Couple- Sky/Z friendship and eventually Sky/Z romance

Disclaimer- I do not own Power Rangers and do not profit from the use of its content.

40 Moments to Where We Are

Distraction

After leaving the training quadrant, Z headed to her room where she could change out of her sweat-drenched clothes. Aggressively pulling at her top, she tried to get the tight spandex over her head. She groaned in frustration when it became stuck after only getting it halfway off, leaving her blind and in an awkward position. This was so not her day.

Sore arms aching in protest, she viciously flailed and wriggled in an effort to get rid of the spandex cage. When she realized that she was only making the problem worse, she screamed in annoyance. "Stupid shirt! Stupid clothing! Stupid Sky!" she seethed.

The quiet swoosh of the door indicated the arrival of her roommate, who had undoubtedly come to sooth her ruffled feathers with promises of manicures at the spa. "Syd! Help me get this thing off! I can't see what I'm doing," Z begged.

When no immediate help was offered, Z huffed indignantly, "Syd, help now and be amused later."

Finally another pair of hands started to aid in the removal of the garment. Z wadded up the shirt and gave it a satisfying toss across the room. She pushed dark locks out of her face and said, "For minute I thought you were just going to stand there watching."

"I could have, but I think it would have earned me a slap."

Z whipped around, immediately recognizing that the masculine voice did not belong to her pink teammate. Instead she came face to face with a moderately tall man with unruly blond hair, dark brown eyes, and a handsome face.

"Excuse me but who are you?" Z asked in complete confusion, still not grasping the situation.

"David. David Myers," he said with a half smile. He offered his hand, which she shook hesitantly.

"I'm Elizabeth Delgado, but everyone calls me Z," she paused and said, "I'm sorry, what exactly are you doing in my room?"

He clasped his hands together awkwardly. "Well, you see, I was looking for central command…I thought this was the door, and then you were…having problems…with the shirt. You said something about a syd, and at that point I could either run away in embarrassment or help you in embarrassment. The latter seemed the most noble thing to do, but in hindsight I think it would have been a lot less awkward."

Z chuckled uncomfortably. "Well, thanks for the help with the…oh, my god." Her hand that settled on her waist came into direct contact with flesh. A look of horror crossed her face. "I'm not wearing a shirt." Z's fear was confirmed when she looked down at her bra-clad upper body.

"Yeah, that was where the awkward part came in."

Z scrambled over to her dresser where she yanked out a tank top and hurriedly pulled it on over her head. She was sure that her face was an unflattering shade of red by the time she was fully clothed and once again facing this David guy. "Sorry about the wardrobe malfunction."

He brushed the apology aside with a shake of his head, "I'm the one who should be apologizing for accidentally barging in your room."

"I wish all guys could apologize that easily," Z mumbled under her breath, not forgetting her earlier anger.

"What was that?"

Z shook her head, "Nothing. Do you still need help getting to central command?" Z had a feeling Syd would be showing up soon, and she wasn't in the mood to explain her behavior during training. It would be best to leave before she arrived.

David nodded, his brown eyes looking hopeful. "It'd be great if you could point me in the right direction."

She walked past him and out the door. "I'll do one better and take you there myself." The two walked down the SPD halls with David asking questions every now and then about the different labs and training facilities that they passed.

After passing the second gym, he turned and asked, "So, Elizabeth, how often do the rangers train? I imagine it's a great deal more than what I was committed to at the SPD Academy in California."

"Now of days we spend a lot of our time using SPD technology to track and detect illegal alien activity, but we still train five times a week to keep fresh. And you can call me Z," she answered good-naturedly. Talking to David was distracting her from negative thoughts about Sky, leaving her in a better mood.

He clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Is it all right if I call you Elizabeth? It's a beautiful name." It wasn't said flirtatiously or even shyly. It was a simple compliment that made Z smile.

"Thank you."

"Z, wait up." Her smile fell instantly, and she fought the urge to pretend that she didn't hear Sky calling after her. With a sigh she turned around to face the approaching red ranger.

"What do you want, Sky?"

He sighed and shifted his weight uneasily. "About earlier, I just wanted to…" He trailed off as his eyes fell on David who was standing off to the side of Z. "Who's this?"

Before Z could respond, David stepped up and offered his hand. "David Meyers."

Sky's eyebrows were furrowed in thought as he slowly shook David's hand. "Meyers…You wouldn't happen to be related to Taylor or Eric Meyers, would you?"

"Actually, they're my parents."

Sky looked surprised. "Well, then it's an honor to meet you. My father was good friends with your dad. He was a great ranger." When David continued to look at him in confusion Sky said, "I'm sorry, my name's Schuyler Tate. My dad…"

"Was the previous A-Squad red ranger," David finished with a smile of recognition. "Yeah, I remember the name Tate. Your father was a serious hero, man."

Sky nodded. "My dad learned everything from Eric."

Z stood forgotten by the side scowling over the fact that her new acquaintance was getting chummy with the man she was pissed off at. So their fathers knew each other, big deal! She had found David first, so Sky was just going to have to back off and find friends somewhere else. "Well," Z said as she looped her arm through David's, "we better get going. I would hate to keep the commander waiting. Bye, Sky."

She not-so-subtly dragged David down the hall while glaring over her shoulder at Sky as he continued to follow them. Increasing her pace, she called back to him. "Sky, don't you have something else you should be doing? Don't you have…kittens to drown, puppies to kick, orphans to mock…You know, 'You Things'."

"Nope. Stealing clothes and food put me over my quota of charitable deeds for the week," he replied in an equally sardonic tone.

"Touché."

They made it to the command center, and Z ushered David inside. Cruger, noticing their arrival, came to greet them. Z and Sky responded with a practiced salute and were surprised when David did the same with an experienced ease.

"Cadet Myers, I hope you found your new quarters accommodating," the commander said with a confidence that they would be exactly that.

David nodded. "Yes, sir. Though I haven't had a chance to meet my roommate."

Z listened with waning interest as Commander Cruger explained, "His squad was scheduled for training this afternoon, and soon enough you'll be joining them. We have high standards here at base, but I have no doubt that you'll put forth a complete effort."

David didn't look intimidated and just took the comment in stride. His nod was respectful and his face serious. "Of course, Commander."

Cruger was silent for a moment, almost as if he was appraising the young man, before he gave his own nod of acceptance. The canine then turned his attention towards Z, and she immediately straightened from the slouch she had fallen into during their exchange.

"Cadet Delgado and Tate, I'd like you to take him to meet the others."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Sir?"

The commander glanced over at David. "I suppose formal introductions were never made. Cadets, this is David Myers, the new green ranger."

To be continued…