Title: Lost
Author: Solarbaby
Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.
Words: 1067
Summary: Kira finds Mack hiding out from his father.
Spoilers: Spoilers for Once a Ranger Part 1 and Part 2 and Things Not Said.
Notes: This was based off a weird idea I came up with called Tales from a Ranger Roadhouse. It was originally intended for the First Sentence Challenge but I never finished it in time.
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He couldn't go back there and face them.
Sitting at a table in a dark corner of the roadhouse, Mackenzie Hartford stared into his glass with such intensity one would think that it held the answers to the universe. It didn't, of course. The glass merely held some soda he couldn't remember ordering, beside a cold untouched burger and fries.
There was movement in front of him as someone dropped into a chair on the other side. Frankly, he was surprised that it took this person that long to approach him. She had been watching him for almost two hours now and the one of the two men behind the bar, the owner he later found out, had been keeping an eye on him since he arrived. There came no sound from the female, she just watched him.
They sat like for a few minutes before Mack finally said something. "It's rude to stare."
Kira Ford ignored the comment. "You've gotten everyone worried you know. You turned off your tracker. They called me, Tori, Xander, and even Adam, wondering if any of us had seen you."
"Let me guess, my father is on his way to get me and he asked you to make sure I didn't make a break for it." He commented bitterly, running his finger along the side of the glass, gathering the precipitation.
"Actually, no. I didn't tell him." Mack's head snapped up in surprise. "But maybe I should have. Mack, you've been gone for three days. When I talked to Ronny, she said your dad was frantic and--." Kira jumped slightly when she was cut off by cold bitter angry words.
"He's not my dad!" No matter what Mack's voice projected the look in his eyes was that of pure pain. He closed his eyes and took a deep break, which came out shaky. When he opened his them again they were only tinged with an echo of the pain.
Kira went quiet and Mack glanced up at her, nervousness creeping up inside. "Kira, what would you do if you found out that your entire life was a lie?"
She frowned at him. "Ryan!" Kira motioned to one of the men behind the counter, the one cleaning the glasses Mack noted. "Can I get a root beer? And why don't you bring my friend here another burger." She waved off Mack's protests as Ryan grinned and nodded. "Mack, this is the third day straight that you've been here. All you do is sit here with a cold burger that you never eat."
"How do you know about that? You just arrived today." A body appeared beside the table and a brand new hamburger was placed before him. It smelled absolutely delicious but for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to take a bite. Did he even need to eat? Could he survive without food? Did he really even like hamburgers?
"Eat."
"I'm not hungry." Mack replied. He made move to push away this burger like the last one, but Kira caught his wrist and shook her head. "Alright." He submitted. It wasn't worth the inevitable argument. "I'll eat the burger." Mack grabbed the mustard, but stopped short of putting on. The memories of eating it like this for years conflicted with the knowledge that none of it actually happened. He placed the bottle back down with a frustrated sigh and snagged a bite of the plain burger. "So, how did you know I was here?"
"I due for a visit." Shrugging, she took a sip of her drink and waved at a blonde woman who had just entered with a man with spiky blonde hair. "I was surprised when I got here, really."
"What for?"
"I had expected you to be more social. Or that I'd at least find you being hustled by Merrick at the pool table." Kira motioned toward the table where the man in question was engaged in a game with blonde from earlier. She shook her head at the picture, knowing that no matter how good Karone had gotten at the game Merrick was still going to beat her.
"I tried to play, but I couldn't get into it." Mack flinched slightly as he remembered his spectacular failure. It was sixty bucks he was never going to get back. He watched as a family entered the roadhouse. The youngest kid, a little girl who couldn't have been more than four, startled yelling for her 'Uncle Zack'.
"Mack." She pulled his attention back to her. "You can't stay around here much longer. Not if you don't want your dad to find out where you are." He started to protest, but she cut him off. "I'm not saying you have to go home. Adam told me to tell you that his offer to crash with him if
you needed it was still open if you want it. Bridge was still in his spare room but the couch was yours." The red ranger had yet to find a way to return home but from what she heard, Wes, Jen and Eric were working on contacting Time Force about it.
He looked unsure, poking at his half-eaten burger. "I guess you're right." A sigh escaped him as he pushed his food aside. "I guess I should go." Mack got up from the bench and paused like there was more he was going to say before shrugging. "See ya."
"Bye, Mack."
He didn't get more than a few feet away before he turned back to the woman. "Hey Kira?"
She looked up from where she was finishing off her fries. "Hmm?"
Mack gave a weak smile. "Thanks."
"Anytime." Kira watched as he headed to the door, glancing around the room one last time before leaving. She leaned back in the booth and gave a stretch. Hopefully Adam and Bridge would have better luck than she did. Movement came from beside her and she glanced up to see the owner taking away her and Mack's dishes. "Thanks for the call, Skull."
The man nodded. "I had too. I thought the boy was going to starve to death." He sent her a grin before disappearing, muttering something about 'reds'.
She just shook her head.
"Hey, Kira. How about a game?"
A smirk crossed her face as she looked at the former princess of darkness. "You're willing to lose even more money?"
"You wish."