Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me. Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan fic well.
THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE OPERATION OVERDRIVE TEAM-UP.
Reluctant Ranger
Paired video: "Once a Ranger Video" by bluemidnight02 and "Let You Know" by fluffythefluffkeeper(Adam/Tanya version)
(Set shortly before the Operation Overdrive team-up)
He never wanted to be a Power Ranger again -- not now, not ever.
That had been Adam's first reaction when the glowing, golden warrior, calling himself the Sentinel Knight, had appeared inside his home moments earlier and revealed the former black-clad warrior was needed to lead a group of four veteran rangers in the fight against a new evil.
Certainly, Adam did recognize the danger posed by Thrax and was filled with an overwhelming desire to destroy the son who had inherited the destructive nature of his parents, former villains-turned-allies Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. And Adam also understood that Thrax had taken away the morphing capabilities of the current team of rangers, Operation Overdrive, leaving the five fighters and their town of San Angeles in a state of great peril. All the Sentinel Knight had spoken of just served to enforce why the spandex-suited, protectors' longtime mantra, "Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger," still stood true to this day.
Yet only when the Sentinel Knight placed Adam's revived Mastodon morpher into his hand did the black ranger realize how much more personally was at stake this time around… and how much more he had to lose if he and the others failed.
A knock at the kitchen door awoke Adam from his thoughts, and he turned to see his beautiful and wise wife of five years standing in the entrance.
"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Tanya asked her husband, still in the habit of using the nickname she had given her high school sweetheart so long ago. "You look worried."
"You're not going to believe this, but to make a long story short, my black ranger powers got revived, and I'm supposed to go help in the fight against Zedd and Rita's son," answered Adam; his voice coated with the weight of his mission. "But I don't want to go."
"Adam, you have to go! People are in danger," said Tanya strongly as she came over and laid a supportive hand on her husband's shoulder.
"But what if something goes wrong?" asked Adam nervously.
"That's part of the risk we took when we became rangers," replied Tanya.
"Yeah, but before, if something happened to me, I knew you and the other rangers would be all right," began Adam. "But now, if I don't come back, what is going to happen to you and our…"
"You wouldn't be the man I fell in love with if you didn't go," cut in Tanya gently. "The Adam I know has a heart so big that he thinks only about what he can do to help those who couldn't protect themselves. And don't worry about me! If you can fit into that spandex again after all these years, I can certainly hold down the fort here at home."
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" joked Adam, knowing she was right as he wrapped his arms around Tanya and kissed the top of her forehead.
"Yes, because the sooner you leave, the sooner you can save the world and come home to me," smiled Tanya broadly. "But if that's still not incentive enough to get going, I'll give you at least two more good reasons why."
Adam watched Tanya leave and return a minute later with who he thought were still two of the most adorable kids he had ever seen. Holding his mother's hand was Adam's three-year-old son, Lee, who was the spitting image of his father. And in Tanya's arms, she carried their 1-year-old daughter, Simone, who looked just like her mother with her big eyes and broad smile, except that the baby had inherited her father's curly, black hair.
"Go give Daddy a hug," Tanya told Lee as the toddler started teetering toward Adam.
"Woah there," grinned Adam as his son fell against him in his final steps and threw his tiny arms around his father's neck.
"I love you, Daddy," said little Lee.
"I love you, too," smiled Adam. "And you, cutie!" he added to Simone, messing her curls. "And you," he said finally, giving his wife a long and tender kiss.
At that moment, the reluctant ranger finally understood that because he now had so much more at risk, he had a lot more to fight for.
A/N: With just a few days of voting left, I've discovered now that another of my fan fics, "Wild Storm", has been nominated for Best Wild Force story over at the 2007 Hope for the World Awards. I hope y'all will check the site out! The link is on my profile page.