Preoccupied by his conversation with Zhane, he barely noticed that the kitchen was more crowded than it had been when he left. "Hi Saryn," Andros offered absently, his gaze seeking out Ashley automatically. What if Zhane was right, and she *did* want more than what they had now? Would she get tired of waiting for him?

He sighed quietly, studying her inquisitive expression. Just what he needed--a whole new aspect of their relationship to worry about.

"Good morning," someone said, and he blinked. Saryn stood in the doorway between Cassie's room and the kitchen, and Andros tried to remember if the other had been there when he came in. He had said hello to someone...

"Hi Saryn," he repeated, realizing only as he spoke that the words were a repetition of those he had said earlier. "What are you doing here?"

There was silence for a moment, and Andros winced. Cassie was still in her pajamas, and Saryn was barefoot--he had clearly not arrived within the last few minutes.

Before Andros could think of anything to say, Ashley came to his rescue with a wry, "Having breakfast, what else? Thanks for the toast, by the way."

"You're welcome," he answered, giving her a grateful look. He always seemed to be the last person to know things like this, but if he hadn't been so distracted he might have at least figured it out before he said anything.

"Andros..."

Ashley's quiet voice intruded again and he started, irritated with himself for staring so long. He tried not to blush, knowing the revelation about Saryn and Cassie had made him think of his own girlfriend in ways he had been trying to avoid.

Before he could say anything, though, Ashley slid off the counter and asked, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He gave her a nervous look, but he nodded and waited for her to lead the way out of the kitchen. As he turned to follow, he saw Saryn's hand rest briefly on Cassie's back as he reached over her shoulder for something on the counter. He was struck by the easy closeness of the two, and wondered how long Saryn had been spending his nights here.

Suppressing a completely unreasonable flash of jealousy, he tried to remember if Ashley had ever said anything that should have clued him in to what was going on. He could call to mind several remarks about Cassie having "other plans" for the evening, but that hardly seemed conclusive.

Ashley halted in front of her computer terminal and turned to face him, searching his expression for something she didn't seem to be finding. "Andros," she said softly, pitching her voice so it wouldn't carry back to the kitchen. "I wanted to apologize--for last night."

He looked at her in surprise. Whatever he had expected, and he still wasn't sure what it was, that certainly hadn't been it. "What about last night?" he asked, then shook his head. "I mean, you don't have anything to apologize for."

"Yes, I do," she said, with a small smile for his abrupt correction. "I was really tired, but that's no excuse--I feel like I snapped at everything you said."

*You did!* he cried silently, but he just shook his head and smiled back at her. "Of course not. And being tired *is* an excuse. I'm just glad you're feeling better this morning."

"Well... that's not all," she admitted, looking a little sheepish. "I know I was sort of--coming on to you, and I wanted to apologize for that, too. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't," he lied, crossing his fingers behind his back. It was a silly Earth superstition that she had taught him, that it was okay to tell small lies if you crossed your fingers first, and he found it oddly comforting right now. "Really, Ash; it's okay. I knew you weren't yourself."

There was no way he was going to tell her that he had almost returned her demanding kiss with one of his own, that he had come very close to not caring whether she was herself or not. He certainly couldn't add that he wished sometimes for her to be "not herself" more often.

She looked disappointed, and although the expression was fleeting and quickly replaced by one of relief, he studied her more closely. Her "relief" seemed... less natural than the disappointment had been. He liked to think he had gotten pretty good at interpreting her reactions to things, and he couldn't help asking, "Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, silly," she said, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "Thanks for understanding."

He *had* said something wrong. Now he was sure of it. But the affectionate look in her eyes made his heart melt, and when he took a step closer, her upturned face became an invitation he couldn't ignore. He kissed her lightly, trying not to remember the feel of her lips pressed insistently against his the night before.

"Andros," she murmured, making no move to pull away. "I have to ask."

"What?" Confused and a little worried, he drew back enough to fix his gaze on her face.

"Last night--" She took a deep breath. "If I hadn't been so tired, and I had still acted... the way I did..." She caught his eye. "What would you have thought?"

"The way you did?" he repeated uncertainly. "You mean--snapping at me, or kissing me like that?"

She giggled. "Kissing you, like that."

"You mean, if you had done it on purpose?"

She nodded.

He stared at her for a moment, then admitted quietly, "I'd have kissed you back. I've--"

He had said too much, and he stopped, but she wasn't willing to let it lie. "You've what?" she insisted, returning his stare with an intense look of her own.

The computer terminal chimed, and he started. Without taking her eyes off him, she reached behind her and did something to the terminal. The screen flickered once before going completely black, and his eyes widened.

"You've what?" she repeated.

He glanced over her shoulder at the now inactive terminal, then back at her face. "I've wanted to for a while, now," he whispered, regretting the words the moment they were out.

But her face brightened, and her tone was hopeful when she asked, "Really?"

He couldn't keep a smile from sneaking onto his face at her expression. "Really," he answered, and was completely unprepared when she took his hands and pressed her mouth to his.

He had not let himself get lost in the feeling last night, but now he did so without hesitation. He didn't know what she wanted--maybe what he had told Zhane wasn't as true as he had thought--but he did know that he had never felt this way before and he didn't want it to stop.