Sam stepped through the time portal into 2040, took a deep breath, and fell over.

“Sam?” Nova asked, leaning over him. “What happened?”

A gloved hand landed on her shoulder, and Bridge appeared behind her. “Some people don’t react well to time travel,” Bridge said, bright and sympathetic and clearly older than the nineteen year old Sam had just left behind in 2025. Sam stared. “When I did it I had a migraine for a week.”

“I didn’t know you’d time traveled,” Sam blurted, except he did know. He could remember the panic when Bridge – the red ranger he never would have called that – disappeared mid-battle only to reappear three months later in the company of Mac Hartford.

He would swear he hadn’t had that memory two minutes ago.

“Rachel, go let the other Rangers know you two are back,” came Sky’s voice – Commander Tate that was less of a surprise – from somewhere beyond Sam’s view.

Rachel – Nova – sent the commander a dubious look but still stood up, punching Sam lightly on the shoulder as she did. “Good to have you back, Sam.”

“Good to be back,” Sam said, honestly, even though he was pretty sure he’d never been in this room before. At least, not in this time period. His memory doubled, presenting him with a parade of time spent in the room – the lab – over the past few years. “Is this how you feel all the time?” he asked Bridge plaintively.

Bridge’s smile widened and he offered Sam a hand up. “Not really.”

Same wavered for a moment once back on his feet. “Yeah, that was a stupid question.” He shook his head to clear it, letting the memories sort themselves out, and stopped to actually look at the older – former – Rangers. Looked at Bridge’s labcoat with the rolled-up sleeves and his crow’s-feet and the more controlled way he held himself. At the gray at Sky’s temples and how relaxed his shoulders were under the command coat and how he was laughing with Bridge as the two of them gave Sam time to collect himself. Saw the wedding ring on Sky’s finger, and he knew there was a matching one hidden under Bridge’s glove.

Sam felt his throat tighten. Each detail brought a wave of memories that forced back the old, dark ones, but he remembered enough to know this was exactly what he’d been sent back for. 

“Commander.” Sam saluted. “I’m reporting a successful mission.”

Jack was really getting sick of criminals attack with mysterious weapons that had weird effects when combined with morphed humans.

Case in point, the beam that all five of them had just gotten hit with—and they really needed to change their tactics from ‘everyone charge from the same direction’ for exactly this reason—left all of them on the ground, disoriented. Jack climbed to his feet as the spots faded from his eyes, glancing around to check on the rest of the team, only to see a Ranger in red pushing upright to his left. A quick look at his arm revealed green, and when he said, “You have got to be kidding me,” it was Bridge’s voice that came out.

Seriously, screw mysterious weapons.

Within seconds of demorphing, Bridge was attacked.

He normally wouldn’t think of it that way, but he’d just spent the better part of the day in a deathtrap; saying his nerves were a little frayed was an understatement. He doesn’t think he can be blamed for not expecting Sky to appear in front of him and pull him into a tight hug. He stiffened, brief alarm mixing with surprise that Sky, of all people, was publicly initiating affectionate contact. Then Sky shifted, brushing a feather-soft kiss across Bridge’s temple; all the adrenaline drained from Bridge’s body, and he dropped his forehead to Sky’s shoulder.

They stood like that for barely a moment before there was a shout and Syd careened around the side of the Zord, nearly trampling a technician as she threw herself at her teammates. Bridge got one arm up just in time to catch her and pull her in against his side. He wasn’t quite fast enough to catch Z as well, and the entire group stumbled as she slammed into his back. Then Jack hit as well – and it had to be intentional at that point, he’d had enough time to slow down if he’d wanted to – and they all fell.

Bridge’s nose smashed against Sky’s shoulder when they landed, accompanied by Sky’s wheezing as the entire team landed on top of him. Someone’s arm was trapped under his stomach and half-hearted squabbling was starting above his head as Syd, Jack, and Z realized just how tangled together they all were.

And in the middle of it all, wrapped in a cocoon of joyloverelief, Bridge couldn’t help but start giggling. The others quieted for a moment, and then all five of them broke into hysteria-tinged laughter. They stayed there, clinging to each other on the floor of the Zord bay, crying with laughter, until Commander Cruger came to find them.

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