Disclaimer-See first chapter
Shameless act of self-promotion: I wrote a drabble for DinoThunder called After Tutenhawken's Curse if anyone wants to check it out. It's Connor/Kira. Yes, I do think non-canon couples are more fun.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tori decided to avoid seeing anyone she knew by going directly back to Storm Chargers. As she walked, she replayed the scene with Hunter over and over in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more convinced the wind ninja became that Hunter really did have feelings for her. No one knew the thunder sensei better than she did-except maybe Blake. There was no way Hunter could have faked what she had seen in his eyes and felt in his kiss.
"I just wish I knew what happened," Tori told the night as she reached her van.
"Tori? Is that you?" said a new voice.
The highly trained ninja screamed and jumped a foot in the air before belatedly dropping into a defensive crouch. Kelly stepped into the light and raised one eyebrow as she gazed at the younger woman.
"Feeling a little tense?" the shopkeeper asked.
Tori looked abashed as she slowly stood up and leaned against the van. "Sorry. You startled me. I've had kind of a rough few hours."
"I can see that. You look awful-no offense. Do you want to talk about it?"
Tori shook her head, "It's too complicated. I don't think I have the energy to fully explain right now."
Kelly took in the other woman's appearance-mussed hair, crimson button-down over a dark red dress, eyes red. "Is it Hunter?"
The water ninja's eyes widened in surprise. "What? How did you...?"
Kelly shrugged and went to lean against the van next to the blond woman. "I've been watching your friendship evolve for awhile now. Blake's home for the first time since he went on tour. It wasn't too hard to put two-and-two together."
"Has it really been that obvious?" Tori tensed as another thought occurred to her. "Do Shane and Dustin know?"
The shopkeeper laughed at the note of panic in her friend's voice. "I doubt it. Those boys have been your friends way too long to consider that sometimes friendships develop into other things." She waited for Tori to relax before guessing, "Blake took it badly?"
The former ranger snorted, "It never even got that far. Hunter and I kissed, and he totally freaked. He started going on about how it was all a mistake."
Kelly looked skeptical, "Really? Just like that-kiss and freak out? Nothing else happened?"
Tori blushed, and admitted there was slightly more to the story than that. She elaborated on the actual encounter for her new confidant. As she finished, Kelly shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but that still doesn't make any sense. One kiss in the middle of a romantic setting could-maybe-be brushed off as the heat of the moment. This definitely sounds like something more. If he thought it was a mistake why did he want to tell Blake? There would be no reason to risk the relationship between the three of you if Hunter doesn't have feelings for you."
Now it was the blond woman's turn to shake her head. "Maybe it's just his sense of honor?"
Kelly scoffed, "If his honor is the motivation why did he change his mind so quickly? Better yet, why did he kiss his brother's girl in the first place?"
Tori ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "That's why I think he really does care. It even looked like he'd made his peace with it before he asked me about Blake, but once I..." The ninja trailed off as realization set in. "OMG, that's it! I asked if we had to tell Blake, meaning did we have to do it tonight. Hunter's whole demeanor changed almost immediately. He must have thought I didn't want Blake to know at all." The surfer's brow furrowed. "I almost hope that's not what really went down tonight. What kind of moron could misunderstand that?"
Kelly laughed. "Men aren't always in touch with reality. You know, Hunter's problem is that he's gotten used to people leaving him. His birth parents, his adoptive parents, Blake. He may know in his head that none of that was about him, but his heart is a whole different matter."
Tori considered the shop owner's words. They made a weird kind of sense. If Kelly was right, Hunter had half-expected her to reject him. He then twisted her words to fit his expectations. That would certainly explain the sudden shift in attitude.
"I think you're right Kelly." She bumped her shoulder against the other woman's. "How'd you get so wise?"
"Real world experience. I spend my days surrounded by teenage males. I know more than any woman should about how their brains work."
Tori smiled. "Thanks Kel. I owe you one."
"Just talk to him OK? A happy employee would be thanks enough."
The two women embraced, and Tori headed back to her place determined to straighten things out.
The apartment was empty when Tori arrived home. She quickly changed and settled on the couch to wait. There was no way she was going to let her roommate sneak in and avoid her. She'd wait all night if that's what it took
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Blake crept in early the next morning he found the blue ranger fast asleep on the living room couch. She was wearing blue pajamas and was covered up with Hunter's shirt from the night before. The navy ranger took this as a good sign. He quietly went to his brother's room to change, and left again without ever disturbing the sleeping woman. He had a busy day ahead of him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tori awoke to the sound of knocking. It took a few minutes for the source of the sound to penetrate her sleep-addled brain. Tori's heart leaped and she stumbled across the room to open the door.
"Hunter?" she asked as the door swung open.
"Wrong Bradley," Blake answered with a smile.
"Sorry. I thought maybe Hunter forgot his keys or something," Tori sat back on the couch and looked at him quizzically. "Are you just getting in?"
"I spent the night at Ops working on a project." Tori waited, but Blake didn't elaborate as he came inside to sit beside her.
"Did you forget your keys?" Tori finally asked to break the silence.
"No, I thought I'd pick you up at your door for our first real date."
Tori's face fell. She'd totally forgotten they'd had plans. She couldn't go now. It wouldn't be fair to lead Blake on now that she knew where heart belonged.
"Oh Blake..." the wind ninja sighed. "I can't."
"Why not?" the dark-haired man politely inquired.
Blake watched Tori's internal struggle with some amusement. He had no intention of taking his blue counterpart out today, but he'd wanted to give her a chance to come clean with him. And if he was honest with himself, he was also enjoying a slight feeling of vindication. He knew that Hunter and Tori were right for each other, and he knew that his own feelings had changed. However, a tiny part of him still felt hurt and betrayed That part felt she deserved some discomfort. In the end Blake's compassion was stronger than his bruised ego, and he threw her a line.
"Is it because you're in love with my brother?"
Blake laughed out loud at the look of complete shock and horror on Tori's face. Her jaw dropped, and he thought her eyes might pop out of her head as she sputtered.
"How...why...who...how..."
"How did I know?" Blake finished for her. Tori could only nod in answer.
Blake wisely decided to leave his adventure in spying out of his explanation. "Kapri told me. And a discussion with the rest of the gang led us to believe it's true."
That shook Tori out of her stupor. "Does everyone know?"
Blake thought about that for a moment. "Well, we all know now. Except Hunter I guess. I always was the smart one. Are you sure you want the big idiot?"
Tori nodded apologetically. "I'm so sorry Blake. I swear I didn't know-we didn't know-until just last night. We weren't lying to you, and we never meant to hurt you."
Blake gave a bittersweet smile. "I know that too." Then feigning ignorance he asked, "So, Hunter stayed at Cam's last night. He looked pretty upset. Want to tell me what happened?"
Tori gave him a carefully edited version of events-including her discussion with Kelly. Blake nodded at his old boss's assessment.
"I never considered that. She may be on to something," the younger Bradley concurred. "Well, I'd say that we both need to have a talk with a certain stubborn friend of ours."
Tori nodded, but she was worried. "What if he won't talk to me?"
"Don't worry about that. I have an evil genius plan. We'll give him a day to come to his senses. If he doesn't, Operation Matchmaker goes into effect."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's almost over. I have one chapter left. I may even try to get it up later today as a birthday present to myself.