Shiver Me Timbers
She was right where he'd expected she'd be: down at HQ, admiring the shimmering pink jewel they'd retrieved just hours ago from Brownbeard the pirate.
"One down, four to go," he said softly, and she turned around and put her deep brown gaze on him.
"Yeah," she replied in the same soft tone he had used. She returned her attention to the gemstone in her signature color, tilting it at different angles and seeing how it caught the light and made it sparkle. She seemed so amused by it, and that made Mack grin.
"It's twenty percent of our mission, Mack, and it's so completely tiny. It's just kind of funny," Rose said by way of explanation. Trust Rose to be so scientific about it.
"Sure you don't just like it because it's shiny?" teased the red ranger. Rose playfully smacked him on the arm. "Hey, you do know how to have fun once in awhile."
Rose's pretty face darkened, and Mack knew she was remembering her brief spell as a pirate while Brownbeard was in her body. "Did you really like that side of me better? That brave, adventurous, walk on th wild side kind of person?" she questioned, not looking at him.
Mack caught his pink ranger by her shoulder, gently wheeling her around and forcing her to look at him. "Of course I didn't like that imposter better. I wouldn't want you to be any way but the way you already are. You're special, Rose. It was nice to see a smile on your face for once, but no, I did not like Rosie the Bold better than the real Rose."
"I smile," Rose defended herself. "Just not a lot."
"I wouldn't want you to be any other way," repeated Mack. "I think Dax smiles enough for all of us."
Rose refocused her attention on the jewel once again. "I like that we got mine first." He sent her a grin and started towards the steps leading out of the base and up into the manor house.
"Good night, Rosie," he said. Mack climbed up a few of the steps and looked back at his pink ranger, who was still cradling the jewel in her hands. "You really did make an awesome pirate, you know," said Mack.
Rose promptly put the jewel in its case and chased him up the stairs, laughing as he tried to do her pirate jig and run at the same time. "You are so dead," she declared.
"I give!" shouted Mack as she managed to tackle him.
"You better," said Rose in a falsely sweet voice. She laughed again and got off of him, extending a hand to help him up. But Mack pulled her down on top of him and slipped his arms around her. "Mack-" she protested, but then made the mistake of looking into his too-blue eyes. And then their lips met, very gently.
"Shiver me timbers."