author's note That's right I'm back and with some new material. Sorry it took so long I had some nasty computer viruses to deal with.

aditional author's note: I should probably ask if there are any fans of lightspeed Rescue or even people who still know which incarnation it is out there? I've been away so long I'm not even sure. shrugs

2

"Talk about a nasty battle." Joel commented as they left the lift.

"You're telling me." Kelsey sighed wearily. "I'm so going to crash."

"You and me both." Chad joined in with his best friend's sentiment.

"Hey Danny?" Ryan began

"Yeah?" She looked over at him, her thoughts at the moment on getting Carter's wounds cleaned up. It had been way too close and he was probably in a great deal of pain. She wouldn't let herself think about how scared for him she'd been.

"If you give me your bag I'll put it in your room." He offered and she smiled at him thankfully.

"That would really be great."

"No problem."

"And Ryan?" She asked looking at him a moment.

'Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Ditto." He smiled still not able to say the words. After all it had been rough lately. This morning discluded. That had been one of the best things in his memory. He'd gotten his little sister back.

Then he was watching her go, moving to Carter and leading him down the hall by an uninjured arm. Yes, Ryan thought, he'd have that talk with the red lightspeed ranger soon. He wanted Dana happy and Carter too if possible. They all deserved that much.

"Come on." Dana said pushing Carter onto the diagnostic table.

"Yes ma'am." The red lightspeed ranger Dana busied herself around the room so she'd not have time to think about the man alone in the room with her. After all if she did she'd feel that heat that being alone with Carter always made her feel.

"Dana?" Carter asked noting her strange reticence.

"Hmm?" She glanced up from her current task of laying out gauze and other medical gear on a trey.

"Are you alright?" He asked and she frowned a little, he was the one hurt not her.

"Yes why?"

"You left." He said quietly thinking of how he'd felt when he'd read that note. He'd thought she could make things better for Ryan by going. She'd not known that she'd take his heart with her when she went.

"Oh, yeah I…" How could she explain exactly what she'd been thinking? She didn't know but as she turned around to face Carter again her mind went blank. He had peeled off his shirt and she could see his upper torso covered in cuts, bruises and some nasty looking burns. She felt her stomach turn over at the way his perfect body was so marred.

Without a thought she moved for a vile containing a pain blocker.

"You know we'd miss you if you left." He said bringing her out of her momentary rush with his strained words.

"You would?" She asked moving quickly for him, in hand. If she had to be here to help she could get started. She'd hate to think what pain he was in.

"Yes." He said and she didn't see how his Adams apple bobbed as she began her ministrations. Sure he'd been in pain but somehow whenever he was with Dana everything always seemed better. That was why he didn't flinch as she gave him a pain blocker.

"Your one of us." He said as she then began to treat first the burns and then the cuts.

"Yes I am." She said slowly as she used tweezers to remove bits of his crimson uniform from the worst of the burns.

"Dana?" Carter asked looking up at her. He could feel the haziness of the pain blocker kicking in and he wanted to tell her he was glad she was still there.

"Shh, its ok, your fine, just relax." She crooned soothingly lifting a hand to Carter's forehead and it was warm but not hot. More than that it helped get her heart to relax a little bit.

"I'm glad…" He felt as if his tongue were growing heavy, as if his mind were shutting down. "You didn't…"

Dana knew the moment the darkness hit him and was glad; this would have hurt if he were alert. She didn't like hurting people at all and Carter particularly. After all he was her best friend, her leader and her secret crush.

It was over two hours later when Dana finally made it back to her room. She was completely wiped out and just wanted to crash. Yet as she neared Ryan's room she hesitated. Maybe he'd like to get something to ear? He's probably not had any more time to do anything than she had.

"And they just can't let it go." The muttering had Dana freezing even as she'd been about to knock on his door. The door was open a crack and she checked to see if he was alone. She noticed he was and that her brother was checking out a strange looking tattoo on his back. It looked like a big cobra and she felt ill. If it was from the demons…

Ryan felt the eyes the moment the footfalls in the hall beyond his quarters ceased. He didn't turn around knowing just who it was. Funny that one of the best things he'd gotten from the demons was his ability to completely know one's surroundings. He had a bad feeling she'd seen and braced inwardly for the tears and tings like that to come as he slowly turned calling.

"You can come in."

"Oh." Dana felt like a kid who'd got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Still she pushed open the door and entered silently shutting the door behind her.

"I'm pretty good at knowing stuff like who's nearby." Ryan said pulling a shirt over his back.

"They gave you that." Dana said without preamble."

"Sort of a parting gift." He tried for an off-handed tone but all Dana could hear was his bitterness. The tears came into her eyes but Dana pushed them back now was not the time for this. She had to think how to fix things.

"There's got to be a way to get rid of it." The blonde said walking over to his closet to push a shirt back in from where it stuck out of the still slightly ajar door.

"You don't want to know what it does." Ryan asked watching his sister's deliberate movements. From what little he'd remembered the only time she'd ever been so intentionally orientated was when she was thinking through something."

"It's bad, I don't need to know more than that and that you're alive and ok." She said and her tone was matter-of-fact as she then moved to straighten his dresser.

"I'm fine." Ryan said marveling at Dana's insight and willingness to do what she could. But then this was his little sister. She was always ready to help him out. He honestly didn't know how he'd come to deserve this. Yet he knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Good now we need to figure out how to get rid of it." Dana said her practical side taking over.

"Well I think first we need to have something to eat." Ryan said adding as he looked at his little sister. "I don't gather you had anything to eat today with your little trip.

"No I didn't have time." Dana admitted sheepishly.

Right either did I." And he was pulling his little sister from the room.

"Will you look at that?" Kelsey said grabbing Chad's arm in the Aquabase's galley a time later. Kelsey was sitting with Chad as the titanium ranger and his sister got a table.

"What?" Joel asked frowning as he heard that last part.

"Their sitting together." The blue ranger said and Joel noticed then too smiling a little.

Late that night Ryan returned to his room, exhausted both by the day's events and by the energy he'd exerted during the battle to fight off the cobra. He knew he should be looking for a cure but Dana had cast him out of the R&D department, saying he needed sleep. He'd gone since she'd threatened to call dad on him but he didn't have to like it. After all this was his problem and he could take care of himself. These thoughts drifting through his mind the titanium ranger drifted off to sleep.

Dana sighed getting up from her seat at the computer module, she'd been looking for a cure for the tattoo for the last three hours. She knew she should be resting but she'd just gotten Ryan back she'd not lose him now. So what if she lost a little sleep because of it. She'd studied all night before. So what if that was before she'd been the pink lightspeed ranger? She was a big girl and her brother needed her didn't he?

"Dana?" The voice had her looking up to find Ms. Fairweather standing in the walkway between the lines of computers. The scientist looked tired if a little concerned.

"Hi Ms. Fairweather." Dana plastered on a bright smile and opted it didn't look too false. It would not be a good thing if the scientist found out about Ryan or what she was doing, she might tell their father and she didn't need that right now. Beside s Ryan didn't want their father to know. He'd not be able to d anything anyway.

"Up late?" Ms. Fairweather asked noticing the screen saver which Dana had enacted before she'd gotten up.

"Yeah just studying." Dana lied.

"I see well if you need some help with anything just ask. I may not have gone to medical school but my cousin Billy Cranston is a doctor and we can always tap his brain if you need anything." Ms. Fairweather smiled having a feeling must was up but knowing from the past times she and Dana had been around one another she'd not except help easily. Dana was more the do it yourself type.

"Thanks but right now it's not medicine." Dana said hoping she didn't sound too phony. She just wanted to be alone again.

"Oh well remember my offer stands for anything you need." Ms. Fairweather said and Dana nodded saying.

"Ok thanks." She said and turning back to the computer Dana pretended to go back on while instead she enacted a password on the file she'd been working on. She didn't want her father or anyone else to stumble on her work.

Once she'd finished Dana did go for some coffee but as she was passing the medical bay she decided to look in on him. After all she'd not seen him since she'd left him sleeping on a diagnostic bed a while ago.

Now though as she entered the sickbay she hoped he was still good. Her thoughts of how to rid her brother of the tattoo had almost made her forget about his injuries.

Seeing him still resting there on the bed she moved to stand beside him. He looked so different from the strong and capable leader he was most of the time. No, now he more seemed like a small child who needed protection.

Thoughtlessly she brushed the hair back from his face and to her embarrassment and joy his blue eyes opened.

"Dana?"

"Hey sorry if I woke you." She whispered gently as she moved back a ways.

"You don't have to run away." He murmured reaching out a hand to take hers gingerly.

"I'm not, I was just um…."

"You know you look really good in that shade of pink." He said with a low chuckle that sent her cheeks into even a deeper crimson.

"And you're still really medicated." She laughed nervously.

"No I'm ok; I can feel the pain from the burns but its fading." He informed her and slowly he sat up, even as she was pushing him back down.

"You have to rest, your hurt." She chided him gently but he could hear the steel to her tone. That was something he loved about the pink lightspeed ranger, even when she was being stern her voice was still like music. Maybe that was one reason he didn't like her thinking he was weak. He wanted her to know she didn't have to worry about him.

"No I…" He began but she was shaking her head.

"She's right." Came Ms. Fairweather's voice and both turned to find the scientist in question standing in the entrance to the little cubical. "You were hurt pretty badly today and should be resting."

"Listen I understand that I have to rest." Carter began again this time to the older woman. "But can I at least go back to my room?"

"Ms. Fairweather?" Dana asked hoping she wouldn't look like an idiot. She didn't mind being wrong but she hated Carter to know she was just a screw up.

"Alright, Dana will you help him there?" Ms. Fairweather asked after a minute. She wondered if Dana's late night stuff had more to do with Carter or real studying. She'd been young once and knew how crushes could be. She also knew how if you liked someone worrying could be rough.

"No problem." Dana said oblivious to the scientist's silent thoughts.

"Alright then I'll expect you back here at eight so I can check you over Carter. We need to make sure there are no complications."

"Alright." The red lightspeed ranger said sounding relieved to be aloud to go back to his own quarters as Ms. Fairweather turned to go.

"Good, And Dana?" The scientist asked glancing back over her shoulder.

"Yes?" Dana asked relived that she'd not said anything to Carter about the time of night.

"You should head off too; you never know what will happen tomorrow." The woman said and Carter glanced at his friend even as the older woman left the medical center

"That's a good question." Carter said as he swung his legs stiffly over the side of the analytical table.

"Hmm?" Dana pretended to be spotting him so he'd not fall knowing she'd be fast enough to catch him if he swayed. She didn't want to talk about why she was up. She really hated having to lie to him.

"You aren't in bed." He stated needlessly.

"No I had some studying to do." She replied shrugging and he paused to frown at her in his walk to the doorway of the medical area.

"You know you suck at lying." Was all he said to her as he stood there swaying slightly on his feet.

"Carter you need sleep come on." Dana said trying to pull him from the room.

"What's going on?" He persisted pulling painfully away from her helpful touch.

"Carter…" She tried again but he set his bruised jaw and she knew she'd not get anywhere

"I'm not going anywhere until you fess up." Carter said and Dana sighed.

"Carter it's not my secret to tell."

"I see." He said and she felt his dejection. "We're best friends and yet when something as big as regaining a lost brother happens you won't let me be there." Carter said heading for the door and reaching for the door's control panel he added. "Well that's not a friendship Dana that's crap." With that he left her there, feeling as if he slapped her.

that's all for that chapter, please let me know what you think. Should I go on?