Comfort

Rubbing his temples with his fingers, Bridge tried to ease his headache back. He hated when it happened, and while they were nowhere near as bad as they used to be, sometimes emotions and thoughts slipped past his barriers.

As a kid, he'd hated his powers. Other kids treated him like a monster, like he was doing it on purpose. As he got older, he embraced his powers as they let him help people. But before he'd learned to control his powers, he'd been forced to keep his distance from everyone, so their thoughts wouldn't overwhelm his own. Now, he was safe to be with others, and he couldn't be more glad of it, having found a family in his B-Squad team.

Today, unfortunately, was one of the more hectic days. There was a cluster of new recruits, all with a high level of emotions running wild from their excitement, especially when they were being trained by the famous B-Squad.

Taking a breath, the Red Ranger - seriously, he was now the Red Ranger? He had been perfectly fine with being Green, and now he was Red? - calmed himself, rebuilding his walls that he'd been neglecting recently. Usually spending most of his time with Annie and the rest of B-Squad, his mind was safe, but he still needed to keep on top of protecting himself.

A hand rested gently on his arm, and even through his jacket sleeve, Bridge could feel the calm that came from the usually stormy Silver Ranger. He opened his eyes, meeting Annie's, and his headache immediately quietened down.

"Want us to take over? Spence is pretty much leading this," she whispered to him.

"Yeah, he's annoyed he can't see that pretty Purple scientist until we get these guys trained," Kayden smirked, making the others giggle. They were all very aware that Spencer was dating the Purple Dino Charge Ranger, even if he tried to hide it.

"I'm okay," Bridge insisted, grateful that his team had his back for times like this. But he was the Red Ranger, he needed to be there for them too. "Thanks," he nodded to Annie, who smiled back at him. He'd felt his empathy was a cheat, when it came to showing Annie his true feelings. He'd held back on doing so, until he sensed that she felt the same. But when he'd admitted that he was cheating with his powers to her, she just laughed and called him an idiot.

Slowly, she drew back to stand beside him, trying to maintain a professional appearance in front of the newbies, and he braced himself, but her quiet aura lingered and allowed him to focus on fixing his mental walls to continue the training session.

Eventually all the new recruits were on the ground, nursing bruises and groaning as they looked up at Spencer, who was fixing his glasses. After shooting his team a look to show that he had heard their earlier words, he turned his attention back to the group on the ground.

"You have potential, which is what has gotten you this far. Now you'll need to work as hard as you can and improve, to help keep not only New Tech City, but the world and other worlds safe from threats," he called to them.

"You mean threats like the one in Amber Beach?" one asked as he got to his feet.

"The Dino Charge Power Rangers have that handled," Syd spoke up first.

"If it's necessary, we'll step in and help them out. But they're doing well on their own," Bridge told them, and the recruits exchanged surprised looks. "You'll have target practice next, so go get ready," he instructed, and they saluted awkwardly before hurrying off.

"Come on Spence," Kayden laughed as he put his arm around the Gold Ranger's shoulders. "Let's go sort our patrols. The sooner we're done, the sooner you can go see-"

"Oh shut up," Spencer shoved him off, going red as Kayden laughed.

"But it's so cute!" Syd cooed, earning a glare too.

"You do spend a lot of time with her," Jacob supplied, smiling innocently.

"I honestly never thought I'd witness Spencer actually interested in someone," Z spoke up with a smirk as they all watched Spencer's blushing grow.

"You guys are the worst!" Spencer shouted, stomping off as they all laughed at him.

"You sure you're alright?" Annie asked Bridge as they left the training room. Bridge nodded.

"Was just a small headache. I'm fine," he insisted, smiling as he took her hand, fingers brushing the silver wedding band she had. Her concern was clear, even without his powers, but she accepted it, a little relieved. She never wanted to see him overwhelmed again.

"I have something I need to tell you," Annie said instead, pulling him down another corridor away from the others. He tilted his head, curious, but instead of saying anything, Annie kissed him. She rarely did so in public, especially without warning, but he liked when she did. Like he'd told her before, her aura was quiet - or relaxing, he couldn't figure it out - and soothed his mind, which was usually all go regardless of how many people were around. It was one of the reasons he'd fallen in love with her - so much so that the second she kissed him and he'd felt her own love, he'd blurted it out, feeling the mix of both his and her feelings.

Not that he meant to go prying into her emotions. He just couldn't help it around her. Annie frequently lost her temper, but when she was calm, it was comforting beyond belief to be around. And when she kissed him, that comfort drew him in.

Now, alongside the comfort, he felt a hint of excitement, but didn't register it, just enjoying Annie's kiss as he pulled her into his arms.

He pulled back sharply, however, when something else flickered in the back of his mind. He'd been so drawn in by the comfort that Annie provided, that he'd almost missed it. He stared at her, confused, as Annie tilted her own head in a mockery of his own before.

"What was..." Bridge started, trying to understand what he'd felt. Then it clicked. The excitement was the clue. "Wait, are you...?" Annie grinned, and nodded. "No way!" he laughed, lifting her up suddenly and making her laugh before kissing him again. He felt it again, a pulse of energy, not from Annie, but within. "I'm gonna be a dad?" he whispered, and Annie nodded as he set her down gently. "Now your dad really is going to kill me," he told her.

"My mum won't let him," Annie grinned at him, her excitement clear as day. "If she's not too busy crying about getting old again," she then buried her face into his neck as he laughed, hugging her gently. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too," he murmured back.


I always wished I'd gone further with Bridge's empath powers, which are so different to the rest of the team's powers. So I hope you like this little bit here.

Bridge and Annie are another pairing that I absolutely loved writing, especially with him seeing her as calm where the rest of the team see a brewing storm. They're just overall a fun pairing to write.

Hope you liked it!

Please review!