Disclaimer: Buena Vista owns the Power Rangers. "Anything But Ordinary" is by Avril Lavigne from her album, Let Go.
Timeline: after "Tongue And Cheek".
Author's Note: story! yay! grin thanks TJ, Red, Sugarplum, and Starhawk. :)
by Adrienne Sekitou
Sometimes I get so weird, I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep, it's my lullaby
Sometimes I drive so fast, just to feel the danger
I want to scream it makes me feel alive
Score one for the ninja.
He knew there was someone behind him. But he continued on, tossing his armor through the side door of the Storm Chargers van. He knew it was a girl, and he figured it was just another rider.
"Can we talk, or do I have to call your agent first?"
So much for ninja skills.
"Hey Marah." He turned and saw her standing beside his bike. She was in human form, her long hair down in curls again. It had been more than two weeks since the day she had shown up here at the track. He had begun to wonder if she had changed her mind about wanting to talk to him.
"Long time no see. Well, in the non-trying-to-kill-us kinda way."
She shrugged. "Sorry about that. We've been busy. You know, with the trying to kill you thing."
"No offense, but I'm kinda glad you failed."
"Yeah, me too." She smiled, and they both looked shyly away.
He went back to putting his tools away. "So how did you know about the agent thing?"
"Oh, well, you're just all over the papers of course." She hopped up beside him, taking a seat on the van's running board. "So Uncle was going to set a trap for you. You know, call your agent for an interview and stuff. But we found out you'd fired him. Uncle wasn't happy." Dustin couldn't help but grin when he saw how amused she seemed by this.
But okay, yeah, hadn't thought the whole popularity thing through very well. Still paying for that too. "Yeah, that agent thing probably wasn't the best idea."
"So what happened?"
He shrugged, walking over to his bike to load it on the trailer. "I don't know. Things happened really fast. Suddenly I was popular, and all these people wanted things. It was all like wham, too much, you know?" He sighed and leaned against his bike. "And then there was the agent, and interviews, and just stuff. Way too distracting. And besides, it's supposed to be about the team anyway. That's what's important."
"But I don't understand. You were always popular. I mean, you're a Power Ranger. Like major news coverage on the star-watching scale."
"Yeah, but it was different this time." He shook his head. "I wasn't just the goofy one. I wasn't just ordinary. I was like, important or something."
She laughed, and he turned his head back toward her, wondering what was so funny. "Oh, believe me, you are so not ordinary! Do you have any idea just how much Uncle hates you? And Zurgane too!"
"Really? They hate me?" Okay, that was a silly question. But when she had said that, whoa. Was it bad to be curious?
"Totally! You are so responsible for Uncle losing the Thunder Rangers!" She paused in thought, "Well, actually Zurgane likes you for that one. But still, Uncle's losing soldiers and it's so your fault."
He still remembered Hunter saying that if Dustin hadn't trusted them, then they wouldn't be there. So maybe he did have a lot to do with the Thunders' defection. But he had to wonder if she wasn't talking about her potential defection too.
He was hopeful anyway. But, yeah, little steps. That was half the problem with the Beevil mess. Too much too fast. Besides, he was quickly discovering he enjoyed her company no matter what side she was on.
And their continued conversation only proved that. Casual and friendly. And completely random.
Quite a while later the sun was starting to set and his bike had never made it to the trailer. Instead of moving it, he had found himself sitting on it, hands on the handlebars, relaxing. Totally engrossed in listening to her story of ex-stamp Choobo trying to sneak back on the ship after his encounter with SlopGoblin.
She had been randomly picking up his tools, and now she was playing with the socket wrench. The socket in hand, the wrench spun as she gestured along with the story.
It was all so familiar. And strangely surreal. And yet totally normal. Good guys and bad guys just hanging out. Weird, huh?
He lowered his head and chuckled.
"What?" she stopped her story, curious about his reaction.
He looked up at her. "Is this how it's going to be? You know," he motioned with his hand, "between us? Is this cool?"
She lowered her head too. And when she looked up, her face was lit up in a bright smile. And he knew she understood. Between good and evil, friends and enemies, they weren't going to let that matter.
"Yeah, this is cool."
"Awesome." He returned her smile.
I want to know that I have been to the extreme
So knock me off my feet, c'mon now give it to me
Anything to make me feel alive
Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary please
TBC