The Junior Police Ball is in a few days, he thought, glancing to where several Junior Officers were trying to sell tickets, among them Bulk and Skull. I wonder if I should ask her. ..

"What're you thinking about, Billy?" he almost jumped clean out of his skin when he heard Rocky's voice almost in his ear. He looked around to see both him and Adam standing there, looking a bit confused at Billy's sudden panic. "Billy? Something wrong?"

The Blue Ranger calmed himself quickly. "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting you guys. I was thinking about something."

"Something?" Adam raised one dark eyebrow as he sat down at the table after Billy motioned for them to join him. He had seen who Billy's attention was on. "Or someone?"

Rocky grinned briefly as he looked across the Youth Center and saw Aisha working on one of her ninja katas. "She is beautiful," he agreed. "Why don't you ask her to the Police Ball, Billy?"

His friend flickered several interesting shades of color. "Are you nuts? Why in the world would she go with me!? She could go with anyone she wanted!"

"True," Rocky agreed. "But no one's asked her yet. I know, because she was complaining the other day that she didn't think anyone was going to."

Billy glanced again to Aisha, who had finished her workout and was heading for the showers. She glanced for a moment over to them, and smiled directly at him. He could literally feel his knees weakening at that smile, and it was all he could do to catch his breath as she passed out of sight and into the shower room.

"Ask her," Adam urged. It would do Billy good to have a girlfriend, or at least a date. He had seldom went out with anyone since Adam knew him, and the Black Ranger had a sense that Aisha was liking her blue teammate more than she was openly letting on.

Billy closed his eyes for a moment. He'd had a crush on lots of girls, but he'd never really experienced love. He'd dated more than he could conveniently remember, even being a 'geek', and he knew he had a sort of reputation as the school 'Casanova'. He didn't want Aisha thinking that he was just out for a quick date. He wanted more, or rather, he wanted the chance for more. He wanted love, not just infatuation.

"Billy?" a soft familiar voice caused him to open his eyes, and he look up to see Aisha standing there. "Hi," the Yellow Ranger smiled as she sat down. He'd obviously been so deep in his thoughts he hadn't noticed her arrival, or Adam and Rocky leaving. He threw a desperate glance at the two of them, who had went over to the bar where Tommy and Kim were having a soda together, and all four were watching intently.

"Um, hi," he almost mumbled. I'm going to kill them for leaving me here like this with her. Now I get to look like an idiot in front of all of them.

Aisha fluffed her hair out a little, and looked directly at him. She was a trained ninja, and she didn't miss much, if anything. She'd seen the looks Billy had been giving her every now and then, and had figured out rather easily that he liked her. What had really surprised her was realizing she liked him in return. "Billy, I was wondering something."

"You were?" he gulped, then felt a sudden bolt of courage from who knew where. "I've been wondering something myself, Aisha." Good start. She looks curious, not revolted. Hope she stays that way. "You know, there's this Junior Police Ball coming up. Do you. ..do you have a date for it?"

She shook her head, and still looked curious, with it edging into interest. He kept going. "I was wondering. . .would you like to go? Umm. ..with me?"

The look on her face like that of sunrise incarnate. "I'd love to!" she grinned, then nearly gave him heart failure by taking his hand. "In fact, that's what I was wondering about you! If you'd go with me!"

In all his life, Billy had never felt quite as good as he did when Aisha told him that.

The band was just starting to play the instrumental to their first song as the Rangers stood in their customary circle, discussing the recent events. Everyone was dressed in their best outfits, and Billy had almost had heart failure when he saw how beautiful Aisha looked in her yellow dress and scarf. He himself wore a sleek black informal tuxedo with a blue undershirt, and she had complimented him on how good he looked when he'd come to pick her up at her house.

"That monster sure was a hothead," Adam observed. He wasn't with anyone at the dance, having come stag along with Rocky, but both of them knew they'd probably wind up dancing with some of the beautiful young ladies who were positioned strategically all around the Youth Center.

Billy nodded. "Yeah, it was quite a potent potion!"

"Well, hopefully, Rita and Zedd have given up matchmaking for good," Aisha declared, putting an arm around Billy. She'd been scared he wouldn't want to come with her once Bulk started romancing her, but after the monster's defeat and people had begun to figure out that it was just another of Rita and Zedd's plots, he had reassured her that he wanted to go more than ever. They'd already seen Bulk hanging with a beautiful young fellow junior officer, and both of them looked happy together. Skull was sitting by himself, obviously depressed over his own disastrous romantic affair.

The Rangers stared for a moment as voices from not that far away proved to be Mrs. Applebee and Lieutenant Stone, who whirled each other out onto the dance floor, enjoying themselves just as much as if they were teenagers themselves. The band's lead singer started to sing, and the six teenagers felt the cares of defending the world slide away as they were swept into the world of love and romance.

"Come on," Billy grinned for a moment, his heart light and full of joy as he gazed down briefly at his date. "Let's dance!"

Aisha grinned widely, teasing him. "Ahhhh. ...okay!" together they headed out for the dance floor, joining Tommy and Kim who were already there enjoying themselves. Rocky saw a lovely young girl on the outskirts and smiled, heading over to her with a warm light in his eyes. He'd known he'd find someone cute to spend the evening with!

Billy gazed deeply into Aisha's eyes, his heart beating with purest joy as he did so. Every other date he'd had with every other female had never been like this. He'd either been deep in the throes of a crush, or trying to fend off a girl who wanted more than he wanted to give, really. Never before had he been with someone who cared about him every bit as much as he cared about her.

She's beautiful,the words rang in his mind over and over again as they danced.

And so far, tonight has been absolutely perfect.

He's gorgeous. I've never had so much fun on a date before, Aisha thought. She'd dated both Rocky and Adam briefly before they'd all realized they worked together as a team and as friends far far better than they did as boyfriend-girlfriend or anything else. The three of them had made a pact to always be friends, and to always look out for each other's best interests. They'd more than kept that pact, too.

A flash of red going by her proved to be Rocky, dancing with a young blonde girl she vaguely recognized from one of her classes. She made a mental note to cross reference it with Adam, just to be sure. She thought he would be 'safe' with her, but the three of them were all firm believers in 'better safe than sorry'. She moved her head slightly to see Adam and Tommy standing side by side talking with one another, and then heard Billy chuckle slightly.

"What is it?"

He smiled, and tilted his head to the left. "Look over there," he whispered, and they turned in the dance so they could see Kim and Skull dancing together. Skull's wide and wild movements made things a bit dangerous for the other dancers, but it was nothing they weren't used to. Surprisingly, both of them looked almost blissfully happy. Skull's reason for being so was obvious; he had had a crush on Kimberly for as long as any of them could remember. But both Billy and Aisha wondered just why Kim looked so comfortable in his arms. . .

Billy drew Aisha closer to him and smiled. Let Kim, Skull, and Tommy sort out their own romantic lives, preferably without Rita and Zedd's interference. That was their concern, not his. Right now, all he wanted was the perfect young woman in his arms. Slowly, he bent down a little closer to her. "I love you, Aisha," he whispered. "I love you."

She looked back at him, and smiled, leaning closer to nestle her head against him as the song changed to one even slower and deeper. "I love you, too, Billy," she whispered words she had felt in her heart for some time.

Together, the Yellow and Blue Rangers danced the night away, feeling their love and their joy so strongly that nothing any of their foes could do would ever stop them. Whatever the future might bring, they could tell they would be together. Their future had begun.