Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own all things Tanzetti and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

"Billy! Earth to Billy."

Billy snapped back to reality to see Kimberly's thin hand waving in front of his face.

"Sorry," he said.

"We've been standing here trying to talk to you for, like, forever," she said, stressing the word forever hard enough to let him know it was an exaggeration.

"Sorry," he said again. "I was just thinking about that Chemistry test. I think I used the wrong formula on the last question."

"I'm sure you'll still get it right," Rocky said. "You always do."

The Red Ranger blew out a hard breath and fell against his locker. Billy felt a twinge of sympathy for his friend. He'd spent most of the last week quizzing Rocky to prepare him for this test, and despite all his efforts and tips he knew in his heart Rocky would be lucky to pass.

"I'm sure you did fine, too," Billy said reassuringly.

Rocky just shook his head and leaned back against the locker and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you guys ready to go?" came a familiar voice from behind Billy's shoulder. Even if he didn't know the voice better than his own he would have known it was Tommy from the way Kimberly's face lit up. He turned to greet his long time friend and leader and saw Adam and Aisha trailing behind the White Ranger's massive stance.

"I can't work out today," Billy said. "I have to go over to Stone Canyon."

Tommy's face fell a little and he felt guilty for not mentioning it before. He'd been so worried about that Chemistry test and helping Rocky he'd completely forgotten.

"What's in Stone Canyon?" Rocky asked at the mention of his hometown.

"Bookstore," Billy answered. "I've been making modifications to the Rad Bug and they're not going as well as planned, so I looked up some manuals online and called around. It was the only store in the area that had it."

"That's cool," Tommy said. "We'll work out this weekend."

Billy nodded and followed as Tommy began moving toward the exit to school. They moved in a group for several paces then Tommy suddenly stopped. "Wait, if the Rad Bug isn't working how are you getting to Stone Canyon?"

Billy his face getting hot. "Bus."

"Billy, one of us can take you, all you had to do is ask," protested Kimberly.

"Well, this all came up at the last minute, I didn't want to bother anyone," Billy replied in defense.

"I'll take you," Rocky volunteered. "I don't have to give lessons until five, we can be back by then, and Tommy or Adam can cover for me if I'm late. It's the least I can do after you spent all that time helping me with Chemistry."

"Thanks Rocky," Billy said. "I appreciate that."

Rocky clapped Billy on the back and smiled. "No problem, man."

Rocky's truck roared through the narrow streets of Stone Canyon blasting rock music through the open windows. Billy hadn't been thrilled about having his eardrums assaulted by the heavy bass rhythms but he was so appreciative about not having to sit on a hot bus for half an hour each way he didn't complain. He just wanted to get his book and get home to fix his own car.

The Book Basement was located along a row of storefronts a few blocks from downtown. Rocky had never heard of the store, but had a good idea of where the address was, and they had only had to pass it once for Billy to pick it out among the other shops and direct him the rest of the way. There was plenty of parking and they found a space directly in front of the door. But as Billy climbed down from the large four by four cab he heard Rocky exclaim from the other side of the truck.

Always on alert for an attack Billy took off at a run for the sidewalk only to stop short at the absence of tengas or other monsters. Instead there was only Rocky, standing two parking spaces down, staring at a car with his jaw dropped so low it was about to brush the sidewalk.

"Do you see this?" he said pointing at the pink and white Cadillac in front of him.

"It's nice," Billy said.

"That's a fifty-nine Cadillac," Rocky said. "Look at it. It's in perfect condition. Someone invested a lot of money in this baby."

"Very nice," Billy said. "Hey, why don't you stay out here, I'll run in and get my book. It'll only take a minute."

Rocky nodded, not taking his eyes from the car. "Okay," he said.

Billy felt the cool relief of air conditioning as he pushed open the door. The bookstore was a long narrow space, crowded with bookshelves packed tightly together in rows with just enough room for a person to pass between without knocking them over. Off to the left, built into the wall, was a small counter where a young woman with long brown hair that hung down in her face stood, bent over something behind the counter that he couldn't see, her long hair forming a curtain around her head.

"Excuse me?" Billy said as he approached the deck.

The woman's head snapped up and with a quick flip of her hand the hair was tossed back revealing a small oval face with deep green eyes and sharp cheekbones. She looked young, younger than him maybe, but there was something in the contours of her cheeks, and the depth of her eyes that showed more age than she deserved without diminishing her beauty. Billy found himself brought up short by her soft smile.

"Yes?" she said.

"I'm Billy Cranston, I called yest-"

"The mechanic book," she interjected waving a pencil at him accusingly. "Yes, I have it here."

She turned and pulled the book from somewhere beneath the cluttered shelves of the counter and set it on the table. "You're lucky," she said. "I just happened to know someone who didn't need it anymore."

Billy was shocked by this revelation. He hadn't meant to create extra work for her. "Oh, I thought you had it here already. You didn't have to bother someone else for it."

She shrugged. "It was no bother. I gave up on German engineering two years ago."

"This was yours?"

Her smile widened. "Yep. Traded it in this morning just for you."

She leaned forward on the counter, making her long hair slide back down in her face and Billy nearly stopped breathing.

"Thank you," was all he could say.

She tapped a few keys on the cash register and told him the price. He pulled the rumpled cash out of his pocket and handed it over, still taking in the revelation that this woman was giving up her own book to make this sale.

"What are you working on?" she asked.
"What?"

"The car," she said counting out his change. "What kind is it?"

"Uh, it's a seventy three Volkswagen Beetle…with custom modifications."

"Nice," she said approvingly. "You'll have to bring it by when you're done, show me what good this book can really do."

Her smile was so nice he couldn't help smiling back. "Okay."

She handed his change over the counter and when he took it his fingers brushed over hers and flinched, dropping the coins she'd balanced on top of the cash.

"Oh, God, sorry," she said.

Billy reached down and picked up the coins. He counted them quickly and saw they were all accounted for. "It's okay, I got it."

He looked up and saw she was leaning forward on the counter again, watching him. She was still smiling, but there was something else there, something in her eyes that counteracted the friendliness of the smile. "Did you see that pink and white Caddy outside when you came in?"

"Yeah, my friend Rocky is still outside drooling over it. Is it yours?"

She nodded, several locks of hair falling over her face. She shook her head to push them back then ignored them. "You want to see the inside?"

"Sure."

"Cool," she stepped around the counter and turned to the back of the store. "Mike, watch the desk, I'm going out front!"

When a muffled confirmation came from somewhere in the labyrinth of shelving she lead him out the door, keys in hand, back out into the sunshine. Rocky was leaning against the front of his truck legs crossed at the ankles when they emerged. He stood up straight when he saw Billy coming.

"This is my friend Rocky," Billy said by way of introduction.

The woman held out her hand. "Marcy Tannon." Rocky shook her hand, eyeing the woman suspiciously. "You the one who's been admiring my Caddy?"

Rocky pointed down the parking lot, his eyes wide with excitement. "That's yours?"

"Yeah," she said. "Restored her myself."

Marcy sauntered over to the car and opened the driver's side door. She leaned in and made a movement under the dashboard where they couldn't see and the hood popped open. She came back around to the front and opened it the rest of the way.

"Sweet," Rocky breathed. Billy had to agree. He'd only worked on a handful of car engines, but this one was far beyond anything he'd ever dealt with. Brand new six cylinder engine block, chrome piping, everything extraordinarily professional. This woman definitely knew her cars.

"I used the racing engine model to get better gas mileage, and up the horsepower a little," she said.

"You could have doubled your mpg with a fuel injection pump," Billy said, noticing the hand built carburetor just off the engine block.

"Now that would just be cheating," Marcy said. "You gotta respect the classics."

He laughed a little at that and looked across the car at her. She was leaning against the open hood, her head resting on her arms. "Besides," she said. "Fuel injection requires a computer interface and software and I have no luck with computers."

"The interface is nothing," Billy said. "One download off a laptop. I could show you in five seconds."

The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? I'll have to remember that. Is that what you're using on the VW?"

"Of course," he replied. "I don't do so well with carburetors."

A smile spread across Marcy's thin face and she burst out laughing.

"What?" Billy asked, slightly offended.

Marcy just shook her head. "You're cute, that's all."

She unhooked the stand for the hood and let it slam home. "Well, I should get back to work," she said. She walked around Rocky, who'd been standing at the head of the car this whole time and paused as she past Billy. "If you need any more manuals or you want to know how a real car pumps fuel give me a call. My card's inside the book."

She gave him a little wink then walked back into the store. Billy watched her disappear behind the glass and didn't come back to reality until he felt Rocky slap him on the shoulder.

"Dude, why didn't you say something?"

Billy looked at his friend a little bewildered. "Like what?"

"She was totally flirting with you. You should have asked her out."

Billy laughed at that. He'd never have the nerve to ask out a woman like Marcy. She was way too independent, what would she have in common with him? "Yeah, right, Rocky," he said.

"Billy, I'm telling you, she was flirting with you. She put her phone number in the book for you." He began gesturing toward the store entrance. "Opportunity. Knocking."

Billy just shook his head and climbed into the truck. "You're seeing things, man."

Rocky climbed into the driver's side and turned the engine over. "Last chance," he said. "You can still go back in there."

"What would I say?" Billy asked. "The only thing we have in common is we like to work on cars, and we even do that differently."

"As far as you know," Rocky interjected. "Once you get to know her you could find out you have a lot in common. Go for it man. You never know unless you try."

Billy hesitated, biting his lip in concentration. She was beautiful, and it was extremely nice of her to show them her car. At first he thought she was just showing off, but the way she'd smiled at him under the hood like that, and her little comment…

"What would I say?"

"Ask her to work on the Rad Bug with you," Rocky suggested. "If it goes well you can ask her to dinner."

Billy thought about that for another moment. When Rocky said it, it sounded easy, but he knew the second he got in there and looked into those deep green eyes he'd lose his nerve, or stumble over the words. In his experience that wasn't something girls found endearing. Some did at first, shy girls, the kind he usually went out with, but that never seemed to work out because neither of them could ever move forward. It always got awkward way to quick.

Maybe this would be different, he thought. Marcy was definitely a different kind of woman. He remembered what he'd first thought when he saw her, that even though she was obviously young, there was something about her that conveyed experience and wisdom. It was endearing, and it scared the hell out of him.

"Wasting gas here," Rocky said in a mocking tone.

Billy opened the car door. "Shut the engine off."