Author's Note: Thank you for reviewing the last chapter. I'm glad you all liked it. I hope you all like this chapter!

Fight.

It was getting harder and harder. The more people disappeared, the more difficult it got to fight. Udonna had disappeared, no one knew where Daggeron and Leanbow were, and they were unsure of their fates.

Maddie clenched her fists and looked over at Nick. She couldn't see his face through his dark visor, but she could imagine that his expression matched hers. She could feel the worry lines in her forehead, and her eyes stinging with tears of frustration. There was no way to win, with the Master taunting them.

She gripped her Magistaff and uttered a quick prayer. Someone, anyone had to be listening. There had to be a way to beat the Master.

No matter how hopeless it seemed.

But they had to keep fighting. They had to save the people they loved, and the people of this town.

Mourn.

The bodies of Leanbow and Daggeron were draped across the rubble. The fact that their bodies were even near this hell hole was an insult to their memory. Maddie felt her knees go weak and she dropped down next to the two bodies. She looked at her mentors as the tears pooled around her eyes and fell.

She felt someone's hand press into her shoulder and looked sideways to see Nick drop to his knees next to her. She was thankful for the cover of her visor-- Nick couldn't see her tears, and she couldn't see the tears that she was sure were there in Nick's eyes.

Maddie let her weight lean against Nick, and his weight leaned against her. They supported each other as they wrapped their arms around each other. Maddie buried her face into Nick's chest and gripped his shirt as they powered down. They could both vaguely hear the voices of their teammates as they held each other.

"Everything we've done," she heard Nick whisper in to her hair. "Everything we've done has been in vain."

Grip.

Anger had overcome them, consumed them. They weren't thinking rationally as they charged at the Master. Each ranger had red clouding their vision, their every thought. All they wanted to do was hurt the person who had tried to destroy them.

Suddenly, they were caught in his grip. They struggled and screamed, but it was no use. The grip was too tight.

Dust.

His world was dust.

The sky was a horrible, gray color. Little caverns and caves dotted the otherwise empty terrain.

The rangers looked at each other. They knew what they had to do. They had to save their world from the dust.

Fear.

What were they supposed to do? Their zord had been destroyed, their Legend powers taken from them, and now, they didn't even have their helmets.

They scrambled into one of the nearby caves. He would find them, eventually, they knew. But for the time being, they had a few moments to breathe.

"We're safe," Chip panted.

Nick let out a scornful laugh. "Safe? We're not safe."

"So what? You're just going to give up?" Vida demanded.

Nick looked away from his teammates. What was he going to tell them? That he was afraid? That was unacceptable. He wasn't allowed to be afraid. He was their leader.

"Hey," Xander said. "No. You answer her. Are you giving up?"

"Xander," Nick growled. "Get out of my way."

"No." Xander shoved Nick's shoulder. "Are you giving up?" he repeated.

"Don't," Nick ground out through gritted teeth.

"We're all afraid," Xander went on, ignoring Nick's protests. "But that isn't a reason to give up."

"Do you realize what's going on?" Nick exploded. "That... that thing just killed my dad and Daggeron! They are the two strongest people I know, and they're dead because they tried to fight the Master. So, yes. I guess you could say that I'm giving up."

His rangers looked at him, disappointment in their eyes. A heavy blanket of fear settled over them, making the silence heavy and unbearable.

Hope.

"Don't you say that."

Maddie's words sliced through the silence. Everyone's head whipped around to face her, but she only had eyes for Nick as she stalked up to him and matched her eyes to his.

"Don't you say that," she repeated, her voice full of determination and passion. "Not you. You have held us together through all of this. You will not give up."

Nick turned away from her again. He couldn't hear this. He couldn't hear her try to glorify him and make him a hero. He had given up. He was a coward.

Maddie gripped his shoulder and forced him to look at her again. "Listen to me! Giving up is not an option for you. We are a team and you are this team's leader. We go on, no matter what."

As Nick looked into her eyes, he saw something besides fear, anger, and despair. It was something that made the darkness disappear from his mind, made him feel stronger.

He saw hope.

Touch.

They stared at each other, but those few moments felt like an eternity. Then, suddenly, Nick grabbed Maddie and pulled her to him, covering her mouth with his.

Their lips stayed locked in a passionate kiss as their teammates looked on with amused smiles on their faces.

Nick wrapped his arms around her waist as Maddie's arms wound around his neck. He pulled her flush against him as his hands traveled up and down her back, around the curve of her neck, and across her cheekbones.

Maddie's hands felt the taut muscles in his back and her hands traced the contours of his face, smoothing out the hard lines that had set themselves there.

It was almost as if they felt the need to touch each other.

Leader.

As soon as they pulled apart, an explosion sounded and threw them back onto the ground. They tried their best to recover quickly, but Nick had rolled to his feet first.

As he got ready to face the Master, he felt his teammates support behind him, and he knew that they respected him as their leader again.

But he couldn't' help but wonder if maybe he wasn't the real leader. A leader was someone who inspired others, and he had failed to do that.

It was Maddie who had inspirited him.

Belief.

"Why do you weep, White Ranger?" Itasis questioned.

"I weep for the loss of my husband and friend," Udonna responded.

Itasis looked down, feeling helpless. "That, I cannot help you with."

"I know someone who can."

The rangers turned to see Leelee standing behind them. She had a look of fierce determination on her face as she strode up to her mother.

"Mother, you can revive them," she said. "I know you can. You may have been the 'Queen of the Underworld' for the last seventeen years, but I know my mother is still in there, somewhere. You aren't this evil person."

Necrolai looked at the still forms of Leanbow and Daggeron, clearly unsure. It wasn't that she didn't want to do it-- no, it was more of a lack of confidence.

"Mom," Leelee said gently. "I believe you can do it."

Necrolai smiled. All she needed was a little belief.

Family.

Leanbow gripped his son and his wife tightly, holding them to him. There had been much pain for the past eighteen years, and it was all coming to a head.

"I'm never going to let either of you go again," he whispered.

Udonna pulled back and kissed her husband gently. "You'll never have to," she said. "We'll never leave your side."

Leanbow smiled and then gestured to the rest of the Rangers.

"Join this hug," he said. "After all, you are a part of this family as well."

Laughing, the other four rangers joined the hug. Leanbow smiled when he saw that his son was hugging Madison tightly. He brushed some hair from her face lightly with his fingertips, and Madison looked down, her cheeks turning pink. Leanbow shared a knowing smile with his wife as Nick gently took her chin between his fingers and guided her mouth up to his.

This was his family now.

Stand.

Even though they didn't have magic, even though there was no possible way they could win, Nick wasn't going to give up. He had already felt defeat once, and he wasn't willing to feel it again.

"Even without magic," Nick said. "We're going to stay and fight. It's the least we can do for the people of Briarwood."

Nick felt someone's hand wrap around his. He looked down at their intertwined hands and then looked up to see that Maddie was the one holding it.

"We'll stand together," she said.

Unity.

"I told those in the city that the forest and those who live in it are not one to fear," Toby said.

"And I said the same to those in the forest," Phineas replied.

Each group, Mystics and humans stood on either side of the destroyed town square. The Rangers in the middle looked from side-to-side. They had obligations to both sides.

"We can stay the way we were and perish," Udonna said, her strong voice carrying to all of those in the crowd. "Or we can stand together, unite, and fight. It is your choice."

Toby grinned. "You fought all year for us, and you protected us well. Now, it's our turn to lend a little of our magic to you."

He walked forward just as Phineas did and the two gripped hands. A few more people and Mystics walked forward, and soon, everyone was gripping another side's hand.

The rangers looked at each other and smiled. Chip reached out and grabbed Clare's hand. Xander held his hand out to Vida and she studied it and then looked up at him. She rolled her eyes playfully and then slipped her hand into his. Nick and Maddie smiled at each other before grasping the other's hand, lacing their fingers together.

Mystics and Humans, finally unified.

Celebration.

"I'm telling you: Leelee's mom is hot."

Chip chuckled. "You better not let Toby hear you say that."

Maddie nodded her head in agreement. "You also better not let my sister hear you say that, either." She laughed. "You'd get an ass-whooping."

Xander snorted. "Please. Like I'm scared of her."

"You might want to re-think that."

Xander jumped and whipped around to see his girlfriend standing behind him. Vida crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she glared at him.

"Oh." Xander gave her a sheepish smile. "Hey, V." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. "Did I tell you how much I've missed you lately?"

"It wouldn't hurt for you to mention it a few more times," Vida replied.

Chip, Clare, and Maddie all laughed. Maddie smiled gently as she watched her sister and friend. She felt someone come up behind her and wrap their arms around her waist. She immediately knew who it was. She felt her heart beat faster and butterflies rise in her stomach as she leaned against him.

"Hello," Nick whispered in her ear.

Maddie smiled and turned around in his arms. "Hello," she whispered back.

He returned her smile before leaning down to press his lips to hers. She grinned against his lips. His hand slid into her hair, and he pulled her closer.

"Oh, could you please get a room?" Xander and Vida said at the same time.

Maddie pulled away and blushed furiously while Nick just smiled. He took her hand and pulled her away from them, outside of the Rockporium. He guided her over to the tree that had taken them to the Mystic realm.

He smiled as he pulled her too him. "This is where we first met."

Maddie grinned. "How could I forget?"

"That was a good day."

"I'm glad it happened."

He kissed her softly. "Me, too."

"Look, I just wanted to let you know that my parents… my adoptive parents… are coming into town. They want to meet Leanbow and Udonna."

"That's good," Maddie said. "I would have thought that you would have gone back home to see them."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "This is my home, Maddie," he said. "I found my family here… I found you."

Maddie blushed again. "I'm glad you found me."

"They'll be here soon. I want you to meet them." Nick said, pulling her against him and brushing a kiss to her forehead. It took Maddie a moment to register what he said. His touch just did things to her.

His words finally reached her, and she gasped and playfully hit him on the shoulder. "You can't just spring something like that on me!"

Nick grinned at her sheepishly. "They'll love you, I just know it."

"I hope so. Well, at least I've already met your biological parents." She grinned suddenly. "That means you'll have to meet my parents."

Nick paled. "But… but Vida said that Xander's meeting with your parents… uh… didn't go well."

Maddie snorted lightly. "That's one way to put it. They enjoy getting a rise out of Xander. They like you."

"You're sure?"

"Of course."

Nick took Maddie's hand again and pressed his palm to the tree. "Are you ready?"

Maddie smiled. "Yes."

Nick returned her smile as they went through the tree. They had been through so much together, and now they were finally able to just relax and enjoy and love one another.

They were a family.

Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Review, please?