Author's Note: If you didn't read the last chapter here is the basic summary: Kendrix and Leo had sex. End of summary.

Question: How would readers feel about the Space Rangers making an appearance? It would explain some more stuff mentioned in the Forever Red fic.

CHAPTER NINE

Mike paced the streets of the incomplete, yet sinister city that had ignited a war between two supposedly peaceful cultures. He had just listened as Commander Stannon commended him on not following "his traitorous brother into the wild" as the Commander had phrased it.

And Mike had to nod along and pretend to agree with everything that was said even though he felt like it twisted his insides. He had always had been a fan of spy movies but he was sure that Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery had never felt their own guts turn against them as they agreed to hunt down their family. He knew that he wasn't really going to do anything of the sort but even saying such things, living in such corruption... It went against everything that was him.

"What do you see in me, little brother?" he murmured, careful not to let any passerby hear him utter such treason, "Because I don't know if I can do this."

The rug itched against Leo's bare skin.

Wait a minute, he thought, I don't sleep on a rug. I sleep on a mattress, in a tent. And why am I naked?

He realised that there was something soft and warm lying in his arms and he looked down to the still sleeping Kendrix breathing softly.

She was also naked.

Why is she naked? Not that I'm complaining.

Suddenly, everything from the night before came back to him.

The war.

Maya's sister being the death that started it.

Stannon going mad and ordering their execution.

Kai was wounded during the retreat.

The fortress.

Kendrix and...

Slowly her eyes opened.

"Hey you," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hi," he responded, "Uh, how did you sleep?" Oh great line Leo. "How did you sleep?" That's what you ask a girl you just slept with. Oh my God! I just slept with Kendrix!

"Fantastic," she said. If it were possible, she seemed to grow even more radiant.

"Kendrix," he said, "I just realised something."

"What?" Her grin broadened.

"We just had sex." She raised an eyebrow, obviously amused at Leo's blurting out anything that came to mind.

"Brilliant deduction Sherlock," she said, "Do you have any other gems of wisdom?" He laughed.

"Don't ever change Kendrix," he said, embracing her.

The conversation became less verbal after that.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Leo! Get up!" called Kai. His shoulder wound had miraculously recovered just as Maya has said it would. Now he and Damon were trying wake Leo up while Maya attempted to do the same for Kendrix.

"What's going on?" asked Kai, "They never sleep in."

"Yeah," agreed Damon, "If anyone sleeps in, it's me."

"What about you Maya?" asked Kai, "Can you get her?"

"No," said Maya, "She's either a really heavy sleeper or she's not in her room." Kai raised his morpher to his mouth.

"Leo, Kendrix, are you there?" he asked. No response.

He later discovered that the astro morphers belonging to Red Ranger Leo Corbett and Pink Ranger Kendrix Morgan were currently stuffed under several cushions from the sofas of the living room, smothering the beeping sounds that they were making and also any noises that their owners might have made.

"No reply," he said gravely, "Now I'm worried. They always answer." He turned to Maya. "Is there anyway someone could have got inside the fortress and their rooms?"

"There shouldn't be," said Maya, "Someone may have gotten past the outer defences is they were exceptionally strong as the fortress defends itself, but absolutely no one could have entered their rooms without their permission."

"Do you think they may have been kidnapped?" asked Damon.

"Yeah," affirmed Kai, "I think someone may have abducted them. They aren't in their rooms and they are not answering their morphers. But before we jump to any conclusions I think we should search the building. Maya, how much do you know about the layout to this place?"

"Only what I've heard and the legends don't really describe the fortress in detail," she said, "Only the rooms and the chamber that contains the stone are described. It would be stupid to tell anyone all of the defences. I think we should head to the living room at the entrance and start from there. While we search, we should also try to record a chart or map so we know our way around."

"That's a good idea," said Damon.

"I agree," said Kai, "Let's start there." As they walked he asked about paper and other writing materials.

"There should be something around here," she said, "The original Green Ranger Hayate was famous for his scholarly pursuits. That and playing the flute."

"But wouldn't the paper have mouldered away after three thousand years?" asked Damon. Maya laughed, "Look around you," she said, "The tapestries, the paintings, the furniture, it should all be faded, cracked, damaged and worn with time but look, it still appears to be brand new. Nothing is wasted. There's a kitchen around here somewhere and I'm sure the food is still edible and fresh."

"How much longer to the entrance?" asked Kai, "I was kind of out when we were there and I wasn't really paying any attention."

"Not long," said Damon, "Just a minute or two." He then turned grim, "I'm worried guys. What do we do if they are missing? We'll be down to three."

"We find them," said Maya. They were just seconds away from their destination with her leading the trio. "We-." The remainder of her sentence was lost in her choking sound of surprise that occurred the second she looked into the living room. She immediately spun around one hundred and eighty degrees, blushing as red as a beetroot. "How long has Leo been back?" she asked.

"One day," answered Damon, "Why?"

"And how come know one told me he and Kendrix were together?" she asked. "Howlong have they been together?"

"One day," answered Kai, "Why?"

"No reason," she said, "Let's go back."

"Why? What's wrong?" said Damon as he looked into the room. Like Maya he made an immediate U-turn and if not for his dark skin, he would have been blushing as brightly as Maya.

"Come on guys," said Kai, "It can't be all that bad." He looked inside. "It is that bad," he announced as he saw Leo Corbett and Kendrix Morgan, both completely naked, attempting to cover themselves with sofa cushions. Leo smiled awkwardly.

"Um, hi," he said with embarrassment, "Uh we just uh-."
"Leo," Kai interrupted, "I don't think that any explanation you think of is going to work. So please, to avoid making this more uncomfortable, please stop. I'm going to go now." And so he did.

As soon as he, Damon and Maya were well out of earshot he asked, "Why didn't you tell me they... you know? I wouldn't have walked in."

"Well actually they were still going at it when I walked in," said Maya.

"Too much information," the two men said in unison.

"Anyway it was kind of obvious, wasn't it?" she asked, "What else would have made Damon and I bolt out like that?"

"You know," said Damon, "We're very bad friends."

"Why?" asked Maya.

"That's kind of the second time we've interrupted them having a moment," answered Kai, "We really need to stop doing that. It will make things so much easier for all of us."

"Mike won the last pool, right?" she asked conversationally, "So what's the new one? Marriage?"

"Well," said Leo, "That was awkward." Kendrix smiled.

"Pretty much," she agreed, "But," she added in what she hoped was a seductive voice, "We should always finish what we've started."

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed as he embraced her, "What example would we be setting if we did otherwise?"

Author's Note: This will be my last update on any of my stories until the 27th so I hoped you enjoyed this.

Author's Note 2: Sorry for making Kai and Damon a little stupid when Maya told them not to go into the room. It was just SO much fun to force them into that awkward situation.

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Merry Christmas.