Hunter, Vida and Madison

Vida sighed as she left Rock Porium for the evening. She wasn't sure about her sister and Ben going out on a date. She had a bad feeling about the timid guy and had voiced her opinion of the situation which her sister pointed out might just be her overprotective side talking again. She walked through the park trying to collect her thoughts when she heard someone behind her.

"You can't guard her forever you know, at one point or another you're going to have to let her make her own mistakes." A male voice said.

"What makes you think you know about my situation with my sister?" Vida sniped at the stranger.

"Because; I've been in your shoes not too long ago with my brother," The other replied.

Vida turned to see a guy with shaggy blonde hair standing there in a dark red shirt and jeans.

"So you think you're some kind of expert on this topic."

"No, but I know one thing if your sister is going to really find happiness she is going to need room to make a few mistakes." He replied "As rangers we are even more protective of those we care for."

"I think you have me mixed up with someone else." Vida said and started to walk away.

"No, pink witch, I don't think I do." The crimson clad male replied using his ninja streak to once again get in front of her.

"What makes you think I'm the pink witch?" Vida demanded.

"One I'm a ranger too, Crimson Thunder Ranger to be exact and second; we rangers have ways of figuring out who the rangers are."

"Okay then what is your name?"

"Hunter Bradley; and yours…?"

"The name is Vida Rocca."

"You don't like the person she's with, do you?"

"No, he gives me the creeps; he's just too perfect for her, too much like her." Vida sighed settling down now that she realized Hunter was truthful. "I just keep worrying that he may be putting on a show for my sister's benefit. I've seen her get hurt so badly before I just don't want her to have to go through that again."

"Do we ever want our siblings to get hurt, I know it isn't going to be easy for you to step back after all the two of you have gone through."

"What do you know about what we went through?" Vida demanded.

"Having a verbally abusive parent is never easy to deal with but you grew stronger, Vida you had to shield your sister form the verbal jabs you knew she couldn't handle so you grew as thick a skin as you could so you could take the blows for her, but she isn't being abused anymore, you don't have to shield her." Hunter sighed "I guess my brother and I were lucky we had loving parents, you had one loving parent and the other…"

"He was a jerk," Vida supplied. "But you're right, Maddie isn't being hurt anymore, but I guess I always fear in the back of my mind that she'll end up with someone like our dad."

"Yeah I don't blame you; in your place I'd fear the same thing." Hunter confessed, "But right now you need to trust her judgment and hope for the best, at the same time it doesn't hurt to be there should the worst happen."

"Guess you're right, Hunter, I can always watch from a distance and be there for her if she needs me." Vida sighed.

"This is one of the hardest things you'll have to do as an older sibling but it'll be worth it." Hunter said "it was for me, I stepped back and my brother found someone that makes him really happy, I'll be an uncle in a few months."

"Congrats," Vida sighed, "Maybe I'll be an aunt one day, but right now I don't trust the guy Maddie's with, I really hope she doesn't let him touch her that way, she doesn't know him that well."

Vida looked away from Hunter as someone walked up behind her.

"Is that your sister?" Hunter asked. Vida turned around to see Madison looking very upset.

"Sis, are you okay?" Vida asked approaching Madison

"Who is that?" the Madison asked.

"That is Hunter" Vida explained

Hunter didn't say anything he just let the sisters talk.

"What's going on, I thought you had a date with Ben." Vida said trying to hide her distain for Ben.

"He stood me up." Madison replied

Hunter winced.

"I'm so sorry." Vida said hugging her sister.

Hunter walked up to the sisters.

"I may not know you, but I know you deserve better than what just happened, if he can't show up for a date, that says a lot about what kind of person he is." Hunter said.

"Yeah, yeah you're right." Madison replied, slipping from her sister's embrace.

"I'm Madison, my friends call me Maddie."

"I'm Hunter; it's good to meet you Maddie,"

"You too, Hunter," Madison replied.

A third person came running up, it was Ben.

"Ben where were you, I thought you stood me up." Madison said turning to the new arrival.

"I was running late." Ben said.

"Three hours late, that… I can't accept that Ben, I was worried something had happened to you." Madison said shocked that he classified that as just 'running late'. "You could have at least called me and told me you were running late, three hours Ben." Madison was pacing as she spoke she couldn't believe her ears.

Vida bit her tongue, she wanted to intervene but this was Madison's fight not hers.

"No, Ben I can't do this, I can't spend my life sitting at home waiting for you to show up… I thought you were the one for me… we had so much in common." Madison stopped pacing and turned to Ben, tears building in her eyes "I have a life, Ben and apparently that will move forward without you."

Ben was surprised by what he was hearing.

"Madison, I made a mistake, please give me one more chance." Ben begged.

"No, Ben, I can't do that, I can't trust you, now leave me alone."

"We could have been good together Madison, but I guess we'll never know now."

"Yeah, we'll never know." Madison said wiping the tears from her cheeks as Ben walked away.

"Oh, Vida, what did I just do?" Madison asked her sister as she began to cry.

Vida hugged her younger sister giving Hunter a helpless look as she did so. She then turned to her sister.

"Don't cry, it will be okay, sis."

Madison returned the embrace as she cried.

Hunter debated on what to do, this wasn't right, Madison deserved better, and even he saw that.

"I'm sorry, Madison" he said placing a hand on Madison's shoulder. "One day you'll find the guy for you."

"He's right, Madison." Vida agreed.

Hunter watched as Madison settled down, she was going to need time to recover from this but if the rumors were true their red ranger would be more than happy to help her pick up the pieces. He only hoped she was willing to open her heart to him if the rumors he had heard from some of the female rangers was true.

The End