Quest

Author: Angel17712

Date: 12/15/06

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the show, nor am I in any way affiliated with them.

A/N- Sorry, everyone. I meant to put at the top of the first chapter that it was right after Broken Spell. This one is set for right after Code Busters. Thank you SO much to Pink-Green-White-4ever for helping me to edit this! You rock!

Madison sat at the large table in Rootcore, rolling her shoulders. She definitely liked being a Ranger, and being able to use magic, except for the downside to the situation, which was having to fight evil on a daily basis. Fighting evil hurt like nothing else, and Madison was feeling that pain right now.

Nick walked into Rootcore and saw his friend sitting at the table. He came up behind her and grabbed her shoulders, making her scream and nearly jump out of her skin.

"Geez, what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" said Madison as she caught her breath. Nick sat down in the chair next to hers.

"Maybe, maybe not. Did it work?" said Nick with an impish grin.

"No," Madison shot back.

"That's good." Nick looked around Rootcore, noting how quiet it was. "Where is everyone?"

"Let's see," said Madison, as she began counting people off with her fingers. "Udonna and Clare are in the forest, collecting things for a potion. Xander and Chip are at home, and Vida's at home resting."

"Is she all right?" Nick asked worriedly.

"She'll be alright; she's just catching up on some sleep. What with being a Ranger, Udonna's training, school, homework, and working at the Rock Porium, she's wiped, which is understandable," explained Madison.

Nick nodded, looking around Rootcore. If someone had told him that he would be a Power Ranger and that he would be able to do magic, he would have had them committed to the nearest insane asylum. Now, as he looked around, it still seemed all surreal. A lot had happened within the last few days. He had chosen to become a Power Ranger, he and the rest of the team had defeated their first monster, and he had made the decision to stay in Briarwood. As if she was able to read his mind, Madison brought that topic up.

"I'm glad that you decided to stay in Briarwood," she said, lowering her head so as to try to hide the blush that had crept into her cheeks. She didn't lower her head fast enough; Nick saw that her face was flushed with red. It looked cute on her. 'Slow down, Russell. What are you thinking? You barely know her. Just worry about trying to become friends with her and the rest of team, not to mention kicking evil's butt. Those are your first two priorities above everything. You can make this work. For the sake of the world, you have to make this work and become friends with these guys.'

"I'm glad I decided to stay here too," he replied. Madison's eyes flew up to meet his, shocked.

"R-Really? What made you change your mind?" she asked.

Nick hesitated, unsure if he should tell her the truth. He decided that if he was ever going to make friends in Briarwood, he should be honest.

"A lot of things. You were one of them," he said with a smile.

Madison blushed even harder. "Me? But you seemed like you were all gung-ho and ready to leave Briarwood when I talked to you."

Nick nodded. "I was. I was leaving Briarwood, and…" Nick was unsure as to if he should tell Madison.

She could sense his hesitation, and knew that he wasn't sure if he should tell her. 'I wish that I could help him feel more comfortable here. He looks as though he's lost, it's kinda cute. Wait no, stop Maddy! Bad thoughts! You have a lot of other things to worry about, like fighting evil. Just do that and try to make Nick feel more comfortable here, help him feel like a part of the team. "You can tell me, I won't laugh or tell anyone. I promise," she assured him.

Nick continued with his story, knowing that he could trust her. "I had what I guess you could call a vision."

"Of what?" asked Madison.

"Of you, and of the rest of the team, getting beaten by Koragg. I couldn't just stand by and let you get hurt. I had to do something, so I just turned around, found you guys in the forest, and here we are, on this quest to stop evil from dominating the world," said Nick.

"It's going to be a long and difficult quest, I know that much. But as long as we stick together as a team, we'll be just fine," she said as she smiled warmly at him.

Nick knew that Madison was right, the only question was: was he ready? Was he ready for anything and everything that they could face? To that, Nick didn't have an answer, but he knew that as long as he and his friends believed in and trusted each other, then everything would be all right in the end.

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