Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers, nor do I write for the show. But if I did, there would be less fighting and more romance ::grin:: Love makes the world go 'round.

New Ground
by Starhawk

Ashley took a deep breath, leaning against the wall of the Medical bay. Closing her eyes, she slid down the wall to sit on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. *Why didn't he tell us?* she wondered, waiting for her second pain reliever to take effect.

Distracted by Zhane's awakening, she hadn't gotten around to taking care of her headache, and it had only intensified over the course of the last hour. She had endured it as long as she could, for she had loved watching Andros with Zhane. Well--she loved watching Andros, no matter what the circumstances… but around Zhane, he was almost a different person.

She had never seen him so comfortable with another person. He was usually more relaxed in her company alone than when they were with any of the others, but there were still times when he would close up on her. She had known that she couldn't expect him to change overnight, and that it would probably be some time before he would tell her what was on his mind when that inscrutable look came into his eyes without her having to ask.

But with Zhane, there *were* no inscrutable looks. Anyone could see what Andros was feeling when he introduced his friend--sheer happiness. It was a happiness that did not seem to abate even slightly, no matter how long they all stood around talking or what the subject of conversation.

She had finally excused herself, when the pounding in her head became too intense to ignore, and had felt warm inside when Andros turned a concerned look on her and asked if she was all right. But when she left, he was still there, talking to Zhane, and it had suddenly troubled her that he seemed more comfortable around this friend that he hadn't seen for two years than he did around her.

Ashley sighed, knowing she shouldn't be upset--this was how she had always wanted to see Andros, after all. And he and Zhane had obviously known each other longer than any of the current Rangers… she had no right to be jealous.

*But why didn't he *tell* us?* she couldn't help wondering again. She didn't understand why he would keep such a thing a secret. *Doesn't he trust us?*

And what role had Zhane played in Andros's life, anyway? Andros had introduced him as a Ranger, but only a few days ago, he had told the team that he had been the only Kerovan Ranger who kept his powers after KO-35 had been abandoned.

*Who *is* Zhane?* Ashley wondered, pressing her fingers to her temples in an effort to dull the pain in her head. It didn't help, and a wave of loneliness washed over her.

It was easy to be unreasonable, she reminded herself, even paranoid, when you were hurting. As a Ranger, she'd had a lot of experience with the phenomenon, and she tried to tell herself that everything would look better when her headache went away.

But she couldn't help wishing that Andros would walk in and find her there. He'd apologize, and hug her, and everything would be all right…

*Ashley,* she told herself firmly, *get a grip. He and Zhane probably have a lot to talk about, and they don't need you interrupting.* In fact, she supposed that the best thing she could do would be to find a way to get TJ and Carlos away from the Red Ranger so he could spend some time with his friend alone.

"DECA," she said, opening one eye to see the light on DECA's camera come on, "where are Carlos and TJ?"

"Carlos and TJ are on the Bridge," DECA answered, and Ashley opened the other eye.

*That's odd,* she thought, wondering what they were doing. "Where's Andros?"

"Andros and Zhane are on deck five," the computer informed her.

*Guess I don't have to worry after all.* Ashley debated her next move. She didn't really feel like standing up, but on the other hand, she *was* hungry, and she knew whatever DECA had given her would start working soon.

So she pulled herself to her feet and headed out into the hallway. Sure enough, she could feel the sharp edge of the pain dulling as the lift carried her to the Megaship's sixth level. As she walked toward the holding bay, she rubbed her temples one last time, in an attempt to hurry the headache's departure.

Distracted by her own thoughts, it didn't occur to her who would be in the Glider holding bay already. There was no sound to alert her, and she walked through the doors without thinking.

Cassie and Phantom sat side by side at the single table, far too close for just friends. Her right arm was linked with his, and their clasped hands rested on the table between their plates. The only way they were accommodating the situation was by having Cassie eat left-handed, which Ashley happened to know she was not.

As she watched, Cassie leaned a little closer to Phantom and gestured at something on his on his plate. He smiled, shaking his head and murmuring something Ashley couldn't quite hear. It must have been an invitation, for Cassie reached over and took some of whatever it was he had been eating.

Ashley turned away from the unbearably romantic scene, not sure she could face it with the current state of her own confused emotions. The two were so engrossed in each other that they hadn't even noticed her standing in the doorway, but before she could make good her escape, Carlos and TJ emerged from the Bridge.

She sighed. Even as she was wondering if there was any chance she could get out of sight before they saw her, Carlos looked up.

"Hey, Ash!" he called cheerfully, and she forced a smile in return.

"Hi," she answered. "What's up?"

He shrugged, and the two of them headed in her direction. "We figured Andros and Zhane had a lot to talk about, so we went to the Bridge to see what we're looking at for repair work."

"That was nice of you," Ashley murmured.

"Ash, are you all right?" TJ asked, his tone curious and his expression worried as they joined her in the doorway.

"Yeah," she said hurriedly, realizing her smile had slipped. "I just have a killer headache; sorry."

He put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic look as he guided her into the holding bay. "No need to apologize," TJ told her, and Carlos joined them on her other side.

"Did you get something from DECA for it?" he asked, and she nodded, feeling a small but real smile on her face this time. Her feeling of loneliness was just that, after all--a feeling. Her friends would never stop caring about her, and she had been silly to think they would.

"Hi guys," Cassie greeted them, and Ashley noticed that she and Phantom had separated, putting a more reasonable distance between them.

"Hey," TJ answered, and Phantom nodded to them as they entered.

She still found his unmorphed form disconcerting, but she tried not to let it show. She did wish she knew what had prompted the change, though--Phantom had *always* stayed morphed in their presence, even when they were not.

"Ash, sit down," Carlos told her, and she realized that she had been standing, motionless, in the middle of the room. "I'll get you something to eat."

"No, sorry," she said, flustered. "I was just--thinking."

"Well, think sitting down," he suggested with a smile.

She tried to protest, but TJ was returning from the Synthetron at that point. Setting his plate and tumbler down on the table, he took her arm and dragged her onto one of the stools. "Sit," he said sternly, and she gave in.

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked, pausing to look intently at her.

Ashley tried to smile. "I just don't feel so great; that's all."

"Oh," Cassie said sympathetically. "It's been a long day--and you have a concussion…"

Ashley shrugged, not wanting to be the center of a pity party. "I say we take the evening off," Carlos opined, sliding a plate in front of her. He put a glass down next to her left hand, and she smiled at the contents.

*How does he know?* she wondered, picking it up and taking a sip. Then Carlos was gone again, getting his own dinner, and TJ seconded the motion to have some time off.

"We've been running all day," he reminded them, as though any of them needed to be convinced. "Let's just have dinner and take a few hours to relax."

"No argument here," Cassie agreed. "Ash?"

Surprised, Ashley looked up. "Well--I'm up for some repair work this evening," she told them, not really wanting to be the one to make the decision, and TJ groaned.

"Ashley," Carlos told her patiently as he sat down, "the appropriate response is, 'Sure, guys, that sounds great.'"

Ashley felt another real smile on her face. Even if they were only doing this for her, they were doing it in such a nice way that she couldn't refuse. "Sure, guys," she said at last. "That sounds great."

Carlos grinned at her. "That's the spirit."

"Phantom?" TJ asked, and she looked over at the unmorphed Ranger.

It hadn't even occurred to her to include him--frankly, she was amazed that he hadn't left as soon as the others joined him and Cassie at dinner. He had always been infamous for his disappearing act, and she hadn't expected him to stay on the Megaship this long, let alone eat with them.

He nodded slowly, and for once, he didn't glance at Cassie. Ashley noticed with interest that Cassie was avoiding his gaze too, and she wondered what was going on.

There was a pause, while they waited to see if he would say anything. He didn't, and Ashley suddenly realized that Phantom had just been maneuvered into a corner. By adding his input, silent though it was, on whether to work on repairs tonight, he had committed to helping with them.

*Which means that he's staying at least another day…* She wondered if TJ had meant for that to happen, or if it had just been an unexpected side effect of the conversation.

"Good," Carlos said, breaking into the quiet as though it didn't exist. "We're unanimous--as soon as we convince Andros."

The way Cassie looked up, her eyes fixed on a point beyond Ashley's shoulder, made Ashley sure of what she would see before she turned. Andros stood in the doorway, watching them.

There was another uncomfortable pause, but before anyone could say anything, Andros locked gazes with her. "Ashley… Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," she said immediately, putting her fork down and jumping up. Her heart had lightened as soon as she caught sight of him, but the solemn expression on his face made her nervous. *What could he have to tell me that the others can't hear?* she worried, following him out into the hallway.

She gave him a questioning look, and he motioned her farther from the door. "Andros?" she asked quietly, complying.

He took a deep breath, clasping his hands in front of him and then releasing them. She looked down, watching him fidget, then glancing back at his face. "Andros, what's wrong?"

"Ashley--" He stopped, staring at her. She waited, and finally he blurted out, "I love you."

She looked at him in amazement, feeling a smile spread across her face. As quickly as that, her depression was gone and she felt elation filling her in its place. "I love you too," she whispered, gazing into his eyes.

He sighed, and she could see tension draining out of him. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that," he told her, and she reached down and took his hands.

"I do," she assured him quietly, "because I felt the same way when you said it."

He smiled at last, squeezing her hands. "I wanted to say it all day yesterday, and when we woke up together this morning, I almost told you then."

"Why didn't you?" Ashley wanted to know, smiling up at him. She remembered waking up and seeing him watching her--*she* had almost said those words right then, but she hadn't, for fear of him withdrawing from her again.

"I couldn't," he said, shrugging uncomfortably. "I was afraid--you didn't feel the same way. I didn't… I didn't want to ruin what we already had."

Unable to resist any longer, she let go of his hands and threw her arms around him. "Me too," she admitted softly. "I've wanted to tell you I love you for a long time, but I didn't want to lose your friendship."

She felt him tense a little. "Such as it was," he whispered, a strange note in his voice.

She pulled back, wanting to see his face. "What do you mean?"

Andros's eyes were sad. "I liked you so much," he said softly. "And I was so--" She could see him struggling for a word. "I was so horrible to you," he said, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. It was a word she would have used, but not one that she'd ever heard Andros say.

"What?" he asked, in all innocence, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him that he sounded like her.

"You weren't horrible," she protested instead, and he shook his head.

"That's nice of you to say, but I was." He looked at her as though he could see straight into her soul. "You're so different, so--so wonderful… I couldn't help wanting to be around you, but I didn't want to depend on anyone. So I kept pushing you away--but you wouldn't *go* away."

She blushed, looking down. "I can be a little pushy sometimes."

"No," he disagreed without hesitation. "You're everything I ever wanted…" He looked down, looking embarrassed himself. "That sounds really silly."

Charmed, she touched his cheek, making him look up again. "No," she echoed. "It's beautiful." Leaning forward, she gave him a quick kiss. "I love you, Andros. I always have… and--" She breathed in, wondering if she should tell him. "I think I always will."

"I--" He looked at her with wide eyes, and she felt a flash of panic. But then his lips quirked upward, and he brushed her hair away from her face gently. "I'd like to find out," he whispered.

She closed her eyes, feeling joy well up inside her, too strong to shut out and too intense not to share. But before she could speak, she felt his lips press gently against hers, and she relaxed into his arms without a second thought.

When his mouth left hers, she kissed him in return, not wanting the moment to end. She couldn't believe it when he didn't pull away, and she smiled involuntarily, unable to contain her happiness. That effectively ended their kiss, but the answering smile on his face was worth it.

"Thanks, Ashley," he told her quietly.

She looked at him in surprise. "For what?"

"For being the best thing that's ever happened to me," he said simply.

"Thank *you,*" she whispered, wondering how she could have ever doubted him. "Just--for being here."

At that, he winced. "I hate to say this… but that's what I came to talk to you about."

She smiled. "Well, after a beginning like that, I can take just about anything." Taking a deep breath, she tried to get her brain to switch from being hopelessly in love to something that approached reason. "What's up?"

Andros didn't help by reaching out and stroking her cheek. "I'm really sorry--I wish I didn't have to do this right now…"

"Tell me, before I start to worry," she chided him gently.

He let go of her and squared his shoulders, but she wasn't sure if he was bracing himself for his own words or her reaction. "I have to leave for a little while."

She stared at him in disbelief. "No… Andros, why?"

"It's Zhane," he told her quietly, and she swallowed. *Of course…*

She shook her head, ashamed of the thought. Zhane was his friend, and he had just woken up from what was essentially a two-year coma. He *needed* Andros in a way she didn't--it was pure selfishness that made her want Andros with her instead.

"He needs to see familiar faces," Andros was saying. "He needs to see how people are now, instead of the way he remembers them, or he won't be able to move on."

Ashley nodded reluctantly, seeing the truth of that. "But KO-35 was abandoned," she said, searching his face for confirmation.

"Our people refused to be split up," he told her quietly. "The entire colony was relocated to a moon deeper inside League territory. KO-35 will never stop being our home, but we've been on Rayven for almost six years now."

"So you're going to Rayven," she guessed, and he nodded.

There was a pause, and she had to ask the question that had been troubling her ever since the hidden door in the engine room had popped open. "Andros--why didn't you tell us about Zhane?"

He looked away, not speaking for a moment. "A little more than two years ago," he said at last, "we thought we had a chance to return to KO-35. It looked like Dark Spectre was in retreat, and Eltare approved our attempt to recolonize the planet. We started shipping supplies, temporary shelters, and people--mostly soldiers--back home.

"We were wrong. Eltare was wrong. It doesn't really matter who you blame," Andros said, a trace of the old bitterness in his voice. "Dark Spectre attacked three months later, and it fell to me, Zhane, and the soldiers to defend our second evacuation from KO-35."

"But--" Ashley didn't want to interrupt, but she was afraid she wouldn't get another chance. "You said… the other Kerovan Rangers gave up their powers."

"They did," Andros said softly. "Zhane found out, and didn't want me to fight alone. He was offered the black astromorpher, but he turned it down and went on his own quest for the Power. He--was successful, and we fought side by side for four years, until that day on KO-35."

She heard his hesitation, but he said nothing more about Zhane's powers, and she deemed it wiser not to ask. "The colonists were in full retreat, and I let anger get the best of me," he continued in a voice barely above a whisper. "Zhane saw me fall. He ran to help, and he saved my life--at the cost of his own.

"Or so I thought," Andros added, his eyes bright with unshed tears as he met her gaze at last. "I thought he was dead. Even when I put him in stasis--I never thought he'd recover. But having him there made me feel like I didn't have to say goodbye just yet…"

"I understand," she said, trying to ignore the urge to wrap him in a hug and hold him until that sadness was gone from his face. *You wouldn't tell people about someone you didn't think you'd ever see alive again…*

"But he *is* alive," she reminded him fiercely, squeezing his shoulder. "He's alive and he's healed, and you didn't have to say goodbye after all."

He tried to smile. "I did, though. I must have said goodbye a hundred times… He was my best friend. He was the one who kept me going on Rayven, the one I could say anything to and know he wouldn't hate me--the one who backed me up every time I needed help. I never thought I could live without him… but I kept trying."

"And now you don't have to," she said softly, but he shook his head.

"I have no idea how this is going to work out," he admitted. "He may not even want to stay on the Megaship anymore. And if he does… I don't know. We'll have to figure it all out, somehow."

"You're not alone anymore, Andros," she reminded him. "When you come back from Rayven, if Zhane comes with you, we'll *all* help him adjust."

Her hand still rested on his shoulder, and he reached up to cover it with his own. "I know," he said, smiling at her. "I wouldn't give you guys up for anything."

"Good," she said, a smug smile creeping across her face. "Because we wouldn't *let* you give us up."

"Good," he answered, and she giggled.

Taking his hand in hers, she asked, "Where's Zhane? Is he waiting for you somewhere?"

Andros nodded. "He's on the Delta Megaship already. If you need us, for any reason, call KERI and she'll let us know."

"All right," she said with a sigh. "Do you have any idea how long you'll be gone?"

"I wish I did," he said, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. "I hope it won't be too long--I'm really sorry to be leaving you, Ashley."

"It's all right," she assured him, smiling. "I'll miss you, but I'll be fine; don't worry."

"I know," he said, with a rueful grin. "I was talking about me." It was his turn to sigh. "I feel like there's so much I want to talk to you about, but there's no time anymore. I can't help thinking about all those times when you asked me to do something, or go somewhere, and I said no… I wish I could go back and do all that over."

"Me too," she agreed, touched. "But we have to start somewhere--as soon as the Megaship's repaired, and you come back, we'll have time."

"I'll make it up to you, Ash," he said, patting her hand with his free one. "As soon as I get back; I promise."

She bit her lip. "Hurry up and go, then," she said quietly, trying to smile again. "So you can come back."

He hesitated, staring at her, and she couldn't resist. She pulled her hand away and put her arms around him, feeling him rest his head against hers. She could have stood like that forever, but he finally pulled away, taking her hand again and walking back toward the Glider holding bay.

She didn't hear much of what he told the other Rangers, paying more attention to the sound of his voice than what he was actually saying. She watched him explain, wondering how long it would be before she would be able to just look at him again.

*A day? A week--a month?* He had given her no indication, and the fact was that he was a Ranger, going off somewhere alone. Given their history, that was just *asking* to be attacked.

*But he's not alone,* she reminded herself. He would have Zhane with him--indeed, that was the whole point--and if the two of them had been the only Kerovan Rangers in existence for four years, they must have been a formidable team.

He was saying goodbye by that time, and everyone was crowding around to add their own farewells. Even Phantom was there, waiting for the others to back off before he held out his own hand. Andros nodded to him, and the two clasped wrists rather than hands, but the sentiment was the same.

Then he was backing away, and she felt his hand slide out of hers. She stepped forward without realizing it, and stopped herself. He smiled, and she lifted her hand in a half-wave, knowing they were making a scene but unable to make herself care.

He turned then, abruptly, striding through the doors and disappearing from her sight.

***

Cassie kept her eye on Ashley as they all sat back down, but she seemed to be taking Andros's sudden departure well. Cassie knew that the two had to be a critical point in their relationship--he had told her he loved her only this morning, and they hadn't had any time alone since, except for the few minutes just now when he'd been able to pull her away from dinner.

Rearranging her napkin, she felt an arm bump hers, and she turned her head to see warm eyes staring into her own. He looked away as he reseated himself, but she had seen the way he was gazing at her. She looked down at her plate, trying not to blush.

*They're not the only ones at a turning point,* she thought, as TJ started to tell Ashley and Carlos the tale of Zordon's rescue. There was one part of the story he would leave out, because he had no idea it had even occurred--but it was the one part she couldn't get out of her mind for more than a couple minutes at a time ever since it had happened.

She shot a covert glance at the shadow who sat beside her. He was eating that bizarre food with perfect equanimity, as though TJ's recitation didn't remind him of anything unusual. As though she hadn't been giving him a backrub while Andros and TJ fought pirahnatrons. As though the two of them hadn't had to pry themselves apart when TJ called the Megaship to tell them Andros was in trouble.

As though they hadn't agreed to sleep together tonight.

*"Sex isn't something you do with someone you don't love,"* she remembered TJ telling her.

*But I *do* love him,* she thought, picking at her food. *I feel like I've loved him since before I knew him…*

So why was she wondering if they were doing the right thing? He had said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That had sounded suspiciously close to a proposal to her, or whatever the equivalent would be on Elisia… and she wanted nothing more.

And yet--the thought of sleeping with him made her more nervous than she'd been in a long time.

*I'm scared,* she admitted to herself. Her fork froze above her plate as she realized that. *I'm *more* than scared…* She was terrified of the pace they were setting--even more so because it was as much her setting it as it was him.

*What am I doing?* Cassie wondered, making herself lower her fork. She kept eating by rote, paying no attention to the conversation around her. *I barely know him!*

But she did--that was what made it so confusing. Yesterday had been the first time she'd seen him as he truly was, but she found that whenever she thought back on times before, she remembered him *this* way, not as he had appeared then. Two days ago had been the first time she'd seen him since Hercuron… but when she looked around the table, it seemed that he had always been here with them--with her.

She had to remind herself that it wasn't true. He *hadn't* always been here. In fact, he had almost *never* been here--how could she possibly have fallen in love with someone she barely ever saw? How could she be thinking about forever?

How could she be planning to sleep with him?

"Cassie?" TJ repeated, and she saw Saryn reach past her to hand him the salt. "Thanks… Cass, are you all right?"

She stared at him with uncomprehending eyes, realizing only then that he had asked for the saltshaker several times. "Yeah--sorry; I didn't hear you."

She saw TJ exchange glances with Carlos, and she shook her head at them, forcing a smile despite her confusion. "Really, I'm fine. I was just--thinking."

"Thinking about bed, probably," Ashley put in, and Cassie froze. "I know I am," her friend continued blithely. "Personally, my current plan is to go straight to my room and sleep."

"What, you don't want to do any repairs first?" Carlos teased her, and Ashley, obviously feeling better, made a face at him.

"Very funny," she said, as Cassie relaxed a little.

*She was just trying to distract TJ,* Cassie thought, grateful to her friend for the diversion.

"Phantom's going to need a place to sleep, too," Carlos said suddenly, turning his gaze in their direction.

She tried very hard not to jump, reminding herself that it was a perfectly reasonable comment. *I really need to stop thinking about this…*

But she couldn't. Like songs she hated but couldn't keep from singing, doubts kept returning to haunt her mind.

"The room across from mine is empty," TJ offered. "Cass, that's right next to yours. Do you want to show him where it is?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She looked over at Saryn just as he lifted his own eyes to meet hers. She tore her gaze away, turning back toward TJ. "Sure," she said weakly, knowing there was nothing else she *could* say.

Saryn caught her arm as she stood up, and she looked back at him before she could stop herself. "You have barely eaten," he pointed out, glancing at her nearly full plate. "I do not mind waiting."

"No; I'm full." She pulled away, taking her dishes over to the Synthetron without a backward glance.

She heard the quiet behind her, and knew she would see the others exchanging glances if she turned around. So she just walked over to the door, and waited there until she felt a presence behind her. Then she did look back, unable to keep from checking.

His shadow was on the floor beside her, flowing from the darkness of his clothes. She found her gaze drawn inevitably up his frame to his face, his skin and eyes the only break in the black that surrounded him. His blue eyes, incongruous in the midst of shadow, locked with hers, and she couldn't look away.

*Do you have any idea what I've been thinking?* she couldn't help but wonder. *Does it matter to you?*

For just a moment, she thought she saw sympathy in his expression. Then, aware that they'd been standing there for several seconds, she turned away with a muttered, "The living quarters are on deck five."

He followed her out of the holding bay, saying nothing as they made their way to the lift. The doors slid shut behind them, and, not sure she could trust her voice, she reached for the control panel.

He was there first, covering the panel with his hand and waiting for her to look up at him. She couldn't, afraid of what she would see in his eyes. She saw his free hand move toward her, and then stop.

"Cassie," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

The sincere apology made her look up the way his silence had not. "For what?" she asked tentatively, uncertain what *he* had to apologize for.

"You have been preoccupied all evening," he said. "And I fear it is my fault. Cassie--I would never hold you to something said in the heat of the moment."

She bit her lip. "What I said on the Bridge?" she asked quietly, hoping she wasn't misunderstanding him.

He nodded, and she tried to contain a sigh of relief. Not only had he noticed her distress, but he had understood its cause--and he would not now ask her to follow through on a promise she wasn't sure she could keep.

"I'm the one who should apologize," she said, lowering her gaze. She knew how quickly he responded to her presence, and she didn't want him to think she was toying with him. "I meant it--then--I just--"

She hesitated, not sure how to explain. This time he did touch her, tapping her chin gently with one finger to make her look up again. "It's all right," he said, letting his hand fall when their eyes met. "I understand."

"Do you?" Cassie asked with a sigh. "Because I don't."

He was quiet for a moment. "I won't lie to you, Cassie. I--" He paused, and she could hear the tremor in his voice when he spoke again. "I want you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything… but I want your happiness more."

For a moment, the longing in his eyes had been obvious, but he covered it up quickly. "I could never live with myself if something happened between us that you were not comfortable with. You're the most important thing in the universe to me--and whatever *you* want is what I will do."

She stared at him, at a loss for words. No one had ever said anything like that to her, and she had no idea how to respond. At last, though, honesty took precedence, and she sighed again. "I don't *know* what I want anymore," she admitted, frustrated. "I wish…"

"What?" he asked softly, when she hesitated.

"Do you--do you think we could just talk for a while?" she asked at last. "I feel like we know each other so well… and then I keep remembering that we don't, not really. I wish we could change that."

"We do know each other," he said, and she saw his hand twitch in her direction again before he caught himself. "That is the nature of the bond we share--it is the reason for the recognition we each felt when we first saw each other."

She shook her head. "Sometimes, that makes perfect sense to me. But then there's times when I think… no offense--that it's the craziest thing I've ever heard." Searching his expression, she asked the question that had plagued her ever since they met. "*Why* is it like this? Why am I so sure we were meant to be together?"

He returned her gaze steadily, not flinching in the face of her intensity. "There is no scientific explanation for something you feel, Cassie. I have no answers for your questions, except to tell you that it has always been this way among my people."

"*Everyone* falls in love with just one person, and stays with them for the rest of their life?" she persisted, unable to accept that.

"Well, no," he said, in such a way that she was sure he had had to restrain himself from adding "of course not" on the end of that. "It is not so common as that--but when it does occur, there is no fighting it."

"You tried," she reminded him, and he winced.

"I tried," he agreed. "For you. I thought it was a one-sided attraction on my part, and I hoped to spare you the burden of a lovesick suitor whose affections you did not return. But even then I knew I would never be able to change my feelings for you."

Once more, she found she couldn't think of any way to reply. He had resigned himself to a life of loneliness long before she had met him, and she wished she dared reach out to him now and change all that. "I love you," she whispered, feeling the words were hopelessly inadequate.

"And I love you," he answered with no hesitation. He touched her again, as though he couldn't help himself, running two fingers ever so lightly across her cheek.

She caught his hand before she knew what she was doing, leaning into his touch and feeling his hand rest against her face. She saw him smile a little, and she turned her head just enough so that her lips were pressed against his skin. She kissed his palm, feeling his fingers twitch, and he pulled his hand away.

"Cassie," he said, voice quiet. "I'm not--I do not know if I can take that from you without wanting more, and I would rather not find out until you are ready."

She blushed, hearing his speech go formal on her again, as it seemed to whenever he was distressed. He touched the control panel, and the lift came to life, its soft hum the only sound in the small space.

Neither of them spoke during the brief ride--Cassie couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she was trying desperately to sort out her feelings. The more reasonable part of her said that he would wait for her, and she should think this out before she committed to anything. But the part of her that had made her kiss his hand just now insisted that they had both waited long enough, and that she would regret wasting any more time…

The doors slid open, and she preceded him out into the hallway, mind still racing. She walked without having to think about where she was going, but he was obviously paying more attention, for he observed suddenly, "Your doors are all marked."

She glanced up, startled out of her reverie. It took her a moment to figure out what he was talking about, but then she caught sight of the tiny flecks of color beside four of the doors as they passed. "Yeah," she said, smiling involuntarily at the memory that came to mind. "They all look the same at first, and we had the worst time remembering whose was whose."

Pausing outside the guestroom next to hers, she added, "By the second night, we were tired of knocking on our own doors to see if we had the right room. So Ashley and I put little colored star stickers next to everyone's door."

"What did Andros say?" he wanted to know.

"Nothing," she said innocently. "Literally. He completely ignored them, so we left them there even after we learned our way around."

He smiled, and she found herself gazing into his eyes, getting lost in his expression. He said nothing, returning her stare with an intense look of his own. She looked away first--she wanted more and more to listen to her heart, and not her mind… but she didn't know how to tell him what she was thinking.

"So I will look for the pink star, and know that I belong beside it," he said quietly.

She caught his eye again, taking a single step forward. "Saryn, I--"

"I know," he said, and it was his turn to look away.

*No, you don't,* she thought, watching his carefully controlled expression, but he spoke again before she could say anything.

"Is there anything I should know about the doors?" he asked, though whether he was trying to distract himself or her, she couldn't tell. "Do you usually lock them?"

She shook her head, keying the door open. "There's a privacy lock, but everyone knocks first, so we don't usually use them."

He walked inside, glancing back to see if she would follow. She leaned against the doorframe noncommittally, and she saw him relax a little.

"There's a control panel by the door that works the lights," she said, reaching over to turn them up. "But if DECA likes you, she'll do it for you when you ask."

He smiled a little at that, but did not comment. She watched him prowl around the room, small though it was, inspecting every surface. The guestrooms were nearly identical to the Astro Rangers' rooms, except that they had a single bed instead of bunks, two chairs instead of one, and the computer terminal allowed only restricted access to the Megaship's systems.

After a minute or two, she began to suspect he was deliberately ignoring her. "Saryn?" she asked.

He turned immediately, and the guilty look on his face gave him away. "I was just--thinking," he said evasively, and she wondered if he realized he was echoing her own words.

Telling herself that it was now or never, she stepped into the room and let the door slide shut behind her. "Me too," she agreed. "And I'm tired of it."

She saw his eyes widen a little, and he folded his arms across his chest in a strangely defensive gesture. "What--what do you mean?" he stammered, and she knew he knew what she meant.

"I mean that I'm in love with you," she told him, heart pounding as she walked toward him. "And even though I fell in love with you a year ago, I didn't get to touch you until yesterday. I don't want to wait another year before I can be with you like this."

He swallowed, but made no move to back away. "You would not have to wait so long," he whispered. "Not if you didn't want to."

"Good," she said softly, reaching out to touch his face. "Because I don't want to wait at all."

He caught her hand before it could reach him, and laid two fingers across her mouth with his free hand. "Cassie… please don't lie to me."

She shook her head a little, but he tapped her lips before she could say anything, silently asking her to let him finish. "I have told you what I want, honestly and with no reservation. Please do no less for me. Do you--" He took a deep breath, and she was surprised to realize he was shaking. "Do you really want this?"

It was no token question. She knew, as he lowered his hand, that if she said no, she could turn and walk out of the room with no protest or question from him.

She also knew that walking out was the last thing she wanted anymore. Feeling the butterflies in her stomach increase a hundredfold, she nodded slowly. "Yes," she told him softly. "I really do."