Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me.

Chapter 10: Dread

"Z!" exclaimed Bridge delightedly, before starring bewildered at her companion. "Sky?!? What are you two doing up so early in the morning…. together?"

He had bumped into the pair coming out of the Rec Room, after having listening to Syd's long and longing rant over her desire for romance in her relationship with Jack. But now looking at Sky and Z, Bridge couldn't help but notice that the couple's expressions appeared extremely guilty. Sky was rubbing the back of his neck as was his habit when he was anxious, and Z was doing her usual casual demeanor that she put on whenever she wanted to try and look not-so-concerned as she really was. Slipping off his gloves unnoticed, Bridge decided to find out for certain how his friends were really feeling.

"Sky?" Bridge repeated again hesitantly as he stealthily activated his aura reading powers. "Z?"

"I'mmmm gonna go back to my room and get showered," said Z slowly.

Z gave a pointed looked of nonchalance at Sky, but failed to hide her nerves as she slid by the blue ranger. Next, squeezing Bridge's arm as she passed him, Z tried to give the green ranger a cheerful smile before heading away. Bridge stared after her adoringly before giving Sky a slightly accusing look.

"What were you doing with Z to make her look so uncomfortable?" asked Bridge; his eyes full of concern.

"What would make you say that?" Sky shot back defensively.

"I read her aura," replied Bridge. "Her colors were all off. So now, spill. What were you two up doing together so early in the morning?"

Sky exhaled loudly and rolled his eyes up toward the ceiling, clearly unsure how to proceed. But glancing back at Bridge, Sky's taught visage softened as he looked into his roommate's empathic yet worried eyes. Sky shook his head and threw his hands in his pockets before staring Bridge directly in the eye.

"Z and I have been working out together in the mornings before B-Squad's official start time for the last month," said Sky simply.

"Really…" said Bridge slowly before his face brightened. "That's great!"

"It is?" asked Sky, so surprised he almost stumbled backward while continuing to look at Bridge like he was crazy.

"Of course!" exclaimed Bridge, clearly pleased. "You two working out together is the perfect time for you to talk me up to her!"

"But…" Sky started to protest.

"You've just got to put in a good word for me, Sky," babbled Bridge excitedly. "You can convince Z to go out with me!"

"I don't know..." sighed Sky awkwardly.

"Why?" whined Bridge.

"Well…" stalled Sky. "Well for one, it could detract from your performance as a ranger," he commented in his most professional tone. "Grumm's only getting tougher. And I mean, you've seen how unfocused Jack and Syd have been lately," Sky added, unable to hide a note of bitterness.

"We don't know Syd's the reason Jack's been so distracted lately," protested Bridge.

"True," admitted Sky. "But me trying to talk to Z for you…"

"Come on, Sky," inquired Bridge. "What's the problem?"

Bridge saw Sky's face furrow up and his lower lip start to stick out. It was the same expression Bridge had noticed Sky wearing for days right after his friend hadn't gotten the red ranger position. Bridge didn't need to take off his gloves to know that Sky clearly didn't feel too happy right now. Instead, Bridge opted to go with a little facial expression communication of his own.

"Sky, please?" begged Bridge, putting on his best puppy face. "Do it for your best bud Bridgey?"

"I'm sorry, of course," apologized Sky; his look immediately softening. "Anything for my best bud Bridgey."

"Thank you!!!" squealed Bridge as he squeezed Sky tightly, causing his friend to squirm uncomfortably.

"Alright, alright," said Sky tersely, pushing the overly-emotional Bridge off him.

"Sky Tate, you're my best bud forever!" shouted Bridge over his shoulder as he skipped back to their room.

As Sky started to follow after him, his face subconsciously began to furrow up again with his lower lip sticking out even further than before.


"Why the heck are their freakin' flowers on my bed?!?" questioned Z uneasily at the red and pink roses strewn across her yellow blanket.

"You know, you're side of the room could use a more feminine touch," commented Syd as she arranged red and pink M&Ms in a heart-shaped bowl.

"Candles, candy, flowers," named Z, growing my more disturbed with every mushy item she named. "I'm sorry, Syd, but Valentine's Day was a few months ago."

"Oh, I'm planning a romantic dinner for Jack," explained Syd nonchalantly, though a pleased grin still managed to slip across her face.

"You're what?!" asked Z with a hint of panic in her voice.

"A romantic dinner," smiled Syd happily. "Just the two of us. We spend so much time training and so much time…"

"Having sex?" cut in Z wryly. "In our room? So that I have to sit outside in the common room with the music turned all the way up to make sure that no one hears you both?"

"Jack and I just never really get to spend any quality time together," sighed Syd, ignoring her roommate's previous sarcasm.

"You mean quality time where you're clothes aren't off," smirked the yellow ranger.

"I get Z, I get it," said Syd tiredly.

The pink ranger started humming an upbeat tune that Z guessed was one of her own songs from the horribly generic, pop-sounding melody. Yet Z stopped rolling her eyes and started glancing at Syd with concern when she observed how much care and time her roommate was putting into arranging each flower in the vase. Her stomach turning to knots, Z started walking back-and-forth around their room nervously.

"Stop pacing," Syd finally ordered. "You're making me feel like I'm watching a tennis match."

"Syd," started Z nervously. "Do you really think planning this surprise dinner for Jack is a good idea? Plus, your schedules are both so busy that…"

"It's not a surprise," corrected Syd. "Jack already said he'd be free. Granted I didn't tell him what I had planned, but he knows we're spending the evening together."

"Syd…" sighed Z more desperately.

"What is it?" asked her roommate, looking up and smiling.

"Jack, well, he…" Z couldn't finish her sentence.

"Jack what?" probed Syd.

"He's a good guy," blurted out Z. "He may tend to do some stupid things…"

"Like right after became red ranger and made us run the outdoors course in the mud while he sat under an umbrella, sipping soda and reading comic books?" suggested Syd.

"Not quite what I was going for, but kinda along the same theme I guess," said Z, clasping her hands anxiously. "Just no matter what happens between you and Jack, just please remember that he really is a good guy at heart and never wants to hurt anybody."

"Oh, I know," agreed Syd. "That's why I got together with him in the first place. He treated me so special, unlike some of the other guys around here. And also unlike some of the other guys around here, I trust Jack not to play games with my heart."

Groaning silently, Z flopped down on her bed and screamed into her pillow as Syd continued hum and happily arrange her pink and red roses.


(A few days later)

"You need to work on your body extension," criticized Sky as he took in his workout partner's fighting form. "Without lengthening out and following through, your loosing power on your kicks."

"Sky, do every consider saying anything nice anyone?" complained Z as she tried her sidestep kick again, which her workout partner expertly blocked.

"I'm just keeping it real, Z," replied Sky simply. "Now, you're still holding back on your kicks. You need to lean your body sideways more in order to get your leg extended all the way out and get maximum power."

"Like this?" asked Z confusedly, leaning sideways and bringing her leg – still slightly bent at the knee – halfway up toward her waist.

"No," sighed Sky impatiently. "You're still standing too vertical. Let me show you."

Getting behind her, Sky grabbed Z's hips and tried to tilt her even further to the side. Wobbling unsteadily, Z reacted instinctively by grabbing Sky's arms, which almost sending them both crashing to the ground. Even after they'd both steadied themselves, Z offered resistance as Sky once again attempted to angle her hips.

"Bring your fists together right in front of your body for balance," instructed Sky as he book-ended her arms with his own. "Now, bring your leg up. Trust me, I'm not going to let you fall."

"I know," said Z with serious sincerity.

With Sky holding onto her fists in front of her body, Z slowly leaned all the way to the left. His embrace tightened around her as Sky felt Z struggle to try and lift her leg all the way up. An excited cry of "yes!" escape Z's lips when she at last was able to extend her opposite leg all the way out in a text-book sidestep kick. She turned around slightly to give Sky a huge smile.

"I did it!" she said proudly. "Thanks, Sky! You're a great teacher."

Sky said nothing, simply nodded and smiled back at her. Z subconsciously lowered her leg, but neither she nor Sky made any immediate movement to remove themselves from each other's arms. Only did a car back-firing startle the pair from their smiling daze.

"Ummm," said Sky, coughing awkwardly as he moved away from Z. "That was good."

"Sky Tate, did you just give me a compliment?" said Z, widening her eyes and shooting him a look of sarcastic shock.

"You did good," said Sky simply, not meeting her gaze. "Now, let's jog a few laps around the track as a cool down."

They ran side by side in silence. Sky periodically found himself sneaking glances at the girl next to him. Z's thick, brown bangs blew in the breeze, and she jogged with a look of cool concentration on her face. Sky searched her face for some emotion of how she was feeling, but found none.

"You doing OK?" asked Sky finally breaking their silence.

"Pounding the pavement's not quite as pleasurable as running with the grass underneath your feet, but yeah, I'm doing fine," responded Z.

"Why do you like the forest so much?" asked Sky.

"I…I… I never really got to go there much as a kid," Z replied; her voice growing distance. "Living on the streets in a concrete jungle, I never really got to experience being in a real one. So seeing trees and grass and flowers just really made me feel happy. The day I skipped school and spent sitting by the stream in New Tech City Forrest was… one of the best days of my life."

Sky glanced over again at Z as she finished her story. Her look of cool concentration had now morphed to one of withdrawn melancholy. As they slowed upon finishing their jog, Sky saw that Z still wore a sorrowful stare. He started to reach out a comforting hand to her shoulder, but then slowly drew it back. Instead they both walked a little ways apart to opposites of a bench, where they'd left their stuff.

"Did you bring a towel for me, too?" asked Z as she pushed her sweaty bangs off her forehead.

"I'm sorry," apologized Sky as he patted his face with a towel. "I forgot. I only have this one. You can have this one after me if you want," he offered playfully, swinging the sweaty piece of cloth in her direction.

"You're so considerate, Tate," said Z sarcastically. "You're lucky I'm not Syd," she added as she grabbed the used towel and started to wipe herself down. "Can you at least give me my water bottle? I left it over there."

Rather than coming over and handing her the container, Sky simply tossed it in Z's direction. Yet Sky's throw was high, and Z sighed as the water bottle went sailing over her head. Z frowned at him when an apology didn't greet her return with the water bottle.

"An 'I'm sorry' would be nice," said Z shortly.

"You should learn to catch better," replied Sky cattily.

"Ah, the sounds of Sky and Z arguing," drawled Z. "I'm so glad you and I are back to normally."

"Can it," said Sky, smiling slightly as he playfully hit her in the side.

"Soooooo," began Z, picking Sky's interest with her failed attempts to sound nonchalant. "Was Bridge mad the other day when he learned you and I had been working out together in the mornings?"

"Why would you think Bridge would be mad?" asked Sky, feigning a lack of knowledge.

"Don't play dumb, Sky," scolded Z. "You're Bridge's best friend. You must have known longer than anyone that he… he…" her voice trailed off.

"He what?" inquired Sky innocently, yet unable to hold back a smirk.

"That he likes, me, OK?" blurted out Z, frustration slipping into her voice.

"You don't sound too happy about that," commented Sky quietly.

"I don't know if I even like Bridge like that, and everyone's already said how happy they'd be to see us happy together, and I don't know if I could even be happy with Bridge," ranted Z, waving her hands nervously around in the air.

"Well at least the two of you talk alike," responded Sky with amusement.

"Very funny," shot back Z sarcastically.

"And stop getting so stressed about the whole situation," added Sky.

"Who says I'm stressed about it?" replied Z coolly, though starting to wave her hands even more wildly.

"You're throwing your arms around again," noticed Sky. "You always do that when you're stressed."

Z stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Sky in shock. He in return smiled, or rather, smirked down at her. Putting her hands on her hips to try and regain her normal sassiness, Z couldn't help but duck her head to hide her growing flushed face.

"I… I guess you know me pretty well," stammered Z.

"Maybe I'm starting to," Sky shrugged off her comments before growing more serious. "But I definitely know Bridge, and… well," Sky voice trailed off, causing him to clear his throat. "He really likes you, Z."

"And Bridge probably would remember to bring me a towel if we worked out and not launch my water bottle over my head," teased Z, feigning anger.

"Whatever," replied Sky, rolling his eyes.

"So, you think I should go out with him?" asked Z suddenly, staring up at Sky intently.

The intense gaze radiating out of her chocolate eyes caused Sky to look away. Feeling heat rise in his face, Sky momentarily covered his faces with his hands to hide the color that was flooding into his cheeks, missing the similar tone that appeared in his partner's visage. He then took off, striding ahead of Z, but not too far ahead so that she couldn't hear.

"Bridge is my best friend," Sky called back to her.

"So, you do think I should go out with him!" exclaimed Z, running up to Sky and grabbing his wrist.

"I didn't say that," said Sky shortly, grabbing his wrist away.

"Well…" asked Z, crossing her arms defensively. "What are you trying to say?"

"Whether you and Bridge get to together at this point is, well, totally up to you," replied Sky. "You know he wants to go out with you. So the question is now, Z … what are you going to do?"

A/N: The next chapter is probably the biggest chapter of this story. Z makes a decision about Bridge, Jack and Syd's relationship comes to a climax and Sky's night on patrol takes an unexpected twist.

You DON'T want to miss this next chapter (trust me); it's the big one you've been waiting for. So, stay tuned!