Hitting her pillow with her hand as she tossed and turned in her bed trying to find a comfortable way to lie in her bed, for the last three hours Z had been tossing and turning trying to get some sleep but each time she would settle down she would find herself opening her eyes again and looking over at the empty bed on the other side of the room and how her roommate should be sleeping their and not 3 floors below her on a small hospital bed. Throwing back the covers of her bed Z brushed her fingers though her short brown hair to try and finger comb out her beehive of bedhead, from where she sat on her bed Z could see herself in Syd's vanity mirror, even in the dimly lit room Z could see the tired look on her face and the bags that were forming under her eyes, Syd would no doubt have a fit and would have some kind of product for Z to use. Her roommate what meticulous when it came to her beauty and skin care, always putting some sort of cream on her face before she went to bed and telling Z that she needed to use more blush on her cheeks. Now that Z was alone in the room she missed Syd's company, their night time talks as they finally got the chance to the women that they were. Knowing that sleeping wasn't on the card for her tonight Z slipped her feet into her black slippers and shuffled out of the bedroom and across the hall to the common room. If she couldn't sleep she could at least curl up on one of the sofas or on the bean bag with a hot drink.
The common room was lit only by the food synthesizer in the back corner of the room, only sending a dull bluish glow over everything, getting darker the more the room went on. Jack was seated in one of the sofas; a comic book was long forgotten on the glass coffee table in front of him as he pondered over what Z had said earlier, how he could have not noticed it so clearly before. He was Red Ranger after all he should know his team better than this by now, pushing his hands back over his face and threading his fingers into his dreads Jacks puffed out his cheeks as he blew out a breath.
"Can't sleep ether?" Walking over to the synthesizer Z looked over to her friend who was like a brother to her, smiling to herself as she watched the red ranger just about jump out of his skin, clearly not expecting anyone else to be awake let alone talk to him.
Placing his hand over his rabidly beating heart Jack looked towards the direction of the voice; having jumped at the voice Jack shook his head as he watched the yellow ranger smile for a moment as she got a joy from seeing her 'brother' get a fright at his expense. "I could have done without the heart attack, Z" Jack turned himself slightly to face her and threw his arm over the back of the sofa. "I haven't tried to sleep yet, I just keep thinking about yesterday. If I hadn't of made us break off into teams this wouldn't have happened" Confiding in the friend he had been on the streets with Jack cracked his jaw as he watched Z get a drink and come to seat herself down beside him.
"Jack you were doing what you thought was right, it would have taken up a lot longer to search that dock if we had stayed in one team, any one of us would have made the same call that you did and you know that. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself for this, it wasn't your fault" Placing a hand against his arm, Z gave jack a warm and kind look, trying to make him see that he was not a fault here. "It's not going to do you any good if you're just sitting here stewing over things, you need to get some sleep Jack, the world still needs us as we're not going to be much use if we're all tired" Bringing her hand back Z cupped her mug in both hands, letting the warmth travel though her she watched as Jack picked up his comic book and left the common room.
Turning off the lights to the laboratory Kat entered the locking code into the doors key pad, keeping the room safe for the night, she had spent hours with samples of Sydney's blood trying to find anything that could be used to reverse the effects of Slumbhyx crystal. So far nothing had worked but she wasn't giving up hope, not by a long shot but right now she was out of ideas. Hearing the doors latches slide across Kat covered the key pad and started the walk she knew very well up to the command center where she knew she would find the commander not doubt in his chair looking over the footage as he had been doing the last time she had enter the hub of the S.P.D base about five hours ago.
The sound of her boots echoed against the polished floor, Kat walked the now mostly empty halls until she reached the doors that she had been heading for, slowing as they slid open the cat like creature entered the hub, shaking her head as just like she had thought she found the commander at his desk replaying what had happened to the pink ranger. "I know what you are going to stay so don't say it" Listening to his deep voice, Kat walked over to the main computer and let her fingers skim over the keys a few times as she pulled up Jaxalor's file.
"We know that Grumm is behind this, that is a given but he normally gives the task to someone who has a bigger catalogue then this. Jaxalor has been out for almost a year and hasn't been involved in anything that has been reported. He's only ever been a petty thief, this just seems something that would be to big" She didn't know if the commander was listening to her but she would still voice her opinion anyway.
"People can change Kat, maybe he did his time but had not changed is ways" Having turned off the screen finally the commander now sat with his hands folded and his eyes closed at his desk, his mind was on all of his rangers and how this had affected them like nothing else had, a pink ranger was always the heart of the team and this time was no different.
Watching the muted monitor give a reading of Syd's vitals, Sky sighed as there was some relief here that Syd was at least in a stable condition and was remaining that way. Looking back down to Syd's peaceful expression Sky found his fingers playing with some of curls, looping the blonde silken hair around his fingers, following the curls direction as he worked his fingers against the ringlet.
It was the little things about her that Sky had really noticed first, like the say her perfume had a lingering vanilla scent about it, the way her eyes would light up a room when she entered. Her ability to think on the positive side, to give people a chance and to stand for what she believed in, all the times she stood by her friends, the way she stood by him even when he could be a jerk to her.
Thinking back to the whole Mirloc incident Sky let his mind fall on the moment he had grabbed Syd and pulled her back from the waters reflection that contained the dangerous criminal, holding her against his body, keeping her safe for the moment, how she seemed to fit so well against him. Coming to final showdown with Mirloc Sky remembered how Syd took the first step from his side to defend his father and stand up for him even in the line of battle. She was proud of Sky that day. That had been the first day that Sky had started to think that there was something more than friendship between them, after the battle Syd had pulled him aside and told him how proud his father would have been of him that day, how proud she was of him, her smile was so beautiful as she explained as long as Sky kept the memory of his father alive his spirit would live on in him and in the Ranger Legacy. When she had placed her hand against his arm he was sure he had felt a spark between them and all for her simple touch.
"All this time I have been living my life to the S.P.D handbook, living for nothing but for the duty being a ranger, being red ranger like my father; I guess I failed to see the duty I had to myself" Shaking his head a little shocked at himself that he hadn't seen it sooner Sky actually had a genuine smile on his face as he could hardly believe that he had been in love with the pink ranger and somehow he had managed to not see it, to deny it because there was a rule in the handbook. Suddenly it hit him like a tonne of bricks, the commander had said earlier about his father having a duty to his heart. There had also been a conversation back about the rest of the team's origins and how they were all linked; his mother had worked for S.P.D too. Sky's father had broken the rules to be with his mother.
"I promise you Syd, I'm going make Grumm pay for what he's done. Kat is working on finding a way to wake you up but I know you are strong enough to wake up on your own, to fight the crystals power" Shaking his head slightly as he made it more of a silent vow to himself that he was going to take it upon himself to find Jaxalor and get answers out of that creature come hell or high water.
Finally standing up from his seat Sky lent down and gently pressed a simple but heartfelt kiss against the right side of Syd's forehead as she continued to stay under the crystals spell. Taking a glance back at her Sky knew now more than ever that he needed the pink ranger in his life.
Watching the change in the blue ranger as he left her room, Dr Felix smiled as being that Syd and Sky where the only people other than him in the infirmary he had been able to hear the last part of the conversation. Chuckling quietly as the doors shut behind the blue range, Dr Felix pushed his glasses back up his nose as he turned off the computer monitor. "It's about time he opened his eyes and saw what has been right in front of him this whole time"
Looking at a few pictures on his cork board that sat on the wall next to his computer Bridge smiled as apart from images from his tech magazine and some blue print plains of things he wanted to upgrade there were images of his friends/ team mates, one of them all standing in the park, a soccer ball was off to the side as all five rangers posed for the camera, all of them smiling brightly and Syd sandwiched between Sky and himself, this had been the first time Bridge has seen the sparks between the two rangers, not just figuratively but literally as he had scanned their auras when he had seen the smiles and looked being exchanged between them.
From that day, Bridge had seen more and more of these little interactions, be it standing beside each other when they were in the command center or sitting next to each other in the common room. Looking at the picture closer Bridge saw that even though Z had been standing on the other side of Sky, he seemed to be closer to Syd, his arm draped over her shoulder and Syd was leaning towards him a little. If you didn't know them from afar anyone would have said they were already a couple.
"If only you knew that Syd feels the same way about you" Muttering to himself as he turned his deck lamp off and wade his way over to his bed, throwing himself upon it haphazardly Bridge picked up a small foam football from his nightstand and tossed it between his hands a few times, throwing it up above his head and catching it again Bridge looked over to the blue side of the room that belonged to Sky and wondered if his roommate would show up anytime soon. He didn't have to wait long as the sliding doors slid open to show the blue rangers looking rather tired but seemingly now dealing better with his inner demons, his aura had seemed to change and Bridge didn't need to remove his gloves to see this, just watching how his roommate moved gave him all the information he needed.
"Whatever you're thinking Bridge, just say it" Getting his uniform out for the next day, Sky had his back turned to the green ranger but he didn't need to see Bridge to know that he was watching him, reading him. Sometimes rooming with a physic could be hazardous, especially when that physic had a habit of asking long drawn out questions that just left everyone else more confused.
"Well Sky, I was just wondering how long it took you to figure it out? I mean you've known Syd for as long as I have, we were 'C Squad' together. I've always seen Syd as a fri-" Bridge was cut off as suddenly Sky turned around.
"Just get to the point Bridge!" Growling his words slightly as he often did when he got annoyed Sky gave Bridge the chance to ask whatever meaningless question he was going to ask him.
"At what point did you realize that you are in LOVE with SYD?" Making a point of the two words in the question that he knew would more than get Sky's full attention, Bridge put the foam football back onto his nightstand looking rather pleased with himself that he had asked the question in the first place, even if it took a second to make the point.
Sky seemed a little taken back that Bridge had asked such a question, as far Sky knew he was the only one that knew of he's real feelings, with the acceptation that maybe a few might have had a weak clue. "What do you mean?" Bringing the question back to Bridge, Sky tried keep himself stern and not to break his façade that had been broken over the last 24 hours.
"Come on Sky, we're not blind. Even Z knows about your feelings for Syd" Leaning back against his pillow and folded his hand behind his head and looked up at the ceiling, all the while a smirk on his face.
Sky had put up his all walls a long time ago now, the first wall went up when his father died when he was a boy, the second wall had gone up when Dru and gone missing and that was really when he shut down showing what he was really feeling but slowly over time the beautiful blonde had worked away at his walls, letting him know that he was only human and that he was allowed to have these feelings and let them show.
Thinking about how the person who he was closest to was currently laying in a state of sleep thanks to Jaxalor and Grumm, Sky had a feeling it was time to maybe let down his walls to someone he could trust. Sitting down on the side of his bed he hung his hands between his knees as he was slightly hunched over, "I don't know Bridge, it just sort of happened, Syd is just always just there. Always by my side when I need her, even when I think I don't need her, she is still there waiting for me to realize that I do need her" Shaking his head as he didn't know how he could miss falling in love, instead he finding himself well and truly in love with the pink ranger. Sydeny Drew.
Bridge already knew all of this and didn't have to be told but he wanted Sky to admit his feelings to himself, to see that he allowed to have feeling like this. Feeling satisfied that he had gotten his message across the green ranger smiled as he pulled his covers up over himself and turned off his lamp, leaving Sky and his side of the room illuminated while his side was darker. Rolling onto his side so his back was to Sky, Bridge let his mind go back to their 'sleeping' friend and how much she really did mean to the team and how much he hoped she would wake up or they would find a way to wake her up and bring Jaxlaor to justice.
Settling down in his own bed for the night Sky was about to turn off his lamp when the photos on the cork board came to his attention, one photo stuck out to him. The glossy image was one Sky had forgotten about, it was of him and Syd after a game of lightball, he was seated on one of the sofas with Syd standing behind him with her hand against one of his shoulders and her elbow against his other as she was holding up the lightball they had played with and won. The amazing thing was Sky look genuinely happy with the situation that had unfolded, the look on Syd's face only made sky chuckle to himself as the feisty blonde had her curls swept over her shoulder in a ponytail, a smug but proud smile on her lips and an eyebrow slightly raised in determination. Looking at the image for a few moments before laying himself down there was a soft click as the room became dark and the blue ranger tried to make himself fall asleep, his mind still on Syd as he finally welcomed the state she was stuck in.
-What are we thinking so far? Yay or Nay?-