We Can Do Better
'Why are you being difficult?' Eric growled.
'I'm being difficult? Have you looked into a mirror lately? You're the one not taking no for an answer!' Taylor fumed back.
'What have you got to lose?' Eric snapped. 'Scared someone might think the great and mighty Taylor Earhardt actually has feelings?'
'You're being ridiculous,' Taylor glared at him.
'You know what, forget I ever asked,' Eric met her glare with one of his own. 'But don't bother calling again.'
Taylor watched him storm out of her tiny apartment and sank down onto the couch. Things were probably better this way, she reminded herself. But why did she feel like she just lost something important? She had friends, one more or less didn't really matter. Her friendship with Eric wasn't vital for the survival of her social life, or rather the pretence of having one. On the rare occasions she managed to get away from the base for a little, her friends usually had already made their own plans.
Just then her cell phone rang.
'Taylor,' she answered with a sigh.
'Hey, it's Alyssa. I was wondering if you were available to catch a movie? Cole is working tonight and I figured I'd see if you could escape the base. But you don't sound like you're good company right now.'
'No, I'd love to,' Taylor quickly contradicted. 'I'm already at my apartment and a girls' night out is just the distraction I need right now.'
'What happened?' Alyssa prodded gently.
'Eric asked me out on a date,' Taylor admitted and quickly pulled the phone from her ear as Alyssa squealed. 'Well, I'm glad to hear at least someone is happy about it.'
'Wait, you're not? You guys are perfect for each other and we were all wondering when one of you would have the balls to own up to it.'
'Taking bets now?'
'Why are you making it sound like a bad thing? He's a great guy and not exactly bad on the eyes either. And as an added bonus, you don't scare him off.'
'Relationships don't last, Alyssa. Why go through the trouble if it's going to end in heartbreak anyway?'
'Did you call Jen?'
'No.'
'Lucas? Katie? Trip?'
'No. Why?'
'Then how do you know it'll end up in heartbreak?' Alyssa argued.
'I just know,' Taylor told her friend with conviction.
'You're impossible. I'm picking you up in fifteen and on the way to the movies, you're calling Eric and telling him you'd love to go on a date with him and I don't want to hear a single word against it or I'll start dropping dirt on you. One date isn't a relationship yet anyway. It won't hurt.'
The connection was cut before Taylor could get another word in. For a moment she was tempted to turn off the lights and hide in her bedroom, but she knew her friend's determination wouldn't allow her to hide. The former yellow ranger quickly changed and was just grabbing her keys and wallet when she heard Alyssa's car pull up.
Alyssa shot her a sideways glance as she pulled away from the curb once Taylor was in the car and buckled up. 'Aren't you going to make that call now?'
'Forgot my phone,' Taylor smiled innocently.
The former white ranger was undeterred and narrowed her eyes, waving at the handbag by Taylor's feet. 'Use mine while you're dumping your stuff in my bag. Eric's number is in there in case of emergency, if you don't know it by heart yet. Oh, and you better put it on speaker, so I know you're not faking it.'
The blonde closed her eyes and cursed under her breath. Her friend knew her too well. She hated to admit it, but she did know Eric's number by heart. The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. Taylor grinned at Alyssa, but the other just rolled her eyes.
'Leave a message.'
'Myers, Alyssa is forcing me to go on that date with you. Let me know when you're available,' Taylor grumbled. 'Happy now?' she added, turning to Alyssa.
'Very,' Alyssa agreed. 'Oh and Eric, don't worry. I've got enough dirt on her she doesn't want Max to know that she won't be backing out at the last moment if she knows what's good for her.'
Taylor quickly cut the connection before her friend could add anything else. She still held the phone in her hand when it buzzed, indicating a text came in.
'Could you read that to me?' Alyssa asked.
Taylor paled when she saw it was from Eric. 'This Friday, pick you up at 7. Dress nice.'
That Friday at just before 7, Taylor saw Eric's truck pull up to the curb of her apartment building. He didn't come up to her apartment to collect her and she honestly hadn't expected him too. Taylor just gathered her things and went down somewhat reluctantly. Eric was watching her as she climbed into the truck.
He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as he started the engine again. 'Relax, I'm not going to bite.'
'You know I don't want to be here,' Taylor snapped. 'I don't want this date.'
'So think of it as just two friends hanging out if that makes you feel better. Just try and enjoy yourself at least a little.'
Taylor crossed her arms with a huff and silently turned to look out the window, ignoring the man next to her. The scenery passing by was all too familiar as they made their way back to Silver Hills. She did not recognize the part of the city Eric directed the car to and raised an eyebrow when he parked on a quiet street. Eric just shrugged and motioned for her to get out, opening his own door.
He lead her down the street, past a few quaint little shops. All were closed, but she noticed a small line outside one up ahead where light was shining on the pavement. Taylor looked at Eric again, but he only offered her a small, secret smile.
When they joined the back of the queue, Taylor finally realised why they were here as she spotted a poster in the shop window. The shop was a little bookstore and they were having a book signing this evening. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open.
'Still want to go home?' Eric's breath was warm against her ear and she suppressed a shudder.
'No,' Taylor admitted honestly. 'How did you know she's my favourite author?'
'I didn't,' Eric replied, smiling when Taylor turned to face him. 'I just figured this might be something you might enjoy doing.'
The blonde allowed a tiny smile to appear. As the line slowly moved forward, Taylor felt herself relaxing involuntarily. Conversation flowed easily and an hour later they stepped out of the store, both holding a signed copy of the author's latest book.
'Now was this really that horrible and should I take you home or do you wanna go somewhere else?' Eric asked when they reached his truck.
'Eric,' Taylor sighed. 'This isn't about dates being horrible, it's about relationships in general.'
'Why are you against relationships?'
'Eric…' Taylor glared at him.
'No, honestly, I'd like to know why I'm being shot down without ever even trying.'
'Because what's the point? They end in heartbreak and hating each other anyway. My mom walked out on me and my dad while he was out on a business trip. She left me at my grandparents. Grandpa was a mean drunk and one day my grandma had had enough. She died in jail. I tried this relationship thing once, but it turned out he just wanted one thing and he wasn't getting it just from me. And do you know what the current divorce rate is? It's 40 to 50% and that doesn't even count the broken relationships of unmarried couples and… Why are you smiling?'
'So you're a glass half empty kind of girl,' Eric said, stepping closer. 'I'm hearing 50 to 60% of marriages working out. You don't notice the relationships that are working because they cause less drama to notice. You're not your mom, Taylor, or your grandparents. I never knew my father. Later I realised that's because my mom didn't know who he was, there were so many. And I've been cheated on too. But all those people aren't us. We can be different because of our history.'
As he talked he kept moving closer. Taylor stepped back until her back hit the car. Eric stopped, leaving just an inch of space between them. He reached out and pushed her hair behind her ear. Running his hand down her jaw, the Quantum ranger captured her chin and slowly leaned in. Taylor's breath stuck in her throat and she couldn't move. His lips brushed over hers in a feature light touch, undemanding and barely there. Yet his kiss had Taylor go weak in the knees.
When he pulled back, she wanted to slap him. But another part of her longed for the lost touch.
Down the street a door opened and slammed shut again.
'We can do better,' Eric whispered to her.
A woman started screaming and cursing, banging on the door. Taylor wanted to look, but Eric still held on to her chin.
'We can do better,' he repeated, looking deep into her eyes. 'Give me a year to prove it.'
'A year is nothing,' Taylor countered. 'Many bad relationships makes it past a year.'
'It's not nothing, it's a start,' Eric countered. 'And we can do better.'
His breath brushed over her lips and her whole body yearned for his touch now. Forgetting all her arguments against it, she leaned in and kissed him.
Taylor looked up at the clock when the door opened. It was already well past midnight. Dinner sat long cold on the table in front of her. She glared at the figure stumbling in, obviously drunk.
'How nice of you to show up,' Taylor snapped.
Eric looked at her owlishly, slowly taking in her angry face and the dinner still set out on the table. It took a minute for the meaning to register. 'You said you'd be spending the night at the base,' he answered confused.
'And you took the opportunity to get yourself pissed?' Taylor growled. 'I only said that so I could surprise you with dinner for a change.'
'I didn't know you'd be here,' Eric replied slowly. 'I would've…'
'No, don't let me get in the way of your drinking. Of course you can have a life and go out with your friends for drinks,' Taylor interrupted. 'Just didn't think you would do it on a work night.'
'You could let me finish my sentences,' Eric snarled, anger starting to colour his voice.
'And you don't need to make up excuses for me if you want to spend time with your friends,' Taylor retorted. 'I just thought it would be nice if I made dinner for a change. But I guess the effort is wasted and we only spend time together on your terms.'
'My terms? I'm not the one living on an Air Force base most of the time and making it near impossible to spend any time together! I've been asking, begging, for months for you to stay over for a few days so I could spend time with you. So don't start putting this on me. I've been trying to make this, whatever this is, work, but obviously it means nothing to you for you refuse to make any effort. You are too scared of getting hurt to even try and have an actual relationship. Because this certainly isn't even close!'
'No effort?' Taylor shrieked. 'I took the day off just to surprise you! I cleaned your house and cooked you dinner that you didn't eat because you stayed out all night getting plastered. But if that's how you feel, well, I guess I'll just go. And don't worry, I'll be sure to leave your key. You won't be seeing me again.'
She stormed off to the bedroom, leaving Eric slack-jawed.
Five minutes later Taylor was still throwing stuff in her bag. How exactly her stuff hand managed to spread out so much in just three days, she didn't quite know. A tiny noise behind her warned her of Eric entering the room. He hovered somewhere near the door. Anger rose again as she shoved her toiletries into the bag.
'I'm not going to steal anything, you know,' she told him sharply without turning around.
'I'm sorry.'
The words sounded so foreign coming from his mouth and his tone of voice scared her just a little. He sounded broken. Taylor spun around and noticed his whole countenance fit his tone. His eyes were red and watery, like he was about to cry at any moment and his shoulders dropped. The image did not fit the Eric she knew at all.
'Eric?' she asked gently.
'Patrick died.'
The words were soft and she barely heard them. It took her a moment to remember who Patrick was. She had only met him twice. He and Eric had been recruits at the Silver Guardians together and were on the same squad before he became commander. They'd been friends from almost that first day. Patrick had taken the job of head of day shift security at the Bio Lab when the position opened up. He and his wife had just had their first baby back then and he decided to get a somewhat less dangerous job.
'The explosion at the Bio Lab that was on the news?' Taylor inquired, forgetting her packing and stepping closer.
Eric nodded. 'I was getting bullets shot at me while trying to break up the hostage situation at the bank and I haven't got a scratch on me. He was doing his rounds on his supposedly safe job and now he's gone. And did I mention he announced they were having their second baby just last week?'
In two long strides Taylor crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. Eric buried his face in the crook of her neck and clung to her. No tears fell, but he was shaking. Eric didn't let people close that easily. She'd learned that about him in the past months they'd been dating and he was letting her even closer than he did Wes. But for one of those people to suddenly disappear like that. Well, she could hardly fault him being hammered now. Besides, she thought as she tightened her hold on him, it could've just as easily have been him not coming home at all today.
'I'm sorry I got mad and didn't let you explain,' Taylor whispered as she ran her hand through his hair in comfort.
'I'm sorry I accused you of not making an effort. I know you do the best you can to work around our crazy schedules.'
'It frustrates me too sometimes. I've put in a request to move off base.'
'Please don't go? The only reason I agreed to go out and drink was because I couldn't face an empty house today. If I had known you were here, I wouldn't have gone out. I'm sorry I ruined your surprise and kept you waiting. I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have said it. I never said this was going to be easy or that we wouldn't have any fights. But please don't leave me. Not today.'
'I'm not going anywhere,' Taylor promised.
Eric woke up with a groan and a splitting headache. The bed next to him felt empty.
Carefully he opened his eyes and spotted a bottle of water and a bottle with aspirin on the nightstand waiting for him. His stomach rolled and he quickly bolted to the bathroom. Back in the bedroom Eric downed two pills and crawled back into bed. Just as he got settled, he heard footsteps enter the room and the matrass dipped next to him. A cool hand touched his face.
'How are you feeling?' Taylor asked quietly.
Eric just groaned and cracked open on eye. 'What time is it?'
'Ten ish.'
'Fuck,' Eric cursed softly and tried to sit up again. 'We should be at work.'
'I called us in sick,' Taylor assured him. 'Wes hadn't been expecting to see you come in today anyway. Or so he said. You get to nurse your hangover today and I get to nurse you. Let me know if you feel up to eating and I'll get you something.'
'Not now,' Eric groaned again.
Taylor moved to get up, but surprisingly, Eric managed to catch her wrist. 'Need something else?'
Eric tugged on her arm. The pull was stronger than Taylor had anticipated and she lost her balance, tumbling into bed next to Eric. He immediately pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. 'Yeah, you,' he muttered sleepily.
Taylor smiled and got comfortable. There were some things she wanted to do, but they could wait. A few hours held in the arms of her lover certainly couldn't hurt.
'We can do better,' she heard Eric mumbled just before he fell back asleep. And maybe, just maybe, he could actually be right.
Eric and Taylor sat in a restaurant enjoying dinner together. A woman walked up to the couple sitting a few tables away from them and threw a glass of wine into the face of the man, screaming her head off about him being a dirty cheat. Eric caught Taylor's eye and smiled.
'We can do better.'
Taylor sat on the couch watching the news. Boxes were scattered around the room in various stages of unpacking. The anchor started a new item on some high profile celebrity and their messy divorce. Eric walked up and handed her a cup of coffee before sitting down next to her, glancing at the TV. He caught her eye and shrugged.
'We can do better.'
The retailor was walking around a house.
'It needs a lot of work still, that's why it's priced so low for this neighbourhood. But if you can look past it and see the potential. It's a good house. Great square footage and it's a quite area with a good school and amenities close by.'
'I can do most of the work myself,' Eric said, eyeing the open walls and bare floorboards. 'It'll give us a blank canvas to really make it our home.'
'And he doesn't have to do it alone. I can work a power tool too,' Taylor smiled.
The retailor eyed them suspiciously. 'I'm not going to be putting it up for sale again in two months, am I? The couple selling this broke up over bathroom tiles.'
'We can do better,' Eric shrugged.
Everyone was gathered in the back garden for the housewarming party. Food and drink had been set out in the kitchen and everyone was enjoying themselves. Cole and Alyssa's one-year-old happily toddled around on the grass, while the adults ate, drank and talked happily.
Eric and Danny stood a little away from everyone near the empty flowerbeds. Danny had been more than happy to check out the dirt and give advice on what plants to get when Eric had asked him. Taylor could only smile at them, happy Eric appreciated her friends, even if they drove them crazy every now and then.
Suddenly Eric scooped up little Richard and pulled something out of his hands that he had been about to put in his mouth.
'Wes! That's the last time I let you help put up a fence,' he called across the garden, showing the nail in his hand. Richard happily adjusted to behind held on Eric's hip now and instead stuck his thumb into his mouth.
'Sure, blame me,' Wes shot back.
'I can guarantee you I didn't lose any. I told you to use the magnet.'
'Looks good on him,' Alyssa commented. 'He's good with kids.'
'So?' Taylor said, turning her attention back to her friend.
'So, this house has three bedrooms, doesn't it? And the two of you only use one,' Alyssa wiggled her eyebrows.
Taylor shook her head in exasperation. 'I liked you better when you were more reserved. Anyway, we never talked about it. I don't even know if he wants kids. Or if I want them, for that matter.'
'Hey Eric,' Alyssa called, interrupting the argument between Wes and Eric. 'Any chance of one of those bedrooms turning into a nursery?'
'Is that a hint you need us to babysit this munchkin?' Eric asked. 'Otherwise, I don't know. If Taylor wants kids, I'm game. If she doesn't, well then I'm happy to just have her.'
Taylor felt her cheeks heat up. 'I hate you,' she hissed to Alyssa.
At that moment the sounds of a heated argument drifted over from the backdoor neighbours and their teen daughter. Something about her sneaking out at night and being grounded. She screamed something back that her parents were jailers and she hated them.
'Yeah, that sounds really inviting,' Taylor rolled her eyes at her friend.
Eric had walked over and handed Richard over to his mom before stealing a kiss from Taylor. 'We can do better.'
Taylor nervously adjusted the cord of her robe when there was a knock on the door. She cursed under her breath, but went to answer. Their neighbour Janice immediately flung her arms around Taylor's neck when the door opened, tears in her eyes. Taylor awkwardly patted her back as she listened to a blubbered lamentation. Eric's truck pulled into the driveway and he raised an eyebrow at her as he got out.
'Remember Trevor?' Taylor asked as he walked closer.
'Jack's friend? Yeah.'
'Jack ran off with him, turns out he was more than Jack's best friend,' Taylor translated and Janice let out a pitiful wail.
'Called it,' Eric mouthed to Taylor as he passed them to get into the house. He patted Janice's shoulder and went to the kitchen to grab a beer.
'Your boyfriend is an ass.'
Taylor figured it was better for the situation to not point out to Janice that at least Eric was her ass.
'Watch out he doesn't run off with that friend of his. Him and that Wes guy are awfully close,' Janice warned.
'Wes is not my type,' Eric called from the kitchen. 'Too rich.'
It took them a few hours before they were able to convince Janice to go back home. Taylor had managed to escape her long enough to run upstairs and put on some clothes. Once Eric closed the door behind her, he turned to Taylor and gave her a look. 'Was that robe intended for me or Janice?'
Taylor grinned and him. 'Janice may have ruined my plans for tonight a little,' she replied.
Eric crossed the room in a few quick strides and gathered her in his arms for a searing kiss. 'Let's see what you had planned for me,' he whispered in her ear and pulled off her shirt in one fluent motion, stepping back to eye the red laced bra she was wearing appreciatively.
'I'd like to see Wes wear something like this for you,' Taylor joked.
'We can do better,' Eric promised with a laugh.
Taylor was wrapped in Eric's arms on the sofa in the Collins's family room at the manor. They'd been invited over for Christmas and had happily accepted. Cole and Alyssa had taken Richard to visit her father this year. Danny and Kendal were away on their honeymoon and Max was off touring the world again. So they had had no other plans when the invite came.
The doorbell rang just as Alan suggested they'd start opening presents, having opted to do that in the evening instead of Christmas morning. The staff had been given the night off, so Alan got up to open the door himself, waving Wes back in his seat.
He returned a few minutes later with a large grin and a familiar face trailing a little shyly behind him.
'Jen!' Wes exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. 'What are you doing here? Is there trouble?'
'I've quit my job at Time Force and been given leave to stay,' Jen explained. 'Merry Christmas?'
Wes gathered her in his arms and spun her around.
'He's done unwrapping presents for tonight,' Eric muttered in Taylor's ear and she let out a small laugh.
After Wes finally released Jen and a round of welcome they settled back in their seats and Alan handed out the presents from under the tree. Wes gave some of his to Jen to unwrap so she wouldn't feel left out, much to her amusement. After half an hour only one small square package remained. Alan picked it up and read the name.
'Taylor,' he said, handing her the present.
Curious, Taylor pulled off the wrappings and uncovered a black velvet jewellery box. She flipped it open and her breath caught in her throat. Nestled in the pillow inside was a simple rose gold ring with eight square cut rubies set into it. With tears in her eyes, she turned to a nervous Eric.
Their relationship had survived the year he'd asked of her. And the second year too. From barely being able to spend time together to her moving in with him and then buying a home that was theirs. They were nearing their third anniversary now and somewhere along the line, she'd come to believe him when he told her they can do better.
'Yes,' she breathed.
Taylor sat on the bed in their room at the mansion, toying with a rectangular box in her hands, the ring on her finger catching the light every now and then. Eric stepped out of the bathroom and joined her on the bed, looking curiously at the box in her hands.
'I don't remember that being in the pile under the tree,' he commented.
'It wasn't,' Taylor agreed.
'What is it?'
'Another present for you, but… I wasn't sure if I should put in under the tree.'
They sat quietly for a moment, both just looking at the box.
'Am I supposed to open it any time this year?' Eric teased.
Taylor shot him a sheepish look and handed over the box somewhat reluctantly. Eric raised an eyebrow at her as he took the box and opened it. It only took him a moment to realise what the two pink lines on the stick inside meant. 'I thought…'
'Remember that day Jack ran off?' Taylor interrupted.
'Yeah, but what…'
'I had my IUD removed that day,' Taylor admitted.
Eric's eyes grew wide. 'Well, that explains the welcome that would've been waiting for me. Why didn't you tell me?'
'You'd said you'd be game having a kid if I wanted to and… well… I didn't want it to feel like there was any pressure behind it. If it happened it happened.'
'I think you just gave me the best present yet,' Eric told her with a smile splitting his face. Taylor smiled back and Eric leaned in for a kiss when a muffled scream interrupted them. They looked at the wall and Eric shook his head. 'I was wrong before. Wes wasn't done unwrapping presents yet.'
Taylor bit back a giggle and moved closer, bringing her lips to his ear.
'We can do better.'