Author's Note: Here's the finished product. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Chapter 12: I'll Be Alright

At the park…

Music hummed peacefully as a slow song settled over Angel Grove Park. The volunteers of the conservation project danced leisurely as Savage Garden played on, relieved and proud of their determined dedication and hard work. Most of the attendees had actually managed to find decent clothes to wear, so that the dance turned out to be much more formal than they had thought. Boys timidly walked up to girls, extending hands and invitations to join them out on the dance floor. The girls excitedly went off, twirling into a slow-paced waltz.

On the east side of the park, the Rangers stood clustered as a new song vibrated through the park. It was another slow, romantic dance, and most of the Rangers squirmed at the thought of dancing with their significant other, or hopeful significant other.

Tommy immediately stood up, extending his hand out to a blushing Kat. She quickly accepted, hopping to her feet. Tommy wound his fingers in hers, smiling contentedly as the two twirled into a sea of dancers. The other Rangers gazed after them enviously.

Gritting his teeth, Jason stood up as well and held out his hand to a surprised Tanya. The Yellow Ranger stood up slowly, placing her hand into Jason's, locking eyes with him. They exchanged a small smile and began dancing too, completely engaged in the other person. Soon, they disappeared as well.

"Mind if I have this dance?" Rocky asked quietly, his voice dropping significantly. He held out his hand timidly, his face bright red. Elizabeth stared at him with delight and amazement. She staggered as she stood up, her hand reaching for his. Rocky entwined his right hand with hers, guiding her into the sea of floating dancers. She was unaware of all the volunteers, unaware of her friends and the beautiful June night spilling across the sky. All that she focused on was her date in front of her, her best friend of twelve years, smiling down at her with an expression that left her breathless. He was staring at her as though she was the only person that mattered to him, a look most women would envy to be on the receiving end.

"I never thought it would be like this," Rocky whispered, his breath tickling her ear. He seemed younger than before, his face masking mixed emotions. "When we were younger…all I cared about was…well, mostly trying to protect Adam from his dad…and just trying to enjoy life as a kid. When we moved to Angel Grove, it seemed as if some dark cloud had lifted over my eyes, and I saw you for the beautiful, intelligent woman that you are. I just wish I saw it earlier. If I did, then maybe we could have been together longer. Instead, I was a fool and I didn't even try to tell you how I felt. But I was scared," his voice shook, his hands trembled in hers. "I didn't want to lose you. I was afraid you'd reject me, and then things would be so uncomfortable between us. Our friendship means the most to me; if I ever lost you, I don't know how I could continue on. So, I tried to put my feelings behind me, knowing that I love you first and foremost, as my best friend. I never wanted to risk our friendship because of my stupidity, or my own selfish desires," he paused, staring into her green eyes. "But…the feelings I held inside intensified, and I couldn't stop them. Before I knew it, I was kissing you…and…I didn't want to stop. I couldn't stop. If I did, then any start to a relationship would have failed. I guess what I'm trying to say, out of all this rambling, is that I love you, Elizabeth." He halted briefly, taking in a more confident breath. "I love you, Elizabeth Charlotte Watson, now and forever. As I promised you before that I would always remain your best friend now and forever, I promise you here and now that I love you, now and forever, as well. Not just as a friend, but also as someone who can't imagine living the rest of his life without you." Tears dripped down his cheek, but he was smiling softly.

Elizabeth couldn't breathe. She felt her world spiraling. Her feet had left the ground and she was ascending into paradise. Gently, she released her hand from Rocky's shoulder and wiped a tear away. She laid her head against his chest, listening to the frantic, erratic beating of his heart, his big, pure, innocent heart.

"Rocky," she murmured, looking up, "I love you too. I'll always love you, now and forever, always. I don't know what to say. Just when I thought you couldn't amaze me anymore, you surprise me by reaching a whole new level of amazement. Everything you just said was so beautiful and so wonderful. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to say. What to do. But what I know is that I love you too. I love you, Rockford Eduardo DeSantos."

His hands stroked her back and she could hear them whisper against the cotton of her shirt, and then they were on her bare skin and she tilted back her head and he kissed her.

At first she was aware only of Rocky's mouth on her mouth, his hands sliding down her sides to grasp her waist and pull her more firmly against him, the sweet taste of him and the steady uninterrupted pounding of his heart.

It was the music she heard first; rising around them, piercing in its sweetness and distinctiveness, utterly beautiful. She pulled away from Rocky, whispered against his lips, "You hear that?"and he nodded, and tightened his arms around her.

"Wow," she said, a little wonderingly, and looked up as something brushed her face. Gazing up, she saw something she had never seen before or could have imagined: the stars, brilliant as diamonds, seemed, as she watched, to be detaching themselves from the black velvet of the night sky and fluttering downward, surrounding her and Rocky in a cage of sparkling lights. She knew it was an optical illusion or maybe a daydream, but it was nevertheless heartbreakingly beautiful. The stars, each the size of a fingernail and a brilliant silver-gold, piled themselves at her feet, lit on her shoulders, tangled themselves in Rocky's brown hair. She looked at him, following her own gaze upward.

"Can you see properly? It's beautiful." she said in a voice that shook a little.

He smiled then. "I can see you," he said. "That's all I need to see," and he took her hand again and pulled her against him, and this time she abandoned herself completely to kissing and being kissed by Rocky.

Wow, Adam thought, staring at his two best friends, completely absorbed in one another, kissing passionately, so lovingly. The Black Ranger sat down, sighing heavily. He forced himself to look at the other couples, but that seemed to distress him even more. He felt hot tears sting his cheek, and vigorously wiped them away. Don't Adam, he chastised himself.

"Adam?" A strong voice gripped his shoulder. He looked up, startled, but his expression turned into one of utmost shock as he reveled in the newcomer.

"Aisha!" He cried, jumping to his feet and embracing the former Yellow Ranger with an eager hug. He heard her laugh heartily and hug him back.

"Hey Adam, how have you been?" She asked, studying him. Adam stared at Aisha in astonishment. Did she get prettier when she went to Africa? Her long hair showered behind her in curtains of braids. Her skin was practically glowing with radiance. She looked healthy and happy.

"Aisha, when did you come back? Why didn't you call us?" Adam demanded, taking his old friend by the hand and leading her away from the dance. The two of them started to walk towards the lake.

"I tried, Adam! I called you and Rocky and Elizabeth, but all your lines were down. I didn't know what had happened, and I was so scared, so I contacted Zordon via my communicator," she held up her wrist, bearing her communicator. "He told me that Angel Grove had been attacked a few weeks back, so everyone's phone lines were down. He assured me that you guys were alright and doing well, but I was so worried that I hopped on the next plane to California and came here as soon as I could."

"Are you here to stay?" He asked, hoping that she was.

Aisha beamed with exhilaration. "Yes! I found the cure to the plague a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to make sure, so I ran a few more tests, but everything cleared, and the cure was delivered. That's why I was calling you guys. I wanted to tell you that I was coming back to Angel Grove. Back home."

Adam hugged her tightly, his mouth curving into a smile. Aisha's here to stay, he thought happily. He studied her again, noticing that she was wearing a long flowing black skirt and a sleeveless yellow blouse. She was bearing the lovely heart-shaped locket her grandmother had given her a few years back, the locket that had saved her from the Hate Master's spell that bound the rest of the team into a fury of agitation and hatred for each other.

She didn't need the necklace to be unaffected by the spell. She's got the biggest heart I know and she uses it.

"Adam, are you okay? You looked kind of down when I first saw you." Aisha's concerned voice echoed, penetrating through his thoughts.

The Black Ranger smiled pensively, and without hesitation, clutched Aisha's hand. The former Yellow Ranger looked at her friend questionably, but instead of questioning his motives, merely squeezed his hand in response.

"I think I'm going to be just fine, Aisha." Adam said truthfully, feeling better than he had in days.

Concluding Notes: Oohhh, and there we end with a little slip into what could possibly be the start of Adam and Aisha's relationship. Yes, Adam and Elizabeth never did together; Elizabeth realized her heart belonged with Rocky, and Adam courageously stepped down because sometimes in love, that's what happens. You can't always win, and sometimes, you have to let the better man win. I'm not doing this because I hate Adam. Quite the contrary. But it's just that during Power Rangers, there is very little insight into Rocky. Mostly people view him as this stupid, air-headed jock who loves to eat and who goofs around constantly. I wanted to get a little depth into the Blue Zeo Ranger, so that people recognize Rocky's abilities and strengths as both a Ranger and as a friend.

Once again, thanks for reading this. I hope you enjoyed the story.