As the last of the smoke disappeared into the Mariner Bay sky Carter and Joel were helping the firefighters roll up the last of the hoses, Chad and Ryan were helping refill the water storage in the trucks and turn off the hydrants, and Dana and Kelsey were loading up the last of the ambulances to send off to the hospital. Once the scene was cleared it was just the six of them standing around catching their breath. They all looked at each other and burst into laughing fits. No one had given a second thought to what they had done when they ran off from the park, especially without their morphers.
"It happened so fast I didn't get the chance to ask you guys what are you going to do without the base?" Kelsey asked Ryan and Dana as they made their way back to the park where Captain Mitchell and Miss Fairweather were still at. Ryan thought about it a minute before shrugging his shoulders and turning to look at his younger sister who replied almost immediately.
"We'll move back into the house we were in before we moved into the Aquabase," she said nonchalantly as she kept walking. Everyone stopped and stared after her. When she realized she was the only one still walking she stopped and turned around to their shock/confused expressions. "What?!"
" You had a house before the base?! I thought you lived there your whole life!" Joel exclaimed.
"I lived there most of my life, not all of it Joel," Dana said as they all started walking again. They walked in silence for a few seconds before Ryan spoke.
"The house by the fire station. My window looked right into the back yard of it. I remember going over to play basketball with them," Ryan said stopping Dana in her tracks. She just smiled as big as she could and wrapped her arms around her brother as they kept walking. Now it was Carter's turn to look at Dana and Ryan.
"The three story brick house that the on call teams stay in is your childhood home?" he asked having stayed in the same house they were talking about many times and always wondered why 3 of the 7 bedrooms in the house were locked and one of them being the room Ryan described.
"It is still technically our house. Dad never sold it when we moved but 'rented' it out to the fire department, even though they technically don't pay anything to stay there" Dana said as the park and her dad and Miss Fairweather came into view.
"Are you going to continue to allow the firefighters to stay at the house even though you will be moving back?" Carter asked Captain Mitchell directly as they reached them. The Captain looked taken aback slightly then looked at Dana and Ryan before smiling and answering the former red ranger.
"Yes of course. We'll just move in and continue regular life with many house guest, you being one of them," he said as the rescue rover pulled up behind Miss Fairweathers car. "Mark is here to take you here you need to go, home, the store, the fire department where ever you need to go rangers," Bill said motioning to the man that stepped out of the Rover.
"So is this the end then?" Kelsey asked looking at the people she had come to know as family in the year she's known them. 'How can you not after what we've been through?' she thought to herself.
"End of what?" Chad asked.
"End of us. Like I'll never see you guys again," she replied tearing up a bit.
"Of course not!" Ryan said wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "We'll see each other all the time, I'm sure of it!"
"Yeah Ryan's right! How about we all get together for dinner at least once a week," Chad suggested. After everyone agreed Kelsey broke into a wide smile.
"That sounds great! I know Grandma would love to meet you all!" she said happily.
"That's a great idea Kels. We'll have dinner at a different house every week. We'll do the first one and then we'll pick a new place for the week after," Dana said as the plan formed in her head.
"Cool sounds like we got a plan...can I go now? I have some...unfinished business to attend to, " Joel said winking over at Miss Fairweather, who just blushed. Everyone else laughed and pushed him on his way.
"So where are you heading Chad?" Ryan asked as the rest made their way to the idled Rover.
"Actually the apartment that the aquarium kept up for me is just down the block so I'm just going to walk over there," he said grabbing the blue bag out of the back of the yellow jeep.
"And Grandma's is about two blocks away and what better way to endurance train than to run there," Kelsey said grabbing the yellow and gray bag.
"What about you Grayson? Where are you heading?" Ryan asked as he climbed into the rover in front of Dana.
"Actually I was going to head to the station and since you guys live right by it I'll save my legs and ride with yall," he said grabbing the red bag and climbing into the backseat of the rover as Dana and Capt Mitchell settle themselves into their seats.
"So we'll be seeing a lot of you around," Bill said as Mark turned the Rescue Rover around and headed off towards the fire station and the Mitchell residence. Dana glanced back at the red ranger and saw him smiling down at her with his million watt smile and she quickly turned around before he could see her blush as red as his shirt. But what she wasn't counting on was her brother seeing it and forming a plan in his head to finally get them to admit their feelings for each. He knew they liked each other, though his sister would never admit it Carter had told him one late night after a long hard battle where they almost lost Dana. But the red ranger would never pursue his feelings of the pink ranger because one they worked in a risky business and he didn't want their relationship to cause trouble and two she was his bosses daughter. Ryan thought that maybe now that they weren't in danger from demons anymore he could convince him to go after his sister and make them both happy. As he was forming a plan he thought that it would probably be a good idea to get the rest of the team in on the plan.
"So Carter," Ryan started, "Think you could get me on at the department?" The 2 former rangers and their commander turned to look at him with all different expressions. Dana with a look of worry, Carter with a look of surprise and Captain William Mitchell with an expression of pride.
"I bet I could talk to the captain and get him to consider it. I mean after all you are one of the greatest firefighters Marine Bay as ever seen son, and the best friend of another, " Carter said looking at Capt Mitchell and then Dana and seeing the looks on both of their faces. "But it won't be easy. You'll have to go through a lot of training."
"Don't we already do that?" Ryan asked with a laugh.
"Yeah I guess thinking about it, firefighter training is nothing compared to ranger training," Carter said laughing with him. "It'll be like vacation the rest of my life!"
"Most of the training you did was based on the training I did as a fireman," Bill added in. "But yes I agree on the vacation part, just no beach."
"What about you Dana? What are you going to do know?" Carter asked putting his hand on her shoulder. Ryan could see the blush returning to her face as she began to answer him.
"Well i only have my internship left to complete my paramedic training so most likely I'll be stationed either at the hospital or at the fire station as I requested to stay close to family," she replied. Carter could hear in her voice she was excited about finishing her training as it had been put on hold when the demons attacked the city.
"Wait! They're actually making you finish the training to be certified?!" Ryan asked shocked. "Don't they know who you are and what you've done?!"
"Of course they know, but I told them I didn't want special treatment. I want to qualify just like everyone else. The only thing I asked for was to stay close to family like I said. That way we can be a family," she said looking at him and then back to the phone in her lap as it chimed. "Kelsey and Chad made it home safe." she said nodding to her phone as she typed back a reply to both the yellow and blue rangers.
"And so have we," Capt Mitchell said as they pulled up in front of a 3 story house that had firemen walking through the front door as they too just got back from the warehouse fire. They all stopped and looked at the yellow vehicle as they all climbed out grabbing their color coded bags and Mark drove off after orders from Bill. A man that looked to be in his early 30s walked over to them, not noticing Carter or Capt. Mitchell yet.
"Hey you two were at the warehouse fire earlier weren't you?" he asked looking at Dana and Ryan.
"Yes we were Dan," Carter said coming around from behind Ryan.
"Carter! Man it's good to see you!" Dan said giving Carter a man hug. "So does this mean you're back for good? No more demons?"
"No more demons!" the four Lightspeed members said in unison smiling at each other.
"So you must be the other rangers? Welcome to the Mitchell house. It was donated to the fire department after Captain Mitchell and his daughter went to live in the Aqua...base...you're the Mitchells aren't you?" Dan said slowly connecting the dots as he looked at the three Mitchell family members in front of him.
"Captain Bill Mitchell," Bill said extending his hand. As Dan shook it in shock, Bill kept speaking, " And this is my son Ryan," Ryan shook his hand smiling, "and my daughter Dana." Dana shook it smiling and laughing at the reaction.
"It's good to be home, but there are some matters at hand that need to be dealt with," Capt Mitchell started, " Where is Captain Martin?"
"He's in his office filling out paperwork sir," Dan said pointing to the 3rd floor of the fire station to a window they knew was the captain's office.
"Thank you Dan. Carter, Ryan why don't you come with me. Dana why don't you head on in and get the rooms in order. Here are the keys to yours, Ryan's and my rooms," Bill said handing Dana a keychain that she knew he always kept in his desk in the Aquabase. She had always wondered what they had opened and now she knew.
"Yes Sir," she said nodding and taking the keys and following the other firemen into the house as the others walked into the station. She made a beeline straight up to the second story and to her shut and locked door. The wood of the door frame creaked as she unlocked and opened the door for the first time in 15 years. She gasped as she looked around the untouched room of her five year old self. Her little toy horses and Barbies in the same place she left them the day they moved, her little self thinking they were just going on a trip to the underwater base again. She sat down on the twin bed and realized she missed her bed at the base. This one was far to soft and she felt like she sunk to the floor when she sat. 'Definitely will have to get a new bigger bed. I'm sure Ryan will need a new one too.' Seeing the door to her closet she got off the bed and walked over to it expecting to see all her clothes from when she was five but upon opening it she found it empty except for a few games and toys that were kept in there.
"Well I guess I'll have to go clothes shopping too," she said looking down at the soot covered shirt and skirt she had on and knowing there was only one pair of clothes in the Lightspeed Rescue bag that sat on the bed.
"Yeah I'm gonna need your help with that Sis," she heard behind her. She turned around to see Ryan leaning against the door frame looking around her room. A picture on her dresser caught both of their eyes at the same time. Ryan walked over to it as Dana stayed rooted to the spot in the doorway of her closet. "I remember this being taken. It was before mom went to the hospital for the last time. We were having such a good time in the park and she didn't act like she was in pain at all as she held you and made lunch. I know now how well she hid it. This is one of the first things I remembered without the taint of it. They would show me this memory then told me you were the reason mom died, because she had to exert her energy to hold you and help you and have you. They told me you were the reason she was sick. That having you made her sick. I know now that's not true. You can't get cancer from childbirth. I hated you for so long for taking my mother away, our mother away."
Dana didn't say anything just ran to her brother and engulfed him into her arms as they cried into each other's shoulders. That's how William found them 10 minutes later. After standing there for a moment just to take in the sight of his kids together and safe again he cleared his throat to get their attention. Once they released each other Dana handed Ryan his key and gave her father his. The boys left to their rooms, Ryan going directly across the hall to the other shut door and Bill heading back downstairs to the master bedroom behind the kitchen. Dana made her way to the the bathroom beside her room and opened the door to close it again due to the smell making it's way out. Ryan came running out of his room with only his pants on as he was in the middle of changing out of his dirty clothes when he heard the door slam and Dana gagging and coughing.
"What's wrong?!" he asked as the firemen that were in the house came out of their rooms to see what the commotion was.
"Only men have been living in this house for 15 years! Has that bathroom ever been cleaned since?!" she asked/yelled to the men gathering around her.
"Oh yeah that one and the two downstairs don't get cleaned often," Carter said walking in. Dana turned to glare at him.
"You were a squad leader! Why didn't you make them clean?!" she said turning her anger on him.
"Because my squad slept upstairs. And we always cleaned that one," he said calmly being used to her anger and knowing she wouldn't actually act on it.
"Well fine. I'm moving upstairs. I need to sell most of my bedroom set anyways. So it'll be easy to move my stuff. We'll just have to move the beds from up there down here," she said as if it solved all the problems. Then she turned to her brother who just stood there watching the exchange between the two former rangers with an amused look on his face. "Ryan do you want to move upstairs also? There are two rooms up there with a Dick and Jane bathroom."
"A what?" he asked confused now
"It's a bathroom between the 2 rooms and they each have a door leading into it," she said remembering he probably hadn't heard that term in a long while.
"Hmmmm...share a bathroom with my grown sister or share a bathroom with my fellow firefighters….I think I'll stay down here sis," he said rubbing his chin like he was thinking real hard about it.
"Well ok we just have to move one room then even better," Dana said turning back around to face Carter.
"Woah woah woah. Who do you think you are coming in here and trying to change things?!" a guy from behind Carter asked. Everyone that knew who she was turned to look at this man and Carter and Ryan had looks of sympathy for the poor man who questioned their friend and sister.
"My name is Dana Mitchell. And you are?" she said in a sickly sweet voice extending her hand to the now shocked firefighter that was looking at Carter for help.
"Richard Brooks ma'am. I'm sorry I didn't realize who you were ma'am," he said in a shakey voice while shaking her hand.
"Oh it's ok Dick, can I call you that?" she asked and he nodded slowly. "Oh great. Like I said it's ok because you just volunteered to clean this bathroom by yourself tonight. How kind of you." she said then turned to everyone else. "This bathroom, the two downstairs and the kitchen will be cleaned once a week from now on. Any questions?"
One of the men standing towards the back of the hall raised his hand before speaking. "Jared Stone ma'am. Forgive me but I only recall a bathroom downstairs."
"There is also a bathroom in the master bedroom my father occupies. Which come to think of it hasn't been cleaned since we moved 15 years ago. Dick you can clean that one too. I suggest you get started so you aren't up all night." she said smiling at him again.
"Ok since you now have the whole department scared of you, who is going to sleep in the second bedroom upstairs?" Ryan asked laughing at his sister and the looks on the mens faces. Before Dana could answer Carter did for her.
"I will. Jared and Dan will too. Since there are 3 beds in it and you are taking our room and, like Ryan pointed out, you've gotten everyone else scared." he said slinging an arm around her shoulder.
"Hey Carter I best not hear her screaming in the middle of the night. She is my little sister after all. You might be my best friend but I'd still have to kill you," Ryan said slapping him on the back as he made his way downstairs to raid the fridge. This caused Carter to sputter about and Dana to blush as red as the trucks in the station next door.