Disclaimer : Power Rangers and all related indicia belong to Saban. The whole Chest Keeper concept belongs to the people who own Scooby Doo. The song "Just One Little Kiss" is courtesy Lila McCann, who performs it. It was written by Cindy-Richardson Walker and Jennifer Kimball. This fic is number seven in my Candle in the Wind series. Read the previous six or you'll be completely lost.

Just One Little Kiss
by Jeremy Ray Logsdon

"I thought... you were just a friend, someone... I could talk to when... I needed a shoulder," Lila McCann sang from the radio in the snowplow. The roar of the engine almost completely overwhelmed the battery-powered radio, wedged into place between the "dashboard" and windshield. Adam was only able to catch a few words, but he was far too distressed by their surroundings to comment on the music.

"You kids sure you want me to let you out up there?" the burly driver asked. "This blizzard ain't gonna be letting up for no telling how long... You won't see any snowplow drivers up here for a week or better."

"We're sure," Angela told him.

"This kind of thing happen up here all the time?" Tommy asked.

"Oh yeah," the driver answered. "Locals know how to handle it, though. You city kids had better be careful."

The snowplow lurched frighteningly, but the driver didn't seem any more concerned over that than he had over any of the other "frightening" events that had turned out okay, so no one else worried, either. The rustic but secure hunting lodge loomed ever closer, and finally, the snowplow came to a halt next to the building.

As the others hurried out of the snowplow and running up into the lodge, Angela paused by the door. "My grandfather will have the remaining money he promised you waiting down in Elsa," she said.

"Of course," he agreed. "Good day, and be careful up here."

"We will," she said. "Thank you." Grabbing her duffel bag from the floorboard, she slammed the door shut and turned into the snow, running the short distance to the lodge and bounding up the stairs, eagerly entering the building.

"Is he already gone?" Trini asked just as soon as Angela came in the door.

"Yeah, he just drove off," Angela said. "Why? Hey, it's warm in here..."

"We aren't alone," Zack commented, pointing to a man more middle-aged than elderly, sitting in a rocking chair by the fire.

"Compton," he said. "Alfred Compton. I wasn't expecting anyone here."

"Neither were we," Angela said. "You must be the owner."

"I am. I presume you are Mr. Dean's granddaughter."

"Yes sir." Angela hurried over to him and shook his hand. "Please don't mistake this for rudeness, but the reason he paid you so well was so we could have the lodge to ourselves."

"I know, and I apologize," he said. "I'll also be giving him back everything except the standard fees for the rental. I would have left, but my snowplow was stolen."

"Is there anyone else here?" Kimberly asked.

"Just us," he answered. "I'm very sorry about this."

"Well, it couldn't be helped," Angela told him.

"Since I'm here, I'll show you the rooms," Compton volunteered.

"We'll catch up with you in a moment," Angela said, grabbing Kimberly by the arm and pulling her aside. As soon as everyone had left the room, Angela asked quickly, "Are you getting anything? Can we do this with him here?"

"I don't know yet," Kimberly said. "I'm not really picking anything up." She was about to say more, but a knocking at the door interrupted her.

"More people?" Angela asked.

Kimberly stepped to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was an attractive woman with long, sheer black hair. "Hello," she said with a touch of a French accent. She extended her arm and shook Kimberly's hand before she even had a chance to reply to their visitor. "My name is Simone."

"Hello Simone," Kimberly said. "What are you doing here?"

"It is a long story," she answered. "May I please warm up by your fire?"

"Of course." Kimberly gestured to the fire, closing the door after Simone as she entered.

"Excuse us," Angela said to Simone, pulling Kimberly out of the room and into the kitchen.

"I don't know what is going on," Kimberly told her before she even had a chance to ask. "Maybe there is something in the Book. Where's Adam?"

"Hey Angela, do you have the Chest?" Zack asked as he jogged into the room.

"I am not Angela," Simone said in a sweet voice.

"Oh God," Zack realized, pausing.

"The Watcher," Simone smiled. With a feral growl, she leapt across the room, her lips pulled back to reveal two sharp, jagged fangs. She slammed into Zack, knocking him into the wall, and clamped her mouth onto his neck. Zack started to cry out, but his voice failed him. It started at his fingers and traveled up his appendages, but in a matter of seconds, his skin was dried out and cracked.

Smacking her lips, Simone pulled away from his neck. Zack's body, completely drained of fluids, rested in her grip loosely. "Thanks for the snack," she murmured, plucking the onyx ring from his left hand. She slipped it in her pocket, placed her hand on his chest, and concentrated, drawing on his ability and teleporting his corpse away.

Simone slipped the ring on her finger, smiling. "One down."

While Tommy and Trini were keeping Compton busy, Angela and Kimberly had converged upon Adam with the book. "I'm going to go see if I can get in touch with Grandfather," Angela said, leaving Kimberly and Adam alone.

"Demon Number Six," Adam murmured, opening the book. "Her name is Symoni-"

"Simone," Kimberly interrupted.

"-and she is of the same manner as a vampire. With a single touch of her lips, she can drain the life from a man. She is dangerous to mortal and ChestKeepers alike, able to turn one's power against them."

"The demon is in the house," Kimberly said, standing up.

"The old man?" Adam asked.

"No, the chick downstairs," she answered. She hurried to the door, but it suddenly slammed shut. "Hey!" The sound of furniture moving came through the door, and when Kimberly tried to push the door open, it wouldn't even budge.

[Angela?] Kimberly asked telepathically. [Simone is the demon... Get the Chest!]

"This is a nice place you have here," Trini commented as Compton showed them through the luxurious lodge.

"It's really used for hunting?" Tommy asked. "Seems pretty nice for that."

"It's used for hunting just about as much as a ski lodge is used for skiing," he answered with a knowing grin. He pushed an oaken door open and walked into a huge, spacious room. "This is the main living room. Used primarily during the season."

"It's very beautiful," Trini remarked.

"I like it," he said. As he turned to escort them out, a pair of hands clamped onto his shoulders and yanked him off of his feet.

Tommy cried out in surprise, looking up to see the beautiful vampire-demon perched supernaturally on the wall. Compton's body dangled above them; her lips were pressed firmly against his neck. As his body dried, she dropped him to the floor, where his corpse shattered.

"Go!" Tommy shouted, pushing Trini out the door.

[Angela!] Trini cried. [We've found the demon!]

"PUSH!" Adam grunted, straining his entire body. His back was pressed tightly against the door, which only barely budged.

"That's all it's going to give," Kimberly said. "I can squeeze through."

"Be careful."

She tried to contort her body to fit through the extremely small crack between the door and the frame, just barely making it through. As soon as she made it into the hall, she pushed the oak chest that was blocking the door back into place against the wall. "Come on," she coaxed, throwing the door open. "Symoni is at the other end of the house."

Angela hurried into the sitting room, intent on finding the Chest. "Where is it?" she asked herself, looking around. [Who has the Chest?!]

[You have it!] Kimberly sent back.

[No, I don't,] Angela announced. [Where's Symoni?]

[Tommy and I are right behind her!] Trini projected.

[Zack?] Angela asked. [Where's Zack?!]

A painful cry came from Kimberly's direction as her power of vision presented her with the horrifying image of Zack's death.

"Took you all long enough," Symoni remarked casually. She was using just her fingertips and hanging from the ceiling, both legs curled casually against her body. Flipping forward, she dropped down and landed on the table.

"What did you do with Zack?" Kimberly snarled.

"He's better off than you all are," Symoni answered, smiling teasingly.

"What happened to Zack?" Trini asked, looking at Trini.

Symoni leapt off of the table, grabbing Tommy by the shoulders. "I kissed him," Symoni answered. There was a flash of light, and Tommy became a statue of stone, a perfect replica of the Red ChestKeeper. One of the chairs flew out from the table and knocked Trini's feet out from beneath her. With a grunt, Symoni pushed Tommy's petrified body over onto Trini. The Yellow ChestKeeper screamed, but she didn't do anything in time.

Trini's topaz ring and Tommy's ruby leapt off of their fingers and onto hers. "Psychokinesis," Symoni said. "Quite a gift."

"NO!" Angela screamed, leaping at the vampire. Symoni extended her hand, and a powerful force hit Angela, knocking her backwards into the wall.

"Au revoir, Adam," Symoni remarked. His emerald ring leapt from his hand, and she promptly turned his gift of pyrokinesis against him. A painful scream burst from him as he was consumed with fire.

Symoni smiled at Kimberly as Angela's sapphire ring gracefully floated out of the wreckage. She plucked it from the air and slipped it onto the ring finger of her right hand. "You're all that's left, Kimberly," Symoni taunted. "The key to success is speed. You run in, take everybody out before they know what's hit them... That's how you win. I mean... you can't beat me now. No way, no how. The only one who could get me in the Chest is dead."

"This isn't happening," Kimberly said weakly. Pink light flashed around her as she silently morphed, although she didn't know what good it could possibly do her at that point.

"I'm afraid it is," Symoni told her. Smiling, she strolled ever closer to Kimberly.

Kimberly had a sudden realization. "This really isn't happening," she said. "You can turn our powers against us, and that's what you did to me."

"What are you talking about?" Symoni asked, irritated.

"This is what's going to happen if we don't defeat you right away," Kimberly said, a smile crossing her face. "But it hasn't happened yet!" Kimberly ran right up to the demon and clasped her hand, giving her a firm handshake.

Reality swirled around her, and she promptly found herself standing at the doorway, with Symoni on the outside.

"Angela!" Kimberly cried. Bright light flashed as she morphed into her ChestKeeper garb. She thrust her knee into Symoni's abdomen and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her into the lodge. The vampire, unable to retain the memory of the alternate timeline, was a bit startled at being attacked so quickly. Just the same, she tried to fight, but Kimberly easily docked her off-balance punch. "Open the Chest!"

Angela, albeit startled, did as Kimberly asked. White light flooded around Symoni and Kimberly, and with a scream of fear, Symoni vaporized in Kimberly's arms. The light faded away, and Angela slammed the Chest shut. "That was our demon?" she asked in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," she said. "I'm gonna go see if I can catch the snowplow driver after all."

As Kimberly jumped out into the whirling snow, Angela sat down on the hearth with the Chest still in her lap. "Did I just hear something?" Zack asked, coming into the living room.

"We just caught the demon," Angela said simply.

"We all died?" Tommy asked.

"You would have, if we hadn't trapped Symoni right away," Kimberly said. "Her powers failed her. When she touched my hand, she must have inadvertently activated my Visionary powers. She thought she was in the real world, but she wasn't. She just accidentally caused us to get trapped in a could-be set of events. And I got us out and Angela and I kicked her butt."

"Well, we didn't have to get out in the cold much," Trini remarked. "That's a good thing."

"I hope we go someplace warm next," Zack said. "That'd be awesome."

"Do you know where we're going?" Angela asked.

"Yep," Kimberly answered, remaining silent as she nursed her hot chocolate.

"Where are we going?" Adam asked.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," all said in unison.

"Pack even warmer than you did to come here," she started. "We're going to Antarctica."

The End... for now