Let's Make a Deal

Dana plopped down next to Carter in the Rec Room. "Hey," she greeted, trying to sound casual.

"Hi."

She was very close, Carter thought, close enough for him to smell her shampoo. The scent of vanilla infiltrated the defenses the red ranger had carefully built against his pink ranger, trying to avoid another ruined date for the time being. For good measure he'd sent Ryan out to the training fields to keep him away from Kelsey. Sometimes it was good to be red.

Dana moved her head slightly and Carter was hit with a fresh wave of the warm aroma. If it continued at this rate he'd have a hard time resisting his pink ranger for much longer. "You wanna watch a movie or something?" Dana wanted to know.

Carter thought. Maybe it would be a horror movie and she'd be afraid, maybe even wanting to seek comfort in his arms. He reconsidered avoiding her. One ruined date didn't mean he had to give up on the romance aspect of their relationship, especially if it meant Ryan would have pink hair for a month.

God he was cute when he was thinking, Dana noted, the now familiar giddy sensation in the pit pf her stomach returning at once. She was so caught up in studying him that his answer of yes barely registered.

"What do you want to watch?" he asked.

Dana didn't answer, but rather moved to the little television and began studying the pile of DVDs piled haphazardly around it.

"Everything here is either James Bond or chick flicks," she noted after a moment.

"You choose," Carter started, but then Joel burst in through the door, tugging a reluctant looking Angela Fairweather. Joel was clutching a copy of The Exorcist and looking very eager. "I don't mind of you two stay, but we're watching this movie. I've been waiting for Angela to agree for months now," Joel demanded. Angela rolled her eyes at her boyfriend but settled herself in beside Dana and patted the spot next to her for Joel to come and sit.

It certainly looked like Carter was about to get his wish of Dana being scared and wanting comfort.

There were twenty minutes left of the movie. Angela had her face buried in her hands, squeaking every time she dared to peek. Dana had seated herself in Carter's lap and she was looking as far away from the screen as possible. Every so often she would remember that Carter was holding her and that it was all just part of a stupid movie, that nothing could really hurt her and that really she was much farther along on the bet that Kelsey was. She grinned into Carter's shoulder.

"Anyone else say we stop it now?" Angela wanted to know. Dana nodded agreement and Carter made the vote three to one.

Joel stomped out of the Rec Room, scowling. Angela followed, leaving the red and pink rangers all alone again. Carter gave Dana an awkward pat on the back as she disentangled herself from the leathery folds of his jacket. "You OK?" Carter probed after a moment.

Dana considered this. "I'll be fine in a minute."

Damn it. Couldn't she have said that she'd have nightmares or something unless completely reassured, preferably by him?

"It's funny, isn't it, how we can face demons hell bent on resurrecting their queen and not once be afraid but one little movie has me quaking?" Dana offered after a silence barely long enough to notice.

"Don't worry about it, Day," Carter said softly. "Even I was a little shaky there for a minute."

"We never did get to finish that coffee date," Dana observed quietly.

Carter let out a bark of laughter. "Starbucks isn't going anywhere. We'll go again soon, and hopefully there won't be an emergency…which, knowing my luck, there always seem to be."

"You were as disappointed as I was?" Dana wondered in muted tones.

Carter nodded, locking his gaze with hers. Dana found herself leaning closer and closer still…she could taste the anticipation…

Kelsey bounced into the common room loudly.

A/N: Since Angela and Joel were married in the team up with Time Force, we'll pretend this takes place before it…