The Forgotten Bradley

Chapter Nine: Adjustments

by angellwings

Geenie sat next to Shane on the couch in the break room at Storm Chargers. Hunter and Blake watched her as she tilted her head back and laughed loudly at something Shane had said. She lightly swatted at his arm, and shook her head at him playfully.

"What exactly happened while we were out of the loop?" Blake asked as he eyed the pair.

"I don't know, but they look pretty cozy." Hunter said with a protective edge to his voice.

"Yeah, looks like Shane's got a thing for Imy, bro." Blake said with an amused chuckle.

"It's not completely one sided, you know." Tori said with a grin.

"Really?" Hunter asked thoughtfully.

"Please, Geenie is so flirting with him too." Tori chuckled, "It keeps becoming more and more obvious to every one but them."

Hunter risked a look in Blake and Tori's direction, and was tempted to make a crack about the two of them. But held off when he saw the glare Blake was giving him. He looked back over at his little sister. He didn't know how he felt about her interest in Shane or Shane's interest in her. He was protective always had been. He was very cautious about who he let in to the Bradley circle especially where Geenie was concerned.

"Are they still at it?" Dustin asked as he joined the group, "I guess I better go interrupt. She's supposed to be at the beach to instruct surfing in about five minutes."

"How long have they been sitting there?" Tori asked him.

"Since her lunch break about an hour ago." Dustin said with a chuckle.

Tori shook her head and smiled, "And to think they used to barely be able to tolerate each other."

"I know right? a lot can change in a short amount of time." Dustin said as he left them and headed for the couple on the couch. Geenie stood and handed Dustin a poster tube before heading for the front door. As they headed for the sales floor Shane and Hunter's morpher's beeped, and Sensei asked to see them immediately.

"I'll see you later, right?" Shane asked Geenie before he and Hunter headed out the door.

"Yeah, just meet me at the beach at 4:00." She told him with a nod before following the two of them out.

"What's later?" Hunter asked as he tried to sound casual.

"Nothing really, Shane's bringing his niece and nephew by for a private lesson that's all." She told her brother with a smile. She waved another good bye and then hopped in her Xterra and drove away.

They both watched her drive away before either said anything.

"So, dude, are you making the moves on my sister?" Hunter asked him bluntly.

"What? No." Shane answered automatically, but it didn't really look like he meant it.

"That's good because, you know, you're not really her type." Hunter stated simply with a nod, "She's more into professional types."

"Professional types? What does that mean?" He asked him in confusion.

"Oh, you know, wealthy, sophisticated, charming...that sort of thing." Hunter told him. It was true every guy Geenie had gone out with seriously was a future pioneer of something and pretty much guaranteed to be successful.

Shane didn't know how to respond to that, and he wasn't quite sure if it was an insult or a compliment. But he'd decided just forget this conversation ever happened because he knew he wasn't trying to make any moves on Geenie. He wasn't, at least he didn't think he was.

Geenie got a call on her cell phone during her break. It was Blake asking her to meet him and Hunter at the Skate Park. He hung up before she could ask why. Her next class wasn't for another hour so she decided she could go. And now here she stood beside Blake while Hunter put on his helmet.

"Hunter, are you sure you want to do this? It's not as easy as it looks." Geenie told him, "I mean Shane's been doing this for years. He's phenomenal."

"I'll be fine, if Shane can do it so can I." He said as he found a place to start.

She gave Blake a worried look and sighed, "What ever you say."

He fell flat on his face after his first attempt. She and Blake winced and Blake gave him a hand up.

"What do you call that?" He asked with a grin.

"I'm just getting loose." He said as an excuse.

"Yeah, so is your board, bro." Blake said in amusement.

"I gotta beat this guy. I don't care what I have to do." Hunter said as he got ready to try again.

"My advice to you: get a stunt double." Blake said with a grin.

They both winced again as the board came out from underneath him.

"I think I'm gonna go wait on my next class, you boys have fun." She said as she shook her head and Hunter. She didn't understand the whole competitive vibe that was coming off of Hunter at the moment.

As she was wrapping up her 2:00 class her morpher beeped, and she quickly made her way to Ops. The others arrived at the same time she did.

"We've got a robotic, boxing, kangaroo on the loose." Cam told them in a dull tone.

"A boxing kangaroo? Are you serious?" Geenie asked him with a sigh.

"Unfortunately yes, I am." He said as he shook his head.

"Wait, where are Shane and Hunter?" Tori asked as she glanced around the room.

"They are still training." Sensei answered.

"Still?" Dustin asked.

"Yeah, I've set up surveillance so you guys can see this. It's actually kind of amusing." Cam said with a grin as he set his lap top on the small table for them to see.

"So, let me get this straight there's a kick boxing, robo-kangaroo bouncing around Blue Bay Harbor and they're out playing follow the leader?" Tori asked in disbelief.

Hunter and Shane took a break from running and sat down on a near by bench, but not before checking out a couple of girls that jogged past them.

"Good run." Shane said through labored breathing.

"Wait, did you just give me props?" Hunter asked.

"Hey, don't get all weird on me. I'm just saying..."

"That maybe Sensei has a point." Hunter finished for him.

"The guy's usually pretty right on," Shane said as he shook his head, "That's why he's the teacher."

"I'm used to it just being me and Blake and Geenie. No parents, no one to answer to except for each other." Hunter tried to explain.

"Hey look, you got us now. All of us. We look out for each other. That's the way it's gotta be." Shane told him sympathetically.

"I hear ya." Hunter said with a half smile. He waited a few minutes before asking Shane a question, "So are you into my sister or what?"

"Dude, I told you. We're just friends." He stated in exasperation.

"But that does not mean you're not interested." Hunter said with a grin.

Shane looked over at him cautiously, "Would it be so bad if I was?"

Hunter eyed him warily before answering, "I guess not. I could think of a lot worse guys."

"Thanks." Shane said sarcastically, "Let's go."

The two of them stood up and started their run again.

Later that day Hunter and Shane ran into Bop-a-roo again, and called for the other rangers this time. Zurgane, Marah, and Kapri joined him toward the middle of the fight. Geenie found herself facing Zurgane. With her scythe's out, and doing the best she could of blocking his attacks alone. She finally got a hit in with her blades across his arm, and Dustin and Tori joined her to fight him. Hunter and Shane combined their energies to weaken Bop-a-roo, and the rangers combined the Blaster and the Striker to form the new Canon. Which took down Bop-a-roo after the other three retreated. Then the standard zord battle ensued which if course ended in the alien being finally destroyed.

She didn't go with the rest of them back to Ops. She had a class that started at 3:30 and she needed to be back at the beach. This was the first day of a beginners class, and normally they didn't even go in the water on the first day. Especially during a thirty minute session. So, she taught them what to do in the water on land. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Shane, two little kids, and a woman. She assumed that was his sister and her children.

She smiled at them before dismissing her class and waiting for them to clear out. She walked over to them and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Geenie Bradley, it's nice to meet you." She said as she stuck her hand out in the woman's direction.

"I'm Ashton, it's very nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you I feel like I know you already." She said with a friendly smile.

"You have?" She said as she eyed Shane suspiciously.

He grinned sheepishly, and shrugged.

"Oh yeah, Shane talks about you all the time." She said again.

Shane's eyes widened a little, "Aaash."

"Oh, sorry, was I not supposed to say anything?" She asked him.

He sighed, "Never mind."

Geenie chuckled at him and grinned.

"These are my twins, Sasha and Luke." She said as she introduced the two nine year olds.

"Hi guys," Geenie said with a smile, "Are you ready to learn how to surf?"

"I've been ready...all day." Sasha said with a sigh.

"It's not my fault I had to stay after school." Luke said defensively.

Sasha looked at him like he'd grown a head, "Yes it is, it's exactly your fault. You're the one who put the tack in Ms. Wilson's chair, remember?"

Geenie chuckled softly. That was how she and Blake had been through out school. They were in the same grade and because they were adopted siblings they were usually assigned to the same class as well. Blake would always cause trouble, but because he was so quiet the teachers thought he could do no wrong and never once suspected him of anything. Hunter was very protective of her, and Blake was slightly. But she could always get him to help her sneak things past Hunter. For example Hunter still had no idea his baby sister had a belly-button ring or a tattoo on the back of her right shoulder blade. And he wasn't going to find out any time soon either. The two kids went and got their boards out of their mom's van. She knew those boards. She'd customized them herself. Shane bought them a few weeks back for the twins' birthday. They patiently waited to begin, and she smiled. She told them to lay their boards on the sand, and basically retaught the class she just ended. Except she did let them wade out a short distance on the boards. Just to get used to being on top of the water. Ashton and the twins left shortly after the class was over. They were going to have lessons again tomorrow at the same time. Shane stayed behind to talk to her, but she told him she needed to get her Rashguard off first it was about to drive her crazy. She peeled it off and threw it in the back of her Xterra revealing her bandeau underneath, and inadvertently showing him the shooting star tattoo on her right shoulder blade.

"Somebody's got a rebellious side." Shane said with a chuckle, "Nice tattoo."

"Shit, you can't tell Hunter. He'll kill me." She said as she turned around to reveal her belly button ring as well. It was a simple magenta stud.

Shane grinned, "Can I tell him about the belly button ring?"

She looked down at her stomach and sighed, "Great, please don't say anything?"

He laughed, "Don't worry I'll keep it to myself."

"Thank you." She said with a relieved chuckle.

"So, do you always do things your older brother disapproves of?" He asked slyly.

"No, it was just these two." She told him, "The trouble with Hunter is that he still sees me as that little six year old he had to save from the neighbor's pit bull of a cocker spaniel. He doesn't realize that I'm 18, and can take care of myself reasonably well. I mean I know that he's my brother and he just wants to look out for me, but at a certain point...he's gonna have to step back."

She slipped on a pair a cut off shorts and a magenta tank top.

Shane nodded, "You want to go get dinner?"

"With you?" She asked.

"No with Zurgane." He answered sarcastically.

"Hah, hah, you're hilarious. You know what I mean." She told him with a mock glare.

"Well, why not? You haven't eaten, I haven't eaten, we both have openings in our schedules." He said with a grin.

"Okay, sure." She said with a smile and a nod.

"Great, and judging by the way your dressed...I think I have the perfect place." He told her with a wink.

"If you even park near Hooter's I will kick your ass." She told him in warning.

He laughed at her, "Did I say I was thinking about Hooter's?"

"You didn't have to." She told him with a playful glare.

"There's this burger joint down the road. Does that sound cool?" He asked.

"Sounds great, I'll just follow behind you in your jeep." She told him as she pulled her hair out of it's pony tail, and tousled it around a bit.

He watched her walk around to the driver's side and grinned. She looked good for some one who wasn't even trying. She looked good in general.

Now he had a feeling this was considered a "move" no matter which way you looked at it. It was dinner. Granted it was a greasy burger joint, but it was still dinner.

Although, he wondered if she realized what he was trying to do.

Probably not.

TA DA! Chapter Nine! Yay! I had fun with this one. I hope you guys did too!

angellwings