Hot Cocoa and Someone Special

The young woman was wearing a black leather coat, jeans, and black boots. A fuzzy yellow scarf was wound around her neck and matching yellow gloves were on her hands, sheltering them from the bitter Reefside winter. A yellow backpack was slung across her back, hanging form one shoulder. She kept on at her journey until she reached Hayley's Cyberspace, in front of which she stopped and went inside.

The young woman was named Kira Ford, the yellow Dino Thunder ranger. Kira headed to an empty table near to café counter once inside the safe haven the coffee house offered. Dumping her bag down on one of the chairs, the yellow ranger took off the scarf and gloves and walked the last few steps up to the counter to order her drink.

Trent was on duty for the redheaded proprietor that afternoon. "What'll it be, Kira?" he asked.

Kira opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as Ethan James joined his fellow rangers.

"Hey guys, I just saw Conner in the parking lot sitting in his car, looking majorly bummed out," the blue ranger told them.

"Yeah, he came in for a minute, looked at something on his cell phone, and left with out getting anything," Trent added.

Kira processed what information she'd just been given and made up her mind. "I'll have two hot chocolates to go," she decided. The white ranger nodded at his yellow counterpart and put her order in.

When he offered her two red Styrofoam cups emblazoned with the Hayley's Cyberspace logo on them, Kira put all the winter gear she'd come equipped with back on, gathered her backpack once more and headed out into the cold, not entirely sure why she was about to do what she was going to.

Kira was unaware of when exactly Conner had become less of an annoying, air headed jock and more of a friend. More of a friend that really needed someone right now, needed her. And so on towards the McKnight home she went.

He wasn't there yet, but she'd decided on the walk over she would stay until they had a chance to talk about whatever it was that had happened. What cruel god had possessed her brain and given her the idea of needing to be there for him, whether he really wanted her there or not? Why hadn't she just kept her guitar in its case that day so long ago? Then all of this never would have happened.

What was weird was that Kira was standing in the driveway when he arrived home. What was even weirder was that she was obviously waiting for him, and with hot cocoa, it appeared.

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked softly, holding out one of the cups to him. How had she gotten to the side of the Jeep so fast? He was the one enhanced with super speed.

"Carla sent me a text message saying she wanted out," he found himself explaining.

"A text message," Kira repeated. "How cheap."

He started up the walk to the front door, took out the correct key and fit it into the lock. The door swung open easily. In response to Kira's statement, the red ranger merely shrugged his shoulders. "She's not important. She's nothing special."

Kira blinked. Under other circumstances, Kira would have made a joke about how the red ranger's previous sentence sounded almost profound, but it didn't seem right for the moment. Even if Carla really wasn't important to Conner, he still looked like he was hurting. She didn't like it.

"I guess I'm always going to be alone when it comes down to it," Conner said quietly. "Thanks for the cocoa, Kira."

She nodded, but followed him inside. "You're never alone, Conner," she said, knowing she sounded like an idiot but meaning her statement anyway.

He looked at her, his handsome face more serious than Kira had ever seen it. "Carla was never important to me the way this other girl is. This other girl that I'm in lo-…well, it's not important. Go home, Kira."

Kira sipped at her hot chocolate but didn't make any motion towards the door. Currently they were still standing in the little foyer, decorated for the upcoming holiday in bright reds and greens. "Christmas is a time for miracles," she mused.

Conner was staring at her now. Where had that come from? There was no way he'd ever tell Kira how he really felt about her. She was in to guys like Trent, after all. Wasn't she?

"I guess I'll see you later," Kira mumbled when Conner didn't say anything. "Stupid, Ford, really stupid."

Kira sounded so miffed with him. She had only been trying to help, and Conner knew that. He was furious with himself; she was about to walk out on him and then he'd really never get it out in the open.

So he did the only thing that made sense to him: he pulled on her wrist, gently, and brought her back to him. He then leaned down, closing the distance between them, and kissed her. Conner made sure she felt that he loved her, and was rather pleased when she kissed him back with the same amount of intensity.

"Christmas is a time for miracles," Conner agreed. "And it's definitely a miracle I can finally tell you how I feel. Kira, I… I've been in love with you since we became Rangers. Krista and Carla were…distractions, I guess, because I couldn't face how I really felt, let alone actually tell you."

Conner's brown eyes were searching her for some sign she loved him in return; Kira could feel it. She smiled up at him. "I love you too, you stupid jock."