This is another longish one, so I suppose that's pretty exciting. Hmm. There may not be another chapter for a while because I'm graduating soon and I really need to focus on that. But…who knows? Inspiration hits me at the strangest times, so an update might be sooner than I think. Crazier things have happened.

This chapter also takes place between Lights, Camera, DAX and Face to Face Parts I & II, and is almost a direct continuation of the last chapter.

Enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated!

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"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." – M. Scott Peck

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Twilight Hours

The continuous pitter-patter of raindrops on the world outside the Hartford mansion provided background noise to the small argument going on inside.

"Your racecar is not cooler than our megazord. Hands down!"

Ronny, who had taken up a seat at the foot of the couch, rolled her eyes. "Have you seen my car, Mack? It totally rocks!"

Mack, whose legs were pulled up to his chest, rested his head against the arms on top of his knees and gave her an annoyed glare from his seat across the floor. Dax was viewing the argument from a safe spot on the couch behind Ronny, and Will was also on the floor, using one of Ronny's legs as a headrest. Rose was sprawled out on the floor underneath Mack's upturned knees, sleeping away the spat.

Mack gave Ronny an incredulous look. "Do I actually need to see it? We're talking about a megazord for God's sake. It doesn't get cooler!"

Ronny shrugged. "Sure, there's some cool features our megazord has that my car doesn't, but it's still ten times more awesome."

Mack rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Ronny. Your logic escapes me. There is just no way could a car be cooler than a zord. A megazord even!"

She smirked. "Shows how much you know about cars."

Mack looked indignant. "Hey, I'll tell you, I happen to know plenty about cars, thank you very much!"

Ronny laughed. "What, that they go vroom-vroom and move really fast?"

Mack made a face. "Come on now, that's just messed up."

"It's not messed up when it's true."

Mack raised an eyebrow. "What's true is that our megazord is more awesome than your car will ever be."

Ronny lifted an eyebrow of her own. "You still have no idea what you're talking about."

Mack lifted his head away from his knees and crossed his arms over his chest. "You just see here, I know that-"

A voice from the floor interrupted him. "For the love of God. The both of you, shut up."

Dax looked down to the pink ranger lying on the floor and laughed. "I thought you were sleeping!"

Rose groaned and sat up, Mack moving his legs so she could maneuver herself into a sitting position beside him. "Well, I was sleeping, but you two won't stop arguing about ridiculous things."

Ronny's eyebrows furrowed. "It was hardly ridiculous! It's not my fault that my car is clearly better than the zords, and he-"

Will clamped a hand over her mouth and effectively stopped the babble. He laughed when Ronny glared down at him. "The girl's got a point."

Ronny rolled her eyes, but didn't say another word. Will removed his hand from her mouth, a grin on his face.

Rose sighed. "Finally, some quiet!"

Mack chuckled, but that was the only sound in the room for quite a few minutes as the other rangers finally began to quiet down. Rose got up to lie on the couch Mack was leaning on, attempting to sleep once more.

Her reprieve was short-lived.

"I'm hot."

Rose groaned into the cushion, then turned to look at the blue ranger. "Of course you are. We all are. We've been stuck in a blackout for hours without any air conditioning."

"Still!" Dax was practically whining, "Does anyone have a fan or something?"

Will shrugged as well as he could while lying on the floor. "I have one in my room, but it's not like we can plug it in or anything."

Ronny looked up from her spot on the floor to see Dax moping on the couch she was leaning against. She laughed. "A fan might not work, but you can start with taking off your jacket like the rest of us have already done. They aren't exactly windbreakers, Dax. You've got to be sweltering in that thing!"

The blue ranger looked down at his chest like he had never seen it before. "Y'know, that's a really good idea!"

They other rangers laughed as they watched Dax struggle out of the blue-trimmed jacket.

Will, amused at his antics, began to tease Dax. "Sheesh. If it takes you this long to take off a jacket, you must have to wake up extra early to get dressed for the day."

Dax, finally managing to get his jacket off, glared at the black ranger, a retort on his tongue. But the remark died in his throat the second he looked up and saw Andrew Hartford at the entrance of the lounge.

Will looked up, confused at the blue ranger's sudden silence. When he saw their mentor, he sat up quickly, scooting away from Ronny as fast as he could. The elder Hartford noticed the sudden movement but didn't say a word, opting instead to give the two a cold stare.

He looked away from the two rangers on the floor and focused his attention on the whole room, clearing his throat.

Rose, who had almost dozed off once more, looked up at the sound Andrew had made. She saw the red ranger in front of her tense up, knowing that he was slightly annoyed at having his father in his presence because if what had happened earlier in the day. She felt the urge to run her hand through his hair to calm his down, but instantly squashed the idea.

Andrew cleared his throat again with a loud ahem, and Rose began to feel her own muscles tense at the elder man's presence. What could he possibly want?

"I know you guys have noticed the blackout we've been having," The rangers groaned as he motioned to the candle on the coffee table that had burned itself out only an hour earlier. "But I assure you that we're doing to best we can to work it out."

Rose, though reluctant to talk to the elder Hartford, was interested in what was going on. "Mack and I were talking about it earlier…shouldn't you have a back-up plan for this kind of thing?"

Andrew sighed. "I do. Unfortunately, the generators that were originally wired for the house are now being used to keep the command centre up and running, seeing as how saving the world should be," he looked pointedly at Will and Ronny, "our first priority."

The black and yellow rangers sat unmoving, staring at anything but the elder Hartford standing in the doorway.

Mack furrowed his eyebrows at the look Andrew gave to his fellow rangers. It angered him that his father could be so careless about the team's emotions. His glare deepened, but he wisely remained silent.

Andrew continued on, not noticing his son's annoyed stare. "I've made a few phone calls. We should have this blackout situation dealt with soon."

Dax looked confused. "You can get someone to come out here and fix power issues during a storm?"

Andrew gave a curt laugh. "Let's just say that I know a few people that owe me a favor or two." He lifted an eyebrow and Dax shrugged.

"Like I said, there's electricity in the command centre. It might be more comfortable to wait out this whole fiasco down there."

The rangers nodded and Andrew began to walk away. At the last second, he turned around to stare at Will and Ronny. "When our electricity problem is fixed, I expect to have a long chat with the two of you. We still have some things we need to discuss."

Ronny nodded and Will remained unmoving. Andrew walked out of the room.

As soon as his father was out of earshot, Mack dropped his shoulders and heaved a large sigh. He looked toward the rangers sitting on the floor across from him. "I'm sorry you guys have to go through all this. The whole situation is just stupid."

Will gave a sigh of his own. Ronny moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, saying nothing. He grabbed her hand, grateful for the silent comfort, and looked over to Mack. "I know. Thanks for the support, Mack."

Dax spoke up from his spot on the couch. "Haven't there been any ranger couples before this?"

Rose looked toward him, nodding. "Tons. Which just makes this whole situation is even more ludicrous."

Dax shrugged. "Weird. Well, I dunno what his problem is, then. Maybe he just has a problem with couples in general." He looked at Mack for confirmation of his theory.

The red ranger shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't date much, and when I have gone out, I've always made sure that the place is as far away from my dad as I could make it."

Rose snickered slightly, which went unheard by all of the rangers except Mack. He gave a light chuckle.

"I'm at loss then, guys." The blue ranger stood up. "But in the meantime, I'm going down to the command centre where it's cold. I'm sweating like a pig up here." He walked out, throwing one last sympathetic glance at Will and Ronny as he left.

Once Dax had left the room, Mack got to his feet. Rose, seeing the red ranger stand up, followed his lead. He turned towards he two rangers on the floor. "I think I'm of half a mind to go and cool down, myself." He turned to see the pink ranger standing behind him.

Rose smiled at him, and then to the other two in the room. "Yeah, sounds like a good plan to me. You guys want to join us?"

Ronny looked to Will, who gave her a small smile. She turned back to Mack and Rose. "Nah, you guys go ahead. I think we've got a few things to sort out."

Mack nodded his head and grabbed onto Rose's arm, effectively pulling her out of the room behind him.

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He had let go of her elbow, but was walking at a brisk pace through the mansion. She had no choice but to follow him. He walked straight past the secret entrance to the command centre, and she quickened her pace, catching up to him.

"Mack, where the heck are we going?"

He turned around to smile at her widely, walking backwards and keeping the same pace. He smirked, grabbing both of her small hands with his. "It's a secret."

She frowned, confused, and he dropped one of her hands to turn and see where he was going, but still kept a firm hold on the other. He pulled her to the staircase and climbed up, making it to the second story. He stopped a few stairs short of the landing, while Rose quickly made her way up the few remaining steps. She stopped and turned once she noticed he wasn't following her.

She furrowed her eyebrows into a small, confused frown. "…Mack?"

He was still smiling, but it was subdued. She took a step down so the two of them were at eye level. "You okay?"

He nodded and grabbed her, pulling her into a hug. He loosened his grip slightly, the small, strange smile still on his face. "I just wanted to make sure you were still okay with this. With… us."

Rose laughed, struck by the slight irony of the conversation. "You go through all that trouble to convince me, and now you're having second thoughts?"

He pulled her close, shaking his head. "Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, really alright, with this happening."

She smiled and leaned into his chest. "I fine with it, Mack. I promise."

He let out a sigh and kissed the top of her head before resting his cheek on her hair. He grinned and lifted his hand to cup her face, his thumb tracing patterns on her skin. "So no more crazy thoughts of getting rid of me, then?"

He could hear the laughter in her voice. "No such luck, Hartford."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly, his lips barely touching hers. She gave an annoyed groan at the brief contact and pulled him down closer to her, locking their lips soundly together. When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathless.

He dropped his hand from her cheek to run his hand up and down her arm. It was a small gesture, but it sent goosebumps raining down her skin. She smiled up at him, and he grabbed her hand, puling her up to the third storey of the house.

The two began to walk toward Mack's room, but Rose was surprised once more when they bypassed the red door and entered a large guestroom at the end of the hall. She grabbed his arm, and he looked down at her, a smile in his eyes.

"C'mon, over here." He walked to the balcony door and opened it, causing the wind from outside to blow water droplets into their faces. Before she could protest, he was pulling her out into the pouring rain.

She let go of his arm and put her hands on her hips, getting more and more soaked with every second. Strangely, she didn't mind the cold water. After being trapped inside the hot house, being outside was more than welcome. 'Besides,' Rose thought, 'Anything's better then being stuck in the command centre with Mr. Hartford.' She tensed at the thought.

"Any particular reason for dragging me out here, Mack? It's raining like mad out here!"

He turned towards her voice and leaned backwards against the railing, throwing his head back and letting his face take the brunt if the rainfall.

Soon enough, he looked back at her and motioned for her to come stand next to him. She walked forward and rested her upper body against the rail. Mack turned and hugged her from behind, wrapping himself around her and resting his forearms on the railing.

She moved her head sideways to get a better look at him, his chin resting on her shoulder and his damp hair clinging to his forehead, sending water droplets cascading down his face. She smiled.

Mack had been quiet for a few minutes, so she was surprised when he answered her question. "I used to come out here all the time when it rained, or to watch the sunrise." His smile was soft. "I always thought that this was the best view of the grounds."

She saw lightning crackle to life in the distance, and a roar of thunder followed it. Another flash, and then another, giving the two rangers a spectacular light show. The thunder was almost continuous now, as the flashes became more and more frequent.

Rose tore her eyes away from the lightning to the look once again at Mack's face. A thought plagued her mind, and she wanted to get it off her chest. She turned her head away from his face and spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mack."

He was confused by her sudden apology. He loosened his grip so he could see her face more clearly, but didn't let go. "What for?"

She sighed and looked down at her hands that were gripping the railing. "For freaking out earlier."

He smiled again. "It's fine, Rose. Everything turned out for the best."

She plowed on, undeterred. "It's just that…well, I'm not all that used to having meaningful relationships with anyone and-"

He chuckled, interrupting her. "I understand. Really, I do. There's really no need to apologize."

She sighed again, still feeling the need to explain her actions from earlier. "I know you do, it's just… I don't know what came over me. I've been so used to making decisions on my own, and when I heard that argument between Will and your dad, I flipped." She looked up at him again. "I'm still sorry."

He was silent for a moment, and then began laughing. She looked at him confusedly, and he smiled at her. "You really are too stubborn for your own good, Rose."

She shook her head, a small smile on her face, and didn't bother with a retort.

They fell into another soft silence and listened to the rain. They had been outside for almost half an hour, and were both soaked from had to toe. She turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, pulling ever closer, grinning as the rain trickled off his chin and onto her face.

He broke the silence once more. "You scare the hell out of me, you know that?"

She looked up, and was surprised to see him smiling softly at her. "Mack?"

"You're not the only one who isn't very used to relationships. I've been sheltered most of my life, and the only people that I have really meaningful conversations with are usually business executives."

She nodded, understanding coming to her in a wave. "So that's why you read so much?"

"Yeah." He sent her a small grin, and then looked out to the lightning on the horizon.

She frowned. "That sounds like a pretty lonely childhood."

Mack shrugged. "I got used to it. Most of the time, I was more bored than anything else."

He pulled her a little closer, but suddenly changed the topic. "You really shouldn't worry about my dad so much."

She raised an eyebrow, questioning him without speaking.

"He may seem tough, but when it comes to punishments and handling tough situations, he's mostly all bark and no bite. I know that better than anyone else."

She grinned at him. "Really now?"

He grinned right back. "Mmhmm. I was a little troublemaker when I was growing up. I put him through hell and back. Usually Dad was the one who would lecture me, and Spencer would dish out the punishments."

Realization dawned on her. "And with Spencer on our side…"

"Exactly." He gave her his most charming smile. "Like I said, I wouldn't worry so much. It's not worth stressing out over."

She nodded. Lightning crackled almost directly overhead and she jumped back when the thunder let out a deafening roar in their ears.

Mack's face remained impassive, but there was a tinge of hesitation in his voice. "Well, I think that's out cue to go inside." She bobbed he head emphatically, and the two of them ran for the patio door, opening it and dashing inside. They kept the pace down the hall until Mack tripped on an upturned section of the carpet, and pull Rose down with him.

She laughed and stood up, grabbing Mack's hands with both of hers and pulling him to his feet.

The red ranger dusted himself off, and then began moving again, slower this time. He put his hand to the small of Rose's back and guided her down the stretch of the hallway, the both of them still grinning like idiots over their mad dash through the house.

The two stopped abruptly when they heard a voice speak from the opposite side of the hall.

"Why in the world are the two of you sopping wet?"

Rose, who had unconsciously fell into a fighting stance, dropped her shoulders, smiling. "Hey Spencer. You caught us by surprise!"

Mack rested a hand on her shoulder, but his attention was focused on the older man who was holding up a candle and illuminating the dark hallway. "Hey, Spence. What're you doing up here?"

"Looking for the two of you, of course."

Rose sent the butler a questioning look.

"I've been checking in on Ronny and Will since the fight earlier, and I wanted to see how the rest of the team was holding up. However, the two of you seem to get lost in the… strangest of places." He sent them an accusatory look.

Mack looked sheepish. Rose glanced to Spencer and grinned. "We were just checking out the storm, Spencer. It's getting bad out there."

He blinked. "Indeed. And judging by the state of your clothes, you might as well have brought the storm in here with you. Now, come on. To the bathroom with the two of you. You're dripping all over the floor."

The butler ushered the two of them through Mack's room and into the large connecting bathroom. Spencer looked through one of the cabinets, a frown on his face. "Of course. …there are no towels in the linen closet. Just your luck." He sighed, and turned to the red and pink rangers. "I expect you both to stay right here while I go and find something for the two of you to wrap up in."

They both nodded and Spencer made his way out of the room. Rose sat on the edge of the tub, while Mack perched on the countertop next to the double sinks. The pink ranger shivered.

Mack's face grew concerned. "Cold, Rose?"

She rolled her eyes. "With the temperature in here? Hardly." She shrugged. "Just got the chills for a moment, that's all."

He nodded, accepting her answer, before patting the empty space next to him on the counter top, inviting her to sit next to him.

She made her way over to his side, attempting to ring out her hair in the process. "I am soaked!"

He laughed. "So am I. But you look good when you're wet." Mack smirked and shook his head so that the water droplets that had been clinging to his hair were scattered about the room. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

She laughed, scooting closer to him. He continued. "I, on the other hand, looked like a drowned rat."

Her head dropped to his shoulder, and she smiled. "You're definitely the best looking drowned rat I've ever seen." The red ranger chuckled.

"Well, at least I've got that much going for me." She made a small sound of agreement, and he laughed again.

The two heard a small noise at the door and Spencer walked in, fresh towels in hand. The two didn't have time to move away from their close proximity to each other, and found their hearts begin to race. Spencer stood looking at the two for a few seconds, and the two became anxious for the older man to react.

Mack held onto her waist just a little tighter, and sent Spencer a small, nervous smile. Rose lifted her head up from Mack's shoulder, but didn't bother moving away.

The two didn't need to bother being nervous. Spencer just grinned at the two of them and handed over the towels. They each grabbed one. Rose looked down at hers momentarily, and then looked up at the butler.

She was slightly confused. "Spencer…"

He gave the two rangers a reassuring smile, and motioned to the towels he had given them. "Make sure you two get dried off. We can't have you sick in bed when you're supposed to be off saving the world."

Rose gave him a small smile and looked up at Mack, who turned and grinned at her momentarily. Spencer made to leave the room, but Mack interrupted his progress. "Hey, Spencer…"

The older man turned around just as he was about to walk out the door and gave the two another smile, already anticipating the red ranger's question. "Don't worry, Mack. I've known about the two of you for quite a while now."

The two were dumbfounded. Rose tried to voice her confused thoughts. "But, how did you…?"

The butler just smirked at her. "I have my ways, Rose." He turned to Mack. "Don't you two worry yourselves. I won't say a word to your father if you don't want me to. I promise."

Mack smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Spencer."

"Of course. Now get dried off, or the two of you are going to catch your deaths!"

Rose heaved a sigh as the technician walked out of the bathroom, leaving the two alone once more. Mack smiled down at her.

She began laughing. He joined her, and soon the two of them were doubled over on the countertop, wiping tears from their eyes. Rose smiled and leaned back against the mirror, relief in her eyes.

Mack turned to her. "That was a whole lot easier than I expected it to be."

The pink ranger nodded in agreement. "Well, that's one down. Now, we've only got the rest of the team to go."

Mack smirked. "You really want to tell them?"

Rose shook her head, her eyes still giddy. "Not at all! But you know it'll come out eventually."

He got up and stood in front of her, pulling Rose closer to him and hugging her. "Eventually. But until then…" He smirked. "We'll just have to make the most of our time."

He kissed her, and everything was right with the world.

She hummed in happiness. "You think Spencer will really keep his promise?" Mack smiled.

"He doesn't have any reason not to."

Rose smiled and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. Mack laughed. "You're not as worried about things now, I take it?"

She nodded. "I'm still a bit apprehensive about your dad, but I figure there's no sense in dwelling on that." He grinned at her.

"It's just like I told you. Things will work themselves out."

She smiled and hugged him even closer. He held onto her just as tightly.

The lights suddenly burst into life, momentarily blinding the two. Mack laughed and Rose looked up at him, grinning. For once she felt good about the whole situation with Mack's father and the rest of the team.

For once…she was hopeful.