He hated these things. He really, really did. It was not the starched dress uniform; he could stand that for a few hours. Nor was it the politicians; he had to deal with three quarters of them at least a few times a month. And it was not the civilians; yes, they were a little annoying. And, yes, it was quite embarrassing when they came up to him and stammered out a "thank you," but they treated the Rangers fairly normally when they were just out having fun. He could not begrudge them this chance to show their gratitude.
No, it was the media that made him hate these things. Usually it was Kalic who had to deal with their probing and highly personal questions. He did not even have to talk to them during the usual full team press conferences. He just had to stand off to the side and look like he was in charge.
But this was not about normal Ranger business. It was about Ashley. She would have to answer the questions from the press, not Kalic, and there was no way he was going to stand off to the side and watch her go it alone.
Andros sighed and glanced across the room at his girlfriend. She was the very image of a Karovian Ranger in the same starched uniform he had to put with, except the yellow shirt peaking out from under her jacket. Her hair was pulled back in the same braid Servia and Karone always wore for professional meetings and her nails . . . he smirked as she fidgeted her hands, being very careful of her crimson nail polish. He began walking over and shook his head as he watched her straighten her jacket for the twentieth time in as many minutes.
His hands came to rest on her shoulders automatically and he smiled as she started a little before relaxing into his embrace. He reached down to take hold of her hands as he leaned forward to gently kiss her just bellow her ear before whispering, "Relax."
He caught a quick quirk of her lips out of the corner of his eye and smiled as well when she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"This isn't even a formality," he continued, "it's just a way to let people know who you are and where you come from."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Her reply was so quiet he almost missed it.
"Ashley." He turned her around and waited for her to open her eyes and meet his. "You're not on Earth anymore, Ash. Stop trying to make us act like it."
She laughed lightly and leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. He brought up a hand and began gently running his fingers through her hair. "You'll be fine. They won't be able to help loving you."
"The voice of experience?"
"Yes." He told her seriously, ignoring her own teasing tone. "I was terrified at first."
"You, the mighty Red Astro Ranger?"
"Ashley."
"Sorry," she looked up long enough to give him an apologetic smile before snuggling back into his embrace. He smiled down at her hair for a moment before continuing to speak.
"When I first met you I had no idea what I was getting into, but I did know that I could not let you walk out of my life. The day we came back from Eltar and you agreed to go out with me is the second best day of my life."
"Second?" she interrupted without moving her head. He smiled down at her again.
"The best would be the day you agreed to come up to the Megaship."
She jerked back in order to meet his smiling eyes with her own furrowed brows.
"That was the day I learned everything about you, Ash, and the day you became my second." He reached up and covered her mouth with a finger before she could open it. "The Yellow Astro Ranger is second in command and the others like and respect you enough to listen to you in my stead. Heck, you had Orian following orders before you even accessed the Power and we all recognize how much we can learn from you."
He moved to caress her cheek while continuing to meet her worried gaze. "I know that you aren't ready to lead, we all do, but that's the great thing about being SECOND in command," he leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips, "you don't have to."
He looked up and saw the rest of the team waiting for them across the room. He nodded at them and began leading Ashley over to them as they straightened. Kalic and Servia both smiled encouragingly while Orian nodded to her and Karone gave her a brief hug. Zhane waited a moment before grinning and giving her a bear hug. Andros rolled his eyes along with everyone else, but Ashley started giggling, so Zhane's antics served their purpose.
Ashley met the eyes of the others before turning to him once again. She straightened her shoulders and raised her head as she came to stand beside him in the position of his second in command. He caught the quick grins of his teammates before they put on their professional masks. He was still trying to fight the smile on his own face as he led his fellow Rangers onto the stage.
