Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.

A/N: I've gone back and tweaked the end of the last chapter a little bit. Ashley's leaving was, as Chylea3784 pointed out to me, a little bit abrupt. Hopefully it flows better now. Enjoy:)

Chapter 26

Waffles weren't half bad. Zhane added a liberal amount of whipped cream and another spoonful of whatever it was Ashley was chopping up, taking great relish in his next bite.

Ashley giggled at him, passing over a napkin. "You have whipped cream on your nose."

He ignored her. "Can I have some more of those?"

"It's sliced banana," she said, and passed him the bowl. "Here."

She added a dollop of whipped cream to her own waffles and seemed satisfied. Zhane, however, continued experimenting for awhile longer, until the waffle itself was buried beneath its toppings.

"It's good," he said, swallowing. "I like it."

"I'm glad." Ashley forgot him completely the moment Andros wandered in, hopping up to wrap him in a hug. "Morning."

Zhane polished off his waffle while he ignored them. Still hungry, he looked towards Ashley's untouched waffle and debated whether or not to get up for another one or just take hers. When it appeared that she wouldn't be leaving Andros alone long enough to eat, he slid her plate closer to him.

"Hey!"

He was half finished by the time she noticed, and he looked up at her guiltily. "I was hungry?"

Ashley rolled her eyes at him. "Deca, just give me a banana. I don't have time to eat a waffle anymore."

Zhane looked back at Andros, surprised to see him glaring at Deca. "What now?"

"Nothing," his friend muttered. "Really, it's nothing."

"In order to meet optimum hygienic standards, bedsheets must be changed at least twice per week and bathrooms should be cleaned every other day," Deca lectured him. "You had not done either in a week."

"Shut up, Deca."

"I've never cleaned my bathroom," Zhane mused out loud. "It does it on it's own. Can't remember the last time I changed my sheets, either."

Andros shot murderous glares at them both. "I don't care."

"Look at it this way." Ashley paused beside her boyfriend while she peeled the banana, sliding an arm around his shoulders while she took a bite. "She doesn't care if Zhane gets sick."

"I'd like it better if she didn't care," he muttered, and she giggled at him.

"Silly." Ashley gave his shoulder a pat while she grabbed her backpack. "I'm late... Here, want this?"

"You're in a good mood today," Zhane remarked cheerfully, as he watched Andros glare sullenly at the banana in his hand. "Eat it, it's good."

"I'm not hungry."

"Ah, you just came here to make out with Ash before she left." Zhane nodded approvingly. "You're learning."

Andros frowned at him. "Make out?"

"It's what they call it here." He shrugged. "You know, the kind of kissing where you're not really kissing."

"That's not what we were doing."

"Your loss, it's fun," he said brightly, earning himself another glare. "Well, it is!"

"You would know."

Zhane smirked in reply. "You should try it sometime."

Deca spoke up before Andros could retort. "It is irresponsible to--"

"Deca," Andros snapped at her. "Be quiet. That's an order."

Zhane raised an eyebrow. Andros didn't speak, and Zhane snickered. "Well, what have you been up to?"

"Quiet."

"Is that an order?" Amused, Zhane just stared at him.

Andros contemplated that for a moment. "Yes."

"I'm ignoring it."

"I can't believe I'm wasting my time with this," the Red Ranger muttered. "I have work to do."

"You always say that. Sooner or later, you'll need a better excuse."

Andros glowered at him. "Don't you have something else to do?"

"Not really, no."

To prove his point, he followed Andros to the Bridge and slung himself into his chair, feet propped up on the consoles. "I've been thinking," he announced abruptly. "About Karone."

And he'd thought Andros had been tense before. "What about her?"

"Andros." Zhane sighed. "She's your sister, but I love her too and I want to know. Do we try to get her back, or do we wait?"

"I..." Helplessly, Andros shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want to sneak onto the Dark Fortress again. We were lucky to get away the first time. But I can't just give up on her."

"I didn't say anything about giving up," Zhane said sharply. "You've spent how many years looking for her? You wouldn't give up on her, ever."

"She's the only family I've got left," Andros murmured. "I want her back, and I don't know how to help her."

"You'll think of something."

"But I haven't yet." Andros glanced down at his hands. "I had a brother, did I tell you that?"

Wait, what? Zhane blinked. "I think you forgot that little detail."

"His name was Taren," Andros said quietly. "He was two years old and then my parents house was blown up."

"Oh."

"I didn't even know about him until a few months ago." Andros poked at the console, speaking flatly. "I--I don't know why it bothers me so much."

"Wow," Zhane murmured. He laid a hand on Andros's shoulder, keeping it there when Andros didn't pull away. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Andros sighed. "Me too."

"Hey," Zhane said. "Are you okay?"

Andros nodded. "I don't think about it very often."

Andros was better at giving hints than taking them, Zhane decided in vague amusement. Not that he'd been subtle at all...

"So," he said, "how'd Ashley talk you into going to a dance?"

Andros frowned at him. "She didn't say it was a dance."

"Well, that answers my question." He smirked at his friend, earning himself an eyeroll. "People dance at parties, you knew that."

"I don't know how to dance," Andros muttered. "And I don't care to learn, either."

"Ashley'd like it," he remarked, just to see how Andros would react.

"I..." Trapped, Andros looked away. "I know..."

"It's not that bad," Zhane said. "Just think about it for a bit."

"I..." Andros groaned. "She told me when we woke up yesterday that she had this dream..."

His voice trailed off, and Zhane raised an eyebrow. "You woke up with her yesterday?"

Andros was silent, and Zhane snorted with laughter. "You'd love what I'm thinking right now."

"Somehow, I doubt it," Andros muttered dryly. "I'm not sleeping with her."

"You're awfully defensive about it," Zhane mused. Andros narrowed his eyes, and Zhane shrugged. "Well, you are."

Andros continued glaring at him, and he sighed. "I suppose you'd be upset with me if I told everyone you're having wild sex with Ashley? I thought so," he said quickly, when Andros didn't look amused. "What's wrong with you today?"

"Zhane..." Andros looked down at his feet when his voice died, his shoulders slumping. "I need to talk to you."

That didn't sound promising, but Zhane only nodded. "What's wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep last night," Andros muttered. "I kept dreaming about--I don't remember what I was dreaming about. It doesn't matter. It kept changing to us back on KO-35, a few days before..."

Zhane nodded, and Andros continued. "We were at the Rangerdome trying to come up with a battle plan, and then there was someone who wanted to talk to me."

While Andros paused for breath, Zhane debated whether or not to keep quiet. Andros looked down hesitantly, and that was the deciding factor. Zhane shifted in his seat with a sigh.

"It was Reya who wanted to see you." He picked up where Andros had left off. "She said it was time we put our differences aside. You said no, she left, and then two days later Dark Spectre invaded."

Andros's head snapped up, his mouth slack in ill-disguised shock. "You knew?"

"I was listening at the door the whole time," he admitted. "You walked right past me on your way out. I didn't think until later that you hadn't seen me."

"But..." Andros stared at him weakly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"At the time, I agreed with you." Zhane couldn't quite look his friend in the eye. "I thought we could win on our own. We'd never needed anyone before."

"I should have known better," Andros muttered.

"Maybe," Zhane said carefully. "But you're not any more responsible for what happened down there than I am--I was older than you, I'd been a Ranger longer. It's not your fault, and we'll get KO-35 back."

"It doesn't change anything," Andros told him. "So many of the deaths there were unnecessary."

"Dark Spectre killed them, not you," Zhane said sharply. "You just couldn't save them."

"There isn't much of a difference." Andros shook his head with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Zhane."

"Don't be." He couldn't quite figure out what the apology was for, but what else was he supposed to say? "This was years ago, Andros. Let it go--just know that as much as I love you, if you do it again..."

He left the threat incomplete, but it produced the desired effect. Andros smiled faintly. "Thank you."

Zhane nodded slowly. "Now," he said, changing the subject before he gave away a few secrets of his own, "you still have a few hours. I'm sure Deca will give you dancing lessons if you ask nicely. Of course, first you have to apologize for so rudely shutting her up earlier, but all you'll have to do to gain her forgiveness is eat rotten spinach for a few days and take ice-cold showers."

"I'll let Ashley explain it to me," Andros decided, glancing up at Deca's nearest eye with a grimace that brought a grin to Zhane's face.


Ashley smoothed down her shirt and frowned at herself in the mirror. Maybe she shouldn't have turned her down when Cassie had offered to help her get ready after all... She sighed and tugged on her shirt another time. Andros would like it, she hoped, and quickly checked her hair and makeup one more time.

Her jacket over one arm, Ashley left her room and paused at the next door over. "Andros?"

The door slid open a few moments later and he stepped out, wrinkling his nose as he gave the neck of his shirt a tug. Ashley smiled at him and he stopped, his eyes widening as his gaze landed on her shirt.

"You look..." Andros hesitated, his eyes drifting up to her face. "You look nice."

"Thanks," she murmured, sliding her fingers into his. "So do you."

"Ash?"

She glanced back at him when he pulled on her hand, curious when she saw him blush. "Yeah?"

"You--you look pretty in red," he said softly.

Delighted, she laughed and squeezed his hand, smiling at him as Deca teleported the two of them to the alley directly behind the Surf Spot. As her vision solidified, she caught Andros smiling back at her.

A few steps closer to the building, though, he looked more apprehensive than anything else. "Ash," he said, pausing on the sidewalk, "I wish you'd have told me that this was a dance."

He didn't sound upset, but Ashley felt instantly guilty. "Zhane told you, then?"

"Yeah." He reached for her other hand and held it in his, searching her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I..." She looked down and sighed. "I didn't mean not to tell you," she said finally, but that wasn't exactly true. "I mean... I'm not going to make you dance if you don't feel comfortable with it."

"I..." Andros shook his head, a half-smile on his face. "But you want to dance with me."

She looked at him hopefully. "If you wouldn't mind."

"I--I'll think about it," he said, and she knew that was all she would get.

"Love you." She pulled him closer to kiss him, and glanced towards the building. "Ready to go in?"

He nodded, his hand still in hers as they rounded the corner and walked up the steps. Out of the corner of her eye, Ashley saw him pull awkwardly at the neck of his shirt, and smiled to herself.

"You might be more comfortable if you undid the first few buttons," she suggested as they walked through the door. "I know I can hardly breathe in button-down shirts."

He let out a deep breath as he unbuttoned the top two or three buttons, and Ashley smiled to herself. "You look much better," she said, and wrapped an arm loosely around his waist. "You want something to eat?"

"Not right now," he said, his eyes wandering around the room. Nervously, he glanced back at her. "When you said dancing, you didn't mean like that... right?"

She followed his gaze towards the dance area and shook her head. "Not really, no. Unless you wanted to," she added dubiously. "I was thinking something more like this..."

Taking a step closer, she draped both arms around his neck and touched her lips to his. "Better?"

"Better." He nodded, a smile on his face as she unwound her arms.

She thought he was about to say more, but someone called her name then and he looked down. Ashley glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her brother's friend.

"Hey, Ash," Laurel greeted her brightly. "How are you? I never see you anymore, you're never at home!"

"Oh, you know..." Ashley shrugged. "I've been away a lot... looking at schools," she said in a sudden flash of inspiration.

"But you've already been accepted at AGU and UCLA, haven't you?" Laurel looked at her, puzzled. "Jeff said you were only trying to decide whether you wanted to stay in Angel Grove or move away."

"Oh, yeah, I meant..." Ashley wracked her brain, making a mental note that her brother would pay for that. "Well, I was thinking that I might want to..."

"She might want to be closer to me," Andros spoke up. "I'll be north of here."

Ashley nodded, relieved that he knew enough to say north instead of south. Laurel looked interested, but her boyfriend wandered by in search of her then, and she went off with Elijah.

"Thanks," she murmured, letting out a deep breath. "Just for that, I won't make you dance."

Andros smiled, but he shook his head when a slower song started. "You'll have to show me."

"It's easy," she promised him, as they made their way towards the dance floor. "Here, just relax... put your arms around me."

He wrapped both his arms loosely around her waist and she stepped closer into his embrace to rest her head on his shoulder. "Just like that," she said, hugging his shoulders. "Now we just sort of move back and forth... see, it's not so bad."

"I guess not," he murmured, holding her a little closer.

She decided not to tell him that this wasn't really dancing. Ashley sighed softly and closed her eyes, swaying back and forth with him in time to the music. Andros lifted a hand to touch her hair and she smiled, looking up in annoyance when another hand tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hi, Brody," she said politely, her smile forced as she looked at her classmate. "It's good to see you."

"How about a dance?" he suggested, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Ash, come on."

"Thanks, but I'm really on a date right now," she said, taking a step closer to Andros. "I'll see you after New Year's."

"A date?" he repeated, screwing up his face in thought as he looked Andros up and down. "With this guy? Really?"

"Yes, with this guy," she said impatiently. "His name is Andros."

"Funny name," Brody remarked. "How about getting together sometime tomorrow?"

"Um... no." She glanced back at Andros to see him glaring at the floor, and squeezed his hand. "I have plans."

Brody frowned at her, then sighed loudly and turned away. Ashley shook her head and turned back to Andros, hugging him hard.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I can't believe I dated him once."

Andros frowned, but a startled yelp from behind them stole her attention. Ashley turned to see Brody sprawled on the floor, staring at his feet in surprise. His shoes had been tied together by the laces.

Andros was perfectly innocent when she looked at him suspiciously, and she had to smile as she shook her head. "That wasn't very nice," she said mildly, no real reproof in her voice. "He could have been hurt or something, and someone could have seen you."

"Sorry," he offered, not sounding it at all. "I won't do it to anyone else."

"Good." She glanced over her shoulder to see Brody and a few of his friends coming towards them, and sighed. "C'mon, let's get out of here before you cause any more trouble."

"Sorry," he said again, this time looking slightly ashamed of himself. "I didn't mean to ruin your night..."

"You didn't," she promised him as they slipped out the door. "You don't seem like the type to do that, though... It's almost cute."

He shrugged his shoulders once, then raised his communicator to his mouth. Ashley found herself back on the Megaship a moment later, and reached to grab his hand before he could walk away.

"Hey," she said softly. "Thanks for dancing with me."

Andros smiled at her, then frowned and looked down. "You... you said you dated him?" he said hesitantly.

Ashley sighed. "Four years ago."

"Oh." Andros shrugged. "I was just wondering."

"We weren't ever serious, if that's what you meant," she said. "We went out for a week."

He nodded slowly, uncertainty on his face as he watched her. "Can I... ask you something?"

"Anything." She smiled at him. "What is it?"

Andros looked around the empty corridor and shook his head. "Not here."

"Your room is closest," she said, and he nodded. Once she was settled comfortably on his bed, she turned to him curiously. "What is it?"

"You said you weren't serious about him," Andros said quietly, not quite looking at her. "I was just wondering... how serious have you ever been about anyone?" He paused. "I'm allowed to ask you that, right?

"Oh," he added. "Deca? Go away."

Ashley laughed softly as she glanced over her shoulder in time to see the red light blink out. "You're allowed to ask me that," she assured him, and sighed. "I like being in love, Andros."

He didn't look surprised, and sat back, silently waiting for her to continue. Ashley tucked loose hair behind her ear, shrugging slightly. "I've been in love before and if we broke up, I'd fall in love again. That came out wrong," she muttered, feeling herself blush. "I didn't mean..."

"I know." Andros smiled a little. "It's okay."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, and decided that maybe the less she said, the better. "If what you really want to know is whether I've had sex with any of them--no, I haven't. I sort of thought that you knew that."

"I did," he told her. "But... I wouldn't be surprised if you had, either."

"Really?" She frowned at him. "Why not?"

"Because," he answered instantly, "you aren't afraid to show people how you love them." He studied her face for a few moments. "You look angry," he muttered. "If I just insulted you, that's not what I meant to do."

"That's... really sweet." Ashley stared at him for a moment before she broke into a smile. "I'm not angry. A lot of people are surprised, actually," she admitted. "But most of them can't say it as nicely as you just did."

Andros frowned at her. "What do they say to you?"

"Nothing too horrible," she said hastily, and reached to touch his hand. "Relax, you don't need to go tie their shoes together."

He blushed and she giggled, scooting forward to hug him. "You're cute."

Andros smiled at her, and she placed a kiss on his lips. "Does that answer your question?" she wanted to know.

He nodded. "Thanks."

"Welcome. And what about you?" She added the last impulsively, and with a smile--he'd told her himself that he'd never kissed anyone but her. She just wanted to hear him say it again, but when he frowned and looked away, Ashley knew that something was wrong.

"Give me a minute," he muttered, and she nodded.

"Take all the time you need," she said quietly, troubled.

Deep in thought, he studied his hands intently, his face stricken. Ashley felt her stomach twist as her mind started jumping to conclusions that she could only hope were far from the truth.

"You don't--Andros, you don't have to tell me anything," she added hesitantly. "Not if you don't want to."

"No," he disagreed, his voice no louder than hers had been. "You were honest with me. It's only fair that I'm honest with you."

Ashley nodded her head, guiltily wondering why she couldn't have just kept her mouth shut.

"I--I told you I was one of the lucky ones," he said finally. "I really was, Ash."

The sick feeling lessened a little. "What does that mean, exactly?" Ashley asked carefully.

"Nobody... nobody raped me," he said with some difficulty, and Ashley allowed herself to breathe again. "But--" Andros looked away and closed his eyes, his hands clenched in his lap as he confessed, "Almost."

Ashley swallowed, struggling against the urge to fling her arms around him and hold him tight. "Almost?" she ventured timidly, as so many questions that she wasn't going to ask him popped into her mind.

He nodded once. "Yes," he said stiffly. "Please don't ask."

"I--I won't." Horrified, Ashley just stared at him. "Andros..."

"I thought you should know," he said, eyes still on his lap. "I've never told anyone before."

"I..." Ashley touched his shoulder gently, somehow managing to smile at him when he looked at her. "Thank you for telling me," she said softly. "I... can I hug you?"

He nodded silently, and she slid closer to wrap her arms around him. Andros sighed into her hair as he returned the hug.

"You took that better than I thought you would," he said a few moments later. "It--it doesn't bother you?"

"Of course it does," she said, frowning as she held him closer. "I hate it so much that people hurt you. But I love you, and I wouldn't love you any less because of anything that anyone did to you."

A tiny smile formed on his lips, and he very gently kissed her forehead. "Thank you," he murmured. "And I love you too."

If she'd ever doubted he meant the words, the trust he'd showed her now erased them from her memory. "Yeah." She hugged him harder, unwilling to release him for anything. "I know."