Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction based on the television series, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future (if they were mine, Retribution Part 2 would not have ended the way it did!). It is not intended to infringe on the copyrights of Landmark Entertainment Corporation or anyone else who may have legal rights to the characters and settings.

Blessed

*THUD*

Jonathan Power woke with a start when the book he'd been holding fell to the floor.

He had fallen asleep reading.

Again.

For the third time this week.

Still slightly sleepy, he rubbed his eyes with one hand: even after so many years now, he still hadn't gotten used to it. Most of his adult life Jonathan had fallen asleep due to utter exhaustion. Often he'd even been too tired to dream, and what he had dreamed of had never been pleasant.

He certainly had never dreamed of the life he had now.

Carefully and slowly, he stretched his lean body, hoping he would not wake the person sleeping next to him. Fortunately, she didn't even flinch.

As Jonathan looked down on her, he couldn't help but wonder at how much his life had changed in a comparatively short amount of time. Seven years ago, they had finally defeated Dread and started to rebuild the world. Five years ago, his heart had been in the sole possession of one Jennifer Chase.

Until Grace had come into his life.

The second Jonathan had seen her for the first time, he fell for her, heart and soul. Never before in his life had he ever loved someone like this.

Not even Jennifer.

He reached to gently stroke her dark hair. Grace stirred but didn't wake. She was a sound sleeper. Nothing, neither storm nor thunder would wake her until 7 AM sharp. Then, if he'd slept in late, she would wake him up and greet him with that wonderful smile of hers.

That smile was another thing he loved about her, and not only he. Wherever Grace went, she stole the hearts of people with her smile. Matt always said, with her around, they'd never need artificial lights because her smile was bright enough to light up the room. And Grace smiled often, whether they went to visit her family or Mentor, had a picnic, decorated their Christmas tree or had dinner. Sometimes it was the smallest things that made her happy.

That was of the things she had taught him - to enjoy things that others would consider too minor. It was something he almost forgot during the war.

With a soft smile of his own, he remembered last winter. She had spent hours examining the textures of icicles and snowflakes and watching the frost patterns growing on their windowpanes, while being worried about her little chestnut tree in the garden. During one of their walks in a regrowing forest, Grace had found a single chestnut and planted it in a corner of their garden where it had grown into a small tree. Much to her delight, it survived the harsh winter and continued thriving.

Her favorite seasons were summer and spring, when she could walk barefoot in the grass. In the beginning, she often had to encourage Jonathan to join her. Now, most of the time, he had his feet in the grass before Grace had even taken off her shoes. Feeling the grass blades between his toes and the soft dirt under his feet after so many years had simply been amazing.

In every aspect, Grace had been a gift. No, not a gift. A blessing. He must have done something very good in a previous life to deserve her.

Sighing, Jonathan turned his head to the clock on the wall. He had only slept for about two hours. There was still some time to finish the plans he had been working on in his study before going back to bed, if he could concentrate on them. Going back to sleep was out of the question, with all those thoughts and emotions swirling in his mind.

Carefully, he removed Grace's arms from his waist and laid it on the blanket. Then he got up and gently kissed her head.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear before he left the room.

Outside in the hallway, he pulled her door close quietly, when suddenly…

"Fell asleep reading again?"

Jonathan turned around and rubbed his stiff neck with a sheepish grin.

"Guilty as charged."

"Thought so, when you didn't come back. How many did she want to hear?"

"Just two."

An eyebrow shot up.

"Okay," Jonathan gave in, "she wanted four, but fell asleep somewhere in the middle of the third."

"And you continued reading."

He just shrugged in reply.

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger, you know that?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile as he pulled Jennifer close to kiss her. "Just like her mom has."

Jennifer smiled as she leaned into his embrace. "But not as much as Gracie has. Must be a daddy-daughter thing."

"Maybe," he answered and turned his head to get the stiff muscles moving.

"How about I give you a massage?" Jennifer asked with a mischievous smile.

Now it was Jonathan's turn to raise an eyebrow. He knew what their massages often turned into, not that he minded that one bit.

"I think I could use a good massage."

Without saying another word, Jennifer took hold of his hand and let him to their bedroom, making Jonathan wonder just why the two women in his life had so much power over him.

The answer was as simple as wonderful.

He loved them both with all of his heart.