Hero of My Heart-Relationship?

Chapter 3 - Relationship?

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After getting Ben checked out and cleaned up at the Union, the pair were off to Rand's house so that Ben could be acquainted and introduced like he was originally supposed to.

He and Summer made it to the hill where the older ranger's house lie without any difficulty, catching up mainly on things that had happened to them during their separate ordeals. But as they were approaching the front door, he paused and stopped.

"What's wrong?" Summer asked, turning around to face him with a concerned look.

"Eh," he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I don't know. I'm just all shaky all of a sudden… I feel like I'm meeting your parents for the first time or something…"

"But you've met my parents, Ben," she laughed light-heartedly.

"I know… there's just something about the… feeling… of this particular situation," he turned away and blushed a bit, "that makes me nervous."

"Aw, Ben," she took hold of his arm in a gentle grip, not getting what he meant. "They're going to like you, they're going to like you a lot. You're a great guy." She gave his a reassuring smile, and all his fears of this family not liking him flew out the window at that.

He placed his hand on hers and squeezed it, before he nodded and they entered the house together.

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"Heya, everybody," Summer waved to Nema as she entered through the front doorway.

"Oh! Summer! Hello," Leanne turned from her spot in the kitchen to give her a pleasant smile. "Perfect timing. I just finished making lunch!" Upon finishing her sentence, she noticed the presence of another person behind Summer. "Oh, and who is this?"

"This is my best friend and fellow ranger, Ben!" Summer took him by the hand and swung him in front of her as though she were proudly displaying him for Leanne and Nema to see.

"Well, hello there," Leanne left her post and walked to the front door area and gave him another one of her smiles. "Nema," she beckoned her daughter, "say hello."T

he younger girl looked up from the machine she had been toying with from her spot at the table, and the seconds her eyes landed on the ranger, she was lovestruck. He just looked so brave and courageous… and everything a girl her age could ever want in her perfect Prince Charming. "H-hi," she mumbled shyly at him, dropping her wrench.

"Hey, nice to meet you," he went forward and extended his hand for her. The usually thoughtful girl shook it numbly, staring into his deep brown eyes the entire time. "Summer told me you were the girl to see if I wanted my Styler fixed… that true?"

Nodding her head furiously, the smitten 11-year old managed out, "Y-yep. Here," she took hold of his arm, trembling sheepishly as she unlatched the device. "I'll fix it up right away."

"I owe ya one," he winked at her, sending a bright pink blush scampering across her pale face. She rushed out of the large main room and straight to her laboratory.

Leanne and Summer gave each other knowing glances before sharing a simultaneous giggle. Ben tried to ignore it - he hated it when women would do things like that. "Well, hi, Leanne," he turned to the teal-haired woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with yet another smile. "But I wonder where my husband is at… he needs to meet you, as well…" she trailed to herself, walking over to a staircase located at the side of the room, going up it and checking the room above for Rand. He was just so all over the place - she never knew if he were out patrolling or if he were reading a book up there!

"Hey, honey!" Ben and Summer turned to where the booming voice came from, the doorway. The front door then flew open and in sailed Rand. "Oh," he stopped and blinked at the other two rangers who were blocking him from getting any further into his home. "Summer! You're back! Is something the matter at the Union or something, though?"

She shook her head at him, and pushed Ben into his view. "Nothing's wrong. This is the other ranger who I was supposed to come here with, though. Ben."

"Hello, Ben," he shook the younger ranger's hand with a firm grip. "Great to have another addition to the team." At that, Leanne came downstairs and noticed her husband.

"There you are!" she walked down the stairs and kissed Rand on the cheek. "Lunch is ready, and you're not going out on patrol again. You're staying here and enjoying it with us all."

"Okay, okay," he gave her a kiss back before setting his things down and beginning to set the table.

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"So, Ben," Rand began to start up a conversation. "How do you know Summer so well?"

"She's my best friend," he turned to her and placed a hand on the back of her chair. "We just met one day when we were little and… ever since then, I've always considered her the closest friend I've ever had."

"Aw," Leanne involuntarily let what she was thinking slip, giving a look in between the two. When Rand noticed his wife's touched reaction, he gave a fatherly look at Summer before giving an overly-protective one to Ben.

"And is there anything going on, besides being 'just friends', with you and Summer?" He gave the ranger yet another disapproving look. Nema's eyes grew wide, and her glasses slid down her nose as she stared at her father for inquiring such a thing.

"Rand!" Leanne smacked his arm.

"I was just curious!" he tried to defend himself with an innocent lie, but the truth was, he had taken a paternal position to Summer, and was just looking out for her like any father would. He just didn't want any boy dating his Summer. Leanne crossed her arms and refused to acknowledge him, looking away from him defiantly.

"What?" Ben blinked. "M-me and Summer? Noo!"

"Exactly what he said," she dropped her fork and stuck her hands in front of her, waving them in a 'no-way' fashion.

"What Rand meant," Leanne gave him a sharp side-glare, "is that you two seem awfully close. And sorry for my intrusive question, but has anything ever happened?"

Summer was about to answer the question, when Nema purposely slid out of her chair, making it screech unpleasantly. "I'm going to eat my room," she said bluntly before leaving the four.

Four pairs of eyes blinked after her, and she shut her door quietly before Summer continued. "I… I guess, a few things," she mumbled, looking away from Ben. "But nothing serious enough to start anything over. I mean, ultimately, we only see each other as friends," she then turned back to him. "Isn't that right, Ben?"

"Uh, yeah, just… just friends, Summer," he didn't face her, and waved his hand dismissively. Leanne looked in between the two again, and could see the considerable difference of opinion in their faces, but left it at that. The rest of lunch was uncomfortable for everyone, especially for Ben and Summer.

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Almost an hour had passed since lunch, and now Leanne and Summer were washing dishes and cleaning up while Rand had gone off to patrol and Ben was watching Nema fix his Styler. "Here you go, darling," Leanne handed a freshly washed plate to the dimmed Summer.

She took it without hesitation and then sighed heavily, reaching into the cupboard to place it there. Leanne, feeling extremely guilty, turned to her and finally confronted her privately about the subject. "I'm sorry about Rand's outburst from before, Summer," she apologized.

"It's okay, really. He didn't know - we get that question a lot, anyhow," Summer shrugged as though it were nothing - but from the look that was still implanted on her face, she was still upset.

"He just thinks of you as one of his own - you're like a daughter to us, you know," Leanne tried to explain her husband's actions. Summer just nodded. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Oh my Arceus, yes!" Summer almost looked like she was going to cry, and Leanne was taken aback by her response.

Leanne placed a plate on the counter and walked over to the dining chair, pulling it out for Summer to sit on. The flustered ranger followed suit. Leanne sat down in her own chair and waited patiently for Summer to begin wherever she felt necessary about the topic of her and Ben.

"Sure, we've had our times - but like I said, nothing serious ever came of any of them. But one night, something almost did, but I said 'no', and it was the worst decision I had ever made since then," Summer's hands went to cover her face. "I don't think Ben ever really forgave me, either. I've always harboured the moment away - I have so many mixed feelings about it."

"Why don't you explain what happened, Summer, if you feel comfortable telling me that?" Leanne patted the upset girl's hand, and she nodded in agreement, breathing in shakily before explaining what had happened between her and Ben the one night…

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Flashback - two years ago, fourth year in Almia Ranger School

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"Summer skip out on you, dude? Find someone a little more classy to go to prom with?" one of Ben's ranger friends, Jacob, elbowed him teasingly.

"It's not a date, guys. We're going as friends," Ben tried to explain.

His other friend, Patrick, gave Jacob a look and they burst out laughing. Ben gave them a dirty look. "Ben, look, no one, and I mean no one, goes to prom as friends. It's a date either way you look at it, man," Patrick threw an arm around his neck. "She liiiiiiiikkkeesss you."

"Get off me," he pushed him off. "And no she doesn't! Why would you even say something like that?

""What? Would you rather we say 'forget it, let Vander go after her'?" Jacob jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to a group of scantily clad girls and their boyfriends. He was motioning to the tallest of the group, a stunning blond. "He's been going at her for weeks now."

Ben scowled. "Summer's better than that, she wouldn't fall for someone like Vander."

"I wouldn't doubt it, Ben," Patrick warned. "If you keep cutting signals short like you have been lately, she'll think you're not interested and that'll be it for you two. She'll be off in Vander-lovin' land by next week if you don't make a move tonight."

"Last time, you guys! I'm serious!" Ben, who was usually a pretty laidback guy, who beginning to get upset. "We're friends, and nothing's going to happen tonight! And I know Summer - she's not shallow enough to ever like Vander! Now get it through your heads that I don't like-"

Ben's mouth hung open slightly mid-sentence when Summer stepped into the large, decorated room. She looked dazzling, but at the same time, not too over the top like some of the other girls at their prom. She was wearing a flowing white dress that stopped just at her knees and she had daisies in her wavy hair. She looked downright gorgeous, and Ben couldn't stop himself from smiling ear to ear when he set his eyes upon her.

"Summer," he extended his arms out to her, "you look… wow." Jacob and Patrick began to snicker from beside him, and he gave them yet another look.

She blushed at him. "T-thank you, Ben."

He then held out his arm and she hooked her own around it. "Let's go get some punch and get away from these goofballs." She nodded at him, and they began to walk of to the little refreshment table, all the while Ben's two friends seemingly giggling at them.

The two got some punch as Ben had said and spent a good hour and half sitting at a secluded little table where they could just talk, eat, and laugh. Eventually, though, Ben noticed that Summer was beginning to lose interest in talking about how he messed up a capture on a Pikachu the week before. She yawned loudly and began to look around, bored. He noticed Vander looking from his friends back at Summer, chuckling about something. Panic set in when he left his group and started to make his way towards their table. Ben knew that Summer had come to the prom for more than just a chat-session with him - she probably wanted to dance, she wanted something memorable out of this experience, not just talking with her best friend which she could do on any ole day.

And that - dancing - was what Ben had been trying to avoid all night. He was terrible at dancing, and he'd managed to keep that a secret from Summer in all their years of knowing each other. For this graduation prom he'd even gotten dancing lessons just for her, but he'd failed miserably at that and the teacher had given up on him. And, no doubt about it, Vander was coming over to ask her just that - and there was no way Ben was going to let that happen! With every step the blond made, Patrick's words resonated in Ben's head, "She'll be off in Vander-lovin' land by next week if you don't make a move tonight." And that was probably true. But Ben knew, personally, what a truly awful guy Vander was and how he was just putting on an act for Summer, and there wasn't a chance in hell that he was going to allow her to fall right into his hands.

And so with a swirling head and a pounding heart, Ben turned to Summer and took her hand in his, standing up and pulling her with him.

"Ben! What are you doing?" she cried in surprise.

"Would you, um, like to dance with me, Summer?" he asked, a sheepish blush crawling across face at his question. He looked over in Vander's direction inconspicuously to see the blond glaring and walking back to his group of so-called friends. Ben just barely contained a triumphant smile, for Summer's sake.

Her eyes sparkled at his inquiry, and with the most brilliant smile he had ever seen, she answered with, "I thought you would never ask." She took full control of the situation now, and began pulling him towards the dance floor. She found a not-too-crowded spot, and stopped there. She waited for Ben to 'correctly' place his arms around her, and when he awkwardly fiddled with them for a few minutes, she gave an impatient huff before gently taking his hands and putting them on her hips. "Calm down," she whispered to him, "it's dancing, Ben. Relax." He did as he was told - he trusted her immensely - but still remained slightly tense.

How do I do this? Ben stared down at his feet as though he were willing them to move, but alas, they didn't. When Summer noticed he wasn't going to start them off, she sighed with a small smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, beginning to flow to the music. "Do you know how to dance, Ben?" she asked innocently.

Ben panicked. Was it really that obvious? "N-no," he admitted, an ashamed look on his face.

"Hey," Summer gently pushed his face back to look at her. "It's okay. I don't, either."

He blinked incredulously. She didn't? Then what was she doing with him right then? He didn't say anything more, though, and felt renewed confidence in knowing that he wasn't the only one. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Patrick and Jacob smiling knowingly. Summer noticed her own friends, Alexa and Rowen, giggling and pointing at her and Ben. When the song ended, she excused herself from him for a brief second so she could go speak to them.

"What are you two laughing at?" she asked them as she approached the pair.

"Isn't it obvious?" Alexa giggled. "You two are so perfect for each other, and you're the only people who, coincidentally, don't see it."

A blush tinted Summer's cheeks. "What? No way!"

"Uh, yeah way," Rowen sniggered before pushing her friend back out onto the dance floor.

Summer rolled her eyes. There wasn't anything there with Ben that she didn't know about, right? …Right.

Ben smiled at her, and she felt her cheeks heat up again. He took her hand and pulled her into a spontaneous hug. Suddenly, her heart began to thud her chest at his embrace, and alarmed by her reaction, she pulled away. "Everything okay, Summer?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything's peachy keen," she made an a-okay sign with her fingers, chuckling nervously. She didn't like Ben, she liked Vander! So why was she so jumpy and anxious all of sudden? "B-but," she stammered, trying to think of an excuse to keep him at a distance, "I have an exam tomorrow, and I s-still have to study for it, so I should probably leave now and get a head start."

She turned away to avoid seeing his hurt face, but at her attempt to leave, she felt him grab at her shoulder. "One more time?" he smiled slightly, motioning to the dance floor. Summer, unable to resist her best friend's cute smile, nodded and allowed him to pull her to him.

He lead her out to the dance floor once more, and thought to himself, maybe Patrick is right. He'd been through so much with Summer already, and so she probably trusted him enough that if he made a move right there, she most likely wouldn't deny him. But what if she did deny him? What if he made an everlasting mistake that would ruin their friendship forever? He decided right then and there, though, that he needed to take a risk and follow through on it - at least one in his life - and make it really count.

"Su-Summer," he started quietly. He thought that the talking part of it all would be the most difficult, but he found that the less he mentally scrutinized himself, the easier the words flowed. Taking in a steady breath, he continued, "We've known each other for a really long time, and at first, I thought that all we were ever going to be was just… well, friends." Summer's heart began to pick up speed again, but she didn't gravitate away this time or change the subject. She just listened and… hoped. "And lately, I've felt a little differently about you with each passing day. G-good different, that is," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "and the thing is, Summer… I think I like you… a lot…" He looked away, blushing a bit. Neither of them moved, and they had stopped dancing completely. Reading his mind, Summer leaned up and in, brushing her lips past his.

He was stunned, and loosened his grip on her slightly. Had she just kissed him? She blinked at him, waiting for a response. How should he react to something like that, though? He didn't give his mind anytime think about it or catch up with his actions though, because in a flurry, he was wrapping his arms around her and kissing her again…

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End of Flashback

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"So what's so bad about that?" Leanne asked, genuinely confused. "It sounds like you two were really… erm, in lov- like you two really liked each other."

"What's so bad about it? Nothing was bad about it, Leanne. It was perfect. But I freaked out afterwards," Summer explained. "I freaked out and ran away and just flat out left him standing there! I was horrible to him! I ignored him and avoided him for days, and then on the one day that I did plan on telling him it was all a mistake and that I wanted to reconcile, but as friends, I arrived to all our shared classes holding hands with that rotten Vander! That's what was so bad about it all!" Summer hated to reflect on the memory, and doing so usually ended with her crying, which she was now.

"Oh," Leanne blinked. She hadn't expected what had happened to be anywhere near that severe. "So you told him you only wanted to be friends, I see…"

"Not just that, I went out with the guy he despised to top it off. I never listened to him about Vander, and he was a real jerk and I broke up with him, but not before it was too late for hurting Ben. I was terrible to Ben for the rest of the year after that… I mean… we did talk to each other and make-up, but… like I said, I don't think he's ever really forgiven me for what I did. He told me that it was all a mistake and that it was okay, b-but… I don't blame him for any of it… Ugh, I'm a horrible friend!" Tears began to pour more heavily down Summer's face, and she fell into Leanne's extended arms. The rest of their afternoon was spent with Leanne comforting and consoling the bawling girl.