Disclaimer: Buena Vista owns the Power Rangers. "Unwanted" is by Avril Lavigne from her album, Let Go.
Timeline: after "Brothers In Arms".
Author's Note: April Fools for Sugarplum 'cause this really was done in March! :) I wrote a story with a dog! who's surprised! hi TJ! thanks Red, Sugarplum, and Starhawk. :)
by Adrienne Sekitou
All that I did was walk over
Start off by shaking your hand
That's how it went
I had a smile on my face
And I sat up straight
You don't know me
Don't ignore me
They had decided to stop meeting at the track. Not completely, just not as much.
It wasn't exactly the safest place, you know? Hunter and Blake were there all the time. And Tori came to be with Blake. Even Cam came to the races. The only person on the team who rarely came to the track was Shane. So hanging out at the track wasn't a good way to go undetected.
Not that they were hiding. Neither of them had admitted that, in the out loud kinda way. But it was like an unspoken but accepted fact that things might be easier on whatever this was between them if others didn't know just yet.
But today they should have been safe. The battles with Motodrone had been brutal, and the team had gone their separate ways to unwind. Shane was at the skate park. Hunter and Cam were checking out Hunter's new bike. Make sure it wasn't some trap that would backfire on them, or crash every other day. And Blake, though he wouldn't admit it, was still a little freaked about Hunter's earlier capture. So Tori had taken him to the beach.
They should have been safe. Which means of course they weren't.
He had no plans to meet her there, but he was betting she'd show up. She'd taken to appearing after monster attacks. Guilty conscience? He didn't know. But he was always glad to see her.
Dustin had stopped at Storm Chargers to get his bike. And when he arrived at the track, he found his dad waiting for him. He'd totally forgotten they were meeting there today. Luckily his dad was easy-going and understood Dustin's frame of mind.
Dustin loved riding with his dad. His work took him out of town sometimes, but when he was there, they went to the track every chance they got. It was completely different than riding with Hunter and Blake. With the Thunders it always ended up being about competition. But with his dad, it was all about learning and fun. His dad really had taught him all he knew about motocross. And he couldn't have had a better teacher.
They were just finishing their laps when he saw her, climbing the hill near the finish line. There was a dog there too. Running around the poles of the scorer's tower, the puppy paid the bikes little attention. Dustin pulled his bike to a stop right in front of her. So happy was he to see her that it wasn't until his father's bike pulled up beside him that he remembered they weren't alone.
He took his helmet off without pushing his goggles up. He shook his head, unconcerned about his hair which was always in a state of disarray.
"Hey, Marah."
"Hi," she waved.
His father had removed his helmet too, and it seemed introductions were in order.
This should be fun.
He wondered just how simple he could keep it. "Marah, this is my dad. Dad, this is Marah."
"Marah Busby Stinger," she added. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Brooks."
Whoa, Marah had a last name. But he shouldn't really be surprised. He knew from the comic books that bad guys could have last names. Rita Replusa, Rito Revolto, and if Lothor hadn't been disowned and rejected his name and stuff he'd be a Watanabe. But he should really probably be paying attention to the conversation. He might learn something else.
"Jake, please," his dad corrected, holding out his hand. "Do you and Dustin go to school together?"
"Actually," Marah met Dustin's eyes while shaking his dad's hand. "I know Dustin from work."
He stifled a laugh. Which work, Marah didn't mention he noticed. Not that his dad knew about any other 'job' than Storm Chargers.
"Oh? Are you into motocross?"
She smiled. "I watch Dustin. If that counts."
Before his dad could respond, she suddenly said, "Waldo! Be good!"
Dustin froze, wondering what he was doing wrong. It took him a moment to realize she had just called him by his first name. And another to remember that she shouldn't even know his first name to use it.
And during that time, 'Waldo' had chosen not to listen to Marah. Dustin looked down as the young dog he had seen earlier jumped on him. Still very much a puppy, the black and white dog's paws came to just below his knees.
He realized several other things then. Not the least of which was that the puppy was with Marah. Wait, Marah had a puppy? And the puppy had his first name? He was beginning to believe he'd missed a memo. Or three. Dozen.
Marah had picked something red and black up off the ground. Waldo's toy? She waved it at him, regaining the puppy's attention. He jumped off Dustin and grabbed at his toy. A stuffed Kelzak? Or at least he hoped it was stuffed. And he kinda hoped his dad didn't notice either.
But his dad was laughing. Which wasn't exactly a good. Marah's smile had faded. One thing Dustin had noticed over time was that Marah was way suspicious of laughter she wasn't a part of. She always got all wary and self-conscious about it. Dustin jumped in quickly to explain and reassure her.
"Oh, he's just laughing at the name."
"What's wrong with Waldo?" she asked defensively, squatting down beside her pet.
Dustin's dad collected himself. "Nothing. That's what I keep telling him." He clapped Dustin on the shoulder. "But he still insists on going by his middle name."
"You're not Dustin?" she questioned. She looked a little shocked.
"No, I am. It's just that Waldo is my name too."
She didn't look any more convinced. She looked confused and a little hurt. And he didn't want that. He wanted her smile to come back.
"Hey, we're headed over to try some jumps. Wanna come watch?" He tried to sound inviting. A little pleading look with his eyes. Couldn't hurt, could it?
She stood, nodding but still not looking very sure. She called to Waldo, and the puppy happily bounced after her as they crossed the field to the homemade dirt ramps.
It didn't take long before she got into the spirit of it all though. Dustin looked often to where she was sitting in the grass. He saw her cheer when he stuck a landing, and wince when he wiped out. He normally didn't crash this often, and maybe if he had not been watching her he wouldn't have this time either.
After a while he was too tired and sore to continue. The comics were right that Ranger healing would help him feel right in no time. But his dad didn't know that. And he wanted to talk to Marah.
He knew his dad. He was cool, and would leave them alone with way less embarrassing comments than most parents would make. And the more he thought about it, that his dad had met Marah was kinda cool. His dad seemed to really like her. The only thing Dustin worried about was the next time his dad talked to Shane or Tori. What he if mentioned Dustin's 'friend from work'? That could get fun. Not.
Dustin loaded his dad's bike in their family's truck, then came to stand beside Marah as his dad said his good-byes.
"It was nice to meet you, Marah. You too, Waldo," he added, grinning down at the puppy that finally looked like he was tiring out. "Will I see you at the next race?"
"Maybe," Marah smiled. "I'll try to make it."
His dad left then, reminding Dustin not to stay out too late since it was a school night. Dustin loaded his own bike on the Storm Chargers' trailer, then sat down beside Marah on the van's running board.
She was quiet. And it didn't look like she was going to say anything first. Maybe he should.
"I didn't know you had a dog."
"I didn't know you weren't Dustin!" she countered.
Okay, maybe he shouldn't.
"I am --," he stopped. He didn't want to argue over details. It really wasn't important.
"I guess we have a lot to learn. About each other, I mean."
She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess so."
He looked down, kicking his feet in the tall grass.
He knew her, but he didn't know her. Or like he knew her without knowing anything about her. Because you know, he knew she was a good person inside. But he didn't even know how she was related to Lothor, just that she called him 'Uncle'. So maybe he didn't really know her know her. Which is more important, facts or feelings?
And now she was thinking she didn't know him either. If her silence meant anything. He had just kinda switched names on her. And it's not like they weren't working way hard to deal with trust issues before. So now what?
"I really love freestyle," he offered suddenly. "The trick jumping thing," he added when she turned her head. He felt it more than saw it, having not yet raised his own eyes. "Everybody thinks I gave it up for racing. 'Cause like freestyle is dangerous. Like racing isn't, right? But it's what I really like. I mean, racing is great and all, but it's so not the same."
He shrugged, "So everybody thinks I gave it up. Which obviously I kinda haven't. No one knows I'm still practicing 'cept my dad. And well, you."
He dared to glance at her then. Her smile had returned. Yay. That's a good.
After the Beevil mess he knew it would take some time before they would trust again. As if there could ever be a normal friendship between them, even without the betrayal. And if she thought he was keeping secrets, like lying about his name, they weren't going to get anywhere. Like, he was the one who had been betrayed, you know? But he was learning to trust her again, enough to tell her something even his closest friends and teammates didn't know.
She looked down herself then, still smiling, till her hair hid her face.
"Waldo likes chasing Kelzaks."
"I wonder why," Dustin joked, eyeing the toy lying protected between the puppy's paws.
Marah just went on with her story. "I got him when Kapri and I sold Uncle's PAM on the internet. Remember when we were trying to get it back from the Crimson Ranger's kid friend? Well, we got Uncle a replacement PAM. But it turned out it was a MAP, a Make-A-Puppy, instead. And then came Waldo."
Dustin smiled himself. "He's cute". Marah was sharing too. A big yay to trust.
"Does it bother you that his name is Waldo?" She raised her head enough to see the dog at their feet.
Dustin followed her gaze. Waldo was sleepily sniffing his boots. "No, I don't mind. For him the name works."
"Oh, I don't know," she shook her hair out of her face. "I kinda like it on you."
"I prefer Dustin." His face was hot. Dude, was he blushing? "But for you I might make an exception." He hoped he wasn't blushing.
She giggled a little at that. "That might get a little weird. I think I'll stick with 'Dustin'."
She stood and reached down to pick up the puppy. He had just zonked out, sleeping that happy puppy sleep. The kind where they look so cute you almost forget the terrors they can be when awake. Almost.
"I should get going," she said. "Uncle isn't happy about the whole Motodrone thing."
"What, that MetalGuy did a good job out of smacking us around when he can't?" he laughed.
"Well, that," she admitted. "And that Kapri and I said he was a friend of ours." She put up a hand to prevent any questions, but she softened it with a smile. "It's a really long story."
She started to walk away, and he was going to just let it go at that. But as he watched her leave he thought better of it. They'd come this far today, why not? What the heck, right?
"Hey, Marah?"
She stopped and turned, looking at him inquiringly.
He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "There's a freestyle exhibition I'm practicing for. It'd be cool if you'd come."
"I'd like that." Her smile grew just a little. "'Bye, Dustin," she called. And as she reached the top of the hill, she teleported out.
Grinning to himself he stood and closed the van's cargo door.
I wanted to show you
I tried to belong
It didn't seem wrong
TBC