Chapter 34: Claiming and Defending Love
Disclaimer: There will be a song from the ultra cool band-Nickelback in this chapter. Like last time...I OWN NOTHING! If I did, there would be a LOT more hookups in PR! ;) Enjoy!
Author's Note: This is a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG one, so grab some snacks and strap yourselves in, people! :D
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Ever since Nick interrupted their moment of burning ardor with his mistimed phone call, Sky had been contemplating about everything that had been going on with Alli and finally decided, much to his heart's dismay, that she was right. They had to end their game of cat and mouse...otherwise they'd never get any sleep.
"Alli, you're right." The tall azure ranger sighed in defeat. "What happened between us tonight can never, and I mean never happen again. It's just too awkward."
"I completely agree." The ebony mystic replied, albeit a bit too hastily. "It ends right here, right now. No good can come out of this."
Sure, that's what their brains and mouths were saying. But their hearts...well, that was a horse of a different color. Their bodies were also protesting; the vibes they were giving off were saying the exact opposite of what their mouths were. While, the rangers' brains were saying 'no', the quickening pulse of their hearts and the pleasurable tingling in their bodies were screaming 'yes, yes, yes!' The only thing that kept them from giving in to their urges was their undeniable need to sleep.
"Well...ummm...I guess I better get some shuteye, otherwise I'll be a total wreck in the morning." Sky chuckled to cut the tension. It wasn't a complete lie since he did need the rest.
Alli looked into his sapphire eyes to see if maybe, just maybe, there was a glimmer of hope that the two could actually work out as a couple. When she saw none, he hid the melancholy that threatened to betray her true feelings.
"Yeah...good idea. I want to show up on time for work...for once." She smirked at the thought of Toby going into convulsions at the sight of her being punctual for work for the first time since her employment. "Well...good night." She bade softly.
In her haste to end the already excessively awkward moment, Alli grabs her quilt, pillow and teddy bear and flew out of her own room, leaving a bewildered Sky behind thinking to himself, 'okay, what's wrong with this picture?'. Five minutes passed before the realization of her actions finally kicked in. The bedroom door slowly opened and a grimacing Alli walked back in looking as if she had just accidentally called her boss 'brillo head' to his face.
"Oh, yeah. This is my room." She remembered finally. She craned her neck to look up at her houseguest and with her eyes, suggested that he leave her room and not just because of their current history. Taking the hint, Sky stammered and grabbed his amenities.
"Oh, right! Night, Alli." He stuttered as he grabbed his blanket. "I suppose I...uh...yeah."
The blue cadet peeled out of Alli's room in record time and went to his guest room. Both were reluctant to part, but felt that it was necessary to preserve what little comfort and sanity they had left between them. After pacing in their rooms for what seemed like half past forever, they eventually crept into their beds and snuggled under their covers. That was the easy part because each ranger ended up tossing and turning due to the thoughts of their many shared kissed and warm embraces. As soon as they quelled those emotions, arduous as the task was, both rangers finally fell asleep.
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The next morning...
Jazz had woken up from the most restful night sleep she ever experienced and she decided that she waned to take a shower. She found a white terry cloth robe folded over the armrest of the chair in her room. She assumed that Clare left it there for her in case she needed it.
"She is such a sweetheart." The ruby locked ranger smiled to herself.
Taking it from its resting place, she put it on over the purple pajamas the apprentice conjured for her the night before and walked out of her room where she met up with Clare walking down the hallway in the opposite direction.
"Good morning, Clare." Jazz greeted with an open mouthed yawn. "Excuse me."
Clare couldn't help but giggle. This wasn't the first time she was greeted with yawns first thing in the morning and was certain it wouldn't be the last.
"Good morning, Jazz. Did you sleep well?" The doe eyed assistant queried.
It was a valid question. She knew that most people had a hard time sleeping in surroundings they were unfamiliar with. And since Jazz hailed from the future where most everything was a technologic marvel, being thrust nearly 20 years in the past would make anyone uncomfortable. Her fears were dissolved when she was met with a contented grin from her houseguest.
"As a matter of fact, I did. With the rain falling last night, I slept so soundly. I love the sound it makes when it hits the window, don't you?" The lilac clad cadet asked as ste stretched the remaining sleep from her body.
The fair-haired apprentice smiled in agreement. There was nothing more soothing than nature lulling you to sleep.
"I know what you mean. There's just something so...relaxing about the sound of rain. It always seems to make me drowsy." She smiled serenely. "The only thing I like more is the sound of the crickets chirping during the summer months. A lot of people think that sound grates on their nerves, but I find it so mellow. I can't imagine falling asleep without hearing them outside my window."
Jazz knew what she meant. There were times in the academy where she struggled to fall asleep because of the constant hum of the machinery and irritating beeps coming from all of the electronic equipment that surrounded her. On those nights, she'd sneak out of her room which, thankfully, was a solo room, and through a secret passage she discovered on one of her many bids to get away from everyone's teasing, she'd creep out of the boundaries of the compound and into the only green spot in town...the park. Using a tent, she would sleep under the stars and tranquil comfort provided by the sounds the animals made there...even if they were the occasional owl and stray dog. It beat the images of counting robots back in her room.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I've been meaning to ask you if there was a shower around here." She asked after bringing herself out of her thoughts.
"Oh, yes. It's the second door from your room, that way." Clare answered as she turned Jazz to the direction she was pointing. "I had a feeling you'd want to take a shower so I brought you some soap, fresh towels and a change of clothes." She replied as she handed the items to a pleasantly surprised Jazz. I hope you don't mind that they're pants and not a skirt. You just don't appear to be the 'skirt' or 'dress' type to me.
Jazz smiled at Clare's assessment of her taste in fashion. She nailed it. Jazz abhorred anything that showed a lot of skin on her body and that included dresses and skirts.
"Clare, I think you have Bridge beat when it comes to reading people. I just hope you never find out why I hate wearing them." She thought bittersweetly. "Thank you, Clare. You know, you really didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."
Jazz didn't know how else to express her gratitude. This was the first time, since meeting Commander Cruger and Kat that anyone had been this nice to her. Not even her team was this cordial. Clare fondly smiled; she was happy to help out.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. Besides, I figure this is all my fault anyway." Clare chuckled nervously as she remembered her biggest blunder ever.
Jazz sympathized with the girl, remembering some of her own mistakes. They weren't as big as Clare's, though, but they came pretty damn close.
"Oh, don't say that. Personally, this is one mistake I'm glad you made." Jazz replied with a sincere smile.
She gave Clare's shoulder a comforting squeeze before she made her way to the shower. The doe eyed apprentice was left to ponder the meaning of Jazz's comment.
"She's glad I messed up that spell? How can anyone be happy about that?" She thought in question.
She was still trying to add up the pieces of the purple ranger's befuddling statement, but when she saw Daggeron walk by the door leading to the main room of Root Core with a bright smile on his face, it all became clear. So clear, she couldn't help but smile.
"Ahhh. Now, I get it." She thought with a smirk.
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Jazz was humming to herself happily as she took her shower when the Solaris Knight walked by the bathroom. The door was open just a crack and he could hear the redhead's sweet voice waft through the air.
"She even sounds like an angel." He mused wistfully.
Content to know that she was enjoying herself, he felt confident in leaving her alone to her own devices until he heard her speak.
"Oh, great. I forgot to ask Clare if she had any shampoo." Jazz groaned as she turned away from the shower head.
Grinning inwardly to himself, the knight of the sun whispered a short cantrip...
"Glyceria Tressida."
A glowing orb formed over the soap tray and a bottle of strawberry scented shampoo appeared in her shower. When the futuristic purple cadet turned around, her eyes widened when they fell on the bottle that materialized mysteriously.
"What the..." She shrieked softly.
She grabbed the bottle, opened the top and smelled the shimmering mixture of soap and fruit essences.
"Mmm; this smells so yummy. Talk about service." She whispered to herself. "Thank you...whoever did this for me." She called out with a giggle.
She washed her long, red hair and finished her shower quickly so she could have time to eat breakfast.
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Jazz, fresh from her morning shower, walked into the main room wearing a purple tank top, black jeans and white sneakers. She decided to let her hair stay down today, but it was nice and wavy. Before she set foot into the main room, the aroma of sausages, pancakes and scrambled eggs hit her like a Mack truck.
"Oh, sweet mama! I think I just died and gone to heaven!" She said blissfully as the delectable smell seemed to lift her and float her into the room like in the cartoons. "Whatever that is, it smells delicious!"
As if on cue, Daggeron walked in wearing an apron and noticed Jazz's eyes were closed in utter ecstacy.
"Well, thank you, Jasmine. I try." He replied to her compliment.
Jazz's green orbs fluttered open as she looked up to the source of the voice.
"Oh, my goodness. Forget the food...you look good enough to eat!" She thought to herself. It was then that the knight's words finally broke through her thoughts of lust and registered into her brain. "Wait. You mean you cooked? Without magic?" She asked surprised.
The knight of the sun laughed heartily.
"Of course, I did. I have skills other than fighting and casting spells." Daggeron smugly replied in a playful fashion.
"So, I noticed." She replied in kind. "Handsome and knows his way around the kitchen. My kind of man." She thought looking him up and down.
Daggeron, pleased that he was able to impress the fiery haired ranger, held out his arm for her.
"Shall we, milady?" He asked in a gallant tone.
"Let's." Jazz giggled as she took his arm.
Daggeron smiled at Jazz and led the young lady to a table where two plates and the cooked food sat. Being the gentleman he was, he pulled out Jazz's chair for her and waited for her to sit before taking his own seat. The pair commenced to partaking of the delicious meal the knight had prepared. Clare, not wanting the two to miss an opportunity to be together, elected to eat in the kitchen...while watching them from a crack in the door. After everyone finished their meal, Jazz offered to help Clare with the dishes.
"Oh, that's alright. I'm fine." The apprentice grinned with her hands in a sinkful of sudsy water.
"Are you sure? I want to repay you for all you've done for me." Jazz replied.
Clare smiled sweetly at the gesture. She didn't mind the work but was appreciative of Jazz's offer.
"I'm sure; but thanks, though." Clare waved off playfully. "Besides, your friends should be here any minute."
As soon as she said those words, the dragon mouth of Root Core opened and Chip walked in with Z behind him.
"Morning, all." Chip greeted. He was very spry this morning.
Daggeron chuckled at his friend's upbeat demeanor before replying.
"Good morning, Chip. How was your night?" He asked. The yellow mystic was the first to come back to Root Core with his houseguest and Daggeron was curious to see how the overnight arrangements worked out.
"It was great! Z and I spent the night talking about...well...stuff." He said smiling, blushing at the last part. The reason for his face turning a slight shade of pink was standing in front of him in her long, flowing skirt. "Hi, Clare."
"Hi, Chip." She greeted with a giggle.
Jazz, Daggeron and Z all watched the two youngsters fidget as they looked at each other. Smiles crossed their faces as they witnessed some of the innocent love blossom in front of them.
"Y-you look really pretty." The saffron ranger complimented with his hand behind his back, a fact Clare didn't fail to notice.
"Um, Chip? What do you have behind your back?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Chip gave the observant apprentice a grin before bringing his hand around, and the gift it held. In his right hand was a rare red petaled daisy that only grew in the deepest parts of the forest.
"I woke up extra early this morning and picked it for you." He announced with an impish grin.
Clare brought her hands to her mouth and gasped at the gallant gesture.
"Oh, Chip." She whispered. "You're so sweet. Thank you."
She was about to reach her hand out to take the crimson flower when Chip stopped her.
"No. Allow me."
Chip slowly closed the gap between him and Clare and gently places the vermillion blossom in her flowing blonde locks. He leans in and caresses her cheek with his lips in a gentle kiss before speaking.
"That flower is beautiful but it pales in comparison to your beauty."
The girls all cooed at his flowery (A/N: No pun intended) words while Daggeron smirked to himself.
"I've taught you well, Young Chip." The Solaris Knight thought proudly.
Jazz was a little envious of their display, but moreso, she was genuinely happy for them. Z looked to her friend and whispered to her.
"You don't see pure love like that every day." The Yellow cadet whispered to her teammate.
"It's also not every day that a person finds their soulmate." Jazz whispered back with a touch of sadness. "Chip, Clare...you hang on to each other. There are people in this world who die never finding 'the one'...like I will." She thought forlornly. She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the knight in training speak again.
"Oh, before I forget...Jazz, are you ready to go?" Chip asked.
The redhead S.P.D. quickly put on a happy face before anyone noticed her feeling down again.
"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go." Jazz replied a little too quickly.
She grabs her denim jacket from a chair by the crystal ball and puts it on. Before she leaves with her friends, she turns to face Daggeron. She notices his expression and gives him a sweet smile.
"Hey. I'll be back later, okay? Besides, I'd like to learn some more spells."
The solar knight looked into Jazz's honeydew green eyes and smiled warmly. No matter how bad he felt, seeing her face brought a smile to his.
"I'd like that as well, Jasmine."
The ruby haired ranger smiled as she left Root Core with the two yellow ranger to Rock Porium. Daggeron leaned against the entrance and watched with a silly grin as the yellow mystic's car grow smaller in the distance. Clare, who was chuckling to herself, walked over to her friends' mentor and tried to snap him back to reality.
"Daggeron?" She called in futility before trying again in a singsong tone. "Daggeron...I just used one of Nick's spells and now Root Core is on fire."
Daggeron, who was still looking out the door, sighing as he did, finally replied...kind of.
"That's nice, Clare." He answered dreamily.
The fair haired assistant could only giggle. It seems that amidst all of the spells Jazz had learned during her short time here, she managed to cast one on Daggeron. The spell known simply as...love.
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Just after picking up Jazz, Chip swung by Xander's house to pick up Bridge since Xander never made it back last night and now the four drove to the yellow and green mystics' place of employment with Chip in the driver seat, Jazz riding shotgun, and Bridge and Z holed up in the back. (A/N: Get your minds out of the gutter, people! I know what you were thinking...because I was thinking the same thing. ;) ON WITH THE FIC!) Bridge, who hadn't seen his girlfriend since the party, scooted closer and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Miss me?" The green psychic asked with a grin.
Z gave her beau a sly grin before leaning in.
"You know, I did." Z replied in a sultry tone.
Seconds later, the futuristic couple gave in to their urges and began kissing softly like two lovesick high school kids on a first date. Chip noticed the sudden silence in the back and looked in his rear view mirror. When he laid eyes on the canoodling, he coughed loudly to break them up.
"Hey, Bridge. How come Xander isn't with you." He wanted to change the subject to anything other than his friends' slow build to tongue wrestling.
Bridge squirmed in his seat as he reluctantly removed his arm from Z's shoulder. Last night with the green Aussie was...interesting to say the least. Still, it was one he didn't want to repeat anytime soon.
"He left last night. Said something about not being comfortable in his own house." The psychic ranger smirked evilly.
Chip chuckled knowing what he meant and continued to drive.
"Maybe this will teach Xander to keep his flirting in check...wishful thinking." He thought to himself.
When the group reached their destination, Chip and his guests got out of the car just as the other Mystic Rangers, complete with their purple employee vests, arrived with their guests. The group of twelve entered the music store and found their boss, Toby ringing up a customer's purchase.
"Thank you and shop again at Rock Porium!" He greeted as he handed the young woman her items in their trademark purple bag. As she passed the twelve, Toby looked up. "Ahh, glad to see you made it here..."
He laid his brown eyes on Alli and immediately fakes a heart attack.
"Alli? Here? On time?!" He stammered and stumbled as his bad acting got even worse. "I can't breathe; the room's getting dark..."
Everyone laughed at his hammy performance...everyone except, Alli, who showed her inability to find the humor in her boss' skit by folding her arms and sucking on her teeth.
"Ha ha ha! Very funny, boss!" Alli grinned as she put on her vest. She knew she was never on time and knew that her being punctual would get such a reaction so she just laughed it off.
"Okay, all joking aside my faithful rockers...someone answer me this one question. Who are they?" The curly haired employer asked sweeping his finger back and forth among the SPD rangers in civilian clothes.
He had caught the mystics off guard. None of them had a viable lie to cover for their friends' appearance.
"Um....Xander?" Vida stammered as she turned to face the Aussie.
"Thanks a lot, V!" Xander grumbled in thought as he rolled his eyes. "Well, Toby, it's like this...Chip?" He stuttered as he passed the buck.
"You vegemite-eating little prick! You suck!" Chip cursed in his mind. "Um...yeah...you see...Maddie?" The freckle faced ranger faltered as he gave the mermaid the burden to come up with the lie.
"Sleep with one eye open, Carrot top!" She thought as she threatened Chip silently. "Well...uhhh...Alli?" The brunette water maiden grinned nervously as the mystic of night sent her a death glare.
"If you were drowning, Ariel, I'd throw you a rock!" She imagined sinisterly before taking her turn. "What we're trying to say is...Nick?" Alli started as she ran to hide behind Sky.
"F*** you and all you stand for!" The red phoenix seethed silently. "Umm....uhh..."
Jazz noticed how her friends were struggling to come up with a convincing cover and stepped in to help. She didn't talk much, but when the need called for it, she could charm her way out of any situation.
"I'm really sorry about this, Mr..." She started. She knew his last name from the future, but for all intensive purposes, she pretended not to know.
"Slambrook. Toby Slambrook, at your service." He finished with a grin.
"Of course. Well, my friends and I are on a road trip and we kinda got ourselves lost." She began her story...which, if you think about it, wasn't entirely that far from the truth. "We stopped at the mall where we ran into Nick and his friends, who were kind enough to give us a tour of Briarwood. Nick suggested that we make a stop here to check out where they worked; 'the coolest hangout in town'. His words." She finished with a sincere grin. "That was the biggest load of bull I shoveled since that summer I spent on grandpa's farm." She thought to herself in amusement.
"He said that?" Toby asked sporting a goofy, but proud grin.
Everyone quickly nodded their heads in agreement to perpetuate the purple ranger's work of fiction.
"She's good." V whispered to her sister.
"I'll say. And I thought Xander had the silver tongue. She has him beat!" Maddie whispered back in amazement.
Toby, who was brimming with pride, stood up straight and spoke to his guests.
"Well, with that said, allow me to welcome you to the Rock Porium! The hippest, hottest, most happening music store in town!" He announced with his arms open.
As everyone took in their surroundings, Toby walked to the red mystic and whispered in his ear low enough for only him to hear.
"Expect a big bonus in your next paycheck for this. Rock on!"
The phoenix grinned stupidly and made a mental note to himself.
"Note to self...thank Jazz later."
Speaking of Jazz...she walked around and soaked in the atmosphere that made Rock Porium such a unique establishment. She'd been in music stores before but this one had a charm all its own, much like Root Core.
"Nice digs!" She thought to herself. "Too bad I can't tell him that he's gonna own a whole franchise of stores that will be bigger than the Virgin Megastores in twenty years."
As the ruby haired ranger scoped her surroundings even more, her eyes locked on a shiny electric guitar positioned on a lacquered stand.
"No frickin' way! A Gibson Epiphone 5000 with a 10,000 watt amp and whammy bar made to look like Jimi Hendrix's guitar! They only made 1,000 of these!" Jazz exclaimed with a level of excitement that was alien to her friends. Toby, who was taking a shine to his employees' friends, marveled at the young girl's interest in classic rock.
"Hold on! You like Jimi!?" He asked wide-eyed.
Jazz just looked at Toby as if he'd grown a second head.
"Who doesn't!? I saw footage of him when he set his guitar on fire at Monterey Pop! Killer!" She praised as her eyes never left the sparkling guitar.
"Oh, I like her!" The raven haired boss told his workers before turning his attention back to Jazz. "You and your friends are okay with me."
Jazz just nodded absent-mindedly as she inched closer to the rare guitar.
"Can I hold it?" She asked awestruck.
The curly locked boss was apprehensive, but he felt that he could trust the girl with such a rare instrument.
"Okay, but be careful. Even though I have three more of these, this one is special. It's signed by Jake Bonebreaker himself."
Jazz nodded as she put the guitar over her shoulder. She looked to the proprietor of Rock Porium and spoke again as she tuned the instrument.
"Have you heard his unplugged album? It has all his greatest hits including 'Black Sunset'." She asked as she noticed Toby's unusual expression.
"I love you!" Toby blurted out making everyone in the store uncomfortable...namely Jazz.
"Oooooookay." She replied inching away from Toby. "Awkward!" She thought as she plucked a string. "I only took a couple of lessons, but..."
The purple ranger grabbed the black pick and ran it across the strings. She played one chord, then another. Then she played whole riff, her fingers gracefully moving across the neck of the guitar. Before anyone knew, Jazz was rocking on that guitar as if she was channeling Jake Bonebreaker. Alli, not being able to resist the call of the music, took out her own guitar and joined Jazz who was, by now, in full 'rock out' mode. Vida, who never missed an opportunity for a jam session, went to her turntables and mixed like DJ Skribble along with the girls' guitar duet. When the triad of rock chicks were finished, the customers applauded and cheered loudly while their friends all stood there with their mouths agape...nobody more than a certain spiky haired green ranger.
"Okay! Where in the name of buttery toast did that come from?!" Bridge exclaimed as he stood in the middle of the store. "That tears it! I wanna know, right now, who else in here has musical talent?"
Seeing that he was serious, Jack decided to jerk his chain a bit.
"Um...I play the triangle."
Vida stopped her turntable after hearing the red SPD ranger's comment and the sound of the needle scratching across it was heard throughout the store. Jazz smirked with mirth at the coincidental, yet appropriate, sound effect.
"That will never happen again." The purple SPD grinned in thought. "Jack, for your sake, I hope you were joking."
"You just lost so many cool points, bro." Z commented as she hung her head in shame.
Alli cocked her head in disbelief before throwing her two cents in.
"Dude, that's the sort of thing you don't wanna broadcast." Alli added in disgust.
"At least not sober." Xander chimed in making everyone laugh.
Jack just shook his head at the fact that his joke was taken out of context.
"Hello! I was kidding! Geez, everyone forgot how to take a joke!" That just made everyone laugh even harder.
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Back at Root Core...
After Jazz left Root Core with her friends, Daggeron had opted to help Clare with her daily chores. He was doing a fair job, but Clare could see that his mind was on something other than working.
"Daggeron, do you know where Udonna put that Beetle's Bane she gathered last week?" Clare asked as she was perched on a stool in front of a high shelf.
Daggeron looked up from his spot in the main room and was about to show that his mind was indeed not on the task at hand.
"Oh, yes. It's in the Jasmine." A split second after realizing he committed a Freudian slip, he corrected himself. "I mean it's in the jar!" "Damnit!" He cursed silently.
Clare spun around so quickly, she nearly fell off of the stool she was standing on. Regaining her equilibrium, she stepped of the small piece of furniture walked to the experienced knight with a look of confusion mixed with a touch of 'I knew it!'
"Daggeron? Your mind isn't on working today, is it?" The doe eyed apprentice observed.
Daggeron just chuckled nervously. He had never been in such a state of confusion before, let alone let it affect him so much.
"It shows, doesn't it?" The Solaris Knight asked as he cringed.
Clare just grinned and batted her eyes. She knew what was going on; all the signs were in front of her, plain as day.
"It can't help but show. It's written all over your face. You're in love." She giggled brightly. "It's the exact same look Nick has when he looks at Madison."
"And Chip has when he looks at you?" Daggeron rebutted with a smirk.
Clare just nodded and turned her gaze to the floor in an attempt to hide her blush.
"Yes." She answered softly before lifting her face to look at Daggeron again. "Okay, since you know you're in love, why don't you do something about it?"
Daggeron adopted a pensive look and sat down at the table. It was a thoughtful question raised by Udonna's niece and one with an answer he dreaded.
"I've thought about it, Clare." He started with a sigh. "And I don't think I will." He lamented.
Clare couldn't believe her ears. Daggeron, trained by Leanbow and fought alongside him in the Great War, faced monsters more fearful than anything she could dream up, was afraid to follow his heart? She wanted answers and she wanted them now.
"What!? Why the Hell not?!" Clare inadvertently shouted.
She regretted raising her voice when she saw the look in her friend's brown eyes. It was so full of sorrow that it nearly broke her sensitive heart in twain. Letting out another long sigh, he proceeded to answer his friend.
"Because Jasmine will be going back to her own time when we figure out the counter spell and...I can't bear the thought of losing her. So, I've decided not to pursue her further." He replied as his shoulders sank.
Clare had never seen him look so depressed before and couldn't stand it any longer.
"Nobody deserves to go through life without experiencing love at least once. Especially not you. I won't have it!" She thought with determination.
"And I thought you were the wise one." She muttered under her breath. "You can't ignore these feelings for her, Daggeron. Yes, she will be going back soon, but isn't that a good enough reason to spend as much time as you can with her? Better a little time than none at all, right?" Clare asked pleading.
Daggeron thought about Clare's words and looked at her. How could he just give up so easily? That's not the way of the knight!
"Leanbow would be so ashamed of me if he were still alive." Daggeron thought grimly. "You're absolutely right! I'm going to spend all the time I can with Jasmine while she's still here!" Daggeron exclaimed proudly. "And to think I was about to let her get away. Thank you, Clare!"
The knight of the sun leapt from his seat and hugged Clare before running towards the front door leaving the young apprentice dumbfounded.
"Wait! Where are you going?" She called out.
Daggeron looked back and answered with renewed confidence...
"To win the heart of my lady!" He laughed before he left Root Core.
Clare laughed and resumed her daily chores before sighing wistfully.
"Ahh, I love love." She said to nobody in particular.
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Back at Rock Porium...
The S.P.D. rangers were hanging out and having a good time while Nick and his friends worked...well, not all of his friends. Xander was busy 'supervising'...as usual. Jazz watched from where she stood and became physically ill to see someone slacking off while his friends were working hard.
"Why that lousy, little..." She couldn't think of a good enough insult she was so steamed.
She strolled over to the green mystic ranger who was sitting on a stool and flipping through a magazine. She folded her arms and began to give Xander a piece of her mind whether he liked it or not.
"Um, what do you think you're doing?" She asked calmly.
Xander looked up from his magazine and chuckled. It was clear to him that Jazz wasn't clear on the chain of command at Rock Porium.
"I'm supervising. It's what I do." Xander replied with a smirk and his usual brand of charm.
Jazz just exhaled sharply. Typical slacker attitude. She'd seen it before. With her arms still folded, she spoke again just as calmly as before.
"Supervising, huh? Translation: being lazy." She said as her hands went to her hips. "So, this is what Toby pays you for? Doing nothing while your friends are doing all the work? And I bet you take all the credit when Toby praises them for their hard work and blame them when things go wrong by saying it isn't your fault, right?" The redhead asked, her voice raising just slightly.
Maddie looked on and nodded in agreement along with her co-workers.
"You hit the nail on the head, Jazz." The blue mermaid chimed in.
Xander was growing irritated and didn't like how Jazz just had the unmitigated gaul to call his work ethic, or lack thereof, into question.
"Now, look..." The green Aussie began...but didn't finish.
"No, you look!" She cut him off as she pointed her finger in his face. Her voice kept its eerie calm. "If you think I'm gonna stand here and watch you act like a lazy slug while your friends are over there working their asses off, you're sadly mistaken!" Everyone noticed how her voice had gradually slipped into her inherent Southern accent. "Now, unless you want a good old-fashioned, Mississippi Mud backhand slap to the back of your Crocodile Dundee-lookin' skull, you'll get your ass in there and do some real work. And I mean now!"
Everyone in the store cheered as Jack stood up like a soldier honoring a fallen comrade.
"And the Southern Storm rises again!" He laughs.
Xander looked at the futuristic cadet with shock, and a little fear in his eyes. He thought that she was the soft spoken type. He was soon proven wrong when Jazz took over the conversation again.
"B-b-but..." Xander faltered as his fear overtook him.
"I didn't stutter! Move it!" Jazz ordered again.
Xander was taken aback by her forceful demeanor...that and the fact that she was two seconds away from slapping the taste out of his mouth.
"What happened to the genteel Southern belles I heard so much about?" He thought in horror. "I thought you were nice?" He cowered.
A creepy smirk slithered across Jazz's lips as she prepared to answer the terrified ranger.
"I am nice...that's why I haven't smacked you." She replied in a low tone.
Xander thought back to when the S.P.D. rangers first appeared in the middle of Root Core and realized that she was telling the truth.
"Yeah, now that you mention it, you're the only one who hasn't." The green earth mystic observed.
"Yet." Chimed in the rangers in unison.
"Well, why haven't you?" Xander asked as his annoyance grew.
Jazz kept her cool, which was a feat in itself. She moved in closer; she was merely a breath away from Xander's face before she went into her explanation.
"Because my friends will tell you that I'm doing you a huge favor by not smacking you." She began, her voice still exhibiting a touch of that Southern twang. "I'm usually very quiet and calm, but in battle...how do you think I got the nickname 'Southern Storm'?" Jazz chuckled a bit before continuing. "And you should be thankful I'm not in that frame of mind right now. Because, you see, if I smacked you when I'm like that, you wouldn't be getting back up."
The wicked grin on her face and the sadistic glint in her eye that so didn't fit her 'quiet' persona sent chills throughout the Aussie's body. If it was at all possible, she put more than the fear of God into the poor boy...she put the fear of Jazz into him! His head whirled around to look at anything other than Jazz's green eyes boring a hole into him when he spied his leader carrying a stack of heavy boxes out of the store room.
"Uh...Nick, you need some help, buddy?" Xander asked in a frantic stutter.
Nick's head peeked around the boxes as the unfamiliar sound of Xander offering to help hit his ears.
"Okay, either I entered the Twilight Zone or Xander just offered to help me." Nick wondered to himself. "Well, I guess..." The red phoenix started, but didn't finish.
"Great!" Xander interrupted as he grabbed the boxes Nick was carrying in a feat of superhuman strength. Nothing like a hard day's work to get your juices going. Right, Jazz?" He asked quickly looking back to the redhead.
Jazz watched as Xander rapidly opened the boxes and stocked the shelves with brand new cd's and stereo equipment.
"Hmm. Fear is a great motivator." Jazz grinned to herself. "Right, Xander" She replied smiling.
The Aussie's comrades looked on in astonishment. The most work he's ever done around the store was the time he picked up a candy wrapper a cute brunette girl dropped before leaving the store with her new cd's.
"She's a miracle worker!" Chip praised.
Everyone laughed at the yellow mystic's comment when a prominent, and mostly unwanted customer walked through the door.
"Hello, all!" Piped LeeLee in her bouncy attitude.
"LeeLee!" Shouted all of the RockPloyees.
Creepy organ music played in the background after the purple vested workers announced her arrival, which pissed off the blonde.
"Oh....who keeps doing that!?" She whined.
She didn't notice Alli snickering by the guitar stands. She used one of her spells to conjure music befitting the wicked girl.
"That never gets old." The black mystic sniggered in thought.
The S.P.D. observed the interaction between this new girl and their new friends and soon figured out that this 'LeeLee' was someone that the Mystic Rangers could go their whole lives without encountering if they could help it. Nick, sparing his coworkers the utter disdain of greeting the blonde harpie, stepped forward and spoke.
"LeeLee. To what do we owe this...visit?" Nick asked as he rolled his eyes. "Did we lose a bet or something?" He thought with a sneer.
The blonde patron ignored Nick's obvious chagrin and proceeded with her recommended daily allowance of shameless flirting. She sauntered towards the grimacing red ranger and batted her eyes at him.
"Oh, no reason." She replied coyly. "I just wanted to say hello to my favorite hunk..." She stopped her buttering up when she noticed the group of newcomers standing by the counter. "Who invited these losers?" She thought in her haughty attitude.
She scanned each member, thinking that she was clearly superior to every one, until her eyes became fixated on the tall, blue-eyed form of the S.P.D. cadet.
"Oooh, Hell-O!" She thought, the lust bubbling deep inside her. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when she laid eyes on him. In a flash, she forgot that Nick even existed, much to the red ranger's relief, and quickly dashed to the side of the statuesque ranger.
"Well, well, well. You must be new around here. I'd never forget such a gorgeous face." She tittered as she looked him up and down. "Mmm, six foot two, eyes of blue..." She chanted as she touched his chest. "...very well built." "Me likey!" She thought. "So, what's your name, handsome?
"Umm. Sky." He replied skittish.
Sky tried his best to hide his discomfort...and failed miserably. He scooted away from the clingy blonde only to have her shadow his every move. A certain Mystic Ranger fumed as she witnessed this trollop make moves on someone she's had her eyes on from the moment she met him.
"Oh, Hell no! I know that little bitch ain't going after my man! Wait a second...did I just call Sky 'my man'?" She asked herself in thought.
She wanted to continue her self interrogation, but she decided to put that on the back burner...along with a certain bleached blonde bimbo.
"Sky, huh? That name suits you. Tall brunette with sky blue eyes." She giggled.
The blue-eyed victim gulped audibly and looked in Alli's direction with a 'help me' expression etched on his face. The outspoken ranger of the night, was quickly getting fed up with this shameless hussy's antics and decided to take pity on Sky and help him out. She calmly walked over and accidentally "pushed" LeeLee out of the way and whispered something to the blue cadet as she stood on her tiptoes.
"Play along with whatever I do so little miss 'I Need A Man' over here stops hitting on you, alright?"
Sky, whose frightened look turned to one of confusion, whispered back.
"What are you talking about, Alli?" He whispered in inquiry.
Without warning, Alli put her arms around Sky's neck, pulled him down and kissed him full on the lips, much to the shock of the other rangers. After breaking the sudden liplock, Alli turned her attention to the flabbergasted tart and smirked.
"Oh, sorry, LeeLee; didn't see you there. But it kind of looks like you were about to sink your claws into Sky." Alli commented before continuing. "So, I'm only gonna tell you this once...he's mine. Got it?"
Jack was the first to break out of his astonished stupor and provide his own brand of commentary on the situation.
"When the Hell did this happen?" Jack asked raising his voice.
Nobody said he'd be subtle about it.
"No clue." That was the only answer Bridge could provide as he, too, was in shock.
LeeLee sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. This wasn't the first time she tangled with Alli and lost but she was determined to make sure it only happened once, today.
"Fine...whatever." She said dejectedly as she focused on Sky's best friend, Bridge. "Hi, there, cutie."
Z noticed LeeLee making eyes at her guy and quickly stood next to him , draping a protective arm around his shoulder.
"Back up, you Britney Spears knockoff!" The latina ranger threatened. "He's with me."
Bridge looked to his lady and smirked in satisfaction.
"That's my girl!" He thought with a grin.
"You go, Z!" Syd cheered from her spot.
Again LeeLee backed away from another guy as her latest victim turned his attention to his former host.
"Xander, I noticed that you haven't looked at Z once since we came here. Why?" Bridge asked suspiciously.
Xander, still remembering the discomfort he felt last night due to Bridge's intimidation, smirked as he was about to relish the look on his former houseguest's face.
"This is why."
Xander walks to Vida, grabs her by the waist, dips her and plants a slow, sensuous kiss on her lips. laid a slow kiss on her. What was the true shocker to everyone was the fact that Vida wrapped her arms around Xander's neck...and was enjoying it, as was evident my her soft moaning. Bridge tilted his head to gain a better vantage point of the situation and delivered his verdict.
"That's a good reason." He announced.
Maddie, who was the most stunned out of the rangers, expressed her shock the only way she knew how...
"Hold up! Wait a minute! Time out! Flag on the play! Clipping! Off sides! Traveling! Double dribble!" The mermaid prattled on as she physically went through every sports signal she knew. "Where did that come from!?"
Alli silently wondered if her baby blue clad friend had spent too much time looking over ESPN footage before voicing her opinion.
"Okay, one...I never pegged you as a sports fanatic, Maddie. And, two...I have to agree with you on this one. When the Hell did this go on?" She asked. "And why didn't you call me? You know I love juicy gossip!" She thought feeling left out of the loop.
Xander gently stood Vida upright and the two just grinned at their bug-eyed friends.
"Last night." They answered in stereo.
Maddie was grinning from ear to ear...that is until she spotted LeeLee going after Nick again.
"Don't even think about going after Nick. He's my guy now." The mermaid smirked.
"And I'm taken, too." Chip chirped.
LeeLee rolled her eyes at that. She wasn't remotely interested in Chip and didn't hesitate to let it be known.
"That's the first good news I've heard all day." LeeLee griped.
"Jack and I are together, too." Syd added. "Well, not really, but he's spoken for and I'm not about to let you het your hooks into him!" She thought.
"Yeah. Sorry, LowLow." Jack grinned as he mispronounced her name on purpose.
The blonde let out a low growl as she was once again put on blast by these outsiders.
"It's LeeLee, spiderhead!" She spat.
As she took a mental head count, she discovered that everyone was paired up...everyone except Jazz. Seeing that the redhead didn't have a significant other to speak of, LeeLee sinisterly grinned as she found a suitable target to vent her frustrations out on. Not one to let an opportunity to put someone down escape her, she sauntered towards her new victim wasted no time.
"So...I see that everyone's hooked up except you, Red. What's the matter? Find out that even Toby has standards?" LeeLee cackled.
The feelings of loneliness that Jazz suppressed while being stuck in the past resurfaced as she cast her gaze downward. The only difference between then and now was that now, her irate friends stepped up to defend the teased redhead.
"Now, hold on, you slut!" Z shouted not caring who heard her.
"That was just a low blow! You give blondes a bad name...not to mention your bad bleach job!" Syd cracked at the last minute.
"Talk about your cheap shot!" Jack added in defense.
Vida cracked her knuckles as she slow walked towards the offending blonde.
"Unless you wanna be gumming your food from now on, you better apologize to our friend! Now!" The pink sprite threatened.
Despite being ganged up on by eleven rangers, LeeLee stood her ground.
"Why should I, Vida? I'm telling the truth! I mean look at her. Her fashion sense alone is atrocious." She laughed maliciously making Jazz feel even worse. "Let's be honest, here. Who, in their right mind, would want to be seen with someone like her?"
"I would!"
Everyone turned their heads to the source of the booming voice and there, standing at the door of the music store in a pale gold sportsjacket and white shirt and slacks, was Daggeron. The light beaming from behind him made him look like the shining knight he was. Jazz silently gasped at the magnificent sight...along with the other female customers.
"Oh, wow. This is better than a soap opera!" One girl whispered to her friend.
Daggeron walked passed LeeLee and the others to stand next to the awestruck redhead before putting his arm around her protectively.
"I would be proud to be seen with this flower. Any man would." He defended as he gave Jazz a gentle smile.
Jazz's face went from dark to bright as her sweet smile returned. She felt happy that someone believed she was worth something. All the girls in the room cooed as LeeLee dry heaved.
"That's it! I'm bolting before I lose my lunch all over the place." She complained as she turned towards the door.
Jazz, feeling her confidence rise, decided to get the last word in.
"Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!" Jazz quipped with a smirk.
LeeLee let out an exasperated grunt as she was one-upped by the redhead ranger. The blonde tramp stormed out of Rock Porium leaving everyone cheering and applauding the purple ranger for her rapier wit.
"Nice, Jazz! I never knew you had it in you!" Z commented with a playful punch on the girl's arm.
Sky was particularly proud of Jazz standing up for herself.
"I'll say. You were never this much of a spitfire back home." He added with a grin.
After he said that, Jazz's face fell once again and gently shook away from Daggeron's arm. She flew past Toby and into an empty lounge where slammed the door. The depressed ranger sat on the one of the couches and covered her face with her hands. The friends she left behind were all abuzz over her sudden departure, nobody more than the last one who complimented her on her burst of gumption.
"What did I say now?" Sky asked thinking he'd stuck his foot in his mouth...again.
Z had a feeling she knew what was wrong and was quick to dispel Sky's notions that he upset Jazz.
"I doubt it was your fault this time, Sky. I think she realized that we'll all be going home soon and that she'll have to leave Daggeron." Z deduced sadly.
A wave of compassion washed over the eleven rangers, moreso over Jazz's teammates since they knew her better than anyone.
"Poor Jazz." Jack began. "This is the happiest she's been in...who knows how long and she may have to give it up." "It's not fair." He thought to himself.
Daggeron knew exactly why the young woman he grew fond of ran away from him so suddenly because he, too, put the pieces together. Soon, he may have to say goodbye to the love of his life. The knight kept his eye trained on the lounge and made his way back there to check up on Jazz. He gently knocked on the metal door and called out her name in a gentle voice.
"Jasmine?" He prodded using her full name. "May I come in?"
"Sure." She replied, her voice slightly muffled by the door and her hands over her face.
The knight of the sun opened the door and quietly walked in expecting to find Jazz in tears, but she wasn't. She just had her head down as she looked at the tiled floor not wanting to look Daggeron in the face. It would just make the pain she was feeling that much more unbearable.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Back in the main store area, the conversation had turned tot he other big news of the day, namely the kiss shared between Sky and Alli.
"Okay...now on to you two." Bridge began as he went investigative reporter on everyone. "Just where did that kiss come from?"
Everyone had the same question on their minds, that being if the 'kiss' was real or just a ploy.
"I'm curious about that, too. I mean, was it just an act to fend that blonde octopus off?" Z wondered aloud.
"Or is there something more to this story?" V inquired with a smirk. "No way a kiss like that can be faked." She thought in amusement.
Sky and Alli balked at such a ridiculous notion. The very idea of them, of all people, ending up together as a couple...absurd. Or at least that's what they wanted to convey to their friends.
"Wh-what? Me? And Alli? You're kidding, right?" Sky reacted spastically.
"No way! I just did that to get that blonde leech away from Sky." Alli rebutted. "Us, as a couple? Maybe in an alternate universe." She thought.
"But why do that if you don't have feelings for him?" Maddie raised.
"Good question. Either of you care to entertain us with an answer?" Syd smirked. The only thing she loved more than juicy gossip was getting in on the ground floor of it.
"Um....I...uh..." Both rangers in question stammered. Both were hoping the other would have a spark in inspiration and come up with the best lie in the world to throw off suspicion.
"I could really use something to get everyone's minds off of that kiss. Anything!" Alli silently prayed to any higher power that would listen.
As if on cue...the beginning chords of a rock ballad began playing over the speakers located throughout the store. Everyone looked around to see who was piping the music through.
"Okay, who's doing that?" Sky asked, not as annoyed by the music as he was by his friends.
"Not me." Alli shrugged off.
"Not us." Chorused the Mystic Rangers.
None of them knew that the owner of the store, Toby, was the one who cued up the music. As it turned out, he was a hopeless romantic at heart and seeing his employees and their friends express their feelings for each other while LeeLee invaded brought that out. He smiled to himself as the opening words flowed through the air. The guys, save for Chip since Clare was back at Root Core and Jack, whose girlfriend was still in the future, stood and asked their respective girls to dance. Of course, they accepted. In the lounge, Daggeron heard the music piped in through the speakers and asked Jazz to dance with him. She nodded and soon all the couples moved in time with the song.
33333333
This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long, Too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know,
you know, you know
[CHORUS]
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
33333333
As the couples dance, a few started sharing gentle kisses. Even a few of the customers paired off and started moving to the music. Nobody seemed to be immune to the song's spell.
33333333
On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
'Cause you know,
you know, you know
33333333
Daggeron's heart warmed as those words struck his very core. Since meeting Jazz, that was exactly how he felt. Other than his fellow rangers and for good itself, he never had a reason to give everything he had for any cause...until Jazz appeared. All she did was look at him with her honeydew green eyes and he swore that he'd fight for her with every fiber of his being.
33333333
[CHORUS]
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
33333333
Jack closed his eyes as he listened to the words of the chorus. They mirrored his situation perfectly. He loves his Ally and misses her terribly. And being this far away from her was tearing him up inside. Being separated by almost 20 years wasn't the sort of distance the song was referring to, but the lyrics fit all the same.
33333333
So far away
Been far away for far too long
So far away
Been far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know
I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go
33333333
When the song finished, Alli and Sky looked at each other and then quickly pulled apart.
"What are you doing?! You can not get involved with him!" She thought bitterly.
"You can't fall for her! Not after what happened last time!" Sky thought just as bitterly.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, in the lounge...
The music died down and the couple inside ceased their dance. Still in each other's arms, Daggeron looked at jazz who had her eyes cast downward to the floor. Apparently the song had a different affect on the redhead. Jazz looked up into Daggeron's concerned eyes and her heart broke even more.
"I-I'm sorry. I can't do this." She whispered, choking back a sob as she ran back to the couch.
She sat down and hid her face with her hands. She didn't want Daggeron to see her on the verge of tears again. The knight took the space next to the young woman and gently pulled her flowing ruby locks behind her shoulder. Crying or not, he didn't want anything to block his view of her face.
"What's wrong, Jasmine?" He asked, his smooth voice caressing her ears.
Jazz let out a soft moan. Was there anything he did that didn't stir up emotions within her? Slowly, she lifted her head and looked into Daggeron's eyes, her own brimming with fresh tears.
"Daggeron...you know I'll be leaving to go back to my own time soon. And falling for you..." She took a brief pause to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. "It's...it's just something I can't afford to do. I've head my heart broken before and I don't want to go through that again." Her voice wavered as she spoke. She averted her gaze from Daggeron to the floor. "But it's too late. I've already fallen for you...hard. But to spare either of us any more pain, I have to end this now." She thought as more tears fell.
Every teardrop that fell from her face clawed at Daggeron's heart. It took everything he had to keep from sweeping her up in his arms and kissing every one away. The knight gently cupped Jazz's chin in his hand and tilted her head upward so she could look him in the eyes as he spoke.
"Jasmine...you're right. I know you're going to leave me when we find the counter spell. I also know that there is a chance we may never see each other again..."
Hearing that, Jazz tried to look down, but Daggeron's grip was firm, yet gentle. He made her keep her eyes on him.
"...but I don't care." He whispered.
"What?" The redhead asked in shock.
Daggeron gave the surprised ranger a soft smile as he used his thumb to wipe away every stray tear that tracked her face.
"Jasmine, I want us to be together as much as this time allows us. I don't ever want to be apart from you." As he spoke, Jazz could feel his arm slide around her slender waist. "I've also fallen for you and while you're here, I want to show you how much."
"Oh, Dagger..."
"She couldn't get the last syllable out because the knight of the sun had captured the redhead's lips in a soft, passionate kiss. As they shared this expression of love, Jazz brought her arms to wrap around his neck and ran her fingers through his wavy, black hair. Daggeron relished in the scent of strawberries that still lingered in Jazz's hair.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, in the main part of the store, the others were wondering where Daggeron and Jazz had vanished.
"Hey, has anyone seen Jazz and Daggeron?" Alli asked as she looked around.
"Last I saw, Daggeron followed her into the lounge. Then the music started playing..." Maddie began as a Cheshire Cat grin formed on her face. "You don't think..."
Alli looked to her teammate and scoffed. She couldn't believe that her teacher and her best friend would...
"Nah. They wouldn't...would they?" She squeaked in question.
The others also pondered the possibility of the knight and the redhead doing some canoodling in the lounge.
"Well, you've seen how they look at each other. I'd be more surprised if they didn't." Nick observed.
Jack, who knew about Jazz's disdain for men, had a hard time believing Jazz could change her mindset. No matter how charming the guy was.
"Jazz? No way." Jack scoffed.
"Why not? She is human. Who wouldn't fall for someone so debonair?" Syd confessed.
"But this is still Jazz, we're talking about. It just doesn't seem like her." Z added.
The Mystic Rangers had to admit that they never saw their mentor act like the 'knight in shining armor' except for the time Maddie broke the frog curse on him. Other than that, no.
"I'm with you, guys. I don't see it." Chip replied shaking his head.
Vida refused to believe that Daggeron is immune to the dynamics of love.
"Come on. You saw how he acted at the dinner we set up for them." Vida remembered. "He was the perfect gentleman."
"Yeah, Jazz was smiling from ear to ear that night." Xander added.
Sky, keeping a cool head despite being bombarded with his own feelings, had to interject.
"Now, hang on, guys. We can't just assume that they're..."
"Well, what else can we think?" The red phoenix asked in rebuttal.
"Nick's right. Stranger things have happened. I mean...look at those guys." Bridge observed as he pointed to an unknown couple making out in the corner. "They're kissing and as far as we know, they just met."
"Bridge does make a valid point...frightening as that may be." Alli joked.
Everyone mused over the possibility of the two actually becoming a couple as Sky opened another can of worms.
"Well, should we?"
Maddie turned to the tall ranger, wary of the tone his voice had taken. She knew he was suggesting doing something underhanded.
"Should we what?" The mermaid asked. "As if I didn't know." She thought.
"Spy on them." Z pipe in taking the hint.
The Mystics immediately voiced their disapproval.
"Uh uh! Forget it, guys! Remember what happened last time?" Vida asked through her teeth.
Xander remembered. He still had the bruises.
"Yeah, I got slapped...by everyone!" The green Aussie whined.
Alli choked back a laugh as she recalled being the main attacker, and threw her two cents in.
"Besides...if they really are doing what we think they're doing, then I certainly don't want those mental images burned into my grey matter. Do you?"
Sky had to admit, since letting Jazz into his life as a friend, he wanted to know more about what made the girl tick. Even if it meant revisiting the debacle that almost ended said potential relationship.
"Well...no. But aren't you just a little bit curious?" The S.P.D. cadet wondered out loud.
"No...we're a lot curious!" The dreadlocked ranger quipped. "But I still think we should butt out this time. I'd rather not have Daggeron pissed at us again."
Syd cringed. Somewhere in Rock Porium, the mother lode of gossip was happening and she wasn't a part of it! She felt like a bloodhound being chained just as she got a whiff of her prey.
"I know we should keep our noses out of this, Jack...but I still wanna know if they at least kissed or not." The blonde ranger whimpered.
"If they did, I hope it wasn't like your kiss, guys." Sky cringed as his comment was directed at Z and Bridge.
"Jealous, Blue boy?" Bridge smirked, using Jazz's nickname for Sky.
Everyone laughed after shaking the image of the yellow and green rangers' liplock from their memory. When it died down, Alli spoke up.
"Okay, all jokes aside. We all agree not to hide and spy on them, right?" The black mystic reiterated.
"Right." The others chorused.
Just as Alli was about to talk again, they see Jazz and Daggeron standing behind the ranger of the night and smirking. They overheard her previous sentence. The other ranger all sent frantic hand signals ranging from waving their arms above their heads to doing the 'finger slash across the neck' motion; anything to warn Alli to shut up before it was too late. Unfortunately, Alli, being completely oblivious to her friends' warnings, continued to divulge her ill-fated plan.
"Right. Which is why I'll go alone. I'll spy on them and come back with a full report for you guys." She added with a goofy grin. It was then that she saw her friends all giving her the 'shut up' body language. "What? I won't be long. I'll just go and..." She stalls as she sees her friends cringe and slowly turns around to see Daggeron and Jazz with folded arms. "Hi!!!!! How long were you two standing there?" She chuckled nervously.
"Long enough." Her mentor answered.
"Damn, Alli. I knew you were hungry but both feet?!" Jazz quipped.
Alli, who was still laughing like a high strung hyena, turned to her friend and looked at them with wide eyes.
"You could have warned me that they were behind me!" She reprimanded through clenched teeth.
"We tried!!!" They shouted in unison.
Still laughing uncontrollably, she tried to rectify the situation.
"Daggeron, Jazz...it wasn't how you must have heard. I mean I didn't really....look, Godzilla!" She cried out as she pointed outside.
"Where?" Everyone shouted as they turned their attention to where Alli pointed...just what she wanted.
Now, being a team of superheroes who battle giant monsters on a daily basis, the thought of Godzilla rampaging in the city didn't seem so far off the mark. They all looked out the window and saw...nothing. And when they turned back to berate Alli on throwing that red herring, she, too, was missing...because the black mystic hightailed it out of the store before she got scolded by her teacher and best friend. But that wasn't the thing that irked Jazz the most at that point in time.
"I can't believe we all fell for that!" Jazz groaned.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
End of Chapter 34
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Well, it took 34 chapters...but FINALLY! Daggeron and Jazz kiss! And who would have thought that Alli, of all people, would suggest spying on the couple...especially after what happened last time. I'd expect Xander, but then again I'm the one writing this fic so...:P So what did you think? More coming so leave lots of love! Read, REVIEW, and Pass it on!! ;)