Wake Up

Sunlight made its way into the bedroom, making its way through where the curtains hadn't been pulled together. As the sun rose, it eventually reached Xander, who would have been content to snore his way through most of the morning. Instead, it slowly crept onto his face, drawing the Earth Mystic from his sleep. Not ready to wake up, he rolled over, arm going over Ari as she slept beside him.

A yawn forced its way free, and he opened his eyes to look at the young woman who was curled in towards him. The sun hadn't reached her yet, and her black hair covered part of her face as she slept soundly. Ari's mouth was slightly open, and one hand was out, holding onto his shirt. The poor light bounced off the silver ring on her finger, earning his attention, and Xander lifted his hand to run a finger along it lightly.

It had been hard enough to believe that Ari had agreed to marry him in the first place. He still had trouble believing that she could have even fallen in love with him in the first place. Xander looked at his own hand, looking at his own wedding ring that was still a little cool around his finger. Even with something as real as this, was a struggle to process.

Married. Him. To the girl who had been his best friend since they were little kids. He looked at Ari as she snoozed away, completely oblivious to his thoughts. He'd loved her for a long time, but he'd really fallen in love with her when they'd become the Mystic Force Rangers. And now, she was right there beside him, sleeping off the exhaustion from the previous day. Xander couldn't stop himself from brushing her hair from her face, and she instantly stirred.

"Mmm..." she mumbled, rubbing at her face, catching his hand and stubbornly remaining asleep. Resisting a laugh, Xander shifted to get comfortable and pulled Ari into him, making her groan again as she buried her face into his shoulder. "Xander...lemme sleep," she mumbled, almost immediately drifting off again. Xander had to admit, her ability to fall asleep quickly was impressive. But, he wasn't about to let her so easily. Instead, he moved again, turning her head up and kissing her gently.

Ari, who had been refusing to wake up just because Xander couldn't sleep, felt his lips touch hers, and any pull of sleep was immediately gone. When they had first become a couple, a giddy feeling always filled the now retired Ranger when he kissed her. Now, it reminded her of how much she loved him, and as the kiss slowly woke her up, her own disbelief woke her up too.

Taking his hand, she kissed him back, before pulling away and lifting his hand as her fingers spun the ring on his finger slowly. "I don't remember signing up for being woken up at the crack of dawn," despite her words, Ari smiled, her head resting on the pillow beside him as he grinned.

"You don't seem completely opposed to the idea," Xander replied, making her giggle.

"There are worse ways to be woken," she admitted quietly, her eyes darting quickly to their hands as she entwined her fingers with his. "It's really real," she murmured.

"I can't believe it either," he confessed, rolling onto his back and pulling Ari over to lean on his chest like a pillow. He lifted their still linked hands into the air, his free arm around her shoulders. "Funny, eh? It was easier to believe in magic," Xander told her, and Ari laughed.

"You're right," she agreed. Xander smirked at her.

"Starting off the marriage well, huh? Those words are music to my ears," he sighed happily, and Ari rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Don't get used to it, dork. Something tells me that it won't be something I tell you often," she teased him back, before letting out a squeak as he moved suddenly, rolling over and pulling her under as he propped himself up over her, grinning as she went red.

"Mock all you want, but you married this dork," Xander smirked at her, and Ari couldn't help but smile back at him.

"That I did," she agreed quietly, and he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Oh good, mayhem," a disgruntled voice spoke up, interrupting Xander and Ari as he held her Mystic Morpher up high.

"It doesn't sound like it was A-Squad out-whoa!" the two looked around, and stared at the two who had just walked into the command center. Or rather, at the tall young man who stared back at them with wide green eyes behind a pair of glasses. They'd never met him before, but it was unmistakable who he was. He looked too much like Xander, with Ari's colouring, for it to be a coincidence. And despite their shock, the two were strangely okay with looking at their future son.

After fighting Kamdor without any powers, Ari could feel the bruises starting to form, but didn't pay them any heed as the group of Power Rangers who had saved her and the other Overdrive Rangers approached them. Of course, she recognised most of them, thankful that Xander was there to have her back as always. Zoe, Kira and Adam were there too, but what earned her attention, were the two she'd never met before. She'd watched Doctor Oliver's video on past Rangers several times, but they weren't anyone she knew.

"I've met you," Ari accused the Red Ranger of the group, with both Xander and Kira agreeing in how familiar he was.

"Uh...no?" he tried weakly, and the girl who seemed even more familiar giggled.

"That's not how you're going to convince her," the girl with dark brown hair tied in pigtails, and even darker eyes, spoke up in a New Zealand accent. A pretty white gemstone shimmered around her neck, and Ari could feel a strange power from it.

"I've met you too," Ari said, confident that she knew the girl. However, she just shook her head.

"Nope, we've never met before, at least not in your timeline," she replied easily, and Ari knew that she was telling the truth. But her words only made her more sure that she knew the girl. Even Xander was staring at her, just as sure he knew he. "Oh, have you got it?" the girl grinned.

"Teddie...the timeline," the young man who seemed to know her, spoke up, looking concerned.

"Stuff the timeline, Bridge," Teddie waved the concern off. "I mean, you know stuff, and we're not from the same time," she pointed out, folding her arms and pouting at his look.

"No way..." Zoe and Kira echoed, staring at her. Teddie looked at the two, her pout fading as she grinned.

"Impossible," Rose caught on too, earning Teddie's attention.

"Nope, time travel!" Teddie corrected, seeming innocent. "And man, am I hyped to prove Ms. Morgan wrong on this!" her words reminded Ari of her own, and it finally sank in. She glanced to Xander, who was still trying to work out just what it was that was so familiar about her. Ari's heartbeat increased as she looked up at the Green Ranger, suddenly very aware of how she felt about him. "You got it!" Teddie realised, giggling at her reaction. "I gotta say, it's so awesome to meet you when you're a Ranger! I mean, not everyone can say their mum is a Ranger legend!" she beamed.

Thrax was defeated, and the Overdrive Rangers had their powers back, meaning the 'Retro Rangers', as the media had dubbed them, were leaving to return to their own lives. As they were saying their goodbyes, a portal opened up in the middle of the room, seeming to be meant for Bridge and Teddie to return to the right timeline. However, a young man stepped out.

"You coming back or what Ted? We've got a Knight to teach about the modern world here," he called with a New Zealand accent, looking around and spotting the White Ranger. Like Teddie, he had brown hair, and dark brown eyes, and he carried a skateboard under his arm. "Oh, hey Bridge," he greeted the Red SPD Ranger casually, and Bridge waved back.

"Whoa...he looks..." Kira trailed off as most stared at the newcomer. He noticed Ari and Xander, and grinned, making them both stare without meaning to. They weren't even used to Teddie, and while they knew she had a twin brother, it was still a shock to see him there too, with a confident smile almost identical to Xander's.

Xander drew back from Ari, feeling a little disorientated, and saw that she looked exactly the same.

"You get the feeling like we're forgetting something important?" she asked, not moving as she looked up at him in confusion. He nodded slowly, trying to think about it, but the more he did, the less he remembered. He then smiled again at his wife.

"I'm sure if it's that important, we'll remember it eventually," Xander told her, kissing her again and making her laugh as she had to agree with him. Not that she'd tell him that.

I say it a lot and I'll say it about these two as well; they're my babies and I love them. Another of my favourite pairings I've ever written, I just love how they've grown over the years and that they still act exactly as they did when they were Rangers.

I hope you liked it, as soon as I saw the prompt I had to go for these two the day after their wedding.

Please review!