The challenges can be found at Ars Amatoria's Ranger Romance Themes.

Challenge: Take My Hand
Pair: Sky/Z
Disclaimer: Don't own the Power Rangers, not even an action figure.
Timeframe: This fic is set after Recognition and the other fics in this set, but isn't really attached to a particular episode.

O

The battle raged fiercely on the rooftop of one of the older buildings in the city. Why is it these monsters always find such random places to pick a fight? Z wondered to herself. Not that it really mattered; the B-Squad Rangers would kick its butt no matter where the battle took them. Z tucked into a diving roll as a blast from the monster's weapons sent her flying. She didn't even know its name, but it didn't really matter. What did matter were those cannons strapped to its shoulders that were causing some major damage.

Z pulled up from her roll into a crouch and tried to catch a second wind. Jack and Syd had been tossed somewhere behind her. Sky and Bridge were still engaging the monster, but were standing far enough apart so the creature couldn't get a shot at the two of them simultaneously. The monster picked a target – Sky never had a chance.

Z could see everything as it happened, as clearly as if she was watching in on digital television. When the monster turned to fire at Sky, Bridge charged in from the right. He caused enough of a distraction with his attack to cause a misfire, so Sky didn't take a direct hit. But the repercussion of the explosion sent Sky flying across the rooftop and over the edge of the building.

"Sky!" The scream was ripped from Z's throat. She was in motion even before she knew what was happening. Z could hear Jack and Syd also running behind her, but they added their efforts to Bridge's, fiercely attacking the monster. Z skidded to a halt at the edge of the rooftop and leaned over. Her heart gave a lurch in her chest as she spotted a familiar blue clad form only a few feet beneath her instead of splattered on the pavement below. Sky had managed to control his fall enough to find purchase on the side of the building.

"Sky!" she called to get his attention. "Take my hand!"

Sky looked up as soon as he heart Z's call. Without hesitation he reached up to grab the hand she offered to him. Z leaned precariously over the edge of the rooftop – gravity and Sky's greater weight were working against her, but she had adrenaline on her side. Z could see that she would only need to pull Sky a few inches before he would be able to find a better foothold; then with him helping, she could pull him to safety quickly. Digging her feet in, Z poured all of her strength into pulling Sky. He was trying hard to help her by finding a foothold, but was careful not to pull her off balance by swinging or reaching too far.

Without warning a second blast rocked the rooftop. At first Z didn't understand what was happening. Suddenly she and Sky were both swinging free. In a moment of horrific clarity Z felt the rooftop give way beneath her; her stomach lurched as she and Sky began falling toward the ground amid the debris. Instinctively, she and Sky both clutched each other more tightly – Sky pulled Z closer to him as she fell. He powered down and Z's heart lurched again; without his suit he'd have no chance of surviving the fall.

But Sky was thinking differently than Z. Pulling her close to his left side, Sky held out his right hand toward the ground. A force field sprang up between them and the ground; the shield couldn't stop them from falling, but it did slow their descent. In real time the fall probably took less than 10 seconds, but to Z it felt like a lifetime. Much of the debris hit the ground before they did, but a large chunk of the brick wall slid slowly down in their wake. Z had never seen anything so terrifying in her life as that gigantic section of brick wall toppling forward to crush them.

How Sky had managed to put himself between her and the wall Z would never know. He swung the force field around and held it protectively above them as the light from above was blocked out by the wall. Z couldn't help allowing a frantic scream out at the wall descended and it appeared they'd be crushed. She had her arms wrapped tightly around Sky's torso and her head tucked tight into his shoulder – as if ducking was going to somehow help.

Then there was silence. No thundering crash – no falling bricks. Nothing but the sound of their ragged breathing. Z risked looking up and what she saw took her breath away. They were surrounded very closely by Sky's brightly glowing blue shield. A mere inch from their heads, the wall was suspended away from them, prevented from falling any further by Sky's shield.

"Z," Sky choked out. "Get out before I lose the shield."

Z looked around surprised. Sky was right – the shield didn't completely encase them. There was an opening behind them from which she could make a dash to freedom. It never occurred to her to take Sky up on his offer. "I'm not leaving you, Sky." She declared flatly. "I'll help you get up, we'll back off, and the wall will just slide off your shield. We'll be in the clear."

She couldn't see his face, but she could feel his muscles tense with straining. He shook his head sharply. "Leg's broken. Can't make a break for it."

Z peered around from her place behind Sky. In the process of the fall they'd not outrun all the debris. It was clear that something clipped Sky's leg; it was bleeding and bent at an odd angle. Z's mind was spinning – there had to be something she could do before Sky ran out of time.

Emulating Sky's example, Z powered down. Sometimes being a Ranger wasn't the solution; sometimes you had to depend on your own skills. Quickly Z replicated herself until there were five more of her inside the small dome Sky was maintaining.

"Listen to me Sky," she began. "I can get you out of here; you just need to trust me."

Sky's brilliant and pain-filled eyes caught and held hers. He nodded once, too focused on maintaining his shield to bother using words. Z blinked and nodded back. "On the count of three I'm going to grab you and run. Keep the wall as far away from us as you can."

Sky turned his attention back to the wall hovering menacingly over their heads. The replicates positioned themselves at Z's silent order. She caught Sky up under his right arm; she was ready to carry the bulk of his weight on her own. "One…" she called out.

"Two…" she could feel him tense in preparation.

"THREE!" With a mighty heave and a supremely coordinated effort Z and her copies lifted Sky and ran with him. The total distance was probably less than twenty feet but to Z it felt longer than any distance she'd run on the mud course. Sky yelled when Z yelled, whether in defiance of the wall or the pain that shot through his body when his injured leg was moved, she didn't know.

The crashing thunder of the wall collapsing accompanied their own collapses outside the danger zone. Sky had fallen on top of Z; she remained holding him tightly around his torso. Both were breathing heavily to the accompaniment of their rapidly beating hearts. Sky made no move to get out of Z's arms and she made no move to release him. From a distance Z could hear the other Rangers calling; they were close and getting closer. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer of gratitude to whatever power it was that was looking out for them.

In no time the other Rangers had arrived and called in a medical unit. Z didn't complain too strenuously when Syd insisted she stay where she was. She imagined that it made Sky feel better that she was so close; she certainly felt secure being close to him. It wasn't until later, after a shower and a hot meal, that Z really thought about the events of the day. She'd drifted down to the infirmary to visit Sky. He was deeply asleep – the bone healing techniques practiced by some of the doctors at the SPD were amazing, but they took a lot out of a person.

Z gazed fondly at Sky's face. He looked different when he was sleeping; he didn't have that super hard edge to his features. She stepped closer to the bed and gently took his hand in hers. "I know you can't hear me, Sky, but I wanted to tell you anyway. When you fell off the roof and I reached for you, you didn't hesitate to take my hand. You didn't make me feel weak or say something stupid like I wouldn't be able to pull you because I was a girl. That means a lot to me."

With her free hand, Z gently brushed Sky's hair. "But I think what meant even more was that you knew who I was even surrounded by all of my replicates. You looked right at me. You knew me." Z gave a small, contented sigh. Then she leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. Still leaning close to his face she whispered "I could get used to that."

With a final look, Z turned and walked out of the infirmary, leaving the Blue Ranger sleeping peacefully, never knowing that the wall he'd saved her from had managed to smash some walls of her own.

TBC