Strange Distant Stars; a collection of AU stories about good ol' Bridge Carson. I owe a lot of gratitude to the people at #PRFIC, to my beta Wildforce and to my favorite Bridge/Z gal, Chounette. Some of this fic was inspired by the wonderful EvilSalmon1 and her great Bridge/Sky story, 'Green for Green' (/shameless plug). Thank you, everyone.

Family

Tiny motes of fine white dust spiraled in the light of a slanted sunbeam, like speckled ballroom dancers in the morning air. He was captivated by their movement; particularly when the little dancers mingled enough to create a sparkling effect on the hair of the person sitting in front of him.

The light reflected in a way that created a myriad of colors that he could see even without his powers. There was mahogany, burnt sienna, sepia in the dark strains that lay across the neck, and even flickers of deep red and the faintest traces of vermillion. Colors of sun kissed hair, natural highlights bleached by the bright yellow sun, th—

"What are you doing?"

The annoyed voice of Z Delgado jolted Bridge Carson out of his intense mediation on colors, nearly causing him to drop his toast in surprise. Bridge blinked, momentarily disorientated and found himself staring down at Z's confused and slightly irritated face. Bridge quickly swallowed the bit of toast in his mouth to reply.

"Mmm, watching you read."

'And watching the colors of your hair dance,' Bridge mentally added. He wasn't that socially inept (or brave enough) to admit the full truth of his behavior, even it was innocent enough.

He sighed softly. The colors really were beautiful. They were normal colors, not the auras that Bridge perceived with his powers, making them all the more special to Bridge. 'Like the light refraction of a crystal, with the light streaming through the window in a-'

"I don't think I even want to ask you why you're watching me read," Z grumbled as she turned away from Bridge. "But could you at least do it without chomping on your food?"

'Chomping…?' Bridge's eyes widened as he rediscovered the piece of toast in his hand. 'Oh. Oops.'

"Toast. Want some? It's Buttery," Bridge offered apologetically.

Z turned to face him just in time to watch his fingers wiggle in their customary description of the 'buttery' word. Luckily for Bridge, the novelty of the strange hand gesture was enough to cause the emotions on Z's face shift from irritated to bemused.

"Buttery?" She asked as she mimicked Bridge's movements.

"Buttery," Bridge confirmed, with an enthusiastic nod. But before he could launch into the specific qualities of a well buttered toast, Syd suddenly appeared in the rec room doorway, making wide strides towards her roommate.

"Alright, where is he Z?"

"Jack? Sky…Cruger…Boom, Gruumm. Am I getting close?"

"Peanuts!"

Bridge frowned. "We're all out of peanuts, but I got some toast. Want some? It's buttery."

Syd pouted, "No! Peanuts! You know, Peanuts, the stuffed animal I've had since I was five?"

Z laughed, "You've only had that thing for a year?"

Ouch. Bridge winced and looked to his blond teammate. Syd had that look in her eyes that frightened Bridge…frightened Sky too, although he'd never admit it. Bridge could tell by the way Sky held himself that Syd could intimate him…

"Very funny. Now what did you do with him?"

"I didn't take your Peanuts. End of conversation."

Bridge stared at Z in bemusement. He couldn't understand why Z and Syd were still fighting—even Sky and Jack seemed to have reconciled some of their differences. Bridge knew that Syd was still upset about receiving a new roommate; she had told Bridge earlier that week that she couldn't stand Z's strange new habits and odd mannerisms.

But Z hadn't told Bridge anything…in fact Bridge had never seen Z in any lengthy conversation with anyone except for Jack, and--

"Bridge!"

Z interrupted Bridge's thoughts with an impatient shove.

"Ow…ah…yeah?"

"Syd ruined my concentration with her whining. I can't read anymore. Are you up for some lightball?"

'Wow, Z may not talk much but she really likes to play lightball' Bridge thought to himself. 'Too bad I suck at it.' Bridge looked around wide eyed. Syd was gone; he'd missed something. What was it? Oh well.

"Ahh…"

"Come on! I'll beat the pants off ya!"

"…sure?"

"Great, lets go!"

Z grabbed Bridge's gloved hand and pulled him off the couch, practically dragging him out of the room. Bridge followed behind her, unable to notice anything but the deep shine of her hair as it moved with her steps and fluttered in the air.

Later that week, Bridge exited the Command Center at a sedate pace, rubbing his shoulders awkwardly. He watched as Jack, Sky and Syd moved ahead of him down the hallway to their quarters. It had been a long day of investigating missing persons, and fighting the gross alien, Rhinex. Plus there had been all the upgrades Bridge, Boom and Syd had done to R.I.C. The duties of being a Power Ranger, plus all the extra R.I.C. duties exhausted the young mechanical genius.

'I can't wait to go to home…maybe make some hot chocolate, some toast…maybe even French Toast! If I can figure out where Sky hid my portable self-heating skillet…maybe under his bed?'

"You look exhausted," a dry voice observed from Bridge's right side.

"Huh?" Bridge looked up from his internal musings. "Oh, hi Z."

"What's up, Bridge?"

"Thinking about making French Toast…only I don't know where Sky hid my skillet; I'm thinking its under his bed, beneath his SPD manuals and his baby blanket."

"Sky has a baby blanket?"

"Sure. Doesn't everyone? I mean everyone has to, otherwise what else do you wrap babies in? A towel? Actually, you do when you bathe a baby--"

"Never mind Bridge. I'll just make a note to mock Sky later," Z sighed. "I meant to talk to you about something else, anyways."

"Talk?" Bridge felt vaguely flustered. "Here?" He gestured to the empty hallway they were in.

"Well, lets walk to the Rec Room then," Z gestured down the hallway as she spoke.

"I was just thinking that it was really nice of you and Boom to do all that stuff on R.I.C. for Syd this past week," Z said as she walked staring straight ahead. "I thought someone ought to say that; I ah…I think she really appreciated it."

"Really?" Bridge brightened. "That's great, but you know Syd helped and everything. Besides it was for R.I.C. too. He's a part of the SPD family!"

"Yeah you mentioned that before. But R.I.C.'s just a robot, you know."

"Doesn't matter," Bridge said as he shook his head. "R.I.C.'s been around since before I was a cadet; before Syd and Sky even. He's been there since day one of training. I mean we grew up with him, ya know? He's as much a part of our lives as Cruger or Kat or Boom; like the family dog, only he's so much more you know? Part dog, part media player, part big honking gun--"

"Sounds like R.I.C. means a lot to all of you, then," Z mused. "Except maybe Sky."

"Naw, Sky likes R.I.C. Sky used to play with R.I.C. when we were in D-squad. Used to run laps with him, until R.I.C's servos got a little too rusted and old. Although, now days Sky's too busy to run with R.I.C. or anyone else," Bridge looked a bit miffed at this last thought.

"But its like I said. R.I.C. is family. Just like you and Jack!" Bridge happily concluded. He turned to his right expecting an answer and was confused to see no one beside him.

"Z?"

Bridge turned around and spotted Z several steps behind him, stopped in the middle of the corridor with a distant look in her eye.

"Z? Are you ok?"

"What? I—yeah. I'm fine Bridge," Z abruptly came back to herself. She ducked her head slightly at Bridge's concern. "I just got…distracted. Sorry."

"Distracted?"

"It's nothing."

"You sure? You're shaking, Z!" Bridge realized. "Do you wanna sit down or something?"

"I said I'm fine, Bridge!"

"You look pale."

"Bridge!"

"You should stand on your head."

"Bridge, quit it, I—What?"

"You should stand on your head. That's what I do when my mind's going a million different directions at once," Bridge said sympathetically. "Sometimes I get too many thoughts at once, ya know and its really really hard to concentrate on just one. It gets a little overwhelming. So I stand upside down and let gravity pull the thoughts to my head."

"Right."

"Really! I think it works because when all the blood is rushing to your head it makes you kinda dizzy and really makes you concentrate on specific things. At least it does for me."

"I--"

"I said something that bothered you," Bridge interrupted. "I kind of would like to know what."

"It's just…nothing, Bridge. You just surprised me, with your whole 'Jack and me are family' crap."

"Its not crap, Z. You are family."

"That's just ridiculous Bridge. You barely know me! Or Jack. We're just two criminals who were stupid enough to get caught and given a lucky break, that's all."

"Hey. That is so not true!" Bridge protested. "You're not stupid and SPD isn't just some 'lucky break'. Its means more to me than that. To all of us."

"Ah, look. I'm sorry," Z sighed. "I mean—of course it means a lot to you. You've spent your teenage years here, right."

"Just about, yeah."

"Well me and Jack? Spent our years on the streets. Five years, in and out of homes, shelters and clinic waiting rooms. We didn't have R.I.C. or Cruger; someone to watch out for us. Me and Jack, yeah, we're familia, I guess. But we are completely different from SPD."

"What makes you different from SPD?" Bridge countered. "I mean, yeah it's an organization of millions with departments and everything and there's just you and Jack. But I mean, SPD is supposed to stand for good things. Protecting the innocent. Pursuit of justice. To safeguard all beings, regardless of species, gender, sexuality, race, creed. Fight against oppression.

What were you and Jack doing? Protecting others by giving them things they needed. Clothes and blankets and food. So your methods needed a little work. That's ok, I mean cause you were doing the same things that me and Sky and Syd were trained to do. Protecting others. Its what we do now as Rangers."

"Wow Bridge," Z smirked, appearing completely in control once more. "That's quite a speech. I wonder why you don't talk this clearly at the breakfast table."

"You don't believe me," Bridge frowned and he tilted his head to one side. "Why?"

"Your view, your perspective…it's just so innocent. You know? Such perfect solider talk. Things are different in the real world."

"This is the real world. I don't understand why my perspective is innocent and not yours."

"Ha! I am not innocent!" Z scoffed. "You SPD Spacers are the ones who's got your heads in the clouds."

"There is nothing that can prove your perspective is any more valid than mine. Just because we had different childhoods, doesn't mean we're not compatible. A bank robber steals money at the same time a mother feeds her infant son. Someone dies at the same time someone else is born. I'm awake at the exact moment that someone else is sleeping. No one can say the world happens for them alone."

Z shook her head at Bridge's words. "I don't understand what you're talking about, Bridge."

"I'm saying that just because Syd grew up with a lot of money and had her parents her whole life, doesn't mean she isn't capable of understanding the basic parts of who you are. She doesn't need to understand the details to be your friend."

Z flinched slightly. "I doubt Syd wants to be my friend."

"She does. I mean she doesn't say that verbally. But if she really didn't want to be your friend, she wouldn't argue with you as much. Someone who completely dislikes someone doesn't even bother to fight. They're just…cold," Bridge's face took on a slightly haunted look with his statement. Z however didn't seem to notice.

"So by that logic, Sky must love Jack."

Z's sarcasm went over Bridge's head once more.

"Love? Like by love you mean care for, right?" Bridge paused. "Not yet. Sky hasn't allowed himself to think about Jack like that. He certainly cares about Jack. How Jack acts and what he does. But Sky's focus is more directed at himself right now, at how Jack angers him and affects him. Eventually he'll get tired of always thinking about how angry he is and he'll start to realize how he affects Jack too."

Z gave Bridge an odd stare. Bridge winced.

"What?"

"You're a crazy guy, you know that Bridge?"

"…ah…yeah."

"I don't see how any of this suddenly makes me and Jack 'family'."

"Well…I guess it depends on your perspective of family."

Bridge sighed loudly and slowly lowered himself to the ground, with his back against the wall. Z looked up and down the empty hallway before shrugging and sliding down the wall next to Bridge.

"Your definition of family, Bridge?"

"Ah..'s not really a definition, like a textbook, Webster type of definition. But I guess family is the people who are there to support you and be with you no matter what, in who you are and what you do and they are the people you look to for help."

"Isn't love a big part of family?"

"Sure. But I'm still not sure what type of love you mean. Mother's love? A husband's love? A love for a pet? Besides family is kind of also the definition of love. Because if you love someone, you're supportive of them and your mind is always with them, even if you're not physically there."

"Well, I have to kind of agree with you there. Love isn't just blood."

"That's pretty cool, Z, because most people assume family is the people you are related to, because that the official textbook definition, right? Family is who you're born to? But its more complicated that that because there are mothers who don't support their children and don't always make the right choices."

"So SPD is your family then?"

"Yes. Sky and Syd…they're like my brother and sister. They help me out in training, hang out with me and they're there when I need them. They're also the ones I turn to when I feel down or need company or just to fill up the silence or drown out the noise of…well…everything."

"That's how I feel about Jack."

Z pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, appearing deep in thought.

"When we were kids? Jack was the one who watched my back; taught me how to act in front of my social worker and when it was the right time to ditch my messed up foster parents and head out into the streets. And you know what? I watched his back too, made sure he never went overboard on his 'Robin Hood' crusade and helped him out when he got sick. Sometimes he was my only company and we'd just hang out and say nothing. Just stare out at the city lights, looking for stars."

"Sky and I would do that too, from our dorm room window. When we were a lot younger. Looking for distant stars and planets."

The two of them sat in silence. Z rested her head against her arms and closed her eyes and Bridge did his best not to notice her faint shivering. But finally, unable to sit and watch Z not cry, Bridge draped his left arm over her shoulder in an awkward movement. Z stiffened for a moment, but the emotional intensity of their conversation, on top of their already exhausting week, weakened Z's resolve. Instead of fighting, she allowed herself to lean into Bridge.

Bridge smiled over the top of Z's head and stared at her dark hair. The colors appeared different under florescent lights, but Bridge knew that they were the same colors he'd seen a week before in the sunlight.

"I can't believe no one's come into this hallway yet," Z finally observed, breaking the silence.

"It is after hours now. We were late getting out of the Command Center."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Ah well," Z paused, appearing torn between remaining seated or standing up. Standing up won. She moved Bridge's hand off her shoulder and rose, but kept a firm grip on his hand. Bridge stared at the petite hand for a moment before he also stood up.

"Z--"

"Bridge--"

The two paused for a moment and Bridge blushed under Z's tight scrutiny.

"Bridge, look, I…ah…I—do you want to go play some video games?" Z said, dropping Bridge's hand.

Bridge blinked. "Ahh…what?"

"Video games. You, me; rec room. No one's there."

"But its after hours. We'd be breaking, like, five SPD regulations."

"Six. Come on, that's what makes it fun."

Bridge felt thwarted. He was exhausted, sore and feeling extremely confused. He couldn't tell if his rambling discussion had lasting effects and he never managed to get his French toast like he wanted.

"Bridge?"

Bridge took a deep breath and smiled at Z.

"Yeah, sure. Why not."

After all, Bridge mused as they walked together, close enough so that their hands were nearly touching, it was nice to do things for family. Z may not have recognized Bridge as family yet, but Bridge hadFrom the moment Bridge met Z, he had been admiring her colors. He would just have to wait until Z stopped and looked at Bridge and do the same.

'Love is a definition of family,' Bridge repeated to himself.

Z was Bridge's family.

Next Chapter:Gruumm never did take advantage of the situation Bork presented him when he kidnapped the Green Ranger in the episode Missing. But what if he had? What would that mean for Bridge Carson?