"Commander, incoming signal from inside the temporal wormhole. It's Ranger Carson's shuttle, sir."

SPD Earth Commander Sky Tate's head snapped up at the sound of the comm technician's voice.

Finally!

Sky rose from behind his desk and stood next to the technician to watch the view-screen as the shuttle exited the wormhole. His demeanor was stoic and professional, but inside he was vibrating with joy. It had been weeks since Bridge had traveled into the past for what was supposed to be a quick mission to help out the Operation Overdrive Ranger team get their Ranger powers back. When several complications arose, however, the mission dragged on way past its initial duration. But now, after almost a month, his Red Ranger, his second-in-command, his teammate, friend and secret lover, was finally back home. Sky allowed himself a small smile while he watched the sleek little spacecraft zip through the atmosphere towards the Delta Base.

"Extend permission to land on platform four and inform Ranger Carson that I will be meeting him there to receive his mission report," Sky told the technician before he strode out of the command center and down the hallway towards the landing area to meet the man he loved.

A moment after the shuttle touched down on the landing platform, the spacecraft's hatch door opened and the Red Ranger came bounding down the ramp, duffle-bag in hand.

The grin on Bridge's youthful face was the best thing Sky had seen in weeks, and his face split into an answering smile. "Welcome back, Ranger."

Bridge came to a stop within arms' length and saluted with his free hand. "Thank you, Commander. It's good to be back home again."

What Sky really wanted to do was to wrap his arms around Bridge and kiss him until they ran out of air, and from the heated look in Bridge's eyes, the Red Ranger definitely shared that sentiment. They were, however, in full public view and no one other than Syd, Z and Jack knew about their relationship, so he settled for returning Bridge's salute instead. The two men gazed at each other for a moment, hugging one another with their eyes, while all around them SPD cadets were moving to and fro, loading or unloading shuttles and moving cargo around. The platform felt crowded and Sky suddenly wanted nothing more than to get Bridge out of the public eye and into a much less observed area.

Bridge shouldered his bag. "So, what did I miss?"

"Oh, you know…drills, paperwork, Boom once again blew up half the lab, and the entire slug-alien population of sector 3 had their annual harvest parade down Main Street. Took two days to clean the slime off the streets."

"Ah," Bridge smirked, "business as usual, then."

"Speaking of business…" Sky smirked right back at him. "You've been on a very important mission for an extended amount of time, Ranger. Therefore I'm going to need to see you in my quarters right away for debriefing."

The invitation couldn't have been clearer and Bridge's eyes sparkled with mirth as he snapped another salute. "Yes sir!"

And with that, the two men turned on their heels and cleared the landing platform in record time.

"I missed you so much, Sky."

Sky smiled and cracked open his eyes to look down at the messy brown-haired head that was currently pillowed on his bare chest. With his heartbeat just barely back to normal and the sweat still drying on his body, the former Red Ranger stretched leisurely and ran a hand aimlessly down his partner's equally bare back.

"Same here, if you couldn't tell."

Bridge shifted and propped his chin onto Sky's sternum so he could grin up at his commanding officer. "Yeah, I think I noticed something."

The moment the door to the commander's quarters had swished shut behind them they were in each other's arms, kissing and clinging to each other like drowning men. They made short work of their uniforms, both frantic in their need to show just how much they had missed each other. Naked, they tumbled onto Sky's bed, kissing, touching, grinding, the air between them electric with anticipation.

Bridge's soft kidskin gloves caressed Sky's skin, circling his nipples before gliding lower, over his ribs down to his stomach, and Sky couldn't hold back a groan when Bridge's hand finally closed around his rigid flesh. He pushed mindlessly into Bridge's fist before the small part of his brain that could still think normally told him that he might want to reciprocate. Reaching out with hand and mouth, he swallowed Bridge's moan when he found his intended target and together they began to move in unison, fingers moving over slick flesh, the heat rising between their bodies.

They had been apart for weeks. Consequently, neither of them lasted very long. All it took was a couple of strokes and a few more tongue-laden kisses to get them to the edge and keep them there for just a moment until they both spilled hot and hard into each other's hands. They held each other for a few more moments before they collapsed back into the sheets, each man trying to get his breath back under control.

They arranged themselves into their current positions, and with his chin still propped onto Sky's chest, Bridge's mouth now split into a grin.

"So, are you ready to hear my mission report now, sir?"

The corner of Sky's mouth lifted at the teasing inflection of that last word. "Na, you already told me the most important part, I think the rest can wait a little longer."

Bridge's brows drew together in confusion. "I did?"

"Yeah, about three minutes ago when you yelled I love you, Sky! That's all I need to know for now." Grinning, Sky ran his hand through Bridge's slightly sweat-damp hair, then pulled him up until they were at eye level so he could kiss him languidly. "You can submit the rest in writing tomorrow."

Bridge smiled into the kiss and raised a hand to caress Sky's face, leather-clad thumb running over his cheek. "Not that I would put that into the official report, but I would be more than happy to repeat that part to you again, Commander. And again, and again…"

"Oh, really?" Sky cocked his head and smiled wickedly before he suddenly gripped Bridge's shoulders and flipped them over, reversing their positions so that Bridge was pinned down beneath Sky's larger body. "Let's see just how many more times I can make you say that, then," Sky purred as he proceeded to kiss a wet trail over Bridge's throat down to his chest, licking patterns into his skin on his way lower and lower.

Bridge closed his eyes and settled deeper into the pillows, letting Sky take over and take them into Round Two. Round One had taken the edge off, so now Sky was taking his time, nipping, teasing, re-exploring already familiar contours while they were both stirring back to life. Bridge slid a gloved hand through Sky's blond hair, resisting the urge to grip the short strands as Sky guided him towards another inevitable, toe-curling crescendo, a feat Bridge eagerly matched on Sky once he got his breath back.

Afterwards, they re-settled themselves onto the pillows, face to face, arms and legs entwined.

"Oh man," Bridge sighed happily, "this was so worth breaking all those intergalactic speed limits for to make it home faster."

Sky raised an eyebrow at him. "You do realize that you just confessed a misdemeanor to a sworn law enforcement officer."

"Yeah. What're you gonna do about it?" Bridge met his eyes with a cheeky grin, not in the least bit fazed, and Sky gave the thought of moving out of Bridge's embrace exactly two seconds of consideration before he pulled his partner closer to him.

"Well, apparently not my duty, since the last thing I want to do right now is getting out of this bed to write you a speeding ticket."

"Ah, so crime does pay."

"Only in this case."

The two men grinned at each other, then Sky moved just enough to pull the comforter up over their shoulders. Sky's day wasn't over yet, but as Commander he did have the privilege to draw out his lunch break just a little longer and that meant that they could snuggle for about another half an hour.

Not that they would sleep. Their passion had abated for now and that meant that Bridge would start talking at any moment. He was predictable, after all.

"You know…"

Here it comes.

"It's definitely good to be back home again, but it was fun to go back into the past. You should have seen the Hartford Mansion! My bedroom was easily twice as big as this room and I had my own bathroom and balcony! And their butler made the best buttered toast, hands down! Oh, and Thrax and his cronies? Total pushovers! It was more like sparring practice than actual fights and once the Overdrive Rangers got their powers back it was totally on! Those kids were really nice, by the way. The only one who was kind of annoying was Dax, the Blue Ranger. That guy just didn't shut up, kept on babbling about anything and everything, I don't know how those guys deal with him. Oh, and before I forget: Kira says Hi. Adam Park sends his regards, too, maybe you'll actually meet him one day. Tori taught me some awesome ninja fighting techniques, and I learned some very interesting Australian words from Xander. Did you know that 'didgeridoodle' is Aussie slang for….mphhh."

Sky effectively cut him off by pressing their mouths together, his tongue sliding between the Red Ranger's lips, determined to keep Bridge's mouth far too busy for any more talking.

THE END

A/N: I am dedicating this ficlet to my favorite Ranger: Pua Magasiva, who played Shane Clark, the Red Wind Ranger from Power Rangers Ninja Storm. He tragically passed away two days ago, on May 11th. He was 38 years old.

I have written many stories involving his character. My heart is heavy today.

Rest in peace, Shane. May the Power protect you!