Author's Note: This is a sort-of crossover with the Opposites Attract universe, and takes place during a pair of stories that are being written. It didn't fit in either one, really, so count it as a sneek peek... until I do revisions.

Brief Flings
by Selma McCrory
copyright 1999

"It's always strange who you fall in love with," Teresa DeSantos said, sitting down on the ground.

Shadahw Hammond nodded, leaning back against the tree. "It always surprises you, doesn't it? You never expect to fall in love."

"Is yours another Ranger?" Teresa asked.

"No, it's not like you and Lucas," she replied, looking up at the stars. "Neither of us were Rangers when we met - it was just a brief fling. We'd seen each other each summer for as long as I could remember, and then we just kinda fell in love, for a while."

"I know how that feels. I grew up with Lucas. Who would have known he was such a great guy?"

Shadahw gave her a wry grin. "Yeah, Pete was that way too. Too bad it didn't last. Not that it ended badly, since we're still friends, but I miss the closeness. But he's a Ranger now, and so am I, and since we're on different teams, we don't see each other much anymore anyway...."

"I don't want to break up with Lucas," Teresa said. "I don't want to prove the people who said that we're incompatible right. But right now... it's like we didn't spend years growing up, and months together as teammates."

"Hopefully, either you two will see what's going wrong and fix it, or at least still be friends. I can't say - I don't know you two that well."

Teresa sighed. "I hope you're right. We're a *team*, for goodness' sake!"

Shadahw sat down and put her arms around the other Ranger. "I think that will keep you together, no matter what. I don't know how it is for post-team relationships, but all those that I've seen that resulted in marriage seem to be going fine. I should know - my parents were teammates, after all."

"And Ian's parents are some of the closest people I've ever seen," Teresa replied. "I just hope this isn't a brief fling."

"All you can do is wait and see."

"Yeah, I guess so."

The two sat in silence, watching the stars.

-end