A/N: Sorry about this coming out a bit late; always meant to update but things came up. Anyway, this theme was a bit difficult to do, and some other couples are mentioned in this theme, which is, of course, centered around Xander and Vida. Please, no comments on my choice of couples; flames shall be ignored. Oh, and there's a reference to a story by the wonderful JDPhoenix in here based on a certain Jungle Fury Ranger's color; I hope said author doesn't mind. Other than that, enjoy!

"…": characters talking to each other

'…': characters talking to themselves

(…): extra facts about something in the story

(Takes place three years post-"Mystic Fate II")

Theme 24: Helm

Mariner Bay Harbor, June 14, 2010, 2:00 pm – Mariner Bay, CA, USA

"You're serious?" Chip asked, bouncing excitedly in place. His predecessor Kelsey Winslow-Mitchell raised an eyebrow before nodding yes slowly.

"Yeah, I am. Why? Did you think I'd trick you?" Kelsey asked suspiciously, arms crossed.

Chip quickly shook his head no before replying, "No, that's not it at all, Kelsey. What I meant was that I can't believe you're offering to teach us all how to drive a speedboat! It's only a dream come true!"

Kelsey's other eyebrow hitched up. Her successor was certainly... enthusiastic, she'd give him that. Kelsey's overly exuberant personality had toned down a bit since her tenure as a Ranger, what with her marriage to teammate Ryan Mitchell after almost losing her life in a mountain-climbing exercise gone bad and the team's almost losing Carter in the Red Rangers' Mission to the Moon... for which Dana was still sore at having not been invited, much less informed as to what her husband had been doing. Carter had slept on the couch for a good two months for that fiasco, which was nothing compared to what Tommy Oliver had gone through when his teammates had found out... all four or five teams' worth.

"Really now? Are you an extreme sports fanatic too?" Kelsey asked tucking a stray strand of curly brown hair behind her ear.

Chip shook his head. "Nope. I just like to go fast. The sports junkies on our squad are Nick and Xander." True enough, as Nick had somehow gotten interested in surfing after his return home from visiting his adoptive parents, who, oddly enough, had somehow disowned him when the Red Phoenix had showed up with his biological parents. Thank god his adoptive sister Jaime hadn't done the same. Xander, of course, loved to skateboard and could be found talking to Shane from Ninja Storm often, and from Shane he'd met Dustin, Hunter and Blake, who had taught him to love motocross as well. Chip preferred archery and sword fighting, thank you very much.

"I see." Kelsey and her husband Ryan owned a rather large house near the entrance to the Aquabase where he worked on his archaeological projects and she in her sports shop down the road, which happened to rent speedboats and scuba diving equipment. She and Ryan liked to drive out onto the bay at night and look at the stars, leading to their expertise with motorized watercraft. It also helped that she and Ryan had tested some of the Zords for Andrew Hartford's team before he had found the Corona Aurora and released an ancient evil... which, oddly enough, was what had happened with Queen Bansheera. Therefore, they were skilled with underwater equipment, such as the Pink Overdrive Ranger's underwater submarine.

"Well then, who wants to learn besides Chip here?" This question was aimed at the seven teens (Clare had decided to tag along, and Leelee found that she just couldn't bear to be left behind with both her mom and her new step-father Toby Slambrook... can we say ew?). The teens looked at each other before simultaneously raising their hands in the air, a grin a mile wide on Madison's face.

"'Kay. Let me go get Ryan and we'll get going!" Kelsey chirped, waving as she walked back towards her home (a vacation for all of the ranger teams had been decided on that year in an effort to introduce the Jungle Fury Rangers to their predecessors without incident, as the Dino Thunder Rangers' introductions to their elders had been a very memorable event for all involved). Said Jungle Fury Rangers (and their respective allies) were currently being enlightened to their legacy by some of the predecessors of their respective colors... though RJ had been placed with the mentors/Sixth Rangers as there had not been any Ranger of a Violet color before him, though the Pink Rangers had jokingly stated that he was part of them due to how close the color Violet was to Pink.

Clare, eyes taking in the large body of water in front of her involuntarily shivered and clung to Chip's jacket. "It's so big."

Leelee raised an eyebrow and asked, "You mean to tell me you've never seen the ocean?"

"N- no, I mean, Udonna raised me in Rootcore. Before I met you guys, that's all I knew." Clare responded eyes looking at Leelee's, a bit of defiance in them. "It's kind of frightening that this huge body of water existed only fifty miles from Briarwood and I never knew about it." This was the truth; the Mystic Force team had been floored to learn that Mariner Bay was a scant fifty miles from them, located on the Californian coast. In turn, Mariner Bay was twenty miles from Silver Hills, which was then about ninety miles from Turtle Cove. Angel Grove, the first city to be home to the Power Rangers was merely one hundred twenty-five miles from Briarwood, with Stone Canyon right next door, surprising the Mystic Force Rangers yet again. Blue Bay Harbor and Ocean Bluff were next door neighbors, thirty miles apart and Reefside, Dr. Tommy Oliver's new home was only forty miles away from San Angeles, which was fifty miles from Ocean Bluff, making it difficult to comprehend why none of the veteran Ranger teams had helped their successors unless called in for a "team up" of sorts… which did not happen as often as it used to, much to Chip and Dustin's disappointment.

"Right. I was raised in the Underworld, and I'm not scared," Leelee bragged a smirk taking over her face. Hey, she may be friends with the sorceress now, but she couldn't resist taunting said sorceress. It just wouldn't be right.

Clare, in a moment of abject maturity stuck her tongue out at Leelee, something she had picked up from Vida. Said Pink Ranger, meanwhile, seemed to be arguing with Xander over who would take charge of the speedboat in learning how to operate it. Of course, each one wished to be in control… and that was where each one had trouble agreeing.

"I'll do it. My control over air can help keep the boat balanced," Vida stated arms crossed over her chest.

Xander's frown told his response to this suggestion. "Nope. It'll be me. I've been riding motocross for a few years now and that should help me out."

"What does motocross have to do with piloting boats?"

"How does your control over air help?"

"Me!"

"No, me!"

This was the basis of the argument between the two Rangers for quite some time, their teammates' heads copying a table tennis match as insults were traded back and forth, ranging from Xander's inability to hold a steady girlfriend for more than a few weeks to Vida's struggle to keep control over her burgeoning magical powers. Finally, the argument ended when Kelsey and Ryan walked up, eyebrows raised.

The five non-arguing teens shrugged their shoulders, signifying that this was seemingly normal behavior from the two Rangers. Xander and Vida didn't notice as they were too busy trying to figure out who was going to be at the helm of the speedboats.

After a few more minutes of fighting, Ryan rolled his eyes and, giving a set of keys to his wife walked up behind the two Rangers and, hands on their shoulders pushed them. The two young adults, caught off balance flailed their arms for a moment before falling off the dock and into the bay angry yells emanating from both of them.

When the two swam to the surface, beyond drenched and spitting out water Ryan crossed his arms and stated, "Kels and I will be piloting the speedboats, not you." The two teens glanced at each other sheepishly before shrugging and swimming over to the ladder that Nick and Madison had lowered into the bay. Clambering up, the two mumbled apologies to the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers before retreating to the back of their group of friends, apologizing to each other as they did so heads bent close. This battle may have been lost, but the war had just begun.