A/N: This is a one-shot that popped into my head the other day; so naturally, I had to write it all down before the idea slipped away. Read, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Mystic Force or any of the show's characters. I am the sole creator of this story's plot; so please, NO STEALING MY IDEAS. Please, and thank you.

"Here Without You"

The Briarwood University campus was quiet at night, almost serene. During the day, it was loud and filled with life. Students were sprawled out all over the place skateboarding to class, talking or texting on their phones, lounging about on the quad. Things were different during the night time. It was cooler outside, and you didn't have to worry about running into someone who was too rude or in too much of a hurry to offer you a proper apology.

Madison Rocca adjusted the strap of her drawstring bag, her fist curled around it tightly as she rested her hand against her chest and sighed. She had spent five whole hours in the school's media lab editing her visual media project for the upcoming festival; and after spending hours with her eyes glued to the computer screen, she was ready for some long needed rest. She smiled contentedly as she thought her evening plans over. She would go back to her dorm room, shower, and put on her pajamas, before curling up to enjoy a nice book before bed.

As she reached the intersection taking her from north campus to east, she paused on the corner as she spied two people walking just across the street towards her. There was a guy and a younger girl who could pass for a freshman, and Madison didn't fail to notice the pair's fingers intertwined as they laughed happily. They passed by her, failing to notice her presence, but Madison's eyes never left them. The guy reached into his pocket and pulled out a pendant that was dangling from a golden chain. They stopped walking and Madison tilted her head and watched as he held the pendant to his heart before moving to clasp it around the girl's neck. She smiled gratefully before standing on her toes to kiss him on his cheek. They then resumed walking.

Madison was so caught up in the touching gesture that she hadn't even realized she'd started crying. She gasped and raised a hand to her cheek to find the moisture sliding down her face. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her mind of a similar exchange between her and a dark-haired friend who had left her a worn-out, red blanket almost three years ago with promises of them meeting again.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the heart-breaking exchange, Madison quickened her pace and made it safely back to the dorms.

Her roommate Alison was seated on the top bunk of their bed, lying on her back while holding a magazine up in the air as her eyes scrolled across the latest "dos" and "don'ts" of fashion for the week.

"Hey Mads." Alison said, not bothering to pull her attention away from the latest tabloid. When Madison didn't answer, Alison raised an eyebrow before turning to her roommate of two years. She was prepared to give her a piece of her mind for her rudeness, but she paused when she saw the sad look on Madison's face. Alison sat up slowly and moved so her feet were dangling over the side of her bunk. She titled her head and was immediately worried by the sight of tears in the girl's eyes.

"Madison, is everything okay?"

Madison laughed and quickly wiped away her tears before turning and smiling at her friend. "Everything's fine Alison, don't worry about me. I just…saw something that sort of reminded me of a friend, that's all."

"A friend huh? Must have been a serious friendship." Alison said, her voice portraying an interest in the friend Madison mentioned. "So, who is this friend? One of your old high school buddies from the music shop? I could've sworn you went and saw them all just a few weeks ago for the holidays."

Madison nodded before dropping her bag on their shared futon and taking a seat. "I did see them, and I had a great time, don't get me wrong. It's just that…a certain friend of ours didn't show up at all. Actually, we haven't seen him in three years."

"Did he go to college out of state?"

Madison sighed. "Something like that."

"Well, if the guy hasn't bothered to get in touch with you or your friends in three years, I'd say the friendship is pretty much dead."

Madison flinched as the words left Alison's mouth. Her eyes traveled up to the curly-haired brunette who was staring down at her with a sympathetic look on her face. Madison sighed before reaching under the futon to pull out an old red blanket- his blanket. She held it tightly in her fists before pulling the item to her chest and holding it there like a lifeline. Alison watched her friend intently before climbing down the bed's ladder and walking to grab her tote.

"I guess I'll go and take a shower then. You could probably use some alone time anyways, you know? Go ahead and get yourself together girl. I hate seeing you so bummed out."

Madison simply nodded, before turning her gaze to the floor. Alison spared her one final glance before heading out into the hall, the door closing with a loud click behind her.

Don't you say that! Not you. You have held us together through all of this. You will not give up! Listen to me! Giving up is not an option for you. We are a team, and you are this team's leader. We go on no matter what.

Madison's fingers curled tighter around the blanket in her grasp as she thought over those words she had said all those years ago. Her words had been true then and they were true now, only the roles had reversed in the situation and she needed to take her own advice. She was a junior at Briarwood and she had come a long way from being a shy, introvert who hid behind the lens of her camera. She had begun to branch out and experience life on a whole other level; and although she credited some of those major changes to becoming the Blue Mystic Ranger, she owed a lot of it to a certain Red Ranger who was always encouraging her to take a stance and stop hiding in a shell for her whole life.

Nick…

Madison stood to her feet quickly and moved over to her desk to scribble a note down on a sticky note for Alison. She then stuffed the blanket inside her duffle bag and grabbed hold of her car keys. She had to make a quick trip and she knew just the place to go.

Madison squinted as she did her best to see through the darkened, snow-covered street in front of her. She had been driving for almost fifteen minutes and a light snowfall had begun. As she neared her turn-off, her chest constricted painfully at the sight of the Rock Porium standing just across the street from an old weeping willow tree. She took a deep breath and signaled before turning and parking alongside the curb in front of the tree.

As she cut the engine of her Ford Fiesta off, she stared at the tree with a look of awe on her face. It had long since lost its leaves thanks to the winter weather, but it was breathtakingly beautiful. Ice and snow clung onto its branches, pulling them down towards the ground as though they had taken place of the dark green leaves that usually hung in the spring and summer seasons. The orange glow from nearby street lamps seemed to enhance the tree's beauty and made it glow, the ice shimmering like glittering stars in the night.

Madison felt drawn to the tree as she stepped out of the car, not bothering to close the door behind her, and made her way over to the tree, her boots crunching loudly against the snow on the ground. She slowly lifted her right hand and rested it against the crooked trunk of the tree, its jagged and rough bark pricking her opened palm as she ran her hand over its surface.

"So, you're not coming back?"

"I didn't say that."

Madison grimaced as her heart constricted painfully from the memory of their last moment together. He had promised her he would return, hadn't he? Isn't that why he left her his blanket, the one item he treasured more than anything in his entire life? That blanket had been a life line for him his entire life because it was the only thing connecting him to his past. It's funny. Now, that very same object had become a life line for her as well. It was a reminder of the Red Ranger she had fallen for and it served as a hopeful reminder that he would return; but when was he to return?

It had been three years after all and she hadn't heard a word from the Red Mystic Ranger- not a phone call, text, letter, or email. Madison supposed she shouldn't be too upset. Chip, Xander, and Vida hadn't heard a peep from their former leader since he left either, but still, Madison felt that she deserved more. They had a relationship that was much stronger than his relationship with the others. He convinced her to come out of her shell. He had encouraged her when she was down and made her feel like an important asset to their team, and in turn, she did the same for him. All of those soft, delicate touches they had exchanged. The small looks of affection they shared. Did their time together mean nothing to him at all?

Madison inhaled sharply and was shocked to find that at some point during her thinking, she had begun crying. Her left hand slowly rose to her cheek and she felt tears, cold from the midnight winter air.

"You promised me." She whispered into the night as she rested her forehead against the trunk of the tree. "You promised me that you would come back."

Was that promise genuine, or rather, was it a phrase composed of empty words meant to sound hopeful? Did he make a false promise just to get her out of his hair?

Slowly, Madison fell down onto her knees and bowed her head as she cried silently to herself. The snow was seeping through her jeans and her knees were beginning to burn from the freezing cold, but she didn't care. Nothing seemed to matter at that point.

"You know, you could really catch a cold sitting on the ground like that." A smooth, tenor voice called out to her.

Madison gasped and raised her head as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her through the snow. That voice. She recognized it. In fact, she knew that voice very well.

"Mads." The voice called out to her.

Madison looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened at the sight of Nick approaching, his hands shoved deep into his jean pockets. He looked exactly the same as she remembered- strong, chiseled features, dark green eyes, and a warm, inviting smile. He was even sporting the same leather jacket with white stripes that he was wearing the last time she saw him.

Shaking off her shock, Madison stood to her feet and brushed the snow off her pants as her mouth began moving quickly, no words emerging. Nick's smile widened as he closed the space between them and pulled her into his embrace. She stiffened at the sudden contact and for a moment, he was worried, but Madison's arms slowly snaked up his back and she held him close, her head resting against his chest.

"I don't believe this. You're back." She said, her voice just barely above a whisper.

Nick pulled away from her and his eyes were immediately filled with worry as he noticed how puffy and swollen her eyes were.

"Looks like I came back just in time." He said slowly. "Mads, what's wrong?"

Madison smiled and wiped away the stray tears on her face before shoving her hands into the sleeves of her jacket for warmth. "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about some things, that's all."

"Madison, you've been crying. Not only that, but it's after midnight and it's freezing. What are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you that same question." She said. "You're here in Briarwood, yet you haven't mentioned a word to me or the others about being in town."

"I just got here an hour ago." He admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "I was just at your parents' place looking for you, but they told me you were living on campus. I was on my way there when I spied your car."

Madison gave him a blank look before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and gazing off into the distance. Nick was at a loss for words. He was expecting her to be overjoyed to see him but instead, she was distant like a stranger. For the first time since he spotted her, he realized how different Madison had become. Her eyes seemed dull and she had dark circles around them like she hadn't seen a pillow in days. She looked a lot older and more mature than he'd last seen her too. She had lost some of the roundness her face held and her features had grown sharper and more defined. Could this really be the Madison he had left behind?

He parted his lips to speak, but she beat him to the punch.

"Three years Nick. You've been gone for three years and not a word. You could've called me, texted me, wrote me a letter, but you did nothing. Now, here you are ready to waltz back into my life like time hasn't passed and I'm supposed to be happy to see you."

Nick watched her intently as her shoulders heaved with each breath she took. She walked over to him and shoved him, causing him to stumble back.

"I've been miserable without you and not being able to hear your voice or any sort of sign that you were okay and coming back…do you have any idea what that did to me or how it made me feel? Do you even care about your friends? Do you even care about me?"

Madison grew silent as Nick stepped forward quickly and cupped her face in between his hands. She looked up into his eyes, two pools of forest green, as her breath caught in her throat. She could see the pain in his eyes, the remorse and guilt.

"Of course I care about you." He whispered. "I never stopped thinking about you and the others, not for an instant. I know that I've been gone a long time and there is nothing that I can say or do that will make up for the pain I have caused all of you. It's just that...I got so wrapped up in seeing my foster parents again and my old friends that I kept pushing Briarwood further and further to the back of my mind. I knew I was going to come back so I didn't see the big deal. Only now do I realize how selfish I was being. I'm sorry Mads. It shouldn't have taken me this long to come back to you."

Madison could hear the sincerity in his voice and just like that, she forgave him. Still, there was one question lingering in the back of her mind. She took a deep breath.

"So…are you back? Are you here to stay, or…"

Madison was cut off as Nick closed the space between them, his lips pressing against hers in a slow, tender kiss. Madison was shocked by the sudden gesture, but it didn't take long for her to melt into the kiss. Her arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling her close to her and giving her the warmth she so desperately needed and in return, he pulled her closer, his hands moving from her face to the curve of her hips as he tasted her for all she was worth. When they parted for air, the snow had started falling again and Madison smiled happily as she dusted the snowflakes from his hair.

"I take that as a yes?" she asked hopefully, a playful grin on her lips.

"Only if you'll have me." He said with a smile.

"You've always had me Nick." She reassured him as she caressed his cheek. "Don't ever let me go."

"Never."

A/N: And we're through! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Until next time!

-KairiAngel13