Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me.

A/N: To Sky/Syd fans – hang in there for one more chapter. I promise, it will be worth your wait! ;-)


Ch. 3: Changes

Takes place a few weeks after "Endings Pt. 2"

Grumm was defeated, but Z felt miserable as she sat on her yellow bedspread flipping through a photo album. Looking at a picture taken in the Command Center of herself, Jack, Sky, Bridge and Syd – with Sam in his Omega Ranger uniform hovering toward the back – Z felt a tear trickle down her check. Everything had changed now that Grumm was gone, and Z was having trouble dealing.

For starters, she missed Jack terribly. Used to spending everyday with him, Jack now spent all his time running a charity clothing drive with his girlfriend, Ally Samuels. Z had always known that Jack's true passion was helping the poor, and she genuinely was happy for him that he had found a new career – and a new person – that he loved deeply. Yet that didn't stop Z from wishing she saw her best friend more often.

Then there was the ranger team itself that, within recent weeks, had morphed more time than the legendary ranger Tommy Oliver had changed uniform colors. Sky and Bridge had been promoted to the red and blue positions respectively. Z had never seen Sky so happy now that his dream of leading the power rangers like his father had finally come true.

More dramatically though, the Omega Ranger – an adult Sam – had returned to the future. The departure had nearly torn Z's apart as much as Jack's.

"See you in twenty years, Sam," had been the last words Z had spoken to him as she hugged him.

"Ok," Sam had replied, returning her embrace. "I'll be there, Z."

Even though adult Sam's form had been a ball of light, they'd often stayed up late into the exchanging jokes, re-hashing old battle and offering each other love life advice. Z had told Sam as Omega about her crush on Sky. Sam in turn told her as his relationship in the future with the Nova Ranger. Z had caught one glimpse of un-morphed, adult Sam and his crush the Nova Ranger before they had traveled through a wormhole back to the future. It was funny, Z mused to herself, how Sam had never told her Nova's actual name.

The absence of the adult Sam had caused the younger Sam of the present day to grow up fast. Twelve-year-old Sam had promoted to the vacant position of green SPD Ranger; his morpher powered by the same growth-enhancing technology that had allowed Justin Stewart at that same age to become the Blue Turbo Ranger. Cruger had made the decision to promote Sam to green ranger, thinking that the kid would need all the real-life battle experience he could get considering he was to become the all-important Omega Ranger in years to come.

"I guess all events in the present and future are interconnected," thought Z to herself wryly.

Z loved twelve-year-old Sam like a little brother, but she missed having his adult version around as her shoulder to lean on. With Jack gone as well, Z had no one to confide in and thus forced herself to put on an even tougher exterior than usual.

She was all alone. Jack had Ally, and Bridge was best friends with Boom. Even Syd had someone ever since Jack had recently fixed her up with Ally's twin brother Alexander, known to friends as Lex.

Z pulled her knees to her chest, letting the tears now fall freely down her face. Lost in her state of loneliness, she didn't hear the door to her room open and a man in a red walk in.

"Z, you didn't upload the new tracking programs into the system this afternoon," began Sky curtly, before noticing that his fellow ranger was crying. He suddenly realized this was no time for chiding her about missed chores. Sky had learned that being the leader was not only about keeping his team on track, but keeping them together as people. Not to mention in this case his own particular, personal interest in trying to make the object of his affections feel better.

"Hey," said Sky softly, sitting down next to Z on her bed and putting an arm around her shoulder. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," said Z, straightening up and wiping the tears off her face. She refused to let Sky see her struggling like this. "Where can I find the tracking programs?"

"Forget about the programs," scoffed Sky. "Chores can wait."

"What?" asked Z startled, sure she hadn't heard the workaholic ranger right.

"You don't have to act so brave all the time," soothed Sky, running his hand over Z's short, brown bangs as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I know you miss Jack."

"And Sam," whispered Z. "I mean Omega," she added, responding to Sky's confused expression. "I'm just having a lot of trouble adjusting to the changes going on around here."

"What, have I been doing a bad job as red ranger?" joked Sky.

"No," laughed Z. "You've been great. Especially right now. I appreciate you being here. I really needed someone to talk to about everything."

"We'll always be here for you, Z" reassured Sky. "Even if we're not all right there in person all the time."

"I guess I was wrong about Sky," Z thought to herself as she looked into his beautiful, brilliant blue eyes. "He is the type of guy that would be there for the people he cared about."

"Z, you just have to realize that nothing can stay the same forever," Sky continued. "Time will always bring changes. But not all change turns out to be bad."

"What do u mean?" questioned Z, sniffling.

"Well I was really pissed off when you and Jack first joined B-squad," began Sky. "You two both got a high-up SPD position after Bridge, Syd and I had been working our butts off for years. But we couldn't have defeated Grumm without you and Jack. Not to mention you both turned out to become some of my best friends."

"Guess I'm not a thief in your eyes anymore, huh?" teased Z.

"No you still are," blushed Sky, clasping his hands together nervously. "Because somehow over the past year you've managed to steal my heart."

"Sky that is the cheesiest pick-up line I've ever heard," laughed Z, rolling her eyes. "Not to mention a ridiculous joke considering that you would even be interested in me like…."

Sky cut off Z with a swift kiss on the lips. Z's heart just about stopped in surprise, yet that didn't stop her from returning Sky's kiss. Pulling back, Z noticed Sky grinning at her shyly – a crack in the red ranger's seemingly unbreakable confident demeanor.

"I'd been wanting to do that for a long time," smiled Sky.

"Even though it's breaking the rules?" asked Z, caressing his cheek comfortingly.

"Rules are meant to be broken," scoffed Sky.

"Wow, I guess I have had an impact on you," laughed Z.

"More than you realize," murmured Sky, leaning forward to kiss Z again. The yellow SPD ranger relished the kiss, feeling a happiness flow through her that she hadn't felt in weeks.

"So what happens now?" questioned Z when they finally came apart for air.

"Now will you agree to go on a date with me?" responded Sky.

Before Z could answer 'yes', the heard the Base's all-too-familiar siren ominously sound the call to battle.