Disclaimer: Power Rangers and the movie "Clueless" do not belong to me, and neither does any product associated with the Hershey's Chocolate company. Oh, and Post-It-Notes are not mine either.

Chapter 7: You're Beautiful

"Jack, you're ENGAGED?" squealed Syd over her cell in excitement for her friend. "Oh congrats, congrats, congrats…"

"Stop rambling! You're starting to sound like Bridge," laughed Jack into the phone. "But really, I appreciate everyone's support so much. I couldn't have given Ally the ring tonight all you guys' help. Please tell Sky thanks a million for me. Bridge and Z too when they get back from their date."

"Well, only if I get to be a bridesmaid in your wedding," teased Syd.

"Of course," replied Jack in all seriousness. "How could I leave out my favorite pink princess?"

"Now I was just joking around, but hey, I'll take it!" grinned Syd. "And send my love and good wishes to Ally as well. I'll talk to you later, Jack!"

Syd sighed somewhat sourly as she snapped shut her cell phone. It's not that she wasn't happy for Jack and Ally. In fact she was delighted beyond all belief that her friend had finally found his soul mate. It was just all day Syd had been questioning whether Sky was really hers.

Sky had acted so sweet the first few weeks they had been together – sneaking her kisses when Cruger wasn't looking, leaving her little Hershey's chocolates in her uniform pocket and hiding cute, Post-It-Note messages in her stacks of SPD memos. Out of his infatuation for her, Sky – the walking personification of the SPD Regulations Handbook – had even broken the rules to sleep over in her room on numerous occasions when Z had been on night duty in the Command Center. Known for his unbreakably strict and austere personality, Sky's tough shell had finally cracked once he had fallen for SPD's pink ranger.

Yet now to Syd it seemed like the honeymoon period of their courtship was over. Lately, Sky never stopped by solo to see her unless it was related to SPD business or unless he wanted to make-out. Even on Valentine's Day itself – after refusing to take her on a real date – Sky was over an hour late to watch movies with her. Flopping down on her bed and pulling her stuffed elephant Peanuts close to her chest, Syd thought back to happier times with Sky. In particular, the night that – thanks to Bridge and Z – she and Sky had first acknowledged their feelings for one another…

(One Month Earlier)

"Do you think I'm beautiful?" sang Syd as she danced in front of her full-length mirror to one of her own pop hits. "Yes I think I'm beautiful. Do you…"

"Hey Pinkie," Z called as she entered their room. "Sky wants you to meet him on the roof deck of the Academy so he can tell you he likes you," said the yellow ranger in her typical, straight-to-the-point style.

Syd practically knocked over the mirror in her shocked excitement. She had always thought Sky was extremely handsome, but anyone with half-decent vision could see that. It was just gradually over time that Syd had found herself warming up to Sky's stormy, yet oh-so-sexy serious nature to the point currently whenever she was around the red ranger she couldn't help but feel her cheeks grow hot. And now that Sky actually wanted to ask her out…spontaneously Syd started jumping around the room and screeching in happy hysterics much to Z's amusement.

"I knew you always liked him," gloated Z. "Now what are you waiting for? Sky's up on the roof right now. Go!"

Syd didn't need to be told twice, as she checked her make-up once over before running out the room and up the stairs to the Academy's outdoor, observation deck. Breathlessly pushing open the door, Syd stepped out on the roof top and beheld Sky with his back to her looking out over the city. With his hands shoved purposefully in his pockets and his typically perfect posture, Syd stopped to admire the regal way he carried himself. Sky in every way really was the pink princess's prince charming.

"So you wanted to tell me something, Sky?" sang Syd playfully as she jumped around from behind his back, sending the red ranger stumbling back in surprise.

"Uhh, I don't know what you're talking about Syd," responded Sky with a self-important smirk that took her aback. "Bridge said I should meet you up here because you had something to tell me. Something, oh I dunno, about having a little puppy-love crush on me."

"Excuse me!" retorted Syd angrily, pissed off by Sky's mortifying manner of addressing her. "Z said I should meet you up here because you had been wanting to ask me out on a date since like… forever!"

"Ok, so I made that part up," acknowledged Syd to herself, but she was not about to let Sky fully get the upper hand.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you princess, but you're way out of my league" said Sky snidely.

"Well at least now we're in agreement on something," shot back Syd with insincere sweetness. "I'm way too good for you. Plus, you could never afford me."

"So Bridge and Z – being the freaks that they are – decided that they would try to set us up," sighed Sky as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Clearly, I don't like you like that. And you," Sky paused. "Don't like me like that either?"

"Of course not!" cried Syd disgustedly, turned off by both his behavior toward her and her friends. "How could I ever want to go out with someone who talks down to everyone else around him?"

"Oh," was all Sky could say. "Well that's that then."

Syd swore she heard a note of disappointment in his voice, but chalked it up to her imagination as she watched Sky storm off the rooftop.

Yet Syd still couldn't fall asleep later that night, and this time it wasn't just Z's non-stop snoring that was keeping the pinkr ranger up. Her conversation with Sky from earlier in the evening was still on constant replay in her head. Despite that Sky was well-known for his arrogance and bossy behavior, Syd still couldn't shake the desire to get to discover the softer side underneath the red ranger's hot-tempered personality. Suddenly, Syd heard a quiet knocking on her bedroom door.

"Sky!" gasped Syd loudly as she opened her bedroom door to behold the red ranger wearing a white undershirt with crimson and navy stripped boxers. "Where are your clothes?" she shrieked, blushing as Sky clamped a hand over her mouth and looked horrified in Z's direction.

"I don't know what grosses me out more: Syd's singing or Sky in his underwear," moaned the yellow ranger in revulsion. "You know, Bridge and I tried to set the two of you up during the daytime so we wouldn't loose anymore sleep from the two of you waking us up in the middle of the night to talk about 'Oh, do you think Sky thinks I'm sexy?' or 'Did you see how cute Syd looks when she twirls her curls?' It's enough to make a girl gag! Now, I'm kicking both of you the heck out of here so you two can go make kissy-faces at each other. And so I can finally get some sleep!" groaned Z, finishing her rant by shoving her head under a pillow.

"Umm, you wanna go talk in the rec room?" suggested Sky awkwardly after Z's speech. "It should be deserted at this hour."

"Sure," said Syd shyly as she sat down on the couch and looked up at Sky. "What did you wake me up to talk about anyway? If it's about those surveillance reports, I finished filing them this afternoon," she added grumpily.

"You know that's not why I woke you up, Syd," sighed Sky uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck as was his nervous gesture. "I mean, I just couldn't stop thinking about everything I said on the roof this evening. I was really mean to you and…" Sky's voice drifted off.

"And…" pried Syd as she pulled anxiously at her pink, cotton teddy.

"I just wanted to apologize," spat out Sky quickly. "We've known each other too long, and you mean too much to me to let some stupid argument come between us."

"Well that's nice to know," said Syd coolly, still secretly wounded by Sky's clear rejection of any romantic feelings toward her. "And in any case, apology accepted. So friends?"

Syd stared at Sky strangely as the red ranger began to pace anxiously around the rec room. "Sky, we're ok as friends again now. Aren't we?" asked Syd again, puzzled by his behavior.

"No we're not ok as friends," responded Sky as he skidded to a stop in front of Syd, looking her direct in the eyes in manner that made her heart skip a beat. "The thing is Syd, after closely analyzing my feelings, I've come to the conclusion that I think you're… amazing. You've accomplished so much even before becoming a ranger, and despite what I may have said in the past, you're really smart and sharp. You're persistent and doggedly-determined as RIC in particular knows too well. And of course you're gorgeous, but you're a girl who still kicks ass in battle and…"

"You think I'm gorgeous?" interjected Syd softly, cutting off the red ranger's nervous rambling.

"Well, ummm, you see," stuttered Sky. "Come on, you know you're beautiful. And well, it's so cool to see how many people care about you."

"A lot of people care about you too Sky," replied Syd, getting off the couch and slowly walking toward him.

"Are you saying… you care about me?" asked Sky shyly.

"Skyyyyy," drawled Syd playfully, swatting her perfectly-manicured hand at him.

Yet the next moment Syd found that hand wrapped tightly around Sky's neck as the red ranger rapidly pulled her toward him to lovingly lock his lips with hers. Sky's kiss came as such a surprise – and with such an over-powering passion - that it made the victory all the sweeter for Syd. Reluctantly pulling apart to catch her breath, Syd started to bounce happily on her tippy toes as she reached up to kiss the red ranger's flushed nose.

"Oh Skyyyy," squealed Syd happily. "I always knew you liked me, too!"

(Back in the Present)

"Hey Beautiful," Syd heard Sky say as he knocked at her bedroom door. "Sorry that I'm late, but there were some zord maintenance routines scheduled for next week that I wanted to get done earlier tonight."

"Sky chose on Valentine's Day spending time with machines or me? I know Sky likes me, but I need him to show me sometimes, too," Syd thought sourly to herself. "Cruger told you to take the day off," she sulked out loud to her boyfriend.

"Well you know me," grinned Sky sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyway, come with me. I have something to show you."