A/N: So, the idea for this theme came out of nowhere, but once I completed it I just knew that it felt right. The focus is, of course, on Xander and Vida but I played around with some different things, plus the other Mystic Force couples are prominent. Enjoy!

"…": characters talking to each other

'…': characters talking to themselves

(…): extra facts about something in the story

(Takes place 38 years after "Mystic Fate II")

Theme 36: "Let me tell you a story"

Main Room, Rootcore, December 24, 2065, 8:30 pm – Briarwood, CA, USA

"Come on, Grandma! One more story!" A young boy, ginger hair tied back in a rattail grinned toothily up at his paternal grandmother. The woman, whose snow-white locks hung around her face as they had so very long ago merely smiled, blue eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, please?" This time, a young girl with olive-green eyes and black hair tied back in a messy braid that stretched over her shoulder pleaded, hands clasped in front of her. Anyone who was watching could see that she was trying to use her innate charm to get her way. Her identical twin in all but eye color (hers were a cool gray) nodded in agreement.

"We really do like your stories," a third voice piped in and the elderly woman glanced over to a corner to see a slightly older child, perhaps around ten or so. Bleach-blond hair hung loosely around his face, a few dark blue streaks placed throughout for a contrasting effect. Chocolate-brown eyes glanced at his cousins in all but blood (well, the twins were his, but the ginger-haired boy and his older sister were his cousins in everything but blood) before returning to the older woman, a lopsided smile creeping onto his face.

"Agreed," a girl, perhaps a year older than the bleach-blond boy added hazel-blue eyes sparkling. A bob of strawberry-blond hair completed her look.

The elderly woman sighed, a smile quirking on her lips. "Oh, very well. Just make sure that your parents are agreeable."

"They are; I already asked them!" the black-haired twin with gray eyes piped, a grin threatening to encompass her face.

"Alright then." She straightened out her white skirt, the glint of a gold and silver ring catching the dim light from the reflective lights stationed on the ceiling. "What kind of story would you like to hear?"

A mad discussion broke out among the five children until one voice succeeded in being heard. "Our grandparents... the ones who were never here. That is the story I wish to hear." Surprisingly, this came from the boy with the blue streaks. The woman hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Very well. What about your grandparents?"

"Why weren't they here to raise us? Why do we have to live here in Rootcore and never leave the protection of the forest?" The strawberry-blond girl asked these questions, sorrow and anger mixed in her voice.

The white-haired woman sighed. "Before I tell you, I must relate this: this story is not something to be taken lightly. Everything I am about to tell you is absolutely true. It is not a myth." She paused then continued. "Many years ago, before any of you were born or thought about, the creatures of the forest and the human realm lived in harmony. The Mystic Force Rangers had succeeded in defeating The Master, Octomus, and bringing Light and Dark Magic together once more, fulfilling the ancient prophecy. After this magnificent feat, the Rangers soon began to pair up, as heroes tend to do." She flashed a smile at the two black-haired twins. "Your grandparents, Nick Russell and Madison Rocca, were the Red Phoenix and Blue Mermaid." She glanced at the ginger-haired boy and his strawberry-blond sister. "Yours were the Yellow Garuda, Chip Thorn, and," she paused, a genuine smile on her face. "and, of course, me."

She then looked over at the blond-haired boy with streaks and, smiling sadly, said, "Yours were the Green Minotaur and the Pink Fairy, or Xander Bly and Vida Rocca."

"Why so sad, Gram?" the woman's granddaughter asked, head cocked to the side.

"They were all my friends, my child, and when I lost them... it was as if life had ended for me." She shook her head. "No, not quite like that. I suppose that I must continue the story, hmm?" At the excited nods, she sadly smiled.

"After their marriages, the Rangers made Briarwood their permanent home, and with the White Sorceress and Red Wolf Knight, Rootcore was rebuilt into its current state. The Solaris Knight and his genie Jenji, of course, helped as well, as did numerous other friends and for a few years peace reigned supreme. Then, everything changed..."

Rootcore, April 25, 2015, 8:30 am – Briarwood, CA, USA

"Come on! This way, and hurry!" Streams of panicked Briarwood citizens and magical creatures flocked into the much-enlarged Rootcore, hearts beating and, in some cases, blood flowing from gaping wounds. Inside of the forest, just on the edge of the barrier between Briarwood and the forest, five figures were glowing brightly.

"Momma!" a small girl cried out, arms reaching for a woman clothed in pale lavender and yellow. Clare Thorn, more commonly known as the Gatekeeper to her magical brethren scooped up her daughter and handed her off to Jenji, silently commanding him to take her inside. Ignoring the cries of her four-year old daughter, Clare ran towards the row of warriors, heart beating furiously.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force! Power of the Gatekeeper!" In a flash of light, Clare's simple dress was replaced by an ornate outfit, staff settling into her hands. Racing up beside her husband, she chanted a rather complex spell and the five warriors sighed in relief as a magical barrier flew up between them and the oncoming army of mechanical beings.

"Clare, you shouldn't have done that!" Nick snapped eyes exhausted. Madison laid a hand on his shoulder, soothing his temper.

Clare raised her chin defiantly. "I am just as much a Mystical Warrior as you five, and therefore can do as I wish. Plus, if you didn't notice, I saved you from exhausting more of your energy." Chip, shooting a look at the Red Phoenix wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders and led her away, muttering reassurances in her ear. Nick, furious, shrugged off Madison's hand and stalked away to destroy something in peace.

"His temper's not helping at all," Vida piped in, sarcasm heavy. She didn't protest when Xander wrapped his arms around her, his body leaning on hers. They had probably been fighting the hardest out of the five original Mystic Warriors as their magical auras were the most joined, meaning that they drew on each other more than Nick and Madison or Chip and Clare. Lienbow and Udonna were currently busy trying to ensure that the remnants of Infershia weren't being raised again while Daggeron was talking with the Snow Prince and the Mystic Mother to try to find a solution. Therefore, the defense of both the humans and magical peoples of Briarwood fell, once again, to the Mystical Warriors.

Madison sighed. "I think he's angry that we have to do this again, especially when we have the kids." Her sister and brother-in-law fell silent, thinking about their own children. Udonna had been ecstatic to know that she was going to be a grandmother (after all, she counted all of her Rangers as children, not just Clare and Nick) and Lienbow, after some prompting had also been excited. Daggeron, who had become something of a surrogate uncle to the Rangers (more a father to the Rocca twins after the death of their biological father Kevin Rocca during The Master's attack) had jumped right into the mix, offering his services whenever needed.

"We are all, Maddie, but we need to protect them more than anything else." Xander's eyes were dead serious, no hint of the usual playfulness that haunted their depths present. "We need to defeat this "Venjix" thing and get things back to normal around here."

"Absolutely," Vida vowed wrapping her arm around her husband's. The two drew comfort from each other, each wanting to get back to their kids as soon as possible. The previous week, an announcement had sounded on the television sets worldwide about the Venjix Virus; hours later a horde of mechanical beings, called "Grinders" had attacked, forcing the Mystic Rangers back into action. It was not something they wished to do, but knew that they had to do it anyway.

"They're coming back!" Madison exclaimed spinning around and, chanting a short incantation launched a tsunami at the Grinders. Electricity soon joined her attack, and the attack force was turned into smoking bits of metal.

"Please tell me they're almost dead," Clare whispered staff in hand. She and Chip had just left their four-year old daughter and eight-year old son again to join the fight.

Vida shook her head as with a snap of her fingers a pink whirlwind swept up the mechanical pieces and dumped them into a ravine that Xander created, then closed up again. "I don't think so, Clare. But spirits above, I hope so."

"The fight continued for months, but finally, even the great Mystic Warriors fell. Madison was the first to go. While out gathering food, she was ambushed by a mechanical being that we eventually learned was called Crunch. We knew that she had fought defiantly and bravely to return to her two daughters and son, but all we received back were her engagement and wedding rings. Nick fell into a deep, dark depression; it made sense that he would be the next to go. He and Madison had been soul-bonded, and her death cut him deeply; despite our insistence that he stay with his kids and not do anything foolish, he tried to reach the city of Corinth to obtain some high-tech weapons, feeling that maybe they would make a difference. Unfortunately, he too was ambushed, and his shiny red car was lost forever in the Wastes.

My Chip was the third to go. Ambushed while training a squad of young magicians and elves in guerilla warfare tactics, most of which had been proven effective at fighting off the enemy, he held off the swarms of Grinders, allowing time for the fledglings to escape. I, I never saw him again; we didn't even recover his body.

Vida was fourth. While fighting with her friend Leelee, the new Queen of the Vampires, against some of Venjix' higher ranking monsters, she was shot with some sort of laser that paralyzed her. Despite Leelee's efforts to bring her back to Rootcore, she, too, was shot down. They were taken to see Venjix; as with the others, I never saw them again. Finally, Xander. Like all of us, he had been soul-bonded to his beloved, and as with us he was cut deeply. However, due to the joining of their auras years before, and the deepness of their bond the cut was much, much deeper than Nick's wounds. Xander did what he could to ensure that we lived in relative peace; he did succeed. He raised an impenetrable barrier that encompassed all of Briarwood before succumbing to the large amount of wounds, physical, mental and emotional, that he had received.

After Xander passed, Lienbow and Udonna took over the fight, and like their son Nick, they perished in battle as well. Jenji managed to save Daggeron from death, but the former Solaris Knight became paralyzed from the waist down. That is why he is in a wheelchair today. The magical folk did what they could to help us all out, and in doing so, we survived.

As for myself, I managed to survive to raise your grandparents and, in turn, watched them grow up and find their own soulmates. Now, I am here today."

Main Room, Rootcore, December 24, 2065, 8:59 pm – Briarwood, CA, USA

"That barrier is still in place today, and until the threat is completely dissipated, we shall stay here in the protection that was given to us by the Mystic Warriors." The woman smiled at her audience sadly, tears slipping down her face. "Your grandparents were all heroes. They gave their lives to protect us, and we can ensure that their sacrifices were not in vain by remaining safe."

The five children were silent, each of them wondering at what they had learned. Soon enough, though, the call came for them to go to bed. They each did so, wishing the woman good-bye as they did so. The blond-haired boy with the blue streaks paused before leaving the main room of Rootcore, turning to the woman. All she heard was a shy thank you and a promise that he would honor his grandparents' memories in whatever way possible.

The woman sat for a few moments before waving her hand, causing the lights to dim until a small shaft of moonlight could be seen surrounding her. She closed her eyes, reveling in the silence until she heard a multitude of footsteps. Opening her eyes, she gasped in shock. Before her were her dearly departed friends, all with smiles on their faces.

"Clare? It's time to come home," a man dressed in yellow and black said gently, eyes looking at the woman with a shining love. The woman was shocked to realize that the wrinkles that had once covered her hands were gone and her hair was back to its dirty-blond shade, the color that it had been when she had first met her husband.

"Really?" The woman, now identified as Clare Thorn whispered standing up.

"Yep," A woman dressed in blue answered, encompassed in the arms of a man dressed in red and black, his eyes the same shade of one of the black-haired twins.

"Welcome home, Clare. Thank you for watching over them." The green-clad man smirked happiness shining in his eyes. His wife, a woman dressed in shades of pink, white and black merely shook her head before holding out a hand. Her other hand was grasped in the man's, a pair of wedding bands shining.

Smiling, Clare took the proffered hand, stepping closer to her friends. As her husband wrapped his arms around her for the first time in over fifty years, she grinned. "Let me tell you a story, guys, about what all you've missed..."