disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers. Also I don't own Zeri, Saryn and Aura, I read their names on Starhawk's website and thought they were cute.
timeline: Nine years after 'Better Late Than Never'.
summary: Something has it's eyes set on ranger children. Every ranger is scared of losing his or her family, especially Andros.
Jeanka; Thanks, they'll arrive at Eltar in the next chapter.
the-power-of-love; Well, here is the next chapter.
Protecting The Next Generation
Chapter 5
It was late and all children had been sent to bed. Armin shared a room with Brian, Wyatt with Nathan and Paige with Zeri.
One of the many advantages of this Megaship over its predecessor was that during the building of it, the children and marriages had been taken into account. It didn't seem that important, until you saw the bedrooms.
The rooms of the rangers were a lot bigger. The top bunk had been removed, but now the lower bunk was big enough to fit two people and there were two hatches that concealed two more beds.
The guest rooms just held two lower bunks and two closets at the end of them, but nothing more. That's were Andros, Ashley, Zhane and Karone had dumped their children. Since Amy and Chris weren't used to the Megaship and known to sometimes scream for their parents at night, they had been put into the two hidden beds in the blue ranger's room.
At the moment Andros, Zhane and TJ were discussing what they knew about the situation in the tactical room. (A/N: That room the rangers used for the debriefing in Forever Red.) Ashley had declined the offer to join them and found herself in Work bay with Karone and Emma.
"You truly have an adorable daughter, Ash." Emma smiled. "And she's great with children."
"Thanks." Ashley replied. "But she had a lot of practise with Brian. Though sometimes I wonder about them."
"Why?" Karone wanted to know. "They're the sweetest."
"Yeah, but I've seen Zeri and Nathan fight with each other more than even Armin and Wyatt do. Be honest, Karone, don't you think it's a little strange?"
"Be honest Ashley, did you fight that much with Jeff?" Karone retorted.
"No."
"Then don't worry so much." Emma laughed before Karone could.
"Exactly." Karone agreed.
Ashley smiled at the and shook her head.
"Besides, Armin and Paige will enter puberty in a few years, you'll get all the sibling fights you don't want then." Emma reminded.
"And it's great, the four of them can get along that well. Sometimes I wish Zeri and Nathan are that way, especially when they start one of their fights again."
"And Zeri uses her magic agaist Nathan." Ashley sniggered.
"How do you know she does that?" Karone demanded.
"We can hear you yell even when we're inside the house and Zhane is always willing to tell us all about it if we ask him. He thinks it's funny, you know."
Emma laughed.
"I'll get him for that." Karone smirked.
"Don't tell him I told you." Ashley warned.
"I won't. It's way more funny if he doesn't know how I know."
Ashley grinned at her sister-in-law and turned to Emma.
"So, do you have to keep TJ in line too?"
"Not yet." Emma smiled back. "But he wants Chris to start martial arts lessons when he turns six, so it'll come."
"Six?" Ashley and Karone asked surprised.
"I would have thought he would sent him to those classes when he turns five in October." Ashley continued.
"Oh, he did, but I refused."
"Good." Karone smiled.
"How about Zhane and Andros? Surely they would want their children to learn how to fight." Emma asked.
"Zhane's teaching Nathan how to fight since he turned six. Zeri sometimes joins, but isn't that interested." Karone replied.
"Same goes for Andros, he's been teaching Armin, Paige and Wyatt since they turned six and will start to teach Brian when he's six, though the other three are already teaching him the basics sometimes. He started sparring with Armin and Paige since they turned ten, but he hold back a lot, so they won't get hurt. If they aren't able to block his attack he's able to stop it before he makes contact." Ashley yawned. "Deca, what time is it?"
"It's almost midnight on KO35." Deca replied.
Emma looked at Deca's eye, a little confused.
"Almost half pas one a.m. on Earth." Ashley quickly said.
"That late?" Emma asked. "Well, then I'm going to bed."
"My idea." Ashley agreed.
The three of them got up and stared to walk to the lift for the bedrooms were one deck below them. While walking Ashley sifted her attention to Andros.
'Andros?'
'Yeah?'
'It's almost midnight and I'm going to bed. Won't you stay up to long, we do have a meeting to attend to tomorrow.'
'I'll wrap it up right away.' Andros replied.
Ashley smiled and entered the lift.
"What was that all about?" Karone asked her.
"What was what about?" Ashley replied.
"Yeah, she didn't do anything."
"Yes, she did, you just didn't notice." She told Emma and turned to Ashley. "And you didn't block hard enough."
"I'm tired, Karone. You think I care?"
"No, I just want to know what that was about."
"I was just making sure, I won't be at the meeting tomorrow with three sleeping rangers."
Karone laughed.
"I'm so glad Andros married someone who can keep him in line."
"I don't keep him in line." Ashley protested. "I just happen to make him think things over better than he used to do."
The doors opened and they left the lift. The first door they reached was red, indication the red ranger's room. That was one of the other improvements this ship had, all the doors to the rangers' rooms were made in their own colour. Andros and Ashley had chosen to stay in that room when they were on the Megaship, for it was closer to the lift than the yellow ranger's room. So if there was an emergency or something, they could be on the bridge as soon as possible.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Ashley yawned and put her hand on the console next to the door to open it.
The doors to the rangers' bedrooms could only be opened if your handprints had a clearance, which could be set for every room, or with a pass. That way no unwanted persons could walk into the room. The rangers had decided that only the one who the room technically belonged to and their partner would have a handprint clearance.
Ashley smiled at the thought of the other rangers having to 'ring the doorbell' if they wanted the person inside the room. Her children had done the same thing, until they figured out that giving a mental scream helped too. Zhane and Karone were the only once who permanently held a clearance pass for both the room of the yellow and red ranger and she and Andros both had one for the silver ranger's room, but they had promised each other not to use it, unless they had permission.
The door opened again, just as she was about to change into her pyjamas.
"Hey." Andros smiled as she turned around.
"Hey, found out anything new." She asked, as Andros walked over and wrapped his arms around her.
"Nothing and TJ said Carlos and Aura know as much as we do."
Ashley sighed and leaned again Andros.
"I hope they tell us more tomorrow or I'll go crazy." Ashley yawned.
"You're tired." He said, giving her a quick kiss and letting her go.
"As are you." Ashley replied and tossed him the boxers he used as pyjama.
"Sometimes I think you know me better than I do myself." Andros grinned.
Ashley just flashed him a smile and started changing into her nightgown, which was actually an oversized T-shirt. They got into bed. Andros quickly wrapped his arms around Ashley again and she nuzzled close to him.
"I'm so glad I met you." Ashley muttered, just before she drifted of to sleep.
"So am I, Ash." Andros mutter back, half asleep. "So am I."
A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review.