SUMMARY: Family reunions can, at times, be absolute chaos. For Ryan Mitchell, the fact that he'd rather jump into Mariner Bay than stay a moment more says something. Will a cheerful Yellow Ranger be able to change his mind? Features Ryan/Kelsey and Carter/Dana.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from PRLR or any of the Power Ranger incarnations for that fact, because if I did I would do some of my long-held dreams. For instance, I'd bring back some of my favorite characters for Ranger reunions or do short looks at what happened to past teams and couples or… okay, I'll stop and let you read on and enjoy.
A/N: I so thought that I'd be able to write another Ryan/Kelsey sooner than this, but unfortunately, real life invaded. Incidentally, this wasn't supposed to be as long as it is, but I think it adds to the effect of the story; it's what I call a "mega oneshot". I hope you enjoy, and any name similarities to any other author's characters is purely coincidental.
"…": characters talking to each other
'…': characters talking to themselves
(…): extra facts about something in the story
Reunion Madness
Mitchell Residence, Mariner Bay, July 24, 2003, 2:00 pm – Mariner Bay, CA, USA
Ryan Mitchell, if he could have done it without being missed, reported missing or even rescued would have thrown himself into the bay to escape the madness currently engulfing his life. He was currently ensconced inside of an elm tree, the leaves camouflaging him from the chaos below.
"Ryan? Young man, come out here now!" Ryan winced; the voice of his paternal great-aunt Karol was beginning to grate on his nerves... and considering that he had sat through at least five lectures from her on the propriety of his fidgeting when talking to someone and the lack of polite table manners in the past five hours... well, that was saying something.
Ryan's father, Captain William "Bill" Mitchell had decided to throw a reunion for the scattered remnants of the Mitchell Clan and his deceased mother's familial clan, the Varner family. Although excited to see the rest of his family, whom he hadn't seen since the age of six (and, in some cases, not ever) he was now regretting that he hadn't brought a date. Dana had warned him that if he didn't have a date then he would be introduced to all of his single female relatives and acquaintances in the hopes that he would be, er, "interested" in getting to know them; she'd gone through the same thing in regards to her male cousins and acquaintances until she'd started bringing Carter. Of course, Ryan had thought Dana to be joking; his relatives couldn't be that bad, right? Wrong. Ryan had to endure meeting about a dozen female cousins, who were either shy, terribly loud or a mix in-between... and yet, they were all seemingly entranced with him. They were his cousins, for God's sake! Not friends and certainly not potential love interests!
Ryan had stayed on the ground for a good five hours, alternating between sticking close to his sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law Carter Grayson and hunkering down in a seat near the buffet table. He had caught his father's eye more than once, grudgingly accepting the silent apology sent his way each and every time. Apparently, Bill hadn't anticipated that his son would be hounded by erstwhile relatives who, while they meant well were not interested in letting the young man slowly create familial bonds on his own terms and, in many cases, in his own time.
Finally, after the fifth lecture from his paternal great-aunt Karol on how rude he was being by not offering to dance with any of his cousins or offering a stirring and interesting topic of conversation Ryan had excused himself to find a glass of white wine for Karol (who, apparently, was a bit of a lush if the five empty glasses at her seat and the sixth one in her hand was any indication). Of course, Ryan had absolutely no intention of doing this and had, instead, grabbed a fistful of crackers and stealthily made his way over to an elm tree that was very close to the Mitchell family home that was on land. Ryan had vague memories of playing at the tree's base the summer before the car crash that had changed his life forever and so knew that the tree was to be trusted; well, as trusted as an inanimate, non-talking object could be.
Ryan had shimmied up the tree and was now hiding amongst the tallest boughs, thanking God that Karol couldn't climb trees and, with a skirt that short wouldn't even attempt to... if she knew he was up there, that is. As he popped a cracker into his mouth, he smirked. Dana, he knew, was probably trying to cover for him whereas Carter was attempting to stay out of the range of Bill's mother, who was dead-set on ensuring that her granddaughter was married to a good man... and a firefighter was not necessarily what she had expected. His father was probably aware of where he was hiding (he had always found him in the past near the elm tree) and, thankfully, was attempting to steer the conversation around so that it focused on the rest of the family and not so much on where Ryan was and who he was going to marry.
'Poor Day... I might have to actually buy her something for making her deal with Great-Aunt Karol.' Ryan paused. 'Carter must be suffering too; should I save him?' He glanced down and cringed when he noticed that his paternal grandmother had finally cornered the Red Lightspeed Ranger against an ivy-covered wall and was interrogating him, to which Carter seemed unruffled... yet Ryan could see the sense of mild panic drifting into the firefighter's eyes.
'Nah. No way am I putting myself in harm's way again.'
Ryan heard something and, looking down cursed. One of his female cousins who was absurdly interested in him was walking around the elm tree, hand near her mouth. He remembered with a sense of mild panic that this cousin had always been able to find him without his father's help, whereas the rest of his family had never had a clue as to where he hid.
'Bad, bad, bad. Where to escape to?' Ryan glanced around and, glimpsing an open spot in his next door neighbor's backyard free of flowers and tomatoes smirked. 'Hmm, let's see. Wind speed's not that high, distance from here to the fence is minimal, and my speed will be spot on... oh yes. This will most definitely work.'
Ryan glanced downward and noticed that his cousin was beginning to glance up through the branches, searching for the silvery-gray tint of his dress shirt. Stupid reunion... he'd been forced into a rather formal suit (he hated suits) and Dana into a gown (pink despite the seamstress' vocal rejections) that resembled something out of the film Gone with the Wind. Figuring that this was his only chance to escape, Ryan carefully positioned himself so that he was the furthest from the annoying cousin and closest to the fence. Taking a deep breath, he hoped that Dana wouldn't kill him when she realized that he had practically abandoned her to the wolves and jumped, the tree barely rustling. Landing, he crouched, hoping that the cousin wouldn't rush around the tree towards the fence to investigate that side of the elm.
"Finally," Ryan breathed softly after a few minutes, positive that he wasn't going to be overly pursued. Yet.
'Better get out of here,' Ryan thought staying low to the ground as he traversed his neighbor's yard (Mrs. Ching was so nice that she always had cookies baked for when he or Dana stopped by to say hi). Mrs. Ching was currently on holiday, giving the task of keeping her flowers and gardens in perfect shape to Ryan, who was looking for ways to earn money so that he could continue to earn his degree in archaeology at San Angeles University. She wouldn't mind if he used her yard as an escape route; he knew it.
After a few more minutes, Ryan reached the opposite end of the yard and, thinking quickly scaled the wood fence and leapt down to the other side, landing in another conveniently placed bare spot, this time a baseball diamond. 'Thank God there are no kids here.'
Deciding that he was far enough away from the reunion that no one would launch a full-out manhunt for him for another two hours he shrugged off his suit jacket, slinging it over his shoulder while loosening the buttons on his shirt, relaxing as the clothes were changed.
"Damn collar," Ryan muttered almost tearing the buttons off in the hassle of giving himself room to breathe. "Much better." Trotting across the field, he aimed for the bus stop, figuring that a trip to Mariner Bay's Harbor was a significantly better way to spend the day than wasting time at a stupid family reunion.
Coffee Lover's Café, Mariner Bay Harbor, Mariner Bay, July 24, 2003, 3:05 pm – Mariner Bay, CA, USA
Thirty minutes later, and Ryan was thoroughly enjoying himself; then again, he was miles away from that disastrous family reunion. Sitting at a local café, sipping a mocha latté, Ryan was pleased with himself. "Hmm, let's see: escaped crazy, insane family reunion, check; fearing Dana's reaction to my leaving her behind, check; gift to appease pissed-off sister, not check." He frowned. "I'd better do that soon before she comes to hunt me down."
The door to the café was opened, the bell tingling. Ryan didn't pay any attention to it until a body plopped itself across the table. Looking up, he grinned. "Kelsey, what are you doing here?"
Kelsey Winslow sighed, dumping her backpack of sports equipment to the floor with a rather loud bang. "Just got back from a two-week long trip to the forests outside Angel Grove where I helped the local Boy Scouts learn how to climb rocks without killing themselves." She eyed Ryan's fancy coffee. "Mind if I try some?"
Ryan shrugged and handed it over, waving away her offer to give it back to him. "Keep it. Way too sweet after a while." Kelsey, grinning, shook her head in the negative, obviously disagreeing with him. She slurped down the remnants of the drink in a few minutes before putting the now empty container on the table.
"So, Ry, why so dressed up?" She wasn't complaining over the Titanium Ranger's looks. Boy, she was so not complaining.
Ryan scowled. "Stupid family reunion. I had to escape by jumping out of my elm tree and into my neighbor's yard, then sprinting across a baseball diamond to catch the bus downtown."
Kelsey giggled. "Seriously?! You did all that to escape some family reunion?"
Ryan eyed her. "You wouldn't understand."
Kelsey, sensing a challenge straightened her shoulders. "Try me."
As Ryan explained the last five torturous hours of his life prior to escaping, Kelsey became more and more intrigued. Her mind began working at a furious pace. 'Hmm, this sounds fun. I wonder if I can get in on it, but how? Unless...'
Kelsey interrupted Ryan mid-sentence as he was ranting on the ineptitudes of his annoying female cousins with an idea. "Ry, why don't I go to the family reunion?"
Ryan balked at the idea. "No way! I am not sending you there alone! I know of at least two aunts and one uncle who will eat you alive... and one uncle who might do more than that."
Kelsey crinkled her nose (which Ryan found totally adorable but would never tell her for fear of a physical reprisal). "Gross. Way too much information there, Ryan." She continued, "I meant that I'll go to the reunion as your date."
Ryan's first move was to once more balk at the idea, putting it down immediately. There was no way that he was going to go back to the hell (Dana's word, not his) that was the family reunion. Then, he paused. Kelsey, energetic, tomboy Kelsey was offering to accompany him to something that he hated just so that he wouldn't have to face the horrors alone? Was this what true friends did for each other?
"Well?" Kelsey was leaning across the table and Ryan blinked at the proximity, not expecting it.
"I suppose," Ryan began but was cut off when Kelsey cheered and jumped to her feet. Drawing out her wallet, she threw down some bills to pay for Ryan's drink (he didn't even want to know how she knew that he hadn't yet paid for his drink) and, slinging her bag on her back tugged Ryan to his feet. Ryan had just enough time to grab his suit jacket before being dragged out of the café by the overly enthusiastic Yellow Ranger.
"First, we need to drop by my apartment so that I can dump my stuff there and so that I can change." She frowned. "I think I have something nice to wear."
Ryan, who had by now gotten his hand free from Kelsey's grip and shrugged back on his suit jacket stated, "Uh, Kels, you need a dress."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's super formal. You know that I detest suits, yet I have one on now. I am not looking forward to wearing one at Dana's wedding." At Kelsey's appraising look he defended, "What? A big brother's supposed to know about his kid sister's romantic life, or did I miss something?"
Kelsey shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. I have no siblings, and only a kid cousin, who's currently holed up in her room in Reefside going through some "teenage angst"," Kelsey used air quotes to emphasize the stupidity of this. "Says she isn't being appreciated for her talents, yet I know for a fact that Kira's pretty well honored for her musical and academic gifts." She looked at Ryan sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't mean to babble –"
"No, don't stop," Ryan interrupted, grinning. "It's nice to hear about someone else's insane family for a change." Kelsey's grin could have lit up a dark room.
The two former Rangers chatted as they walked the few blocks to Kelsey's small apartment which was a stone's throw away from the hidden entrance to the Aquabase. Kelsey had moved out of the submarine complex a year after the banishment of Queen Bansheera for unknown reasons, and none of his or Dana's prying had done any good. Ryan suspected that Chad knew, but at the moment the Blue Lightspeed Ranger was en route with Mariner Bay's aquatic show to Silver Hills in a traveling circus-type set up.
"Here we are," Kelsey chirped inserting a key into her door's lock. "Sorry if it's a bit messy. To me it's an organized mess, but Chad and Joel have told me different." Ryan felt an irrational spike of jealously at this and, not knowing why shoved it to the back of his mind. Meanwhile, he decided to look around the apartment. It was fairly small, but big enough for two to three people to live comfortably. It had a living room, complete with a television set and a stockpile of videotapes and DVDs piled miscellaneously on the coffee table, which also had sporting magazines of all types spread out on it. A set of chocolate brown leather furniture surrounded the coffee table and television set, complete with a pink and yellow afghan.
A bright yellow iPod lay on a side table near the front door, where it had been plugged into an outlet to charge. Following a goldenrod yellow runner, Ryan came upon a small kitchen where there were a few piles of what seemed to be green-tinted porcelain plates, each complete with the motif of a silver fox and yellow canary. A small stove, microwave and refrigerator complete with freezer filled out the kitchen, which spilled into a dining room. A cherry and ebony dinette set was squeezed into the space, goldenrod and lemon yellow decorating the table in a set of table runners and lace, white accents spread throughout. Ryan then glimpsed a set of four doors. He assumed that one of them was the bathroom, and although he had his suspicions he wasn't sure how many bedrooms the apartment had.
'One for Kels, for sure,' he thought to himself as he sat on the leather sofa, surprised that the furniture was as comfortable as it appeared. 'Very nice. Dad's furniture is as stiff as a board and Carter's, while appearing comfortable is actually more like sitting on wood.'
As Ryan perused a magazine, he could hear sounds coming from the hallway with four doorways. When Kelsey popped her head out and asked how fancy she should be dressed, Ryan absently answered to be as fancy as she possibly could. Huffing, the Yellow Ranger didn't reply, merely shutting the door to her bedroom.
Kelsey, meanwhile, was having a mild panic attack. Granted, she was a woman in most senses of the world, but she didn't like to admit it. Much more comfortable in shorts, jeans and tee shirts, the concept of skirts and dresses was fairly alien. Yet, she had just promised Ryan that she'd help him survive the reunion by attending. She had heard the horror stories from Dana during the first few months of their tenure as Lightspeed Rangers in the Aquabase and had jokingly stated that someday she'd go and prove that she could survive without "losing her cookies", as she'd put it. Now, she'd just volunteered to attend one of those events that could be life-changing for her...if she ever got there.
"... I guess I have no choice," Kelsey muttered stepping into her rather large closet (for an apartment, that is) and moving a collection of hangers to one side. Taking a deep breath, she dove into a rather dark corner and, cursing the amount of cobwebs gathered there managed to wrench out something covered in plastic, sealed from top to bottom.
"I just hope it still fits," Kelsey murmured laying it on her bed. Then, diving back into the closet she pulled out a pair of fancy-looking shoes complete with a small kitten heel. She sighed.
"Damn it, I hate heels, but I don't see any other option..." Then she stopped and thought for a moment. "Then again..."
Thirty minutes later, Ryan was getting very bored. Granted, having been raised by Diabolico for most of his life he was used to not having much to do at times, but then he'd always found some Batlings that he could beat up. Now, well, he'd read through all of his friend's magazines, found that nothing good was on television and had counted the number of lilies on the wallpaper border at the top of the wall touching the ceiling. What else was there to do?!
"Kels, you almost done?" Ryan asked his friend, hoping that she could hear him through the wood of her bedroom.
"Yeah, one minute," Kelsey hollered back and Ryan, breathing a sigh of relief got up off the very comfortable couch straightening his suit.
"Thank God I wasn't forced to wear a tie," Ryan muttered as he slowly re-buttoned his dress shirt, trying to press all of the wrinkles out of his jacket. 'No way in hell am I sitting through another lecture on how rude I am for not having a pristine suit. A sixth lecture is just not on my agenda for today.'
"... How do I look?" came Kelsey's voice, though Ryan noted that it lacked the usual energy and confidence to which he was used to hearing. Ryan looked up and his breath caught in his throat. Kelsey was wearing a dress that stopped a few inches below her knees, but it was the colors that drew his attention. The right sleeve came to her wrist, with the color of lemon yellow gradually fading into a goldenrod yellow at her shoulder. The rest of the dress was goldenrod with streaks of lemon yellow spread throughout, yet her left sleeve – which ended a few inches below her shoulder – was a silvery-gray. On her left wrist was a bright yellow bracelet with a silver gem cut into a teardrop shape. The top of the dress was a scoop, complete with a silver and goldenrod yellow circular locket. On her feet were silver dress shoes, with a very miniscule heel and laces that criss-crossed her legs and stopped just below her knees. Her hair, usually pulled back into a tight ponytail was draped across her left shoulder in a loose ponytail that showcased the mahogany curls that he so liked. A pink flower of some kind was fashioned into her hair, holding the ponytail in place, and yet a loose strand of hair had escaped, floating in front of her face. Goldenrod and silver earrings dangled from her ears, and a light spattering of eye shadow and lip gloss completed the look.
"Ryan?" Kelsey questioned, hands clutched in front of her, communicating just how unsure she was about her look. "Guess it isn't fancy enough, huh? I mean, this is the only dress that I have that fits me and the shoes, well, I kind of made them in five minutes and the jewelry is kind of tacky, but it's the most valuable that I own and, well, I guess I'll change, right?" Kelsey turned to go back to her bedroom and change but was stopped by a hand on her wrist.
"Kels, you're perfect," Ryan murmured voice a bit husky. Kelsey just looked at him in shock, not really believing his compliments. Ryan, sensing that she was sure he was joking added, "I'm serious, Kelsey. You are perfect, beautiful, even. If it's not good enough for them, then they didn't matter all that much anyway." He smiled.
"Really?"
"Kels, would I lie to you?" He paused then backtracked. "I mean, not now. Definitely not when I was pseudo-evil and obsessed with killing Dana; I mean,"
Kelsey, by now, was giggling, the tense atmosphere broken. "I get it, Ryan. I get it." She paused. "Is it fancy enough?"
Ryan nodded. "Absolutely. Then again," he bent down as if to tell her a secret. "My Great-Aunt Karol, who's like eighty has on some kind of atrocious, short skirt. If she can go to the reunion in that, you will be fine."
Kelsey eyed her friend seriously. "Thanks, Ryan." She took a deep breath before plastering a grin on her face. "Let's get going, hmm? I'm sure Dana will be surprised."
Ryan snapped his fingers. "You'll be my appeasement gift, right?" Kelsey looked at him, eyebrow arched. "Or, maybe not." Ryan was very good at backtracking. "I'll get something else for her later."
As Kelsey locked the apartment door behind her, Ryan figured that they were going to hail a taxi. However, when they reached the lobby of the apartment building, Kelsey surprised him by digging a pair of keys from seemingly nowhere and tossing them to her friend. "Kels?"
"There's a Honda Civic two blocks down from here in a parking garage. License plate number's YLO-7277. It's probably easier if we drive, right?" Ryan nodded as a grin came onto his face. Like many of the other male Rangers, he was obsessed with machinery and, in particular, cars and motorcycles. His bike had been locked up in the garage by his maternal grandfather, who had warned him that his grandmother would trash the vehicle if she even saw one. Ryan had heeded that advice, and the bike was now safely hidden. He didn't even have a car, reliant on his motorcycle as he was.
"Done." Ryan walked out the door and, a few minutes later pulled up in a burnished gold Honda Civic. Getting out, he held the door open for Kelsey before taking off for the Mitchell home on land.
"Thanks for doing this, Kels," Ryan said after a few minutes, eyes moving from the road to land on his friend. In reply, she grinned.
"What are friends for, Ry?"
Mitchell Residence, Mariner Bay, July 24, 2003, 5:00 pm – Mariner Bay, CA, USA
Dana was going to make a deal with her father: she was going to kill her brother and leave the pieces for her father to bury. 'How dare he do this to me! I warned him to bring a date to make this hell more bearable but nooo, he didn't believe me!'
Of course, Dana wasn't usually this homicidal; it was only due to the stress she'd been put under over the last month with the upcoming reunion and worries over whether or not Carter was ever going to propose to her. Yes, she knew that her boyfriend was talking to their friends (former and current Rangers, for the most part) about how to propose to her and when… not that he knew she knew. A good spy needs to keep her secrets, after all.
"Dana, darling, where is that handsome brother of yours?" Great-Aunt Karol was by far the most annoying family member present at the reunion, at least to Dana's mind. Salt-colored hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her gray-blue eyes peered out from underneath tinted glasses. Despite the matronly appearance on her face, the rest of her did not communicate that image. Karol was dressed in a skirt much too short and inappropriate for someone of her statue and age and a blouse that was either too small or too large; Dana hadn't quite decided yet.
Dana's dislike for her great-aunt had begun shortly after a reunion when she was sixteen, after which she had hounded the Pink Ranger for months about boyfriends, her "type" of preferred male escort (and yes, in the overly… well, perverted form of the word) and when she was going to get married. Karol had been married over six times, and each time the male divorced her or passed away unexpectedly, leaving her a rich old crone who loved doing nothing else than meddling. The more meddling she did, the better she felt.
Now, she had her sights set on Ryan and Dana was tempted – very much so – to let her brother die a horrendous death at Karol's hands for his betrayal and subsequent escape. However, like the good sister she was (Ryan so owed her for this) she pasted a smile on her face and replied, "Oh, I'm sure he's on his way over, Aunt Karol."
Karol nodded. "I see. Please tell dear Ryan to come see me when you see him. I have someone I wish to introduce him to." Dana nodded and as Karol walked away in her too-high heels she gulped down her glass of champagne.
"Witch," Dana muttered underneath her breath as she watched Karol sidle up to her current love interest, a middle-aged business tycoon who had obviously heard the rumors, if his not too-subtle attempts at escape were to be examined more closely.
"Day?" Dana turned around and smiled in relief. Carter, dressed in a suit (uncomfortably, but he made it seem as if he lived in them) was looking at her, wanting to ask what had just happened but knowing not to say anything. He had another glass of champagne in his hand for her.
"You are a lifesaver!" Dana exclaimed smiling at her boyfriend. Carter returned the smile and, without asking guided Dana over to a small table set in a hidden corner of the Mitchell's yard.
"How are you holding up?" Carter asked as Dana folded up her skirt and sat down, placing her head on her hand.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She arched an eyebrow before continuing, "Did Nana get to you too badly?"
Carter shivered. "Let's just say that I am not ever, ever going to do anything to upset your grandmother. Another Red Mission would be preferable." Catching the annoyed glance his girlfriend sent his way, he tacked on, "Not that I'd do that, Day."
"Right."
After a few moments of peace and silence, reveled by both Rangers, they heard the crunching of tires on pavement. Turning to look at each other, confusion plastered on their faces they got to their feet and, leaving the empty champagne glasses on the table began walking towards the driveway at the front of the house (the reunion was being held in the backyard, and with the rather large amount of noise emanating from said location the Mitchells were quite glad to do this so as not to have the neighbors call the police on them for excessive noise in a bed-and-breakfast community), curiosity getting the better of their common sense.
A burnished gold Honda Civic had just parked a few blocks down from the driveway, and as two figures got out of the car, Dana began to see red. Though she was a few feet away, she'd know her brother anywhere.
"He's dead," Dana muttered and began walking towards him, a harried Carter on her tale. When she saw who was with him, however, she stopped in her tracks. A smile flew onto her face.
"Kelsey! When did you get back? What are you doing here? Why are you here?"
Kelsey blinked, taking in the trio of questions before answering, "In order: I got back into town a few hours ago, I'm here because Ryan complained of his torturous family reunion and also because I'm not reneging on the promise that I made that I'd check out one of your reunions these days." Dana paused, recalling that conversation then smirked.
"You sure, Kels? You might be regretting this later."
Kelsey waved off the warning. "Nah. I'm a risk-taker, Day. You know that. If I can handle teaching over one hundred kids how to climb rocks without killing themselves for two weeks, this should be fine."
Carter and Dana exchanged glances. 'This isn't going to end well.'
Indeed, it didn't end at all like what the Ranger quartet expected. When Ryan had reentered the reunion, Kelsey on his arm he hadn't expected all of the venomous looks aimed at the Yellow Ranger. Prior to contrary belief, only a few civilians knew of the Rangers' identities; the rest of the world was pretty much uninformed. Therefore, the looks could only be because Ryan had a date; a very pretty one at that. Dana knew this because Carter had received the same looks from her male cousins (... yuck) and male acquaintances upon his entrance earlier in the day. Kelsey was oblivious, breaking off from Ryan to greet Captain Mitchell, who was genuinely surprised to see her.
"Here she comes," Dana muttered to Ryan who, catching the object of interest silently groaned. Karol had spotted them and was making a beeline for the trio (plus Kelsey and Captain Mitchell), dragging a dark-haired woman with her.
"Ryan! Where in the world did you disappear, young man?!" Karol demanded eyes flashing. Ryan, determined not to back down merely laid on the charm that Dana had accused him of using to get out of chores.
"I had to leave to help a friend, Aunt Karol."
"Hmphh!" Karol was not pleased. Seeing the twit on her grand-nephew's arm hadn't pleased her, not when she had Angelique with her. "My dear boy, surely you can't mean her?"
Ryan frowned. "If you're referring to Kelsey, then yes. She –"
"But wouldn't you much prefer an exotic beauty like Angelique?" Karol had seen her chance and was going to take it, no matter the cost! The yellow-clad twit was talking to her nephew William (why she would know him escaped her and didn't really concern her at the moment), and those wild hand gestures just showcased how horrible a match she was for Ryan.
Ryan looked at Angelique, who didn't really seem all that pleased at the situation. She certainly was pretty, he'd give her that. Dark hair that reached mid-back, dressed in an ivory dress and gold shoes, she had remained on the sidelines for most of the reunion. He'd talked to her earlier, only to find out that she was a cousin of his (thrice-removed) that was a favorite playmate before his disappearance. She already had a boyfriend and, like Ryan didn't appreciate Karol's meddling.
"Aunt Karol," Angelique spoke quietly, trying to get the older woman's attention. "I already have a beau –"
Karol waved off the protest. "Bah. He's not good enough for you, my dear. Ryan would be absolutely perfect." The two in question exchanged tired looks, exhausted from trying to distract Karol from her meddlesome ways.
At that moment, Kelsey walked over, intending to introduce herself. "Hi! My name is Kelsey Winslow!" She held out a hand to Karol, expecting to be greeted, but didn't expect the cold and appraising look she received in return. Faltering, she went to repeat the greeting when Karol began to circle her.
"Winslow, hmm? Are you, by chance, related to Patricia Felders-Winslow?" Kelsey felt as if she was the prey and Karol the shark.
"Yes, she's my paternal grandmother," Kelsey replied slowly the hand now at her side. Ryan watched her, worried what his great-aunt was going to do.
Karol didn't say anything, continuing her circuitous route. After a moment, she suddenly asked, "What is your relation to Mr. Mitchell?" At an arched eyebrow she added, if rather disgustedly, "My grand-nephew, Ryan."
Kelsey's mind went into overdrive. She couldn't very well say that they were both Power Rangers, that Ryan had been evil and that she'd help him figure out his place at Lightspeed. Therefore, she said the first thing that came into her mind, which was, "His girlfriend."
Dana's smile could have lit up a room. 'I knew it! I knew that Kels had feelings for him! Joel owes me some major money!'
Ryan, for his part, was in a mild state of shock. 'Girlfriend? Why would she say that?!'
Karol, for her part, had paused. Angelique, watching the situation closely hoped that Karol would give up and find someone else to torment. Her hopes were dashed when a vicious, shark-like grin appeared on Karol's face.
"Girlfriend, hmm? For how long?"
"Two years."
"Where did you meet him?"
"I was his rock-climbing instructor in the Sports Arena downtown." 'Not a total lie,' Kelsey reassured herself. 'I was his rock-climbing instructor... it was just in Angel Grove a few months ago.'
"What did you do on your first date?"
"A picnic in Stone Canyon followed by a night of looking at the stars," Kelsey shot back eyes snapping. This was getting way too uncomfortable for her. Sure, she liked Ryan and, yes, maybe as more than a friend but forcing her to make stuff up on the go like this?! This was getting to be ridiculous... plus that last answer had always been a dream of hers for the perfect first date.
Angelique sighed. 'How romantic! Ryan certainly does know how to treat his girlfriend.'
Karol, meanwhile, was not happy. 'He seems quite devoted to this wretch. Her sense of fashion is horrible, and I cannot believe that he brought her here! The nerve.'
Carter was watching the scene with narrowed eyes. The Red Ranger in him was hell-bound to jump in and fend off Karol... but she wasn't some demon sent by Queen Bansheera or Vypra. She was just his girlfriend's great-aunt... a monstrous great-aunt at that.
Ryan, feeling that he needed to step in and tell his great-aunt to back off moved to do so, but Dana stopped him. Upon receiving a confused look, she hissed, "This is Kelsey's battle, Ryan. Don't interfere!"
Kelsey was getting irritated her normally genial and personable character stifled underneath the irritation she felt for this woman. Deciding to actually do something about it, she smiled a gleam entering her eyes.
"Karol, it has been a pleasure talking with you, but Ryan promised to introduce me to some people. So, if you'd excuse us," Kelsey walked past a shocked Karol and, grabbing Ryan's arm leant up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. This shocked everyone present, especially Ryan, who had gone into a mild form of epileptic shock at the contact.
'She, she kissed me?!' This was the mantra repeated in his head for a moment or two before he snapped himself out of it. Glancing down at Kelsey, he smiled and, nodding at his great-aunt led Kelsey off to one side of the house where his paternal grandparents were standing. He grabbed Angelique as well, rescuing her from a worse fate.
Karol was left gaping; Dana, meanwhile, was grinning viciously. Carter, a tad worried, decided to perform a tactical retreat and proceeded to grab his girlfriend and lead (read: drag) her to her father, hoping that it would give him some form of protection. Indeed, it did for Karol, too much in shock at the abrupt ending to the plan she'd had in mind for Ryan had remained fixated on the spot where the yellow-clad wretch had blasted her plot to smithereens for a good hour before Captain Mitchell quietly led her to a taxi which he'd called on the behest of his mother, who had hurriedly reassured him that all Karol needed was some rest. Therefore, the taxi driver took the woman to her hotel room.
The rest of the reunion went well as there were no more ridiculous matchmaking plots to be found; their inventor was currently indisposed. As Kelsey had predicted to Dana, she was indeed having fun. Granted, being interrogated by a duo of overprotective grandmothers was not on her list of favorite activities, but she apparently hit the nail on the head when she began to talk about her attempts at scuba diving, which sent Ryan's paternal grandmother on a long-winded spiel on the joys of seeing the coral reefs of Australia up close. Dana had been shocked to learn that her grandmother, who'd always seemed so old-fashioned, had actually done something as dangerous as scuba-diving to see the coral reefs, even encountering a group of large stingrays.
Bill Mitchell, as the organizer of the event was pleased to see that after his aunt left, the tension that had cloaked the gathering dissipated. Ever the protector, he subtly observed his children's dates and saw that Carter and Kelsey passed the family's tests and quizzes without even trying. Carter was ever the gentleman, polite and sophisticated, with a protection streak a mile long. To his mother, that was the most important trait in a potential grandson-in-law, as was Carter's obvious affection for Dana.
Kelsey had come as a surprise. Even Mitchell, in his days as head of the Lightspeed Rangers hadn't seen the hidden attraction that the Yellow Ranger held for his son, but now he saw it as clear as day. How had he missed it? Kelsey seemed to brighten up the atmosphere, her stories of risky ventures and rock-climbing prowess impressing the family; plus, her cheerful personality more than made up for his son's occasional bouts of brooding.
'She's good for him,' Bill thought as he began to clean up, the time having come where all of the relatives had said good-bye and returned to their hotel rooms. As he dismantled a banner he'd hung in the backyard, he glimpsed the two couples talking quietly, noting that Ryan was quietly leading Kelsey away from Carter and Dana, who were too focused on each other to really notice.
"If he doesn't propose in the next few months, I'll make it an order," Bill whispered smiling. It would be good to see his daughter truly happy, something that hadn't really been in existence since the death of her mother and the loss of Ryan to Diabolico. "Anne, if you could only see your children now, you'd be so proud..."
Mitchell Residence, Mariner Bay, July 24, 2003, 10:30 pm – Mariner Bay, CA, USA
"Ryan, where are you taking us?" Kelsey asked, bemused.
Ryan, turning around to smile at her didn't say anything. He just continued to tug the Yellow Ranger behind him. After a few minutes, he came to the base of an elm tree and stopped, looking up into the tree's branches.
"Ry, why are we here?" Kelsey questioned an eyebrow arched.
Ryan smirked. "We're going to climb my favorite tree." He turned. "Think you can do it in that dress?"
Kelsey smirked back. "Watch me." True enough, Kelsey easily scaled the tree (her shoes were currently laced around her neck, allowing her the freedom of no heels), Ryan hot on her trail. Once they reached the top of the tree, Ryan directed her to sit on a rather wide branch, with him taking a seat next to her.
"What's up?" Kelsey asked conversationally, her legs swinging. She didn't notice Ryan watching the movement, eyes trained on the legs toned from years of extreme sports and rock-climbing.
"Why?"
Kelsey's brows furrowed. "Why what?"
"Why volunteer to come to this reunion when you could just as easily have said no?"
"Oh," Kelsey breathed, pausing the movement of her legs. She remained silent for a moment before responding, "Well, you were in trouble and I wanted to help."
"You could have just as easily told me to stop being a coward and go back," Ryan pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I'm not that mean-hearted," Kelsey stated trying to joke but no humor was present. She continued, "You needed someone to lean on, someone to trust and since Dana has Carter I figured that I could be that person."
"Why?"
"Enough with the whys!" Kelsey exploded surprising the Titanium Ranger. "I just wanted to help and that's that!"
"No, I don't think so," Ryan responded softly. He moved closer and, grabbing the errant strand of hair hanging in Kelsey's face added, "I think that there was some hidden motive, what with the kiss and all." He smiled lopsidedly at her, hoping to somehow weaken her defenses. Amazingly, it worked.
"Yeah, about that," Kelsey began only to be interrupted by Ryan's suddenly kissing her (later, she'd reflect on this and think that he had done it to return the kiss she'd given him earlier). She leaned into it, eyes fluttering closed. After a few moments, they had to break apart for air and she whispered, "You knew?"
"Not until you kissed me in front of my aunt," Ryan responded, shaking his head. "Then, I couldn't think of anything else but why you kissed me until finally Angelique let me in on the secret." Catching Kelsey's expression he added, "Angelique is, apparently, my cousin thrice-removed and already has a guy she's obsessed with; no need to worry."
"I wasn't worrying about anything," Kelsey shot back. She then added, "What now?"
"About what?" Ryan was really having too much fun. Kelsey stuck her tongue out at Ryan, irritated that he seemed able to read her so easily.
"About, uh, well," Kelsey stammered before taking a breath and finishing, "us."
"What do you want to do about us?" Ryan asked no humor in his voice. Kelsey glanced up and found herself lost in her teammate's eyes.
"I want 'us' to exist," Kelsey replied softly looking hopefully at her teammate. For an answer, Ryan grinned and, leaning down kissed her again, softly at first then rather passionately. The taste of cherries and bananas was enticing; he wanted more!
After they broke apart again, Ryan grinned. "You do know that you just passed every test my family has out there for new members, right?"
"Wait, what?" Kelsey asked, a tad panicked.
"Meaning that they've basically accepted you as a member of the family," Ryan replied a tad amused at the situation.
"Me?! I mean, why? How?" she paused then added, "Ry, as much as I like you I don't think I'm ready to get married yet." Ryan laughed, to which Kelsey added, "I'm serious."
"Oh, I know, Kels, but someday," he paused moving a hand to caress her face. "Someday, hopefully, you will."
Soon enough, Ryan's prediction came true, and Kelsey forever remained glad that she had attended the "reunion from hell" with Ryan... overriding the initial idea she'd had when Ryan confessed his problem: toss him in Mariner Bay and hope that no one found him.