Saturday

When Sydney awoke she experienced a feeling of déjà vu. For the second night in row she had woken up to see a sleeping Sky by her side. She smiled softly at the peaceful blue ranger before she pushed the covers off the bed and left before he could ask any questions.

She was horrified when she took in her appearance in the bathroom mirror. 'No wonder everyone's worried.' She noted with disgust as she saw the dark circles under her eyes and the missing sparkle that usually shone in her aqua blue eyes.

She felt so alone. She wanted to see her friends and meet their families but she felt like an outsider. She missed her late night talks with Z as she had been spending the last few nights in the infirmary or falling asleep before the yellow ranger returned to the room.

She missed playing light ball with Jack and laughing with Bridge. The only person she felt connected to was Sky. Syd wondered if it was because he knew what it was like to lose someone and she appreciated his efforts. Without realizing it Syd found herself wondering back to the movie room to finish the video she hadn't been able to finish the night earlier. Maybe it would give her some clues about her mother.

That was where her teammates found her when all other attempts at locating her failed. Sky had finally used the tracking system on his communicator to track her down. He hadn't wanted to intrude on her solitude but they were all downright worried about their pink ranger.

Jack opened the door to the little used room and there she was, curled up on the couch sobbing into her stuffed elephant. Before they could reach her they noticed what was playing on the TV.

Z gasped as she recognized the young girl on the screen. "Syd." She whispered in surprise. Bridge and Jack were equally shocked, but Sky had vague memories of the event-taking place on screen. The doctor had been running general tests on him and Syd but he couldn't remember why.

"Hold still Sydney." The blonde haired woman tried to calm down the anxious 5 year old. "Don't let them hurt me." She whimpered scared at the sight of the doctor that stood before her.

"It will be ok Syd." The brown haired boy sitting next to her promised confidently even as he reached over to hold her hand. Behind him stood the legendary Marcus Tate who looked on with pride at his seven-year-old son. She seemed to calm down at his statement much to the relief of the woman next to her.

Just then the alarms began blaring through out SPD. "Mommy, don't go!" Sydney cried out hysterically. The woman looked at her sympathetically. "I have to sweetie, it's my job." She apologized softly.

"Let's go Adrianna. The others are waiting." The red ranger ordered firmly, pulling the pink ranger out of the room.

"Sky, look after Syd will you?" Marcus commanded from where he stood at the door. "Yes sir." Sky agreed easily, looking at the young girl who was the closest friend he had.

Sky remembered his childhood days. While he enjoyed spending time with his dad, most days he was left alone to play on the base except for the days that Sydney came. He always hoped that she would come and keep him company because days went faster and were more fun with someone to share them with. 'That is still true today.' He thought remarkably, glad that Syd was still by his side even all these years later.

Marcus Tate's funeral

It had been 9 years since he had seen her, but he was glad she came. The pretty little girl had grown into a beautiful teen. In the midst of his grief he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her blonde curls were pulled back in a sedate bun but it did nothing to take away from her beauty. Blue eyes shining with tears as she stood by herself at the gravesite. He wondered why she was alone before tearing his gaze away from his old friend to pay attention to the minister. The rest of the service was a blur. Kisses and sympathy by friends and family, formal condolences from the SPD brass. Sky couldn't wait for it to be over.

"Go on." Amanda Tate whispered to her son, noticing the looks he was giving the blonde haired girl. Even nine years later, she recognized her as her son's long lost playmate. Her usually reserved son was always happier and carefree when he was with Sydney. She was all he talked about whenever they played together at SPD.

"Sydney." He spoke her name, startling the younger girl. She looked up at the boy she hadn't seen in years and without missing a beat, threw her arms around the surprised boy in her usual carefree manner.

"I'm so sorry Sky." She whispered as she held him close. Her soft words broke down the last of Sky's walls as he allowed himself to cry freely. She held him quietly as he mourned the death of his father, his hero.

That had been the last time he saw her until she arrived at the SPD academy.

Day one of cadet training and Sky stretched to ease the tension he felt as he waited for the initial tests to begin. He looked around the field of young men and women like him who wanted to serve Space Patrol Delta.

Jack giggled at the look of adoration that crossed the girl's face as she turned to look at her protector. Z thought it sweet that even then Sky had been by Syd's side. She looked at him now and saw a different look cross his face when he gazed at the blonde girl. He had left their side to kneel in front of the sobbing Syd. He whispered softly trying to get her to calm down as he brushed the curly hair out of her face.

"He loves her." Bridge whispered knowingly to the yellow and red rangers as they watched Sky carry Syd away back to her room.

"You must know where she went." Sky questioned the commander hopefully.

"Adrianna left suddenly after your father's funeral." Cruger answered the blue ranger's question.

"We didn't even know she was gone until Lana found her communicator the next morning on her bed." Kat filled in quietly.

"Is there anyway to find her?" Sky asked in frustration as he and Jack met up with Kat and Cruger.

"Why wouldn't her mom want to see her own daughter?" Added Jack angrily as he paced inside the command center.

"It's not that simple." Cruger sighed. "You see Syd's dad did resent Adrianna for all the time she spent here at SPD. I'll never forget how different she was after the divorce; it was like the life had been drained from her. She never talked about it, not to any of us."

"There must be something we can do." Jack said worried. "I can't watch her like this. It's tearing her apart. She's all alone." He rubbed his hands over his face, the burden of being the leader weighing heavily on him.

"I remember how attached Syd was to her dad, how could he turn his back on her like that?" Sky wondered in shock and concern, remembering what Jack had told him on Thursday.

"He was afraid she would become like her mom. And she did, only because he pushed her to do so." Kat said thoughtfully. "I'm not saying Adrianna wasn't to blame too, but he never accepted her for who she was. He was always trying to change her, giving her grief about time spent at SPD."

"But Sydney has all of you to care for her." Cruger reminded them, contradicting Jack's statement that she was all alone.

Syd was alone when she woke up in her room a few hours later. Instead of sadness about being alone during family weekend, she was filled with a different emotion: anger. Angry that her mother had left her, angry that her dad was disinterested and disowned her. But Sydney Drew was not one to be angry for long. Determined to at least make an appearance during the weekend, she showered and dressed and headed to the ballroom where the cadets and their families were gathered.

She had second thoughts as she stood in the doorway listening to the sounds of laughter that emanated from the large room. Before she could change her mind, Sky was there to greet her and ease her nerves.

"I'm glad you came Syd." He whispered as he gently put her hand on his arm and escorted her to the private room that Cruger had reserved for B-Squad and their families. "You are the most beautiful girl here tonight." He offered almost shyly, but truthfully. Syd had chosen her favorite strapless light pink gown and opted to leave her curls loose, making her appear vulnerable and sweet.

"I almost didn't come." She admitted quietly as they made their way through the throngs of cadets in the main dining room.

"I know." Sky said aware of her sadness. "I'm glad you did though, I know it wasn't easy." He complimented her for her bravery.

"Syd!" Z called out in surprise and happiness as the pink ranger appeared on the blue ranger's arm. She rushed to hug her roommate and introduce her around. Syd was immediately overwhelmed, but in a good way by Bridge's family. They made her feel at ease and had her laughing in no time. It didn't take long for Syd to feel welcome despite the fact that she was alone. But she realized she wasn't alone, she had her teammates who were always there for her every day, and for the first time that weekend she didn't dwell on the past, but was grateful for the present. She surprised Z and everyone else when she fell into easy conversation with her parents, speaking Portuguese with an ease that rivaled Z's skills.

"Syd?" Jack said in awe as he listened to her. "I didn't know you spoke Portuguese." He declared amazed.

"How come you never told me?" Z demanded in mock anger. "Never came up." She retorted quickly, escaping the yellow ranger's inquisition.

"Never came up." Jack mumbled in disbelief. "Any other languages you can speak?" He asked jokingly.

"Just French, Italian, Spanish and Romanian." She declared non-chalantly as she made her way to meet Jack's parents.

"We've heard so much about you." Mrs. Landors said as she greeted the girl who had become like a younger sister to her son. "Jack speaks very highly of you." She reported honestly. Syd grinned up at the red ranger that she had become close to in the last few months.

"Jack's not bad himself." She teased affectionately. Jack didn't care that she was teasing him; it was good to have the old Syd back. It had literally torn him apart to see her fall apart this past week. The worst part was that there was nothing he could do to help her.

Amanda Tate was impressed with the composure the pink ranger showed while interacting with her teammates and their families. Sky had told her some things about his old friend, but he never did mention he was in love with her, she thought with a smile. She watched her son as he watched the pink ranger with concern, tenderness and love. She thought the two made quite an attractive pair, and she knew that Sydney was a good match for her strong-willed and stoic son. On the other hand, she knew that the protective side of Sky came out whenever Syd was mentioned. He would do anything for her.

No one wanted the night to end because it meant that tomorrow they would have to say goodbye and there was no guarantee when they would see each other again. While the others retired to the common room, Syd begged off because of exhaustion. Sky didn't even hesitate to walk her back to her room.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned as they reached her door. "I'm fine Sky." She said even as she yawned. He was reluctant to leave her but she made him go. "Go." Syd commanded sweetly as she opened the door.

"Good night Syd." He returned quietly as he watched the door close. As the door shut between them, Syd noticed a large box on her bed. Curious, she went to open it, not recognizing the return address on the box. She cheerfully ripped off the brown wrapping paper to find a pink box and carefully lifted off the lid. Inside was numerous bunches of letters all numbered carefully in chronological order. Syd turned the overhead lights off and got into her pajamas before opening envelope number 1.

A cliff hangar! Stay tuned for the sequel, Letters to Sydney. Please Review! Thanks.