Title: Where your name is written in the sand…

Author: DarkBlue86

Fandom: Power Rangers (DT)

Rating: T

Summary: "Tell me how to get back to, back to summer paradise with you, and I'll be there in a heartbeat."

Author's Notes: I don't own 'Summer Paradise' by Simple Plan, nor do I own Ellen DeGeneres (But I do love her!). I also don't own Power Rangers. Everything's been borrowed for some creative enjoyment.

This song has been stuck in my head for weeks, and finally it all came together in this little one-shot. Please enjoy, and don't forget to read & review!

Nobody, least of all Kira Ford, believed that her cutesy, hipster rock ballad 'Summer Paradise' would become such a hit. In fact, when her label had suggested that it be the second single off her sophomore album, she had all but laughed at them. But they were the ones who ultimately made the call pushing it forward. They had given her the reasoning that at some point, everyone's had a summer love, or summer fling; and given that it's the beginning of March, everyone's looking forward to some fun in the sun… Despite it still being nearly three months away.

She hears the shouting, and screaming long before the car rolls up to the studio; before people come into view. She knows that she should be used to it, but it still seems like a dream each time she does an interview, signing or concert. Since the release of the single, this is her first interview.

And it's with Ellen DeGeneres. A woman that Kira's admired since she was a little girl. She's not nervous, per say… Although her sweaty palms and the leg shaking might say otherwise. Her assistant shoots her a friendly smile from the other side of the vehicle.

"Relax, you'll be fine." She promises. Kira manages a small smile in response as the car slows to a stop. The screaming intensifies as the door opens and she steps into the warm, California sun. 'Here we go…'

"Kira, come on!" Comes a voice as the door to her room swings open. "It's nearly ten and you booked those surfing lessons for just after eleven. Get up." She groans in response and snuggles further under the covers.

"Last time I checked, it was a vacation Conner." Came her retort, muffled by the blankets. "I only booked it so that you'd shut up about it." With a huff, she pushes the blankets down slightly to glare at her best friend, who just grins in response.

"It'll be fun!" He promises, holding his hand out to her. Smacking his hand away, she rolls out of the bed and moves towards the bathroom.

"It'll be fun he promises." She mutters under her breath. "Three week vacation, the entire team, he lies." From behind her, she hears Conner begin to laugh heartily in response to her antics.

"So Kira, tell us!" Ellen prompts once they've done introductions and hugged. "Your latest single, 'Summer Paradise' has literally become an overnight sensation. I've listened to it a couple of times, and I've got to say, it reminds me of when I was younger and had a few, uh, 'summer encounters' myself." The blond woman grins as the audience laughs in response. Kira smiles, ducking her head slightly.

"That was kind of the point." Comes the easy response. With a grin, the older woman pushes forward.

"Oh? So there was a summer encounter? Is that what you based the song off of? One summer love that you had and can't forget?" The question catches Kira off guard, and her cheeks turn slightly pink, her mouth falling open slightly. "So there is!" Ellen points out, causing the audience to go wild.

"Um…" The younger woman shifts uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly the stage lights are very bright and very warm.

"Tell us about it!" The host smiles, and much to Kira's chagrin, the audience agrees.

Their first week together is filled with their usual witty banter, and arguments. So much so that their waitress one night claims that they must have been married for a few years to argue this well. The statement is enough to shut them both up, and the waitress receives a less than stellar tip for her unwanted commentary.

They stroll along the beach most nights after a few too many drinks, and delicious food, reminiscing about their triumphs and tragedy's over the past few years. While Conner was busy gallivanting across the country to keep his soccer camps, and dreams alive, his father suffered a fatal heart attack at 53; His mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer a few short months after the funeral. Between their small group of friends, and Conner's family, he was able to not only keep his dreams alive, but to help them prosper as he stayed close to home.

Kira struggled for some time during her time in New York. It took an untold amount of hours and money, and nearly two years before someone finally discovered her music and signed her. Her happiness was short-lived when her she heard of Conner's family issues, and picked up her life to move back to California. Ethan and Trent weren't without their own family issues either – Ethan's fiancée left him at the altar, claiming cold feet; Trent lost his father to a car accident shortly after they had graduated high school. But both had triumphed over what had been laid in front of them and moved forward, becoming successful – Ethan had his own multi-billion dollar technology corporation; Trent worked with Pixar Animation.

Shortly before the end of the first week, while spending the evening at the outdoor restaurant adjacent to the hotel, Conner asked Kira to dance.

"If things were different… I mean, if I hadn't asked Krista to prom, and I don't know, asked you instead… Where do you think we'd be?" He questioned halfway through their second dance. Carefully lifting her head from his shoulder, Kira glanced at him, her brows furrowing slightly. "Don't give me that look Kira. There was something there when we were rangers, and I don't know about you… But I really liked you." She wants to step away, stop dancing, and have this discussion with him elsewhere, but she knows Conner too well to do that. He'll be offended, and shut himself off. End of discussion. Instead, Kira gently rests her chin on his shoulder.

"I don't know." She replies honestly, glancing at the thinning crowd. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" He snorts softly in response, and she knows exactly why before he says anything.

"You liked Trent." The statement rolls off his tongue easily enough; He holds no grudge against the former foe turned friend. "It was easy enough to see that, and I wasn't about to interfere, no matter how badly I wanted to." Kira leans back and gives him a soft smile.

"Someone gained some wisdom with age." She teases gently, and Conner half-rolls his eyes in response.

"You know where I think we'd be?" He continues a few moments later. "We'd be here… Except it wouldn't be as friends. We'd be married; you traveling the globe making your music; me pushing forward with the soccer camps… I think we'd be happy." He says it with such conviction that her heart skips a beat, and suddenly her mouth is dry. It's like she's in high school all over again, and the cutest boy in school has just informed everyone that he thinks she's pretty.

"That… Sounds nice." Kira settles on a few moments later, saying it almost too softly for Conner to hear. He gives her a gentle squeeze, and they dance to the final song before heading back to their villa for the night.

"Um…" Kira starts, trying to stall for time. There's an unspoken agreement that they don't talk about things that transpired. They had a good time, an enjoyable three-week vacation. Just friends. 'But it's a lie.' The little voice in the back of her head comments. "It was a few years ago… I took a vacation with a friend and…" She trails off, searching for the right words.

"And?" Ellen prompts. The audience is waiting, on the edge of their seats. A blush creeps up Kira's neck.

"It was perfect… Everything was absolutely perfect..." Her stomach tightens, butterflies, just talking about it.

Things move slowly from there. She's not entirely sure how it happens, but the changes are subtle at first. Conner draping his jacket over her shoulders one night when she's cold; lingering touches as he brings her another drink from the bar; the way he stands in her doorframe as she finishes her make up, just watching her, a soft smile on his face.

She won't deny that she's also made her own subtle hints. Linking their arms together as they walk; kisses to his cheek in thanks for small things. She feels like a teenager again. The only difference is that this is her best friend. It's partway through the second week, and they're dancing again, when Conner leans down to kiss her. It's unexpected, soft, gentle, and absolutely perfect. When he pulls away, he gives her a tender smile, and strokes her cheek softly. Kira can feel her heart hammering against her ribs as they go back to slowly dancing in each other's arms, swaying to the beat.

When they return to their villa for the evening, Conner walks her to her bedroom door, and gives her another tentative kiss. She welcomes it, returning it with a vigor she wasn't aware of. He bids her goodnight, with a promise that he'll see her in the morning.

"Kira?" Ellen questions, noting that her guest has zoned out slightly, a faraway look in her eyes. The singer shakes her head slightly, bringing herself back to the present.

"Sorry…" She trails off. "Everything was absolutely perfect… Even him. It was strange. I'd never seen this side of him until then, and even now I feel like I was missing out all that time…"

The end of the third week is the first time they sleep together. It was inevitable, they both know that. But they're both adults. Conner presses hot kisses across her body throughout the night, murmuring how amazing she is. Kira reciprocates as well, discovering things she'd never know otherwise. Their bodies work in tandem with each other, like a well-oiled machine; like it was meant to be this way all along.

When she awakes the next morning, Conner is gone, but there are flowers on her nightstand. Yellow daffodils. Her favorite. There's a simple note attached to it:

'Meet me on the patio… Love, Conner.'

Her heart skips a beat at the ending of the note, and she quickly gets ready before heading to the patio. The slight breeze pushes her dark locks away from her face as she walks into the cool morning air, and noticed Conner sitting in one of the chairs, reading the local paper; a beautiful breakfast spread before him. Hearing her approach, he stands and greets her with a soft kiss.

"You look beautiful." He murmurs tenderly as he pulls her chair out for her. Blushing, she sits and he follows before they tuck into their breakfast. As they finish, Conner holds his hand out to her, and they stroll slowly along the beach. Picking up a branch, he writes their names in the sand, a heart circling them. He knows, and states, that it's almost like they're in high school again, doing silly things like this; but she doesn't care. The sentiment is there, and that's all that matters.

"Missing out on what?" Ellen asks, propelling the story forward, and Kira sighs.

"On him. " It's a simple thing to admit, but it took her nearly six years to figure it out, and suddenly within less than six months, it's gone. "I made a mistake though." The admission garners a loud, collective gasp from the crowd, and Ellen slowly sits back.

"How so?" The host asks, and Kira's shoulders drop.

"I wanted it all. The perfect boyfriend, the perfect career… Everything. And I honestly though I did… But I didn't take into account that maybe that's not what he wanted." She bites her lip softly. "If I could find my way back to… Back to our summer paradise with him… I'd be there in a heartbeat." She whispers softly.

It takes five months before they have their first fight. Sure, they've argued before, but this is different. There's screaming, and crying… And at one point, the picture of the two of them, taken on their last evening of vacation, goes sailing across the room, shattering as it hits the wall.

"You don't understand!" Kira yells through her tears. Throwing up his hands, Conner sighs.

"Tell me again then Kira! Tell me why you want to keep our relationship a secret!" They've been going in circles for a few hours now. Kira wants to keep her private life away from her public one, meaning that her relationship with Conner would be secret; even from their closest friends – Though none of them know that things have changed for them both.

"I'm doing it to protect you Conner!" She replies softly. "I don't want to see you get attacked in the media because of me." Snorting, Conner rolls his eyes.

"Right, because that's exactly what they'd do. Attack me. Understand something Kira, I don't care if they attack me, or what I do. I want people to know about us. What we have. I want to be able to tell people how much I love you; how I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Kira's breath catches in her throat. She's suspected for a while that he's in love with her, but he hasn't confirmed it till now.

"We will be hounded everywhere we go Conner." She comments, a pleading tone evident in her voice. "You know why relationships in Hollywood fail? The media spreads rumors, lies and endless gossip. I don't want them to ruin my life any more than they already do!" He stops and looks at her.

"Your life?" Comes his soft comment. "Just your life Kira? I wasn't aware that I was just a pawn in your life. Forgive me. I thought I was your equal; your teammate; your boyfriend who was under the impression that we were going to spend our lives together. But clearly this is just the Kira Ford show, and I'm only a lowly side character who gets no say in that." She can feel a fresh set of tears rolling over the edges of her eyes as he keeps pressing on.

"I'm not sure if you actually get it or not Kira, but I love you. All of you. The girl I knew in high school, the amazing woman I've spent the past five months with, and even the world-famous rock star who can't seem to get past the fact that the media has no place in our relationship. But obviously you don't seem to feel the same. That's fine." He bites out the comments, tears stinging the back of his eyes. "I'd just wish I'd known five months ago, so I could have saved myself the heartbreak." He reaches into his pocket and tosses a box at her. She doesn't need to open it to know what it is.

There's a heartbreaking silence before Conner turns on his heel and leaves the room. It takes the sound of the door slamming behind him to send Kira to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, knowing she just ruined the best thing to ever happen to her.

Kira's beyond thankful when Ellen steers the conversation away to her new album, rather than staying with the previous conversation. As soon as the interview finishes, she hightails it backstage and locks herself in her dressing room for a few moments. Once she's calmed down enough, she let's her team into the room, nodding and smiling appropriately as they congratulate her on the interview.

'More like a train wreck.' The little voice comments, and Kira can't help but think that her conscious is right.

"Kira? You look like you could use a vacation." Amy, her assistant comments, and surprisingly her team members agree. With only weak protests, they book her on a weekend vacation, leaving that evening. Problem is, they won't tell her where she's going.

It only took two months for contact to be officially cut off between Conner and Kira. She tried everyday for those two months to contact him. Calling, texting, even emailing. It wasn't until Ethan called her one night to say that Conner had moved to San Francisco, did it all make sense. When asked about her vacation time with Conner, by her other best friends, she lied openly through her teeth, saying how much fun she'd had… Which had been true. She was relieved to hear that Conner had given their friends the same story.

Almost two years to the day that their relationship ended, was when they finally saw each other, face to face. Ethan's wedding to Emily, the lovely girl he'd dated after his failed relationship with Cassidy in high school. Emily had all but begged Kira to be her maid of honor, stating that she had no close friends, and it was only family in the bridal party otherwise. And not surprisingly, Ethan asked Conner to be his best man.

In an attempt to keep the awkward at bay, Kira smiled and laughed appropriately, and did her best to keep the tears at bay. Conner played his role right down to the letter. Perfect actors, the both of them. Nobody seemed to notice the large elephant following the former red and yellow rangers.

The wedding was perfect in Kira's opinion. Emily looked absolutely stunning, and Ethan looked so handsome in his suit. Everything was perfect. She chanced a glance at Conner partway through the ceremony, expecting him to be paying attention to the pastor. She nearly gasped loudly when their eyes met. His full of regret, anger, hurt… And yet, she could see hope, forgiveness and love deep within them as well. She tore her gaze away after a moment, tears filling her eyes.

After the speeches had been made, and the bouquet and garter toss completed, Kira excused herself and wandered down the cement steps of the patio towards the river. Emily and Ethan had chosen a small golf course for the reception, backing onto the only river running through Reefside. Smoothing her dress out slightly, she sat and glanced up at the moon.

"Perfect night." Came the familiar voice behind her. Kira's head dropped slightly as Conner approached. He made no move to sit beside her, but just stood there, glancing up at the moon. "Been a long time since I've actually looked at the moon with someone." A silence fell over them for a few moments.

"If you want to yell at me… Can we wait until after this?" Kira requested softly. "It's not fair to them." Conner glanced down at her with the same expression he'd had during the ceremony.

"Contrary to what you might think Kira, I wasn't going to yell at you." He stated indifferently. "I actually came here to say I'm sorry." Had she not been sitting already, she may have fallen over.

"What?" She choked out. He shrugged.

"I screwed it up. I should have respected your decision instead of acting the way I did. Doesn't change anything, but I am sorry." Kira blinked and glanced at the ground, unsure of what to say. They remained in silence for a long time before Conner spoke again. "I know it's been a very long time, but… if it means anything, I still love you Kira. Maybe one day, when you've forgive me for what I've done, we'll be able to start again…" Carefully, he leaned over and kissed the crown of her head tenderly, lingering a moment before he moved back in the direction he'd come from.

She really shouldn't be surprised that her team sent her back here. Same hotel, same villa, and right down to the same wine they'd had the first night here. Kira knows it should bring her nothing but heartache, but somehow, it doesn't hurt. In fact, she basks in the warmth of good memories they made here. She makes of the most of her limited time here and changes out of her flight clothes, and into a short black dress with flip flops before heading to their restaurant.

She feels no jealousy at the couples that spin each other around the floor as she sips her wine and picks at her food. She smiles at those who walk past her and don't recognize her. It's a nice feeling to just sit here, and be herself. As the night begins to wind down, and the restaurant closes, she takes a moonlit stroll down the beach. She stops where they did, and glances at the sand. The heart, with their names inside it, has since been washed away by the tides, but she still remembers it perfectly. Smiling, she sits in the cool sand, and waits for the sun to rise.

It takes a few hours, but finally daylight breaks on the horizon, and she finally feels at peace with everything. Standing, Kira brushes the loose sand off her dress and turns to return to the villa. Her eyes widen, breath catching in her throat. There, only a few feet from her is Conner. He looks like he hasn't slept in days; his hair is a mess, his clothing is wrinkled and disheveled. But he's there.

"I saw the interview." He comments, not beating around the bush. Kira says nothing in response; there's nothing to say. "I… The song was about me?" Comes his tentative question. Ever so slowly, she nods in response, and he lets out a shaky breath. "Why?" Kira blinks before she snorts, and rolls her eyes.

"Why? There's probably a huge list somewhere Conner, because I've gone over it that many times in my head. But the main reason is because I love you. Always have. And it took me hurting you as badly as I did, to realize it. I wanted everything, and instead of including you on those plans, I just assumed that you'd want the same. Rookie mistake, and one that I don't plan on making ever again." There's a brief pause before Conner steps forward.

"This is where…" He trails off and Kira nods in response.

"Where you wrote our names in the sand…" She replies. In an instant, his lips are against hers in a fiery kiss, and she knows that everything will be okay…

Someday, I will find my way back…

To where your name, is written in the sand…

Tell me how to get back to, back to summer paradise with you…

And I'll be there in a heartbeat…