"You thinking about him?"
Adelaide made a face and looked up at her sister. "No!" she protested. "Why would you think that?"
"Because you're not usually this quiet," Sasha said.
"Maybe I don't have anything to say."
Sasha eyed her sister warily. "What's going on?" she asked.
Adelaide shrugged. "I-I don't know," she answered. "There's just...something about him that just made me..."
Sasha smiled and squeezed her sister's hand. "It's OK to be confused," she said. "I mean, you've had boyfriends in the past but... none of them made you feel like this?"
Adelaide shook her head. "I don't even know what this is," she said. "We're no one to each other. He's a Prince, for crying out loud, and sure, it's OK to have a fan-girl crush on a royal, but come on, fan-girl crushes are easy to push aside."
"But you can't get him out of your head?"
Adelaide looked hopelessly at her sister. "What am I going to do?" she asked.
"You need a distraction," Sasha said. She stood and walked around the table, pulled her sister to her feet and wrapped an arm around her. "Helping a teammate re-adjust to the 21st century will do just that. Besides, Ivan needs you now more than Prince Philip."
Adelaide sighed and rested her head against Sasha's shoulder. "You're right," she said, shaking her head. "Ivan needs us now. Besides, what are the chances of seeing him again?"
Sasha pressed a kiss to the side of Adelaide's head. The last, and only time, she'd seen her sister so downtrodden were when Caleb and Jessie had missed her birthday because of work, normally Adelaide would've let them pass seeing as their jobs were so important but they had made her a promise, and the MacMillan family always kept their promises.
"Well, it was a thoroughly entertaining afternoon, perhaps we shall see each other again soon," Ivan said suddenly. He bowed to them and turned to leave.
"Wait, where are you going?" Riley asked. "You're part of our team now."
"I have not joined your team," Ivan said, looking from one ranger to the next. "I am a Knight of Zandar. When I pledge my loyalty, it is for life. I'm sorry, I cannot make such a decision so hastily." He nodded once and then walked off.
Adelaide folded her arms and looked up at Sasha. "You were saying about Ivan needing us?" she asked.
"He just needs time to adjust," Sasha said. "Think of this way. He's been trapped inside Fury for more than eight centuries, and now he's been busted out only to realise everything he lived for is gone. His country, his king, his guard. Give him some space, and he'll come to you."
"But he doesn't have a choice," Shelby said. "None of us did. He is the Gold Ranger."
"We all have a choice, Shelby," Sasha said, shaking her head.
"Sasha's right," Adelaide agreed. "We need to give him some time to come to grips with everything. Then, and only then, will he know what to do."
"What if he doesn't join us?" Shelby asked.
"Then he doesn't join us," Sasha said. "But at least he's not on Sledge's side."
The Rangers looked considerate and then nodded.
"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Riley asked.
As if to answer his question, the alarms sounded loudly around the base.
"We go to work," Tyler said. "Come on, we'll worry about Ivan later."
They raced out.
Sasha watched them go and turned to help Kendall.
~X~
Arriving at the docks, the Rangers blocked the path of Curio, Poisandra, and their latest monster.
"Right on cue," Poisandra scoffed. "Time to take their bravery." She turned expectantly to the monster beside her.
To Adelaide, the sight of the latest monster made her shiver. He was a tall monster made of bones.
"Don't get your heart set on it," Tyler said, squaring off against the trio.
"Vivix, attack!" Poisandra yelled.
The Vivix swarmed forward, splitting the Rangers into individual groups. But it didn't matter, they were as useless as usual.
"You seaweed hicks never learn!" Chase said, jumping over a bench and kicking a vivix in the chest. He flipped over backwards and as he landed and took a seat on the bench, blasting the rest with his Dino Morpher.
Adelaide rolled her eyes as she flipped backwards several times, avoiding the small weapon the vivix brandished in her direction. "You guys are so lame!" she said, jumping up and double kicking two Vivix into the harbour. They landed with a splash in the water.
Once the Vivix were gone, Adelaide, Shelby, Riley, Chase, and Koda run off to join Tyler against the monster.
"Say goodbye to your courage, Red Ranger," Poisandra laughed as Bones grabbed Tyler's arms and kicked him the chest, knocking him back. He landed on top of a plastic table and snapped it in half as he crashed through.
"We got you, Tyler!" Chase and Adelaide called, jumping over the red ranger and firing their morphers at the monster. They landed before Bones, ducking and diving to avoid his attacks. Once they regained their footing, Bones fired another blast that hit Chase in the chest.
"Chase!" Adelaide yelled running to cover her best friend. She knew her bubble would protect her if Bones decided to attack.
As Adelaide checked on Chase, Riley rushed in to deal with Bones. But he too was easily defeated. Even Shelby and Koda were easily dealt with.
Bones laughed as he towered over the team.
Adelaide shot to her feet, standing in front of her friends, ready to protect them if needed
"Skeletons are so in right now," Poisandra said as Bones advanced.
Adelaide stepped back at the sight of Bones. She hated skeletons, they'd always scared her, ever since she was a little girl, and the sight of Bones made her hesitate.
"Time to remove some backbones," Bones said, stomping forward. He stopped as a sabre flew over Adelaide's head, striking the ground and causing an electrical surge.
"It's Ivan!" Tyler said, turning and spotting the gold ranger.
Ivan jumped over the Rangers, firing his dino morpher at Bones and knocking him away from Adelaide.
"Hey, I'm the hotshot!" Chase whined.
Landing before the monster, Ivan kicked multiple times, before delivering a final one to Bones' side and pushing him back. He grabbed his sabre from the ground and swung it around, slashing the blade across Bones' chest.
Bones groaned and stumbled back.
"You better watch your backs!" Poisandra yelled. She blew a kiss and the three of them disappeared into a blizzard of pink hearts.
"Good riddance," Ivan said. He turned to the others, jumped over them again, and disappeared.
"Ivan's got to join our team," Shelby said. "Maybe someone should go talk to him?"
"How about Sasha?" Adelaide suggested. "She's pretty good with talks."
Riley and Tyler nodded in agreement. Each having been on the receiving end of a talk with Sasha MacMillan.
Shelby shrugged. "Sure, why not," she said.
Adelaide pulled out her phone and quickly messaged her sister. She received a text back in seconds and showed her friends the reply.
"We should get back to the base," Tyler suggested.
The others nodded and headed off.
~X~
It was easy to find Ivan, Sasha found. She didn't even need the coordinates that Kendall had given her before she left the lab, all she really needed to do was to follow the whispered conversations of a man walking down the street in strange clothes, after that she found him easy enough.
"I bet I can read your mind," Sasha said, approaching Ivan from behind. The Knight stopped and turned to her. He recognised her from the museum earlier that afternoon and stopped. "You're wondering why everyone keeps looking at you and laughing, right?"
"Maybe," Ivan said.
"It's because of your attire," Sasha said. "What you're wearing is so... mid-ages. I mean, there aren't any Knights around in the 21st century, therefore you stick out like a sore thumb."
A group of girls' passed. They took one look at Ivan and burst into giggles.
"See," Sasha said. "Look, Ivan, I haven't come here to tell you that you're going to get a lot of odd looks from people because of the way you dress, I'm sure you would've figured that out on your own. But the others have asked me to talk to you."
"I gathered," Ivan nodded.
Sasha looked around. People were now stopping to stare at Ivan, some were snapping pictures, and others were pointing and laughing. "Why don't we go over here?" she asked, grabbing his arm and pulling him around a corner. It was secluded, and a lot more private than speaking out in the open street.
Ivan waited patiently for her to speak.
"I understand that you're probably confused right now," Sasha said. "I'd be very surprised if you weren't. And I do get that it's a big decision, and one that cannot be made so lightly, but the Rangers are a great team, and they'd be lucky to have you, as you would them."
"I have no doubt that it would be beneficial for all of us," Ivan said, nodding. "But, as you said, this is not a decision I can make lightly. I am still a Knight, I cannot join your Rangers until they've proven their worth."
"Proof?" Sasha replied. "Protecting the world on a daily basis, saving the descendant of your King, and busting you out of Fury, that's not proof enough for you?"
Ivan considered her words carefully. "You make a valid point, M'lady," he said. "Perhaps I should reconsider."
"I hope that's your way of saying you'll give them a chance," Sasha said, whipping out her phone.
"It is," Ivan nodded.
Sasha smiled and quickly messaged Kendall asking for the coordinates of the others. Kendall replied by telling Sasha they were still at the docks.
"Let's go," Sasha said, slipping her phone back into her pocket.
Ivan held out his hand and Sasha smiled as she took it.
~X~
"You won't regret this," Sasha said. "I will admit that it may take some time to get used to them, especially Adelaide, but they mean well, and I'm sure you'll make a great addition to the team."
"Your Adelaide reminds me of my youngest, Victoria."
"You have children?" Sasha asked.
"Yes, three. Tristan, Cora, and Victoria."
"I'm sorry."
"For what, M'lady?"
"I'm sorry that you were taken away from them so suddenly," Sasha said, apologetically. "I know what it's like to be separated from someone you love. Adelaide is merely my sister, but I would do absolutely anything to make sure she is safe. Your children were lucky to have you, Ivan, as I am sure the people of this century will be too."
Ivan smiled. "Thank you," he said.
Sasha returned the smile and looked ahead. She stopped short at the sight that was awaiting her and Ivan at the docks. The monster, Bones, Poisandra, and Curio had the Rangers cornered against the dock wall. All of them, except Shelby, was cowering in fear.
"Don't come near us!" Tyler cried as Curio made a fake lunge for him. He screamed and clung to the wall for safety.
Adelaide cried out in alarm as Bones stomped towards her, wagging his finger in front of her face. Real tears streamed down her face as she clung to Chase's arm, tightly.
"Hey!" Sasha yelled, drawing the monsters attention on to her. Bones laughed and stood up tall. He towered over Sasha, but she refused to show fear and back down. Her sister was upset, there was no way she'd allow for someone to scare Adelaide.
"What are you going to do, human?" Bones asked.
"Get away from my sister!" Sasha said, stomping forward. Her eyes blazed furiously and Bones shuffled back from her. While he wasn't scared, per say, the look in the human's eyes was terrifying.
Poisandra gasped as she spotted Ivan over Sasha's shoulder. "It's the Gold Ranger!" she gasped. "We can't risk losing again!"
"You're right!" Bones agreed. "We already have five Rangers. Let's go tell Sledge how well we did." The three disappeared, leaving Ivan, Sasha, and five cowering Rangers alone.
Sasha pulled Adelaide into her arms and looked around. "Where's Shelby?" she asked.
"Over here," Shelby said, staggering into view. She was soaked to the bone,
"What happened to you?" Sasha asked.
"I tried to fight Bones off, but he threw me into the harbour," Shelby said, hugging herself tightly. It wasn't cold out, but the water wasn't exactly boiling either.
Stepping forward, Ivan shook his head. "You assured me that they were a great team," he said to Sasha. "I believe you are mistaken and were merely leading me on."
"What, no," said Sasha, turning to the gold ranger. "Trust me when I say this is not normal. The monster obviously did something to them. Give me a chance to help them so that they can prove they're worthy of your skills."
Ivan shook his head and turned away. "You had your chance to prove their worth," he said.
"Ivan!"
Sasha sighed as Ivan walked away.
"Now what are we going to do?" Shelby asked, shivering.
"We'll have to worry about Ivan later," Sasha said. "First we need to get this lot back to the base."
Shelby nodded. "How are we going to do that?" she asked.
"With a great deal of difficulty," Sasha sighed.
~X~
It was like Sasha had said, getting the cowering Rangers back to the base was done with a great deal of difficulty, but Sasha and Shelby had managed it. They'd also managed to get them down into the base through the mouth, although that was even worse than getting them to the museum in the first place.
"Sit!" Sasha ordered, pointing to the table. The Rangers slumped over and sat down. Adelaide was still crying, tears streaked her face and shimmered in her eyes.
"Is she OK?" Shelby asked.
"Skeletons scare the crap out of her," Sasha explained. "Ever since Jessie dressed as one for Halloween one year, and jumped out on her, she's been terrified."
"Poor Ade," Shelby said, sympathetically.
Sasha nodded and walked over to Kendall. "Any sign of Ivan yet?" she asked.
"No," Kendall replied. "If Sledge's monster attack now, the boys and Adelaide are going to have to fight whether they're ready or not."
"I doubt they're going to be much help," Sasha said. She looked over her shoulder to see Koda was missing from the table. "Where'd he go?" she asked, straightening up and spinning around. Her question was answered by a shrill screech, and Koda run out of his cave, jumping onto the table and trembling in fear.
"Mouse!" Koda said, brandishing his staff.
Sasha, Kendall, and Shelby looked to the opening of Koda's cave as a white mouse stumbled out. It sniffed the air and scurried over to the table.
Tyler, Riley, and Chase screamed and run for cover as Adelaide stared at them. She wasn't afraid of the mouse as much as she was Bones.
Shelby sighed and looked to Kendall and Sasha. "If they can't deal with mice, how are they going to fair against Bones?" she asked.
"Adelaide's not going to fair at all," Sasha said. "She'll need a lot more courage to put aside her fear of skeletons to help, as for the others?" she shrugged.
Adding insult to injury, the alarms sounded, alerting the only available ranger to trouble in the city.
"This isn't good," Shelby groaned.
"Bones is back, and he's got company," Kendall informed the pink ranger.
Shelby booted up the computer and quickly located the gold energem signature. "There's Ivan," she said.
"He's heading straight towards Bones," said Sasha, alarmed.
"I've got to help him," said Shelby.
"Alone?" Sasha asked.
"I don't have a choice," Shelby said, heading for the door. "Try and figure out a way to help the others. Once you've done that, send them my way."
Sasha hesitated as she watched Shelby disappear, she then bit her lip and turned to Kendall. "We can't force them out onto the battlefield," she said. "Sending them out there now is suicide."
"Do you have any other great plans?" Kendall asked. "Maybe putting them in the line of fire isn't such a bad thing. I mean, it's the fight or flight response, right? They'll either run or be forced to confront their fears."
"Confronting one's fear should be done in a safe environment," Sasha said. "Besides, I won't put Adelaide through that. Look at her, for crying out loud, she won't say boo to a ghost like this, and the boys are in no fit state to fight. We have to help them regain their courage before sending them off to battle."
Kendall sighed and considered her computers. "Then what do we do?" she asked. She was good at creating Dino Chargers, and any other arsenal that the Rangers needed in their fight against Sledge and Fury, but when it came to breaking a monsters spell she was at a loss.
Sasha turned to the Rangers and wandered over. She knelt before her sister and brushed away the tears on her cheek. "You know Bones can't hurt you, right?" she asked. "I won't let him."
Adelaide nodded. "Please don't make me go fight," she whimpered. "I don't want to fight. I wanna go home."
"I know you do," Sasha said. "I'll make you deal. You do this one battle for me, show Bones that he has no control over you, that you're braver than he ever gave you credit for, and I'll take you home. Okay?"
"But..."
"He can't hurt you, Adelaide," Sasha said. "Not unless you let him, and what have I always told you about letting people hurt you?"
"Not too?"
Sasha nodded. "You never give another person consent to hurt you," she said. "You're only as strong as you want to be, and right now, I need you to be stronger than ever, because your friends need you. Ivan and Shelby, they're out there fighting these monsters, and without you, they don't stand a chance."
Adelaide looked down at her hands. She felt the fear inside her grow smaller and smaller until it was a mere fleck of dust in the recess of her mind. She looked up at Sasha and smiled, throwing her arms around her sister and hugging her tightly.
"Ade?" Sasha asked.
"Time to fight," Adelaide said, pulling back and jumping to her feet. She looked around at the others and shook her head. "You're not getting out of it that easy," she said. She latched onto Chase's arm and dragged him into the centre of the room. "I can't go out there without you, hotshot! What if I get into trouble, who's going to save me?"
Chase stared at Adelaide with a fearful look.
"Bones only took a small imprint of our courage, you guys, there's some of it still left," said Adelaide. "We just need to find a reason to fight. Shelby, Ivan, and the entire world are counting on us, we've never left them down before, and we're not about to start now."
The boys exchanged looks.
"Shelby, Ivan..."
"... against that monster..."
"We can't... no, we won't let them down!" Tyler said, firmly.
Sasha exchanged a look with Kendall as Adelaide threw her arms around Chase.
"Come on, guys!" Tyler said, leading the way out of the base.
Kendall patted Sasha on her shoulder. "You sure have a way with words," she said.
"I didn't really do anything, to be honest," said Sasha.
"You got their courage back," Kendall said. "Gave them a reason to fight."
Sasha shook her head. "Nah, they had a reason to fight all along," she said. "They just needed a little help finding it."
~X~
Bones growled as he tossed Shelby aside and turned his attention back to Ivan. "I'll deal with her later," he said. "For now, your spine is mine."
Ivan struggled against his captives, but the Vivix's held in him place ready for Bones' treatment.
"Not so fast," Tyler shouted, running onto the scene. He jumped into the air and kicked Bones in the back. "You forgot about us, you bag of bones!"
"And us!" Chase and Koda said, leaping out onto the Vivix's holding Ivan. They tossed the useless soldiers aside, and Adelaide rushed forward. She grabbed Ivan's hand and pulled him away, firing her Dino Morpher at the last of the Vivix.
Bones growled and regained his footing. "But that's impossible," he yelled. "I took your backbones." He held up his container and peered inside. "Huh? They're gone! You've regained your bravery."
"We've lost ours!" Curio and Poisandra squealed.
"Run, Curio!" Poisandra said, grabbing her best friends hand and disappearing.
Ivan looked around at the team as they regrouped with him and Adelaide. "Thank you, Rangers," he said. "Perhaps I shouldn't have doubted your courage."
"No worries, mate," said Chase.
"And now 'tis morphin' time!" Ivan said, taking the lead. "Dino Charger!"
"Ready!"
"Energise, ha! Unleash the Power - Dinosaur might, ready to fight!"
"Attack!" Bones ordered.
The Rangers rushed to meet them.
"Vivix's like eggs," said Koda, kicking a vivix in the stomach and knocking him down. "Easy to smash."
"That's an insult to eggs!" Adelaide called, leap-frogging over a vivix and smashing her fist into another.
"Eggs don't have feelings," Chase said, flipping over to avoid a hit.
"They're still better for you than Vivix!"
While the majority of the team deal with the useless foot soldiers, Ivan and Shelby teamed up against Bones.
"Ptera Bolt!" Ivan said, running towards the monster and firing bolts of electrically charged energy from his morpher. He jumped into the air to avoid Bones' counter attack and the wings on his back spread wide, propelling him through the air. "Ptera Strike!" he said, turning mid-flight and swooping down onto Bones.
"How about a team-up?" Shelby asked, joining Ivan.
"It would be my pleasure. Here, try this," Ivan said, holding up a Ptera Charger.
Shelby grinned and loaded it into her dino morpher. "Sweet!" she said.
"Triple power!" Ivan said, loading the last of his chargers into his Ptera Sabre.
"Energise!" both Ivan and Shelby commanded, each powering up their weapon and firing it at Bones. The double attack him dead centre and he exploded.
~X~
"So, looks like you found your knights, huh?" Sasha asked, sitting opposite Ivan at the cafe booth.
Ivan bowed his head. "Indeed," he said. "You was quite right, Lady Sasha, they are indeed worthy partners."
Sasha smiled and looked up as the other Rangers joined them. It was still the middle of the afternoon and the cafe was bustling with visitors, but the Rangers only had one thing in mind right then. Getting the whole story of his abduction and battle with Fury, out of Ivan.
"Story time!" Adelaide said, climbing over Sasha and settling down at the far end of the booth. Chase followed her, and Adelaide pushed herself onto her knees, leaning forward on Chase's shoulders so she could see Ivan better. "Did anyone bring popcorn?"
"No, but we did bring drinks," Tyler said, setting a tray of cups on the table.
The Rangers each dived for a cup, dragging it across the table to themselves.
Adelaide attacked her straw instantly and slurped up the delicious goodness.
"You'll get hiccups," Sasha reminded her.
Adelaide shrugged and looked to Ivan, patiently waiting for him to start.
Once he was sure he had everyone's attention, Ivan leaned in close and lowered his voice. "I was riding with the young prince. It was a day like so many before, and a day like none that would follow. When the Prince became thirsty, we stopped beside a creek. And there it was, glistening in the water, the Gold Energem."
"That's when Fury attacked?" Shelby asked.
Ivan nodded. "It was my job to protect the Prince," he explained. "I did the only thing I knew, I pushed him aside and struck Fury with my sword. I was able to keep him from harming the young prince. But when he blasted us, the Energem was knocked free. I was certain he would destroy me. But instead... the Energem sent a bolt of power up Fury's sword and across mine, bonding me with the spirit of the Pterodactyl."
"We know how he felt about that," Chase muttered.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Shh!" Adelaide said, her eyes wide with excitement.
"I struggled - I struggled mightily... but Fury was too strong," Ivan continued. "He dragged me into his dark and evil body. The Energem must have fallen into the creek, where I thought it would be lost forever. But, luckily it was found by - ooh, what is that?" he asked, breaking off mid-sentence as a waiter placed a burger in front of him.
"Bronto burger," Koda said, happily. He mimicked holding a burger and taking a bite.
Ivan copied his actions with the actual burger and moaned in satisfaction.
"You want to get fries?" Koda asked, happily.
Ivan nodded and the two jumped from their seats.
"Hey, wait," Adelaide called, almost toppling over Chase as she reached out to Ivan. "You can leave it there! It was just getting good."
"Yeah," Tyler agreed. "Tell us more! What happened next? How does it end?"
"Oh, you know, 800 years of darkness, then you saved me and here I am," Ivan said. He turned back to Koda, paused, and then returned to the table. "Oh, and as I said, a knight's loyalty is forever. I'm honoured to be part of your team." He placed a hand on Sasha's shoulder and she winked at him, smiling.
Adelaide and Chase exchanged grins as Ivan run off after Koda, calling for a double order of fries.
"Sooo..." said Adelaide, climbing over Chase and winding her arms around Sasha's shoulders. "What was that?" she asked.
"What was what?" Sasha frowned.
"That smile," Adelaide said, grinning. "That wink. Do you have, dare I say it?" she giggled. "A crush?"
"Shut up, brat," Sasha said. "He has a wife and three kids."
"Had a wife and three kids," Chase reminded her. "They're long gone by now."
Sasha shook her head, fighting back a blush at their accusations. "Has anyone ever told you that you're both annoying?" she asked.
Adelaide and Chase grinned at one another. "Yep!" they said in unison. "That's why we make a pretty good team."
While I adore Adelaide and Chase's friendship/relationship – I love the one Adelaide shares with Sasha. They're just too adorable as sisters.