Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Okay, fine, I'll help you and I won't throw things. Happy? Good. :P Cathan takes the news pretty well, I think, especially with what he has to do now, but you can decide for yourself.

Juzblue: Most people will be pretty happy, yeah. Aria takes it... wait, just read. :P

Piper xox Leo: I love that phrase too, and I just couldn't resist having Zhane the one to say it.

Melissa: Yeah, twins are only cute in stories. The only set of twins I knew in real life were these two girls who were kinda crazy. You're allowed to have some graphic stuff, I think, just nothing that's like NC-17. I'm not quite sure. I'll look it up when I write something that graphic. :P

the-power-of-love: Of course Zhane's going to take the news well. Think of all the jokes he can make. :grins evilly:P

DizneeDol: It's okay, I've gotten plenty of other suggestions, so don't worry about it. And I finally figured out what's happening next, so I'll be able to update a lot this week.

Jenny: Um, I think you should stay away from the sugar, or at least brownies. I like being able to understand my reviews. No one's going to think that Ashley let them down, they know she would never do that, and besides, she was already pregnant. Have fun camping, and you'd better be doing lots and lots of writing. Don't worry, I swear I won't steal your job as beta-reader. (And if I was a mean person, I'd take this opportunity to point out that I already know what's going to happen, so I'm not going crazy trying to figure out that the little girl... oh, right, I'm supposed to keep my mouth shut. But I'm not a mean person.) :P

Arwennicole: I'm done stalling now, at least for a few chapters. I finally figured out what I'm doing! No happily ever after? Oh well, I'm still going to say it. I seem to have become addicted to that phrase. :P

Chapter 16: One Ranger Lost, One Ranger Gained

"This is good news, isn't it?" Justin asked. When Andros nodded, he added, "I don't like good news."

"Well you're going to hear it anyway, so shut up and sit down," Ashley snapped. "Sorry," she added belatedly, at his startled look.

"We're listening," Aria said, smothering a grin as she glanced at her twin. "Go on."

Ashley nodded nervously, and glanced at Andros.

"Do you want me to tell them?" he asked her softly. She smiled at him gratefully, but shook her head.

"Okay, you guys," she said hesitantly, taking a deep breath, "I'm pregnant."

For a few seconds, no one moved, and Ashley's heart raced at the thought of them hating her for abandoning them. Then Aria stood up and walked around the table to hug them both.

"Congratulations, Ash," Aria said in her ear as she embraced her.

"Thanks," Ashley whispered, relieved.

By the time Aria let go of them, the other rangers seemed to have gotten over their shock, and were congratulating them as well.

"Hey, man, you've gotta be crazy," Zhane said to Andros, quietly, well out of the earshot of both Ashley and Karone. "Four kids?"

Andros shrugged. "Why don't you wait and see how many you'll end up with before you say anything?"

"Is this a trick question?" Zhane asked suspiciously. "Where if I answer wrong, you'll kill me and not let me marry Karone?"

Andros rolled his eyes and grinned. "If I wasn't happy, you would be in pain right now."

"You'll stop being happy as soon as you realize that you'll have four kids about a week before you're twenty," Justin muttered, also casting anxious glances at Ashley. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks," Andros said, knowing that was the closest he'd get to a congratulations out of his little brother.

"No, seriously," Justin said. "Good luck with that."

Karone looked enviously at Ashley. "I'm happy for you," she said. "But you're pregnant for the second time, and I'm not even married!"

"Whoa," Zhane said, quickly stepping over to his fiancé. "We'll get there. Later."

Karone let him hug her, but over his shoulder, she grinned mischievously. Andros' happiness only grew at seeing his best friend almost panicking.

"You two deserve it," Gabriel told them. He paused, and grinned. "Can you name one after me this time?"

"You and Ashley are extremely lucky," Cathan said very quietly and very seriously.

"Yeah," Andros said, a little starled by Cathan's somberness. "We really are."

He wrapped his arms around Ashley's shoulders from behind, and she laughed, leaning happily into his embrace.

"I'm assuming Ash won't be fighting anymore?" Zhane said carefully, inching away from her.

Ashley sighed. "No. You guys understand, right? I mean, you're a ranger short now."

"Of course we understand," Aria said quickly. "And we'll manage fine with a ranger less."

"Are you sure?"

"Ashley," Aria said, "even if we couldn't, there is no way in hell anyone in their right mind would let you go fight."

Zhane jumped in then. "A better question is, are we sure we're all in our right minds?"

"Shut up, Zhane," several voices answered. The silver ranger pouted.

"Well, if that's the way you feel -"

"It is," Aria interrupted him. "So be quiet."

Zhane opened his mouth again, and quickly shut it at the look on the white ranger's face.

"Besides," Aria added, "there's still one more ranger out there."

"But didn't you say that they were the Light?" Ashley asked.

"All the more reason for them to fight with us," Aria said, pointedly ignoring Cathan. "Don't worry, Ash, you just concentrate on having twins. Again."

"Aria," Ashley sighed, "did you have to remind me of that?"

"I was going for a distraction," Aria said. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Um, where did Zoe and Wyatt go?" Karone asked suddenly. "Deca?"

"They are currently crawling down the hall," Deca replied.

"I'll go get them," Andros said. He shot a look at Zhane, who shrugged, maintaining what he clearly thought was a look of pure, unobstructed innocence.

"I'm coming with you," Ashley said. "Come on, let's go tell them that they're going to be a big brother and a big sister."

Andros smiled, and took her hand as they left the room.

"Okay, they're gone," Zhane announced. "What do you guys really think?"

"Hey," Karone chided him. "He's your best friend. Be happy for him."

"It's not that I'm not happy for him," Zhane said, suddenly remembering that he was talking to his best friend's sister. "But... I don't know. Their our age, but they're so much more..."

"Mature?" Aria suggested dryly.

"Yeah, that," Zhane said.

"Same goes for me, I guess," Karone said. "I mean, I'm totally happy for them, it's just... wow."

"It's their life," Gabriel reasoned. "And as long as they're happy, there's no reason why we should try to ruin that for them."

"I agree," Justin said unexpectedly. "I think. But Aria, do you seriously think we can find the Light person in time?"

Their eyes all turned to Aria. As the leader, she should be the one with the most qualms about their sudden loss of a ranger, but she didn't look the least bit perturbed. In fact, she almost look relieved.

"Oh, I think we'll find him," she said airily. "Don't worry about that."

"So, where do we start looking for him?"

"Ask Cathan," Aria said, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Aria," Cathan said seriously. "A word please?"

Aria rolled her eyes at him. "Fine."

They stepped outside, where Cathan grabbed her by the arm and steered her down the corridor. "What were you thinking?"

To his surprise, he heard Aria laugh genuinely for the first time in forever. Their arguement the previous night seemed to have been forgotten as Aria stared at him with a strange light shining in her eyes.

"Don't you get it?"

"I'm afraid I don't," he said, eyeing her warily.

"Ashley's pregnant," Aria said simply. "She's not fighting, so we need another ranger. That's where you come in."

"Aria-"

"If you don't want the crystal, then don't take it," Aria said before he could get out any more. "I want you to fight with us. In whatever form you want."

Cathan sighed. "I hid the crystal."

"So then you'll be-"

"No," Cathan interrupted. "I will fight as the black Light Ranger."

Aria's face broke into a wide smile. "Thank you." She paused. "Where exactly did you hide the crystal?"

"I destroyed it."

"You did what?" Aria glared at him. "Cathan-"

Before she could continue, Cathan muttered something under his breath and was engulfed in a black light. A split second later, he stood before her as the black ranger.

"Power down," he said, eager to be rid of the suit until he needed it. "The crystals are just vessels, Aria. The true power is inside of us."

"Then why don't we just break all of them?"

"The power is inside of us, but the crystals hold an enormous amount of energy," Cathan explained. "If your body chooses not to absorb it, then you will die."

Aria nodded, and then her brow furrowed as something occured to her. "Wait," she said slowly.

"Yes?" Cathan prompted, wincing inwardly. He knew where this was going.

"How come I don't remember this?"

"It's relatively useless information," Cathan said.

"That's not what I meant," Aria said. "I'm the white ranger. I should know it anyway."

"You did know it," Cathan admitted. "But when we set out on this mission, you asked me to keep certain bits of... distracting information from you."

"Like what?" Aria asked suspiciously.

"You have the general knowledge," Cathan assured her. "You know everything that has taken place. It was only the specific details that you wished not to know."

"But you know them?"

"I do," Cathan said.

"Cathan," Aria said. "I think I need it back now."