Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Power Rangers TV show; the concept and everything belongs to Saban.
Writer's note: I took some liberties with the story line of Power Rangers, although I did try to stick with it as much as possible. I also don't know much about magic or Wicca, so I'm pretty much treading in dark waters there. If something's wrong, I apologize for that, and please realize that I'm trying to do the best I can with the little that I know. Margery and Tabitha are the brain child of myself and a friend in Texas (I have moved WAY too much for one person!). Please don't take them.
Writer's note two: This starts in the Ninjetti season, for those who know the show, before Aisha goes to Africa, and the whole Zeo season starts. Also, I have nothing against Tanya, and I hope I haven't made her out to be something she's not.
Aliyah, Are You That Somebody?
Voices outside her door woke Maggie, but she lay still, trying to determine if it were real people or if Tabitha had the tv or radio on really loud. Finally, she recognized one voice, at least, as being Tabitha's and decided that maybe it was time for her to get up.
Her ribs were even more sore than they had been when she went to sleep, if that were at all possible. Her attempt to roll over to make getting up a little easier forced a moan from her. She was getting really tired of the pain, and decided again - as she had for the last six weeks - that a request for healing might not be a bad idea. Usually even the thought would bring a negative feeling from the Goddess, and it took her until she'd managed to sit up to realize that it hadn't come this time. She grimaced. "I guess I've suffered enough," she said softly. "Thank you, Lady."
It took another eternity, stepping ever so carefully in order not to jar her insides, to reach the door, and a third one as she followed the voices into the kitchen. She paused just outside as she recognized the second voice. Adam's. What was he doing here? Stupid question, she thought almost immediately. As if he were ever to be unwelcome!
"High school?" he asked. "Everything was confusing. There were monster attacks, dealing with new students, and it was all so... immediate. Intense." There was a pause. "We took refuge wherever we could."
"Monster attacks?" Tabitha asked. "You mean, Maggie wasn't exaggerating?"
Adam chuckled. "Knowing Maggie, she understated it a bit."
"Understated?" Tabitha squeaked. "How do you understate monsters as big as skyscrapers?"
"Easily. Most of the monsters were bigger."
Maggie would have given almost anything to see her friend's face. "Bigger?" she squeaked again, sounding remarkably like a mouse. Maggie stifled the giggle that threatened to make her hurt more. "How is Angel Grove still standing?"
"The Power Rangers." He said it so matter-of-fact, as if he hadn't been one for almost three years.
"Power Rangers?"
"Five or six people who appeared every time a monster attacked, masked and in costume. It was pretty much old news by the time I moved here. Scared Rocky, Aisha and I though. We got... waylaid by Lord Zedd just before we moved. It's a long story, and Aisha tells it better."
"I guess I'll have to ask her." A chair scraped the floor, then Tabitha came around the corner. Both of them jumped back in surprise, and Maggie winced. "I thought I heard something," Tabitha smirked. "Come on in and join us." She grabbed Maggie's arm and pulled her into the kitchen. Maggie smiled sheepishly at Adam, who stood so quickly he knocked the chair over.
"You're okay?" he asked, moving towards her and ignoring the fallen chair.
Maggie smiled to hide the butterflies that started a panicked fluttering in her stomach. "I'm fine. Sore, but fine. How are you?"
He reached out to touch her, but drew his hand away again, and her heart sank. "Better," he said after a minute. "Not so... confused."
Tabitha had her sit down, and after a quick, startled search, Adam righted his chair and sat stiffly in it. "How long have you been back?" she asked as Tabitha sneaked out on kitten feet; Maggie only noticed because she was used to noticing. She didn't think Adam did.
Adam cast a glance at his watch with a faintly surprised look. "About half an hour. No," he corrected himself suddenly, "about an hour and a half."
An uncomfortable silence fell, and Maggie wished Tabitha had stayed. "What..." she started, then blushed and looked down, frantically trying to think of a way to ask 'Who did you decide for?' a little more tactfully.
"Why are you sore?" he asked after a short while.
"Oh. Um. I ran into Tanya in the mall, and spent some time with her. It was nice; I hope she went away with the same feeling I did, that she was glad we were still friends. I am." He nodded, looking faintly guilty. "Well, she left, and I heard a song that made me laugh. Then I had a good cry. My ribs hurt." She tried a smile; he grinned.
"Do you feel better? Other than the ribs, I mean."
Maggie nodded. "Pretty much, yes. Thank you. How about you?"
He looked startled, almost as if he hadn't expected her to ask. "I'm okay. Less confused, like I said."
"Really? What happened?"
"A lot." He looked down at his hands, clasped and resting on the table. "I dreamt. And..." He looked hesitant, then sighed. "I managed, finally, to get over Tanya. She was understanding."
Maggie's heart jumped into her throat. "Really?" she managed to get around it.
"Yes. She felt that it was right, too. She likes Skull; she said he's no longer quite so insufferable."
"Ah." Maggie nodded. She couldn't say anything more; she could barely keep from shouting for joy.
He got a confused look. "Maggie, am I too late? I'd like..." He swallowed and tried again. "I'd like to find out if we.... if maybe we can be something, together." He reached across the table and took her hand.
"What?" Maggie brought herself back to now from the daydream his earlier words had invoked. "Oh! No, no, of course! I mean, no, you're not too late," she stammered, and blushed at his grin. Of course, she thought, I'm fairly certain you'd never be too late. The relief she could read in his eyes was just as heady as his words before had been.
"Good. I was a little afraid I would take too long, but I wanted to be sure."
"And you are?"
He nodded. "I know it won't work out with Tanya. Let's see how we do, okay?"
Maggie grinned. "Deal." She wanted nothing more than to lean across the table and kiss him, but she didn't know if that would scare him off permanently, and she did know that it would hurt. A lot. So she squeezed his hand and smiled as big as she could.
"You're smiling too much for there not to be good news," Tabitha said, prowling around the back room as Maggie calmly set it up for a ceremony.
"Look," she said, smiling. "Go to Kat's or something. I need peace right now. I'll explain everything later."
"I want an answer."
"I'm going to start this ceremony, and I know how much you hate the flare of energies," Maggie warned, picking up her Athame. Tabitha touched her hand.
"Please, Maggie."
Maggie had never seen a cat beg, but here was Tabitha doing her best... cat version of 'puppy dog eyes' she'd ever seen. She nodded and relaxed a little. "Yes, it's good news," she smiled. "We're going to see if we can 'be anything', as Rocky would say. I'm actually quite happy with that... We'll take it from there. Now, go away." She smiled. "I really do want this rib pain to disappear."
Tabitha got to her feet. "Good. So I can tell Kat and Tom the good news?"
Maggie stared up at her, then nearly choked on a laugh, struggling to keep it in, not wanting to make herself hurt. "What?" Tabitha asked.
Finally getting herself in control, Maggie managed to gasp out, "did you hear what you just said?" She purposefully did not look at Tabitha, knowing that would override the fingernail's grip on control that she had.
"I'm leaving," Tabitha said in a strangled voice, and fairly ran out of the room. She'd almost gotten the front door closed before bursting into laughter, but Maggie heard her just before the door slammed shut. She let out the breath she'd been holding, grimacing in pain, and began her ceremony.
She cut the circle, astonished at the feelings she'd gotten from the Lady, and got to her feet. It had been so incredibly weird....
A knock at her door distracted her, and she set the athame down and went to answer it. She opened it to see Adam, smiling at her. "It's a beautiful day, and Angel Grove Beach is calling our names. Can you hear it?" He cupped a hand to his ear and leaned in the direction of the lake. "Maggie, Adam, come swimming..." he called softly in a haunting voice, and she smiled.
"Okay," she said. "I'll try it." She invited him in and went looking for her swimming suit.
They were at the beach about half an hour later. Maggie looked at the water, then smiled at Adam. "Why didn't I think of this sooner? All I have to do is find something for my head and my feet, and I can just float."
He laughed. "Let's find something, then," he said, and offered his arm. She took it and followed him farther down the beach. Before long, they found something that would suffice, and Maggie waded out into the water, Adam right behind her.
Their day at the beach was a huge success; Maggie arrived home late that night to find Tabitha pacing a little. "Where have you been?" she demanded.
"The beach," she said, then cringed. "I forgot a note, didn't I."
"Yes. Although I guessed you'd gone with Adam." She smiled at him, and he grinned back.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to make trouble."
"Oh, you didn't," Tabitha said. "She did." She gestured at Maggie.
Maggie grinned. "Go away, Tabitha. I want to tell him good night."
"I'm gone," Tabitha said, and practically sprinted from the room.
Maggie turned to Adam. "Thanks. That was fun."
He pulled her close, gently. "Did it help?"
"I think so. Whether it did or not, I loved it. Will I see you tomorrow?"
He laughed. "Just try and stop me," he said, and kissed her. "Sleep well, okay?"
"I will," she said with a wink. "I'm exhausted."
Savage Garden, I Want You
The reception was casual, like the couple, like the wedding. It was in the park, in the clearing Maggie considered hers. Although, it was quickly changing to 'ours' in her mind. Maggie stood next to Adam as he spoke to the people she didn't know, which was most of the crowd. Most of the ones she did added a rainbow of colors in her second sight, and it made her smile.
A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned to smile at her father. "Come dance with me," he said this time. "It's tradition."
She turned to tell Adam where she was going, then allowed her father to lead her onto the dance floor. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. His hand had drifted to her shoulder all afternoon, almost as if he were reassuring himself she was actually there.
He smiled, misty eyed, and hugged her gently. "I'm fine. Just the odd mixture of happy and sad that every father goes through at his daughter's wedding. Are you sure this young man understands you?"
Maggie smiled, raised up on her tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. "I'm sure, Daddy. Don't worry about me, or him. We'll be fine." She caught sight of her father's 'date'. "Are you happy with Karen?"
He stiffened slightly. "I am, Maggie."
"Good," she said decisively, and he relaxed again. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your wedding."
"It's okay," he said gently, with a smile. "I saw your car. I was just glad you survived."
"So am I, believe me," she said, then a hand tapped her shoulder again. She turned to smile up at Adam and Karen, her eyes lighting up as she saw her husband.
Karen chuckled softly. "Trade me?" she asked. "Adam's nice, but I rather prefer your dance partner."
Her father chuckled as Maggie let him go. "Go, spend time with him," he said quietly.
Maggie blushed and stepped into Adam's arms. Without a second thought, he led her off the dance floor.
Someone blocked their escape route, and Maggie grinned. "Tanya! You made it!" she exclaimed, and gave the other woman a hug.
"I'm sorry I missed the ceremony," she said as Maggie let her go again. "I don't have much time, but I wanted to stop in and tell you both congratulations." There was a shadow in her eyes when she looked at Adam, who had turned to talk to Rocky, and it was gone when she looked back, but Maggie had seen it. Tanya smiled the best she could with the pain in her heart.
"I'm glad you did. Thank you." Maggie leaned closer. "I wish you love and happiness, Tanya. And I wish that you recognize it when you see it."
Tanya stared at her, then slowly a smile spread over her face. "Thank you. Really. Um. Adam?"
He turned. "Tanya. Thank you for coming." He reached out to give her a hug. "I'm glad you could make it."
"It's a short call, I'm afraid. I made them give me a longer lay over, so I could make it, but I have to get back." She seemed much more at ease, less... regretful. "But congratulations. And I wish you both the best." She leaned down and kissed Adam on the cheek, then hugged Maggie again and made her way from the clearing.
"What did you say to her?" Adam asked Maggie, slipping an arm around her waist.
"That I wished her love and happiness - and that she'd recognize it when she saw it."
He brushed her hair from her face. "You amaze me, sometimes," he said softly. "You just do."
"Yeah, well... the feelings mutual," she whispered. "I'm still not sure how I got to be so lucky."
"Blessed," he corrected her softly. "Blessed."
"I'd like to make a toast," Rocky announced, and the talking paused. Maggie and Adam turned to face him. "Adam has been one of my best friends for years. We've been through a lot together, most of it good, some of it bad. Through it all, amazingly, we've managed to stay friends. He never forgot me when I was hurt, and stuck with me through the physical therapy when I threatened to kill him on a daily basis.
"Maggie, on the other hand, has been on of my best friends for years." He winked at her as everyone laughed. "Not as many as Adam, granted, and many of those she was off traipsing around the country. I still don't have many details, hint hint, about what happened. But she is no less dear for that. And no one deserves happiness more than these too - not that most people deserve it less, but you know what I mean. So, I give two of my best friends."
A cheer went up, and Adam hugged Maggie closer. "He went on forever at Aisha's wedding, and really made her embarrassed," he murmured. She grinned up at him.
"What did you do to keep him from doing that?" He gave her an innocent look, and she laughed. "Fine, don't tell me," she said softly.
There were a few more toasts, none quite as funny as Rocky's, then the music started up again. The guests went back to eating and dancing, and slowly, Adam began drifting for the edge of the clearing, taking Maggie with him. Once they reached it, they slipped through the trees until the music was a low noise in the background.
Adam took a deep breath, and the tension drained from him. Maggie grinned. "Not a crowd person, I guess."
"No, not really." He reached up and brushed hair from her face. "You know," he said, almost conversationally, "you have made me the happiest man I know."
She hugged him tightly, then relaxed without moving away from him. "Well, good, because I'd hate this to be one sided," she murmured.
"How long do you think it will be before they come looking for us?" he whispered.
"Far too short. On the other hand," she added, stepping back from him to meet his eyes, "we have a couple of weeks just to ourselves."
"When does it start?" he whispered.
"Far too long," she whispered back, then sighed as someone called her name. "See, far too short." He squared his shoulders, and they walked back to the clearing.
Finally, the reception was nearing it's end. Maggie breathed a sigh of relief and sagged limply against Tabitha. "I like all of these people I don't know, and I love all the ones I do, but this is ridiculous!" she muttered. "I want to go sleep somewhere."
"Sleep?" Tabitha teased.
"Yes. Sleep. A nice, long night of sleep - and lots of play afterwards." She blushed, but grinned anyway.
Tabitha chuckled. "Oh, you'll be fine. There he is. Go on. I'll see you when you get back."
Maggie surprised her friend with a hug. "Thank you for everything, Tabitha. And have fun. I'll see you soon."
She turned and smiled at Adam - her husband - and at the butterflies the sight of him still conjured in her stomach. He held out his hand to her; she took it and he tucked hers into his elbow to escort her out of the clearing under a shower of bubbles, and to the sound of laughter.