"Alright, Ryan, watch this shot. This is going to be one you'll remember forever."
Rebecca lined up the Ranger keys on the kitchen table. The other Rangers were either outside doing some training, or out running some errands. Noah and Jake hadn't even come home yet after the battle, but Rebecca was sure they were okay. For now, her only responsibility was watching over Ryan.
She lined up the keys like bowling pins at the end of the table, and used Troy's Megaforce Red Ranger key as what she called the shooter. After taking aim she slid the key across the table and knocked over all ten of the other Ranger's key she had lined at the end.
"Yes! Aha! Did you see that! Did you see what your big sister just did, Ryan... Ryan, stop sucking your hand and pay attention, will you?"
The little baby, with her hand still in her mouth, just glanced up at Rebecca curiously. Rebecca sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"You are really difficult to play with, you know that. I don't always want to play peek-a-boo, you know."
Hearing her favourite word, Ryan put her hands over her eyes and giggled excitedly. Rebecca just rolled her eyes.
"Alright, I hate to ruin your childhood so young, but I can see you."
"BA!" Ryan cried happily as she pulled her hands away from her eyes. Rebecca stuck out her tongue.
"Didn't scare me."
"Ba!" Ryan tried again. Rebecca knew the little baby would be persistent so she decided to give up, play along, and then took the little girl out of her high chair so they could move on to something else. At the same time, Jake and Noah walked into the command center. Rebecca was barely paying attention. She was too busy balancing the baby on her hip with cleaning up the Ranger Keys.
Jake, seeing the others were out, nudged Noah forward with a smile, "Do it now."
"Jake..."
"Come on. The longer you put it off the harder it's going to get. If you really start to freak out, suggest a double date. I'll convince Gia."
Noah nodded, and with the flowers in one hand and the teddy bear in the other he walked up to Rebecca.
"Hey, Becca..."
"I didn't break any keys, I swear."
"That's fine. They're indestructible, even for you," Noah chuckled nervously and Rebecca finally looked up at him. He saw she noticed the flowers and the teddy bear and he knew there was no way out of it now. He would have to go through with asking her out. He held out his gifts.
"Here. I got these for you."
"Oh, uh..."
Noah could feel himself starting to sweat. Rebecca wasn't taking them. She was standing there awkwardly and just staring at him and the gifts.
"Dude, she's holding a baby and the keys," Jake whispered in his ear before he took Ryan and the keys from Rebecca's arms to lighten her load. Then he disappeared into the bedroom to give the two a little privacy. Noah still couldn't calm his nerves and had to take a few deep breathes, but he felt a little more confident when Rebecca took both his gifts with a smile.
"Thanks! I love the flowers."
"I'm... uh... glad."
"You didn't have to do this," Rebecca shook her head. "If this is about the cut, it doesn't even hurt. Having my head still attached to my body is gift enough. And if it's about helping you out before, don't mention it. I've learned I love helping people."
"It's actually... Well, I do want to apologize and thank you for those things but... um, there's something... something else. Rebecca, I... I totally get if you say no and I don't want to make things weird between us. I mean, we're good friends, and we have pretty much the same friends and we have to live together all the time. Not to mention what Troy will think and how awkward things might get with that. Jake says not to worry about Troy but he is my friend and he's your brother so it's kind of hard not to take that into consideration..."
"Noah."
"Uh, yeah?"
"Wanna go to dinner sometime?" Rebecca asked him with a little smile. Noah breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his head.
"Yeah. I'd like that."
"I figured you would," Rebecca smiled and smelled the flowers. "Just name a time and date. I've got nothing else to do."
"How about tomorrow night?" Noah suggested.
"That sounds perfect," Rebecca said. "It's a date."
She gave the blue Ranger a kiss on the cheek and then walked into her bedroom. Noah blushed a deep red and turned to his and Jake's bedroom as the green Ranger walked out with Ryan.
"So?"
"It's a date."
"Dude! I told you!" Jake started to jump excitedly and high fived his best friend. "See what happens when you dive in! See. Wasn't I right? I was so right on this one!"
"That was probably the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done," Noah said. He grabbed the dish towel from the oven handle to wipe his forehead. "I think if she had said no I would have literally melted."
"When's the date?"
"Tomorrow night. We're going to dinner."
"Any idea where you're taking her?"
Noah shook his head. "Uh... I hadn't thought of it, actually. I should probably get on that."
"Yeah, maybe," Jake answered teasingly and then caught a whiff of something bad in the air. He looked down at the little girl in his arms and then held her out for Noah to take, "Oh, and while you're at it, maybe you should get to work on this too. Smells like a real bad one."
Without giving Noah a chance to protest, Jake put the baby in the blue Ranger's arms and then grabbed a sword from the wall and headed out to train with the others. Noah looked down at Ryan and groaned as he caught the foul smell in the air.
"Please tell me this is bad timing and not you voicing your disproval at me dating your big sister. Wow, Ry, you stink!"
-Megaforce-
"I was thinking," Jordan said as blocked a punch from Gia on the training grounds just a little ways off from the command center. Troy had suggested they train in teams of two and Jordan found himself paired up with Gia. He was a little worried about his partner, but took this as an opportunity to talk to her about his plans for a second proposal with Emma. Gia had made it clear she wanted Emma to have a proposal she would always remember fondly, and the one Jordan offered her in Dr. Oliver's basement didn't make the cut, "In the springtime, as the flowers are blooming, I could take her out for a picnic in the woods."
"You're on the right track," Gia nodded, "But she and I have had springtime picnics in the woods. Sorry, but it's not really something special anymore."
"Even if it's a date with me."
"Do you want me to answer that question?" Gia threw a punch at his head, which he ducked just in time to avoid. "You're getting better."
"Thanks. Any suggestions on how I can spice it up, then?"
"If it were up to me, there would never be any spice. Do you remember who you're talking to, or did I actually connect with that last punch without knowing?"
"Okay, well, maybe I could take her to the beach during a sunset..."
"Do you want to make her cry?"
"A few tears, maybe."
"Those won't be the tears you want," Gia answered and caught Jordan's fist in her hand. "Dad used to take her to watch the sunset whenever she was having a bad day. It always cheered her up. She's got a photo album dedicated to sunsets because of it."
"Oh. Well, I did take her to the butterfly exhibit once. We can relive an old date. That's always romantic."
"That's a good idea. There's just one problem."
"Who used to take her to the butterfly exhibit?"
"Not that. You remember when I tried to blow Vrak up, but he still walked away, and so I tried to kill myself."
"Yeah..."
"Well, the neighbourhood I took out with me... yeah, the butterfly exhibit was there. It and the butterflies kind of... didn't make it."
"This is sabotage."
"Sabotage would be killing you off in an explosion," Gia answered. "Sorry, Jordan, you're gonna have to try a little harder than that."
As he kicked at her she caught his leg, twisted it so he was forced to turn and hop on one leg and then she pushed him to the ground. She pinned him down for a couple of seconds, mostly just to rub in the fact that she had beaten him, and then walked to the bench to drink from her water bottle. Emma, who had finished training with Troy, offered her hand to help him up.
"Still can't beat her, huh?"
"I take it easy on her," Jordan shrugged and started to brush off the dirt from his clothes. You know how sensitive she is... OW!"
He rubbed the back of his head and turned around. Gia smirked innocently but not longer had her water bottle in her hands. When Jordan looked around his feet, he saw the yellow bottle on the ground.
"Did you...?"
"It slipped," Gia answered. "My sensitive little hands just couldn't hold onto it anymore. Oops."
Gia chuckled as Jordan threw his bottle back at her but missed, and then she heard her phone beep ring. She recognized the number as being the hospital's and so as she picked up her bottle she answered the call and a deep frown formed on her face.
"Is everything okay?" Emma asked as she came over for a drink. Gia shook her head and hung up.
"I've got to go."
"Gia..."
"I've gotta go!" Gia shouted and teleported away.
