Larissa sat with her feet curled up underneath her body, staring over Cam's
shoulder in Ninja Ops, trying to learn the very complicated system.
"... And by typing in a few simple commands, you can call the Zords from their respective places, and send them to the rangers within seconds." Cam finished. Larissa scratched her head.
"I think I understand." She replied. Cam smiled.
"It's a lot to learn in a short amount of time I realize that Larissa... But it's all worthwhile information." He told her gently. Larissa smiled and nodded.
"It's just so much to take in all at once." She explained to the Samurai, who nodded.
"It'll probably take some time to get a hang of." She commented. Cam smiled at her.
"Well, what do you say to taking a break?" He asked. Larissa looked at him. She saw the glint of mischief in his eyes. She grinned. "What'd you have in mind?" She asked. Cam smiled and leaned into her. They were about to kiss when they heard someone clearing their throat. They separated to see Joey standing at the entrance of Ninja Ops.
"Uh...Hey." Cam said sheepishly. "Sorry, interrupting something?" She asked sarcastically. Larissa shook her head. "No, he was just letting me get acquainted with the equipment." Larissa said. Joey smirked meanly. "I bet." She said. Larissa smiled innocently.
"Well he was." She told Joey who laughed.
"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" Joey retorted. Larissa blushed furiously. Cam smirked.
"What can we do for you?" He asked the Black Ranger, who shrugged.
"Got a place that I can hide from Shane?" She asked.
"Hide?" Larissa asked.
"Thought things were going OK." "Guess you were wrong." Joey replied, shrugging. She wandered into the room, walking around aimlessly. She paused when she saw a framed picture of a man and woman holding a baby. Her eyes narrowed at the man in the picture. Larissa and Cam saw her face get a little pale.
"Jo?" Cam asked. "That face..." She whispered almost inaudibly. "What?" Larissa asked. "Who...Who is that?" Joey asked. Cam stood up and walked over.
"My mom, dad, me." Cam said.
"Something wrong?" He asked. Joey turned and looked at him and smile wirily.
"Nope! Everything's perfectly fine! I'm going to go now. Bye guys!" Joey said, before taking off out of Ninja Ops full speed. Cam and Larissa stared after her.
"That was weird." Cam commented. Larissa nodded. It was a little too weird to see Joey take off running like that, unless she had a good excuse. She'd ask her at home tonight. Joey ran out of Ninja Opts and into the woods. She fell against a tree, sinking to her knees in tears. "Joey?" Came a voice. Joey knew who it was. "Go away, Shane." She sobbed gently. Shane knelt beside her.
"Come on, talk to me." He said softly. Joey looked at him. "I saw him." She said. Shane's eyes widened. "Lothor? Where? What happened?" He asked. Joey shook her head. "No..... A picture...It was Sensei...But, his face..." She wiped at her tears.
"Their identical twins, that just makes my life so much easier." She said bitterly. Shane's face softened.
"Is there anything I can do?" He asked gently. Joey shook her head.
"Unless you can change who he is, then no." She replied. Shane sighed.
"I wish I could help you Jo." He said. Joey stood up. "But you can't. You can't help me. No one can help me, so just leave me the hell alone!" She yelled. She took of running full speed again, leaving Shane in the dust.
~ * ~ *
Summer removed the ice pack from Hunter's cheek and smiled softly. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and went into the kitchen to get rid of the ice. When she returned she stopped at the stairs and yelled up them to Tori.
"Hey Tori! Hunter and I are going to costume shopping ok? We'll see you guys later!" Summer yelled. Hunter wandered over to where Summer was standing and took her hand in his and smiled lovingly.
"Ready?" He asked. She nodded and they set out for her car.
"So, what was your idea for a costume?" Summer asked. Hunter smiled. "You'll see." He said. Summer let him have her keys and he drove them to the costume shop. When they arrived they exited Summer's car and started for the entrance to the shop. Summer glanced into the shop's window and noticed that there was a lot of Lord of the Rings costumes.
"Seems Lord of the Rings is a huge hit with costume's this year." She said to Hunter who smiled and nodded. They walked in. Summer saw a parent and their little kid picking out a hobbit costume and smiled at how cute it was. Hunter smiled and took her hand. He led her deeper into the shop where the adult outfits were. She saw flapper costumes, hippie costumes, disco outfits, nurses, doctors, everything. Summer looked at Hunter. "What, naughty nurse and Dr. Feel good?" She joked. Hunter laughed. "Hmm, maybe next year." He said. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Are we there yet?" She whined in the best 3-year-old voice she could muster. Hunter looked at her strangely.
"I thought you were supposed to be 17, not 3." He said. Summer laughed.
"Very funny." She said.
"It's just that we've been walking here forever. I'm beginning to get anxious about the costumes you picked out." Hunter smiled. "We're here." He said. "Ah, Hunter you're back." Said a guy as he walked over to them.
"Dude, what happened to you?" He asked, seeing Hunter's slightly bruised face.
"Oh, fell down some stairs." Hunter said. "Summer, this is Mark. We met at the track a few weeks ago and he works here. Mark this is my girlfriend Summer." Mark smiled at Summer. "Great to finally put a face to the name Hunter's been ramming into all of our heads." He joked. Summer giggled.
"Nice to meet you Mark. Can't really say that Hunter's ever mentioned you. Sorry." She finished sheepishly. Mark waved the comment off.
"It's alright. I'll give you your costume, and Hunter can go stark naked." Mark said. Summer burst out laughing and Hunter blushed.
"She'd like that too much." Hunter told Mark. Summer smacked him lightly.
"Perhaps at home, don't think I like the idea of all those party goers goggling you." Summer smiled sweetly. Mark rolled his eyes. "It's not Halloween yet and already I'm overdosing on the sweet just by standing by you two." He laughed, shaking his head. He went over to behind the counter and came back with two outfits. One outfit looked a lot like something out of Lord of The Rings in a Crimson color. The other was a long pink beautiful flowing gown with a crown that looked like it was made of flowers hanging in a bag from the hanger.
"One Arwen and Aragorn costume set for the lovebirds." He smiled. Summer was awestruck. Hunter thanked and paid Mark for the costumes and they set back towards the car.
"You got Arwen and Aragorn costume's?" Summer asked, very surprised that Hunter had guessed one of her all time favorite books, and movies. She had always wanted to be Arwen for Halloween at the Academy, but it was a little difficult to find a guy, or girl for that matter that would dress up as Aragorn. Hunter smiled at his girlfriend. He walked around to the trunk and gently laid the costume's down on the bottom of the trunk and closed it. He walked around to the drivers seat and plopped himself down next to Summer.
"You like them?" He asked. Summer turned to face him.
"I love them." She smiled. Hunter smiled. "Lord of The Rings was one of my dad's favorite series. I remember he'd read the books to Blake and I when we were kids. I thought it'd be awesome to dress up as Aragorn for Halloween, but, unfortunately, little brothers aren't always keen on the idea of dressing up like an elf girl." He said, chuckling slightly. Summer smiled.
"I thought you would have forced him." Summer responded giggling slightly. Hunter laughed.
"I never thought of doing that!" He admitted. Summer smiled and took his hand in her's. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
"Sleepy?" Hunter asked. Summer shrugged.
"Fighting and shopping, it's been a long afternoon." She replied softly.
"So, we should head home, huh?" He asked. Summer smiled and nodded. Hunter kissed her forehead and the two got into the car. Hunter drove them home. (((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((
Shane walked to Joey's house. He had to talk to her, but he knew she wouldn't let him in. He remembered there was a window in Joey's studio/the basement. Shane slowly lifted up the window and slid into the room, careful not to step on or hit any of Joey's things. He left the basement and walked around the house.
"Joey?" He called out. He walked over to her room. It was empty. There was a soft thudding sound and music coming from above him. He paused. There was nothing above the bedrooms, was there?
"The attic." He mattered to himself. He went over to where the stairs were and pulled them down. He could hear the thudding get louder and he heard soft panting as well. He slowly crept up the stairs and saw Joey doing some sort of kata to "Return Of Innocence" by Enigma with something in her hands. She twirled the objects gracefully. Shane realized it was a set of sies. Shane stood by a pillar and watched her move. Her back was turned to him. Suddenly, she spun around, her head lowered, and a sie went soaring through the air, hitting the pillar, nearly missing his head.
"I see you're mad at me." He said. Joey slowly looked at him and shut off the music. She went over and pulled the sie out.
"I knew you'd duck." She said dryly.
"Yeah, thank god for my ninja reflexes." He replied. Joey turned away from him and went back to the center of the room. She absentmindedly twirled one of the sies in her right hand.
"Yet, I have a feeling you wish I hadn't." He said.
"Shane, if I wanted to kill you, I would've just shoved the little sie in your gut." She muttered. "Ah, good to know, I think." Shane said. Joey sighed and looked at him. "Any particular reason you crawled into my attic?" She asked. Shane shrugged.
"I wanted to see if you were ok." He replied truthfully. Joey spun around, the sie still clutched dangerously in her hand.
"Why wouldn't I be ok?" She growled. Shane gulped. 'Damned if I do, damned if I don't.' His mind screamed loudly. He shrugged again.
"You just seemed a little tense at Ninja Ops. Do you want to talk about it?" He replied. Joey sighed.
"Again, there is nothing to talk about. I'm fine." She told him. Had Joey not been standing there, Shane would have rolled his eyes, but instead he spoke again.
"Joey, running away doesn't solve anything. you need to confront this head on." He said. Joey looked at him again, and started twirling her sie.
"What makes you think I'm running? Maybe I'm not ready to deal with this yet." She retorted. Angrily. Shane flung his hands into the air.
"Alright, I give up on being blunt with you Joey! I'm worried about you! I wander into your house, to find you practicing with you sies and I can't help but think that maybe."
"Maybe what? I'm practicing to take out dear old dad?" Joey asked with freighted innocence.
"Or that I'm planning on taking myself out?" "I..." "Both options sound pretty tempting." She mused. "No." Shane said.
"Joey, stop. You can't face Lothor alone, and if you even think about hurting yourself, so help me God, I'll-"
"Don't worry, Shane." Joey interrupted him.
"Suicide isn't my thing." Shane could feel a long whoosh of air come out, sighing with relief. Joey smirked. "These are my moms. Holding them...practicing with them, they make me feel connected to her. Help me clear the clutter in my head." "So, you're not going to hunt down Lothor?" Shane asked.
"I won't hunt." She said.
"But that doesn't mean I won't kill him if he tries to come near me." She said. Shane smirked.
"You'd be a very dangerous person to be around if you get a hold of Lothor with those things." He replied. Joey laughed.
"You know, you're probably right." She replied. She twirled the sie. The edge of one of the blades ran into her wrist. "Shit." She gasped as she dropped the sies and held her wrist. Shane went over to her quickly.
"I think I need some more practice." She muttered bitterly, holding her wrist that was bleeding slightly.
"Hold your wrist up." He said, taking her arm and holding it up. He grabbed a towel that was nearby, obviously what Joey was going to use to wipe her sweat, and pressed it against her cut.
"Here, sit down." He said. He gently made her sit on the floor as he wiped at her wrist. "Shane, I'm OK, it's just a scratch." She said.
"You're bleeding." Shane said. "It's a trickle." She replied.
"It's nothing." Shane looked into her eyes. "You're hurt, that's not nothing." He whispered. Joey glanced downward before giving up entirely. She let Shane take over to bandage her wrist. He gently wrapped the towel around her wrist, and down her arm.
"Ok, where's your first aid kit?" he asked. Joey smirked.
"Main bathroom." She replied. Shane nodded and helped Joey to her feet. They carefully made their way down the steps and into the bathroom. Joey plopped herself down on the toilet seat and Shane retrieved the first aid kit from underneath the bathroom sink.
"Why are you so keen on taking care of me?" She asked. "Thought we've been though this one before." He replied. He pulled out the antiseptic spray and shook it a few times before spraying it on her cut. Joey hissed from the sting. Shane blew on the cut slightly, easing the sting. The cool feel of his breath sent chills up and down Joey's spine. She shivered and Shane looked up into her brown eyes. Joey slowly bent forward and brought her lips to Shane's in a heartwarming kiss.
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Blake and Tori exited Tori's house, holding hands gently. They climbed into her van and drove towards the costume shop.
"So what idea do you have in mind?" Blake asked. Tori smiled.
"When I was a little girl." She began. Blake groaned.
"This isn't a story that ends and they lived happily ever after does it?" He joked. Tori grinned.
"Let me finish." She scolded. Blake smiled.
"When I was a little girl, my favorite movie, was The Princess Bride. So I was kinda thinking we could go as Buttercup and Wesley from the movie." Tori finished. Blake nodded thoughtfully for a moment.
"Cool." He said.
"Thought you might like it." Tori smiled. Blake looked at her and reached over and took her hand gently. "Anything you suggest, I love." He said. Tori smiled. "So, if I had suggested I dress up as little Bo peep and you as a sheep, you would've loved it." "I take back my former statement." He said. Tori laughed. Tori turned the van into the parking lot of the same costume shop Summer and Hunter had been had a few minutes previous. They both exited the car and walked into the shop.
"I wonder what Summer and Hunter are going as." Tori said out loud as she searched through costumes. Blake shrugged.
"Whatever it is, she'll like it." He replied. Tori smiled as she found the Wesley costume. She tossed it to Blake and began re-searching for the Buttercup one.
"He could have picked out Tarzan and Jane, and she would have liked it." Tori said. Blake nodded thoughtfully for a moment before replying.
"I think they'd modernize it a bit." He replied. Tori grinned mischievously.
"Yeah, Hunter would have to wear the loin cloth, where as Summer would have a very elaborate and beautiful dress on." She replied. Blake burst out laughing.
"Thing is, I can so see it happening." He said between spurts of laughter.
"Eureka." Tori said as she found the desired dress. It was a baby blue colored flowing dress. She pulled it off the rack. Blake turned around and looked at the beautiful dress. With full sleeves, but an open top and back, and the sleeves beginning at the top of the shoulders. It was beautiful.
"Wow." Blake breathed out. Tori looked at him.
"What?" She asked. Blake smiled.
"I just imagined what you'd look like in that." He said. Tori couldn't help blush a bit. She smacked him lightly in the arm.
"Get your mind out of the gutter Blake." She kidded. Blake grinned and planted a kiss on Tori's soft lips.
"Love you too Tor." He replied. Tori giggled.
"I know." She replied softly, as Blake went to pay for the costumes. She ran her hand over her lips and smiled softly.
'I'm so in love.' Her mind told the rest of her body.
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Shane responded to the kiss full heartedly. Then, he paused, and pushed back gently. "Wait, wait." He said softly. Joey looked at her.
"I.....Can't." He said. Joey blinked. "What?" "I can't do this, not if this is all there's going to be."
"What? You mean sex?" Joey asked angrily. She gave a disgusted sound.
"You pig." "No, I mean, a relationship. I can't get my hopes up, thinking you're finally ready, if you're not. Are you?" He asked. Joey looked down. She wasn't.........She didn't think she ever would be. She cast her glance downward.
"I. I don't know Shane." She admitted. She was scared. Not scared of Shane, as a man, but in general. She didn't know if she could love him, or for that matter anyone. Her shoulders drooped slightly and she sighed.
"I just don't know." She whispered. Shane frowned slightly. He nodded.
"I can accept that Joey." He replied softly. Joey sighed.
"Why are you so understanding?" She asked.
"Why can't you just scream and yell and demand that I give you an answer or you'll never speak to me again?" Shane smiled. "That'd make it too easy for you, wouldn't it?" He asked. Joey laughed.
"Your right, it would make it too easy." Joey replied. Shane nodded again.
"I'm going to leave ok?" He said. Joey nodded.
"Bye Shane." She replied. Shane walked to the stairs in the attic.
"Goodbye Joey." He responded softly as he descended the stairs.
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Shane opened the door to Storm Chargers, a few days after his confrontation with Joey, in her attic. Storm Chargers looked completely different. He'd known that Summer, Hunter, Blake and Dustin had been pulling overtime to get everything ready. As he scanned the room, he saw Dustin, who was wearing a Romeo costume, talking with Summer, who was wearing a long and flowing pink dress. He walked across the dance floor and greeted Kelly and Hunter as he passed them. Hunter was dressed in what looked like a Medieval hunter's outfit. Shane almost didn't recognized Kelly for she was decked out in a punk; Goth outfit. Hunter looked at Shane. He was dressed like a Scarecrow.
"Hey." Hunter said.
"No Joey?" He asked. Shane sighed. "No." He said. Summer and Dustin walked over. Summer put her arms around Hunter from behind. Shane looked at Dustin and raised an eyebrow.
"Tights?" He asked with a smirk. "It was my idea." Marah said as she walked over, dressed as Juliet. Shane looked at her.
"Romeo and Juliet I presume?" Shane asked. Both nodded. Shane smiled
"Cool." He turned to Kelly.
"What's with the outfit?" He asked. Kelly shrugged.
"Believe it or not, I had a dream, and I was totally gothic and punkish. weird." She replied. Blake and Tori entered and walked over. Blake was dressed in a navy outfit that resembled a Zorro costume without the cape and Tori wore a baby blue dress. Tori's jaw dropped when she saw Kelly.
"Oh god...Not again." She groaned. Kelly looked at her strangely. "Everything OK, Tori?" She asked. Tori looked at her. She blinked.
"Yeah........I........Uh huh." She said. Kelly nodded and walked away. "What was that all about?" Summer asked. "Long story." Tori sighed. "Anyway, where's Cam and Larissa?" Blake asked.
"Dunno. I stopped by the house to pick up some makeup and Larissa said she was on her way to Ninja Opts." Summer said. "Hopefully they didn't start making out like mad and forget about the party." Marah said. She sighed, remembering catching them in the middle of a make out session a few days ago. Everyone laughed.
"Hey now. no need to be mean about that." Cam scolded the group playfully as he and Larissa joined the group. Larissa wore a white lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck, and Cam wore plain pants, and a sweater. His hair was pulled all out of place, and dyed gray, and there was a pipe hanging from the corner of his mouth,
"Uh. not to sound dumb. but what are you guys?" Tori asked. Cam chuckled.
"Larissa's Madame Currie, and I'm Albert Einstein." Cam replied. The group nodded thoughtfully.
"Nice choice." Blake told the couple.
"I'm rather disappointed in you all. I mean, hello, Cam and I are big intellectuals, and you didn't see this coming?" Larissa teased. The others rolled their eyes.
"Whatever." Summer said. The couples went to dance. As Cam and Larissa passed, Shane grabbed Larissa's arm gently. Larissa looked at him and then back at Cam, telling him she'd be right there. She walked over to Shane. "Did Joey-"
"She's at home, giving cavity causing sweets to already too hyper youngsters." Larissa said. She looked at Shane.
"Don't go there. From what I can gather, Joey needs time alone to think, or just, well, be alone. She does that sometimes."
"Like her excursions to the woods at times." Shane said. Larissa nodded. "Just give her some time." She said. Shane sighed. Larissa placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. She then went back to Cam.
Shane sighed and looked at all the couples swaying to the beat of the music. His eyes first landed on Tori and Blake. Tori's head was resting gently on Blake shoulder, and her eyes were closed gently, as if she were sleeping. Next, he noticed Dustin and Marah. Dustin gently held Marah close to his body as they moved in time with the music. They looked so innocent together. Shane would never get over Dustin wearing tights. Smiling to himself, he continued along the floor. Summer and Hunter were the next one's he saw. He caught a glimpse of Hunter dipping Summer really low, and almost dropping her, causing her to screech playfully, and then smacked him lightly. Summer proceeded to wrap her arms around Hunter and kiss him on the cheek gently. Shane's eyes landed on Cam and Larissa last. They were such a cute couple. They looked to be doing some sort of half waltz, half tango.
'Cute.' Shane thought.
"Hey." Came a voice. Shane turned to see a light skin girl with short red hair. She was dressed in a short fairy costume that if the hem or neckline were any shorter, she'd be charged with indecent exposure.
"I'm Kathy, wanna dance?" She asked huskily, she practically heaved her chest out to him. Shane looked at her.
"No thanks." He said. The girl pouted. "Are you sure?" She said, batting her eyelashes. "Yes, I'm sure." Shane said. Kathy gave a dissatisfied grunt and walked away.
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Joey finished handing out the candy for the evening to the insane youngsters, who needed more sugar in their system like she needed a hole in her head. She gently shut the door, and placed the bowl onto the kitchen table before going back into the living room and turning the TV on. She flicked through the channels boredly. She glanced at the clock and sighed.
"It's only 9pm. I need to do something." She turned the TV off and wandered upstairs. Her head was filled with thoughts of Shane. She wished she hadn't turned him down for the party. She wished she could tell him how much she loved him. But she couldn't.
"It's not like I have a costume anyway." She muttered to herself. She heard the doorbell ring and went downstairs. She grabbed the bowl and opened the door to see a little girl dressed as a witch.
"Twick or Treat." The girl said. Suddenly, an idea struck Joey. She smiled at the little girl and knelt beside her. "Well, aren't you cute." She said softly.
"Hey, I have an idea, how about we do a little trade? I give you all of this candy, and you give me your hat." Joey said. The girl beamed. She nodded.
"Thwank you!." The child grinned. Joey took the hat, and dumped all the candy into the little girls bag. The child thanked her again, before running down the driveway to her mother and father who were waiting. Joey smiled and shut the door.
"Guess I do have a costume now." She told the empty house, before running upstairs to get ready.
()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))() Shane was trying to think of a polite way to tell Kathy to get loss, she had come back, and wasn't taking no for an answer. "I'm flattered, really, but I'm not interested." Shane said.
"I love guys who play hard to get." Kathy purred. "I'm not playing." Shane insisted. Kathy grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Sure you're not." She got closer to him, giving him full view of her breast. "Hey, Fairy God Whore, back off." Came a voice. Kathy turned. Shane saw Joey standing there. She was dressed in a black dressed that hugged her every curve with long sleeves that had a hoop at the end that she wore on her middle fingers. She had a witch's hat on her head and wore green eye shadow, and a line of green make up on her cheeks, she had black lipstick on. Kathy glared at her.
"I saw him first, bitch." Kathy said. Joey crossed her arms over her chest. "He's taken. Now, go find yourself some desperate loser and get out of my sight, before I really get pissed." Joey threatened. Kathy blinked. "Sor-rey, didn't know he was claimed." Kathy said as she left. Shane looked at Joey.
"Am I?" He asked. Joey looked at him. "Dance with me?" She asked softly as a slow song came on. Joey took Shane's hand and led him out onto the dance floor. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands, fit perfectly around her waist. They gently began to sway in time with the song.
"All I know Is everything is not as it's sold But the more I grow the less I know And I have lived so many lives Though I'm not old And the more I see, the less I grow The fewer the seeds the more I sow."
Joey gently closed her eyes and leaned against Shane's warm body. She sighed gently, content to be in his arms.
"Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try
I wish I hadn't seen all of the realness And all the real people are really not real at all The more I learn the more I cry As I say goodbye to the way of life I thought I had designed for me."
Shane pulled away from Joey and looked into her eyes. Joey looked back into his, straight into his soul.
"Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try Then I see you standing there I'm all I'll ever be But all I can do is try Try"
"What made you change your mind about coming?" He asked. "You. I had to see you, had to talk to you." She said softly. Shane blinked. "Why?" He asked. "I thought you said you couldn't do this. You were scared." He said.
"I don't want you doing anything you're not ready for."
"I decided I didn't want to be scared anymore. And I realized, I'm more scared of being without you, of knowing that I pushed you away." She said softly. Shane looked at her. He lifted one of his hands and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"You'd never get rid of me, no matter how hard you push." He said softly.
"I love you, Shane." Joey said, tears came to her eyes. She felt so vulnerable at that moment. Being vulnerable scared her, but she couldn't be without Shane. Shane wiped her cheeks.
"I love you. Too." He said. Shane leaned in towards Joey and softly pressed his lips against hers, in a heartwarming, loving kiss, which Joey returned fully.
"All of the moments that already passed We'll try to go back and make them last All of the things we want each other to be We never will be And that's wonderful, and that's life And that's you, baby This is me, baby And we are, we are, we are, we are Free In our love We are free in our love."
Summer glanced over in Joey and Shane's general direction after the song finished and she smiled.
"Well it's about damn time." She muttered to herself. Hunter overheard her and grinned. He kissed the crown of her head.
"I agree." He replied.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Author's Notes:
Becky- Hey guys...Well, what a long journey this has been. I know, it's depressing seeing it end... But don't worry, there's going to be more I can say for both myself and Teal that we hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. And you know the best way to show us how much you enjoyed it, which would prompt us to write the 1st chapter of the next story faster? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! That's right, we're holding the 1st chapter hostage, and the ransom is reviews! *Evil laughter...cough, cough, hack, hack, choke*
Teal- every good story must come to an end. And what an end for the first book, in our series. I've had a blast and a half creating Summer, Joey and Larissa. They are three of my favorite characters. As Becky said, I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this, as much as we enjoyed writing it. So stay turned during the Christmas holidays, because we'll be posting the second book in the series then, so until then,
Toodles!
Becky & Teal
"... And by typing in a few simple commands, you can call the Zords from their respective places, and send them to the rangers within seconds." Cam finished. Larissa scratched her head.
"I think I understand." She replied. Cam smiled.
"It's a lot to learn in a short amount of time I realize that Larissa... But it's all worthwhile information." He told her gently. Larissa smiled and nodded.
"It's just so much to take in all at once." She explained to the Samurai, who nodded.
"It'll probably take some time to get a hang of." She commented. Cam smiled at her.
"Well, what do you say to taking a break?" He asked. Larissa looked at him. She saw the glint of mischief in his eyes. She grinned. "What'd you have in mind?" She asked. Cam smiled and leaned into her. They were about to kiss when they heard someone clearing their throat. They separated to see Joey standing at the entrance of Ninja Ops.
"Uh...Hey." Cam said sheepishly. "Sorry, interrupting something?" She asked sarcastically. Larissa shook her head. "No, he was just letting me get acquainted with the equipment." Larissa said. Joey smirked meanly. "I bet." She said. Larissa smiled innocently.
"Well he was." She told Joey who laughed.
"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" Joey retorted. Larissa blushed furiously. Cam smirked.
"What can we do for you?" He asked the Black Ranger, who shrugged.
"Got a place that I can hide from Shane?" She asked.
"Hide?" Larissa asked.
"Thought things were going OK." "Guess you were wrong." Joey replied, shrugging. She wandered into the room, walking around aimlessly. She paused when she saw a framed picture of a man and woman holding a baby. Her eyes narrowed at the man in the picture. Larissa and Cam saw her face get a little pale.
"Jo?" Cam asked. "That face..." She whispered almost inaudibly. "What?" Larissa asked. "Who...Who is that?" Joey asked. Cam stood up and walked over.
"My mom, dad, me." Cam said.
"Something wrong?" He asked. Joey turned and looked at him and smile wirily.
"Nope! Everything's perfectly fine! I'm going to go now. Bye guys!" Joey said, before taking off out of Ninja Ops full speed. Cam and Larissa stared after her.
"That was weird." Cam commented. Larissa nodded. It was a little too weird to see Joey take off running like that, unless she had a good excuse. She'd ask her at home tonight. Joey ran out of Ninja Opts and into the woods. She fell against a tree, sinking to her knees in tears. "Joey?" Came a voice. Joey knew who it was. "Go away, Shane." She sobbed gently. Shane knelt beside her.
"Come on, talk to me." He said softly. Joey looked at him. "I saw him." She said. Shane's eyes widened. "Lothor? Where? What happened?" He asked. Joey shook her head. "No..... A picture...It was Sensei...But, his face..." She wiped at her tears.
"Their identical twins, that just makes my life so much easier." She said bitterly. Shane's face softened.
"Is there anything I can do?" He asked gently. Joey shook her head.
"Unless you can change who he is, then no." She replied. Shane sighed.
"I wish I could help you Jo." He said. Joey stood up. "But you can't. You can't help me. No one can help me, so just leave me the hell alone!" She yelled. She took of running full speed again, leaving Shane in the dust.
~ * ~ *
Summer removed the ice pack from Hunter's cheek and smiled softly. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and went into the kitchen to get rid of the ice. When she returned she stopped at the stairs and yelled up them to Tori.
"Hey Tori! Hunter and I are going to costume shopping ok? We'll see you guys later!" Summer yelled. Hunter wandered over to where Summer was standing and took her hand in his and smiled lovingly.
"Ready?" He asked. She nodded and they set out for her car.
"So, what was your idea for a costume?" Summer asked. Hunter smiled. "You'll see." He said. Summer let him have her keys and he drove them to the costume shop. When they arrived they exited Summer's car and started for the entrance to the shop. Summer glanced into the shop's window and noticed that there was a lot of Lord of the Rings costumes.
"Seems Lord of the Rings is a huge hit with costume's this year." She said to Hunter who smiled and nodded. They walked in. Summer saw a parent and their little kid picking out a hobbit costume and smiled at how cute it was. Hunter smiled and took her hand. He led her deeper into the shop where the adult outfits were. She saw flapper costumes, hippie costumes, disco outfits, nurses, doctors, everything. Summer looked at Hunter. "What, naughty nurse and Dr. Feel good?" She joked. Hunter laughed. "Hmm, maybe next year." He said. Summer rolled her eyes.
"Are we there yet?" She whined in the best 3-year-old voice she could muster. Hunter looked at her strangely.
"I thought you were supposed to be 17, not 3." He said. Summer laughed.
"Very funny." She said.
"It's just that we've been walking here forever. I'm beginning to get anxious about the costumes you picked out." Hunter smiled. "We're here." He said. "Ah, Hunter you're back." Said a guy as he walked over to them.
"Dude, what happened to you?" He asked, seeing Hunter's slightly bruised face.
"Oh, fell down some stairs." Hunter said. "Summer, this is Mark. We met at the track a few weeks ago and he works here. Mark this is my girlfriend Summer." Mark smiled at Summer. "Great to finally put a face to the name Hunter's been ramming into all of our heads." He joked. Summer giggled.
"Nice to meet you Mark. Can't really say that Hunter's ever mentioned you. Sorry." She finished sheepishly. Mark waved the comment off.
"It's alright. I'll give you your costume, and Hunter can go stark naked." Mark said. Summer burst out laughing and Hunter blushed.
"She'd like that too much." Hunter told Mark. Summer smacked him lightly.
"Perhaps at home, don't think I like the idea of all those party goers goggling you." Summer smiled sweetly. Mark rolled his eyes. "It's not Halloween yet and already I'm overdosing on the sweet just by standing by you two." He laughed, shaking his head. He went over to behind the counter and came back with two outfits. One outfit looked a lot like something out of Lord of The Rings in a Crimson color. The other was a long pink beautiful flowing gown with a crown that looked like it was made of flowers hanging in a bag from the hanger.
"One Arwen and Aragorn costume set for the lovebirds." He smiled. Summer was awestruck. Hunter thanked and paid Mark for the costumes and they set back towards the car.
"You got Arwen and Aragorn costume's?" Summer asked, very surprised that Hunter had guessed one of her all time favorite books, and movies. She had always wanted to be Arwen for Halloween at the Academy, but it was a little difficult to find a guy, or girl for that matter that would dress up as Aragorn. Hunter smiled at his girlfriend. He walked around to the trunk and gently laid the costume's down on the bottom of the trunk and closed it. He walked around to the drivers seat and plopped himself down next to Summer.
"You like them?" He asked. Summer turned to face him.
"I love them." She smiled. Hunter smiled. "Lord of The Rings was one of my dad's favorite series. I remember he'd read the books to Blake and I when we were kids. I thought it'd be awesome to dress up as Aragorn for Halloween, but, unfortunately, little brothers aren't always keen on the idea of dressing up like an elf girl." He said, chuckling slightly. Summer smiled.
"I thought you would have forced him." Summer responded giggling slightly. Hunter laughed.
"I never thought of doing that!" He admitted. Summer smiled and took his hand in her's. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
"Sleepy?" Hunter asked. Summer shrugged.
"Fighting and shopping, it's been a long afternoon." She replied softly.
"So, we should head home, huh?" He asked. Summer smiled and nodded. Hunter kissed her forehead and the two got into the car. Hunter drove them home. (((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) )))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((
Shane walked to Joey's house. He had to talk to her, but he knew she wouldn't let him in. He remembered there was a window in Joey's studio/the basement. Shane slowly lifted up the window and slid into the room, careful not to step on or hit any of Joey's things. He left the basement and walked around the house.
"Joey?" He called out. He walked over to her room. It was empty. There was a soft thudding sound and music coming from above him. He paused. There was nothing above the bedrooms, was there?
"The attic." He mattered to himself. He went over to where the stairs were and pulled them down. He could hear the thudding get louder and he heard soft panting as well. He slowly crept up the stairs and saw Joey doing some sort of kata to "Return Of Innocence" by Enigma with something in her hands. She twirled the objects gracefully. Shane realized it was a set of sies. Shane stood by a pillar and watched her move. Her back was turned to him. Suddenly, she spun around, her head lowered, and a sie went soaring through the air, hitting the pillar, nearly missing his head.
"I see you're mad at me." He said. Joey slowly looked at him and shut off the music. She went over and pulled the sie out.
"I knew you'd duck." She said dryly.
"Yeah, thank god for my ninja reflexes." He replied. Joey turned away from him and went back to the center of the room. She absentmindedly twirled one of the sies in her right hand.
"Yet, I have a feeling you wish I hadn't." He said.
"Shane, if I wanted to kill you, I would've just shoved the little sie in your gut." She muttered. "Ah, good to know, I think." Shane said. Joey sighed and looked at him. "Any particular reason you crawled into my attic?" She asked. Shane shrugged.
"I wanted to see if you were ok." He replied truthfully. Joey spun around, the sie still clutched dangerously in her hand.
"Why wouldn't I be ok?" She growled. Shane gulped. 'Damned if I do, damned if I don't.' His mind screamed loudly. He shrugged again.
"You just seemed a little tense at Ninja Ops. Do you want to talk about it?" He replied. Joey sighed.
"Again, there is nothing to talk about. I'm fine." She told him. Had Joey not been standing there, Shane would have rolled his eyes, but instead he spoke again.
"Joey, running away doesn't solve anything. you need to confront this head on." He said. Joey looked at him again, and started twirling her sie.
"What makes you think I'm running? Maybe I'm not ready to deal with this yet." She retorted. Angrily. Shane flung his hands into the air.
"Alright, I give up on being blunt with you Joey! I'm worried about you! I wander into your house, to find you practicing with you sies and I can't help but think that maybe."
"Maybe what? I'm practicing to take out dear old dad?" Joey asked with freighted innocence.
"Or that I'm planning on taking myself out?" "I..." "Both options sound pretty tempting." She mused. "No." Shane said.
"Joey, stop. You can't face Lothor alone, and if you even think about hurting yourself, so help me God, I'll-"
"Don't worry, Shane." Joey interrupted him.
"Suicide isn't my thing." Shane could feel a long whoosh of air come out, sighing with relief. Joey smirked. "These are my moms. Holding them...practicing with them, they make me feel connected to her. Help me clear the clutter in my head." "So, you're not going to hunt down Lothor?" Shane asked.
"I won't hunt." She said.
"But that doesn't mean I won't kill him if he tries to come near me." She said. Shane smirked.
"You'd be a very dangerous person to be around if you get a hold of Lothor with those things." He replied. Joey laughed.
"You know, you're probably right." She replied. She twirled the sie. The edge of one of the blades ran into her wrist. "Shit." She gasped as she dropped the sies and held her wrist. Shane went over to her quickly.
"I think I need some more practice." She muttered bitterly, holding her wrist that was bleeding slightly.
"Hold your wrist up." He said, taking her arm and holding it up. He grabbed a towel that was nearby, obviously what Joey was going to use to wipe her sweat, and pressed it against her cut.
"Here, sit down." He said. He gently made her sit on the floor as he wiped at her wrist. "Shane, I'm OK, it's just a scratch." She said.
"You're bleeding." Shane said. "It's a trickle." She replied.
"It's nothing." Shane looked into her eyes. "You're hurt, that's not nothing." He whispered. Joey glanced downward before giving up entirely. She let Shane take over to bandage her wrist. He gently wrapped the towel around her wrist, and down her arm.
"Ok, where's your first aid kit?" he asked. Joey smirked.
"Main bathroom." She replied. Shane nodded and helped Joey to her feet. They carefully made their way down the steps and into the bathroom. Joey plopped herself down on the toilet seat and Shane retrieved the first aid kit from underneath the bathroom sink.
"Why are you so keen on taking care of me?" She asked. "Thought we've been though this one before." He replied. He pulled out the antiseptic spray and shook it a few times before spraying it on her cut. Joey hissed from the sting. Shane blew on the cut slightly, easing the sting. The cool feel of his breath sent chills up and down Joey's spine. She shivered and Shane looked up into her brown eyes. Joey slowly bent forward and brought her lips to Shane's in a heartwarming kiss.
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Blake and Tori exited Tori's house, holding hands gently. They climbed into her van and drove towards the costume shop.
"So what idea do you have in mind?" Blake asked. Tori smiled.
"When I was a little girl." She began. Blake groaned.
"This isn't a story that ends and they lived happily ever after does it?" He joked. Tori grinned.
"Let me finish." She scolded. Blake smiled.
"When I was a little girl, my favorite movie, was The Princess Bride. So I was kinda thinking we could go as Buttercup and Wesley from the movie." Tori finished. Blake nodded thoughtfully for a moment.
"Cool." He said.
"Thought you might like it." Tori smiled. Blake looked at her and reached over and took her hand gently. "Anything you suggest, I love." He said. Tori smiled. "So, if I had suggested I dress up as little Bo peep and you as a sheep, you would've loved it." "I take back my former statement." He said. Tori laughed. Tori turned the van into the parking lot of the same costume shop Summer and Hunter had been had a few minutes previous. They both exited the car and walked into the shop.
"I wonder what Summer and Hunter are going as." Tori said out loud as she searched through costumes. Blake shrugged.
"Whatever it is, she'll like it." He replied. Tori smiled as she found the Wesley costume. She tossed it to Blake and began re-searching for the Buttercup one.
"He could have picked out Tarzan and Jane, and she would have liked it." Tori said. Blake nodded thoughtfully for a moment before replying.
"I think they'd modernize it a bit." He replied. Tori grinned mischievously.
"Yeah, Hunter would have to wear the loin cloth, where as Summer would have a very elaborate and beautiful dress on." She replied. Blake burst out laughing.
"Thing is, I can so see it happening." He said between spurts of laughter.
"Eureka." Tori said as she found the desired dress. It was a baby blue colored flowing dress. She pulled it off the rack. Blake turned around and looked at the beautiful dress. With full sleeves, but an open top and back, and the sleeves beginning at the top of the shoulders. It was beautiful.
"Wow." Blake breathed out. Tori looked at him.
"What?" She asked. Blake smiled.
"I just imagined what you'd look like in that." He said. Tori couldn't help blush a bit. She smacked him lightly in the arm.
"Get your mind out of the gutter Blake." She kidded. Blake grinned and planted a kiss on Tori's soft lips.
"Love you too Tor." He replied. Tori giggled.
"I know." She replied softly, as Blake went to pay for the costumes. She ran her hand over her lips and smiled softly.
'I'm so in love.' Her mind told the rest of her body.
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Shane responded to the kiss full heartedly. Then, he paused, and pushed back gently. "Wait, wait." He said softly. Joey looked at her.
"I.....Can't." He said. Joey blinked. "What?" "I can't do this, not if this is all there's going to be."
"What? You mean sex?" Joey asked angrily. She gave a disgusted sound.
"You pig." "No, I mean, a relationship. I can't get my hopes up, thinking you're finally ready, if you're not. Are you?" He asked. Joey looked down. She wasn't.........She didn't think she ever would be. She cast her glance downward.
"I. I don't know Shane." She admitted. She was scared. Not scared of Shane, as a man, but in general. She didn't know if she could love him, or for that matter anyone. Her shoulders drooped slightly and she sighed.
"I just don't know." She whispered. Shane frowned slightly. He nodded.
"I can accept that Joey." He replied softly. Joey sighed.
"Why are you so understanding?" She asked.
"Why can't you just scream and yell and demand that I give you an answer or you'll never speak to me again?" Shane smiled. "That'd make it too easy for you, wouldn't it?" He asked. Joey laughed.
"Your right, it would make it too easy." Joey replied. Shane nodded again.
"I'm going to leave ok?" He said. Joey nodded.
"Bye Shane." She replied. Shane walked to the stairs in the attic.
"Goodbye Joey." He responded softly as he descended the stairs.
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Shane opened the door to Storm Chargers, a few days after his confrontation with Joey, in her attic. Storm Chargers looked completely different. He'd known that Summer, Hunter, Blake and Dustin had been pulling overtime to get everything ready. As he scanned the room, he saw Dustin, who was wearing a Romeo costume, talking with Summer, who was wearing a long and flowing pink dress. He walked across the dance floor and greeted Kelly and Hunter as he passed them. Hunter was dressed in what looked like a Medieval hunter's outfit. Shane almost didn't recognized Kelly for she was decked out in a punk; Goth outfit. Hunter looked at Shane. He was dressed like a Scarecrow.
"Hey." Hunter said.
"No Joey?" He asked. Shane sighed. "No." He said. Summer and Dustin walked over. Summer put her arms around Hunter from behind. Shane looked at Dustin and raised an eyebrow.
"Tights?" He asked with a smirk. "It was my idea." Marah said as she walked over, dressed as Juliet. Shane looked at her.
"Romeo and Juliet I presume?" Shane asked. Both nodded. Shane smiled
"Cool." He turned to Kelly.
"What's with the outfit?" He asked. Kelly shrugged.
"Believe it or not, I had a dream, and I was totally gothic and punkish. weird." She replied. Blake and Tori entered and walked over. Blake was dressed in a navy outfit that resembled a Zorro costume without the cape and Tori wore a baby blue dress. Tori's jaw dropped when she saw Kelly.
"Oh god...Not again." She groaned. Kelly looked at her strangely. "Everything OK, Tori?" She asked. Tori looked at her. She blinked.
"Yeah........I........Uh huh." She said. Kelly nodded and walked away. "What was that all about?" Summer asked. "Long story." Tori sighed. "Anyway, where's Cam and Larissa?" Blake asked.
"Dunno. I stopped by the house to pick up some makeup and Larissa said she was on her way to Ninja Opts." Summer said. "Hopefully they didn't start making out like mad and forget about the party." Marah said. She sighed, remembering catching them in the middle of a make out session a few days ago. Everyone laughed.
"Hey now. no need to be mean about that." Cam scolded the group playfully as he and Larissa joined the group. Larissa wore a white lab coat with a stethoscope around her neck, and Cam wore plain pants, and a sweater. His hair was pulled all out of place, and dyed gray, and there was a pipe hanging from the corner of his mouth,
"Uh. not to sound dumb. but what are you guys?" Tori asked. Cam chuckled.
"Larissa's Madame Currie, and I'm Albert Einstein." Cam replied. The group nodded thoughtfully.
"Nice choice." Blake told the couple.
"I'm rather disappointed in you all. I mean, hello, Cam and I are big intellectuals, and you didn't see this coming?" Larissa teased. The others rolled their eyes.
"Whatever." Summer said. The couples went to dance. As Cam and Larissa passed, Shane grabbed Larissa's arm gently. Larissa looked at him and then back at Cam, telling him she'd be right there. She walked over to Shane. "Did Joey-"
"She's at home, giving cavity causing sweets to already too hyper youngsters." Larissa said. She looked at Shane.
"Don't go there. From what I can gather, Joey needs time alone to think, or just, well, be alone. She does that sometimes."
"Like her excursions to the woods at times." Shane said. Larissa nodded. "Just give her some time." She said. Shane sighed. Larissa placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. She then went back to Cam.
Shane sighed and looked at all the couples swaying to the beat of the music. His eyes first landed on Tori and Blake. Tori's head was resting gently on Blake shoulder, and her eyes were closed gently, as if she were sleeping. Next, he noticed Dustin and Marah. Dustin gently held Marah close to his body as they moved in time with the music. They looked so innocent together. Shane would never get over Dustin wearing tights. Smiling to himself, he continued along the floor. Summer and Hunter were the next one's he saw. He caught a glimpse of Hunter dipping Summer really low, and almost dropping her, causing her to screech playfully, and then smacked him lightly. Summer proceeded to wrap her arms around Hunter and kiss him on the cheek gently. Shane's eyes landed on Cam and Larissa last. They were such a cute couple. They looked to be doing some sort of half waltz, half tango.
'Cute.' Shane thought.
"Hey." Came a voice. Shane turned to see a light skin girl with short red hair. She was dressed in a short fairy costume that if the hem or neckline were any shorter, she'd be charged with indecent exposure.
"I'm Kathy, wanna dance?" She asked huskily, she practically heaved her chest out to him. Shane looked at her.
"No thanks." He said. The girl pouted. "Are you sure?" She said, batting her eyelashes. "Yes, I'm sure." Shane said. Kathy gave a dissatisfied grunt and walked away.
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Joey finished handing out the candy for the evening to the insane youngsters, who needed more sugar in their system like she needed a hole in her head. She gently shut the door, and placed the bowl onto the kitchen table before going back into the living room and turning the TV on. She flicked through the channels boredly. She glanced at the clock and sighed.
"It's only 9pm. I need to do something." She turned the TV off and wandered upstairs. Her head was filled with thoughts of Shane. She wished she hadn't turned him down for the party. She wished she could tell him how much she loved him. But she couldn't.
"It's not like I have a costume anyway." She muttered to herself. She heard the doorbell ring and went downstairs. She grabbed the bowl and opened the door to see a little girl dressed as a witch.
"Twick or Treat." The girl said. Suddenly, an idea struck Joey. She smiled at the little girl and knelt beside her. "Well, aren't you cute." She said softly.
"Hey, I have an idea, how about we do a little trade? I give you all of this candy, and you give me your hat." Joey said. The girl beamed. She nodded.
"Thwank you!." The child grinned. Joey took the hat, and dumped all the candy into the little girls bag. The child thanked her again, before running down the driveway to her mother and father who were waiting. Joey smiled and shut the door.
"Guess I do have a costume now." She told the empty house, before running upstairs to get ready.
()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))(((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))() Shane was trying to think of a polite way to tell Kathy to get loss, she had come back, and wasn't taking no for an answer. "I'm flattered, really, but I'm not interested." Shane said.
"I love guys who play hard to get." Kathy purred. "I'm not playing." Shane insisted. Kathy grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Sure you're not." She got closer to him, giving him full view of her breast. "Hey, Fairy God Whore, back off." Came a voice. Kathy turned. Shane saw Joey standing there. She was dressed in a black dressed that hugged her every curve with long sleeves that had a hoop at the end that she wore on her middle fingers. She had a witch's hat on her head and wore green eye shadow, and a line of green make up on her cheeks, she had black lipstick on. Kathy glared at her.
"I saw him first, bitch." Kathy said. Joey crossed her arms over her chest. "He's taken. Now, go find yourself some desperate loser and get out of my sight, before I really get pissed." Joey threatened. Kathy blinked. "Sor-rey, didn't know he was claimed." Kathy said as she left. Shane looked at Joey.
"Am I?" He asked. Joey looked at him. "Dance with me?" She asked softly as a slow song came on. Joey took Shane's hand and led him out onto the dance floor. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands, fit perfectly around her waist. They gently began to sway in time with the song.
"All I know Is everything is not as it's sold But the more I grow the less I know And I have lived so many lives Though I'm not old And the more I see, the less I grow The fewer the seeds the more I sow."
Joey gently closed her eyes and leaned against Shane's warm body. She sighed gently, content to be in his arms.
"Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try
I wish I hadn't seen all of the realness And all the real people are really not real at all The more I learn the more I cry As I say goodbye to the way of life I thought I had designed for me."
Shane pulled away from Joey and looked into her eyes. Joey looked back into his, straight into his soul.
"Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try Then I see you standing there I'm all I'll ever be But all I can do is try Try"
"What made you change your mind about coming?" He asked. "You. I had to see you, had to talk to you." She said softly. Shane blinked. "Why?" He asked. "I thought you said you couldn't do this. You were scared." He said.
"I don't want you doing anything you're not ready for."
"I decided I didn't want to be scared anymore. And I realized, I'm more scared of being without you, of knowing that I pushed you away." She said softly. Shane looked at her. He lifted one of his hands and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"You'd never get rid of me, no matter how hard you push." He said softly.
"I love you, Shane." Joey said, tears came to her eyes. She felt so vulnerable at that moment. Being vulnerable scared her, but she couldn't be without Shane. Shane wiped her cheeks.
"I love you. Too." He said. Shane leaned in towards Joey and softly pressed his lips against hers, in a heartwarming, loving kiss, which Joey returned fully.
"All of the moments that already passed We'll try to go back and make them last All of the things we want each other to be We never will be And that's wonderful, and that's life And that's you, baby This is me, baby And we are, we are, we are, we are Free In our love We are free in our love."
Summer glanced over in Joey and Shane's general direction after the song finished and she smiled.
"Well it's about damn time." She muttered to herself. Hunter overheard her and grinned. He kissed the crown of her head.
"I agree." He replied.
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Author's Notes:
Becky- Hey guys...Well, what a long journey this has been. I know, it's depressing seeing it end... But don't worry, there's going to be more I can say for both myself and Teal that we hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. And you know the best way to show us how much you enjoyed it, which would prompt us to write the 1st chapter of the next story faster? REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! That's right, we're holding the 1st chapter hostage, and the ransom is reviews! *Evil laughter...cough, cough, hack, hack, choke*
Teal- every good story must come to an end. And what an end for the first book, in our series. I've had a blast and a half creating Summer, Joey and Larissa. They are three of my favorite characters. As Becky said, I really hope you guys enjoyed reading this, as much as we enjoyed writing it. So stay turned during the Christmas holidays, because we'll be posting the second book in the series then, so until then,
Toodles!
Becky & Teal