Summary: Five years after a broken engagement, Andros visits Tommy and his new team. What he finds there, he couldn't even imagine in his wildest dreams.
Phantom Rogue: Well, you'll kill me now. Jenny's already powering up her Astro Blaster.
Serenitylovegod: AH! Cockroach!
Juzblue: I have a knack for making thing worse when you think they'll get better.
MaxCobra: Welll… Just read.
XRachX: You will now… I'll get Missy some tea with cake. Oh and about Jenny might be a private joke, it's still funny. :P
Jessica01: I'm slowly progressing in your story. I promise to review once I'm through.
Arwennicole: Glad you liked the chapter. Just read and find out what's next.
Mz. Daydream: Actually… they really didn't make it out. That's as much as I can say. Glad you liked Ashley and Zhane in the last chapter.
Jenny: Kill. Definitely kill. It's okay you weren't on aim, I wasn't either. :P But you can explain it all to me today. :P
C.C.C.: Andros TRIED to save them. They were still in the building. This is what happens next.
JDPhoenix: Ooh! Now I'm getting scared! I know that voice all too well, don't have a little brother, but a big one. :P You won't be depressed on you birthday, promise.
Xoxo hockeyhottie09: Always.
Gear's Girl: Kill me?
Not Always The End
Chapter 19
"Zhane, what's going on!" Karone demanded, her voice edging heavily on hysteria.
"Sit down for a moment, okay?" Zhane whispered, giving Karone a moment to sit down, he took a deep breath. "The building came down-"
"Oh my god! Are Ashley and Jenny alright?" Karone cried in despair.
"They…" Zhane choked, everything suddenly becoming more real. "Andros went to get them… They couldn't make it to the exit in time." He finished quietly, just waiting.
There was a moment. Just a moment where everything was held still, waiting to be soaked in, waiting to make the blow more horrific. And then it was broken. Karone let out an anguished cry and began to sob, her wails not quite drowning out Kim's horrified gasp, followed by breaking tears. The world seemed to spin in front of him as tears started to slide down his cheeks. He suddenly understood what Andros must have gone through when he had been in cryogenic stasis for those two years. The loss of his friend was… overwhelming, to say the least.
He felt a hand catch his shoulder and when he turned his head he saw Tommy's helmet through his visor. He could just feel the sympathetic expression behind it. Even now the situation seemed surreal.
"You should get back. She needs you." Tommy's voice cut through the fog that had slowly started clouding his brains.
He nodded absently and called on his gilder. He jumped on it with less grace than he normally would, stumbling slightly when he landed. The wind started screaming in his ears the moment he leaned forward and the tears started to spill, small rivers of salty water running down his cheeks.
Before he knew it he stumbled into Tommy's secret basement. Kim had her arms wrapped around a crying Karone, lending her a shoulder to cry on. Zey had retreated into a corner and was unusually quiet.
Kim looked up when she heard him. The moment she looked at him, his morph faded. Kim moved aside and Zhane rushed over to Karone. He wrapped his arms around her. They cried in each other's arms. Kim quietly walked over to Zey, picked the little boy up and went upstairs with him.
After a while the other rangers returned too. None of them had managed to keep dry eyes, their cheeks moist from tears.
"We…" Tommy started. "We should call the others."
Zhane could hit himself. They had completely forgot. After Andros's call about finding Ashley, but her being kidnapped, the last thing on his mind had been to call the rest of the former Space team. He knew he couldn't do it, not now.
"I'll call them if you want." Tommy offered immediately after suggesting it.
A simple nod was enough for him to walk up the stairs to make the two most important phone calls and some more to inform anyone else that had been friends with Andros. He was suddenly deliriously glad that Cassie had gotten over Phantom and married TJ instead - it took one call of his list.
Once upstairs he found Kim sitting on the couch with Zey sitting on her lap. He was quietly sucking his thumb. The little boy didn't look very upset, but there was something about him. He was more subdued than normal, as if he knew something was up, but not the intensity of it.
"Hey." Kim softly greeted, a stray tear running down her cheek. "I thought I'd bring him up here, the mood in the basement wasn't really appealing him."
Tommy offered her a small smile and sat down next to her after retrieving the cordless. He merely started at it for a few minutes until he felt Kim's hand on his arm.
"Who are you going to call?" She asked, no louder than before.
"Their team. We didn't call them when she disappeared; we had other things on our minds. They deserve to know…" Tommy replied trailing off, gulping before continuing. "Maybe Jason and the other red rangers. They all knew him." he didn't have to explain.
Kim moved her hand and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
"Tommy, I know this is not really the time, but… Do you think you could give us another change?" Kim pleaded.
"Life's too short to say no." Tommy replied.
She leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her and dialled the first number. Gathering strength from Kim, he waited for the phone to be picked up at the other end.
"Cassie Johnson." A sweet voice replied.
"Hey Cass." Tommy said with a sigh, closing his eyes. "Is TJ around?"
"Yeah, sure. This is not about another mission, is it?" Cassie joked.
"No, it's not." Tommy replied, his voice gloomy, knowing that cheerfulness would be gone soon.
He would let TJ tell her. She and Ashley had been best friends; he figured it would be better if TJ could gently tell her instead of him springing it on her.
"TJ." A lower voice told him.
"Hey TJ. It's Tommy."
"Yeah, Cassie told me. What's up?"
Taking a deep breath Tommy started.
"It's Andros… and Ashley."
There was a pause and then, "What? Did you find her?" He asked excitedly.
"Not exactly. Hear me out for a moment." Tommy told him, starting to reside the whole story.
Minutes passed and he just kept talking, telling TJ everything. TJ stayed quiet.
"… Andros went in to get them. We saw them running to the exit when the building collapsed. They couldn't have survived."
TJ was quiet for another moment, before speaking up again.
"We'll be there in an hour and a half." He simply told him, before hanging up, not even saying goodbye.
Tommy didn't mind, happy he survived the first call. For the next call he got out his address book and looked up Carlos. He only had his cell-phone number, but it would assure him to get Carlos without having to identify himself to anyone else. Dialling the number, the prepared himself for the next conversation.
Half an hour later Carlos told him he'd get in his car right away before hanging up like TJ had. During the conversation the rest of the Dino Thunder team had came upstairs and had quietly gathered around in the living room.
Tommy ignored them as he dialled the next number. Gradually the red rangers that had known Andros from their mission to the moon were informed of his fate.
Hallway down the line of calls Carlos, TJ, Cassie and their one-year-old baby girl had entered, Ashleah, Leah for short, named after her would be godmother. They left Leah with Kira and the three of them went down to the basement where Zhane and Karone still were.
Finally Tommy reached his last call. Dialling the number without thinking. He once again waited for the phone to be picked up.
"Hey, Tommy. What's up?" The man on the other end greeted.
"Too much of a bad thing." Tommy replied glumly. "You were on the right track, Jase…"
A/N: Hope you liked it. Review.