Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me. I made up Ally's middle name.
Chapter 6: Will You Marry Me?
"Ally!" yelled Jack, coughing from the smoking ashes of the smoldering homeless shelter as he fought his way to his girlfriend through the throng of people.
"Jack!" cried Ally in relief, throwing herself into her boyfriend's arms and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Thank goodness you're here," she murmured as she buried her head in his shoulder.
Jack just rocked her gently as he stroked the back of her long, blonde locks. Even with dirt and soot shrouding her face and her clothes burned off in places, Ally still looked like an angel to him. The fact that the homeless shelter had gone up in flames just made Jack realize more than ever that he would go through fire and back to be with her.
"Were you in the homeless shelter when the fire started?" asked Jack as he suddenly noticed the raw skin on the sides of her arms. "You're hurt," murmured Jack in concern.
"I just wanted to get as many in the shelter out as possible," said Ally in a shaky voice. "But I feel so helpless, Jack. Three hundred people are going to be sleeping on the streets tonight unless we think of something fast."
Jack shook his head in amazement at Ally's altruistic resolve and determinedness. Here his girlfriend had suffered bad burns and was covered in grime, but all she could think of was doing whatever in her power to help the homeless. It was her complete selflessness and giving nature that had made Jack fall in love with her instantly almost four months ago.
Holding Ally's hand, Jack and his girlfriend regarded the charred ruins of the city homeless shelter. Feeling desperation creep over him, Jack saw his emotions reflected tenfold in the faces of the shelter's displaced inhabitants. In their tattered garments and literally ashen faces, Jack felt fear and more so despair peering back at him from their wide-eyed, empty expressions. Their bleak look was one that Jack as boy who had grown up on the streets knew too well. It was Valentine's Day, Jack remembered to himself, and he would not leave these people in this loveless place tonight.
"Were many people taken the hospital?" Jack asked Ally as he racked his mind desperately for a place to house the hundreds of homeless people.
"The ones with serious injuries were," confirmed Ally. "But we can't put all these people there. The hospital doesn't nearly have enough room."
Jack clenched his fists in frustration. New Tech City had never made available enough housing for the homeless, and now the city's one shelter had been burned to a crisp. This was why, Jack noted bitterly to himself, he and Ally had started construction on their own, private homeless shelter in the first place a couple months ago.
The solution hit Jack like a freight train. "Al," he said turning to her breathlessly. "We can put the people in our homeless shelter."
"Have you lost your mind?" gasped Ally in surprise. "It's not nearly ready. We don't have a functional kitchen or heating or…"
"But we just finished getting the electricity and plumbing installed yesterday," argued Jack. "And all the cots were delivered last week."
"But we don't have any bed sheets or pillows or food or…" began Ally again worriedly.
"Al, we'll make this work," said Jack, cutting his girlfriend off with a finger to her lips. "We're a team, and together we won't let these people down. I won't let you down," he added softly as he kissed the top of her head. "Not now, not ever."
"Jack…" whispered Ally as grateful tears graced her eyes.
Jack sighed as he wiped the nervous sweat off his forehead. "SPD isn't the only organization that has to deal with emergencies," he thought wryly to himself. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Jack's head as he reached for his cell phone.
"Commander Cruger please," asked Jack after hitting the speed dial for SPD headquarters. "Hello D.C.? No, aliens are not attacking downtown but I've got a crisis of another kind. And I could really use the help from a group like SPD…"
"Command Cruger was really amazing to help with getting supplies here so fast," said Ally snuggled in Jack's arms as they sat on stage watching the almost three hundred people now resting on their rec hall floor at their own, new shelter.
"Look at them all dozing so peaceful," mused Jack, squeezing Ally's shoulder. "It's like watching your own children sleep."
"Yeah, but without having to go through labor pains first," joked Ally, nudging her boyfriend playfully. "I can't believe you really think about us having children."
"Well," said Jack sheepishly. "I would love someday to see little Charity and Joshua get started in the family business."
"You picked out names!" gaped Ally incredulous. "And what do you mean by the family business? You want your son to grow up to be a red ranger?"
"Hey, I'm not Sky!" scoffed Jack jokingly as he and his girlfriend shared a good laugh.
"I still can't over how we fit three hundred people in here tonight," said Ally growing serious again. "Can you believe it, Jack? This is the first night of having our own shelter up and running. We did it."
"Hey if we can get through things like the fire tonight, we can get through anything as long as we're together," replied Jack reassuringly.
And Jack wanted them to be together forever. He had planned on telling Ally that tonight. However his whole romantic evening leading up to the proposal – from the fondue restaurant to carriage ride in the park and even the heart-shaped cupcakes – had gone up in flames with the fire at the homeless shelter. And the ring…
"The ring!" thought Jack to himself suddenly as he felt the small, jewelry box in pocket. "I put it in my jacket as I got ready this afternoon so I would make sure not to forget it tonight."
At that moment, Jack remembered Z's words from earlier in the week: "Jack, when you propose to Ally, just think about what's most important to her."
And Jack knew that nothing was more important to Ally than her charity work and the opening of their homeless shelter. All night he had thought that it would be completely unromantic for him to propose to Ally in light of everything that had happened, yet when in fact he couldn't have picked a better setting to pop the question in. It was almost as if fate, Jack noted to himself, was showing them that they were meant to be together both as partners in business and in life. Upon this revelation, Jack jumped up resolvedly and grabbed his girlfriend's hand.
"Al, I love you!" shouted Jack exuberantly, waking up all the sleeping people in the shelter rec hall.
"Jack, what are you doing?" exclaimed Ally as she gave him a strange look.
"What I was planning on doing tonight from the start," said Jack passionately as he hopped off the stage and looked up to see the vision of loveliness that was his girlfriend. "Letting you know how much I love you for giving me the chance once again to do what I really love here at the shelter…and for giving me the chance to love you. You're the only woman in the world for me."
"What are you saying," questioned Ally cautiously, hoping Jack was going to propose what she thought he might, but for once too timid to actually ask him outright.
"Ally Patricia Samuels," began Jack tenderly as he dropped to one knee and pulled out the jewelry box. "Will you marry me?"
"Ohmygosh," stuttered Ally slowly, her eyes springing open in surprise upon seeing the small, square-cut diamond ring.
"Al, I'd really like an answer here," pried Jack who was still on one knee. "You're making me kinda nervous now," he added, only half-joking.
"Just say yes!" shouted a man from the audience as all the people at the shelter looked on happily; smiles spreading across their faces for the first time that day.
"Yes, of course!" shouted Ally happily as she stood up on the stage triumphantly. "Yes, yes, yes! I love you so much, Jack!"
Everyone in the shelter burst into applause as Ally jumped off the stage and into Jack's eager arms. Both laughing from sheer elation, Jack jubilantly slipped the diamond engagement ring onto his beloved bride's finger. He then proceeded to twirl Ally around in the air, barraging her over and over again with quick, joyous kisses as the shelter crowed whooped in delight. Despite the trying times they'd all experienced on the streets, Jack had never felt so much love in a room in all his life.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone. More Sky and Syd romance shipping next in the coming chapters, so stay tuned!