Disclaimer: The Power Rangers aren't mine.

Chapter 20

"Can I talk to you?"

Andros paused in his work and turned his chair around, a smile forming on his face when Ashley stepped onto the Bridge. "Sure."

"I... okay," Ashley sighed, and slid into her seat. "Look, Andros..."

Her voice trailed off, and he frowned when he got a clear look at her face. "Is something wrong?" he ventured tentatively, reaching out to touch her hand. "Ashley?"

"No, nothing's wrong, exactly..." Ashley looked down at their clasped hands, uncertainly flickering across her face. "I had this dream last night, and that's not really important, but I... it made me think about some things."

"Oh..." Andros wasn't sure what else to say. His stomach clenched anxiously at her words, though he wasn't quite sure why. "What kind of things?"

She hesitated. "Us, mostly." Her eyes still on their entwined fingers, Ashley bit her lip. "Andros, I have to ask. Do you see us having a future together, or are we just... having fun right now?"

"I..." He stared at his lap for a moment, then swallowed and pulled his hand out of hers. "Can I think for a minute?"

"Sure." There was a tenseness to her voice that made him think that had been the wrong thing to say, but he didn't know what else to do.

"I told you," he began slowly, still desperately trying to sort out his thoughts, "that you made me happy. I meant it, Ash."

She smiled at that, and he allowed himself to relax as he searched for the right words. "I can't say what it is about you that I like so much," he added, staring down at his lap. "All I know is that I like being with you, and I... I can't see that changing anytime soon."

Andros looked up at her slowly, unable to read her emotions from her expression. "I don't know how else to answer," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she answered, surprising him as she leaned over and took his hand again. "That was the right answer."

"Was it?" He studied her expression for a moment longer, and shook his head. "You wanted me to say something else."

"I wanted you to be honest with me," she told him, and sighed. Her fingers squeezed his gently, and she offered him a small smile. "I can't ask for more than that."

He didn't smile back. "Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said firmly. "Nothing to do with you."

"Ashley," he said quietly. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that..." She fidgeted with her hands, letting out another sigh. "You seem a little distant sometimes."

"Oh." Stung, he stared at the floor, his head bowed low.

"That came out wrong," Ashley muttered. She touched his knee, prodding him until he looked at her. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way."

"What did you mean, then?" he asked, eyes still trained downward.

"I didn't mean for it to sound like it was a--a reflection on you," she said quietly. "I feel like I'm wanting more than you are, and I really hate that."

"W--what do you mean?" he asked nervously, pulling away from her. "Sex?"

"No!" Ashley said quickly, and strongly enough that he believed her.

"Then what?" he wanted to know, feeling some of the tension leave him. "Just tell me."

"I--" A sheepish look crossed her face as she admitted, "I want--I want you to hug me."

Startled, he looked up at her in surprise. "That's all?"

Blushing, she nodded her head slowly. Andros stood and took her hands, pulling her to her feet and into his arms. She squeezed him tight and he just held onto her, stroking her hair gently with one hand.

"Is this better?" he murmured into her ear, and felt her sigh.

"I didn't want to have to ask you," she whispered, and he tightened his arms around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't know you wanted me to."

"Stop saying that." Her breath was hot on his neck as she spoke, and he was startled at how nice that felt. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I really didn't know you wanted me to," he told her, loosening his hold so he could see her face. "Honestly, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do."

Ashley looked away, but not before he'd glimpsed the frustration on her face. "Andros... you're not supposed to do anything. Don't, unless you want to or you're comfortable with doing it."

"But how much are you comfortable with me doing?" He blurted out the question before he thought better of it, and Ashley's head turned back towards his.

"What?"

"I won't do anything that I don't have your permission for," he explained quietly. "I don't know how much is too much."

"Andros..." Ashley chewed on her lower lip for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged him again. "Is that why you never kiss me?"

He felt himself blush as he nodded. "I didn't want to ask every time."

"What made you think that you had to?"

"I don't know," he muttered, and felt Ashley hold him a little closer.

"You're so sweet," she murmured. "And you don't have to ask."

"But--" he started.

Ashley cut him off with a shake of her head. "Andros, if I said no, would you stop?"

"Of course I would." He blinked at her, amazed and a little hurt that she would even ask.

"Then you have nothing to worry about." She kissed his cheek and tucked her head against his neck. "Really. I don't think you doing something I don't like is a problem that we have, all right?"

"Does that mean I can kiss you right now?"

Ashley sighed, but she was smiling. "What did I just tell you?"

He decided that meant it was all right, and leaned in to press his lips to hers. Ashley stepped closer, holding him a little tighter. He closed his eyes as she crushed her mouth to his, her body warm against his. Andros groaned as still-unfamiliar feelings ran through him, tingling all over when she pulled back.

Ashley kept her arms draped around his shoulders, and he tilted his forehead against hers, smiling at her. "So it's okay to kiss you."

She nodded her head. "Andros, you're just worrying over nothing."

He smiled at her tentatively. "Just promise me you'll never let me do something that you don't want."

"I promise," she murmured, and rubbed his shoulders gently. "Can I ask you something?"

Andros nodded. "Anything."

"Why are you so worried about this?" she wanted to know, and he bit his lip.

"No reason," he mumbled, lowering his eyes. "I--I've just never done this before. I don't want to ruin it."

Her face softened as he wrapped her in his arms again, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight. That was only half the truth, and he suspected that she knew his answer hadn't been entirely honest. He loathed himself for it--he just didn't know how he was supposed to tell her.

"Andros?"

Her voice broke into his thoughts, and he tried to relax. "Yeah?"

"I..." Ashley took a deep breath, but whatever she'd wanted to tell him was lost when the Megalift opened up.

Andros looked over his shoulder automatically to see who it was, doing a double take at the young woman who stepped onto the Bridge. Her hair was blond now, and the headband was gone. Chills rippled across his arms as he stared into a face eerily similar to his own, his breath stuck in his throat.

"K--karone?" he stammered, tears prickling his eyes.

She nodded her head slowly, never once taking her eyes off of him. "I remember you," she whispered. "You're my brother."

Ashley touched his shoulder gently. "I'll leave you two alone," she said, smiling at him warmly as he left the Bridge.

Karone took a hesitant step forward, one hand extending towards him. Andros reached out and caught her hand, his fingers squeezing hers hard. He pulled her towards him and wrapped both arms around her. For the first time he could remember, he hugged his sister and she hugged him back, and he suddenly found hope that everything was finally as it should be.


"This is... wow." Cassie looked around the Simudeck, awed by the mansion even in artificial form. "This was yours?"

"It would be a slight exaggeration to say that," he admitted, studying a nearby tree with a frown. "This was home to all of the Eltaran Rangers."

"But... there were only six of you. It's still pretty impressive."

It truly was; Cassie didn't think she could see to the corners of the white stone structure. Mansion might have been an understatement, she decided with a grin--this felt more like a palace. There were certainly enough domes and towers for it to be one.

"Five," Arietis corrected her absently. "Five Rangers. I was not one of them at the time."

"Oh." Surprised, she stared at him for a moment. "So you didn't live here?"

"I visited quite often," he told her. "But no, I didn't."

"Oh." He was frowning again, and she laid a hand on his arm with a smile. "So you won't be offended if I say that this is a little, oh I don't know..."

"Pretentious?" he offered, and she nodded with a laugh. "It was well-suited to Tan's tastes."

Cassie didn't bother to keep from smiling. From what little she had seen of the Eltaran, she had no trouble picturing him living a life of luxury here. "How'd he get to be a Ranger, anyway?"

"I should not have said that," Arietis muttered. "He was well deserving of the Power, however... pompous he was at times. Eltare held under siege for nearly a year, with only two of its Rangers alive past the second month. By comparison, KO-35 lasted only three weeks. I don't mean to suggest that Andros and Zhane are unworthy of their positions; they were barely more than children at the time."

"Oh." Cassie wasn't sure what to say for a moment. "It takes more than skill to be a good Ranger," she murmured finally.

"Yes," he agreed. "It does."

Silence hung over them for several minutes after that. Cassie smiled to herself as a soft breeze lifted her hair from her shoulders, trying to picture the world that he had come from. What would it be like, she wondered, if Earth had been more like Eltare or KO-35? If they didn't have to keep their identities a secret?

"You are needed on the Bridge." Deca's voice disrupted the calm, and Cassie's head lifted in alarm.

"What is it?" Arietis inquired.

"Dark Specter has sent an asteroid towards Earth," Deca informed them. "It is on a collision course."


"What do we do?" Zhane stared out at the viewing screen with a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. That thing was big. "Dark Spectre sent this thing?"

"He said he'd call it off if Karone was returned to him," Andros said, and held his sister closer protectively. "Out of the question. We need another way."

"Obviously--wait, Karone?" Zhane paused. "What happened to Astronema?"

The smile on his friend's face told him everything he needed to know. Zhane ran a hand through his hair as he tried not to smile himself, wondering if maybe he should just tell Andros already. Or he could let Karone do it. Yeah. He'd do that.

"Deca said you wanted to see us?" Cassie and Arietis stepped out of the Megalift, hand in hand.

Zhane looked at them oddly, but the rapidly approaching asteroid seemed more important. "Yeah. Dark Spectre sent that--" He gestured towards the screen. "That thing, and he's not calling it off unless he gets Karone."

"Which he isn't," Andros repeated pointedly. "We're finding another way."

"Megalasers," Cassie suggested.

"Didn't work." Zhane shook his head grimly, his eyes straying to Arietis. "Would your ship work any better?"

"Doubtful." The Phantom Ranger shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "The Astro Megaship has the most powerful offenses of any ship that I've encountered. We would have a better chance of destroying the asteroid on its surface."

"Yes." Andros nodded his head once, and reached for his morpher. "Deca, get everyone onboard. You stay here," he added to Karone. "We'll be back."

She was waiting for them unhappily on the Bridge when they returned half an hour later, unsuccessful. The explosives had hardly scratched the surface, and while Andros fumed quietly, Zhane caught Karone's eye. She smiled at him faintly, then looked away again. He wondered for a moment if he should be worried by that, but was quickly distracted when Andros slammed his fists against the weapons console.

"We might need those," he kidded uneasily. "If you're going to break something, make it flight control."

Andros wasn't amused. "We need another way."

"We'll think of something," Ashley assured him. She touched his shoulder gently, and he seemed to relax some.

"There's not a whole lot of time." TJ cast a worried look at the viewing screen. "Couldn't we..." He trailed off in thought.

"Blast it again?" Carlos suggested. "Maybe if we did it enough..."

"Yeah."

"I don't think that'll work." Cassie sounded skeptical, and Zhane watched TJ glare at Arietis. "It'll take too long."

"It's better than standing around doing nothing," TJ retorted, but was cut off before he could go any further.

"I know a way," Karone spoke up, quiet but determined. "I can get onto the Dark Fortress and reprogram it."

"You'll what?" Andros gaped at her in disbelief. "You're not going anywhere!"

Karone's expression darkened visibly, and Zhane almost smiled to see more than just a hint of Astronema. "You can't stop me."

"I didn't mean--I only just found you," Andros burst out. Quietly, he added, "I don't want to lose you again."

"I know." Karone's voice was gentler now, but she was adamant. "But I'm going."

"You can't go. There's other ways," Andros insisted. "You don't need to do this."

"I do." Karone held his gaze for a moment longer before she turned on her heel and strode off of the Bridge.

Andros looked to him helplessly, and Zhane sighed. That pleading look was something he rarely saw on Andros's face, and he couldn't ignore it now. "Go after her," he urged. "See if you can change her mind."

"Are you okay?" Ashley laid her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "I know you two are..."

"I'm fine." He smiled to show appreciation for her concern, but shook his head. "Worry about Andros--she's not going to change her mind."

"I didn't think so, either." Her gaze lowered as she scuffed a toe along the ground, shaking her head with a sigh. "She only just remembered."

"It shouldn't be like this," Zhane agreed heavily, and turned towards the screen again. "We should get back to work."

They'd gotten no closer to finding a solution when Andros returned to the Bridge, alone. He didn't speak for a moment, just watching the asteroid with stony eyes.

"Deca's given her a transmitter," he said finally, his voice far too calm to not be frightening. "She'll keep us informed."

It wasn't until hours later that Zhane realized Andros had known all along that his sister wasn't coming back. His face was cold and collected as they waited quietly, Karone's voice coming back to them every now and then but when the signal was lost, he only closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I shouldn't have let her go back there." His voice was choked with unshed tears.

Zhane stared down at his hands numbly, not knowing what to say. There really wasn't anything he could say, and Andros wouldn't hurt any less to hear it.

"The Megazords." TJ gripped Andros's arm, whether to get his attention or to show him support Zhane didn't know. "It's our last chance."

Andros nodded, straightening his shoulders. "Let's go," he said tersely. "We don't have much time left."

The Red Ranger remained in control as the piled into the Megazords, and they were able to push the asteroid out of Earth's way with enough ease that Zhane wondered why they hadn't thought of it sooner. He really wished that they had, he decided, as they stepped back onto the Bridge. Andros's morph vanished as he hung his head forward dejectedly, his face stricken.

"You'll get her back." Cassie was the one that broke the silence, and even her soft voice was too harsh in the quiet.

Andros did nothing to suggest that he'd heard her. Zhane was willing to bet that he hadn't, and let out a quiet sigh when Ashley wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. He wished now more than anything that he'd come clean to Andros weeks ago--if his time with Karone was destined to have been short, he should have made something of it.


A/N: What has Disney done with my childhood heroes! ::cries::

Anyway, I'm so sorry that it took this long! You know those chapters that you just hate to write? I'm at that place with all of my stories, but LCWM will be completed and STL updated by this weekend. Chapter 21 will be up much sooner than this one was; it's so much easier to write. Any and all feedback is appreciated.