Chapter Twenty-one
Shadow sat on her bed, her fingers moving deftly over the strings of her guitar. Though her fingers were working over the guitar, Shadow's mind was on her conversation with Tommy.
He thought that there was something between Sky and me. Shadow couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Why was it that, even though she denied it, her grandfather could see deep into her heart? She never wanted to start caring for Sky, it just seemed to sort of…happen. One day she despised him and the other she found herself building a friendship with him. She remembered how he had been there for her the night she'd taken the antidote for her addiction. He had been there for her when she needed a friend the most. He had held her through it all, lending her his strength.
Shadow bit her lip, a single tear coming to her eye. That night had changed so much between them. It had been the stepping stone for their friendship and, ultimately, for the feelings they had for each other.
Almost guiltily, Shadow's thoughts turned to Jack. He was so amazing, and he deserved better. Shadow felt as if she were cheating him out of the relationship, the love he deserved by harboring something secret for Sky. Though they had made it official, Shadow couldn't help but doubt the authenticity of their relationship. Was it really love she felt for the red Ranger, or something else? Did she simply feel that she had to date the red Ranger, or did she truly care for him?
That's silly, she told herself, why would I feel that I have to date Jack? Just because I come from the family of a red Ranger doesn't mean that I have to date a red Ranger.
Her fingers continued to move over the strings, the music that she created soothed her, but only slightly. There were so many things that needed to be settled, so many questions that she still had about her relationships with Sky and Jack.
Who was it that she truly cared about? Jack, her boyfriend, or Sky, the man who had annoyed her and had cared for her during her darkest time? Shadow's head hurt from all the thinking. She could run it through her mind all she wanted, but she knew she would never have an answer. At least not yet.
Sighing, she set her guitar down and looked at the clock. Two hours before the dance was scheduled to begin.
"Guess I better start getting ready." She said to the empty room. She stood and opened her closet. The dress that Vivian had given her caught Shadow's eye. Her fingers moved over the silk, feeling the cool milky texture with her fingertips. Should she wear it? It really had looked good on her when she tried it on, but was blue the appropriate color to wear to the dance? People might read into. Shadow grabbed the dress and set it on her bed. Since when had she ever cared what people thought?
"Are you taking good care of my granddaughter?" Jack couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered how serious Dr. Oliver had been just a few short hours ago when he had talked to Jack. He had pulled the B Squad leader aside to talk to him. Jack had thought it would be about Ranger business, but no, it had been to discuss Jack's treatment of Shadow.
He shook his head and smiled. Tommy Oliver, the fiercest and strongest Power Ranger ever, had a soft spot when it came to his granddaughter. Who would have ever thought it.
Jack stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie. It had been an enlightening conversation he'd had with Tommy, one that filled Jack in on the finer points of dating an ex-Ranger's granddaughter. It was definitely a conversation that Jack would never forget.
He pulled on his jacket and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Black tux, white shirt, red bow tie. Jack tugged on his lapels, straightening the jacket.
Jack smiled at his reflection. He looked good, very suave and debonair. He couldn't help but think how Shadow would like it. She had told him after their first date that she liked him in a suit. Just what would she think of him in a tuxedo?
Nervously, he fidgeted with his tie, unsure of whether it was straight or not. Shadow had grown up in a life of privilege. She had, most certainly, seen her fair share of tuxedo clad men. How would he stack up to them? Jack couldn't help doing it, but he seemed to constantly be comparing himself to the men that Shadow had known in her past. He didn't know much about her dating life before SPD, but he was certain that she had had boyfriends, possibly many, before him. She was a beautiful young woman, why wouldn't she date?
He breathed in deeply and let the air out slowly. He didn't need to worry about how he measured up to those men, because Shadow was with him now and that was all that mattered.
With a last look in the mirror, he headed out the door and towards Shadow's dorm.
The knock on her door came sooner than Shadow was expecting. She glanced at the clock. Dance time. The minutes had flown by since Shadow had started getting ready. With a deep breath, she looked herself over in the mirror once more. The dress looked perfect on her, molding to every curve. It had taken Shadow some time to figure out what to do with her hair. Finally, she settled on leaving it down, curling it, and twisting in the small diamonds that she had worn on her and Jack's first date. All in all, she looked hot.
With a smile, Shadow opened the door. Jack's jaw nearly hit the floor. Shadow held back a laugh at his expression.
"What do you think?" She asked, twirling in front of him.
"You…you look…wow." His eyes swept her body and Shadow felt a satisfied blush creep up her face.
"Thanks." She grinned. She couldn't help it, she felt like a princess.
"Are you ready to go?" Jack asked as his eyes finally traveled up to meet hers.
"I sure am." She replied. Jack offered her his arm and Shadow took it.
"Relax." Sky told Bridge for the zillionth time in the last few hours. The green Ranger's hands dropped from his tie and rested at his sides.
"Sorry." He replied sheepishly. "I'm a little nervous."
"Coulda fooled me." Sky chuckled and placed a hand on Bridge's shoulder. "Don't worry, Z doesn't care how you look."
"I know, but I'm still nervous." Sky rolled his eyes. Bridge and Z had been dancing around each other since Z had first come to SPD. It was evident to almost everyone that they liked each other, but both had been too shy to move into a relationship. That's why Sky had been shocked when Bridge offered to be Z's escort to the dance. But at least his friend was finally taking a chance, for once in his life.
"My, my, my, don't we look handsome." Syd joined the two men, her light pink, debutant style dress swirling around her feet.
"I must say, Sky, you clean up quite nicely." She smiled at him flirtatiously. Sky simply rolled his eyes. Syd was just messing with him, he knew that, but it didn't make the pink Ranger's obvious flirting any less embarrassing.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and slouched down in his seat, doing his best to ignore Syd.
"Hey you guys." Z stood in front of the table where the other three sat. Bridge quickly jumped to his feet, pulling at the bottom of his tux jacket.
"Z, wow, you look nice." He blushed as he looked at her. Z blushed as well, running a hand over her hair, which had been pulled back into an intricate bun. Her dress was simply cut with spaghetti straps. It fell over her body in soft waves. Pale yellow at the top and gradually changing into a vibrant yellow towards the bottom.
"Thanks." She smiled shyly at him.
"Here," Bridge said quickly, trying to cover the awkward silence that had begun to settle over them, "have a seat." He pulled a chair out for her and Z sat down, gracefully sweeping her skirt underneath her.
"Oh look," Syd pointed towards the opened flap of the tent that housed the party, "Jack and Shadow are here. Wow, they really look good together." Sky caught the look she cast his way and frowned. What was Syd trying to do?
Shadow's breath caught as she and Jack stepped into the tent. On the outside it had been plain and white, but inside it was a fairy wonderland.
Circular tables had been set up around the perimeter of the make-shift dance floor. Candles set in glass vases sat in the middle of each table, their light catching on the black tables clothes that were flecked with bits of silver. White roses ringed the bottom of each vase, their stems woven together in a crown. White Christmas lights were set in potted trees, which were set strategically around the tent. Small lights ringed the top of the tent, adding light to the otherwise dark tent. The whole effect was very romantic and intimate.
Jack waved to someone and led Shadow towards a table close to the dance floor. Taking her eyes off the beauty around her, Shadow's eyes met Sky's. She saw them widen slightly and stare at her hungrily. But his expression quickly became veiled and his eyes dropped from hers. Shadow greeted the rest of her friends and sat down beside Syd. Jack took the empty seat beside her, draping his arm across the back of her chair.
"Shadow, I love your dress." Syd said, eyeing the dress in question. The pink Ranger looked at Sky. Shadow couldn't read the look that passed between them, but she could tell that Sky was annoyed with Syd for some reason.
"Thanks. It's from an old friend." She said. Hostility was radiating off Sky, Shadow could feel his aggression deep into her bones. What was up with him? She glanced down at her hands. Maybe wearing blue wasn't a very smart move on her part.
"Um…I'm gonna go get some punch. Does anyone else want some?" Shadow asked as she stood. She was uncomfortable under Sky's gaze and needed a few moments free of him.
"I'll go with you." Jack started to stand.
"No, it's fine." Shadow said quickly. She really needed to be alone. "I'll be right back."
Moving away from the table, Shadow could feel both Jack and Sky watching her. With a mental shake of her head, Shadow tried to steady her nerves. She wasn't sure what she was so nervous about. All she knew was that something big was going to happen. It was just a feeling she had, but she knew that it was true.
"There you are. My, Shadow, you look very beautiful." Shadow smiled as Tommy stepped in front of her.
"Thank you, Grandpa." She beamed up at him.
"Your dress-"
"I know, it's a little low cut, but I think it looks good." She said, looking down at her dress.
"Actually, I was going to say it's blue." Shadow blushed.
"Yeah, I know." She said slowly.
"Are you trying to send a message to someone?" Tommy asked, an eyebrow quirked in question.
"Grandpa-" Shadow didn't want him pushing the subject of her and Sky. He had thought that there was something there when he had first met Sky, and Shadow didn't want him continuing in that line of thought.
"All I'm saying is that it's blue and no one in our family was ever a blue Ranger." Tommy smirked. "Some people might take your choice of color the wrong way. Get ideas that you might not want them to have. Or do you want them to have those ideas?"
"For the last time, Grandpa, there is nothing between Sky and I." Shadow snapped, suddenly out of patience for her grandfather's good-natured teasing.
Tommy threw his hands up between them, as if to ward off Shadow's verbal attack.
"Alright, no need to get defensive here." He said. He grew serious then. "You know I love you, Shadow. And you know that I only want the best for you. Just make sure that, when the time comes, you make the right decision."
Shadow sighed, exasperated. Tommy gave her a look.
"Fine," she rolled her eyes, "I'll make sure I make the right decision. Are you happy?"
"Ecstatic." He drew her into a hug. "Now, you better get back to your friends." Shadow started back towards her table. "And Shadow," she turned, "have fun tonight." Shadow smiled.
"I will."
The night was reaching its peak. Couples were on the dance floor, moving steadily to the beat. People were sitting and eating, drinking punch, and talking. Soon, the cadets would begin to filter back towards the dorms to rest up for the next day.
Sky watched the people dancing. He had already mingled with the other cadets, talked to Kat and Cruger and Dr. Oliver, he had eaten and drunk enough to last him the next few months, and his feet hadn't yet touched the dance floor. It wasn't for lack of trying on Syd's part. Sky just didn't dance, period.
He was sitting at the table, alone, his eyes scanning the crowd around. Suddenly, he was very aware of someone sitting down beside him. He turned his head and his eyes caught Shadow's profile. She was sitting there, watching the couples on the dance floor. Nearly the whole night she and Jack had been out there. Shadow was every bit as graceful as Sky had thought she would be. She glided over the floor with the grace of a butterfly. It was a sight that Sky had found hard to tear his eyes from. Now she was sitting beside him, and Jack was no where in sight.
"I haven't seen you out there dancing." Her words startled him. Sky had gotten used to the silence that they had been sitting in.
"I don't dance." He said simply, not looking at her.
"Ever?"
He shook his head.
"Nope." He said. He feels her hand wrap around his and his eyes moved to meet hers. She smiles at him.
"C'mon," she said, "it's time for you to dance."
"Shadow-" he started to protest, but his words died on his lips. He wanted nothing more than to feel her wrapped in his arms. So why fight when he would get what he wanted?
"Don't fight me on this, Sky." She said, looking at him over her shoulder as she led him onto the floor. The song changed to a slow love ballad. Hesitantly, Sky placed his hands on Shadow's hips. She rolled her eyes and moved his hands so that they rested on the small of her back. Her own arms wrapped around his neck. There was barely any space between them and Sky was overcome by her scent. A mix of vanilla and the night air.
Sky closed his eyes, trying to gain control over his senses and nerves. Shadow's close proximity was doing nothing for his self control. He wanted to crush her mouth to his and taste her once more. His mind traveled back to the kiss they shared only that morning.
It was hard to believe that it hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he had told her how he felt. And now, there they were, dancing together, wrapped so tightly that there was barely an inch of breathing room between them.
Shadow's eyes moved up to meet his. Sky was caught by the light reflected off the beautiful hazel orbs.
"I'm sorry." Shadow said. She spoke so quietly that Sky wasn't sure he had heard her right.
"What?"
"I'm sorry." She repeats, "I shouldn't have gotten so mad when you kissed me this morning, and I shouldn't have gone off on you like I did."
"No," Sky shook his head, "you had every right to be mad. I was out of line. I…" he didn't want to say it, but he knew he had to. "I shouldn't have kissed you. You're going out with Jack and it wasn't my place to do that."
Shadow smiled up at him and Sky was struck, once more, by her beauty.
"How about we just say we're both sorry and call it even?" She suggested.
"It's a deal." Sky smiled. He couldn't help it, Shadow had that affect on him.
The song continued on. Sky allowed Shadow to take the lead as they swayed back and forth. He was just happy to be able to look at her and have her in his arms. He didn't care if it had taken his dancing with her to accomplish that.
"You look really beautiful." Sky could have smacked himself. They had only just made up and he had to go ahead and open his big mouth. He watched as Shadow's face colored.
"You don't look to bad yourself." She said, playfully tugging on his silver-blue bow tie. Sky didn't think, he didn't stop to consider the consequences of his actions. He simply leaned down and kissed Shadow.
Her arms tightened instinctively around Sky's neck as she pulled him closer, trying to have as much contact with his mouth as possible. Shadow moaned into the kiss. Butterflies flooded her stomach. She felt as if her insides were tied into a knot.
She broke away suddenly. Her breathing was quick and shallow. Why had she let herself fall into his kiss, again?
Sky was looking at her, his eyes full of hope and confusion and, dare she think it, love.
Trembling, Shadow pulled away. Wordlessly she turned away from Sky and came face to face with Jack.
Ooh, don't ya just love cliffhangers? What is going to happen now? You'll just have to wait and see. This is your last chance to vote for who you want Shadow to end up with. So, if you want her to be with either Sky or Jack you better vote now. Currently the count is at:
Sky- 74
Jack- 66
