Ally was the first to make it into command, nearly dropping her skateboard in the process. "Uh…" Ryan began, craning his neck to peer around the corner where she'd ran in from, "Where's-"
She held up a thumb, pointing behind her as Kelsey came skating in, and she pushed out a chair for the athlete to sit in before she could hit the ground. "Looks like we made it just in time!"
Joel glanced around at them, and Ally peered up at the cowboy. "No coffee this time?" She threw her hands into the air, shooting a glare at Kelsey.
"You see, I was going to suggest that. But then someone decided to take the scenic route, and-"
"Wasn't it nice?" Ally paused before she issued another retort. The hiking trail that led all the way back to the Aqua Base access point had been gorgeous, but, all the same…
"Scenic routes tend to run a bit long, Kels," Ally reminded, taking off her helmet and fixing her hair. Carter pointedly looked away, and both Chad and Ryan frowned, the former narrowing his eyes at her as if she had something on her face, which she might've. It was either that, or…
"Hey, you dyed your hair!" The Blue Ranger reported, and Ally nodded. It'd been a good few months since she'd gone with jet black, and now, it was a light ginger. (She really only changed hair colors when she was stressed. Case in point: her parents had called her to remind her about bringing "Leon's murderer" in to them, then the authorities. She still wasn't sure how the hell she was going to cover for that.) Honestly, she fucked with this style. She flipped her hair playfully, much to the laughter of the others.
"Just last night." Dana rolled her eyes as the door to her father's quarters opened.
"Made the whole room smell like bleach," she joked, "I should've kicked her out to your guys' room."
Joel shook his head. "No way-"
"Rangers." They stood, and Ally dropped her board, kicked it under the table out of sight. "I have a very important assignment for you." She almost cringed. On top of everything else… "I want you to take a day off." Oh.
Joel burst into laughter, and Ally kicked his shin as discreetly as possible. "Nice joke, Cap." There was no response, and she smiled to herself. "You're kidding, right?"
"Absolutely not. You've all worked very hard, and you deserve it. Do whatever you want." Nobody moved, least of all Ally. Captain Mitchell glanced around at all of them, a near incredulous look on his face, "Dismissed." And there it was. She turned, grabbed Dana's hands as the two jumped up and down. It felt like when school let out for the summer. "Oh, and Alyssa?" Ally glanced over at her boss, who was only grinning. "Nice hair. Hope it didn't stain any appliances."
Oops.
Ally couldn't help the choking feeling of homesickness as she gazed out at the crashing waves. This was just like how it was back home: the beaches crowded with surfers, people tanning, swimmers, athletes, and those there just to have a good time with their friends. But what was missing was the aloha spirit. The knowledge that here, on the sand and in the water, you were connected to each other. She just didn't feel that-
"This anything like how it is back home?" Ally glanced over at Dana, who was busy burying Ryan in the sand, and for a moment, she thought back to when it'd been her and Leon, then her and her younger brother, Ash.
"A little. As cliche as this sounds… it's missing the aloha spirit. You just…" She sighed, flopped onto her back on her towel, letting the sun soak over her. It was about time she got a good tan. "Can't get that anywhere but Hawaii."
"Al, you need to take us one day," Chad gushed as he placed his surfboard down. "Seriously, man."
Kelsey followed suit, but then glanced around, frowning. "Speaking of missing… anyone see Carter?" Ally groaned, standing up and grabbing her towel.
"No," she muttered, shaking the sand off the beach towel, "But I know where he is."
If it'd been anyone else, in any other situation, Ally would one thousand percent pull up to Seapoint Lookout with her car speakers blasting the loudest they could go. But as someone who understood what meditating before training actually was, she didn't dare to do that to Carter. (Especially because they'd been walking on eggshells around each other recently. She'd kissed him- kissed him- nearly two weeks ago, but things still hadn't quite gone back to normal. She hated it.) He sat cross-legged in the grass, and for a moment, she simply stared out at the view, wondering what the hell she was doing here. For all she knew, he could just tell her to go back to the others.
But she wouldn't know until she tried, right? Ally swore under her breath, realizing that that was the very logic that'd landed her in the awkward situation she was in now. But she'd driven all the way up here, and she really didn't want to waste gas money. So, she stepped out of her car, walked across the grass over to Carter, who'd glanced back at her to see who'd pulled up to his training spot.
His face reddened, and Ally glanced down at her attire: a white oversized shirt and black ripped denim shorts. Nothing special. "What?" She joked, starting her own stretches once she laid out her towel again. "I'm sure you've seen girls in less."
Why, oh why did all of her snarky comments sound so flirty around Carter?
"Not you, I haven't." Silence enveloped the space, and Ally took a deep breath as she sat cross-legged, allowing herself to become aware of each of her limbs. "Why aren't you at the beach with the others?"
Oh, she thought, because it was making me so homesick that my stomach was literally hurting? That as much as I want to bring you guys to Hawaii, that as long as Ryan walks free I can't?
"'Cause I'm trying to drag your ass there," she muttered, "What're you doing working on an off-day, anyway?"
Carter exhaled deeply. "Training."
"Well, I see that." She sighed as she stared out over the city. This view was just like the one at Tantalus Lookout. Her chest tightened once more, just as it'd done at the beach. "Can't it wait? You deserve some time to relax, after everything that's happened these past few months."
"I don't like to take a day off from training," he replied simply, and Ally let out a groan, glancing over to where Carter was staring off into the distance as well.
"I can't win with you, can I?" He smiled gently, and Ally really felt like throwing up.
"No, you can't." He stood, stretched his arms above his head, and she tried her best not to stare as his red shirt and blue jacket lifted, displaying a hint of his toned stomach. "I'll come back with you on one condition." Ally grinned. Already she was hearing a casual tone back in his otherwise serious voice.
"Which is?" Carter held out a hand out to help her up.
"You beat me in a spar."
She wasn't sure if she'd ever sparred with anyone besides for Chad, and she hoped this wouldn't be like that, since he'd always win. Literally every single time, and she was kind of sick of losing. But Ally wasn't stupid, so she didn't take his hand, instead getting to her feet on her own, tossing her makeshift yoga mat away to keep from getting tangled in it.
"Oh, it's so-" He lunged forward, and not having expected him to act so early, Ally was barely able to sidestep, duck under, and otherwise deflect his quick movements. As he drew his right arm back for another punch, she noticed his momentary hesitation, probably to decide his next plan of attack, and so when he launched forward, she grabbed his arm. Using his momentum, she threw him as hard as she could, but when she pivoted around, she found that Carter hadn't fallen, instead merely staggered as they'd switched sides.
"Good," he breathed out, and she narrowed her eyes. "But I'm still standing, aren't I?" Ally smirked.
"Not for long, Grayson," she argued as they circled each other. This time, she went on the offensive, careful to only give short, quick jabs to keep from him using her trick on, well, herself. When the punches didn't work, she leaped up, trying for a kick into his chest.
That was a mistake. He grabbed her leg, and using her momentum, flipped her onto her back. She didn't stay down for long, though, pushing herself right back up with her arms and kicking out. Carter hadn't been expecting her to get up that fast, but as he lost his balance, he reached out, grabbed Ally's ankle, and tugged.
They both hit the grass, and before she could get back up, he was there, pinning both her wrists in his hand and straddling her waist. Their chests heaved with the exertion from the match, and Ally could swear that this closeness was not going to help her heart rate slow whatsoever. She fought to keep her eyes from straying to Carter's mouth, since his own gaze was transfixed on her eyes. "Okay," she breathed, "You've won."
"Right," Carter muttered, scrambling off of her and taking up his seat on the grass, and Ally sat up next to him "Sorry 'bout that." She shrugged, desperately trying to ignore the way her heart was racing a million miles per hour.
"No big deal. We can both get competitive sometimes, huh?" Carter laughed, and Ally wanted to scream. How was he so frustratingly attractive?
"That's for sure." For a moment, they simply gazed out at the city. "How are you holding up?"
Ally knew he didn't mean with classes. "With Leon, you mean?" He nodded, and she shrugged. "At first… I don't know whether I was angry or sad about everything, or maybe a bit of both. That's kind of why I shut myself off from you guys. I didn't wanna burden the rest of you with something I had to deal with myself, especially since Ryan was instated into Lightspeed." Carter was quiet, so she continued. "It still hurts. I don't think it will ever stop hurting. But recently, I think…"
What did she think? That Ryan had proved himself worthy to be a part of Lightspeed? That despite his past actions… he'd proven he was capable of turning away from them, and was worthy of forgiveness?
That there was something very, very wrong that he was hiding from her? From all of them?
"I don't know what I think. Or what I feel." She took a breath as her voice shook and tears pricked at her eyes. "But what I do know is that it's not about dwelling on the pain. I think it might be about learning from it, growing from it, and moving forward. 'Cause I don't think life is about regretting what you've lost and hating what took those things from you. I think it's about loving what you still have. Y'know?" Her best friend, her leader, her Red, was quiet. And when she turned to look at him, she saw him looking right at her, tears filling his eyes and trailing down his face.
Ally didn't think twice. Instead, she moved closer to his side until their shoulders were pressed together. A gust of wind whistled as Carter cried quietly, and goosebumps rose on her skin. Silently, he took off his sweater, draped it around her shoulders, and she tugged it closer around her frame. Finally, he wiped at his eyes, took a deep, trembling breath. "In the time that you spent away from us," he began, "I missed you. Even though I saw you almost every day, I missed you."
Because she'd changed. Because she wasn't the person she was at the start of all this.
Maybe he didn't miss her, but maybe he missed the old her.
"I was so worried about you," he continued, "So were the others. Y'know, we planned interventions." Ally let out a groan.
"Great. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Car." He chuckled, and when the wind blew around them once more, she started shaking. Her warm Hawaii resident blood wasn't used to the cooler temperatures- Carter wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and Ally nearly stopped breathing. She guessed he'd felt her tense up, since he went to move away, but then she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I missed you, too."
"You know, the thing you said about feeling like you were going to burden us?" She hummed in acknowledgement, desperately trying to drag her thoughts away from his thumb that rubbed gentle circles on her arm. "That shouldn't have stopped you from telling us what you were going through. That's why we're such a good team: we can bear each other's burdens." As always, Carter was right. She wanted to punch him and kiss him at the exact same time.
"I hate how right you are all the time." Carter laughed.
"And I hate when I'm not right. Guess we make a pretty killer duo, huh?" Ally blushed.
"But all jokes aside, the helmets we wear are heavy, but yours is especially so." She paused, trying to formulate her thoughts. "You should really take your own advice, Car." His thumb paused on her arm.
"I try," he whispered, "but it's hard. I feel like I've got some sort of… reputation to uphold, or something." Ally remembered the little boy. Of Carter talking to him in the hospital room. Of her pep talk to him. "'Cause if I'm not the Red Ranger, then who am I, you know?"
Something like anger flooded through Ally, and she straightened up, glaring into Carter's eyes as he smiled sheepishly. She let out a frustrated sigh, took his hand gently. "Who are you?" She whispered, "You're Carter freaking Grayson. A badass firefighter, an awesome fighter, and an even better leader. Please, don't doubt yourself like that. You're amazing, Carter. I promise." His eyes searched her face, then he smiled softly.
"Thanks, Al. I needed that." She shrugged, forcing her eyes away from his lips. "Promise me you won't shut yourself out from us again?" Ally held her hand up, and Carter linked their pinkies together.
Captain Mitchell cleared his throat.
The two leaped apart, Ally throwing Carter's jacket back at him, nearly smacking him in the face. "Am I interrupting something?"
Carter almost felt bad for letting Ally go back to the beach without him. Oh, who was he kidding, he did feel bad. But he wasn't sure if there were any rules prohibiting him and Ally from getting closer than friends, and he wasn't about to raise any more of Captain Mitchell's suspicions by going with her. So, he stayed, spending the rest of the afternoon jogging with his boss. Finally, they collapsed back onto the grass, and Carter grinned, tossing Cap his water bottle.
"You know, I thought I'd have to call for Dana and her ambulance," he joked.
"Laugh it up, rookie," Captain Mitchell replied, "When I was your age, I would've left you in the dust." Carter covered his head as the Captain dumped the rest of the bottle's contents onto him. "Believe it or not, I used to train just like you. But, even I took a day off every now and then. Honestly, Carter? I've never seen anyone so driven."
Sometimes I feel like I'm not enough, he'd said to Ally, No matter how hard I try.
"Or so head over heels," Captain Mitchell added, and Carter wanted to die. Just collapse on the spot. "Why is that?"
"Uh, well… every mile I run, every drop of sweat, I'm doing it to be as good as him."
"As good as who?" Carter shrugged.
"The fireman who saved my life as a kid. I was in my room when our house caught on fire. I was nearly passed out when he suddenly ran in to rescue me." Without Ally's warmth by his side, the next time the breeze blew past him, Carter shivered. "A burning board fell, but he held it up so I could escape. I never did find out who he was. That's why I train. I wanna be just like my hero."
Captain Mitchell was quiet. "Remember, Carter, heroes are only human." He nodded. "You should tell her how you feel."
And now it was back to wanting to die. "I don't even know how I feel, Cap."
His boss shrugged. "Well then, does she know about the fire? Does anyone know?" Carter, admittedly, wasn't sure. He knew she'd heard some of what he'd told the little boy all those weeks ago, but he wasn't sure how much. "Start there. I think Alyssa would appreciate-" Captain Mitchell's gaze flew up, and Carter followed it to see a streak of purple rain down from the sky. 'Whatever that was, it landed near the power plant."
"We'd better check it out."
"Mission unsuccessful," Ally reported as she flopped down next to Kelsey. "The guy's almost as stubborn as you, Kels." She brushed off some invisible dust from her shoulder.
"I still hold that title. Sorry, guys."
"What did you do to the guy?" Joel joked, tossing her a can of Sprite from the cooler. Ally caught it, nodded in thanks, and took a long sip. "Kill him?"
"More like lost to him in sparring. That was what we agreed on, that if I beat him, he'd come back with me," she argued.
"Looks like you need more training, eh?" Chad suggested, and Ally shook her head, waving her hands.
"No thanks. I really don't wanna keep getting beat up by you-" Their morphers beeped in unison, and Joel lifted his arm up.
"Go ahead, Capt-"
"Carter and I are headed to the power plant outside of the city. Meet us there ASAP."
"Rangers." The monster, Shockatron, declared, emerging from the darkness above them. "How predictable."
"We're here to shut you down!" Carter shouted, but Shockatron merely took another step forward.
"Don't be ridiculous. Battlings!" Ally made quick work of the creatures that swarmed around her, their movements having become, well, predictable, and she rushed out of the power plant to where she knew Shockatron was. For the moment, it looked like Chad and Carter had him occupied, so she took the few moments she had to scramble up a ladder and onto a higher platform. Then, she pulled out her blaster, aimed it carefully down at them.
Ally didn't have a clear shot, and she figured one would be even harder to come by when Shockatron knocked Chad to the ground. "Carter, can you get me an opening?" The monster grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and she flinched, even as Shockatron turned its back towards her. "Sit tight." She aimed her blaster carefully. "I've got you." Then, she fired, and their opponent let go of Carter, allowing Ryan to sweep in, chopping down with his ax.
"Thanks, Al," Carter called up to her, and she nodded, clambering back down the ladder, flipping her blaster back into its holster. "V-Lancers, online!" Their initial attacks didn't do much damage, but when Shockatron tried to leap away from them, they were close behind, slicing once more.
"There's a little girl still missing. He went in to find her!" That, Ally decided, was probably the worst possible scenario that they could've arrived back to.
"Oh no," Dana breathed, and Ally gripped her shoulder, almost willing her to stay steady.
"He needs backup," Carter replied, and before Ally could stop him, the firefighter he was talking to did.
"Don't! It's too dangerous, that building's about to blow!" She was no firefighter, but from the flames billowing out of the windows and the smoke rising into the air… it looked like he was right-
"I've got to help him."
—-
Carter wasn't dumb. Or at least, he liked to think he wasn't. It was just sometimes, he didn't, well, think. So he should've expected someone to try to stop him as he ran for the building entrance. "Carter. Stop where you are."
After Ally had magicked Not-Joel/Diabolico the other day, Carter couldn't help but wonder what it'd felt like to be on the receiving end of her persuasion abilities. He decided now that he hated it. Her voice emanated power, forcing his limbs to freeze in place. But thanks to her explanation of how these powers worked… He envisioned the connection between them, grabbed onto it like a rope in his head. Then he pulled with all his might.
Ally only tried again. "Don't take another step-"
"I have to go, Al. I have to." With one last pull, the connection broke, and Carter was free to run into the fire.
As soon as Carter disappeared into the embers, Ally stumbled back, head whirling. Chad was there, steadying her, and she patted his arm to let her know she was okay. "It's like I said," she explained to the others as they gathered around her, "Carter's stubborn. And powerful. He resisted me way too easily."
"So let me guess," Joel started, "The next time we try to convince him to pick up the bill when we go out, we won't be using your magic powers." Ally glared at him.
"I won't be using it against any of you guys if I can help it," she retorted. In all honesty, she hated when she'd had to use her abilities against Not-Joel, and then just now against Carter. It stripped them of their choice, even if that choice would be a stupid one.
She just hoped that he would make it back.
Ally spent the next few minutes staring straight at the entrance of the building, waiting to see Carter's telltale red suit appear once more. But that wasn't where he reappeared. Instead, he leaped down from an upstairs window, the little girl, Jenny, safe in his arms. He put her safely back onto her feet, and when he ran over to them, Ally pulled her arm back and punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"
"For being an absolute idiot!" She protested. "Never scold me again for putting the mission before my safety, or else I'll just bring this up." She glanced around. There was one more person missing.
"Carter?" Dana whispered. "Where's my dad?" Ally was quick to step over to her side, to lend her moral support to the Pink Ranger.
"He's… he's still inside-"
"Get back!" A firefighter yelled at them, and Ally grabbed Carter's elbow with one hand and pushed Dana back with the other, dragging them as the team rushed away from the building. Then, just as they made it to safety, an explosion rocked out from the building.
"Dad!" Dana screamed, and Ally rushed over to the smoldering remains of the entrance, squinting through the flames. Their boss was resourceful, smart, Ally reminded herself. He would make it out of this. He would.
"Captain Mitchell!" Carter called, but there was no response. Dana dropped to her knees, and Ally bent down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"D, it's going to be okay. Uncle's going to be okay, I promise." She flinched. She really hadn't meant for that word to slip out, but it'd felt appropriate at this point. No doubt the others would question her about it later.
Ally's word held fast, as from the side of the building came a rope, and down that rope scrambled Captain Mitchell. Dana stood, rushing over to her father, and the others followed close behind.
"Al?" Dana asked when she dropped her boogie board back onto the shore.
"Yeah, D?"
"Why'd you call my dad your uncle?" Ally grinned as she squeezed the last few drops of salt water out of her ponytail. No doubt the salt water would wreak absolute havoc on her newly dyed hair.
"Well, it's actually a term we call people in Hawaii," she explained, "Like, anybody over the age of…" She paused, thinking, "Forty can be called aunty or uncle. You won't hear a single 'sir' or 'ma'am' spoken, unless it's by a tourist." Ally laughed. "You know, I shouldn't have told you guys. That way, when I get the chance to take you guys to visit, you'd make absolute fools of yourself."
Chad kicked at her shin from where he sat on his beach towel, and Ally leaped away just in time. "I feel like you're going to try to do that anyway."
She shrugged. "I dunno, man. We'll just have to wait and see." A flash of red caught her eye, and Ally's jaw dropped. "No way." Chad and Dana scrambled up, going to meet Carter.
"What're you doing here?" Kelsey asked, and Carter glanced around at them.
"It's my day off, too!" Joel scoffed, and Ally exchanged a doubtful glance with him.
"You mean," Dana began, snatching the frisbee out of his hands. Ally held up her own hands, and she tossed it into them. "You're actually here to have fun?"
"What," Carter argued, "You guys think I don't know how to have fun?"
Ally shrugged, crossing her arms. "One, the only way you were going to come to the beach earlier was if I beat you in sparring. Two, judging by your tacky aloha shirt…" She shivered, much to the laughter of the others (besides Carter. If looks could kill, she'd be dead.) "We'd have to say no." His gaze flicked behind them, and Ally frowned. "What?" He didn't reply. Instead, he dashed to their cooler, where they'd kept their water gun, and Ally let out a yelp as he ran after them.
EPILOGUE
"Alyssa, please," her mother pleaded with her, "This man is still out there somewhere, and he needs to be brought to justice. I'm sure you can find him."
"Yeah," she replied, gazing up at the ceiling of the gym. They'd gone back home after watching the sunset, and almost as soon as they'd got back to the Aqua Base, her parents had called her. Ally hadn't been surprised as to why. "I think I know exactly where he is."
"That's great," her dad encouraged, "Your mother and I know you can do it. But please stay safe, Ally." She heard the words he didn't say: that they couldn't lose another child the way that they lost Leon. But something still didn't sit right. The dream she had, the one where she witnessed Leon's death. The way he'd stared right at her and grinned like a maniac, like he knew what was happening.
Ally sighed. "I'll try."
"We love you, Alyssa." She didn't remember the last time her parents had uttered those words, and for a moment, she simply relished in the foreign feeling.
"Love you too, mom-" A yawn broke through her statement.
"Sounds like you had a lot of fun today," her dad observed, "Get some sleep, alright?"
"Alright," she mumbled, exhaustion overtaking her. "Miss you guys." They exchanged goodbyes, and when Ally hung up, she suddenly realized someone had been standing behind her.
She really shouldn't have taken the call through her morpher, which automatically put everything on speaker phone.
"Ally?"
Carter couldn't believe what in the world he was hearing. And despite it all, hurt flared through him. He'd told her, promised her, she could confide in them, in him, and yet… "What was that?" She stared at him as if he was a ghost.
"Carter, listen to me-"
"Didn't you hear a word I said today?" He didn't shout. He was too tired. "I thought…"
"I know," Ally whispered, stepping closer to him, "I know what you said, and I promise, I was going to tell you guys eventually-"
"And when was that, huh? After you turn Ryan in?" Pain flickered through her gaze, and Carter swore inwardly. He'd fucked things up, again.
"I wasn't going to," Ally hissed, "I was never going to, not after what he did for me in the cobra's lair. Not after he kept us alive during the whole feather incident. He's still the one who killed my brother, but there's…" She slammed her mouth shut, glanced around to the spots where he knew Lightspeed had installed cameras.
"Let's get out of here."
Mariner Bay's nightlife was fairly vibrant, but thankfully still quiet enough for Ally and Carter to walk through the streets. If she'd been alone, no doubt she'd have been accosted by creepy guys, but with the literal Red Power Ranger by her side, no one would dare to fuck with her. "Let me get this straight," Carter murmured, "You can see people's experiences through dreams? And you saw what actually happened during Leon's death?" Ally nodded.
"That about sums it up." Carter shook his head, and Ally tugged him out of the way as a bicyclist passed them on the narrow sidewalk. "I think there's something he's not telling me," she confessed the thing that'd been on her mind since the dream. "Something really important."
"And you won't turn him in because you think it'll clear him?" Carter asked, and Ally nodded.
"It's not just that. He's a Ranger now, like us. He's Dana's brother, Captain Mitchell's son… and my friend." The word almost surprised herself when Ally spoke it, "He may still be the one who killed my brother, and nothing will ever change that. But he's way, way more than that." Carter nodded slowly.
For a few heartbeats, they walked in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was never awkward around him. Ally so desperately wanted to reach down, to hold his hand, but that was… not a step she was ready to take. Finally, they arrived at a large tree that was strung with fairy lights all around it. People stood there, gazing up at the shimmering leaves, and Ally dug into her purse, pulled out her film camera. First, she snapped a photo of the tree itself. Then, she turned the lens to Carter, took a photo of him looking at the tree. His eyes reflected the lights as he gazed up at it, and she couldn't help but smile. "When you and I went to visit that little boy in the hospital." Whoa. She hadn't been expecting this, especially not since it'd happened a while ago.
"Yeah?"
"How much did you hear?" She shrugged.
"All of it." Carter flinched, and Ally grimaced.
"Well. That's the reason I was training today. I want to be as good as the firefighter who saved me that night as a kid."
Ally let out a low whistle. "Carter Grayson, showing raw emotions twice in a day? It's a record," she joked, and he shoved her. "Kidding."
"Al, can I be one hundred percent real with you?" She gazed up at him.
"Of course."
"Sometimes I feel like… I don't know. No matter how hard I try, it won't be enough in the end. Y'know?" In the end. He meant when Olympius returned. When it all boiled down to them versus the enemy. Ally would be lying if she said she didn't worry about the same thing, too. But for Carter…
She gazed around at the passerby that surrounded the tree. Even though when she'd first gotten her morpher, she'd doubted if this was the path she was set to be on… now, looking at those people, she knew for a fact that it was. Then, she took his hand, and when his fingers interlaced with hers, Ally could swear she could die happily. "Carter, you are so much more than enough," she whispered. "You do so much for the team, for Lightspeed. Hell, even you being here for me right now shows that you are enough. You go above and beyond, every damn time. And I-" Love you.
Somehow, she managed to keep her mouth shut before she could utter those two, damning words. "I'm proud of you. We all are." She managed to tear her gaze away from the twinkling lights and when she glanced up at him, she found that he was already looking at her.
"Is there anything I can do to help you with your parents?" She looked away from him as he changed the subject. If she kept staring into his eyes, she'd probably want to kiss him again.
"I don't know, Car. It's all so… messy, I guess. I just need him to tell me- to tell us- what he's hiding, and we can go from there." Carter nodded, and Ally's gaze was drawn over to where the bright window of an ice cream shop was. "But for now…"
Carter chuckled. "Ice cream. Of course."
