A/N: Okay, I am so, so sorry about not updating sooner. Summer job and preliminary work for my thesis got in the way. I hope that you can all forgive me. Hopefully, this chapter will do the job. Enjoy!

"…": characters talking to each other

'…': characters talking to themselves

(…): extra facts about something in the story

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

Theme 45: Distraction

Animarium, July 4, 2012, 12:30 pm – Turtle Cove, CA, USA

"Pay attention, Xander!" came the call and the Green Mystic Force Ranger's head snapped back in time to leap up and spike the volleyball over the net to score a point for his team.

"Lucky shot," TJ Johnson remarked, retrieving the ball from where it had landed. It had been decided at the outset of the week-long Ranger Reunion/Fourth of July celebration to set up a sports league, pitting either entire teams or teams of same-colored Rangers against each other, March Madness-style. The females had insisted that they get their own teams, and so, colors had been decided upon... and, as female Rangers were wont to do, they were winning the entire thing hands-down. For those Rangers who had held two different colors, they had been told to choose one; TJ had chosen Red.

"Luck has nothing to do with it!" Joel Rawlings proclaimed, slinging an arm around Xander's shoulders. "Xander here's an excellent player!"

"Unlike you, I suppose?" Carter questioned from his position next to TJ, a smirk belaying the insult. Joel glared in reply.

"What's the score, RJ?" TJ called over to the Violet Wolf Ranger, who was currently chatting with Hayley Ziktor. It had also been decided that there was to be a "Special" Ranger team, for those Rangers who were either the Sixth Rangers of their team or, in RJ's case, had a Ranger color that was unique and stood out above all others. After all, before RJ, there hadn't been a Violet Ranger before... although the Pink Rangers had jokingly stated that Violet was close enough to Pink that they'd take him in.

Without looking up from his conversation, RJ replied, "Five to three, Green."

Joel grinned. "See? I told ya that we were going to win!" He proceeded to high-five Damon Henderson, the Green Galaxy Ranger nodding in agreement. Leo Corbett, from the other side of the net, shook his head.

"It was a bad twist of fate that landed those two on the same team, huh?" Leo commented to Carter, who shook his head in the affirmative.

"Your serve, guys!" Wes called launching the ball back over the net. Trip Regis caught it and, as the teams rotated noted that Xander was in the perfect position to earn yet another point if the ball came his way. The Xybrian nodded and, launching the ball into the air hit it over the net. Wes sent it flying back, followed by Damon and Joel setting up a double play that sent the ball towards the back of the volleyball court. Carter moved backwards quickly, enough so that he just managed to hit it towards the net where Leo tipped it over, only to be surprised when Cam Watanabe (who'd astonished his teammates by volunteering to play volleyball) dove and hit the ball above his head, where Xander once more sent it over the net. This time, though, Eric Meyers got his hands on it (figuratively, of course) and sent it careening back over the net. All the Greens attempted to hit it, but the ball hit the ground with a resounding "twap", giving the Red Rangers reason to cheer.

"Excellent!" Wes and Eric exchanged high fives as the Green team retrieved the ball and sent it back over the net. Cole Evans got into position to serve, eyes narrowing.

Xander grinned. There was nothing more exciting than playing a good, rousing game of volleyball with his fellow Green Rangers... except maybe his wife slinking by in a new, hot-pink and black bikini, a sari wrapped around her waist. Xander's eyes were riveted to the sight, watching as she accepted a drink of some kind from Trent, who'd volunteered to take over at the makeshift bar, allowing Merrick some time to teach Lienbow and Daggeron how to play pool. His eyes continued to follow her as she walked back to her seat at the edge of the vast lake on the Animarium where Max Cooper's Shark Zord was sunbathing.

In fact, Xander was so distracted by his wife that he didn't hear the warning from his teammates and ended up getting whacked in the head by the volleyball... hard.

"Ouch! Man, that has got to hurt!" Joel exclaimed running over to his successor, relieved to hear him groaning. The rest of the Rangers had halted the game to see if the Mystic Ranger was okay.

"What in the hell hit me?" Xander asked a few moments later, accent thick. Kat, who'd run over upon seeing her cousin hit the ground shook her head.

"The ball, Xander. The ball hit you," Kat responded dryly, glancing around the gathered Rangers. "This has happened before; he'll be fine."

"Hopefully, 'cause we need all the Green help we can get," Joel muttered only to dodge a swipe from Tommy Oliver, who was glaring. Tommy had been banned from the game because he held four different Ranger colors, making the match-up unfair... particularly if two of his Ranger colors were playing at the same time. Tommy, of course, had sulked for a good couple of hours before being told that he could referee the women's matches... before his wife Kim had told him that in no terms was he going to be allowed to do that because he'd unfairly give her points.

"Come on, Xander. Up you go." Cam and Damon helped the Australian to his feet, leading him to a seat a few feet away for him to rest. At that moment, Vida came sprinting up, having seen the scene from her seat along the lake.

"Xander, you okay?" She fingered the bruise that was already starting to form, eyes worried. The male Rangers who were involved in the game quickly returned to it, wanting to finish before their wives and significant others ended the tournament for the day.

Xander's eyes fluttered open and he mumbled, "V, you're such a good distraction, you know that?" His eyes then closed again and soon he was sleeping, leaving a flustered Vida behind.

"What'd he say?" Kat asked having moved to make sure her cousin wasn't going to die on her. Wouldn't that be amusing to tell her aunt and uncle, that their only son was done in by a rogue volleyball?

Vida didn't answer, focused on dabbing ice on Xander's bruise. After a moment, she shot a grin over at Kat and responded, "I guess we femme fatales have a nasty effect on our husbands, huh?" Kat, catching on to the joke grinned and nodded in return. Upon Xander's awakening, he'd be harangued to death by his fellow Greens for putting the idea into the females' heads to act as distractions to end the volleyball tournament early... in which they succeeded