Mistletoe

"What are you doing, Leelee?" asked Madison as she walked in for her shift at the Rock Porium.

"I'm hanging mistletoe, Christmas is coming up soon, and what's Christmas without mistletoe?" LeeLee responded slyly. Hanging above LeeLee's head was indeed a decorative cluster of mistletoe.

"Yeah, but most people don't believe in the whole, "kiss if you get stuck under the mistletoe" tradition nowadays anyway," said Vida with a roll of her eyes.

"I know, but it's still a cool thing to have up anyway," said LeeLee as she got down from the small step ladder and put it away. She went to the back where Vida was working the DJ tables and surveyed the point at which her mistletoe was hanging. It was a perfect spot for two certain rangers to get stuck under it and have to kiss. LeeLee laughed to herself.

Sighing in frustration, Vida pulled off her headphones and motioned to LeeLee. "Okay, LeeLee, time to spill: why did you really put the mistletoe up? What's the point?"

LeeLee grinned evilly, deciding to tell her friend. "All right. You know how Nick and Maddy both like each other yet they continue to dance around the other?"

Vida nodded, knowing exactly what LeeLee was talking about. The red and blue rangers were both crazy about the other, yet neither of them would be caught dead showing acknowledgement to the fact. "Yeah, so?"

"Think about it, Vida. They both get caught under the mistletoe and what will have to happen?"

Vida's eyes widened, knowing exactly what LeeLee meant. If Nick and Maddy got stuck under the mistletoe, they'd have to kiss and hopefully, they would be honest with each other and with themselves. "Okay. So how do you plan to get them both under the mistletoe at the same time?"

LeeLee sat for a moment, looking thoughtful. Then, it came to her. "I have a plan, but I'm going to need yours, Xander's and Chip's help to make it happen. You with me?"

Vida nodded quickly, ready to hear this plan. Her sister might kill her later for coming up with a plan like this, but in the end, Maddy would thank her later.

LeeLee whispered the plan into Vida's ear. With any luck, this plan would work.

Vida looked at the clock that was on the wall behind the register. Nick was due to come in for his shift in jut a few minutes. That was just enough time to tell Xander and Chip about the plan and getting them to help her. Vida walked over to middle of the store, where Chip was discounting vinyl albums and Xander was, as per usual, supervising.

"Hey, guys, I need your help. See the mistletoe over there?" Vida pointed it out.

Both boys looked at the mentioned mistletoe, rolling their eyes. "How could we miss it? It's huge," Chip pointed out.

"I don't get what the point of that stuff is anyway. It's just a chance for girls' to get to kiss guys," said Xander.

"The only reason you don't like it is because you don't have a girlfriend or a hot date that you can get under it to kiss," said Vida. "Anyway, you know how Nick and Maddy are always acting around each other?"

Both boys nodded their heads. Their leader and the blue ranger danced around how they felt for the other so much that they'd win first place in a dancing contest. "Yeah, so what are we gonna do about it?" said Chip.

Vida grinned. "LeeLee and I came up with a fool-proof plan to get those two under the mistletoe, but we're going to need you guys' help in order to make it happen."

"LeeLee came up with this plan?" said Xander disbelievingly.

"Yeah, I know. So are you guys in or not?" Vida asked, her hands on her hips. Both males looked at each other, thinking about what their choices were. They could help Vida and LeeLee with their plan in getting their two friends together, or they could not help and risk Vida's wrath.

"We're in," they answered simultaneously.

"Great! We don't have a lot of time, Nick's coming in for his shift in just a few minutes," said Vida. She motioned them toward her and quickly told them about the plan that she and LeeLee had concocted.

Madison walked around the record shop, keeping herself busy with work. She had noticed that LeeLee, Chip, Xander, and her sister were acting stranger than usual, but she paid no attention to it. When she heard the roar of a motorcycle coming from outside the shop, she grinned and looked at the clock. It was nearly time for Nick's shift. Although Maddy would never admit it to anyone except maybe her sister, she had a huge crush on Nick.

"Why don't you just tell him then?" Vida had asked Maddy upon hearing her sister's confession.

"Yeah, right sis. I'm just gonna waltz up to Nick and say, 'Hey, how are you? By the way, I have an enormous crush on you and just thought you should know.' Are you nuts?"

"Maybe, but I'm not the one with the crush on Nick," teased Vida. Maddy groaned and slammed a pillow over her face.

The bell over the door tinged, shaking Maddy out of her reverie. She looked up from her spot behind the register to see Nick walking in the store.

"Hey," said Nick, as he walked in and pulled on his purple Rock Porium work shirt.

"Hey. You ready for Christmas?" asked Maddie.

"The holiday itself, yeah. I can't wait to spend it with my parents. Am I ready for the rush that we get in here? No. And apparently, Toby's ready or Christmas, too," said Nick, pointing out the mistletoe.

"Yeah, but Toby didn't put that up there, LeeLee did."

"LeeLee did? That's interesting," Nick mused.

As Nick and Maddy continued to talk, Chip, LeeLee, Vida and Xander all caught each other's eyes and nodded towards the front: Nick was there for work, and it was time to put their plan into action.

About a half hour later, Chip and Xander looked at Vida and LeeLee, who nodded, saying it was time or those two to kick start the plan. Chip walked up to Maddy, while Xander went over to Nick, and both of them said the same thing: "Hey, Toby said he needs to see you in his office." This wasn't exactly true, as Toby had been out for awhile now, he had left shortly before Nick had come in for his shift, and Maddy had been in the back room. Maddy and Nick started heading towards Toby's office, Vida caught LeeLee's eye, and they both nodded. Vida quickly began walking behind her sister, and 'accidentally' brushed by her a little too roughly, making Maddy stumble forward. Nick rushed forward to catch her, putting them both under the mistletoe at the same time. Xander, Chip, Vida, and LeeLee all tried to hide their grins. So far, their plan was working out perfectly.

Nick helped Maddy stand back up, watching her. "You okay, Maddy?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'll be okay," she said.

"Oh hey, look, you guys are under the mistletoe," Xander pointed out.

Madison and Nick looked up simultaneously and saw that they were under the mistletoe. They both looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Before either of them could say anything, Chip spoke up.

"So are you guys gonna follow tradition and kiss, or just stand there?" he asked.

"Oh, we don't have to," said Maddy.

"Aw, come on sis, you're no fun. Where's your Christmas spirit?" Vida said with a knowing grin.

Somehow, Maddy knew that her sister was behind this. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. Oh, she would get her sister back for this later.

"Maddy has Christmas spirit, she doesn't have to kiss Nick," LeeLee piped up.

Nick stood there quietly. This was his chance to do it, to show Maddy that he cared about her. "We could just kiss, you know," he said to Maddy.

"Really? I mean, because we don't have to, if you don't want to. It's just a silly little tradition, who- "Maddy was interrupted by a hand on her cheek and soft lips on hers. Shocked, she didn't respond, until she realized that Nick was kissing her, and she responded by kissing him back. The pair stood under the mistletoe with their friends standing around them, grinning and happy that they had finally gotten their two friends together.