Disclaimer: I suppose I have to take responsibility for the tiniest bit of characterization. ::smirk:: But most of the characters are Saban's.
by Starhawk
"Am I just supposed to *trust* you?" The Zimeran positively sneered at him, and it took some effort to keep his temper under control. "You don't even have the proper access codes."
"I have been out of communication for some time," Phantom replied through clenched teeth. "I was not informed of the change in procedure."
"That's a convenient excuse," the alien opined, and even on the two-dimensional Aquitian viewscreen his expression was clearly mocking.
"I wish to speak to Tobin," Phantom informed him, trying to stay calm.
"I'm sure you do," the alien agreed condescendingly. "So does a good percentage of this galaxy. Who are you to request an audience with him?"
"I am the Phantom Ranger," he growled at the screen. "I *founded* the organization you work for."
The Zimeran was not impressed. "Of course you are. You can't even give me the access codes!"
Under normal circumstances, he would have tried to reason with the man. After all, he *didn't* have the correct codes--he had been running under radio silence since leaving Hercuron, and his last appearance at a Defense meeting had been almost a month ago. The other was right to be suspicious. But he was in no mood to take this, and he couldn't make himself care anymore.
He reached out and snapped the screen off without another word. The sudden silence echoed in the empty command center--the hour was late, and the Aquitians had left to sleep some time ago. He had been too busy to respond to the priority transmissions Tobin had left for him until now, but it seemed as though the call would have to wait a while longer.
It was just as well. He couldn't focus on it anyway. No matter how much he knew that the Frontier Defense needed to be kept abreast of current events, and no matter how aware he was of the organization's importance, he hadn't been able to concentrate on anything since this morning.
*"I knew you'd leave…"*
He turned away from the console abruptly, heading for the door. Behind him, he heard the muted static that announced Zordon's return to the chamber. "Phantom Ranger--"
He didn't even pause. "Let me be, Zordon."
The door slid open for him, and startled silence followed him out into the hallway, cut off only when the door closed once more. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes and remembering her face when he'd agreed to return to Aquitar.
*"I just didn't think it would be so soon."*
He slid to the floor, feeling his uniform shift around him. He hated this armor sometimes… It had taken him away from her before, and now, despite his best intentions, it had happened again.
*Cassie,* he cried silently. *How is it that we are on different worlds, yet again? What is it that keeps us apart, no matter how hard I try?*
*"I promised myself I wouldn't ask you to stay…"*
He hadn't tried hard enough, obviously. He had left, again, and it had hurt her more this time than all of the other times combined--because this time, he had promised her he wouldn't.
He remembered vividly that first night, falling asleep with her in his arms. *"See you in the morning?"* she'd asked, and he had smiled, amazed and grateful for the trust in her voice after all he'd put her through. *"Always,"* he'd answered.
It was already morning on Earth. The sun would rise over Angel Grove in a few hours, and she would wake up alone.
*"You will come back, won't you?"*
She didn't believe he'd return. He had seen it in her eyes, no matter how she tried to smile for him. He had finally asked for more trust than she could give, and this time she wouldn't believe him until she saw him standing before her again.
Was this worth it? He stared at the walls around him, seeing only the lack of metal plating that composed the ship she spent so much time on. Would any of this war matter if he lost her?
*"They're waiting for you."*
In his mind's eye, he saw himself step back, reaching for the Power to teleport away. He wished desperately that this time it would end differently, but the memory played itself out as it had every other time, relentless and unchanging. How could he have done it?
*"Goodbye, Saryn…"*
"No," he whispered, clenching his right hand into a fist. "Not goodbye." It wasn't too late to make the right choice--it couldn't be.
The staccato beep of an incoming emergency transmission interrupted his thoughts, and his eyes widened. He silenced the signal with a touch and sprang to his feet, one word on his mind. *Cassie…*
He hurried back into the control room, noting distractedly that Zordon was gone again. Entering the linkup command into the comm equipment, he input his starfighter's access code and waited impatiently for the computers to connect.
Linnse's face appeared on the screen, and he couldn't suppress a wave of disappointment. He didn't want to deal with the Defense anymore; he only wanted to go and apologize to the one person he couldn't live without. He wanted to beg her forgiveness, and pray that he hadn't hurt her more than she loved him.
"Phantom!" A smile brightened Linnse's face, and he was grateful she could not see his expression. "I was checking on Nal, and the comm logs said you had called. Why didn't you ask for me or Tobin?"
"I did," he answered tonelessly. "I did not have the proper access codes." *"I knew you'd leave."*
She sighed. "That's right; I'd forgotten that we didn't get you the new set of passwords yet." Linnse shook her head. "Still, you're not exactly unrecognizable--Nal should have put you through anyway."
"The person I spoke with was not of great help," he said, some of his annoyance resurfacing even as the memory of this morning continued to replay in his mind. *"I just didn't think it would be so soon…"*
She grimaced. "That's Nal, all right. He's really an extraordinary pilot, but under normal circumstances we would never have assigned him to a liaison position. I'm sorry you had to deal with him."
He tried his best to concentrate on what she was saying. "What has happened?" *"I promised myself I wouldn't ask you to stay."*
"You mean other than the liberation of one of the most important forces for good in the universe?" she asked wryly, looking over her shoulder. "Nothing of that caliber--but in terms of Defense management, we're struggling right now. One of our messengers bypassed the biofilters a few days ago and he must have been carrying something nasty, because we have an epidemic on our hands.
"It's not life-threatening, but the symptoms vary from mild dizziness to severe fatigue and nausea, depending on the species. Tobin's been sick since yesterday, and more than half of headquarters has been infected. " She shrugged, but her eyes were troubled. "Hazards of recycled air."
"Indeed." *"You will come back, won't you?"*
Linnse's eyes narrowed, and she gave the impression of peering more closely at him despite the distance that separated them. "You're distracted," she said matter-of-factly. "What's going on, Phantom?"
"You mean other than the liberation of one of the most important forces for good in the universe?" He wished he could put some amusement into his tone, to let her know that everything was all right--but it wasn't, and he couldn't.
"Yes," she agreed, smiling at his echo of her comment. "Are you all right?"
There were at least ten other things they needed to be discussing, but instead she asked him that, waiting for his reply with genuine concern on her face. He heard again Cassie's voice in his mind. *"They're waiting for you."*
The silence stretched out between them, and he was acutely aware of the emptiness of the room behind him. Slowly, he shook his head. "No. I… I am not. There is something I need to do, Linnse."
She looked at him, obviously puzzled but sensing his seriousness. "There's always something you need to do--you told me so yourself, once. What's different this time?"
Knowing she could not see the gesture, he closed his eyes, letting thoughts of Cassie overwhelm his mind. *"Goodbye, Saryn…"*
"This will haunt me forever if I do not do it," he said quietly. "Please understand, Linnse--I will be back as soon as I can."
"Phantom…" She trailed off, and he opened his eyes again. He hoped she would not ask how soon "soon" would be, for he had no answer. If Cassie's failure to contact him was an indication that she no longer wished to speak to him, he might be back on Aquitar in hours. If it were not, but the only way to keep her was to stay with the Astro team--he might not be coming back at all.
Linnse did not bring up the time he had been gone, or the myriad tasks that the Defense needed the third member of their governing team for, especially now. She just nodded, and asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
*You just did it,* he thought gratefully. Her support meant so much to him, as it had since the night three and a half years ago when she had stubbornly refused to let him give up his own life. "I thank you; no. I must do this alone."
She nodded again. "May it go well, then, from both Tobin and I."
"Be well, Linnse," he answered, reaching out to sever the comm link. He wondered if it was for the last time. All he knew was that he couldn't live without Cassie, and she couldn't love without knowing when she would see him again.
He gave a thought to his starfighter, sitting in drydock on one of Aquitar's orbital stations, but he wasn't willing to wait through the transit time to Earth. Instead, he entered a sequence of commands that would teleport him, from this galaxy to hers, in a matter of seconds.
As the room faded, engulfed by maroon light, Phantom was glad Zordon was absent. He did not want to know what the interdimensional being would think of using the boosted teleportation system for this little jaunt.
Then the darkness of Earth's night side came into view around him, lit only by the setting silvery disk of the planet's single natural satellite. The building in front of him was unfamiliar, but the Aquitian-based transport had homed in on her Power signature, and his visor could detect the conduit for the Pink Astro powers inside.
He walked forward without a second thought, the datafeed on his visor adjusting to momentarily read different wavelengths as visible light passed through his invisible form. He felt his own teleportation phase him through the walls, and there was Cassie, curled up in the faint starlight that streamed through her open window.
He knelt by her sleeping form, feeling her mere presence soothe the restlessness that had seeped into his soul since this morning. He hadn't even noticed its return--the need to keep moving was so much a part of him that it was conspicuous only by its absence.
She moaned a little, turning in her sleep, and he caught his breath as he realized she was wearing his tunic. His armor dissolved as he heard her murmur his name, and he reached out to touch her face. "It's all right, Cassie," he whispered. "I'm here."
She twisted, cheek pressing against his hand, and suddenly she started awake. "Saryn?" she mumbled, blinking at him in obvious confusion. "What--what are you doing here?"
She put her elbows behind her, struggling to sit up, and he put an arm around her shoulders to help her. "I was wrong," he said simply, sitting beside her gingerly and leaving his arm around her. "I need you, Cassie; I shouldn't have left the way I did."
"You should never leave the way you do," she mumbled, snuggling against him and resting her head on his shoulder. "But you always do. And then I dream about you coming back, and I hate waking up--I *hate* it, Saryn…"
He heard her sniffle, and he felt his heart sink as he realized she was crying again, for the third time in a single day--and every time had been his fault. "I'm sorry," he murmured, wrapping his other arm around her and hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Cassie."
"No you're not," she insisted, her fingers curling into a fist against his chest. "Cause you're still not here, and I still have to wake up, and we're never together for long enough, ever!"
*She's not awake enough to know she isn't dreaming,* he thought, dismayed. Then he gasped as she hit him with her fist, not hard, but with enough force to send pain shooting through his injured chest. He couldn't keep from crying out when she repeated the action, feeling the ache in his heart even more than his bruised muscles.
"Please, Cassie," he whispered, catching her fist and pulling her closer until there was no room for her to continue. "We will be together for as long as you want, I promise you."
"I hate this," she mumbled, her voice choked even as she relaxed against him. "I hate it. I hate you…"
The words stabbed at his heart, tearing to pieces what composure he had left, and he felt a tear slide down his face. He desperately wished there was something he could say that would ease her pain, but he had said it all before, and words weren't what she needed. So he just held her, cradling her in his arms as he felt her slip back into sleep, hoping against hope that she would never make him let go.
*She knew there was something wrong even before the alarm started to shriek at her, preceding the violent flash of heat and light by only a split-second. It threw her backwards like a physical blow, and she felt her head slam against the wall even as the horrifying noise of tearing metal reached her ears.
The world started to fade, but she heard the roar of escaping atmosphere, felt the clang of a bulkhead impacting only inches away as the darkness overtook her. Her last thought was that Andros would never know how much she cared for him…*
Ashley tossed in her sleep, flinging her arm out and feeling it hit something hard. She gasped, coming awake with a start and staring across the unlit room. For a moment, she saw the lower decks of the Megaship instead, and the explosion replayed again in her mind, its vividness all the more startling after two days of not being able to remember much at all of that morning.
An urgent knock on her door startled her again, and she turned wide eyes toward the sound. "Come in?" she whispered hesitantly, trying to sit up and stop shaking at the same time.
DECA let the door slide open, and Andros paused only long enough to turn the lights up a little before striding across the room. His uniform was rumpled--he must have been sleeping in it again--but his expression was wide awake and his eyes were worried as he knelt down beside her.
"Are you all right?" he whispered, staring up at her.
With a small cry of relief, she slid off her bunk and wrapped her arms around him. "How did you know?" she asked softly, as they clung to each other on the cold floor of her room.
"I heard you call me," he said, rubbing his hand across her back and soothing her shivers. "Your voice in my head, saying my name--you didn't do it on purpose?"
She shook her head, not caring how it had happened, only grateful that he was here now. "I had a nightmare," she murmured, hugging him more tightly. "The hull breach…"
"You remember?" he whispered, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"I caused it, didn't I, Andros," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice steady. Her trembling had stopped, but she couldn't make the memories fade back into the realm of dreams. She knew, in her heart, that what she had seen while she was sleeping was real.
"It wasn't your fault," he told her, his arms tightening around her until she thought he might crush her. "It's all right, Ash; it's over now."
"I could have gotten us all killed," she insisted miserably. "How could I have done something so stupid…"
"No," he said, surprising her with his vehemence. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine, for not realizing what effect the damping field would have on the two of you."
She didn't answer right away, feeling the barest hint of a smile creep onto her face. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard," she murmured at last.
"Maybe," he admitted. "But it's no worse than you blaming *your*self for something you had no control over either."
She sighed, comforted by his assurances and his embrace. "Thanks, Andros," she whispered, wanting him to know how much she appreciated his presence.
He finally let her go, hands still on her shoulders as he pulled back to stare into her eyes. She managed to smile, and the corner of his mouth quirked in response. He kissed her, so softly she could barely feel it, and asked quietly, "Will you be able to get back to sleep?"
She shook her head a little, refusing to give in to the images that she knew waited for her just beyond her conscious mind. "There's no way I'm going back to sleep after that. I'm just going to read or something, until breakfast."
"Ash, it's three in the morning," he objected. "You haven't gotten more than a few hours of sleep yet--you'll be exhausted all day."
"I don't care," she said stubbornly. "You don't know how horrible that dream was. It's not worth it."
He hesitated, fingers caressing her bare shoulders. "Would it--help if I stayed with you?"
She stared at him uncertainly. Coming from Andros, she doubted it could be anything more than a perfectly innocent question, but he had surprised her before. She wasn't sure she could ask aloud, but it wasn't quite as hard to think it. *You mean… just to sleep, right?*
He blinked, and gave her a small smile. *Yes. Just to sleep.*
"It might," she murmured, not sure herself but eager to have him here with her whether it kept the nightmare at bay or not. "I'll try."
"Good," he whispered, standing and helping her to her feet. She crawled back onto her bunk, curling up as close to the wall as she could. She felt Andros pull her blanket up over her shoulders, and heard him leave briefly to turn the lights down again.
Then the bunk creaked as he lay down beside her, and she bit her lip to keep from asking what he was thinking. She was supposed to be trying to sleep. Then she felt his hand settle gently against her back, and she smiled into the darkness.
Closing her eyes, she let the steady sound of Andros's breathing lull her into a dreamless sleep.
The sound of her alarm, strange after weeks of waking up to DECA's synthesized voice, jolted her out of a restless doze. She reached out, instinctively hitting the "snooze" button, and froze as she felt movement from somewhere very nearby.
Cassie twisted to look over her shoulder, and gasped as she saw Saryn there beside her, propped up on one elbow and watching her intently. For a moment, she was convinced she was still dreaming, and that her alarm would go off again any second.
"I did not mean to startle you," he murmured apologetically. "I wasn't sure how much you would remember…"
"Saryn?" she whispered incredulously, extending a hand tentatively.
He took it without hesitation, and she tried to remember if he felt so solid in her dreams. *Dreams,* she thought, feeling a sinking sensation take hold of her even as he squeezed her fingers. "I'm here," he answered, and she tried not to remember the last time he had said that to her.
"Last night," she said hesitantly, trying to separate what she knew *couldn't* be real from what might be. "You coming back… that wasn't a dream?"
He shook his head slowly, and she saw a flicker of pain on his face. "Saryn, why?" she demanded, even though her heart was screaming at her not to question it. "They need you…"
"Because I love you," he said simply. "And I need you more than they need me."
She had to be dreaming. She had never been more important to him than his duty, and she knew that. "No," she said, pulling her hand away from him reluctantly. "This isn't real--Saryn would never say something like that."
"Cassie…" The anguish in his expression made her pause, and she flinched at the dismay she could feel radiating from him. She shouldn't be able to feel that if he were only a dream--should she?
Even if it were possible, she couldn't stand to see him hurt so much. "I'm sorry," she murmured, pushing herself the rest of the way up and gingerly reaching out to him. He didn't move, but neither did he vanish the moment she touched his face.
If he *was* real… She flung her arms around him, repeating, "I'm sorry, Saryn; I didn't mean it. Please, forgive me?"
The pain did not abate. "You have nothing to apologize for," he whispered in her ear, arms going around her even as he spoke. "Please, stop--I do not deserve your concern, Cassie."
She had never hurt him before, not in her dreams, even when she had screamed at him, even cursed him for being who he was. He had never lost the impassivity that seemed to have deserted him now. "I'm sorry," she murmured again, ignoring his rebuke.
"Cassie, *stop*," he insisted. "*I* am sorry--more sorry than you can possibly know for what I have done."
"You've only done what you had to," she said, hating the words all the more because they were true. He had a job to do, one that conflicted with any relationship they could have. She had to accept second place, no matter how much she wanted it to be otherwise.
"No," he countered, "I did what I thought I had to do. There is only one thing in the universe that I can not live without, and that is you. Without you, the rest of it means nothing, and I should have realized that long before now…
"Please, Cassie," he begged again, arms tightening around her before she could say anything. "I won't ask for your forgiveness, if you can't give it, but I want you to know there's nothing I desire more."
"I've always forgiven you," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You must know that. Every time, I make excuses, and I forgive you, and then you're gone again…"
She felt him swallow hard, and she felt terrible for the tiny twinge of satisfaction that his distress gave her. How could she do this to him? She could feel his pain as though it was her own, and she would do almost anything to make it go away--but a small voice in the back of her mind said that he was only feeling what she had felt for the last three months…
"You are right to hate me," he said at last. She started, but he wouldn't let her go. "I know what this must sound like, Cassie… but I wish to have another chance. I wish for you to trust me the way you did the first time, and I wish for you to believe that I will never leave you again."
She didn't know what to say, and he continued before she could find words. "I know you can not. But if I were to have anything in the universe, that is what it would be. It may never be possible again, but if you will let me, I wish to stay with you until my word starts to mean something to you again."
"And then you'll leave?" she murmured. He flinched, and she closed her eyes in shock. How could she have *said* that?
"I will not," he said quietly, and this time when she tried to pull away, he let her.
"Saryn, don't make promises you can't keep," she told him. "You have a life, too, and you can't give it up just to make me happy. I've never asked that of you, and I won't now."
"You don't have to--" he started, and she shook her head.
"Let me finish," she told him, but *he* shook his head.
"I can't, Cassie, I'm too afraid of what you will say," he confessed, speaking more quickly now. "Please just let me--"
She kissed him suddenly, effectively silencing him even after she drew away. "Saryn, I told you before. All I want is you. If I have to have you between whatever else you're doing, then that's the way it has to be."
"But it doesn't," he whispered, staring at her. "You don't believe me--there's no reason you should--but I can give all that up if it means keeping you."
She had wanted to hear him say those words for so long now, and she felt a momentary flash of disorientation as she wondered if maybe she *was* still dreaming. But the same thing that had stopped her from asking him to stay before refused to accept his promise now, and, steeling her heart, she shook her head.
"You said 'if I'll let you'," she said softly, trying to keep her voice steady. "I won't. I won't let you give up your life for mine. We can make it work, Saryn. Somehow, we can both do what we have to and still have each other. Not…" She swallowed. "Maybe not the way either of us would want it, but we have to compromise."
He was looking at her with an expression of such longing that she had to force herself not to look away. She didn't like it anymore than he did, but the alternative he had suggested would never work. He would go crazy with boredom here on Earth, and she knew there was no place for her in his life.
"We've *been* compromising," he said, pausing when she looked at him intently.
"No," she corrected gently. "*I* compromised. You left, without ever telling me when I might see you again, and I waited."
"But I don't *have* to leave," he insisted, and she closed her eyes.
"Stop saying that, Saryn. You can't stay here; we both know that. All I'm asking is to know when I can hope to see you again… and maybe, to be able to spend more than a few minutes at a time with you when I *do* see you."
He just kept staring at her, as though he was trying to memorize her face for all time. Then he reached out, and she let him pull her into his embrace, wondering sadly if this was his way of saying goodbye again.
"I thought about you all day," he whispered suddenly, surprising her. "I *tried* to return to my life--I couldn't do it. Cassie, you say you won't let me stay here with you."
Her throat closed up, and she couldn't answer. She was turning down an offer that she had only dreamed of ever hearing, but she couldn't take it back. Better to have him leave, wanting to stay, than to have him stay, wanting to leave…
"What if--" He hesitated. "I do not even know enough of your life to know if this is possible, but I must ask. Is there any way that--you could come with me?"
She caught her breath, not sure she should believe what she was hearing. "What?" she whispered, pulling away to see his expression.
"Could you come with me, to Aquitar?" he repeated, giving her an anxious look. "I do not mean to presume…"
"I--" She just stared at him, trying to sort through the thoughts racing through her brain. Her immediate reaction had been an unqualified yes, but practicality reasserted itself before she could voice the word. "For how long?"
He shook his head, not taking his eyes off her. "As long as you want; as long as you can… The time doesn't matter, if it means we can be together."
"I… I can't," she said finally, disappointment sweeping over her. "I'm part of the team, Saryn. I can't just leave."
He winced, although she wasn't sure quite why. Closing his eyes, he muttered, "I never thought to find myself arguing *against* duty--but they do have Zhane, now…"
He trailed off, as though he couldn't believe what he was saying, and she found herself wondering if a day or two would really make a difference. Andros and Zhane had been away that long, and they *did* have another Ranger now. Was it so wrong to want just a little time off?
"Yes," she whispered, and saw hope flicker through his eyes as they opened.
"What did you say?" he asked tentatively, and she smiled a little.
"Yes," she repeated. "I want to go with you, Saryn. I'll have to talk to the others, first, and I don't think I can be gone for very long--but I want to go."
He reached out, running his fingers along her cheek with an expression of wonder on his face. "And you thought *you* were dreaming…"
The jarring buzz of her alarm cut through the moment, and she had to smile at his startled expression. "If either of us were, that would have woken us up," she said, leaning over to silence it once more. This time, she made sure to turn it all the way off instead of just setting the snooze.
"Thank you," she added fervently, putting her arms around him and hugging him again. "Thank you for not being a dream," she said quietly, knowing how silly she sounded but unable to help herself.
"Thank you for *being* my dream," he murmured, and she squeezed him tighter before pulling away and standing up. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked across the room, but there had, after all, been a reason that her alarm had gone off at such an outrageously early hour as this.
She hadn't thought of it yesterday, when she took the first ones, but the nurse in the emergency room told her that she would need to take a second dose of the contraceptives twelve hours later. *After this, it's just one each morning,* she reminded herself, swallowing them with an effort. She hated pills.
"Cassie?" she heard Saryn ask slowly. "What are you taking?"
"I'm not ready for children," she said quietly, setting down the glass she'd left on her bureau.
His eyes were wide when she turned back to him. "Is that even possible?" he asked. "We're not--"
He didn't finish, but he didn't have to. He might not be human, but he had to be close, and she didn't want to take the chance. "Let's not find out the hard way," she murmured, putting a hand over her stomach in anticipation of the mild nausea that had plagued her yesterday evening.
He was off the futon and at her side in a matter of seconds, and she had to smile at his attention. "I'm fine," she promised, letting him guide her back to her bed.
"I'm sorry, Cassie," he told her, obviously chagrinned. "I did not think. Jenna…" He hesitated, hovering at her side as she sat back down. "Jenna could not have children," he continued, more quietly. "And it simply did not occur to me to ask you."
"It's all right," she said, touched by his sudden revelation. She tugged at his arm, making him sit down beside her. "And stop hovering. I don't need a protector, you know; I can take care of myself."
But despite her words, she was glad of his concern. She had told Ashley she wasn't always sure he cared, but in this case, there was nothing she loved more than being proven wrong.
"I know that," he said quietly. "I have no doubt of it--but it doesn't stop me from *wanting* to protect you, no matter what. And it will never stop me from caring."
She sighed, leaning against his shoulder and feeling his arms encircle her. She let her eyes slide shut, wondering if that would be enough.
*"There was a girl named Tessa,"* Ali had told him, when he called from his uncle's house yesterday evening. *"She graduated last year, though."*
TJ didn't understand it. How could she be older than him? He distinctly remembered the two of them planning for college together--they had both been seniors in high school. He could just barely accept that different dimensions could contain people like him who had made different decisions… but how could *time* be different?
*"They're asking us out,"* Carlos had told him, relaying Karen's invitation. *"Come on, TJ. You know you want to go."*
He had no idea how he was supposed to talk to her. She was one of the prettiest, most self-assured girls he had ever met. And she was smarter than he would ever be…
He couldn't help remembering the sound of her laugh when Karen introduced her as an astrophysics major. *"Don't tell people that; you'll just scare them off!"*
Carlos had refused to believe that he could be tongue-tied, pointing out that he had spoken to her easily enough earlier. But that had been when he had something else to distract him--namely, his frustration with math. On an actual date, even a double date, he would have very little to concentrate on other than her, and he was afraid his nervousness would come through loud and clear.
*"You'll never know if you don't try,"* Carlos had pointed out, and at last TJ had agreed.
The lift doors opened onto a dimly lit Bridge, and he was surprised to see Zhane sitting at the helm, feet up on the console in front of him. He wasn't wearing his uniform, but the loose grey pants and silvery vest were not clothes that Tommy had loaned him the day before, either.
The Silver Ranger looked over his shoulder, eyes clear and strangely reflective. He smiled slightly when he saw TJ, and TJ nodded to him. "I thought you weren't an early riser," TJ commented, wandering onto the Bridge and leaning against the second row of consoles.
Zhane shook his head. "I'm not, usually," he agreed. "But like I said last night, my internal clock has been off since I woke up from hypersleep. And Earth's days are a little longer than Rayven's--I haven't adjusted yet."
TJ nodded, coming forward to take the seat next to Zhane. "I didn't think of that."
"What about you?" Zhane asked, a moment later. "I got the impression you like to sleep in, too."
TJ smiled. "Oh, believe me, I do. When I think of the number of times that Cassie's had to drag me out of bed…"
Zhane looked a little puzzled by that. "I hope this isn't a rude question, but Cassie--I mean, you and Cassie aren't a couple."
"No," TJ said, chuckling as he realized what Zhane must have thought he meant. "We're definitely not. But… well, Ashley and Carlos were friends long before they were Rangers. Me and Cassie were both new in town when we were chosen, and we've always kind of stuck together."
Zhane nodded, accepting that. They were quiet again, until he observed, "You didn't tell me why you're up early, though."
TJ couldn't help sighing. "For once, I couldn't sleep."
"Girl troubles?" Zhane asked knowingly.
TJ gave him a startled look. "You could say that, yeah. How did you know?"
Zhane grinned. "Let's just say that I know that expression. Just remember that the good ones like you for who you are, not the way *they* want to be."
TJ had to think about that, staring out at the realtime image of stars visible over the curve of the planet below. "That was oddly insightful, Zhane," he said at last.
Zhane only shrugged. "I try."
*This is the Zhane that Andros knows,* TJ thought suddenly, looking sideways at the Silver Ranger. The other was gazing at the stars now as well, even as he had been when TJ's meandering route had brought him to the Bridge.
He seemed lost in his own thoughts once more, and the only trace of his usual flamboyance was the slightly amused air that lingered about him. It wasn't at all hard to see how someone like this could have befriended their reserved and often pensive leader.
The two sat in silence for some time, watching the blue-green planet turn beneath them as they circled it. The sun rose over the edge of the Earth's surface, and the Megaship soared soundlessly across the terminator line between darkness and light.
Finally, the illumination on the Bridge brightened, and DECA's voice announced, "It is seven o'clock."
On the edge of his vision, TJ saw Zhane stretch. "Guess I should change into something less conspicuous," he remarked, voice sounding a little odd after the long quiet.
TJ glanced over at him. "Are those clothes from Rayven?"
Zhane nodded. "Silver's never been an easy color to live with," he said wryly.
TJ considered his outfit. "You could wear that vest open over a t-shirt without looking out of place," he suggested.
"Think so?" Zhane looked down. "I'll try that."
TJ put his hands on the console and stood up, catching his chair as it swiveled to one side. "I think it's time to go annoy Carlos by being up earlier than he is."
Zhane grinned, and they both headed for the lift. The corridor was empty when they arrived on deck five, and the Kerovan nodded to TJ before disappearing into his room at the other end of the hall. TJ himself leaned against the wall outside Carlos's room, waiting for the Black Ranger with a smile on his face.
Ashley's door opened first, and he glanced toward the sound. His intended greeting went unspoken as he saw both her and Andros step out into the hall. Andros was in his uniform--though his jacket was nowhere to be seen--but Ashley was wearing the sweatpants and tank top she always wore to bed.
She saw him before Andros did, and the expression of annoyance on her face was almost comical. "Hi, TJ," she sighed.
"Such enthusiasm," he teased, watching Andros shift uncomfortably.
Carlos chose that moment to walk out into the corridor, and his eyes flicked from TJ to the two Rangers standing outside Ashley's room. "Good morning," he said, his tone somewhere between startled and amused.
Ashley sighed again. "This is *so* unfair. I don't suppose anyone would believe me if I said we didn't sleep together."
Andros shifted again, and TJ couldn't resist the opportunity to tease them again. "Not with Andros looking so guilty, no."
She immediately glanced at Andros, and down the hall, Zhane's door slid open. Everyone looked in his direction, and he paused momentarily. "What?"
Before anyone could answer, though, he added, "Andros, you're supposed to leave her room *before* everyone else gets up."
TJ grinned, and he heard Carlos stifle a chuckle. Ashley just threw her hands up in the air. "I give up," she announced.
Turning to Andros, she put both hands on his face, kissing him long and hard. To TJ's amazement, Andros did not resist. His hands settled on her waist, and he returned her kiss in a display of passion that TJ had never thought to see from him.
Zhane whistled, and the two of them broke apart. Andros was blushing, and Ashley looked a little breathless, but she retained her composure. "I'm going to change," she said calmly. "I'll see you all at breakfast."
She turned and stepped back into her room, letting the door close behind her. Andros quickly walked across the hall and disappeared into his own room, leaving Carlos and TJ to exchange glances.
"Well, I'm convinced," Carlos said wryly.
fin