Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author Notes: I have to briefly thank White Time Ranger for her wicked TF stories as they inspired me about Nadira's new job! Thanks for the great reviews guys, this story makes me happy and that's all thanks to you guys and the wonderful WF team! Author shout-outs at the end - )
VISITORS WELCOME
"That never stops being weird," muttered Eric as he, Wes and Taylor emerged through the yellow stone archway into the Animarium. "You guys should invest in some sort of transport system that stops visitors feeling like they're gonna lose their lunch when they get here."
"Stop complaining, you wanted to come here!" remarked Taylor back over her shoulder. "I'll bring you up in an Air Force vehicle next time if you like."
"Have you fly me? I don't think so."
"Scared of how much you'll throw up when I do some barrel rolls, Myers?"
"Just of you crashing, Earhardt."
"Guys, cut it out now," groaned Wes as he rapidly overtook them on the path to the temple. "The fighting routine gets old."
Eric and Taylor caught each other's gaze and grinned. It was their way of calling a truce momentarily and Eric took hold of his girlfriend's hand as they neared the temple. Wes was right; fighting was all part of their relationship. Two such stubborn strong-minded people in one close relationship was going to result in a lot of yelling but they made it work, they understood each other too well. Taylor liked to claim Eric was good for her debating skills while Eric referred to her (out of her hearing) as a pain in the ass. She was the only woman he'd known to stand up to him without fear. It made their relationship strong, fiercely loyal but frequently breakable.
The table had been moved into a more central position in front of the pond and Alyssa could be seen setting places as she chatted to Cole who was sat high up on the nearest stone gorilla. There was something different about Alyssa. Taylor squinted as they climbed the steps and then worked it out; her friend was wearing more pink than usual. The baby pink sleeveless tee fitted her nicely and made her skin glow as did the short pink skirt which was a shade or two darker; she'd have to tell Alyssa to wear pink more often. Cole spotted them first and waved enthusiastically, causing Alyssa to notice them too.
"Max! Danny! They're here!" she called back before moving forwards to greet the arrivals. "Its great to see you guys again."
She gave Wes a friendly hug which he returned and settled for a smiling bob of her head at Eric who she knew would refuse a hug. Before anyone could speak, the collective noise of the Blue and Black Wild Force Rangers stampeding from the boys' room heralded their arrival moments before they appeared. Danny was quieter than his younger friend but he still used his size to hold Max back from being the first one in. Max squirmed against his friend's firm grip and then finally managed to tear himself loose. He tumbled forward and grabbed Wes into a jovial hug while Danny offered his hand to Eric with a wide smile.
"Wes! Great to see you again!" the Shark Ranger crowed loudly before rushing over to greet Eric in a more subdued fashion.
As quiet chattering broke out among the Rangers, a ball of blue-white energy rose from the pond and transformed into the graceful form of Princess Shayla. She smiled widely at the sight of the two almost complete teams joined together in the temple. The Zords would be pleased to be joined by more who held the Power. Wes noticed her and gave a respectful half bow towards her.
"It's good to see you again, Princess Shayla," he said with a smile.
"Thank you Wes, it's good to see you and Eric too," she replied with the same friendly tone. "You haven't been up here on the Animarium for a long time."
"Things can get pretty busy down on Earth for the Guardians," replied Wes with a heavy sigh. "But we have made a lot of progress and crime's started to go down in Silver Hills. Dad's thinking about implementing the Silver Guardians in other towns, especially ones where former Rangers live."
"How are the others doing?" asked Alyssa eagerly. "Have you seen them since the Mutorgs?"
Wes's expression changed to one that was edged with a deep kind of sadness. Eric offered a brief respectful salute to Princess Shayla and with practised ease, took over Wes's side of the conversation.
"We've spoken to them on the holoscreen but they haven't been able to make it back since then to see us. Their commanders think it's a bad idea for them to keep hopping between timelines. They've promised they'll make it back to see us sometime soon though," he reported.
"They were still Time Force Officers the last we heard," added Wes, pulling his red beret off. "Nadira's nearly completed her Time Force training; Lucas reckons she'll have her badge by next month."
"I can't believe they're letting her loose on the streets with authority," muttered Eric but the bite that used to characterise his voice was gone.
"If she completes the training then she deserves the badge," replied Wes. "They've sent us some photos."
He plucked an envelope from his belt and emptied the glossy contents onto the table. Alyssa and the boys poured over them eagerly but Taylor, having seen them before, hung back to allow Princess Shayla some room to join in. The photos showed various scenes of the absent Time Force Rangers; Trip and Circuit in a laboratory, Lucas standing beside an impressive deep blue sports car of some kind, Katie with people who Wes identified aloud as her family, Jen in her office and even one of Alex offering a somewhat shy smile which didn't reach his eyes.
The one everyone lingered on featured all the Time Force Rangers in their officer uniforms and Nadira on the end, her arm looped through Lucas's. She looked very serious with her hair coiled tightly back and in a uniform which was different to the standard ones the others sported; it was a muted grey and made of a soft sweat-suit type material. The words 'Time Force Trainee' was printed clearly over one side of her jacket which she wore unzipped over a startling pink leather top with lightning bolts cut into it provocatively. The playful smile on her face, elaborate nail designs and wrists full of silver and crystal charm bracelets and matching necklaces layered around her neck revealed that she hadn't changed that much.
"How's Ransik doing?" asked Danny as Wes scooped the photos back into their envelope.
"Still in prison," answered Eric. "He's got a hearing in a few days. Wes and I've got to give testimonies and send them off."
"How're doing that? You haven't got a Time Ship," Max wanted to know as he took a seat at the table.
"Same way they sent us the photos. We record them on tape then they send us an auto-piloted pod through a Time Portal. We send it back to them with our tapes in it," explained Wes.
"Maybe you should try sneaking yourself back in the pod," suggested Cole. "No one would know."
"Until they open the pod and arrest me for illegal time travel," replied Wes with an unhappy look on his face. "Believe me, it has crossed my mind."
"Everyone take a seat," commanded Alyssa, sensing that the mood could take a rapid nose dive if Wes was allowed to dwell on the absence of Jen in his life. "The food's almost ready."
The pantomime of trying to find enough places for everyone quickly took people's minds off the previous sobering conversation. Wes had taken a seat immediately as he tucked the envelope back into his belt and Eric and Taylor had quickly flanked either side of him, subconsciously taking on the protector roles they'd grown to adopt since the Mutorgs appearance. Danny and Max good-naturally fought over where they were going to sit before giving up a seat to Princess Shayla who smiled fondly at their antics.
"Where are we gonna sit, Alyssa?" asked Cole as he accepted the steaming dish his girlfriend handed him.
"There's room somewhere around," replied Alyssa vaguely, concentrating on dishing the food up properly.
"On the stone gorilla?" suggested Cole slyly, as he came back for another dish having deposited the first one on the table.
"No Cole, and not up a tree either," Alyssa added hastily with a grin. "I'd only fall off."
"I'd take care of you, you wouldn't fall or hurt yourself at all," protested Cole.
"How about somewhere a little lower down?"
Cole sighed and scanned the area, bypassing his noisy friends as they tucked into their food and finally alighting on the stone steps that led into the temple area.
"How about the temple steps?" he said at last.
"Perfect," Alyssa commended, handing him a plate. "Grab all the food you want and we can sit there, facing the others."
As Cole eagerly bounded over to the table to pile up his plate and Alyssa carefully made sure everything was taken care of in the kitchen area, Princess Shayla lifted her head suddenly, a familiar tantalising feeling coursed through her. The burble of the Rangers died down in her mind as she honed in on that feeling and she quickly turned her head to focus on the stone archway. Sure enough a figure had emerged through it and was walking towards the temple. He was tall with dark hair shot through with silver. He wore black pants and a blue silver leather jacket with a wolf design formed over the zipper in the middle. Princess Shayla offered him an open and what she hoped was a welcoming smile.
"Merrick," she said softly.
The other Rangers quietened down at her voice and turned to spot the Lunar Wolf Ranger as he stayed unsure before the temple steps. Alyssa broke into a wide friendly smile and beckoned happily for Merrick to join them.
"There's plenty of food Merrick, come and join us," she remarked jovially, holding her own full plate up for emphasis.
With a hesitant nod, Merrick climbed the steps. He waved casually in response to the greetings the other Rangers heralded his arrival with. His eyes remained fixed on the Princess and she hardly dared to tear her eyes away from him. Alyssa had scrambled to her feet and fetched Merrick a plate which he took with a nod of thanks.
"I think there's enough food. I wish you'd called me earlier so I could be sure but I think we're ok," Alyssa said good-naturedly as she sat back down "There aren't any seats left so just sit where you find space."
"I'll stand."
Merrick slowly began filling his plate from the dishes on the table, being careful not to knock into anyone. As he did, he carefully scanned the surroundings. He wasn't sure whether it was because it was out of habit or because he was close to the Princess again. Eric and Taylor were engaged in a heated argument about a new programme being started by the Silver Guardians. Any outsider straying upon the scene would think that the two hated each other and were about to come to blows but Merrick saw the excited flush colouring Taylor's cheeks, the sparkle in her eyes and the playful smirk beginning to form on Eric's face. He nodded at Eric who nodded back. He and the Quantum Ranger understood each other well.
Alyssa had made a lot of food, Merrick tasted a little from one portion, and it was as good as it always was. The Tiger Ranger was sat on the temple's stone steps next to Cole who was practically inhaling his food. Merrick cracked a smile at the sight of his two friends. He was glad they were so obviously happy together. Max and Danny were engaged in a lively discussion which they were trying to draw Wes into. The Red Time Force Ranger was surprisingly subdued but seemed to be easing out of his shell.
The Princess remained silent; smiling at her charges and their friends as she delicately ate. Merrick took a few paces back and leant against the temple wall as he ate. It was the same sort of position he would have taken up back on Animaria when working full time as her Protector. Now it was more out of habit than anything else and the knowledge that he would never want any harm to come to the Princess while he was still alive to prevent it. He hoped she didn't think he was crowding her.
Almost as though she'd heard him, the Princess turned to treat him to a pretty smile. Gracefully she got to her feet and walked tentatively towards Merrick. Hastily he lowered his eyes and managed to squash the urge he had to drop to a respectful knee. It wasn't proper to do that when others were around who didn't follow the same tradition. She came to a halt in front of him, her hands clasped nervously together.
"Merrick, it's good to see you again," she ventured softly.
"And you also, Princess," he answered respectfully, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on his feet.
"Look at me, Merrick."
It was a soft but direct order and Merrick couldn't disobey. A strong sense of déjà vu overtook him as he raised his gaze to see the Princess. Her gentle expression melted his heart and he fought hard to not reach out and touch her.
"That wasn't so hard was it?" she teased before extending a hand. "Walk with me."
"Princess, you know that would be improper….."
"There's no one around to tell us that anymore, Merrick. Please take my hand, I won't expect anything more from you," she looked beseechingly at him. "It's just a walk around the Animarium. Silver Wolf's missed you. You should visit him."
She was right. She was always right. He just didn't want anything to start which he couldn't finish. The noise of the other Rangers' conversations was distinctly dying down, making him acutely aware of the attention he was getting. With a sigh, he took the Princess' delicate hand and allowed her to lead the way from the temple.
To be continued……….
AUTHOR SHOUT-OUTS
Jenny: I agree with all you said, I love how the script writers give us such wonderful characters with great interesting personalities. Merrick is a bit like Andros isn't he? Though Andros lets himself feel again when Ashley enters his life with such sunshine. I'm glad you're enjoying my story and yeah I figure Alyssa is a great cook – she's the only one who cooks on WF and the others seem to love what she serves them! Hope you enjoyed this chapter - )
White Time Ranger: Small but sweet review! Thanks! Yep here is your long awaited Jen/Wes, I adore the pairing! Hope you like how I've written them- )