Chapter Three- Eric and Taylor

Now tell me how you feel if I told you

That I have feelings for you
And would it be so wrong to say
What's on my mind
I'm sorry I have to
We were friends but with time
What I feel inside for you has changed
But I'd give up on love, if I thought
That it was untrue for you

"Eric."

"…"

"Myers! Open up!"

"…"

"Goddamn you man. C'mon Eric. I don't want to go alone." One of Eric's Silver Guardian buddies came barging into his apartment, searching for the man. After a few rounds around the small space, he finally found him in his bathroom, glowering against the sink.

"Look, Nick, I don't want to go to your sleazy joint tonight. Some people actually have things they have to get done. In fact, some people would actually prefer level-3 obstacle training to barhopping." Eric growled, his hand placed dangerously onto his blaster. Nick only smirked. Two years got you used to the brash words.

"Spoilsport. For one thing, it's not sleazy. It's a jazz club and tonight's karaoke night. That's when all the hot single girls come out."

"I'll tell you what I've told everyone else. I don't NEED a girl."

"That's what they all say. Dude, Eric, when was the last time you loosened up? You're as uptight as... well as you!" Eric muttered some obscenity under his breath.

"Just you wait until Monday Nick… I'm your drill master for combat simulations."

Nick paled a little, before handing his friend his jacket.

---

"Hey. Good to see ya again Nicky," Nick high-fived a large guard as the two went into the dimmed underground club.

"A bouncer? Man, this is like out of a bad movie."

"Wait until you hear the acts. Then you can make assumptions." They sat down at a table close by the stage and ordered a whisky on the rocks and a dry martini. Soon, after a couple requests as bed partners (in which Eric gruffly declined), the spotlight aimed at the stage and a man came out.

"We have a special treat for you folks tonight. As you may or may not know, tonight is Karaoke night, and we have some very talented singers to showcase. Now for our first guest, let's hear it for Michelle Whit!" The first woman, a slinky redhead, appeared in black silk, and sang her heart out with an old Temptations classic, but there was only sparse applause.

"Ouch. Tough crowd. And she was pretty good too." Eric muttered to Nick.

"Not as good as some of the others!"

A few more hopefuls passed on and off the stage, each receiving only a smattering of interest. Finally the call-list reached the more popular amateur singers.

"And next, ladies and gentlemen, we have a crowd-favorite back with us tonight. Please welcome, Dawn Elgae!" The spotlight returned to the stage to reveal a woman with her back to the stage, her gold dress shimmering in the light. Slowly, she began to sing, until finally she belted out the song. Seductively, she turned around, and Eric felt like he couldn't breathe.

Shit. Of all the people to see tonight.

Taylor Earhardt swayed to the melody with feminine grace, a trait Eric never associated to her. Halfway through, she moved to his side of the stage, until her eyes locked on Eric's. She stopped singing, but one glance at his unusually warm eyes made her continue on.

He was lost to the smokiness of her voice, the quiet despair in each minor chord. And the lyrics… every syllable pulled at his nostalgia, bringing him back to the days they became friends.

Eric snapped out of his contemplation as soon as the song ended to louder applause. Off stage left, Taylor hurried quickly away, tripping slightly on the glittering train of her dress.

Nick wolf whistled.

"Now that's what I call a good overall package! Good singer, hot girl… now aren't you glad I brought you?"

--------

"I can't believe it," Taylor muttered, throwing off her high heels and leaning against an unoccupied vanity.

"800 billion people on this damn earth, and Eric Myers is the one who sees me."

"I know. What luck you have." Taylor swung into her defensive stance, only to find Eric standing in the doorway. Her cheeks burned.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to change out of this in privacy," she said through gritted teeth.

"Go ahead." She glared at him as he sat down next to her.

"So Earhardt, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." She grabbed her regular clothes and went behind a dressing screen.

"No, I'm serious. Is Dawn Elgae some alter ego or something?" Taylor poked her head out and sent him a "no duh, stupid" look.

"No really. Think about it Myers. Elgae? Eagle spelled backwards? And Dawn is my middle name."

" Taylor Dawn Earhardt? Pretty."

"Save the compliments. "He watched as her silhouette chucked the glimmery dress into a duffel.

"C'mon, is it really the end of the world that I saw you sing? In fact, I thought you were pretty amazing… why doesn't anyone one else on your team know?"

"Because I don't want them to! That's why I'm here, okay? Because this is the only place where I'm not Taylor, the stern-"

"-And sexy." Eric interrupted. Taylor snorted.

"As I was saying, this is the only place where I'm not Taylor, the stern, cold, Yellow Eagle Ranger."

"Well, on behalf of your team and mine, I think you're underestimating them. We've been friends for how long? And you've been with the Wild Force for even longer. Would it be so difficult to show them a little more vulnerability?"

"Says Mr. 'if you even suggest that I cried at Armageddon, I will shoot you without remorse'?" He just elbowed her lightly in the side.

"Now I remember why I miss you so much… there aren't enough feisty ones in the city."

"I've been saying you should come and stay with us for a while. Before this fun encounter, I haven't seen you since April." Taylor dropped her head on his shoulder, hoping the silence could mask the wistful tone in the air.

"Eric…?"

"Hmm?"

"You said you liked my singing, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, I mean..." She waited for him to continue.

"But?" She lifted her head, warily. He gently reached out and rubbed the mascara smudge from under her eye.

"But, it kind of hit a nerve between you and me, don't you think?" Taylor's eyes softened, and she put her hand on top of his.

"Well, maybe that's why I picked it... because it had relativity to my life." He smiled and kissed the top of her forehead.

"Well, what if I told you that you don't have to choose?" She looked puzzled, until she remembered one of the song's verses.

"I'd tell you this..." Taylor leaned up and kissed Eric's lips, ignoring the muffled voice of the MC outside, saying she had won.

I know that we were just friends
But what if I decide to bring something in
I hope it won't offend the trust
We have 'cause I don't want this to end
You think that we'll lose what we have
Then I'd just rather stay the same
Cause I don't wanna choose
Between two of the most precious things to me