Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or anything associated with it. Some of the early dialogue is quoted from episode 17 of Power Rangers Samurai.

Rating: K

Summary: Jayden already has a lot on his mind, the last thing he needed was to have to worry about Antonio and Mia as well. Jayden/Mia, begins from 'Broken Dreams' and dithers off into its own little AU :p

A/N: Hi all! First attempt at a Fanfiction in a looooooooooooong time, and first ever Power Rangers Fanfic. I'm from Australia (as such, I apologise for any 'weird' spelling), and we're a bit behind, so I'm constructing this from the little bits and pieces I have seen of the more recent episodes. I love the Jayden/Mia idea, and have spent the last few days obsessing about it (not great when I have assignments and am meant to be studying for exams!). I didn't even contemplate the possibility of Jayden/Mia as a couple until episode 15, but I think we got our first big hint in episode 17 ;-) Enjoy!

SECRETS

Chapter 1: Caught off guard.

Jayden went through the paces by himself while Emily, Kevin and Mike practised on the dummies. He went through the motions with his kendo stick: step, slash, step, slash, abrupt turn. Begin again. He knew the moves so well by now that he allowed his mind to wander as he went through the repetitive motions. Well, that was not entirely true, his mind wasn't wandering so much as obsessing. No matter what he did, he could not clear the memory of his conversation with Deker from his mind.

We're both warped. Twisted.

Jayden had been caught off guard with the words. He had never thought he would have anything in common with Deker, but this was a truth he couldn't deny. He thought again of the great secret he kept hidden from his friends. How he despised it. While it must be kept hidden, he could never truly be as close to his team as he wished. There was always a barrier between them. A barrier they noticed, but did not question. A barrier he could not forget.

"Dude," Mike interrupted Jayden's reverie. "Dude, you just stopped. It was like you were a million miles away. You okay?"

"It's nothing," Jayden said without turning to look at Mike, a frown still etched on his face.

Kevin and Emily also expressed their concern, but Jayden turned away. As he did so, he noticed Mia walking out of the house.

"Have you finally decided to join us for practice?" Kevin asked. Emily gave a slight chuckle.

"Oh, no," Mia smiled ruefully. "I told Mentor that I'm cooking dinner tonight."

"Oh, no!" Kevin exclaimed before he could stop himself. Seeing Jayden turn to glare at him, he quickly recovered by saying, "I mean, what's the special occasion?"

"Antonio's been working so hard to program the black box, and I wanna do something special for him," Mia told them conspiratorially. Jayden heard the words and felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Surely not. When did this happen? How did this happen? How did Mia develop feelings for his best friend without Jayden even noticing?

He stormed off into the house as he heard Mia call back to the group, "Hope you're hungry!"

"Bummer for Jayden, man," Mike said. "First Octaroo poisons him, now this?"

"Be nice!" Emily scolded him, lightly slapping his shoulder. She had an uneasy suspicion that it wasn't the prospect of Mia's cooking that had upset Jayden. She only hoped she was wrong, she didn't want to see her friend hurt.

Jayden had no idea what he was going to do when he entered the house. Sulk in his room? Confront Antonio and ask him what was going on, whether he knew? Neither option seemed especially appealing, so Jayden settled for getting himself a glass of water.

As he gulped the liquid down, he turned his frustration on himself. What did it matter if Mia liked Antonio? He should be happy that two of his closest friends had found happiness in each other. The uncertainty he was feeling was surely just apprehension of how it would affect their duty. Mia, he reflected, would remain professional. Antonio, he was not so sure.

Putting the empty glass down on the counter, he walked towards to lounge to see how his friend was getting on with the black box. Antonio was hunched against the table, panting and sweating. Mia was right; he had been working very hard to complete the device. Jayden could not help but appraise Antonio as he watched him without the latter knowing. Jayden had never been concerned about his appearance, but looking at Antonio now, he felt insecure about his looks for the first time in his life. Antonio was certainly much better looking than he was. What's more, Antonio was a lot more fun. And open. The fisherman and Mia both had very open personalities that would suit each other, if Jayden was honest with himself. And at least Antonio did not have a secret to hide.

Frustrated and confused as to why he was comparing himself with Antonio, Jayden headed back outside. He needed to practice. He needed to be ready for the next time he saw Deker. Everything else would have to wait.

And that's a wrap for chapter one, folks! Sorry it's a bit short, it's just meant to really get the ball rolling ;-)

Hope you enjoyed it! Please review so I know how it's going and can improve!

All comments are very welcome :-D

xxGoose