Hug Me

Rose Ortiz stomped off from Brownbeard the pirate furiously. Beside her, red ranger Mack Hartford let the others get a ways ahead of them. Knowing how angry Rose was, Mack put a hand on her back in a sympathetic gesture.

"I don't want to talk, Mack," snapped Rose.

"I understand. I wasn't going to ask you to."

He continued on through the forest, keeping his hand where it was.

"Would you stop it, then?"

"No. You need a hug," Mack replied. And instead of just a hand on her shoulder, he stopped and pulled her into his arms in a tight hug. "I'm not letting go of you until you hug me back."

"You're insane, Hartford."

Mack shrugged and held her more tightly still. "Oh well. Guess we'll just have to stay here like this forever." He thought for a moment. "Not that I mind."

By this time the other three had realized they were missing the red and pink rangers and had turned back to find them. Will, Dax, and Ronny were staring at the other two like they'd each just grown another head.

"Way to go, Mack," cheered Will. Dax and Ronny laughed as Rose blushed the color of Mack's ranger uniform.

"Let go of me, Mack," commanded the pink ranger. Mack defied this order, holding her in his arms so tight that it bordered on pain. "Don't listen to Will. He's an idiot. You'll feel so much better when you just hug me, Rosie."

"Don't call me that!" Rose shrieked. "Rosie the Bold. How utterly ridiculous," she scoffed.

Mack shook his head. "I thought it was cute."

"Oh of course you did," she shot back. "The rat of a pirate wasn't possessing you."

"I know how to relax."

"You don't know anything about it, Hartford. I just want to get home so that I can take a very long shower and try to get clean again."

"Then hug me," advised Mack.

"Just do it quick, like pulling off a Band-Aid," put in Ronny.

"Fine, fine, you win," Rose groaned. She briefly folded her arms around him in what was unmistakably a hug.

"Aw," cooed Ronny and Will in unison. Mack reluctantly let go of his pink ranger. "Don't you feel better now, Rose?" asked Mack.

"That is so not the point!" shouted Rose as she stomped off through the forest. Mack merely grinned.

A/N: Yeah…I just couldn't get the picture of Mack hugging Rose and refusing to let go until she hugged him back out of my head…so this is what happens.