Okay...this is just a one shot that has been rolling around in my now stuffy head for a while now. The inspiration for this one shot came after watching the Episode "Grandma Matchmaker" (yes...this is AU as i hope you will figure out by the end of this one shot)

This one shot is not a part of the BTA Universe. I may add to it later....but for the moment this one shot stands alone.

Lastly, I don't own the power rangers...that would be the incredibly lucky saban/disney companies.

I can't tell you how I was feeling at that moment. Even now I'm not sure.

Ashley's grandma was in the match making business.

I've never really thought of myself as the impulsive type. Up until that day, I've always been the type to plan things out carefully.

How else could I be? I'm the leader. The red ranger. The others…especially Ashley depend on my leadership…

Friendship…pity…destiny?

I don't know what made me do it.

Carlos…my team's black ranger and one of my best friends.... He never looked so uncomfortable as when he was pretending to be Ashley's boyfriend.

I can't really call it a sacrifice. I was happy to do it…

When Ashley and Carlos confessed their deception to the psychotic…no Andros…be nice. Not psychotic… overly eager elderly lady…yes that's better. I hoped that Ashley's grandma would let them off the hook.

But she didn't. That's why I did it.

"You still like him don't you?" she had asked looking hopeful.

"Well, yeah." Ashley responded looking a little bit wary.

"Well, that's wonderful! Then you can go on your first date together!" She had sounding excited.

I had to act.

"No, they can't." I said stepping foward, next to Ashley grabbing her hand.

Ashley looked at me in surprise. I was surprised too.

"Because I really like her. More then Carlos does. And I would love to go out with her." I said looking at Ashley affectionately...causing her to blush the color of my shirt.

Carlos never looked so relieved. I swear, any lesser man would have fainted in relief. But Carlos was a ranger…with apparently a stronger psyche then I would have expected from a Terran.

TJ arched his eyebrows…and Cassie slapped her hand over her mouth…stifling a giggle.

"That's wonderful!" Ashley's grandma had said. "I have just the thing for you two to wear! You can be twins!"

I froze and gulped loudly as she pulled out those ugly…hideous shirts. Surely she wasn't going to make us wear them…

Oh dear God. I really, really hope that Zhane never finds out about this! I groaned internally thinking of my best friend who was still in a state of suspended animation as I watched Ashley slip on the shirt. She looked at me apologetically.

Anything for Ashley.

I smiled weakly and put on the other one. I hated that shirt…it would be burned the minute the old lady left.

If it had not been for Ashley… I would not have made it. All my ranger training had not prepared me for this…

I played out the date. I went on the carousel and…really it wasn't that bad…not when Ashley and I held hands for the first time.

That. That moment right there was such a blissful and happy moment for me. Her hand felt so warm…and soft…and so right.

She looked at me too…I swear that she must have felt the same thing…well, not the soft hands thing…I hope they didn't feel soft. If that's the case then I need to fix that as my manliness would be in serious jeopardy.

I hoped instead that they felt warm…strong…all the things a red ranger is supposed to be.

Happiness, giddiness, love.

That was what I felt after that as we shared the chocolate and banana smoothie. I'm not sure if it was a healthy thing to do…but apparently it's a Terran custom for lovers to share a desert.

So I complied. I shared the sweet drink with her. And as I looked into her eyes for the first time I knew with certainty that I wanted to share much more with Ashley then a smoothie.

That thought right there was what gave me the courage to ask her out after the crazy lady left.

And it was that memory that gave me the courage to propose to her after the war with Dark Specter and his forces of evil was over... the evil having been wiped out by Zordon's noble sacrifice.

As I look down at my wife now resting against my chest utterly exhausted after nursing our new daughter for the second time tonight. I have to give credit to the now dearly departed match maker.

Annette was crazy…imaginative…and gutsy.

I mean seriously! She took off with a police cruiser and ran down that termite monster we were fighting!

Yes, I know that she did eventfully need saving courtesy of the yellow space ranger. But still, you have to respect a woman with her guts. That must have been where my darling wife got her on courage from.

And that's why my beautiful wife and I named our daughter after her.

After all, it was the crazy lady that started all this.

Well, what do you think?

I don't think Ashely's grandma was ever named so I named her Annette. It seemed like a spunky name for a spunky lady.

I hope you all will give me a nice review...it will make me feel warmer as I battle this cold of mine.