Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose

Disclaimer: I don't own Operation Overdrive, but I have a picture of James Maclurcan in my wallet.

Challenge: Dawn

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: He dragged her out of bed at five-thirty in the morning, saying only that she'd like to see it.

Rose Ortiz awoke to someone shaking her shoulder gently and whispering very close to her ear.

"Wake up, Rosie," said the male voice softly. Even in her groggy state of mind, Rose was able to process that only one person in the world was allowed to call her Rosie, and therefore she knew who had woken her.

"This better be good, Mack," she grumbled, her voice thick with sleep as she struggled to sit up. As she started waking up thoroughly, her brown eyes focused on her red ranger, who was fully dressed and sitting on the edge of her bed.

Rose glanced at the window. "It's still dark, Mack. What's going on? More training or something?"

Mack shook his head. "You'll have to see when we get there. Now get dressed, all right? You have to hurry, or we'll miss it."

The pink ranger yawned. "What's so important that I'm being dragged out of my bed at five-thirty in the morning when I should still be asleep?"

"I'll be downstairs, Rose. Five minutes, OK?" He got off of her bed and left the room.

Rose was irritated that he'd just ignored her question, but she dutifully swung her legs over the side of her bed, yawned again, and crossed the bedroom to her closet.

She arrived down in the game rom to see Mack standing all alone at the pool table, looking as though he'd had three cups of coffee since he'd gotten up. "Where's everyone else?" questioned Rose.

"They're not invited," Mack answered simply, seizing her hand and pulling her out of the room towards the front door of the Hartford estate. "Now come on. It's still a little bit away."

Rose pondered this as she followed Mack into the little wooded area behind the manor. She wondered if Mack was playing some sort of trick on her and that the others were already waiting somewhere, but she decided that Mack was far too sweet of a guy to do something like that.

"Here it is," announced Mack as he stopped. The red and pink rangers were in a sort of meadow, the soft pale green grass underfoot still damp with dew, a huge fallen log covered in moss. The meadow, Rose realized, was facing towards the east, and on the horizon was the rising sun.

Rose breathed a soft sigh and took off her uniform jacket. She spread it out on the log and folded herself onto it, watching the approaching dawn in awe. Mack smiled to himself as he joined her.

She didn't say anything until the sun had finished rising, and Mack took his cue from her. The serene look on his companion's face was enough for him.

"Thank you, Mack," she said softly. He nodded and then gestured back to the main house. Rose bobbed her head in agreement and started out of the woods.

And then when they were almost back- "Why me, Mack?"

"Because I knew you would like it, and because you're special," and that was all he needed to say.