The concept of love can be a great feeling. When a person finds his or her soulmate and makes the vows, it can be a fun challenge to keep those vows for life. But when the person you love falls in love with someone else, who falls in love with someone else, etc., things can get pretty hectic. The same thing happens if two or more people fall in love with the same person. This is exactly what is going to happen to the Rangers and Spices.

Hanim was in love with Andros. He was a courageous fighter, a good-looking guy, and a stubborn grouch. Maybe Hanim could change his loner side.

But Andros had someone else in mind. He was in love with C.C. She was beautiful, agile, hyper, and young (at fifteen years). However, Andros wasn’t sure how to approach her. He also knew that C.C. had already dedicated her heart to Spinal.

Fortunately for C.C., Spinal returned her love, but she wasn’t the only one who appeared to be in love with him. Astronema has also gone mad over Spinal, nearly driving him to insanity. To start some kind of relationship, Astronema constantly tried to capture him, only succeeding twice. But Spinal is determined to avoid Astronema whenever possible.

Jenny faced a similar predicament. The Cryptkeeper loved her and has had a relationship with her. Then Elgar fell in love with her, constantly proposing to her. Thankfully, Elgar finally gave up and just dated her once. Jenny loved Elgar, too, because of his sense of humor. Then Darkonda came around with his sweet talk. Darkonda proved to be more determined than Elgar. He convinced her on a dinner date, but it wasn’t enough. They just had to be wed. So Darkonda captured Jenny and used a cursed necklace to control her mind during the wedding. As a result, Darkonda and Jenny became spouses. But Jenny still wasn’t going to desert her team.

Jenny went into the dining room of the Astro Megaship still wearing the cursed necklace. Hanim was already sitting in there. She looked up at Jenny.

"Wow, Jenny, nice necklace," she said. "I’ve never seen you wear jewelry before. Where did you get that thing?"

"It’s a gift," Jenny said flatly. "So, what’s on your mind?"

"It’s not what, but who," Hanim told her. "It’s Andros."

"Still trying to lay your hands all over him?" Jenny asked. "How sweet. But are you sure Andros is the guy you want?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn’t I want him?"

"Hanim, I hope you’ve scoped out his attitude as well as his body. I’ve seen his battles with Ecliptor. He fights only with his heart. He doesn’t bother using his head. No wonder Ecliptor beats him up all the time."

"Why?" Hanim asked.

"Andros does all the aggression, giving Ecliptor plenty of counter-attacking opportunities," Jenny explained. "Ecliptor just steps back and waits for Andros to make all the mistakes. When fighting someone as tough as Ecliptor, you have to be patient."

"What does all this have to do with his attitude?"

"Andros is too easily upset. He’s a grumpy guy. He’s also way too suspicious, just because Astronema is our mother. It’s obvious that Andros doesn’t trust me."

"Oh, I think I can fix that."

"Think so?"

"Yeah, I know I can!" Hanim cried.

"Well.....good luck," Jenny said as she got up and left the room. As she walked down the deck, she passed Andros, who stopped her to get a close look at the necklace.

"Hey......that was Darkonda’s necklace," he said.

"Yeah, so?" Jenny asked.

"So......why do you have it?" Andros asked.

"He gave it to me," Jenny replied. "You got a problem with that?"

"You’re in cahoots with Darkonda, aren’t you?"

"I am not in cahoots with Darkonda. The thing about Hallie and me being Astronema’s daughters is only an accident of birth, okay!?"

"Look, I know there’s something going on with you, and one day I’m going to find out what it is."

"Andros, Andros....." Jenny said, tightly gripping his shoulders. "I’d be grateful beyond words if you would stay out of my business!"

"Your business?" Andros asked.

"You don’t see me asking about that long-lost sister of yours, do you?" Jenny went on.

Andros was stunned. "How did you know about that?"

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "Bye now."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Andros followed Jenny as she skipped down the hall.

"Andros, you are not going to follow me around 24-7," Jenny told him.

As they were almost running, they crashed into Spinal and C.C.

"C.C...." Andros began.

"Andros, you should get some traffic lights in here," C.C. said.

"You okay?" Andros asked, reaching down to help her up.

"Yeah, I’m fine." C.C. grasped Andros’ hand and stood up. Andros was simply aroused by the warmth of C.C.’s hand. C.C. then reached down to help Spinal up.

"C.C.," Andros gulped. "There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you."

"What’s that?" C.C. asked.

Andros took a deep breath. "C.C.....I-I-I love you."

C.C., Spinal, and Jenny all hung their jaws open.

"Well......how long has this been going on?" Jenny asked.

"For a while," Andros admitted.

"That’s very sweet, Andros," C.C. said, "but my heart already belongs to Spinal."

"Just what exactly do you see in Spinal?" Andros asked. "He’s just a pile of bones!"

Jenny’s eyes widened in surprise.

"I’d better take this heart somewhere else," Spinal said, walking down the hall.

C.C. gasped. "Andros, you hurt his feelings!"

"Uh-oh. This is going to make for some friction, for Hanim is going to be very disappointed," Jenny said as she walked down the hall in the opposite direction.

"What?" Andros called. Jenny didn’t hear him.

"Hanim loves you," C.C. told him. "Why don’t you talk to her?"

"I don’t know."

"Why not? Don’t you like her?"

"Yeah, but......I just don’t have the same feelings for her," Andros explained. "Now, again, what do you see in Spinal?"

"He’s cute," C.C. said. "I like his shy personality and his sense of humor. He and I have been together ever since he joined the Spice Club."

"I see."

"Well, I gotta go. See ya."

Andros waved goodbye as C.C. went on to find a new activity.

Jenny returned to the jump tube room. "Oh Lord....." she sighed.

"What’s the matter?" Hanim asked.

"They say that love is supposed to bring people together, but it’s tearing us apart!" Jenny said. "Just think; you love Andros, but Andros loves C.C., and C.C. loves Spinal. There’s gonna be a war happening here."

"Oh no," Hanim said.

Before they could continue the conversation, Spinal entered the room and positioned himself in front of the red jump tube.

"Where are you going?" Jenny asked.

"There is a love conflict on this ship that I wish not to be involved in, so I think I’ll just chill out at the park," Spinal said. "Boy, I hope it gets settled soon."

He hopped through the tube.

"This can’t be," Hanim complained. "I want Andros, and I’ll have him, damn it!"

Jenny rolled her eyes. "I still don’t think that the man is for you. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. I was always afraid of guys like Andros."

"Okay. Maybe I’ll talk to the other Rangers," Hanim said. "They know Andros pretty well."

She got up and left the room. Jenny looked down and grasped the dragon head of her necklace.

"Oh, Darkonda......I don’t know why I let you drag me into these things...." she sighed. "Love hurts."

Meanwhile, Spinal sat atop a picnic table in the park. He was about to go to his favorite pastime --- sleeping. He reclined on the table and "closed" his eyes, filling his mind with thoughts of peace, thoughts of the eternal sleep that he should be in. He was just about to doze off when he heard a sickening, evil laugh. Spinal sat up, gasping.

"Darkonda!? What are you doing here?"

"Greetings, Spinal Spice," Darkonda said. "Sorry to disturb your sleep, but Astronema wants to see you. She says she has plans for you."

"Never! Go away and leave me alone!" Spinal ordered.

"Oh, how cute," Darkonda cooed. "No wonder Astronema wants you so badly. Now come along, Spinal."

He reached out to grab Spinal, but the terrified skeleton warrior stepped back.

"Stay away from me, you freak!"

"Hmm....Astronema wanted me to bring him to the Dark Fortress unharmed," Darkonda thought. "If I could just weaken him without hurting him..... Ah ha! That’s it!"

He extended an arm, shooting an odd-looking rope from it. It struck Spinal’s ribcage, sticking to it. Groaning, Spinal dropped to one knee as some energy began to flow from Spinal, through the rope, and into Darkonda.

"What are you doing to me!?" Spinal gasped.

"I’ve just drained you of your powers and your physical strength," Darkonda told him. "Now you don’t stand a chance. You’re coming back with me whether you like it or not!"

"NOOOOO!!!" Spinal let out a scream as they vanished from the park.

"He has to know how to love, especially since he’s human," Hanim said to the Rangers. "He seems to have enough love for his sister."

"Sisters are different," T.J. told her. "Everybody loves their families."

"But Andros may not understand the concept of a romantic relationship," Cassie added. "We really don’t know."

"According to Jenny, Andros is in love with C.C.," Hanim said.

The Rangers glanced at each other.

"That is going to make for some friction," Carlos said.

"Jenny was right," Hanim went on. "This whole love thing is tearing us apart. She’s afraid that Andros doesn’t trust her."

"I never said I didn’t trust her," Andros said, standing in the doorway.

The others gasped, startled by his entrance.

"Andros, you scared us," Ashley said.

"Sorry, but there is something going on with Jenny that we don’t know about," Andros explained.

The Cryptkeeper crossed the doorway just in time. Upon hearing that statement, he walked in and joined the conversation.

"Did you see that necklace she was wearing?" Andros asked. "That necklace belonged to Darkonda. She told me that he gave it to her."

"Of course there’s gonna be things going on that we don’t know about," the Cryptkeeper told him. "Do you expect her to tell you EVERYTHING!? Andros, you’re being pretty damn nosy. There’s nothing to worry about. Just leave her alone."

"He’s got a point, Andros," Cassie said.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"So.......I heard about the love conflict," the Cryptkeeper said.

"Yeah. I love Andros, but Andros loves C.C., and we all know that C.C. loves Spinal," Hanim told him.

"Whoa. I could only think about poor Spinal and poor Jenny and how stressed out they must feel with their predicaments," the Cryptkeeper explained. "Jenny’s got me, Elgar, and Darkonda all over her, then Spinal has C.C. and Evil Queen Astronema driving him nuts."

"I thought that Astronema’s been leaving Spinal alone lately," Hanim said. "The last time she kidnapped him was on Halloween."

"You sure about that?"

"Sure, I’m sure."

"Wow. Love really is a battlefield," the Cryptkeeper concluded.....

Darkonda returned to the Dark Fortress. When they arrived, Darkonda released Spinal from the strange rope. Spinal instantly collapsed face-first to the floor. Astronema towered over him with a delighted grin. Spinal gripped the floor and looked up at her, trembling intensely. Then he groaned weakly and dropped back down.

"What is wrong with him!?" Astronema demanded.

"He is all right," Darkonda assured her. "I only drained him of his powers and his physical strength so that he’ll be easier to handle. Don’t fret; he’ll regain his strength soon."

"Good." Astronema gazed down at her adorable captive for another moment, then turned to Darkonda. "Tie him up."

"Yes, my queen."

Upon hearing Astronema’s order, Spinal struggled to get up and fight, but to no avail. He was just too weak. When he got to his knees, Darkonda grabbed him and dragged him along the floor. Despite his feeble condition, Spinal struggled vigorously.

"I’m going to need some help here," Darkonda said to the Quantrons.

With the Quantrons’ help, Darkonda pulled a lot of rope and had Spinal ruthlessly bound. They forced his arms behind him, then pushed them upward and tied them together. They wrapped some rope around his upper arms and ribcage and tied it tightly. Finally, they tied his feet together and his knees together. Spinal’s strength was coming back, but he was still helpless and the Quantrons placed him on a table. Astronema sat in a chair behind the table.

"There. Don’t you feel comfortable?" she asked sweetly.

"No!" Spinal groaned loudly, for the bonds were too tight and uncomfortable. "What are you going to do with me, Astronema?"

"Oh, I’ll just toy with you some, and then I’ll decide from there," Astronema replied. "Maybe you could help me..."

"I’ll never help you!" Spinal screamed.

"What do you think I should do?" Astronema asked, completely ignoring him. "Or do you have no suggestions?"

"Here’s one: Let me go!!"

Astronema just chuckled and ran her finger down Spinal’s body. "Oooh, I know! Scrudly needs a playmate."

"Who’s Scrudly?" Spinal asked.

"He’s my pet." Astronema stood up and retreated over to a small metal door and opened it. Spinal heard a series of hideous slobbering and growling noises that sent a chill down his backbone.

"Ooooh, no way," he shivered. "Does he have sharp teeth?"

"Of course. Scrudly’s teeth are sharper than any other creature I’ve seen. And believe me, I’ve seen a whole lot of creatures."

"Well, I’m not playing with that thing!"

"Scrudly loves to play," Astronema said. "He’ll be very disappointed. He especially loves healthy bones like yours."

She closed the metal door, returned to the chair, and pondered some more. Spinal began twisting against the ropes that bound him so painfully.

"Wait!" Astronema cried suddenly. "I have a better idea!"

Spinal stopped struggling. "What?"

"Let’s get married!"

"Oh no!"

"And why not?" Astronema asked. "Darkonda used the same tactic. He captured Tonfa Spice before he married her."

"What?" Spinal asked again.

"It’s true," Darkonda added. "I married Tonfa Spice, using a cursed necklace to control her mind."

"Hmm.....maybe we could do the same with you," Astronema told Spinal. "Give me the necklace."

"Um.......actually......Tonfa Spice still has it," Darkonda told her. "She decided to keep it as her own."

Astronema sighed. "All right. The next time she appears out of the Megaship, send the Quantrons to get it from her."

"As you wish."

Astronema returned to Spinal. "In the meantime, we’ll work on an alternative. Let me ask you this: Will you marry me?"

"No!" Spinal answered without hesitation.

"That’s about to change."

"What do you mean?"

"I’ll leave you here to think about your decision. I’ll even make a deal with you. If you marry me, I’ll let you go. The longer you refuse, the longer you’ll be kept in this uncomfortable position."

"No way, Astronema. You broke the last deal we made. I don’t trust you!"

"Oh, you’ll learn," Astronema said, digging her fingers under the rope to test the tightness. "Bye now."

She ran her finger down Spinal’s body one more time, gently kissed his skull, and walked out of the room. Darkonda circled the table.

"You know.....let me tell you about the wedding," he said.

"I don’t want to hear it," Spinal snapped.

"Well, you have no choice, little midget," Darkonda told him. "Tonfa Spice took it well. I loved the exchange. While I gave her the necklace, she gave me a strength potion."

Spinal gasped and sat up as much as he could. "She gave it to you!?"

"Of course she gave it to me. For some odd reason, she.....advised me not to drink it."

"I’d advise it, too. Ecliptor told her to give it to you."

"Okay. Then the necklace took over her mind during the reception, and we were married. When we left for the short honeymoon, the Quantrons threw slime all over us."

"So that’s why she was covered with slime."

"Yes. What puzzles me is why she decided to wear the necklace again," Darkonda said.

"Well.....maybe she liked it," Spinal suggested.

"Oh, how cute," Darkonda said. "Now I guess it’s my turn to leave you alone."

Spinal struggled once again. "Come on, Darkonda; let me go! You know you can’t keep me here forever!"

Darkonda took a towel and some more rope. He stuffed the towel into Spinal’s mouth and tied the rope around it to keep it in place.

"There we go. That’ll shut you up until you come to a decision," he said. "See you later, sweet Spinal."

Darkonda walked out of the room, leaving Spinal tied up on the table.

Jenny walked into the room where the love conversation was taking place.

"What’s up in here?" she asked.

"Here, let me get a look at that necklace," the Cryptkeeper said, leaning toward her. "Whoa. You know, that thing would look good with that costume of yours."

"Think so? I’ll have to try it."

C.C. skipped into the room. "Hey. Anybody seen Spinal?"

"Last I heard, he was chilling at the park," Jenny said.

"Thanks." C.C. started skipping out of the room.

"I’d better go, too," Andros said. "I owe Spinal an apology."

He stood up and left the room. Hanim also stood up to follow her wanna-be lover.

"Now here’s a new side I need to check out," Jenny said, following the others.

"I’m going with y’all," the Cryptkeeper called. "I want there to be peace amongst us. I want there to be a whole lot of pieces!"

Together, Andros and the Spice group teleported to the park. They looked around, confused. The park was a big place and they wanted to stay together, but finding Spinal could take forever.

"So, do we split up or stick together?" Hanim asked.

"Maybe we should ask around," C.C. suggested.

"That would be weird," the Cryptkeeper said. " ‘Hey, have you seen a skeleton walking around here?’ ‘Gyaaaahhh!’ "

"You know, I thought that people would know Spinal by now," Jenny said.

Before they could decide on a plan of action, the Quantrons appeared out of nowhere, surrounding them.

"Uh-oh. What do these guys want?" C.C. asked.

"We’ll find out soon enough, but we’re not going to take them out like this," Jenny told her.

Together, the Spices leaped outside of the Quantron circle. With Andros still trapped in the circle, the Quantrons piled on top of him. The Spices turned around.

"Hey, Andros!" they cried as they rushed over and pulled the Quantrons off.

Meanwhile, a Quantron snuck up on Jenny and slipped the necklace off. Jenny turned in response.

"Hey! Give that back!!" she screamed.

The Quantron shook the necklace in its fingers as if to say, "Come and get it." Jenny shot out a hand and tried to snatch it, but the Quantron pulled the necklace back. Jenny paused for a minute, trying to think of a plan. Suddenly, she looked up.

"Oh my God!!!"

Actually, she saw nothing amiss. When the Quantron looked up, Jenny grabbed its wrist and snatched the necklace. As soon as she did, another Quantron kicked her in the side. As she fought the Quantrons away, she made her way over to the Cryptkeeper and secretly placed the necklace in his hand. As the Cryptkeeper moved away, the Quantrons grabbed Jenny. They dug into each of her hands looking for the necklace.

"I don’t have it!" Jenny told them.

The Quantrons scratched their heads, then threw Jenny backward violently.

When the Cryptkeeper tried to kick a Quantron, it grabbed his ankle. Without hesitation, the Cryptkeeper threw an inward kick with his other foot, which the Quantron barely managed to duck under. So the Cryptkeeper threw another kick, this time, planting it into the Quantron’s chest. When his other leg was free, he lost his balance. Another Quantron sliced its blade across Hanim’s stomach, sending her toward the Cryptkeeper. The Cryptkeeper helped her up, then slipped the necklace into her hand, still unnoticed by the Quantrons. Hanim decided that she couldn’t fight with something in her hand, so she quickly rushed over and passed it to C.C.

Meanwhile, Andros was fighting the Quantrons on his own. After a while, the Quantrons gave up and retreated. The Spices regrouped.

"Okay, who’s got my necklace?" Jenny asked.

"Here it is," C.C. said, handing it back.

"I wonder what that was all about?" Hanim asked.

"They were after the necklace," Jenny told her.

"Hello, Spices," an evil voice called from nowhere.

Andros and the Spices turned.

"Ecliptor!" Andros cried. "Let’s rocket!"

The Spices took a step away from Andros as he morphed into his Ranger costume. Without thinking, he charged toward Ecliptor. Ecliptor easily blocked his attacks and beat him roughly. Jenny turned to Hanim.

"This is what I was talking about," she said. "He’s fighting with his heart instead of his head."

Ecliptor seized Andros by the neck.

"Looking for Spinal, are you?" he asked. "Don’t bother. Astronema will keep him prisoner forever!"

"Did you hear that?" the Cryptkeeper whispered to the other Spices.

"Astronema’s got Spinal," Jenny said. "Ecliptor! You’re not going to forget about us, are you?"

Ecliptor responded by firing a massive blast from his eyes, throwing the Spices off balance. Hanim got up quickly and boldly.

"That does it. When I’m through with him, he’s going to be the size of a jelly bean." She pulled out a dagger and shot an arm out. A dagger-shaped projectile fired from her fist. It struck Ecliptor in the chest, knocking him back. He then released Andros and teleported away.

"Astronema has Spinal; we have to do something!" C.C. cried.

"Yeah. Now we know why the Quantrons were after the necklace," Jenny said.

"We do?" the Cryptkeeper asked.

"Sure. If Astronema really loves Spinal, she’s going to want to marry him. And of course, Spinal is going to refuse. So she wants to use the necklace to control his mind."

"Then why isn’t the necklace controlling your mind now?" Andros asked.

"The demonic spirit protects me once it overpowers the spell," Jenny told him. "But if Astronema wants the necklace so badly, I’ll deliver it to her personally."

"How can you do that?" Andros asked. "Nobody can get in the Dark Fortress."

"I know how to get in. And if Spinal’s there, I’ll free him. But first, I need to go change...."

Andros and the Spices teleported back to the Astro Megaship.....

Back at the Dark Fortress, Spinal continued to squirm against the ropes that rendered him helpless. It was more than Spinal’s need to escape, but the bondage was painfully tight. The agony had him crying out into his gag. When Spinal heard a door open and close, he froze.

Ecliptor stormed angrily across the Dark Fortress. He came into the room where Astronema and Darkonda had left Spinal.

"Grrr!! The Quantrons have failed to steal the necklace from Tonfa Spice!!" he growled.

"Thank God," Spinal thought.

"They’re all worthless and weak!!" Ecliptor then turned to Spinal. "What are you looking at?"

Spinal stared at Ecliptor, looking confused and innocent. He let out an unintentional whimper. Ecliptor stormed up to him and hovered his sword over him.

"Stop your pathetic crying, or I’ll give you something to cry about," he ordered.

He raised the handle of the sword, preparing to strike. Spinal gasped as his eyes glowed bright with fear.

"Ecliptor!" Astronema called from the doorway.

Ecliptor paused and turned to her. "I apologize. I was angry."

"You will not attack Spinal!" Astronema snapped. "Now what happened?"

"The Quantrons couldn’t get the necklace," Ecliptor replied.

"Hmm...." Astronema gazed at Spinal. "A pity the Spices had to be so uncooperative. They could have saved their friend from prolonged suffering. So, have you changed your mind yet, Spinal?"

Spinal shook his head vigorously.

"Come, Ecliptor. Spinal needs to be left alone a while longer."

Astronema and Ecliptor left the room. Spinal sighed wearily, then started fighting to free himself again. Once again, it was futile.

Several minutes later, Jenny entered the Dark Fortress wearing her shiny black costume and the necklace.

"Oh Mother...." she called softly. "Hello? Where is everybody?"

She snuck past a sleeping Quantron, who woke up suddenly. Thinking quickly, Jenny took off her necklace and swung it back and forth in front of the Quantron’s face.

"You are getting sleepy.......sleepy......" she whispered. "Your.......eyelids......are getting heavy. You will remain asleep and you will not listen to Astronema."

The Quantron’s head went limp again and Jenny giggled silently.

"I can’t believe that worked," she told herself. "Or did it?"

She stared at the necklace and kissed it. "I love this thing." Then she put the necklace back on and explored the seemingly deserted fortress some more. She peered through a doorway and found Spinal. Upon seeing her cruelly restrained comrade, she raced into the room. Spinal looked up at her, a look of relief appeared in his eyes. Jenny quickly untied the rope around his head, and pulled out the gag.

"Oh man!" he gasped. "I thought you’d never find me!"

"We probably wouldn’t have if the Candyman hadn’t told us," Jenny told him. "I’d better get you out of here before someone sees me."

She rolled Spinal onto his side and looked at his arms, painfully crossed just under his shoulderblades.

"Ouch; that looks painful!" she exclaimed.

"It is painful," Spinal said. "Please untie me!"

"Hang on. Where’s the knot?" Jenny put Spinal on his back again and found the knot on his ribcage. "Okay, this’ll take a few minutes; this is a pretty tight knot. Who tied you up like this anyway?"

"Darkonda did, with the help of some Quantrons."

Jenny nipped at the knot with her fingertips, but it was just too small.

"Good grief. I can’t get this knot loose."

"Oh, please don’t give up!"

Jenny looked around for something, but there was nothing useful in sight. So she began to pinch the knot, then grip it with her fingertips. That didn’t seem to work, either. Jenny was so concentrated on getting the knot loose that she didn’t notice Darkonda sneaking up on her.

"Jenny, look out!" Spinal warned.

Jenny paused. "Huh?"

Darkonda moved quickly, snatching her into a bear hug. Jenny gasped in response.

"Nice of you to drop by and visit, Tonfa Spice," Darkonda said.

"Darkonda.......I wish you’d quit doing that," Jenny told him.

"Why? I love to squeeze your body like this. It releases all the tension." As he spoke, Darkonda squeezed her harder, causing her to cry out.

"Darkonda, you’re disgusting!" Spinal declared.

Jenny stomped on Darkonda’s foot, setting herself free. Darkonda charged at her, giving her a thrust kick to the chest. Jenny flew onto the table, knocking Spinal to the floor. Spinal rolled under the table.

"I should be relatively safe under here," he told himself.

Using the table for support, Jenny lifted both legs and kicked Darkonda in the face and chest simultaneously. Astronema and Ecliptor stormed into the room.

"What’s going on in here?" Astronema demanded.

Darkonda and Jenny paused briefly, then Jenny punched her husband in the face.

"Where’s Spinal?" Astronema asked.

"He’s under the table," Darkonda told her.

Astronema kneeled beside Spinal. "How about now, Spinal?"

"Never! I’ll never marry you, Astronema!" Spinal shouted. "Go ahead and feed me to Scrudly."

"No, I couldn’t do that."

Jenny silently took Darkonda’s sword from him, moved over to Spinal, and cut the ropes that held him.

"Really, Mother, I must advise against this," she said. "I really can’t picture Spinal as my father-in-law; can you?"

Astronema pondered for a moment.

"I didn’t think so," Jenny said. "Come on, Spinal; let’s make like bananas and split!"

"You’re telling me!?"

The two Spices ran out of the room.

"Stop them!" Astronema ordered.

Ecliptor and Darkonda ran in pursuit, but the Spices were nowhere to be found. They had escaped.

Jenny and Spinal returned to the Astro Megaship. They joined their friends in the jump tube room.

"Spinal, you’re safe!" C.C. cried, leaping into his arms.

"Yeah......thanks, Jenny," Spinal said. "If she hadn’t shown up, I don’t know how much more of that torture I could’ve taken."

"Spinal.......I wanted to apologize," Andros said.

"Oh, sure; no problem," Spinal said. "For what?"

The others chuckled.

"Well, Andros, I think we should all slow down a bit," C.C. said, kissing his forehead.

Andros smiled.

"Yeah. If something was to happen, it’ll happen in its own time," Hanim added. "But we all need to display our affection!"

With that, she kissed Andros’ forehead.

"Oh, Jenny, Darkonda told me about your unexpected marriage," Spinal said out of nowhere.

The others looked confused.

"Marriage?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah. Jenny was forced to marry Darkonda," Spinal told her.

"True dat, true dat," Jenny muttered. "But I was not about to let the same thing happen to Spinal."

"You should’ve seen how she punched Darkonda in the face," Spinal added.

"It’s strange how we all fight for love," Jenny remarked.....

So nothing really changed. People were still in love with one another. Jenny was miserable when she was forced into marriage, but she saved another from the same fate. And Darkonda’s wedding gift proved to be quite useful. The fight is all for love......

The End... for now