gone over the song over and over and helped Tommy, Rocky and Adam find the right harmony. Tommy had asked for a copy of the song and he'd brought it over to Adam's house and the three of them had practiced it over and over.
He couldn't be more ready for this.
Finally the moment was upon him.
Joe stepped up to the microphone and then announced the next act. "And now, everyone, we have a special performance. Adam Park has prepared a special song for a girl he really likes." He paused and looked over the crowd to the back of the room. Eddie, how about some mood lighting?"
On shaky feet, Adam walked towards the center stage where a microphone was waiting for him. Behind him he saw Tommy and Rocky take their places on either side of him. The big guy, Jack, on the drums was ready, having picked out the right sticks for this slow song. The quiet girl with the short black hair, Vesper, who normally sang back up, had retreated to the wings while giving him an encouraging smile. Marvin the younger brother of Joe, adjusted the bass guitar on his lap and grinned at him. Finally, the other girl in the group Chloe, who played the keyboards took a drink of her water bottle and gave him a thumbs up.
He searched the crowd and just like his teammate said, Tanya was there with Billy and the other two girls.
He took a very deep breath and then turned to Joe who was on guitar and nodded.
It was time to lay it all out on the line.
Tanya is worth it. It's all for her.
The band started the opening bars for Perfect Stranger's : You Have The Right To Remain Silent.
Adam took a deep breath and focused only on Tanya when his cue came up, he sang to her and her alone.
Can I have this dance
my you're looking pretty
Is there something wrong
did he leave you hurting
I don't mean to pry
but that tear in your eye gave you away
If you don't want to talk, we'll keep it quiet
But sometimes a heartache hurts worse if you hide it
I think there's a chance one slow dance might ease the pain
When the chorus came up, Adam heard Tommy and Rocky join in.
You have the right to remain silent
Anything that you say as I hold you against me
Will forever be a secret between us two
I've been wanting you, but you didn't know it
And now that he's gone at last I can show it
If your heart is tired for the rest of your life
Lay your love on me
Adam was fully in the moment. Any stage fright he'd felt before was completely gone.
So many times my eyes have held you
Tonight please give my arms that chance
If you don't feel the need for conversation
We'll just let our hearts talk while we dance
Once again, Tommy and Rocky came in right on time.
You have the right to remain silent
Anything that you say as I hold you against me
Will forever be a secret between us two
I've been wanting you but you didn't know it
And now that he's gone at last I can show it
If your heart is tired for the rest of your life
Lay your love on me
The last part of the chorus, Adam sang alone.
If your heart is tired for the rest of your life
Lay your love on me
When the lights went down, There was a roar of the crowd and the applause snapped Adam out of his daze and he only smiled at Tanya. She was in tears but was beaming. Billy was giving him a thumb up and Kimberly and Kat were giving him a standing ovation.
Immediately, Tommy and Rocky escorted him off the stage.
"You killed it. Now, go get your girl, she's looking for you." Rocky said, grinning.
Adam nodded enthusiastically and headed for the stairs on the side of the temporary stage.
The crowd was still cheering, and they parted for him as he made his way to a still crying Tanya.
"Hey."
"Adam, that was beautiful. I didn't know you could sing." Tanya gushed.
"All that was for you Tanya. You deserve to be worshipped and I'll spend every day of our lives at your feet if you'll agree to be mine. I know that sounded like a marriage proposal, but it's the best I can do. Will you be my girl?"
Tanya nodded enthusiastically as she wiped away her tears with her handkerchief. "Yes. I'll be your girlfriend."
Adam grinned wider and wrapped her up in a soft hug and immediately his lips found hers. The kiss went on for a full minute until Miss Appleby appeared at their side.
"Okay, kids, that's enough PDA for now."
Adam's eyes were shining as he nodded. He took another deep breath, stepped back and looked at Tanya.
"May I have this dance?"
Tanya nodded and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor as the next song started up.
The rest of the dance went by in a blur, but it was a lot of fun. Eventually, the dance wasover. The band packed up their gear and after thanking them again for their help, the ranger crew began to depart. As they reached the exit, Shawn made himself known.
"Wow, that was quite the performance. Not nearly as good as mine, though."
Adam took a deep breath. "If swapping saliva with Veronica was supposed to be a statement, than it's a good thing Tanya dumped you. She's way too good for you."
And you think you can do better?"
Adam scoffed at him. It's not even a competition and I'm done wasting my time with you."
He pasued and looked at Tanya. "Shall we, my lady?"
"Lead the way, sir. I'm all yours."
"That was easy. She always was." Shawn muttered.
Tanya tensed up and she fought the urge to turn and knock him out. Adam wrapped arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "He's not worth it. I can think of better ways to spend the rest of the night other than nursing a broken hand."
Tanya took a deep breath and nodded. They left the fuming couple in their wake and walked out to the door where Rocky and Billy were waiting with their respective cars.
Tanya and Adam climbed into Rocky's truck and strapped in. "So, where are we going next?"
To the lake for a while. It's valentine's day so we thought a walk on the beach might be a good way to end the night.
Tanya grinned at him. "Sounds like some fun to me."
She fully intended to take advantage of the night. His first kiss had been mind-blowing, and she found herself looking forward to more in the future.
By the next week, they were the talk of the school. For years afterward, his little performance was talked about by the girls and Adam became the gold standard for romantic gestures. Adam had no idea that he'd set the bar so high for the other guys and he'd received the stink eye more than once because of it.
Not that it really bothered him or Tanya; what he'd done was for her.
She was more than worth it.
The End
So, how did you like it? This is a stand alone one shot. Please be kind and leave nice reviews!