Disclaimer: Taylor, her team, and Eric all belong to BVE. Anyone else wandering about belongs to me.
Rating: PG-13, for some suggestive scenes and slightly mature discussion.
Author's note: I've had this plot bunny since Rach first posted up "Fire and Ice", and turned me on to the possibilities of Eric/Taylor. Even though this fic is influenced by that story, it does not take place in the same universe.
Inside Out
By Selma McCrory
Copyright 2002
Taylor awoke, but not to the sounds of nature.
Even though she had a physical address in the world below, she spent most of her nights on the Animarium, falling asleep to the cries and calls of creatures and zords. But not last night, and not the last three Saturday nights previous. No, the last three Saturday nights she'd spent with Eric, first working out together and then ending up in bed together. His bed.
She had to admit that Eric wasn't as bad as he'd initially seemed, though he did have his rough spots. However, unlike the four male Rangers on her team, he was actually… interesting. A challenge. Someone who understood but wasn't someone she saw every day, unlike her teammates.
Taylor stretched and got out of bed, searching for her clothes. They were enough to tide her over, at least until she could get back to the Animarium for a change of clothing. Eric was still asleep and would likely be asleep for a while. Besides, they could have an argument later; right now she wanted to get back to the Animarium to eat breakfast.
Finding her clothes from the day before, Taylor slipped into them and with a look back, left.
* * *
Taylor found her way onto the Animarium without incident, and was shortly greeted by her zord, flying overhead. She smiled at it, knowing that she had some kind of connection to it she didn't quite understand, but was willing to accept. After her zord had passed, a smaller, almost identical call came from an eagle perched on a nearby tree. Another call answered it. *Two* eagles. Taylor had read up on the birds after she'd been chosen by the Eagle Zord, and she thought from the sound that this indicated a mated pair.
"Hi, Taylor!" Alyssa called, greeting her with a grin. "Breakfast's ready."
Alyssa's greeting alerted the rest of the team, not to mention Princess Shayla, and she was showered with various and sundry greetings, including a teasing one from Max. Taylor tried not to let Max's juvenile teasing get to her. The whole team knew that she was spending Saturday afternoons and evenings with Eric, and if Max privately had a problem with that, that was fine with her.
Her phone beeped, and she answered it. "Hello?"
"Taylor." Eric's brief greeting was layered with morning gruffness. Eric was not a morning person. "Where are you?"
"Animarium," she replied briefly.
Eric made a noise. "Couldn't you have stayed?"
"I had stuff to do," she said. "You knew that." Admittedly, it was only going shopping with Alyssa, but she still couldn't deal with being with Eric for long periods of time. As a sometime sparring partner, a sometime bed partner, yes, she liked him. But she couldn't live with him.
"Right." Eric's voice was tinged with disbelief.
"Eric, I'll talk to you later." And without bothering to say goodbye, she hung up, returning to breakfast and teasing.
* * *
Taylor was not a shopper. Whenever she shopped, it wasn't a casual sort-through of items, it was a meticulously-planned expedition to the store with a list and a glare at any salesperson that dared approach. Alyssa, however, was not that way, and Taylor resigned herself to watching the other woman as she sorted through the items. The big discount store didn't have things in any sort of order at all, so Alyssa was gleefully sorting through a rack of jeans of random sizes and styles. Not Taylor's idea of fun, though it did keep her occupied… and she doubted Eric would walk into this warehouse place. She doubted the men's section was any more sorted than the women's.
But Alyssa finally found some clothes that she liked, and Taylor wandered around aimlessly while her friend tried the clothing on. She had to keep reminding herself that this place was better than spending time at the Animarium and have Max tease her about Eric, or having to deal with Eric. And Eric knew her home phone, and seemed to have this sixth sense when she was available.
Finally, her friend and teammate made her way out of the changing room with a considerably smaller bundle of clothes, and the look that said she was finished. Which meant Taylor could get out of there. She followed Alyssa to the checkout, letting the other chat all the way to a nearby restaurant.
Taylor didn't mind Alyssa's eager chatting until she hit the team's favorite topic of conversation beyond the Orgs – Taylor's current relationship with Eric, which had displaced Merrick's speculated relationship with Shayla, at least until that Ranger was a little bit more sociable. Plus, as much of a mystery Merrick was, the team gossips seemed to prefer Eric for pure potential… especially since he was a Ranger from another team.
"So… what *have* you and Eric been up to?" Alyssa asked, and Taylor knew that despite Alyssa's best efforts, what she told the other ranger would eventually get back to the rest of the team.
"Not much… we sparred yesterday, and then had dinner, and then I crashed on his couch." Which wasn't the truth, but the team didn't need to know about what she and Eric did to work out their aggressions.
"He must be a pretty good cook."
Taylor shook her head. "Not really. We had TV dinners." Which wasn't true, either, but Eric would die if the word got out to the Wild Force team that he could cook. "It was pretty boring, actually."
Alyssa smiled as if she knew everything that Taylor wasn't telling her. "I'm sure you enjoyed yourselves."
Shrugging, Taylor answered, "He makes a good sparring partner."
Alyssa only smiled wider, but Taylor was interrupted by a bird crying in the trees. A disturbingly familiar cry. She looked up at the tree to see another eagle… no, two again. Two eagles. Behind her, she could hear someone say, "That's awfully low for an eagle, don't you think?"
She ignored the overheard comment, but wondered herself. Alyssa gazed at them. "I guess we might have some eagles nesting in Turtle Cove."
Taylor could only nod. It seemed to be her day for eagles.
* * *
As she walked into the Animarium two days later, she heard an eagle cry and inwardly sighed. She'd seen more of her representative bird than she ever really wanted to see, in several varieties. It was one of those weeks where unrelated events seemed strangely related. At least the Org attack had gotten her attention away from the coincidence. And then she'd see Eric on Saturday and she'd be otherwise occupied again.
"Taylor? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Cole asked, walking towards her. He had such an unusual expression that she found herself agreeing without realizing it, and the leader of the Wild Force team drew her aside, into the jungle.
"What is it, Cole?" she asked.
Cole looked abashed. Actually embarrassed. While it would be possibly endearing, sometimes, right now, she had better things to do than watch Cole act like a puppy dog. "Uh… I've been talking to the zords."
"And?" She asked. Cole mainly talked to his own zord, though she knew he could talk with all the other zords, as well as ordinary animals.
"Well… your zord says you've been busy."
"I have," Taylor said, starting to feel cross.
"And I've been talking to some of the eagles here."
"And?" Taylor asked.
"Uh… Taylor, do you know you're pregnant?"
"Pregnant?" Taylor echoed, before it hit her.
Rating: PG-13, for some suggestive scenes and slightly mature discussion.
Author's note: I've had this plot bunny since Rach first posted up "Fire and Ice", and turned me on to the possibilities of Eric/Taylor. Even though this fic is influenced by that story, it does not take place in the same universe.
Inside Out
By Selma McCrory
Copyright 2002
Taylor awoke, but not to the sounds of nature.
Even though she had a physical address in the world below, she spent most of her nights on the Animarium, falling asleep to the cries and calls of creatures and zords. But not last night, and not the last three Saturday nights previous. No, the last three Saturday nights she'd spent with Eric, first working out together and then ending up in bed together. His bed.
She had to admit that Eric wasn't as bad as he'd initially seemed, though he did have his rough spots. However, unlike the four male Rangers on her team, he was actually… interesting. A challenge. Someone who understood but wasn't someone she saw every day, unlike her teammates.
Taylor stretched and got out of bed, searching for her clothes. They were enough to tide her over, at least until she could get back to the Animarium for a change of clothing. Eric was still asleep and would likely be asleep for a while. Besides, they could have an argument later; right now she wanted to get back to the Animarium to eat breakfast.
Finding her clothes from the day before, Taylor slipped into them and with a look back, left.
* * *
Taylor found her way onto the Animarium without incident, and was shortly greeted by her zord, flying overhead. She smiled at it, knowing that she had some kind of connection to it she didn't quite understand, but was willing to accept. After her zord had passed, a smaller, almost identical call came from an eagle perched on a nearby tree. Another call answered it. *Two* eagles. Taylor had read up on the birds after she'd been chosen by the Eagle Zord, and she thought from the sound that this indicated a mated pair.
"Hi, Taylor!" Alyssa called, greeting her with a grin. "Breakfast's ready."
Alyssa's greeting alerted the rest of the team, not to mention Princess Shayla, and she was showered with various and sundry greetings, including a teasing one from Max. Taylor tried not to let Max's juvenile teasing get to her. The whole team knew that she was spending Saturday afternoons and evenings with Eric, and if Max privately had a problem with that, that was fine with her.
Her phone beeped, and she answered it. "Hello?"
"Taylor." Eric's brief greeting was layered with morning gruffness. Eric was not a morning person. "Where are you?"
"Animarium," she replied briefly.
Eric made a noise. "Couldn't you have stayed?"
"I had stuff to do," she said. "You knew that." Admittedly, it was only going shopping with Alyssa, but she still couldn't deal with being with Eric for long periods of time. As a sometime sparring partner, a sometime bed partner, yes, she liked him. But she couldn't live with him.
"Right." Eric's voice was tinged with disbelief.
"Eric, I'll talk to you later." And without bothering to say goodbye, she hung up, returning to breakfast and teasing.
* * *
Taylor was not a shopper. Whenever she shopped, it wasn't a casual sort-through of items, it was a meticulously-planned expedition to the store with a list and a glare at any salesperson that dared approach. Alyssa, however, was not that way, and Taylor resigned herself to watching the other woman as she sorted through the items. The big discount store didn't have things in any sort of order at all, so Alyssa was gleefully sorting through a rack of jeans of random sizes and styles. Not Taylor's idea of fun, though it did keep her occupied… and she doubted Eric would walk into this warehouse place. She doubted the men's section was any more sorted than the women's.
But Alyssa finally found some clothes that she liked, and Taylor wandered around aimlessly while her friend tried the clothing on. She had to keep reminding herself that this place was better than spending time at the Animarium and have Max tease her about Eric, or having to deal with Eric. And Eric knew her home phone, and seemed to have this sixth sense when she was available.
Finally, her friend and teammate made her way out of the changing room with a considerably smaller bundle of clothes, and the look that said she was finished. Which meant Taylor could get out of there. She followed Alyssa to the checkout, letting the other chat all the way to a nearby restaurant.
Taylor didn't mind Alyssa's eager chatting until she hit the team's favorite topic of conversation beyond the Orgs – Taylor's current relationship with Eric, which had displaced Merrick's speculated relationship with Shayla, at least until that Ranger was a little bit more sociable. Plus, as much of a mystery Merrick was, the team gossips seemed to prefer Eric for pure potential… especially since he was a Ranger from another team.
"So… what *have* you and Eric been up to?" Alyssa asked, and Taylor knew that despite Alyssa's best efforts, what she told the other ranger would eventually get back to the rest of the team.
"Not much… we sparred yesterday, and then had dinner, and then I crashed on his couch." Which wasn't the truth, but the team didn't need to know about what she and Eric did to work out their aggressions.
"He must be a pretty good cook."
Taylor shook her head. "Not really. We had TV dinners." Which wasn't true, either, but Eric would die if the word got out to the Wild Force team that he could cook. "It was pretty boring, actually."
Alyssa smiled as if she knew everything that Taylor wasn't telling her. "I'm sure you enjoyed yourselves."
Shrugging, Taylor answered, "He makes a good sparring partner."
Alyssa only smiled wider, but Taylor was interrupted by a bird crying in the trees. A disturbingly familiar cry. She looked up at the tree to see another eagle… no, two again. Two eagles. Behind her, she could hear someone say, "That's awfully low for an eagle, don't you think?"
She ignored the overheard comment, but wondered herself. Alyssa gazed at them. "I guess we might have some eagles nesting in Turtle Cove."
Taylor could only nod. It seemed to be her day for eagles.
* * *
As she walked into the Animarium two days later, she heard an eagle cry and inwardly sighed. She'd seen more of her representative bird than she ever really wanted to see, in several varieties. It was one of those weeks where unrelated events seemed strangely related. At least the Org attack had gotten her attention away from the coincidence. And then she'd see Eric on Saturday and she'd be otherwise occupied again.
"Taylor? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Cole asked, walking towards her. He had such an unusual expression that she found herself agreeing without realizing it, and the leader of the Wild Force team drew her aside, into the jungle.
"What is it, Cole?" she asked.
Cole looked abashed. Actually embarrassed. While it would be possibly endearing, sometimes, right now, she had better things to do than watch Cole act like a puppy dog. "Uh… I've been talking to the zords."
"And?" She asked. Cole mainly talked to his own zord, though she knew he could talk with all the other zords, as well as ordinary animals.
"Well… your zord says you've been busy."
"I have," Taylor said, starting to feel cross.
"And I've been talking to some of the eagles here."
"And?" Taylor asked.
"Uh… Taylor, do you know you're pregnant?"
"Pregnant?" Taylor echoed, before it hit her.
