First off, I want to wish all my fellow Americans, a happy Independence Day! May everyone remembery why we celebrate and please be safe with all those fireworks and keep those furbabies indoors so they don't get scared and run away! If you must drink, do so responsively and use a designated driver so that you get home safely!

Now, with that out of the way, let's get to the author's notes.

This chapter was originally going to be part of the main story, but as sometimes happens, this chapter wrote itself in such a way, that it doesn't flow smoothly with the rest of the fic. Also, with everything that happened for Conner and Kira, I didn't want all that awesomeness to overtake the sweetness of this special moment for our sweet young lovebirds.

So this is all sweetness and there's no warnings for this one shot. I'm hoping that you all will give this story the same love that you give to "A Time of Peace."

That's about it, for now. I hope you enjoy!

Second Floor of Pebble Brook Manor

Angel Grove CA

Just a few days before Autumn's Sweet 16

Kyle De Santos stood before the full-length mirror in his bedroom.

Today was a big day for him and soon for his girlfriend if all went well. This was a day he'd been working towards for the last three weeks. In the days since he'd been informed about the soul fusion he shared with his girlfriend, he'd started planning this.

It had always been his intention to give her a promise ring as way to show her that he was committed to her completely and in a way, to subtly claim her as his own once they went back to high school.

He stared at his reflection for a few seconds more and then fidgeted with the mandarin collar of his black tunic. As he stood there, he went down a mental checklist of everything he needed to do. Shower…check. Deodorant…check. Hair brushed and styled…check… wrinkle free clothes…check…

"I have such a handsome son." Kyle looked into the corner of the mirror and saw his mother in the doorway. "Thanks Mom."

Aisha grinned at him and walked over to her son. "Hey sweetheart. Everything is set and your dad is guarding the feast. It's all you, now…and you've so got this."

Kyle only nodded and took a deep breathe. His mom was right about this. Though he and Autumn were fused, and this was just a formality, he had put everything he had into doing everything the right way.

"I know…this is just such a massive step. Why do I feel like I'm walking into the lion's den? Dad said he'd given Adam permission to drag me over the coals…" he trailed off seeing his mom looking at him with an arched eyebrow.

"My handsome boy. Never forget that you are the son of both a red and yellow ranger. You already have all the boldness and courage inside you that you need. When you speak to him, do so with respect and honor and you'll do fine. You've worked so hard on everything and your father and could just burst with all the pride and love we have for you."

Kyle took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay Mom. I'm ready to get down there."

"That's my son. Now, I'm leaving with the girls, but I'm rooting for you."

"I love you, Mom."

"Love you, too, Baby. Now, get going…Adam's waiting in the dojo." With a quick hug, she left the room and Kyle was once again alone.

He took one more fortifying breath and then walked over to the closet. He pushed aside his clothes and reached for the katana hanging up in the back. It was the big project he'd been working on all this time. It had started out as something he'd bought from a guy on Craigslist and now, it was honed and polished and was a gift worthy of the Autumn's father…he hoped.

Slinging the brand-new strap of the sheath over his shoulder, he checked his appearance one last time and then headed down the stairs and through the kitchen.

Rocky, the ever the supportive father, sat on a stool between the counter and the table which had been set in a manner fit for royalty and the food that Kyle had prepared, under his own watchful gaze sat in the oven being kept warm. This feast had been the only thing he'd helped his son with…that along with showing him the proper way to use the tools in the workshop after having to rush his son to the emergency room for some stitches on his hand along with caring for the superficial wound on his son's face.

Rocky was a chef to his very core, and he knew exactly how Adam liked his steak prepared. Kyle did all the cooking, but, it was he that took his son shopping and showed him which cut of meat Adam preferred.

All of that had led up to this day.

He watched as his teenaged son walked out to the porch, slipped on his sandals and walked towards the dojo.

"Good luck, son."

The Dojo

Adam heard him approach. He sat in a relaxed pose with his back to the open door of this workout studio.

Over the last couple months, all his attention had been focused on Autumn and the big sweet 16 party that he and his mate were throwing for her. Yet, even with all the planning, most of which he'd left up to Tanya, he'd noticed that something had changed in Kyle.

Kyle had been so careful to be on his best behavior ever since he'd found out about the soul fusion thing. He'd treated her like a princess and though they still shared a bed at night, in their full view, Kyle had been very careful to keep things very PG rated when it came to any PDA's. Autumn had been very annoyed with him, though she never yelled at her boyfriend within his earshot, but he could sense the subtle tension coming off his daughter.

He'd also not been blind to the mysterious wounds on the teenager. He'd asked both Kyle and his best friend about them, but both had refused to say anything other than to reassure him that 'everything was fine.'

It was a very vexing feeling and the frustration only intensified the day he'd walked in on father and son talking shop, Rocky had smoothly transitioned into Spanish and a moment later, Kyle did the same.

He really hated not being 'in the know.'

However, just about 30 minutes ago, he'd come down the stairs- drawn by the scintillating aroma coming from the kitchen.

He'd been met there by Rocky who was standing guard in the kitchen. He'd pressed his best friend for information, but Rocky had taken on his red ranger persona and refused to divulge anything.

"Don't do this Adam. My son has been busting his ass to make this day perfect; I'd never use my skills against you unless we were sparring, but, for his sake, I will personally kick your ass right on out of here."

Adam had raised his brow at the threat, but he also caught the words about Kyle 'busting his ass'. That was what clued him in and made him leave the kitchen without any more fussing.

This was to be the day it seemed. He was going to ask for his permission…

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the young man's steps behind him.

He waited patiently as Kyle removed his sandals and walked to the spot in front of him and stood silently waiting to be acknowledged.

When he looked up, Kyle bowed to him respectfully. "May I sit, Mr. Park?"

Adam nodded. "Have a seat, Mr. De Santos."

When they were both seated, Adam started without preamble. "So, this is about Autumn? The secrecy and the very delicious smell coming from kitchen…it's all to butter me up before you ask for permission to do what? The both of you are a bit young for a marriage proposal."

Kyle nodded. "You're right, we are." He paused and removed the katana from his back. "This gift that I've prepared isn't to butter you up, but as a sign of my sincerity in regard to my love for your daughter. With your permission, I intend to present a promise ring to Autumn along with my oath to be loyal to her no matter what happens between us. One day, I do want to marry her and start a life with her."

Adam nodded his head solemnly and picked up the Katana. He slid it out of the sheath and inspected it in the lights of the dojo. It was sharp enough to cut a blade of grass and polished to a fine sheen. The handle had been had wrapped in the traditional style with chords of green and black. On the end of the sheath, Kyle stamped this masterpiece with his insignia, signing his work.

He slid the katana back in its sheath and looked at Kyle who still averted his gaze.

"This is a beautiful weapon and I can tell you worked hard on it. I honor that…but do you really think that that bribing me with his precious gift will make me cave in and hand over my daughter so easily?"

Kyle looked up at him bravely. "No sir. Autumn is more precious than any Katana I can find and restore. This is a gift to show you that I'm willing to work hard to be worthy of being her mate, soul fusion or no soul fusion. The meal I prepared for you is proof that I'm going to do everything in my power to provide for her in any way she will allow me to."

Adam nodded uncommittedly.

"The day she was born, when I held my baby in my arms, all squishy and screaming her lungs out, I swore to protect her with my very life. I am willing to die for my daughter. Can you say the same?"

"Yes, to my last breath." Kyle paused and took a deep breath. "Sir, when the accident at the school happened. I am glad it as me that punk went after and not Autumn. I would willingly put myself in harm's way to protect her."

Adam flinched at the memory of that day. "You've never spoken of that day before now."

"I've replayed it over and over in my head, I once had a nightmare that it was Autumn that ended up on the stretcher. I woke up feeling sick to my stomach." Kyle shuddered at the thought.

Adam put out a hand to comfort the teenager, but Kyle stopped him, taking another deep breath. "No, I need to get through this. I need to prove myself to you."

This time, it was Adam who spoke. "You've done enough to earn my blessing. There's no need to reopen old wounds already closed just to prove your manliness." Adam paused again and picked up the sword, drawing it from the sheath again.

"With this sword, you have honored me, and I give my permission for you to present her with your oath and ring…. provided that you still keep your oath to never going beyond kissing until the day you marry."

Kyle looked conflicted and he bit his lip. "I wish I could say 'yes' to that, but to be honest sir, I don't know how all this works with the soul fusion. All I can do is promise to do my best to keep things chaste. If something happens to escalate the bond, then I can't guarantee anything, especially if things get out of control. Autumn is my mate and her needs come first; if she comes to me with that kind of need, I won't stop her."

Adam was quiet as he mulled it over in his head. After a couple minutes passed, he looked up at Kyle. "Very well. I'm willing to release you from the oath. But I want to impress you on the importance of waiting. I know in this day and age, the notion of purity is very archaic, but I need to you remember that your first time will not be like everyone else's. You've already been given the soul fusion talk by your father, so I won't make things awkward." He paused and gave Adam a serious look. "Please be absolutely careful with Autumn; I accept that she is your mate, but she was my baby girl first."

Kyle nodded solemnly. "On my honor sir. I will be careful and protect my mate." A moment he bowed in respect and a second later Adam returned the bow.

When the moment was over Adam rose to his feet and motioned for Kyle to do the same. "Enough with the heavy topics. Let's go see this feast you've prepared for me."

Adam drained his glass of beer and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin. He was a happy, happy man and he looked across the table. Kyle had barely eaten his own food, but Adam didn't comment on it; he could still sense the nerves coming off his daughter's mate.

His daughter's mate

Autumn's mate.

Adam cleared his throat. "This is exquisite….and you cooked this yourself?"

Kyle nodded. "Yes, with Dad's supervision. I'd never really cooked a steak on the grill before today. I wanted to make sure I got it right."

"You have impressed me. I didn't think the grocery store sold steaks this tender."

Kyle only nodded. "Dad is the master of grilling, he knew exactly which cut of meat to get."

Adam nodded as a moment of awkward silence passed. "So, how are you planning to give the ring to her?"

Kyle's eyes shot up and he was about to speak when the door to the manor opened and women's voices were heard.

Adam smirked at him. "I guess that's for me to find out later. Good luck, Mr. De Santos."

Autumn was all smiles as she walked into the house. It had been a good shopping trip for her and her aunts; after a trip to the spa, she felt so very beautiful! Alma had the dress ready for her her shoes had been bought. On the day of the party, she'd go back to the salon to get her hair done and her nails touched up.

Today had been a nice escape for a while. She loved Kyle with all her heart, and these last two weeks, she'd felt that something was off about her boyfriend. He'd been sweet to her and they still shared those chaste but sweet kisses, but she could tell he was holding something back. Before, they'd been testing the waters with innocent touches of skin on skin, and their kisses were starting to last longer, but lately, he'd become much more guarded and careful to never let things go too far. She'd called him out on it and questioned him, and that had led to an argument and he'd stalked away from her, not saying anything.

She'd been so confused and even hurt that he'd stayed distant from her. They still shared the bed and cuddled at night and every morning he gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead before getting back to work on whatever project he'd been working on in that blasted workshop. The night he'd been rushed to the ER, she'd panicked and asked him what happened.

But he'd simply smiled and told her that 'everything was fine'. She'd been so mad at that flippant answer that she slept as close to the edge as she could and when he'd tried to cuddle her, she kicked him in the shin.

He grunted softly and murmured 'sorry' to her before turning over on his side. She barely slept that night, as she could feel his regret and fitfulness. The next morning, he'd left her a chocolate muffin and a glass of cold milk on their bedside table.

She ate it quickly and drank the milk before going to find him. When she did, her breath caught. He was standing out in the yard shirtless and carrying two buckets of paint into the little cottage and a simple rag was thrown over his shoulder.

She felt her heart beat speed up and at that same moment, he looked over his shoulder at her and she quickly walked away from the window and ran back up the stairs to start her morning routine.

Now, as she walked into the kitchen, she stopped short seeing the pretty table setting and her father sitting in the chair looking completely content.

He grinned at her. "Hey Sweetie, how was your trip to the mall?"

Autumn was once again confused. "What's going on? What's with the fancy table cloth?"

Adam grinned as he walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Nope, I've been sworn to secrecy."

"What is with all these secrets? Are you in on them?"

Adam shook his head. "No, but I'm your father and I need you to trust me on this. What's going on is something good. Now, why don't you show me what shoes you bought?"

Autumn looked like she wanted to argue, but her dad headed her off. "Don't even think about it, Autumn."

Autumn frowned at her dad, but did not rebel any further. Instead, she led him to the living room where the other women were sitting down with their shopping bags. Adam sat down on the couch expectantly and completely ignored the glossy pink and white striped shopping bag that Autumn quickly shoved under the end table. Tanya eyed him, and he shook his head.

Thankfully, Autumn missed the quiet exchange and began to show off her new things.

Just After Dusk

Autumn sat on her bed with her legs pulled up to her chest. She didn't much feel like going to bed, so she sat staring at her dress which hung on the outside of her closet. She hadn't even changed into her PJ's yet.

Suddenly her cellphone lit up. She didn't feel like looking at the screen, but after a couple of minutes, curiosity got the better of her and she looked at the screen.

Awake my Corazon. Look out the window.

Autumn looked at the screen in confusion and then walked to the window that looked out at the garden.

She could see the gazebo; it was lit from inside and she could see Kyle sitting on the window seat.

Her feet seemed to move on their own as she slipped out of the room, down the stairs and out to the garden. Her eyes widened as she saw that a small table had been set up in the gazebo and on the table was the most decadent looking chocolate cake sitting on a china plate with fudge drizzled all over it. Next to the cake were two scoops of vanilla ice cream. And next to that, were two giant glasses of milk.

There was some music coming from the small CD player in the corner. Finally, sitting on one of the cushions sat Kyle looking at her with a loving gaze.

"What's going on?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Come in, mi Corazon; have some dessert with me."

"We couldn't have this in the kitchen?"

Kyle grinned at her. "This isn't just any night. Please, just come in and sit with me."

Autumn still gave him a confused look, but she did as he asked and sat at the table. He grinned at her and handed her the fork. She looked at him dumbfounded as he picked up his own fork and began digging into one side of the cake. He took a bite and then looked at her.

"Anytime now, Autumn, I promise it's delicious, I baked it myself."

Autumn nodded numbly and began to dig in. Just as he said, it was a perfectly made cake. Before she knew it, the cake was gone and so was the ice-cream. Kyle chuckled softly and handed her the cloth napkin.

Autumn paused momentarily mortified. "I ate all that myself? You barely took a bite."

Kyle gave her a crooked smile. "I love knowing that you appreciate my baking skills. I did all this for you."

"But why?" Autumn asked him softly. "I thought…" She trailed off as he stood to his feet, picked up the remote and turned up the music. She heard the beginning chords of Savage Garden's 'Truly Madly Deeply' bursting out of the speakers.

Kyle held out his hand. "Dance with me."

Autumn felt her heart beat faster as he held her close to him and moved slowly to the music.

I'll love you more with every breath
Truly, madly, deeply do
I will be strong
I will be faithful
'Cause I'm counting on
A new beginning
A reason for living
A deeper meaning, yeah

I wanna stand with you on a mountain
I wanna bathe with you in the sea
I wanna lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me

Autumn had tears in her eyes as the song ended. Kyle smiled at her as they stopped dancing. He kissed her forehead before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small handkerchief.

When she'd composed herself, she looked at Kyle with a wondering gaze.

"So, there is a reason I asked you to join me out here. I know I've been acting differently lately; I promise you that everything I've done, as much as it's irritated you, was done for a really good reason."

Autumn nodded and gave him an expectant look.

"I know I've been kind of distant these past two weeks and I'm sorry for any hurt feelings." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth.

"Please, let me get this out."

Autumn nodded.

"I'm so crazy about you, and it's hard to form words." He paused and took a deep breath. "Today, I had a talk with your dad, to ask his permission…" Kyle paused and pulled out the little gift box. When her eyes widened, he hurried to continue. "I know our souls are fused together but I still want to do this the right way." He paused and handed her the box.

When she opened the box showing the ring, he continued. "This isn't an engagement ring, but I want to give you this promise ring as solid proof that I'm committed to you. You are part of me and I belong to you. With this ring, I'm swearing myself to you. I'm your mate and I see no other woman except for you. On my honor, and to the best of my ability, I'll hold nothing back from you and be everything you need me to be." He paused and took a deep breath. "Please, Autumn Park, accept my oath and my ring."

When he'd finished his speech, he saw that Autumn was openly crying. He gently took the box from her hands and pulled the ring out of the box.

He waited with baited breath as she dabbed at her eyes. "I…I accept your oath…and your ring."

With shaking hands, Kyle slid the ring onto her ring finger and she inspected it closer. Two scaly looking dragons which looped around each other formed the band, and in the middle loop sat a perfectly round opal which shined in the light of the gazebo.

"It's beautiful!" She whispered. "It's a dragon?"

Kyle nodded. "Do you like it?"

Autumn nodded and then looked at him with love glowing in her eyes. "Kiss me."

"Yes, Corazon." He gently cupped her cheek and drew her close to him. This kiss was nothing like the ones in past, this one was on a whole different level. It held so much promise…so much passion.

When the lip lock ended, they stared at each other. Autumn touched her kiss swollen lips, "You've been holding back, Mi Amore."

Kyle nodded. "Your father released me from my oath."

"He did?"

Kyle nodded but gave her a serious look. "I don't know how this soul fusion thing works, just yet, but, in the event that we can't stop ourselves and need to complete the bond, then we can do so without fear of being in trouble."

Autumn nodded in understanding, but then looked up at him. "Kiss me again."

Kyle grinned at her and obliged.

So, I hope you all liked this little oneshot. Song credit goes to Savage Garden's "Truly, Madly, Deeply." It was fanficrulez idea to use this song and it fits them perfectly.

Thank you in advance for the reviews!

Now, it's back to working on "A Time of Peace."