Whoever invented alarm clocks really, really sucks. I groan, turning over and slapping a hand down onto the 'off' button. Even with an automated "ocean wave" sound, it still doesn't make it any easier to wake up early for work. At least the smell of freshly made pancakes greets me when I throw open the curtain of my bunk.

"Morning," Maya greets, breaking into a yawn, "You've got the morning shift today?"

"Yep." Kendrix's soft snores echo from her bunk just below mine, so I make sure to climb down the ladder carefully. "Ooh. Thanks for breakfast, Maya."

"Of course. Don't know if my pancakes can beat Kai's, but it's worth a try." She hands me a plate, and I grab a fork from our silverware drawer before digging in. Holy crap, these are good.

"Whoa. This is really good. Knowing my brother, though, he'll just try to one-up you." We laugh softly, but before I can take another bite, our communicators go off.

"Rangers, Crumummy is terrorizing citizens near the fountain!" Ugh. Can't even finish my breakfast-

A thunk sounds from Kendrix's bed, followed by a muffled "Ow!", and Maya and I laugh even louder. The Pink Ranger rolls off of her bunk, grabbing her head.

"C'mon, let's go," I urge, reaching for my Morpher, "And you can grab some ice to go, 'Drix."

Alpha really wasn't kidding when he said that the monster was a mummy. Tendrils of- ew, is that the fabric the Egyptians would use to mummify their dead?- loop from its hands, but Leo cuts through them with his Saber.

"What?"

"You girls gotta get out of here," Kai murmurs to the two ladies that sit cornered against the fountain, and they rush off into safety.

"You need to get outta here, too," Leo taunts the monster.

"I don't think so. You Rangers are just plain annoying." I brace myself as Crumummy spews lasers from his hands, but thankfully, they don't do much damage. Benefits from having the Lights of Orion, probably. Leo leads the charge, leaping into the air and slashing at our opponent. Kai and Damon follow up with flying kicks, and Maya and Kendrix flip into action. Finally, I hold up the rear, running forward and cutting down at Crumummy in four diagonal strikes. My attacks knock it towards Leo, and he manages to get our opponent cornered.

"Bye bye!"

"Don't let him get away!" Leo orders, but it's too late.

"We'll finish this later!" With that, Crumummy's gone.

"Okay, no. Listen to the story again," I say for the twentieth time. "I have a hat. I give the hat to Mike, who's late so I somehow magically give it to him, then he gives the hat to Kai, who loses it because he's an idiot-"

"Hey!" The others shush him in unison, and Damon even leans forward, as if better hearing would somehow help him to figure out the mind game we're playing.

"And then Leo finds it. Now who has the hat?"

"Leo has the hat!" Kendrix exclaims, "Haven't we gone over this?"

"Wrong again, my friend," I tease, "you are the lucky owner of one hat."

It's whoever speaks first, isn't it?

"Leo just got the answer," I report, and Damon groans.

"C'mon. I mean, your guys' telepathy is cool and all, and it works for the purposes of this game, but I just wanna know-" The door slides open, and I glance up to find a late Mike.

"Mike, glad you're here," Leo begins, "There's something…" Poor guy can't speak another word, because behind the older Corbett is a gorgeous woman, decked out in a beautiful red dress. His heart flutters, and I roll my eyes.

"Leo, guys, this is Tracy," Mike introduces, and I have to bite back the sarcastic comment I'd usually make if it was just us. The wrench Damon was holding drops onto Kai's foot, but my brother can only whisper an awe-filled "Ouch".

"Nice to meet you," Leo greets, and I resist the urge to make a face at him. Weirdo. All of the guys are, "Wow."

Kendrix, Maya, and I step over to him, and the Pink Ranger snaps her fingers in front of Leo's face. No such luck. The dude is smitten.

"How's it going?" Damon asks, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say his voice trembles from nervousness.

"Hi!" Kendrix starts (A NORMAL GREETING. YAY!), "I'm Kendrix. And this is Maya, and Kara." I give the woman- Tracy- a small wave and a smile. Hey, I'm nice until I'm comfortable with you.

"Hello Maya, Kendrix, Kara. Aren't you three beautiful?" Okay, I don't normally need validation from others to know I'm pretty, but the compliment just feels different coming from this model.

"Oh, thanks," Kendrix replies, and I nod.

"Actually, Mike, we were looking for you," Maya tells him, and I glance over.

"She's not wrong. You were kinda running late to our hangout."

"Oh, um. I'm sorry."

"Yeah Mike, we're just on our way out," Kendrix adds on, taking hold of Leo's arms, "Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. We have to get going."

"Great! We can come with you."

I may be best friends with three guys- the fourth of which is currently getting to that status and who has Tracy clinging to his arm- but that doesn't mean they're not still idiots.

"Look at her," Kai murmurs as if she can't hear him, "She's amazing!"

"You think I can't see that?" Damon retorts.

I walk in front of Leo, but when he steps on the back of my shoe, I turn to walk backwards. "L, this is too weird. Like, you're normally weird, but this is just… extra weird."

"Hello? Terra Venture to Leo?" Maya tries, waving a hand in front of his face.

"You've gotta snap out of it," Kendrix adds, and I nod. Besides, this is all giving me a strange feeling.

And it's not just the way that I miss someone looking at me like the guys are all looking at Tracy. The last person to do that was Zayne, and now our link doesn't even exist.

Leo blinks, his gaze coming back into focus as he glances at me, and I realize with a jolt that I must've sent those thoughts down our bond. A blush tinges my cheeks, and I curse inwardly, facing forward again just in time to see some scaffolding rain down from the top of an apartment. I backpedal, but the resulting shockwave of the heavy beams hitting the ground still knocks us over.

"Where did that come from?" Tracy asks, and suddenly, Crumummy is there again.

"That would be a little something I did!"

"Well, you need better aim!" Leo retorts as we form up in front of Tracy. No matter what my instincts are telling me, we can't let an innocent bystander get injured.

"Whatever. What I need is to take the beauty from you three! And from…" As if today can't get any weirder, the monster hesitates. Why isn't he targeting Tracy? "Your beauty!" His hands fly out in front of him, and the tendrils wrap around me, Maya, and Kendrix's faces. Footsteps sound, but lasers fire soon after, and Damon, Kai, and Leo let out groans of pain. Then, I feel all the energy leaving my body, and my knees buckle as exhaustion sweeps over me. Crumummy's fabric tendrils unravel themselves, and the last thing I see is the guys charging into battle.

"I don't get it! You said that I was the last one to have the hat, so why does 'Dros have it now?" Cassie bursts into laughter, and I cross my arms at her. We'd been at this game for the past half an hour, and much to the Pink Ranger's amusement, none of us had even gotten close to figuring out this mind game. Stupid hats.

"It's got to be two to the left of the person who has the hat in the story. Right? Right?" Carlos asks, eyes wide, but Cassie just shakes her head.

"Wrong again. You're all overthinking it."

"I thought I was smart," I mutter.

"You are smart, maybe just too smart for this game." Zayne's voice sends butterflies swirling in my stomach just like the first day I'd met him. We each greet him, and he plops himself next to me on the blanket we share. Today marked two years since we became a team, so we'd decided to celebrate with a picnic. "Happy two years, team."

"To many more?" Teej asks, and my boyfriend grins.

"Definitely."

Later that evening, with the game finally figured out, Zayne and I walk alongside the park trail, watching the sun dip over the horizon. We're quiet, just reveling in each others' presence. Not that we need to speak aloud to know what we're thinking.

I'm so glad I met you.

Same here, Z. He takes my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckle gently. His habit that I love to bits.

"I have something for you. Close your eyes." I frown.

"It better not be a fake snake like last time." He laughs, but I do as he says, and after a few moments, I feel the press of a thin chain against my neck. When he speaks, his voice is just above my ear, his hands gentle against my waist.

"Okay, you can look." My hand immediately goes to the necklace that he'd given me, and I hold it up to the light. It's a simple chain, but still pretty, with a constellation hanging from it. "This was the constellation that was in the sky when we first met."

Tears flood my eyes, but I will them not to fall. "I love it, Zayne. It's gorgeous…"

"Like you?" A playful scoff escapes me, and we both laugh before he leans in, placing a soft kiss against my lips.

As we continue to walk, his thumb rubbing against my knuckle is a constant reminder that he's here for me, and that that won't ever change.

My eyes open to the harsh lights of the medbay, but Leo doesn't seem to notice. Instead, his thumb keeps its steady circle against the knuckle of my hand. Just like how Zayne had done.

"Leo?"

"Kara, you're awake!"

"Well, yeah." I wish I wasn't. I wish I was still dreaming, or even better, that Zayne was still around. It takes me a few moments, but my sleep-blurred vision clears. "Why am I here instead of with the others?"

"You were, uh, flailing around in your sleep. I was worried about you." That can't be it, not with the way Leo hesitated like that. While I don't like doing this, I reach across the bond and into his thoughts, but unfortunately, they're all blocked away from me. Huh.

"Kara, Leo! Mike's facing off against Trakeena and Crumummy, he needs the rest of you immediately!" Alpha explains as he totters into the room, and I nod.

"Let's go."

No matter how many times I face off against Stingwingers, I don't think they'll ever stop being annoying. Or creepy. Two of them dive for me, but I leap over them and turn in midair, kicking off of their backs and using my momentum to land in front of another cluster of Stingers. I block each of their attacks with ease, and take each of them down one after the other.

Unfortunately, they just keep coming, and I grit my teeth.

Summon the Lights?

Yes, please.

"Lights of Orion, activate!" I shout, and I crack my neck, power flowing back into my veins. "Let's do this thing."

My extended reach with my left arm allows me to take down multiple Stingwingers at once, and as I pull one towards me, I slice at it with my Saber, doing the same to the one behind me.

From across the clearing, an explosion sounds, and I turn, spotting Kendrix and Mike taking down Crumummy. How'd I get to be friends with such badasses, I'll never know. The battle's not over yet, though.

"Toro Zord, charge!" Mike orders, and the feeling I get as the bull marches towards us can only be described as giddy. It was cool when the original Magna Defender himself summoned his Zord, but having Mike be the one to do it… damn. Like I'd said, badass. "Magna Defender, transform!"

"Galactabeasts, arise!" Kendrix orders, "Galaxy Megazord, transform!" We surround Crumummy, and before he can launch an attack of his own, we swing our swords down. Somehow, he evaporates into his fabric tendrils, reappearing a safe distance away from our attacks.

"Now it's your turn to disappear!" The lasers he shoots out smash against our legs, and we fall.

"We've lost all power!" Kai reports, and I frown. Thankfully, though, Mike buys us enough time to activate our Power Up Mode, and with one last strike, it's over.

I've always prided myself in being the fastest one on either of my teams to get ready to go out, and I give myself one last once-over in our mirror. I'm wearing a pair of my trusty mom jeans, along with a gray sweater that I'd borrowed (more like been loaned and just never given back) from Leo. My hair's actually up for once, tied back in a ponytail and then into a bun, and I'm just pulling on my chunky white sneakers when the door slides open.

"Whoa!" Damon shouts, and I can't help but giggle at the guys' reactions to Maya and 'Drix.

"C'mon, Damon. It's just face cream," the latter explains, placing a dollop on the top of his head, and my giggles turn into laughter.

"One of these days, we're going to have to give you four your own spa day," I tease, and Mike rolls his eyes.

"You may clean up nicely, but there's not a single chance I'm letting you put that stuff on my face."

"I second that," Kai adds, and Damon nods emphatically. The only person who hasn't spoken is Leo (for once), and I glance over at him, only to spot a hint of a fading red tinging his cheeks.

"Uh, yeah. I'll take a hard pass on that." The others crack up, and the guys start to rummage around in our kitchen while Maya and Kendrix finish getting ready, and I frown.

"Is it the sweater? If you're upset, I can give it back."

"No, keep it. It looks better on you than on me."

Way better.

"Huh?" Leo jumps, and I raise an eyebrow at him. "Uh, I can read your mind, if you've forgotten. And now that we're on the topic…"

Why was I really in the medbay?

The Red Ranger sighs. "You were murmuring pretty sentimental stuff about Zayne. Stuff you hadn't even shared with me. I thought… I didn't know if you were comfortable with the others hearing all that."

I make sure my thoughts and emotions are on lockdown before even daring to question why he thought he'd been privy to that information.

"The necklace. Do you know where it is?" I shake my head.

"Somewhere in the Megaship. It'll turn up eventually."

"If you guys are done chitchatting, can we head out soon?" Damon asks, and the others let out noises of agreement.

"Yeah, in a minute," I reply, then glance back to Leo, "Thanks for thinking of me like that. You didn't have to, really." Leo shrugs, a strange emotion passing over his face, but it's gone when I peer closer at him.

"No biggie." He turns to face the others, but before he can end the conversation, he glances towards me, "You look beautiful, by the way."

Whoa. Before I can think of a sarcastic response, he's gone to join the others, and I'm left wondering what the hell just happened.