Getting this up quick cause half of it was written already. Don't know when I'll update again, though.

I was really uncertain about posting this. Because of how the story played out, I had to modify several things about "Reunited" to make it fit. I think its better that way so the original can still stand alone in a way, but I'm nervous about this version ruining the feel of the original. *sigh* I don't know. I guess you'll just have to let me know.

Please review!

Warning: Rated T.

To Be Reunited

Jessie soon found herself entering the "special prisoners" division of the prison, still being tugged along by the Hornet robot. The highest levels of security were integrated into that area, dozens of guards and cameras monitoring and scouting everything around them. Breaking out seemed utterly impossible and inexplicably dangerous.

Upon passing through the gates, the Hornet met up with and addressed a human guard, relaying the demands of their emperor. After a few minutes, the Hornet dismissed itself as the guard strode up to Jessie, his face hard and annoyed. He reached for his belt and grabbed a thick, white card that donned his name and picture on one side. He casually waved it over the wrist restraints trapping the cowgirl's arms, causing them to stop glowing and unlock. They fell to the ground with a thud.

"Let's get this over with." He muttered impatiently.

Grabbing her arm, the guard began to drag Jessie alongside him at a swift pace. The cowgirl had no choice but to follow him, stumbling a bit as she tried to keep up. They passed by several cells, some containing prisoners while others remained empty. After walking for a few minutes, the guard stopped abruptly.

Jessie peered around him and glanced into the cell they stood in front of. Within it, a figure lay slumped against the wall, his head lolled to the side and his eyes closed. The cowgirl's heart leapt into her throat at the sight.

She would finally be reunited with Buzz.

The guard waved the key card in front of a panel, causing the cell door to unlock and slide open. Without a word, he roughly shoved her into the cell. Her bare elbows scrapped against the polished metal flooring and she grunted from the painful shock of her impact. She should have known Zurg's goons considered fair treatment toward a wounded prisoner too respectable for their tastes. Cringing, Jessie began to unsteadily lift herself from the floor.

"You have ten minutes." The guard who escorted her barked.

"Give me at least two more to wake him." Jessie retorted, turning to him as best she could.

"Ten or nothing." He snapped with strict adamancy.

The cowgirl gave in, sighing heavily as she faced forward again. She hoisted herself onto her knees and looked up. The cell's transparent laser walls softly flushed a blue light on the ranger she requested to see. For a moment, she sat on her heels, observing the man across from her.

From what she could see, Buzz had several gashes and bruises covering his face and arms, giving him a haggard appearance. With his suit removed, Jessie could see his tousled, short-cut hair and his battered, motionless build. He slept in an uncomfortable sleep, his hands and lips twitching occasionally from some nightmare. Jessie had never seen him in such a vulnerable state and it began to worry her. The unrivaled prodigy and the fearless hero of Star Command looked utterly broken.

Jessie crawled over to Buzz and kneeled near his side. She placed a hand on the side of his face, rubbing her thumb gently on his cheek. He immediately responded to her touch and shifted in his sleep, murmuring something incoherent as he turned his face into her palm. Jessie smiled lightly and gingerly turned his face toward hers.

"Buzz." She whispered quietly, trying to wake him.

He remained asleep and unmoving, resting against her hold. She brought up her other hand to stroke his forehead, which felt unusually warm under her fingertips.

"Buzz." She addressed him with added conviction, hoping he would finally awake.

He shifted again except with livelier movements and motions, slowly emerging from his dreams. Jessie continued to hold his face as she watched him struggle awake until he finally jumped, instantly reentering reality. Buzz winced as he attempted to adjust his slumped position. As he straightened himself, he opened his azure eyes and found emerald ones staring at him.

The ranger gaped. For several moments, all he did was study Jessie's face, his eyes moving rapidly as he took in what he saw. The cowgirl sat uncertainly, her thin red eyebrows bending with sympathy. She knew why he looked at her like that and resolved to lean toward him slightly, her thumb rubbing his cheek again.

"Everything's okay, Buzz." She murmured, her eyes searching his."It's just me–"

Jessie did not have enough time to yelp when he launched his face to hers and claimed her lips in one rapid motion. She breathed in deeply, somewhat startled, but never broke the contact, instantly sensing Buzz's distress and anxiety through the impulsive passion he kissed her with. Yet, she suddenly found herself feeling relieved, her troubles, her stress, and her worry dissolving in the quick intensity of the kiss. Hungry for such relief, she fervently kissed him back and tenderly tightened her grip on his face, pulling him as close to her as possible.

Buzz tucked a hand underneath her jawbone, curling against the curve of her neck and adding his own tender pressure to her aching muscles. He deepened the kiss further and Jessie was forced to alter her kneeling position until she sat on the floor next to him. His other hand then snaked up her back until it reached the tangled locks of hair that fell about her shoulders. He weaved his fingers through the red mass until they became harmlessly entangled.

His lips continued to ceaselessly caress hers and she eagerly continued to comply with his advances. He eventually managed to pull her closer and she had to place her hands on his chest to support herself.

Buzz abruptly broke the kiss and hissed sharply from her touch. Jessie quickly pulled her hands back and folded them against her chest, watching nervously as the Space Ranger tried to ease his pain. He softly placed a hand to his breast and leaned against the cell wall heavily. With every suppressed groan and every heavy breath, the cowgirl winced, feeling more and more helpless as the seconds passed.

"Oh, Buzz…" She choked as she tilted her head downward.

"Jess…"

Jessie quickly looked up. He still struggled to alleviate himself from his physical agony, but he steadily stared at her, his azure irises boring into her troubled mind. Suddenly, a single tear escaped from those intoxicating eyes, cleaning off the dirt and blood that crossed its path as it spilled down his cheek. Jessie felt her own heart wringing raw emotions throughout her entire being, to a point where she could barely control them. The kiss had unlocked the heavy feelings they tried to hide for so long.

The cowgirl crawled once again to the ranger's side. That time, she delicately slipped her hands in his and squeezed them tightly. Slowly, his tense muscles began to relax. She continued to gaze at their hands, idly observing the callousness each had from the vigorous mission they failed before their imprisonment.

"I thought you were dead."

Jessie's eyes shot up to Buzz's face, watching him grimace uncomfortably. She pursed her lips together and tightened her hold on him further, feeling an unecessary sensation of guilt. He slipped a hand from hers, however, and reached beside him, pulling out something she did not notice before. She gasped lightly as he removed her red hat from the shadows and presented it to her shakily. For a long moment, she just stared at it, unsure about what to say. Eventually, she just laughed slightly and gently grabbed a hold of its brim.

"I thought I lost this for good." She murmured quietly. "But no, I survived the crash jus' fine. I was injured in the side from my ranger suit, but that was about it."

"Darkmatter said he found you," Buzz admitted, glancing tiredly at her face, "the old partner I once told you about. He said you didn't make it. He had your hat."

Jessie raised a sympathetic eyebrow before she grew increasingly disgusted.

"That varmint touched my hat?" She griped under her breath.

"I didn't want to believe him," Buzz continued, missing her remark. "But he looked so confident and triumphant that I…I just…"

The cowgirl's face softened and she quickly pecked him on the lips, cautiously leaning her head on his shoulder. He soon rested his head on hers and intertwined their fingers tightly again.

"I would never leave you, Buzz." Jessie murmured against his neck. "I don't think I ever could."

"Then why don't we test that theory?"

They both jumped and swiftly snapped their heads toward the cell door. Within its frame stood the last person either one of them wanted to see, the arrogant blue alien himself.

"Darkmatter…" Buzz growled at his former partner, pulling Jessie closer to him protectively.

The man did not acknowledge the Space Ranger. Instead, he kept an intent gaze settled upon Jessie, watching her recoil to his sudden presence.

"Time to go, doll face."

The cowgirl shrunk back further into Buzz's arms, glaring heatedly at their adversary.

"Another minute."

"Another minute?" Darkmatter cried incredulously. "We gave you five minutes extra! Don't take advantage of our generosity. Time's up."

He stepped forward but she withdrew again, wrapping her arms around Buzz's torso firmly.

"I won't see him again after this because of you." She cried. "The least you can do is give me another minute!"

Zurg's second-in-command gritted his teeth, scowling down upon the couple as he loomed over them threateningly. Scrunching his face in irritation, he turned on his heel and left the cell to wait impatiently for their endowed minute to finish.

Not wasting another second, Jessie quickly pressed her lips to Buzz's, letting the kiss linger for only a few seconds. She pulled away and rested her forehead against his as the Space Ranger enveloped her in a close embrace. Simultaneously, their breathing shook with sustained sobs.

"The only thing I'll ever regret is not telling you sooner." Buzz muttered, running his fingers through the cowgirl's red hair once again. "I've always loved you, Jessie."

Jessie breathed in heavily, closing her stinging eyes tightly.

"I love you too, captain." She looked to him when she heard him chuckle lightly at his correct title. "But don't you regret anything. Be proud and stay strong. Don't let anyone forget that you are and always will be the greatest Space Ranger in the universe. You are my brightest light in the darkness."

"My most radiant star in the galaxies." Buzz commented in return, not caring about how terribly cliché they both sounded.

The ranger sat back for a moment and brought forth her hat again, handing it out for her to take. Jessie idly observed its worn, red shade before returning her gaze onto Buzz.

"Keep it." She commanded gently, pushing it back to him.

The captain's eyebrows rose, but soon his azure irises shimmered with gratefulness. The cowgirl smiled slightly at his silent acceptance.

"Now, time's up."

Darkmatter swiftly reentered the cell, having calculated the time to the exact second. Without another word, he grabbed Jessie's arm and yanked her out of Buzz's arms. The Space Ranger willingly let go, knowing their time together needed to end for her safety's sake. Jessie continued to gaze miserably at him as she was forced onto her feet and pushed out of the cell, never wanting to look away.

The last she saw of him before she finally did turn away were his enlivened, azure eyes.