Nightmares and Milk Mustaches
Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) don't own Power Rangers, Disney does. I just thought I'd borrow the characters for awhile and write (or, try to write) something that all the Jack/Z fans like me would enjoy!
A/N: I got the idea for this while sitting in science class gag the other day. I know I'm not the greatest writer in the world, but I just love Jack/Z so much and felt like I had no choice but to write this! Hehe. Hope you all enjoy. Please review! (Remember, constructive criticism is always welcome!)
Jack woke up with a start, a cold sweat covering his entire body. He just had a nightmare, the same one he'd been having ever since the battle with the Orange-head Robot.
He dreamed that when he, Z, and the robot were teleported to the island, and they landed on the edge of the cliff, he wasn't able to grab Z's hand in time.
"Jack!" she cried, fear evident in her voice. "Jack, help me!"
"Z!" shouted Jack as he frantically reached for her outstretched hand, trying his best not to fall over the edge himself.
They both stretched as far as they could. Z's fingertips reached just far enough so that Jack could grasp them loosely.
"I'm slipping, Jack!" she panicked, trying to stretch her other hand far enough so she could grab his arm and he could pull her up to safety.
"I'm not gonna let you fall, Z." Jack promised determinedly, holding onto her fingers as tight as he possibly could. "I promise."
Even through Z's helmet Jack could hear her whimpering softly. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, hold her closely, and assure her that everything was gonna be okay. But… why? After all, she was just his friend… right?
"JACK!" Z screamed, snapping him back to reality.
It was then he realized that Z's fingers had slipped out of his grasp and she was plummeting down to what was sure to be her doom.
"NO! Z!"
As he watched her fall, a terribly strong sense of helplessness overtook him. It was like all of a sudden the world started spinning in slow motion. As she fell, Z screamed. Jack was still reaching for her, even though she was already gone.
Then, when Z finally hit the sharp rocks below, there was a very bright flash of yellow light. That's when Jack woke upnever before had he passed that point in his nightmare. Of course, he wasn't really sure if he did want to make it past that point.
Jack threw the covers off of him and swung his feet out of bed and onto the cold, tiled floor. If he wasn't gonna sleep, the least he could do was go grab a late night snack.
As he slowly made his way to the dining quarters, Jack ran his hands loosely through his hair. Why couldn't he stop having that horrible dream?
"It's probably nothing." he mumbled to himself as he finally entered the kitchen and walked over to the fridge.
"What is?" asked a familiar voice from behind him. He immediately recognized it.
"What are you doing up, Z?" Jack asked without even turning around to see who had just spoke.
"I should be asking you the same question." she smirked, hopping out of her seat and walking over to him.
After grabbing the carton of milk, Jack shut the fridge and walked over to the counter with Z tagging along behind him. He grabbed a small glass from one of the cupboards, poured it full, then quickly gulped it down.
"So?" Z prodded, leaning against the counter.
"Hmm?" Jack questioned after swallowing, directing his attention back toward her.
She immediately let out a loud shriek of laughter. Jack was afraid that she'd wake everyone else up, so he put his hand over her mouth to quiet her. Once she had calmed down a bit, he slowly pulled his hand away and let it fall back down by his side.
"What's so funny?" he asked in a hushed whisper.
"You have a milk mustache!" she giggled.
Jack brought his finger up to his lip, touched it, and brought it back in front of his face just to confirm that what Z had said was truehe, in fact, had a solid white milk mustache.
Shaking his head at how easily Z was amused, Jack brought his arm in front of his face and was preparing to wipe his mouth with his sleeve when Z stopped him.
"I'll get it." she offered, finally getting over her little giggle-fit.
Jack let his arm fall back down by his side once again and Z grabbed a paper towel. Her shoulders slightly shaking from laughing silently, she put it up to his lip and, with one quick swipe, it was gone.
"There." Z said, a sense of accomplishment in her voice.
Jack smiled along with Z. It didn't take them long to notice how close they were standing together. Jack could hear Z breathing; it was getting slower and deeper by the second.
"Jack?" she questioned, seeing that the distance between them was slowly closing.
Finally, their lips met. Z closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Jack's soft lips up against hers. Jack did the same, feeling as though he was liking it a lot more than she was.
They reluctantly pulled apart after almost a minute. Z bit her lower lip in embarrassment; Jack turned away completely.
"It's getting late, Cadets."
Jack nearly jumped out of his skin and Z gasped loudly. Together they slowly turned around to face the entrance to the dining quarters, verifying their worst fear at the moment. There, in the doorway, stood Commander Cruger. He had a sly, knowing grin on his face.
Z immediately turned away, knowing that she was furiously blushing. Jack cleared his throat several times before finally deciding to speak.
"Yes, sir."
Quickly, they both rushed past him and back in the direction of their sleeping quarters. Then suddenly, a thought hit Jack and he stopped dead in his tracks. Z noticed this and did the same, staring back at him with a confused expression.
"Uh… Commander?" Jack asked.
Cruger coolly turned on his heels and was facing Jack and Z once again. "Hmm?"
"I was just wondering… how, uh... how long were you standing there?"
Z held her breath, terrified of what the answer would be.
"Good night, Cadets." he laughed, turning around once again and walking into the kitchenleaving their question unanswered.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow." Jack mouthed to Z before they both raced to their rooms and crawled into bed.
