Disclaimer-See chapter 1

The end is in sight. I have about 3 or 4 more chapters planned. Don't worry, I won't let Hunter and Tori stew in their own stupidity for long.

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Blake walked away from the boardwalk without paying much attention to where he was going. He was a little preoccupied-to say the least. As soon as he had put a little space between himself and the party he called Tracy.

"Hello?" She answered on the first ring. Blake could hear talking and laughter in the background.

"Trace? I'm so sorry. I forgot you had plans tonight," Blake said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. Give me a second." Tracy must have moved then, because a few seconds later he heard the noise diminish. "That's better. What's going on?"

"I need to talk to someone, but I don't want to take you away from your other friends. Are you having fun?"

"Oh, tons of fun. Loads and heaps of fun," she paused, "Except...not really. It's great to be home and see everyone, but it's weird too. They've got all these new memories and jokes and things that I'm no longer a part of. The world did not stop when I left, and some things have changed. Do you know what I mean?"

Blake scoffed, "Do I ever. There's a very good chance that my own brother has moved in on my girl." Then he filled her in on the weekend's events and the conversation he'd just had with his friends. "It's so frustrating. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that she's fallen for him. She's supposed to be mine."

Tracy sighed heavily on her end. "Why are men so oblivious to their own feelings? Do you hear yourself? 'She's mine' Are you upset because you still have feelings for her? Or are you upset because you feel you have prior claim?"

"What? That's a ridiculous question! I mean..."

"Stop. Really think about it before you answer."

Blake did as he was told, and discovered that he really didn't know. When he first went on tour he'd thought about Tori constantly. He was always wondering what she was doing and counting the hours until he could talk to her again. But life moved on, and he found himself thinking of her less-and-less often. Now that he really paused to reflect on his current state of mind, he wasn't sure how he felt about the water ninja anymore. When he admitted this to Tracy she smiled.

"That's the smartest thing you've ever said Dirt-Boy. Keep thinking about it. You're ignoring the idea that this may not be Hunter's fault or doing. He could be just as oblivious to Tori's feelings as the rest of the guys. That seems to run in the family."

"That's a good point. I promise to consider it before I do anything," Something else Tracy had said came to his attention. "Wait. What runs in the family? What are you talking about?" Blake asked.

"Ummm...nothing. I'm just yammering. Look at the time. I've got to get back. Call me if you need me. Bye!" She stammered and hung up.

Blake looked at his phone and vowed to consider what Tracy had said-everything she had said.

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He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. After talking to Tracy, Blake had wandered down to a more deserted area. He heard the sounds of Lady in Red coming from the party and spotted a couple dancing further down the beach. It wasn't until he was closer, and their dancing had become something else entirely that the thunder ninja realized who he was seeing.

The navy ranger's initial reaction had been to go in swinging like he had when he first arrived. Instead, he decided to take a slightly more mature route and go in screaming. The embracing couple were too wrapped up in each other to notice Blake's angry approach. As the younger Bradley was rehearsing his scathing opening line, his brother's face caught his attention.

He looked...happy. Blake couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the older man look so peaceful-certainly not since their parents had died. There was something else in Hunter's face too. It was the look he'd seen Cam giving Leann just a short while ago. It was love. Somehow Blake had never considered that Tori may not be the only one falling in love.

That changed everything in Blake's mind. It was no longer his own happiness, or even Tori's, on the line. When Blake weighed his uncertain feelings for the surfer against his brothers chance for love, everything became much simpler.

When Hunter pulled away from Tori and started pacing, Blake knew that he was the source of the Thunder sensei's turmoil. He felt a rush of affection at the knowledge that the other man would even consider sacrificing his own feelings in deference to Blake's. The motocross pro knew he couldn't allow that to happen and waited for Hunter to reach the same conclusion.

Then the crimson ranger spoke and everything went straight to hell. Blake could not for the life of him figure out how two seemingly intelligent people could be so dense. It was obvious to him that his idiotic teammates had totally misunderstood and twisted each other's words in their minds.

Once Hunter had departed, Blake streaked after him in search of some reinforcements.

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Shane spotted Blake the moment the shorter man arrived back on the dance floor. He rushed over to confront him.

"Hunter just stumbled up from the beach. He asked Cam if he could stay with him for a few days and took off again. He looked like a kicked puppy. What the hell happened out there?" the red ranger demanded.

"I didn't do anything," Blake insisted. "His own stupidity is the problem." Blake told his former leader what had transpired on the beach, and they gathered the others to let them in on the latest developments.

"Dude, you spied on your brother! While he was making out with a girl!" Dustin asked appalled. "Not cool, bro. Not cool at all."

"It was an accident! It's not like I was watching for entertainment purposes." Blake explained exasperated. "Shane, Cam, back me up."

"Leave me out of this," Cam begged.

"I don't know bro. I can't imagine watching my brother if I caught him like that. I would have been out of there before you could say 'Ewww," Shane put in.

"Thank you for your support. Can we focus on what's we're going to do with my ill-begotten knowledge?" Blake asked in an effort to regain control of the conversation.

"OK, what are we going to do with it?" Leann asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Blake grinned. "I have a plan, and I'm going to need some help to pull it off."

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