Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers Ninja Storm-if I did, they'd have
continued the story plot line, as I personally think that it was one of the
best plots they had!
Author's Notes: I don't know if this kind of plot has been done before- but...*shrugs* if it has then oh well, and if it hasn't, then I'm giving it a try. It deals with the Ninja Storm Rangers (personally, my favorite season) in a situation that I've had fun playing around with while I was writing this up...oh the possibilities of what one can do as an author! ^- ~ Anyway, I'm not a new author, but this is just my first shot at writing PR fanfic...so...let me know what you think, okay?
Rating: PG13
Warning: There is slash involved within this fic...so I suggest that if you don't like the thought of male/male pairings, then you should leave now or forever hold your peace-you've been for warned. :P
Pairings: Tori/Blake, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam
Summary: When Tori somehow wins a cruise trip for six, she manages to convince Shane, Dustin, Hunter, Blake, and even Cam to come with her. But they didn't expect a horrible storm to ruin their plans...leaving them all shipwrecked. Stranded and separated, can they survive without their powers?
Shipwrecked
Author: Angel Spirit
Chapter I: Vacation Plans
Tori had never been so excited in her life. Her smile reached her bright blue eyes as she walked into Storm Chargers to meet her friends for a training session that afternoon...though, she knew that with the news that she had to tell them, that she doubted they'd be able to concentrate much. She knew she wouldn't be able too.
Gently fingering the tickets in her jean coat pocket, she said hello to Kelly-who looked to be going home for the evening, and joined Dustin at the front counter, who looked like he was just starting to shut down the cash register so he, Blake, and Hunter could go home. He looked up when she came up and leapt onto the counter, sitting on it and giving him a big grin- one that he returned.
He chuckled as he tried to push her off as he put the money away into the cash bag that would go into a safe back in Kelly's office.
"You know, you're the only one who Kelly will let away with doing that-who doesn't work here I mean." All Tori did was giggle and nod.
"Yeah, I know-but according to Kelly I'm here so much I could practically work here." Dustin only nodded in agreement.
"So why don't you?" That comment, coming from Blake Bradley-and the moment Tori heard his voice, her smile grew even wider as she slipped off the counter and he pulled her in for a hug.
"You're early-we're not done closing up shop yet." He told her as she eyed him mischievously when she pulled away from his hug.
"I know I'm early, but I'm early for a reason...I've got some great news- and I'm not sure how much longer I can contain it-but I want to wait until we get to Ops before I say anything as it might involve all of us." The boys only looked at each other and shrugged, as Dustin finished what he was doing and headed back to Kelly's office.
"Dude, is the floor done Blake?" Hunter asked, coming up behind him and nodding a hello at Tori, who nodded back, and Blake groaned.
"No...I've still go the back portion to finish." He muttered, as Hunter smiled and put a hand onto his shoulder as he steered him toward the direction he was supposed to be at.
"Then stop flirting with your girlfriend and get back to work so we can get a move on and get outta here!" The blonde ordered, as Blake threw him a playful glare, muttering something underneath his breath that sounded like 'she's not my girlfriend', and Tori only chuckled at the 'yet' that seemed to somehow be thrown in there-though she knew that Blake probably didn't think that she had heard it.
"And are you finished with the bike that Kelly wanted you to work on and finish today for the guy who owns it that's coming in tomorrow to pick it up?" Dustin asked, coming out of the back and locking the office door as he wiped his dirty hands on a rag. Hunter grinned and gave him the thumbs up sign.
"Yeah dude, it's totally done." Dustin nodded, and then smiled a knowing smile.
"Yeah, but did you put it away properly? Is there a cover over it?" At this reminder, Hunter smacked himself in the forehead as he mumbled something about how he knew he had forgotten to do something, and then headed back to the garage. Tori was having a hard time not laughing when Shane knocked on the locked door, and Dustin let him in.
"Dude, are you guys finished in here yet?" He asked, as Dustin nodded as Blake was coming back who put an arm around Tori's shoulders.
"We're waiting for Hunter." Dustin explained to Blake, who's eyes seemed to light up.
"He forgot to do something?" The brunette nodded as Blake grinned when Hunter came back in, looking a bit sheepish.
"And here you were playing me with the 'I have everything done but you don't yet' stage...what did you forget to do?" Blake asked as the five of them headed out, and Hunter gave his brother a sheepish grin.
"I forgot to put the cover over the bike-no biggee, but still something that Kelly would've nailed me for in the morning...so let's get to Ops so that way Tori here can tell us her big secret." The four of them nodded, Shane only looking a bit confused as Dustin punched him playfully in the shoulder.
"Tori came into Storm Chargers looking all excited and told us she had a big secret that she wasn't going to say until all of us were present and accounted for." Dustin explained to his friend as Shane only nodded.
"Then let's go-before we're late-and we know how Cam and Sensei hate it-"
"When we're late." The other's chorused with him as they all headed for Tori's van.
~***~
About a half an hour later, the Ranger team were found sitting around Cam's computer, with Cam's seat facing outward toward the other's.
"So Tori, what's your big news?" He asked, having sensed her excitement from the moment she walked in.
Tori grinned and finally brought out what she had been playing around with in her pocket for the better part of the half hour, and held them up for everyone to see.
"Don't ask me how, but somehow, I won tickets for a cruise-for six. The cruise is a couple of weeks from now, so we have time to get ready-I figured that I'd invite you guys to come with me, because you're the only ones I'd want to spend two weeks on a cruise line with." The other's looked excited-Cam looked apprehensive.
"I don't think all of us should go-I think that at least one or two of us should stay behind in case if Lothor causes any trouble." He said, trying to explain his sense of reasoning, but the other's only shook their heads as Hunter put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
"Ah, come on bro...it'll give you some time out of Ops, isn't that what sensei always wants for you? Besides, your dad can monitor things from here, and if there is any trouble, he can have Cyber Cam contact us...we've got our morphers and our new transporting abilities, so it shouldn't be a problem. Think of it as a vacation." The other's looked pleadingly at Cam, some of them-like Dustin-giving him their best puppy dog eyed expression.
Until Cam sighed and shook his head as he took off his glasses and used the tail end of his Ninja uniform to clean them. When he put them back on, he had made his decision.
"Oh, alright...but only because I know if I was the only one who stayed behind, I'd never hear the end of it from my father." The Rangers cheered, and Tori gave Blake a big hug-that Blake looked completely taken surprise by, and Hunter chuckled at the expression on his younger brother's face when the surprised look was replaced by a grin as he returned the hug.
Cam only shook his head and went back to the computer before ordering them to start their practices for the afternoon...in which Hunter somehow managed to get him involved in, as he wanted to learn one of the newer moves from him that he had used in their last fight against one of Lothor's goons. Cam had only sighed and gave into Hunter's pleading, leaving Cyber Cam on the watch.
~***~
The two weeks had passed by quicker then any of them could've thought. They'd had a few monster attacks, but nothing too major. Nothing enough to have them cancel the trip because of worries over Lothor attacking. In fact, the day before when they were packing up and getting ready to leave, it was quiet-almost to quiet according to Cam, who was hanging out with Hunter. Blake had gone with Tori to get a couple of last minute things- leaving the two alone in Ninja Ops.
"It's strange that Lothor hasn't really attacked much this week." Cam mused, as Hunter only shrugged as he sat backwards in the chair next to him.
"Maybe he's planning on taking a vacation as well?" He asked, and Cam flashed him one of his rare grins...a grin that Hunter sometimes wished that he could see more of.
"Somehow, I doubt it...my Uncle wouldn't be quiet if he knew that we were leaving. Trust me, he'd find some way of stirring up trouble. I don't know Hunter-I feel kind of funny leaving for two weeks...if it were two days I think I'd be okay with it." Hunter only sighed and put a hand on Cam's arm, making Cam look at Hunter instead of the computer screen.
"Look Cam, even your dad said that he wanted you to take this trip with us- I mean come on-don't you think as Ranger's we deserve a small vacation from protecting the earth? And as you said nearly two weeks ago when Tori told us about this trip, your father and Cyber Cam will monitor for anything-and if there's any problems, they'll contact us. Dude, you've got nothing to worry about-except to finish packing." Cam chuckled.
"Yeah, you're right, I do need to do that." He said as he stood and Cyber Cam appeared to take his place as he walked back to his room with Hunter in tow.
"Don't tell me you're bringing that ugly red and dark green shirt that you always wear when you hang out around here-you're not, are you?" Hunter asked, with a small playful look of horror in his eyes, but a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. All Cam did was snort and grin.
"It's not ugly."
"Yes, it is." Hunter replied teasingly, as Cam protested throughout the afternoon that the shirt wasn't as ugly as Hunter kept on saying it was. In the end though, Cam secretly put the shirt back into the closet. He didn't know why, but for some reason he really wanted to look his best on this trip-be it either because he'd be around actual people for a full two weeks, or because he'd be spending a lot more time with Hunter, he wasn't too sure.
But the spending a lot more time with Hunter, sure did sound appealing...
Or so, that was what he was thinking when he finally turned the lights out to go to bed that night.
~***~
They were supposed to catch the six am flight to Florida and then their cruise would leave from there around three...or so that's what was supposed to happen.
As it was, the Ranger's plane was delayed due to bad weather in some parts of the country, and so they had to wait in the airport for two hours. Now, one would probably think that spending two hours would be boring...however, that's not what Dustin was thinking when Shane and Hunter had grabbed him and Cam and decided to 'check out' some of the shops-or, in other words, make fun of the strange people shopping in the shops.
Dustin had to admit, that he had a pretty good time-until a security officer was called and told them as politely as he could to go back to where their designated waiting area was...and that he hoped not to catch them again. Hunter and Shane were chuckling as Dustin hung out behind them with Cam who only shook his head. Was it just Dustin's imagination, or was Cam trying to hide a smile?
So Dustin poked Cam in the ribs with his elbow, and grinned at him-and actually received a grin back in return. He was taken by surprise for a moment, but then he relaxed.
"Did you actually enjoy watching Hunter and Shane get into trouble?" Dustin whispered to him, as the dark haired teen next to him only smirked and shrugged.
"They had it coming for them-I knew they'd get into trouble eventually. It was only a matter of timing...hey, there's a coffee stand-let's see if Shane and Hunter are up for some." It sounded good to Dustin, and a few seconds later the four were placing their orders, as Hunter placed one for Blake, and Dustin placed one for Tori-knowing that the two of them probably wouldn't be to thrilled if they came with Starbucks coffee and hadn't gotten them any. And besides, Dustin knew Tori's order by heart.
So she was thrilled when they came up and he handed her a the tall double shot mocha that he'd gotten for her. Blake seemed happy as well-and no one got into trouble...Cam was even quiet about what happened, and hadn't told Blake about the security guard situation...which, Dustin knew that if Blake found out that Hunter had gotten into trouble, he'd start bagging on him, and Hunter wouldn't hear the end of it.
By the time they had finally gotten on their flight, Tori was worrying about them being to late. It took Dustin and Blake to calm her down enough...and eventually she fell asleep during the flight with her head on Blake's shoulder...Blake was sitting right in front of Dustin in the middle seat, and Hunter sat on Blake's right next to the window, as Tori sat in the aisle seat on Blake's left.
Behind those three, sat Dustin, Shane, and Cam-Dustin in the center as Blake was, Cam on Dustin's right and behind Tori, and Shane behind Hunter and on Dustin's left. For the most part, it was a peaceful flight. However, Dustin thought that it was just his imagination when he thought he saw someone who looked like Marah stand up to get something down from the luggage compartment.
He blinked twice, and then nudged Shane, knowing that he'd feel really stupid if it was really just an illusion. The Ranger's knew how badly he had fallen for Marah-and how long it had taken for him to eventually get over her. The last thing he needed now, was for them to think that he wasn't really as over her as he had told them that he was.
"Dude...look over there up in front, at the girl standing up...does that...does that look like Marah to you?" Dustin whispered frantically as Shane sighed and gave him a strange look.
"Dustin..." He said in a warning tone of voice, but Dustin shook his head as the girl looked over her shoulder as though she were looking for someone- and Dustin could've sworn up and down and on his own Morpher that it was Marah.
"No...dude, I swear that looks like her!" Hunter, who had heard the commotion turned his head slightly and gave Dustin a 'what's up?' look, and Dustin pointed to the girl who was just starting to sit down as Hunter managed to get a good look at her before she finally did-Blake had also fallen asleep, and Cam was dosing as well.
"So, what about the girl? Yeah, she's cute Dustin...but..." Dustin shook his head at Hunter and sighed...none of them would believe him no matter how hard he tried. He just couldn't get the feeling to go away that that was really Marah.
"Nothing, never mind man...go back to your headphones." Hunter only shrugged and continued to listen to his CD player as Shane gave Dustin a look of concern.
"Are you okay Dustin? You haven't brought up Marah in quite awhile...so why mention her all of a sudden? I thought you said that you were totally over her." Dustin sighed angrily, knowing that he'd get this from Shane-so he brought up his carry on bag and ruffled through it until he found his own CD player and slipped on his headphones, giving Shane the 'I don't have to talk about it look' that he knew the Red Ranger and the other's were accustomed to seeing from him by now, and he turned on his CD player, falling asleep to Linkin Park...
And not being woken up until Shane was gently shaking him awake, telling him that they were about to land.
When they did, Hunter and Shane had four groggy friends to lead out of the plane...but even Hunter had to do a double take at the girl that Dustin had pointed out...and now that he thought about it, there was something distinctively familiar about her...and her friend who sat next to her as well. Hunter bit his lip, thinking that he was only imagining it, and continued to lead his brother and Tori out of the plane and into the Florida airport...from there they'd get their bags and a shuttle would be waiting to take them to the ship...their cruise. It was part of the package ordeal that Tori had won.
Within a matter of minutes they'd managed to grab their luggage and head out to the designated shuttle area, finding theirs wasn't very hard. By the time they'd sat down in it, Blake, Tori, Dustin, and Cam were a bit more awake then they were when they had first gotten off the plane.
"How long will it take us to get to the cruise line?" Hunter asked Tori, who shrugged as they watched while a few more people got on-including the dark brown haired girl and her blond haired companion who Hunter-and Dustin- had seen earlier on the plane. Hunter frowned, suddenly feeling nervous.
"...only know that we should be there before four pm...Hunter? Are you okay?" Tori asked, as Hunter shook his head, and grinned at Tori, giving her a thumbs up sign.
"Oh yeah, I'm cool...I'm going on vacation, why wouldn't I be okay?" He asked her, and she only laughed as she put her head on Blake's shoulder again when the shuttle took off. Hunter smirked at his brother and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Blake was already starting to enjoy this vacation.
I wouldn't be surprised if Blake and Tori were officially together by the time we come back home. Hunter thought, as he continued to watch the scenery until they got to the ship. When they reached the pier, Hunter gave a low whistle of approval, as did Dustin.
"Wow...now I'm really glad that I pleaded Kelly for this two weeks of vacation time..." Blake murmured, as Tori smiled.
"Of course, it did help you slightly when I showed her that the tickets were actually real and that you just weren't pulling her leg for extra time off." Blake chuckled at this as they got off the shuttle...and about two and a half hours later had boarded the cruise line, and had found their rooms by the time the ship had set sail.
"So this is it...it's official...the Power Rangers are taking a vacation!" Shane exclaimed, as he punched the air excitedly.
"So guys...what do we do first?" Tori questioned as she came in with Blake. They were paired up in three's in the room. Blake, Hunter, and Tori shared one room, as Cam, Dustin, and Shane shared the other.
"Let's just look around the ship first...later we can figure out the activities and stuff-isn't there a dinner tonight?" Cam asked Tori as she nodded.
"Yeah, there's a dinner...I think it's kind of an introduction dinner, with dancing and stuff-a fun one from the sounds of it. I'm not sure how fancy it is so I don't know how we're supposed to dress or anything like that." She murmured, blushing a little as the others just smiled at her and Blake took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Maybe we can find one of the ships tenants and ask them...I'm sure someone who works on board has to know." Tori nodded at him as Blake nodded at the other's.
"I think Tori and I are going for a walk...if you guys don't mind...why don't we meet back here in a couple of hours?" He suggested, and Hunter and everyone else nodded, giving each other knowing smiles that Blake pointedly ignored. He knew that Hunter already knew that he was practically head over heels in love with Tori. And if Hunter had figured him out, then that meant that the other three probably weren't far behind him. All he had to do, was to get the courage to actually tell Tori how he felt about her...or, if he got lucky, maybe she'd tell him first. From what he had heard from Shane, it seemed as though Tori felt the same way about him.
"So, where do you want to go Tor?" He asked, using a nickname that he'd become too fond of-but she didn't seem to mind. All Tori did was shrug as her eyes continued to look around.
"Why don't we go up top? I want to see the view..." Blake nodded, as he steered her in that direction...like she needed any steering, he thought-as it was the direction she was already heading in.
~***~
"Is it just me, or is it obvious that your brother totally likes Tori?" Dustin asked Hunter. The four of them had stayed behind, trying to figure out what they wanted to do...And, as Cam pointed out, they had two weeks to explore the ship and do stuff.
"Nah, it's not just you dude...trust me, my little brother's in love...if only he could tell her." Hunter replied, and Cam snorted and shook his head as Shane, Hunter, and Dustin shared mischievous looks.
"Uh-uh...no way...you guys are staying out of their love life's...no playing match makers, deal?" All they did was smile and nod-Cam didn't see the finger's that were crossed behind their backs however. And Hunter promised himself that his little brother would be with Tori by the time they got home...he'd make sure of it. He knew that Tori made Blake happy- and Blake made Tori happy in return. He just wondered how two people could be so stubborn and not admit that they were in love...to Hunter, it didn't make any sense-not yet anyway.
"Actually, I kind of want to explore around the ship and slowly make my way up to the top deck." Dustin mused aloud, as Shane suddenly agreed with him.
"Yeah...that sounds like a plan. I'll come with you if you want the company." All Dustin did was nod and stand, and offer Shane a help up-that he gladly took as he winked at Hunter and Cam when they headed out a few minutes later.
"See you two in two hours." He said as he led Dustin out...and then there was a blissful silence. Hunter grinned at Cam and stretched out on the bed where his dark haired friend was sitting cross legged on.
"So dude, it looks like it's just you and me." Cam snorted.
"Oh yippee...so what is it that we're going to do?" He asked, waving a hand around the cabin they were still in, realizing that everyone else had gone off-and they were still sitting there.
"We could find a good movie on TV." Hunter said, pointing out the fairly good sized TV that they had in their room, and Cam laughed.
"Hunter! We can watch TV any day back home...come on, let's go do something." The blonde grinned and stood, stretching.
"So what is it that you had in mind?" He asked, and Cam chuckled as he stood up as well.
"Why is it that I'm the one who has to come up with the ideas around here?" Cam muttered as Hunter grinned again and started to walk out of the room.
"Because you're the smart one...you figure it out." When he finished saying that, Cam chased him out of the room, pausing only to make sure that he had the key to the door and that their door was locked-and then finished chasing him the rest of the way up the stairs.
~***~
With the two hours nearly up of them having to meet the others, it found Blake and Tori above deck, enjoying the sunshine and the sound of kids-and teenagers-splashing around in the pool not to far away from them. Tori sighed and stared down at her morpher, as though daring it to go off.
"What, you think that by staring at it, it'll magically call us into action and ruin our trip?" Blake asked, as Tori chuckled and leaned a little closer into him as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
"I'm hoping that doesn't happen...knock on wood." She murmured, and Blake grinned as he glanced at his watch and sighed.
"You know, we should go and meet back up with everyone else-dinner is in an hour or something like that, and besides we did tell them two hours." Tori nodded as Blake led the way back down to their cabin. Along the way though, they passed by two girls-who looked almost exactly like Marah and Kapri. Tori did a double take as the blonde one smirked at her, giving her the peace symbol sign before they disappeared around the corner. Immediately, she grabbed Blake's shoulder, who rose a questioning eyebrow at her.
"What's up Tori?"
"Didn't you just see those two girls?" She asked quietly and Blake was giving her the 'you're crazy' look as he shook his head.
"No, I didn't see two girls...are you okay?" Tori blew out a breath of frustration before grabbing Blake's hand and shaking her head at him.
"I must be going crazy or something...I just thought that I saw Marah and Kapri...just a second ago...maybe I've been doing too much Rangering." She muttered, as Blake chuckled and squeezed her hand.
"Yeah, well...that tends to happen to the best of us." Tori nodded.
They were the first ones back, and the other's came back shortly thereafter...Dustin looking a little on the pale green side, and Shane, who had his arm around his shoulder, kept on sending him looks of concern.
"Dudes, I don't think that Dustin is taking this whole cruise experience too good at the moment...I think we're going to skip on dinner." He said, and at the mention of food, Dustin looked like he was ready to throw up, and Tori gave him a sympathetic look as she reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder.
"You're probably just seasick Dustin...Shane, do you really want to stay and look after him? One of us can do it..." She offered, but Shane only grinned at her and shook his head as he started to steer Dustin back into their room.
"Nah...you guys go on and have some fun...bring me something back to eat, will you?" The others nodded as Shane shut the door gently behind him, and Cam turned to Hunter and sighed.
"Great...now I'm sharing a room with a seasick Dustin...what else will I have to put up with tonight?" Hunter smirked at Cam's question.
"Sitting next to me at dinner, as I'm positive that Blake and Tori will want to sit next to each other." Cam groaned.
"I've already spent the afternoon with you Hunter-chasing you all over the ship while you played your hide and seek game-"
"Until I scared you half to death." Hunter's smirk grew into a grin, and Cam only shook his head.
"No, you didn't scare me-I was already freaking out because I thought that I had seen Marah and Kapri on this ship...too much Rangering." Cam muttered, as he and Hunter were waiting for Blake and Tori-Blake had said something about needing to go to the bathroom, and Tori had wanted to change. She came out though, right as Cam said something about the to much Rangering.
"What was that Cam?" The two boys stared at her for a minute, and she eyed them back in return, before rolling her eyes.
"What?" She asked, feeling irritated by their stare, including Blake's, who had joined them.
"Well...you...you're doing it again." Hunter said, not quite sure what else to say as Blake took Tori's hand again.
"You're looking like a girl again is what Hunter is trying to say I do believe-and there's nothing wrong with that! Bro, face it...she's a girl, not a guy, no matter how many times she hangs out with us, she's not going to like, magically transform into a guy." Tori chuckled as Hunter rolled his eyes and playfully smacked his younger brother along the shoulder.
Tori was wearing a light aqua colored T-shirt with a low V-neck, and a wrap around aqua, purple, and dark blue skirt, as well as a pair of white sandals to complete the outfit.
"I think I'm going to check on Dustin...you guys can head on upstairs
if you want to." Tori mused, as she knocked gently on Dustin's,
Shane's, and Cam's door before going in, winking at the other's who
stayed outside.
"I'll wait for her Hunter, if you and Cam want to go up and save us a spot?" Blake suggested, and Hunter grinned.
"Okay-come on Cam, let's get out of here." The two departed as Blake decided to duck back into the room for something else he knew that he had forgotten, and that Hunter nor Cam had thought of either-a camera.
~***~
"How's he feeling?" Tori asked, a few minutes later as she saw Dustin lying in bed, looking absolutely miserable as he had his head resting against Shane's upper chest, who was going through the TV stations to find anything good on. Shane jumped, startled at Tori's question as though he hadn't heard her come in, and Dustin just looked like he was ready to be sick again.
"Tori...it's not...what you think?" He finished off meekly as Dustin rolled over and used the trash can to heave into as Shane gently rubbed his back, sending Tori a sheepish look as she only smirked and crossed her arms over the other.
"I was wondering when you guys would eventually slip up-or tell us, one way or the other." Shane sighed in relief.
"So...you're okay with...us?" He asked, motioning between him and the still heaving Dustin as Tori smiled.
"I've been okay with it since I believed that there was something going on between you two...and just so you know, I'm almost positive that everyone else will be alright with it too, once you guys tell them...personally, I think that Hunter's starving for attention from Cam lately-I wouldn't be surprised if they were a couple by the end of this trip." She said, winking mischievously at him as Shane only smiled.
"And what about you and Blake?" She grinned back at him as Dustin made himself comfortable again, waving at Tori to acknowledge her presence for a half a second before closing his eyes and burrowing his head back into Shane's chest.
"What about me and Blake? You think there's something between us?" She asked a little too sweet and innocently, as Shane laughed.
"I don't know, what do you think Tori?" Tori chuckled.
"I don't know-honestly...I...I really like him, I do...and speaking of Blake, I'd better go back out because he's waiting for me-I'm positive that he didn't go up with Hunter and Cam to dinner. I'll be back later with some food for you Shane...do you ummmm...want anything Dustin?" She asked, but Dustin had already fallen asleep, and Shane grinned at her.
"Maybe if you can get a bottle of water, and if they've got anything like chicken broth or something up there?" Tori nodded, as she slowly backed her way out of the room.
"Okay...take care of him Shane." Shane nodded at her as he pulled Dustin a little closer, who had started to shiver, and then as an afterthought, also pulled a blanket up around him.
"I will."
Stepping out a moment later, she saw that Blake was indeed still waiting for her, and flashed her the all too charming smile of hers that always made her want to melt whenever she saw it. He extended his hand out to her, and she gladly took it.
"What do you have there?" She asked him, pointing to the item in his other hand. Blake grinned at her again as he held it out for her to see, and she saw that it was the camera that Blake had just barely remembered to pack- she remembered that she had asked him if he had had it, and he had to go dashing back into the apartment that he and Hunter were renting out. She chuckled at the memory.
"A camera...the one you thankfully reminded me to get. Which, I thought would come in handy tonight. How's Dustin feeling?" He murmured as they made their way to the Dining Hall, where dinner would be that night.
"He's...feeling lousy actually, look's miserable...but Shane's taking good care of him." She implied, as Blake chuckled.
"Am I interpreting that as I think I am? So who won the bet?" Tori giggled as she shook her head.
"I don't think any of us won the bet as to when Shane and Dustin would actually admit that they were together-or get together. I'd have to double check the betting list when we get back to our room." Blake snorted.
"I'm surprised you didn't keep it on you to keep on checking to see if your date was the winner...what're we going to do with the money that got pooled in for it, if no one won anything?" Tori thought about it as they entered the dining room, and then gave Blake a wicked smile.
"Keep it going for when Hunter and Cam get together?" All Blake did was give her a wide smile as he squeezed her hand.
"You, are a genius." He told her, as she smirked and saw Hunter and Cam sitting down at a table not so far away, and waved at them as they headed in their direction.
"I know." She replied, knowing that she would have to probably tell Shane and Dustin now about the bet, and that it had changed for whenever Hunter and Cam would get together-she had the feeling, that her two best friends would probably not be very happy if she and Blake kept the money to themselves.
TBC
Author's Notes: I don't know if this kind of plot has been done before- but...*shrugs* if it has then oh well, and if it hasn't, then I'm giving it a try. It deals with the Ninja Storm Rangers (personally, my favorite season) in a situation that I've had fun playing around with while I was writing this up...oh the possibilities of what one can do as an author! ^- ~ Anyway, I'm not a new author, but this is just my first shot at writing PR fanfic...so...let me know what you think, okay?
Rating: PG13
Warning: There is slash involved within this fic...so I suggest that if you don't like the thought of male/male pairings, then you should leave now or forever hold your peace-you've been for warned. :P
Pairings: Tori/Blake, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam
Summary: When Tori somehow wins a cruise trip for six, she manages to convince Shane, Dustin, Hunter, Blake, and even Cam to come with her. But they didn't expect a horrible storm to ruin their plans...leaving them all shipwrecked. Stranded and separated, can they survive without their powers?
Shipwrecked
Author: Angel Spirit
Chapter I: Vacation Plans
Tori had never been so excited in her life. Her smile reached her bright blue eyes as she walked into Storm Chargers to meet her friends for a training session that afternoon...though, she knew that with the news that she had to tell them, that she doubted they'd be able to concentrate much. She knew she wouldn't be able too.
Gently fingering the tickets in her jean coat pocket, she said hello to Kelly-who looked to be going home for the evening, and joined Dustin at the front counter, who looked like he was just starting to shut down the cash register so he, Blake, and Hunter could go home. He looked up when she came up and leapt onto the counter, sitting on it and giving him a big grin- one that he returned.
He chuckled as he tried to push her off as he put the money away into the cash bag that would go into a safe back in Kelly's office.
"You know, you're the only one who Kelly will let away with doing that-who doesn't work here I mean." All Tori did was giggle and nod.
"Yeah, I know-but according to Kelly I'm here so much I could practically work here." Dustin only nodded in agreement.
"So why don't you?" That comment, coming from Blake Bradley-and the moment Tori heard his voice, her smile grew even wider as she slipped off the counter and he pulled her in for a hug.
"You're early-we're not done closing up shop yet." He told her as she eyed him mischievously when she pulled away from his hug.
"I know I'm early, but I'm early for a reason...I've got some great news- and I'm not sure how much longer I can contain it-but I want to wait until we get to Ops before I say anything as it might involve all of us." The boys only looked at each other and shrugged, as Dustin finished what he was doing and headed back to Kelly's office.
"Dude, is the floor done Blake?" Hunter asked, coming up behind him and nodding a hello at Tori, who nodded back, and Blake groaned.
"No...I've still go the back portion to finish." He muttered, as Hunter smiled and put a hand onto his shoulder as he steered him toward the direction he was supposed to be at.
"Then stop flirting with your girlfriend and get back to work so we can get a move on and get outta here!" The blonde ordered, as Blake threw him a playful glare, muttering something underneath his breath that sounded like 'she's not my girlfriend', and Tori only chuckled at the 'yet' that seemed to somehow be thrown in there-though she knew that Blake probably didn't think that she had heard it.
"And are you finished with the bike that Kelly wanted you to work on and finish today for the guy who owns it that's coming in tomorrow to pick it up?" Dustin asked, coming out of the back and locking the office door as he wiped his dirty hands on a rag. Hunter grinned and gave him the thumbs up sign.
"Yeah dude, it's totally done." Dustin nodded, and then smiled a knowing smile.
"Yeah, but did you put it away properly? Is there a cover over it?" At this reminder, Hunter smacked himself in the forehead as he mumbled something about how he knew he had forgotten to do something, and then headed back to the garage. Tori was having a hard time not laughing when Shane knocked on the locked door, and Dustin let him in.
"Dude, are you guys finished in here yet?" He asked, as Dustin nodded as Blake was coming back who put an arm around Tori's shoulders.
"We're waiting for Hunter." Dustin explained to Blake, who's eyes seemed to light up.
"He forgot to do something?" The brunette nodded as Blake grinned when Hunter came back in, looking a bit sheepish.
"And here you were playing me with the 'I have everything done but you don't yet' stage...what did you forget to do?" Blake asked as the five of them headed out, and Hunter gave his brother a sheepish grin.
"I forgot to put the cover over the bike-no biggee, but still something that Kelly would've nailed me for in the morning...so let's get to Ops so that way Tori here can tell us her big secret." The four of them nodded, Shane only looking a bit confused as Dustin punched him playfully in the shoulder.
"Tori came into Storm Chargers looking all excited and told us she had a big secret that she wasn't going to say until all of us were present and accounted for." Dustin explained to his friend as Shane only nodded.
"Then let's go-before we're late-and we know how Cam and Sensei hate it-"
"When we're late." The other's chorused with him as they all headed for Tori's van.
~***~
About a half an hour later, the Ranger team were found sitting around Cam's computer, with Cam's seat facing outward toward the other's.
"So Tori, what's your big news?" He asked, having sensed her excitement from the moment she walked in.
Tori grinned and finally brought out what she had been playing around with in her pocket for the better part of the half hour, and held them up for everyone to see.
"Don't ask me how, but somehow, I won tickets for a cruise-for six. The cruise is a couple of weeks from now, so we have time to get ready-I figured that I'd invite you guys to come with me, because you're the only ones I'd want to spend two weeks on a cruise line with." The other's looked excited-Cam looked apprehensive.
"I don't think all of us should go-I think that at least one or two of us should stay behind in case if Lothor causes any trouble." He said, trying to explain his sense of reasoning, but the other's only shook their heads as Hunter put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
"Ah, come on bro...it'll give you some time out of Ops, isn't that what sensei always wants for you? Besides, your dad can monitor things from here, and if there is any trouble, he can have Cyber Cam contact us...we've got our morphers and our new transporting abilities, so it shouldn't be a problem. Think of it as a vacation." The other's looked pleadingly at Cam, some of them-like Dustin-giving him their best puppy dog eyed expression.
Until Cam sighed and shook his head as he took off his glasses and used the tail end of his Ninja uniform to clean them. When he put them back on, he had made his decision.
"Oh, alright...but only because I know if I was the only one who stayed behind, I'd never hear the end of it from my father." The Rangers cheered, and Tori gave Blake a big hug-that Blake looked completely taken surprise by, and Hunter chuckled at the expression on his younger brother's face when the surprised look was replaced by a grin as he returned the hug.
Cam only shook his head and went back to the computer before ordering them to start their practices for the afternoon...in which Hunter somehow managed to get him involved in, as he wanted to learn one of the newer moves from him that he had used in their last fight against one of Lothor's goons. Cam had only sighed and gave into Hunter's pleading, leaving Cyber Cam on the watch.
~***~
The two weeks had passed by quicker then any of them could've thought. They'd had a few monster attacks, but nothing too major. Nothing enough to have them cancel the trip because of worries over Lothor attacking. In fact, the day before when they were packing up and getting ready to leave, it was quiet-almost to quiet according to Cam, who was hanging out with Hunter. Blake had gone with Tori to get a couple of last minute things- leaving the two alone in Ninja Ops.
"It's strange that Lothor hasn't really attacked much this week." Cam mused, as Hunter only shrugged as he sat backwards in the chair next to him.
"Maybe he's planning on taking a vacation as well?" He asked, and Cam flashed him one of his rare grins...a grin that Hunter sometimes wished that he could see more of.
"Somehow, I doubt it...my Uncle wouldn't be quiet if he knew that we were leaving. Trust me, he'd find some way of stirring up trouble. I don't know Hunter-I feel kind of funny leaving for two weeks...if it were two days I think I'd be okay with it." Hunter only sighed and put a hand on Cam's arm, making Cam look at Hunter instead of the computer screen.
"Look Cam, even your dad said that he wanted you to take this trip with us- I mean come on-don't you think as Ranger's we deserve a small vacation from protecting the earth? And as you said nearly two weeks ago when Tori told us about this trip, your father and Cyber Cam will monitor for anything-and if there's any problems, they'll contact us. Dude, you've got nothing to worry about-except to finish packing." Cam chuckled.
"Yeah, you're right, I do need to do that." He said as he stood and Cyber Cam appeared to take his place as he walked back to his room with Hunter in tow.
"Don't tell me you're bringing that ugly red and dark green shirt that you always wear when you hang out around here-you're not, are you?" Hunter asked, with a small playful look of horror in his eyes, but a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. All Cam did was snort and grin.
"It's not ugly."
"Yes, it is." Hunter replied teasingly, as Cam protested throughout the afternoon that the shirt wasn't as ugly as Hunter kept on saying it was. In the end though, Cam secretly put the shirt back into the closet. He didn't know why, but for some reason he really wanted to look his best on this trip-be it either because he'd be around actual people for a full two weeks, or because he'd be spending a lot more time with Hunter, he wasn't too sure.
But the spending a lot more time with Hunter, sure did sound appealing...
Or so, that was what he was thinking when he finally turned the lights out to go to bed that night.
~***~
They were supposed to catch the six am flight to Florida and then their cruise would leave from there around three...or so that's what was supposed to happen.
As it was, the Ranger's plane was delayed due to bad weather in some parts of the country, and so they had to wait in the airport for two hours. Now, one would probably think that spending two hours would be boring...however, that's not what Dustin was thinking when Shane and Hunter had grabbed him and Cam and decided to 'check out' some of the shops-or, in other words, make fun of the strange people shopping in the shops.
Dustin had to admit, that he had a pretty good time-until a security officer was called and told them as politely as he could to go back to where their designated waiting area was...and that he hoped not to catch them again. Hunter and Shane were chuckling as Dustin hung out behind them with Cam who only shook his head. Was it just Dustin's imagination, or was Cam trying to hide a smile?
So Dustin poked Cam in the ribs with his elbow, and grinned at him-and actually received a grin back in return. He was taken by surprise for a moment, but then he relaxed.
"Did you actually enjoy watching Hunter and Shane get into trouble?" Dustin whispered to him, as the dark haired teen next to him only smirked and shrugged.
"They had it coming for them-I knew they'd get into trouble eventually. It was only a matter of timing...hey, there's a coffee stand-let's see if Shane and Hunter are up for some." It sounded good to Dustin, and a few seconds later the four were placing their orders, as Hunter placed one for Blake, and Dustin placed one for Tori-knowing that the two of them probably wouldn't be to thrilled if they came with Starbucks coffee and hadn't gotten them any. And besides, Dustin knew Tori's order by heart.
So she was thrilled when they came up and he handed her a the tall double shot mocha that he'd gotten for her. Blake seemed happy as well-and no one got into trouble...Cam was even quiet about what happened, and hadn't told Blake about the security guard situation...which, Dustin knew that if Blake found out that Hunter had gotten into trouble, he'd start bagging on him, and Hunter wouldn't hear the end of it.
By the time they had finally gotten on their flight, Tori was worrying about them being to late. It took Dustin and Blake to calm her down enough...and eventually she fell asleep during the flight with her head on Blake's shoulder...Blake was sitting right in front of Dustin in the middle seat, and Hunter sat on Blake's right next to the window, as Tori sat in the aisle seat on Blake's left.
Behind those three, sat Dustin, Shane, and Cam-Dustin in the center as Blake was, Cam on Dustin's right and behind Tori, and Shane behind Hunter and on Dustin's left. For the most part, it was a peaceful flight. However, Dustin thought that it was just his imagination when he thought he saw someone who looked like Marah stand up to get something down from the luggage compartment.
He blinked twice, and then nudged Shane, knowing that he'd feel really stupid if it was really just an illusion. The Ranger's knew how badly he had fallen for Marah-and how long it had taken for him to eventually get over her. The last thing he needed now, was for them to think that he wasn't really as over her as he had told them that he was.
"Dude...look over there up in front, at the girl standing up...does that...does that look like Marah to you?" Dustin whispered frantically as Shane sighed and gave him a strange look.
"Dustin..." He said in a warning tone of voice, but Dustin shook his head as the girl looked over her shoulder as though she were looking for someone- and Dustin could've sworn up and down and on his own Morpher that it was Marah.
"No...dude, I swear that looks like her!" Hunter, who had heard the commotion turned his head slightly and gave Dustin a 'what's up?' look, and Dustin pointed to the girl who was just starting to sit down as Hunter managed to get a good look at her before she finally did-Blake had also fallen asleep, and Cam was dosing as well.
"So, what about the girl? Yeah, she's cute Dustin...but..." Dustin shook his head at Hunter and sighed...none of them would believe him no matter how hard he tried. He just couldn't get the feeling to go away that that was really Marah.
"Nothing, never mind man...go back to your headphones." Hunter only shrugged and continued to listen to his CD player as Shane gave Dustin a look of concern.
"Are you okay Dustin? You haven't brought up Marah in quite awhile...so why mention her all of a sudden? I thought you said that you were totally over her." Dustin sighed angrily, knowing that he'd get this from Shane-so he brought up his carry on bag and ruffled through it until he found his own CD player and slipped on his headphones, giving Shane the 'I don't have to talk about it look' that he knew the Red Ranger and the other's were accustomed to seeing from him by now, and he turned on his CD player, falling asleep to Linkin Park...
And not being woken up until Shane was gently shaking him awake, telling him that they were about to land.
When they did, Hunter and Shane had four groggy friends to lead out of the plane...but even Hunter had to do a double take at the girl that Dustin had pointed out...and now that he thought about it, there was something distinctively familiar about her...and her friend who sat next to her as well. Hunter bit his lip, thinking that he was only imagining it, and continued to lead his brother and Tori out of the plane and into the Florida airport...from there they'd get their bags and a shuttle would be waiting to take them to the ship...their cruise. It was part of the package ordeal that Tori had won.
Within a matter of minutes they'd managed to grab their luggage and head out to the designated shuttle area, finding theirs wasn't very hard. By the time they'd sat down in it, Blake, Tori, Dustin, and Cam were a bit more awake then they were when they had first gotten off the plane.
"How long will it take us to get to the cruise line?" Hunter asked Tori, who shrugged as they watched while a few more people got on-including the dark brown haired girl and her blond haired companion who Hunter-and Dustin- had seen earlier on the plane. Hunter frowned, suddenly feeling nervous.
"...only know that we should be there before four pm...Hunter? Are you okay?" Tori asked, as Hunter shook his head, and grinned at Tori, giving her a thumbs up sign.
"Oh yeah, I'm cool...I'm going on vacation, why wouldn't I be okay?" He asked her, and she only laughed as she put her head on Blake's shoulder again when the shuttle took off. Hunter smirked at his brother and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Blake was already starting to enjoy this vacation.
I wouldn't be surprised if Blake and Tori were officially together by the time we come back home. Hunter thought, as he continued to watch the scenery until they got to the ship. When they reached the pier, Hunter gave a low whistle of approval, as did Dustin.
"Wow...now I'm really glad that I pleaded Kelly for this two weeks of vacation time..." Blake murmured, as Tori smiled.
"Of course, it did help you slightly when I showed her that the tickets were actually real and that you just weren't pulling her leg for extra time off." Blake chuckled at this as they got off the shuttle...and about two and a half hours later had boarded the cruise line, and had found their rooms by the time the ship had set sail.
"So this is it...it's official...the Power Rangers are taking a vacation!" Shane exclaimed, as he punched the air excitedly.
"So guys...what do we do first?" Tori questioned as she came in with Blake. They were paired up in three's in the room. Blake, Hunter, and Tori shared one room, as Cam, Dustin, and Shane shared the other.
"Let's just look around the ship first...later we can figure out the activities and stuff-isn't there a dinner tonight?" Cam asked Tori as she nodded.
"Yeah, there's a dinner...I think it's kind of an introduction dinner, with dancing and stuff-a fun one from the sounds of it. I'm not sure how fancy it is so I don't know how we're supposed to dress or anything like that." She murmured, blushing a little as the others just smiled at her and Blake took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Maybe we can find one of the ships tenants and ask them...I'm sure someone who works on board has to know." Tori nodded at him as Blake nodded at the other's.
"I think Tori and I are going for a walk...if you guys don't mind...why don't we meet back here in a couple of hours?" He suggested, and Hunter and everyone else nodded, giving each other knowing smiles that Blake pointedly ignored. He knew that Hunter already knew that he was practically head over heels in love with Tori. And if Hunter had figured him out, then that meant that the other three probably weren't far behind him. All he had to do, was to get the courage to actually tell Tori how he felt about her...or, if he got lucky, maybe she'd tell him first. From what he had heard from Shane, it seemed as though Tori felt the same way about him.
"So, where do you want to go Tor?" He asked, using a nickname that he'd become too fond of-but she didn't seem to mind. All Tori did was shrug as her eyes continued to look around.
"Why don't we go up top? I want to see the view..." Blake nodded, as he steered her in that direction...like she needed any steering, he thought-as it was the direction she was already heading in.
~***~
"Is it just me, or is it obvious that your brother totally likes Tori?" Dustin asked Hunter. The four of them had stayed behind, trying to figure out what they wanted to do...And, as Cam pointed out, they had two weeks to explore the ship and do stuff.
"Nah, it's not just you dude...trust me, my little brother's in love...if only he could tell her." Hunter replied, and Cam snorted and shook his head as Shane, Hunter, and Dustin shared mischievous looks.
"Uh-uh...no way...you guys are staying out of their love life's...no playing match makers, deal?" All they did was smile and nod-Cam didn't see the finger's that were crossed behind their backs however. And Hunter promised himself that his little brother would be with Tori by the time they got home...he'd make sure of it. He knew that Tori made Blake happy- and Blake made Tori happy in return. He just wondered how two people could be so stubborn and not admit that they were in love...to Hunter, it didn't make any sense-not yet anyway.
"Actually, I kind of want to explore around the ship and slowly make my way up to the top deck." Dustin mused aloud, as Shane suddenly agreed with him.
"Yeah...that sounds like a plan. I'll come with you if you want the company." All Dustin did was nod and stand, and offer Shane a help up-that he gladly took as he winked at Hunter and Cam when they headed out a few minutes later.
"See you two in two hours." He said as he led Dustin out...and then there was a blissful silence. Hunter grinned at Cam and stretched out on the bed where his dark haired friend was sitting cross legged on.
"So dude, it looks like it's just you and me." Cam snorted.
"Oh yippee...so what is it that we're going to do?" He asked, waving a hand around the cabin they were still in, realizing that everyone else had gone off-and they were still sitting there.
"We could find a good movie on TV." Hunter said, pointing out the fairly good sized TV that they had in their room, and Cam laughed.
"Hunter! We can watch TV any day back home...come on, let's go do something." The blonde grinned and stood, stretching.
"So what is it that you had in mind?" He asked, and Cam chuckled as he stood up as well.
"Why is it that I'm the one who has to come up with the ideas around here?" Cam muttered as Hunter grinned again and started to walk out of the room.
"Because you're the smart one...you figure it out." When he finished saying that, Cam chased him out of the room, pausing only to make sure that he had the key to the door and that their door was locked-and then finished chasing him the rest of the way up the stairs.
~***~
With the two hours nearly up of them having to meet the others, it found Blake and Tori above deck, enjoying the sunshine and the sound of kids-and teenagers-splashing around in the pool not to far away from them. Tori sighed and stared down at her morpher, as though daring it to go off.
"What, you think that by staring at it, it'll magically call us into action and ruin our trip?" Blake asked, as Tori chuckled and leaned a little closer into him as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
"I'm hoping that doesn't happen...knock on wood." She murmured, and Blake grinned as he glanced at his watch and sighed.
"You know, we should go and meet back up with everyone else-dinner is in an hour or something like that, and besides we did tell them two hours." Tori nodded as Blake led the way back down to their cabin. Along the way though, they passed by two girls-who looked almost exactly like Marah and Kapri. Tori did a double take as the blonde one smirked at her, giving her the peace symbol sign before they disappeared around the corner. Immediately, she grabbed Blake's shoulder, who rose a questioning eyebrow at her.
"What's up Tori?"
"Didn't you just see those two girls?" She asked quietly and Blake was giving her the 'you're crazy' look as he shook his head.
"No, I didn't see two girls...are you okay?" Tori blew out a breath of frustration before grabbing Blake's hand and shaking her head at him.
"I must be going crazy or something...I just thought that I saw Marah and Kapri...just a second ago...maybe I've been doing too much Rangering." She muttered, as Blake chuckled and squeezed her hand.
"Yeah, well...that tends to happen to the best of us." Tori nodded.
They were the first ones back, and the other's came back shortly thereafter...Dustin looking a little on the pale green side, and Shane, who had his arm around his shoulder, kept on sending him looks of concern.
"Dudes, I don't think that Dustin is taking this whole cruise experience too good at the moment...I think we're going to skip on dinner." He said, and at the mention of food, Dustin looked like he was ready to throw up, and Tori gave him a sympathetic look as she reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder.
"You're probably just seasick Dustin...Shane, do you really want to stay and look after him? One of us can do it..." She offered, but Shane only grinned at her and shook his head as he started to steer Dustin back into their room.
"Nah...you guys go on and have some fun...bring me something back to eat, will you?" The others nodded as Shane shut the door gently behind him, and Cam turned to Hunter and sighed.
"Great...now I'm sharing a room with a seasick Dustin...what else will I have to put up with tonight?" Hunter smirked at Cam's question.
"Sitting next to me at dinner, as I'm positive that Blake and Tori will want to sit next to each other." Cam groaned.
"I've already spent the afternoon with you Hunter-chasing you all over the ship while you played your hide and seek game-"
"Until I scared you half to death." Hunter's smirk grew into a grin, and Cam only shook his head.
"No, you didn't scare me-I was already freaking out because I thought that I had seen Marah and Kapri on this ship...too much Rangering." Cam muttered, as he and Hunter were waiting for Blake and Tori-Blake had said something about needing to go to the bathroom, and Tori had wanted to change. She came out though, right as Cam said something about the to much Rangering.
"What was that Cam?" The two boys stared at her for a minute, and she eyed them back in return, before rolling her eyes.
"What?" She asked, feeling irritated by their stare, including Blake's, who had joined them.
"Well...you...you're doing it again." Hunter said, not quite sure what else to say as Blake took Tori's hand again.
"You're looking like a girl again is what Hunter is trying to say I do believe-and there's nothing wrong with that! Bro, face it...she's a girl, not a guy, no matter how many times she hangs out with us, she's not going to like, magically transform into a guy." Tori chuckled as Hunter rolled his eyes and playfully smacked his younger brother along the shoulder.
Tori was wearing a light aqua colored T-shirt with a low V-neck, and a wrap around aqua, purple, and dark blue skirt, as well as a pair of white sandals to complete the outfit.
"I think I'm going to check on Dustin...you guys can head on upstairs
if you want to." Tori mused, as she knocked gently on Dustin's,
Shane's, and Cam's door before going in, winking at the other's who
stayed outside.
"I'll wait for her Hunter, if you and Cam want to go up and save us a spot?" Blake suggested, and Hunter grinned.
"Okay-come on Cam, let's get out of here." The two departed as Blake decided to duck back into the room for something else he knew that he had forgotten, and that Hunter nor Cam had thought of either-a camera.
~***~
"How's he feeling?" Tori asked, a few minutes later as she saw Dustin lying in bed, looking absolutely miserable as he had his head resting against Shane's upper chest, who was going through the TV stations to find anything good on. Shane jumped, startled at Tori's question as though he hadn't heard her come in, and Dustin just looked like he was ready to be sick again.
"Tori...it's not...what you think?" He finished off meekly as Dustin rolled over and used the trash can to heave into as Shane gently rubbed his back, sending Tori a sheepish look as she only smirked and crossed her arms over the other.
"I was wondering when you guys would eventually slip up-or tell us, one way or the other." Shane sighed in relief.
"So...you're okay with...us?" He asked, motioning between him and the still heaving Dustin as Tori smiled.
"I've been okay with it since I believed that there was something going on between you two...and just so you know, I'm almost positive that everyone else will be alright with it too, once you guys tell them...personally, I think that Hunter's starving for attention from Cam lately-I wouldn't be surprised if they were a couple by the end of this trip." She said, winking mischievously at him as Shane only smiled.
"And what about you and Blake?" She grinned back at him as Dustin made himself comfortable again, waving at Tori to acknowledge her presence for a half a second before closing his eyes and burrowing his head back into Shane's chest.
"What about me and Blake? You think there's something between us?" She asked a little too sweet and innocently, as Shane laughed.
"I don't know, what do you think Tori?" Tori chuckled.
"I don't know-honestly...I...I really like him, I do...and speaking of Blake, I'd better go back out because he's waiting for me-I'm positive that he didn't go up with Hunter and Cam to dinner. I'll be back later with some food for you Shane...do you ummmm...want anything Dustin?" She asked, but Dustin had already fallen asleep, and Shane grinned at her.
"Maybe if you can get a bottle of water, and if they've got anything like chicken broth or something up there?" Tori nodded, as she slowly backed her way out of the room.
"Okay...take care of him Shane." Shane nodded at her as he pulled Dustin a little closer, who had started to shiver, and then as an afterthought, also pulled a blanket up around him.
"I will."
Stepping out a moment later, she saw that Blake was indeed still waiting for her, and flashed her the all too charming smile of hers that always made her want to melt whenever she saw it. He extended his hand out to her, and she gladly took it.
"What do you have there?" She asked him, pointing to the item in his other hand. Blake grinned at her again as he held it out for her to see, and she saw that it was the camera that Blake had just barely remembered to pack- she remembered that she had asked him if he had had it, and he had to go dashing back into the apartment that he and Hunter were renting out. She chuckled at the memory.
"A camera...the one you thankfully reminded me to get. Which, I thought would come in handy tonight. How's Dustin feeling?" He murmured as they made their way to the Dining Hall, where dinner would be that night.
"He's...feeling lousy actually, look's miserable...but Shane's taking good care of him." She implied, as Blake chuckled.
"Am I interpreting that as I think I am? So who won the bet?" Tori giggled as she shook her head.
"I don't think any of us won the bet as to when Shane and Dustin would actually admit that they were together-or get together. I'd have to double check the betting list when we get back to our room." Blake snorted.
"I'm surprised you didn't keep it on you to keep on checking to see if your date was the winner...what're we going to do with the money that got pooled in for it, if no one won anything?" Tori thought about it as they entered the dining room, and then gave Blake a wicked smile.
"Keep it going for when Hunter and Cam get together?" All Blake did was give her a wide smile as he squeezed her hand.
"You, are a genius." He told her, as she smirked and saw Hunter and Cam sitting down at a table not so far away, and waved at them as they headed in their direction.
"I know." She replied, knowing that she would have to probably tell Shane and Dustin now about the bet, and that it had changed for whenever Hunter and Cam would get together-she had the feeling, that her two best friends would probably not be very happy if she and Blake kept the money to themselves.
TBC