Disclaimer: Tempest, Ryan, Ciaran, Melanie, Mira, Matt, Damien, Aidan, Jenny, Marieke, Aidan, Chandra, TJ Junior, Diego, and Murchadh are mine. Aura is Starhawk's. The rest is the property of Saban or Disney.

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Duh, Ashley doesn't mind! I just liked ending the chapter like that. If you want the brother, you'd better name him for me. The girl is not a brat! She's sweet. Or, if you really don't want her to be born, Ashley can miscarry instead of going into labor dangerously early. Oh yeah, this story stops being fluffy right around now. :P I kinda need that baby, though.

Juzblue: Yes, they'll all live. The rangers at least... Just kidding:P

the-power-of-love: Thanks, here's more.

Jenny: Thanks. Here's more. But you better babble sometime soon:P

Mz. Daydream: Yeah, Andros and Ashley have the perfect relationship... at least in this story. :P

Chapter 7

"So what do you guys think?" Ryan asked, casting a furtive glance at each of his teammates. "We chose right, didn't we?"

"Of course we did," Tempest said, rolling her eyes. She fingered the morpher attatched to her left wrist. "Even if you didn't, I did."

"I agree," Ciaran said. "This is something that we gotta do, for us, and for Auntie."

"You guys don't think that she could still be alive, do you?" Melanie asked anxiously. "I mean, I know it looked bad when we left, but..."

"I don't see how she could be," Matt said with a heavy sigh. "She was up against three of them. Skylar, Spyridon and Ximena are the Overlords' greatest accomplishment."

"But-" Melanie said weakly, and sighed. There was no use in wishing for what would never be.

"We will remember her," Mira said solemnly. "There's nothing else that we can do for her."

"We can fight for her," Damien suggested quietly.

"Yeah," Tempest agreed, her brown eyes turning fiery. "She wanted us to do this. You know she did. It's why she bought us time to escape, to come here."

"Do you guys think that maybe we should tell-"

"No!" Ciaran cut off Mira before she'd finished her question. "You know what Auntie said."

"Right," Mira said uneasily. "But I like Karone. I like all of them, and they trust us."

"So did Auntie," Ryan reminded her.

"But Ryan," Tempest began. "Andros and Ashley have been so nice to us. I don't like lying."

"We're not lying," Ryan insisted. "Everything we've told them has been the truth."

"We just left out certain parts," Tempest muttered.

"They don't need to know that," Damien broke in. "We're all on the same side."

"But they don't know that," Mira protested. "If they find out, they'll take away the morphers, and then-"

"That's why we're not going to tell them," Melanie said, although she didn't look convinced. "We can keep secrets. We've been doing it our entire lives."

"But it's not right," Tempest protested.

"Lots of things aren't right," Ryan snapped. "You're the baby here, Tem, and I've seen a lot more than you. I even remember what things were like, before. There are worse things than telling a few little lies."

"I've gotta disagree with you there, Ry," Matt said, his shaggy hair falling in front of his eyes.

"Don't call me Ry!" the red ranger snapped as Tempest stifled a snort of laughter.

"Hey, everybody!"

The seven whirled around, wondering how much of their conversation the newcomer had heard. From the friendly smile on the blue-clad man's face, that would be none of it, and they all relaxed slightly. He was followed in by Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, and a man and two women who were unfamilar, as well as several children.

"I'm TJ," he introduced himself, offering Ciaran a dark hand to shake. "So you're the guy who stole my spot."

"I...uh..."

"Kidding," TJ broke in. "You gotta learn to lighten up a little, or else you'll never survive... This is my wife, Cassie."

"Hi," Melanie said shyly to the woman in pink. "My name's Melanie."

"I'm Cassie," the former pink ranger replied.

"I'm Carlos," said the man with dark tan skin and black eyes.

"And I'm Aura," said the woman in red. The four just introduced looked nothing alike, but Aura was the only one who looked not quite human. She must have caught their looks, and added, "I'm an Aquitan."

"I've always wanted to go there," Damien exclaimed. "I love the water."

"So now that you've met the rangers," Zhane broke in, "now you've got to meet all the children of the rangers. You know Zora, Kaden, Jenny, Marieke, and Aidan, but these four have got some for you to meet. If you don't work hard enough, you baby sit. And you don't want to do that."

"I'll have you know that my children are better than yours," Cassie informed him with a serious grin. "Chandra, come say hi."

"Hi," the little girl whispered.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "TJ, how about you?"

"I already said hi," TJ protested, laughing as Cassie glared at him.

"I meant the baby!"

"Hi!" TJ Junior shouted, waving one of his arms wildly at the new rangers.

"This is Murchadh," Aura said, leading the eldest of the two boys hiding behind her and Carlos forward. "And this is Diego."

"Hello," Murchadh said obediently. Diego waved.

"All right," Andros said, his voice unusually serious. "You'll have time to talk with each other, but in two hours, I'd like to get started."

"Of course," Ryan agreed. "We'll be ready."

"Okay, let's get to know each other fast," TJ said. "We've got lots of work to do."

A/N: Sorry it's so short, but I probably won't be updating for a few days, so it's all you're going to get for awhile. I'm still taking suggestions for a title, if you've got any. Even if you don't, please review. :P