In The Moment.

A New Year Special One Shot.

Growing up, people can miss the simplest of things that we can take for granted. Carter has a plan, but someone isn't as willing as he had originally hoped.

CarterXDana with mild RyanXKelsey.

Disclaimer- We do not own any of the characters, some have been created by us but most belong to Saban. We promise not to break them and will put them back when we're done.

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23rd December 2000.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate batlings?" The Stetson adorned man questioned as he climbed into his seat at the back of the yellow jeep, the Titanium Ranger to his left audibly groaning at his rhetoric.

"A few times Joel." The man in blue in front of Joel said as he glanced back over his shoulder, "Once or twice... Or thirty times."

"I'm sure that wont stop you telling us another time." The Raven haired woman to his left stated. She reached over and tugged at the blonde woman's sleeve in the front passenger seat who turned to meet her blue eyes, "How's your hand Dana?"

Dana looked down at her right hand and flexed it painfully before looking back, "I can move it now. Nothing broken or anything Kels."

"Sorry, I didn't expect to get pinned down." Kelsey squeezed Dana's shoulder, "And Chad and Joel were too wrapped up to help."

"I told you its fine." Dana smiled earnestly, "Wrapping presents may be a problem though." She looked up in the rearview mirror at her brother, "Sorry Ry."

"Wait, we're doing presents?" The Titanium questioned before his gaze became distracted by a large billboard on the side of a building. He scrambled forward and grabbed onto Kelsey's head rest, punching her in the head in the process, "Wo-wo-woah Carter slow down!"

Dana turned around in her seat, concerned with her brother's strange request, also with Kelsey's loud mumbles and head rubbing. "Ryan?"

"What's that sign say?" He pointed at the billboard. Everyone but Carter stared at it.

"Its for a firework display in town for the New Year." Joel told the younger man, "You know, big explosions in the sky. Kissing someone at midnight. Traditions."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that, what with Loki and Vypra being party animals."

"We had them at Grandmas." Dana told her brother soothingly, "She'd give us cocoa and twinkies because we couldn't drink soda yet."

"I think I remember that. Was that when we would hide in the attic?"

"No, that was thanksgiving, we hid under the stairs-" Dana caught Carter's amused smirk and gently elbowed him, "You didn't know our grandmother."

"Whatever you say Harry Potter."

"Ah, the loud bangs which terrified you. I can remember now." Ryan reflected, "They show them to the public?"

"People like to watch them." She told him and turned around to face forward again, "Dad normally gives the night workers the night off. This year we'll probably be running the screens."

"We as in all of us or-"

"My father, Ryan and I, you guys have the night off, just like with the Christmas weekend." She told Joel, "Its not like either of us have seen them before."

"Towns display? You've never been?" Carter asked, finally picking up the Rovers speed again.

"Nope, and I meant fireworks."

"You've never seen fireworks?" Kelsey leaned through the gap between the drivers seat and Dana, "Seriously?"

"Do the explosions after demons destruction count?"

"Not really." Carter told her with an eyebrow raised, "How comes you've never seen them? Its difficult to avoid them on New Years Eve."

"Did you miss the tour of the Aqua Base? Its underwater. Anyway, its not like I've missed out on anything." She firmly stated, "It was your turn I think Carter." Everyone took Dana's change in subject as her closing off to anymore questions for now, possibly due to sensitivity or to protect Ryan so went along with it.

"Oh yeah." He took a second to think before adding, "You know the bakery on Palms?"

"By the Marina? Delia something?" Kelsey leant back in her seat again, waving to a kid who was pointing at the Rescue Rover in wonder.

"Yeah, that's the one. They do this pumpkin pie around Christmas, I'd get a slice of that because it reminds me of how close Christmas is." A smile crossed his face and he turned the radio up, which happened to be playing a Christmas song, "Your turn."

Dana pursed her lips in a straight line and stared down at her aching hand in thought. She eventually shook her head, "I can't think, my hand is hurting too much. Pass."

"You can't just pass." Joel argued which earned an elbow to the ribs from Ryan and a glare to accompany it. "Fine. My turn then."

Dana fell into silence, leaning her head against the black metal frame off the Rover. She zoned out of the conversation, grateful that everyone was distracted with Joel's animated response. Tomorrow would be Christmas Eve and the others would be going home to spend time with their families until the 27th, except Carter who was taking a shift at the firehouse so one of the regulars could go home for Christmas. The base would be virtually empty like normal and she could spend time getting to know her brother again.

"Having your hand bandaged at Christmas, I don't envy you." Carter passed her a mug of coffee and returned to the metal counter where his steaming mug sat. Dana shrugged and lifted her hand for him to see. "At least it isn't broken."

"Morpher speed healing, it'll probably be fine by the time you get back from your time off." She placed the mug on the coffee table next to her school work. "Kelsey feels bad enough about it as it is already. I'm pretty sure we've all had worse injuries than this."

"Thunderon and being blown up."

"Exactly."

"What are you doing for Christmas? You're the only one I haven't heard mention their plans."

"Because it's not a big thing- well it wasn't. Now Ryan is back we're making an effort. Small, family thing with presents- no turkey though, I think Chinese."

Carter smirked, bringing his cup to his lips, "Chinese on Christmas day?"

"They don't deliver down here so looks like I'm collecting." She smiled at him, "Shouldn't you be packing like the others?" Joel's voice, screeching a country song, cut through at that exact moment from the guys wing just off the rec-room. "You two could do a duet as you packed."

"We'd never agree on the song choice." Carter joked, "I don't need to pack. I'm working from seven pm tomorrow til late hours of Christmas Day so I'll just come back here early."

"The idea of time off is that you stay away from your place of work, I know its a difficult concept." She teased and he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Its either that or sitting in my apartment alone. It won't effect your plans will it?"

"You're kidding right? Dad would've been ecstatic if you'd stayed for Christmas. He thinks its going to be awkward to adapt to again, we haven't done Christmas properly since I was thirteen."

"So coming back early is no issue?"

"Of course not." Her voice a little more excited than necessary which made her blush, "It'd be good to have more people back on base."

"Great." He took a sip, considering how to approach his next question. Dana picked up her highlighter painfully in her hand before deciding she'd be better off using her left hand for notes, "So..." Carter began slowly, "You've never seen fireworks?" He watched as Dana shifted one neat pile of papers from one corner of the rec-room's coffee table, to the other.

She frowned and returned them to their original placement whilst removing the cap from her neon pink highlighter to begin annotating the top sheet. "Nope. You don't really get them under the sea and dad didn't have time to take me." Her left hand shook constantly which left her lines crooked and unsteady much to her annoyance. "We were meant to go to the New Years display the year Ryan was- but my father decided we shouldn't and should grieve... He never took me."

"What about going with friends? When I was in high school we use to go to all of them."

Dana shifted awkwardly in her seat, tucking a wisp of fair hair behind her ear, "I don't know if its obvious, but I don't really have friends at school. I live in a military base and fight demons, I should be thankful to be ignored rather than bullied and be the school freak."

Carter moved to the sofa next to her, mug still in hand, "But Ryan's back now, shouldn't that change things."

Her hand froze mid-highlighting, "We don't know for how long. I don't want to speak ill of him, he's my brother and I love him, but he's a flight risk. If he hadn't been back, I would go with you guys but he is and i-"

"Want to spend as much time as you can with him whilst he's still around."

She nodded, twisting in her seat to face him, "It might be selfish but he was gone for fourteen years, I don't want him seen in public and have everyone staring at him like an animal in a zoo. It might... I don't want to put him in that situation. You've seen articles the paper has published since his return- they'd have a field day with him at a display. Im just protecting him," She bit her lip nervously and placed the highlighter down, "It's just going to be another day."

"What about what you want to do?"

"It doesn't matter. I want to protect my brother. You guys have the day off and its not like I can legally do anything to celebrate anyway."

"But fireworks are a good way to bring people together... My parents use to take me every year to the display. Even after they died, I would go because it reminded me of happier times, it was magical."

Dana smiled, "Then by all means go. Just because I'm going to be working the screens doesn't mean you can't." She scooped up her work, realising she probably wouldn't get any work done with him around. "Someone has to keep an eye out for demons."

"Didn't you ever watch it televised?"

"Nope, limited signal access down here. I'm sorry, but I really need to get this done so I'm gonna..." She signalled to the corridor leading toward her room and Kelsey's, "I'll see you at dinner, I guess." She cradled the paperwork to her chest as she turned to leave. She lingered, wanting to add something to the conversation but she held it back, deciding it was better not to divulge anymore than need be divulged.

Dana walked away quickly, Carter watching her exit. He continued to stare after she disappeared and the sound of her door echoed through the hall. Something about their conversation left him feeling- empty? As if something had been unresolved but he couldn't place his finger on it. Carter finally looked away, back to the coffee table where a single sheet from her pile had been left. He picked it up and studied it, a flyer for the New Years firework display. She wanted to go but wouldn't because of Ryan, and Ryan was of course oblivious to any of this.

Well, he pocketed the flyer, if you cant being a horse to water, you can always bring water to the horse.

Carter waited until he was sure Dana and Ryan had gone to bed to call the others in, much to the annoyance of Joel who had to be woken by Kelsey violently hitting him with a pillow. They went back to the empty gallery so they wouldn't be overheard.

"They're not exactly adjusting to being a family again." Kelsey said as she took a seat around the table, presuming that was what Carter wanted to talk about, "She's not behaving like his little sister."

"She's not exactly a little sister though is she?" Joel crossed his arms on the table and leaned his head on them, "She's not four."

"No, she's eighteen and is teaching her twenty year old brother to read, write and basic concepts of everyday life." Kelsey reiterated with a sharp glare to Joel, "Her and Captain Mitchell have been alone for so long, its taking a while to adjust."

"Which is why I was thinking," Carter leapt in to diffuse the situation, "She doesn't think he's ready to go to a big public event like the firework display-"

"Isn't it Ryan's choice? If he wants to surely he should be allowed to." Chad shook his head at Kelsey's point.

"He isn't. He gets overwhelmed when on patrol and in the gallery and Rescue Ops. He's getting better but still not completely there."

"Which is understandable... But don't you feel its depriving him of something we were all exposed to when we were growing up? Even Dana to an extent." Carter began, looking between the two conscious Rangers, "New Years Eve is eight days away and I'm thinking if Ryan isn't ready for the big display, we could bring one to him."

"You know we're under the sea right?" Joel voiced without lifting his heavy head.

"I've checked, there's no tests booked for the testing plain until January 6th." He continued, "So... Why don't we put one on there? I've asked Miss Fairweather and the land is licensed for it as long as a trained fire technician is present which I'm qualified-"

"Fire technician?"

"Its a fancy way to say Fire fighter." Carter explained, "I know a fireworks distributor from when I helped at the displays."

"So, we do a Ranger New Year?" Kelsey's face broke into a smile, "That'd be fun. Bonfire, hot chocolate and fireworks at midnight. What about the Captain? Wouldn't he have to clear it?"

"No, as long as Miss Fairweather does, which she has on the condition she controls the panel in the marque to keep an eye on Rescue Ops. We don't need to tell him."

"You've got it all figured out, why'd you need us?" Joel finally lifted his head, a crease mark from his shirt's sleeve distinct in his forehead.

"Because I needed to make sure you were all in and wanted to help. When we get back from Christmas we'll work out all the kinks then-"

"What kinks?! You've got it figured."

"But for now, Dana, Ryan and Captain Mitchell can't know."

"That all?"

"Yes Joel, you can go back to bed." Kelsey rolled her eyes with an irritated flutter of her dark lashes as Joel disappeared off, along with Chad who had to return to packing.

Carter stood when Kelsey grabbed his thermal's sleeve and looked up at him, "You're telling me that Ryan is genuinely the reason you're organising this?"

"No, I thought it would be good for us all."

"Or is there something else fueling this? You know, about five foot eight, blonde hair, blue eyes... Has an affinity to the colour pink?"

Carter turned his head away and cleared his throat awkwardly, "I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do. Come on, admit it. You wanted to spend the New Year with a special someone but she won't be going so you thought this would be an idea to do that."

"That's not strictly true." His cheeks were burning a few shades lighter than his jumper, "They deserve time off too and it would be a private way to spend time as a family than a whole town celebration."

"So, if she wanted to kiss you at midnight, you'd say no?"

"And if Ryan wanted to, what would you do?" Carter retaliated, meeting her gaze yet again.

"Let him because its a tradition but him kissing you has no effect on me." She joked and finally stood up too, "I'm just saying, even if you won't admit it, you're doing this for Dana which I think is sweet and she'll like... But I'm not a mind reader. If you want stuff for a barbeque, I can make a list, get the stuff and I'll store it at my apartment."

"That would be great if you could. I hadn't thought of that."

"Ah so Joel was wrong, you hadn't figured everything out." They started back to their quarters, pausing briefly outside the Captain's office where they could hear Dana and Captain Mitchell talking.

"I thought she was asleep?" Carter whispered and Kelsey shook her head.

"She's not been sleeping great for a few days, she told me this morning at breakfast. She keeps thinking about her mother, something about it being a tough time of year for the Captain." They stopped eaves dropping and continued back to the rec-room where they went their separate ways. Carter needed to form his to-do list so his plan went off flawlessly.

25th December 2000.

The Christmas shift was surprisingly uneventful in the firehouse. After the initial jibes about him being the Red Power Ranger, the other firefighters resumed treating him like one of the boys. They answered a call to a house fire which turned out to be a woman burning her Christmas dinner. On returning to the firehouse, they were surprised to see a delivery from Lightspeed, a Christmas dinner that was cooked for them to share 'By orders of Captain William Mitchell'.

"Your boss seems to like you." One of the firefighters remarked as they started plating up, "Lot of stuff here."

"It was probably Dana who suggested it." Carter said, "She's like that."

"She the pink?" The youngest asked, "She's hot. Your girlfriend?"

"Captain's daughter." Carter carried across a few plates and put them in front of the group who were already sat, "Not my girlfriend."

"Think you could get me a date with her?"

Carter furrowed his brow and bluntly answered, "No." This caused an uproar of laughter from the others that left Carter feeling bad for embarrassing the man, "Sorry Frankie but she's not the type you're hoping for. She's too busy with her brother and school for that."

"And Carter has a thing for her." A voice came from the doorway. He looked back over his shoulder to see Kelsey standing on roller-skates with a basket in her hand. She skated over and placed the basket on a counter, "My aunt told me to send over a trifle as a thanks for saving her cat last week." She explained before skating to Frankie's side, "And Carter won't set you up with a girl he's trying to impress, that would be stupid. He'll deny it but its true, ask him about her and he'll go doe eyed."

"Kelsey." He hissed.

She tossed a smile to him, "Merry Christmas guys. See you at work Carter." As quick as she arrived, she was gone, leaving Carter standing open mouthed like a fish.

"So... Boss' daughter huh?"

"Too busy with her brother?"

"School? How old is she?"

"Okay." Frankie broke over the men's mass of questions, "So you can't get me a date with her for obvious reasons... So how about her? She seems fun."

29th December 2000.

From what the other Rangers had established upon their return, Christmas had not gone too well for the Mitchell's. Dana vaguely mentioned to Kelsey that it had been awkward and they had all ended up disappearing to do their own thing by the early evening. Ryan had felt guilty about not getting his father and sister presents, Captain Mitchell kept thinking about his dead wife and Dana had no idea how to cheer either of them up. It had been a disaster and Dana was devastated given the effort she had put in. Carter began to wonder if his idea was too much for them but as Kelsey kept reminding him, it was too late to turn back out now.

He was looking over his receipt for the fireworks when a knock on his door brought him out of that mode. It hissed open moments later with Dana standing in the doorway.

"Can we talk?" She asked, surprised by Carter suddenly flying off his chair and rushing to hide things, tripping over the chair leg in his haste, "Or are you busy?"

"Now's not a great time-"

"Oh..." She spoke quietly, gazing off down the corridor, "I... I see. Okay." She started to walk away but changed her mind, "Have I upset you or something because you seem to be avoiding me?"

"Look, right now I'm kinda -"

"Even Ryan's noticed so I'm not being paranoid."

"Dana, really I can't do this now."

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Fine. If you cant tell me then I really don't want to know. But, just so you know, if I have upset you, then you could at least have the guts to tell me!" She stormed off and Carter dropped back into his chest, groaning outwardly. He'd been too wrapped up in planning to talk to her, and it had just come back to bite... If he didn't get this right, she probably wouldn't speak to him again.

31st December 2000.

Ryan glared over the top of his hand of cards, directly at Dana who placed her hand down and sighed.

"You're bored." She said wistfully averting her graze to the nearest monitor, "Aren't you?"

"To tears. Isn't there something else we could do? Like train or patrol or pluck my eyeballs from my skull?"

"Ryan." She scorned, "We have to be on form, if we pluck your eyes out then you'd be blind. Anyway, isn't it better the siren isnt-" Its shrill screech started blaring. Both siblings jumped to their feet, moving to their designated monitors.

"You jinxed it."

"You were the one complaining about being bored."

"Coordinates 77.85. Why's that familiar?"

"Because it is the training field." Captain Mitchell joined his daughter's side, "It may only be a technical issue. We'll go check it out. Forward any more signals to the Rescue Rover and I'll meet you both in the loading bay." Captain Mitchell walked in the direction of the bay whilst his children continued to feed the signals.

"Must be big if dad's coming." Ryan noted, "should we call back up?"

Dana bit her lip in consideration before she nodded, "They should be alerted that they might be needed." She locked down the screens, "Call them in the car. We gotta go now."

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The bonfire was the first thing Dana noticed as the Rescue Rover pulled into the training field. The thick smoke from the flames rising up and dissipating slowly like a dark rain cloud. Next was Joel and Chad setting something up a hundred or so metres away, whilst Kelsey, Carter and Angela were standing under the marque by, what appeared to be a buffet table, and a large thermos on the table.
Dana looked to her dad, working out instantly what was happening, fearful of his reaction. He remained untelling which panicked her. Ryan looked out the window at the different scenes with an amused glint, Dana didn't notice this.

She pulled open the door and started over to the group.

"What's going on? We got a distress signal and..." She turned to Chad and Joel, "What are they doing?"

"Setting up fireworks."

"Why?" She asked Kelsey, "Is the firework a demon?"

"Nope."

"Then I don't understand why you called us here. Someone needs to be watching the screens."

"Dana, I have them up on here." Miss Fairweather calmly spoke, "It's under control."

"No, it's not. You used an emergency signal for a party?!"

Ryan came up behind Dana, picking up one of the metal sticks from the table. He stared at it whilst she ranted, studying its structure before holding it up for all four to see. "What is this?" He asked, specifically to Kelsey who grinned and took his hand.

"Its a sparkler. Come on, I'll show you how it works." She dragged him away from the group, leaving just Carter, Dana and Angela.

"I said to you we weren't making a fuss about it." Dana spoke coldly to Carter, "This isn't fair."

"We are not making a fuss." He replied, "We're making it fun for Ryan, look at him."

She looked back over her shoulder at Ryan to see him holding the metal rod with bright silver sparks coming out of the end, looking the happiest she'd seen him in a while with Kelsey coaching him on what to do. Dana looked further afield to her father, who was watching Chad and Joel solemnly, as if they were paying tribute to someone at a wake.

"Yeah..." Dana spoke quietly, "But look at my father." She walked away, back to the Rover and climbed into the passenger seat.

"She'll come round." Angela told Carter reassuringly, "I've known Dana a long time. She takes a while to process things and cool down before she sees the light."

It took almost twenty minutes, and Captain Mitchell moving to the marque to watch the screens with a somber face, before Carter developed the guts to check on Dana. He walked to the drivers side and climbed in, seeing her just staring straight ahead.

"My mom loved fireworks." She almost whispered it, "That's why I didn't want to make a fuss. There was complications when I was born, I came back from the hospital but she didn't. The fourth year anniversary, we were marking it by going to the town display but Ryan- you know. My father couldn't face it, they reminded him of her." She brushed a tear from her cheek, "She told him she found them to be magical... He didn't take me because it would break his heart."

Carter mentally kicked himself, "I didn't know Day... I'm so sorry, I just thought-"

"I thought I was helping protect him by agreeing every year but I was just letting him avoid it. He loved her but she wouldn't want him to be unable to watch fireworks with his children."

"If you guys want to go-"

"No... He needs it. He's a grown man, sooner or later he needs to face it. Ryan's having fun and it would seem ungrateful just to leave after all the trouble you all went to." She gave him a teary grin, "I'm sorry I was such a bitch... I'm guessing this was your doing?"

"Well, I thought it would be nicer to have New Years eve together."

"It is, I'm just being miserable." She laughed breathlessly, "I'll stop now..." She looked at Ryan again, "God, I haven't ever seen him smile like he really likes sparklers or the girl showing him them."

Carter grinned, "Little crush."

Dana laughed properly this time, "He told you that? That's sweet."

"I meant on the sparklers," he joked as he met her blue eyes, "He has a much bigger crush on Kelsey."

"At least he's enjoying himself. What about you? Your parents and the town-"

"I think they'd understand that right now, I'd much rather be here." Dana ducked her head away shyly, cheeks burning barely visible in the low light, but Carter could see it.

"I've never had someone organise anything like this before for me - I mean, not for me but for... I don't even know what I mean so if you understand then-"

"It was for you." He blurted without thinking. Dana tilted her head, an eyebrow cocked in a questioning way.

He shrugged in response, "You hadn't ever seen fireworks."

"I've also never left this state, does that mean you're going to take me to Las Vegas on a road trip when I graduate?" She jokingly said before speaking softer and quieter, "Is that really what you went to all this trouble over? Because you could've filmed the fireworks to show me... You put a lot of effort in just because I haven't seen fireworks? You skipped a yearly tradition for me..."

He looked down at his morpher, unsure of what to do. He hadn't thought this far ahead. No, of course that wasn't the only reason he had set up this surprise, but the other reason he couldn't exactly say to her without seeming pathetic.

A loud bang made both jump. Staring up into the sky, they saw the burst of gold, pink and green fading into the dark sky. A second rocket shot up, exploding with a loud crack into a red fountain type effect with smaller silver crackles showering down.

"They're beautiful... I see why Mom liked them so much." She spoke wistfully and Carter look to her to see her smiling up at the sky, "Now I feel awful about what I said."

"Don't, it was justified."

"It wasn't... Is this why you've been distant the past few days?"

"Kinda... I didn't want to ruin the surprise, even if it went down like a lead balloon."

"Hey Dana!" The pair looked out the passenger side window as Ryan approached with a dead sparkler in his black gloved hand, "Can these things burn you?"

Dana raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Did Kelsey not go through firework safety with you?" She opened the door and climbed out, Carter took this to be his cue also, "Definitely if you try to do one without gloves on."

"That explains why she forced it on." Ryan tossed the stick over his shoulder, "Wait, you didn't want to do one right? 'Cause I kinda used them all."

Dana smiled almost motherly, "No, I think I'm good with watching the actual fireworks." She pointed up as two rockets exploded at once, creating an overlapping of silver and red sparkles, "Pretty right?"

Ryan shrugged, "Yeah, they're okay... But you're not holding them in your hand."

"I don't suggest you do hold it."

"Come on Danny, im not an idiot." Ryan rolled his eyes, "Dad wants a picture, you know, for the Ranger records."

"Okay, be there in a second. Go get the others."

Ryan glanced from Dana to Carter before nodding as if he had an understanding of the situation. He walked off to the now squabbling Green and Blue Rangers and Carter began to follow when Dana caught his sleeve.

"Wait." She spoke almost nervously, "Do you remember that game we were playing when on patrol?" Dana asked, changing the subject so rapidly Carter was taken back.

"Yeah- what would you at that moment do if you could."

"And you said that you would get a slice of pumpkin pie from the bakery because it makes you think of Christmas?" He nodded, completely unsure of where this was going, "And I couldn't think of anything? Well, I lied... There was something."

"Okay? What was-" he was cut off as she quickly leaned up and kissed him, taking him by surprise. He took a second to establish what was happening before he was capable of responding by placing his hands on her waist.

She smiled as she pulled back coyly, "So... Yeah. That's my answer."

"In that case, I lied too... My real one was pretty similar to that."

"I figured it would be a little embarrassing in the Rover, and a problem seeing as you were driving." She blushed and brushed her hair from her face, "And seeing as you did all this, I thought I should come clean..."

"Tradition's midnight you two!" Kelsey shouted from across the plain which made both go awkward.

Dana kicked at the ground, "I didn't think they were watching, I could've in the Rover really."

"At least you haven't had Kelsey turn up at your workplace, explaining to a firefighter why I can't get you to go on a date with him because I like you. That was more embarrassing."

Ryan came bounding up again, grabbing Dana's arm, "Look, as much as I'm glad you two have got that outta the way, Dad wants a picture so, move." He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder with a squeal and kicks from her. He looked at Carter, "Don't make me do this to you."

"No need, lets go." He said though a fixed grin at Dana's protests and thumping on Ryan's back.

Everyone appeared to enjoy the night, particularly Ryan. Carter knew from the occasional caught glances when Dana was talking to her father or teasing Ryan about Kelsey (something Carter would probably regret telling her about) that she was enjoying it too.

His gamble had paid off, thankfully.

[A/N]

Greg- Hey guys, just me doing the A/N today! I thought, seeing as it has been quite a while since we updated anything (well, other than Matchmaking on Christmas Day) that we owed you big time so... I wrote a New Years one-shot.

Sam and I figured that we could have a one-shot album so any requests or random ideas we have can go here. That means we might get more up than before. We apologise for the long wait with Blade of Aurora and Matchmaking, both are waiting for Sam to update (and have been for a good two months or so) but she has been busy with her family, University and I think she has writers block, she has a habit of not telling me when she does.. Im seeing her today so will help her then. We hope to get a chapter of B.O.A up this week or next.

In the mean time, if you have any requests for one shots, or short mini-fics, that you'd like us to do, both of us or just Sam or just me, then leave it in a review or pm u. We'll get back to you to talk it through :). We accept any character/Ranger group.

I hope you liked this one and hope to see you again soon.

Happy New Year! :)