Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs to Saban, Monty Python to someone else. The latter is incidental, but the former is sort of essential to the story, so just let me borrow them for now, okay?

Late Night
by Starhawk

"DECA, what time is it?"

Cassie looked up from her dinner to glance at Andros. That was the fifth time he’d asked since they sat down, and his food was practically untouched.

"It is exactly three minutes and thirty-two seconds since the last time you asked, Andros," DECA replied, and Cassie hid a smile. Everyone knew that the onboard computer was partial to Andros, but it sounded like even DECA was getting exasperated.

"Look, Andros," Carlos said, leaning across the table. "I’m sure Ashley’s fine. Ryan’s parents probably can’t stop thanking her long enough for her to get away."

"I know, I know," Andros muttered, poking at his food.

Cassie exchanged glances with TJ, who was sitting right across from her. He just shook his head, a half-smile on his face.

Andros’ communicator beeped, and he pounced on it. "Ashley?"

"How’d you guess?" Ashley’s voice replied. "Are the others with you?"

Andros looked around, as though he’d forgotten their presence in the short amount of time it had taken him to say her name. "Yeah, they’re right here."

"Great. Look, I’m sorry everyone, but when I took Ryan home I realized how long it’s been since I had dinner with my own parents. I’m at my house right now, and I’ll be back later this evening--I just didn’t want you guys to worry."

Someone snickered, but when Cassie looked up, she couldn’t tell whether it had been TJ or Carlos. "Have a good time, Ashley," she offered.

"Thanks," Ashley’s voice answered. "See you later."

The faint hiss of the carrier wave indicated that she’d cut off the communication from her end. Andros did the same, but Cassie saw disappointment flash across his face before he could hide it. She wondered if there was anything she could say to cheer him up, but Carlos spoke first.

"I haven’t seen my parents in days," he said ruefully. "They’re probably wondering if I’m still alive."

"My uncle, too," TJ admitted, a trace of guilt on his normally cheerful face. "I wonder how many times he’s had to cover for me to my parents--I haven’t called them since last week."

Cassie didn’t say anything--she didn’t have that particular problem, after all. She’d been staying with Ashley’s family ever since the day she’d detoured into Angel Grove, and as far as her parents were concerned, she was still there. I call them once a week, she thought, somewhat bitterly. That seems to be all they want.

"Hey, Cass," TJ said, giving her a concerned look. "You okay?"

She shook her head once, trying to smile. "Yeah, I’m fine."

He gave her that I know you’re lying look, and she really did smile. "Just thinking about my parents, I guess," she said. It was nice of him to care.

"Yeah, have you heard from them recently?" Carlos asked, probably trying to cheer her up.

She shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carlos and TJ exchange glances.

"You know, Cassie," TJ began, "if you want to go down to the Hammonds’, I bet they’d love to see you for dinner."

Cassie pushed her plate away. "Thanks, TJ, but they probably want some family time." She stood up, putting her napkin and glass on her plate before picking them up. "I think I’ll just go to bed… it’s been a long day. G’nite, guys."

"Good night," TJ echoed, followed by Carlos, as she returned her dishes to the Synthetron.

She heard Andros belatedly add his own "good night" to theirs as she left, and she smiled to herself. Andros was worlds away right now. I’d love to know what Ashley said to him this afternoon on the Bridge, she mused.

Reaching her door, she paused to stare through the hallway window at the stars. And I’d really love to know what you’re thinking right now, she thought to the single Ranger whom she knew was out there, searching as they did. I feel lonely, and I’m not even alone. How much worse must it be for you?

***

"I love you too, Mom." Ashley let her mother pull her into yet another hug before she stepped out into the night. "Good night!"

She smiled reassuringly at her family, now gathered inside the front door. She waved back at them as she headed down the steps, automatically checking for passersby before lifting her communicator. The house disappeared behind a shower of golden sparkles.

I love them, Ashley thought as the Megaship reformed around her, but they can be sort of--clingy. She sighed, and made her way down the hall toward her room. That’s not very nice, but I’m too tired to care right now. I just want to go to bed.

Nonetheless, she hesitated outside Andros’ door. She had hoped to talk to him this evening, especially since their earlier conversation on the Bridge had been interrupted. But her family dinner had stretched into dessert, and then someone had put a movie in the VCR…

Ashley sighed. I knew I wouldn’t be able to just go, eat, and leave. And I really don’t spend enough time with them… But with the memory of Andros’ kiss still fresh in her mind, it had been hard to concentrate on anything else.

She wished she had the courage to knock on his door. I’d just like to see him--just for a few minutes…

Get real, Ashley, she scolded herself. It’s late; he’s probably already asleep.

Seconds after she’d resigned herself to practicality, the stillness of the hallway was shattered by the shriek of the automated alert system. DECA immediately turned it down to a volume more tolerable to sleep-fogged ears, but the damage had been done.

The door beside her burst open. Ashley didn’t have time to react before Andros plowed into her, a wild look in his hazel eyes. "Ashley!" he yelped, reaching out to steady her. "I’m sorry; I didn’t see you--DECA, what’s going on?"

Three more doors opened farther down the now fully illuminated hallway. Ashley heard the others’ footsteps on the metal deck as DECA told them what everyone had already guessed: quantrons in Angel Grove.

She was conscious, as DECA spoke, of Andros’ hand still resting lightly on her shoulder. No one else said anything, though, and he didn’t seem to notice--until he turned to look at the others and caught her eye. He dropped his hand instantly and looked away, but his duties as a Ranger overcame any other sign of embarrassment.

"It’s too dark to use the Gliders," Andros announced. He was still avoiding her gaze. "We’ll teleport directly there."

Ashley looked around at the others, really seeing them for the first time since she’d returned. Carlos and TJ both wore their warm-up suits; they must have just returned to their rooms from the Simudeck when the alarm sounded. Cassie’s hair was loose, and she had certainly been prepared for sleep--but her eyes were suspiciously unclouded, as though she hadn’t quite made it to her bed yet.

Andros’ call of "Let’s Rocket!" broke into her speculation, and she extended her right arm as the others did. She entered the morphing sequence on the keypad that appeared on her wrist, blinking as gold light enveloped her. The strength poured into her, and she was suddenly more alert, more aware of everything in the hallway.

"Target coordinates confirmed," DECA’s calm voice informed them. Ashley flipped her morpher open a second time, inputting DECA’s linkup code. The coordinates were transferred, and she looked up in time to see everyone else finishing the same task.

They looked to Andros, who nodded. "Let’s go!" Stretching both arms skyward, he crossed his wrists over his head and disappeared in a shimmer of scarlet. Seconds later, Ashley’s vision was obscured by a curtain of gold that lifted to reveal moonlit sand and waves.

The sight took her breath away. It would have been far more beautiful, even romantic, had she been viewing it under different circumstances. As it was the deserted shoreline filled her with a dread she hadn’t expected. The last time they’d been summoned to an empty beach, it had been to fight invisible piranhatrons, and that was an experience she never, ever wanted to repeat.

Andros glanced her way, and she realized she’d shivered despite the warm night. She took a deep breath, trying to forget that particular memory and the panic she had felt at their inability to fight. She gave Andros a quick nod, answering his unspoken question: Are you all right?

"Where are they?" TJ demanded of no one in particular. His frustration gave Ashley something else to focus on, and she wondered briefly if he too was remembering that incident.

"It’s like Astronema is challenging us," Carlos remarked, staring around the beach. "I mean, there’s nothing here for the quantrons to ruin, no people for them to harass, and as soon as we arrive they go into hiding. What does she gain from this?"

Andros raised his right arm to speak into his communicator, not bothering to answer. "Alpha--are the quantrons still on the beach?"

Alpha’s voice, despite being robotic, managed to convey more sleepiness than any of the Rangers’. "Yes, Andros; they’re not very far from your present location." A sound that might have been a mechanical yawn came from the communicator.

Ashley grinned, knowing no one would be able to see it behind her helmet. Trust Alpha to-- Her thought broke off as she glanced along the shore. "Guys, the breakwater."

Carlos understood instantly. "It’s the only place that would give them any cover."

"Let’s go," TJ called, already moving up the beach toward the rock jetty. Ashley took off after him when the others did, trying to look in every direction at once. She hadn’t completely shaken the feeling that an ambush could come from any direction, despite the fact they were surrounded by open space.

The group slowed as they reached the first scattering of rocks. Ashley peered nervously at every boulder they passed, but there were no quantrons to be seen. Winding among the salt-encrusted slabs, they reached the base of the great stone wall and paused. Andros, now in the lead, clambered a little way up to survey the area.

Right behind him, Carlos turned to look back the way they’d come. For a moment, there was complete silence--until the slightest squeak of metal made Ashley whirl. Simultaneously, TJ shouted a warning at Andros as quantrons poured out from hiding places that had been augmented by the darkness.

Ashley struck without thinking at the swarm of metallic forms cascading out of the crevices between the rocks. Nonetheless, the unexpectedness of their attack gave them an advantage, and a blow from one of their jagged-edged saws drove her to the ground. TJ sprawled across the sand beside her--his shout had alerted Andros, but also served to draw the quantrons’ focus.

She heard a thump from her other side and she scrambled out of the way. The glitter of reflected starlight in a visor above an almost completely black uniform told her that Carlos had just landed next to her. A swift uppercut sent her attacker tumbling backwards to land heavily among the rocks, and a white-gloved hand grabbed hers and hauled her to her feet.

"Thanks," she gasped, only realizing as she attempted to speak that her breath had been knocked out of her.

"No problem," Carlos answered. He held a quantron’s arm with both hands, twisting it at an unnatural angle. One kick sent it crashing into another, knocking it off the course it had set for Ashley.

She straightened, still struggling to breathe, and she saw TJ scramble out of the way of Carlos’ domino effect. "Watch where you’re throwing those things!" TJ yelled good-naturedly, rolling to his feet with Cassie watching his back.

Ashley was backed up against a waist-high boulder, recovering while Carlos kept the quantrons off of her. Engrossed as she had been in the scene before her, the hand on her shoulder startled her. She reacted instinctively, reaching back to take firm hold of the offending arm. She knew something was wrong even as she set her stance and hauled the attacker forward over her shoulder, but what exactly that was didn’t register until she saw the blur of red in her peripheral vision.

"Andros!" she exclaimed, staring at him in shock.

"Cassie, behind you!" Carlos yelled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw TJ swing the Pink Ranger out of harm’s way. She heard Cassie’s kiyah as her foot connected solidly with a quantron’s chest. But Ashley’s attention remained focused on Andros.

"That’s the last time I sneak up on you," Andros muttered, climbing to his feet.

Before she could come up with an apology, Carlos’ fist streaked past to hit a quantron in the jaw. Seeing the metallic soldier stagger, Ashley dropped to the ground and swept its legs out from under it. She rolled away as it fell, and, springing to her feet once more, she found Andros at her side again.

"I’m really sorry," she managed to say, ducking a blow from another metal saw. As the weapon swung past, she grabbed it and twisted it downward. Not intelligent enough to let go of the blade, the quantron followed.

Andros let loose a spinning kick that drove a quantron into towering boulders of the breakwater, then turned back to her in the momentary lull that followed. "It’s okay," he said, in answer to her apology. "Just--be careful, Ash."

She knew he couldn’t see her smile, so she settled for a quick nod. "You too," Ashley said, touching his shoulder briefly before the battle engulfed them once more.

Very little of the whirlwind fight that followed stuck in her mind the way that simple caution from Andros did. He cares, she thought happily, diving out of the way of a quantron’s inelegant but effective downswing. Coming to her feet as quickly as she’d gone down, she felt Carlos’s arm link through hers in a move she knew well. She threw herself sideways, rolling across his back to land a two-footed kick to the quantron’s chest.

Before long, the remaining quantrons were scrambling away from them across the rocks. Not for the first time, Ashley thought that Astronema’s teleportation system couldn’t be very accurate. Her quantrons had to put a certain amount of distance between themselves and their opponents before they could be teleported out.

"Run away," she heard Cassie murmur, and Ashley grinned.

Looking around, she counted heads, just to make sure. Cassie, of course, was staring after the quantrons. TJ stood near her, shaking his head in bemusement, while Carlos leaned against one of the boulders littering the sand at the base of the breakwater. And Andros--

Andros stood a little distance apart from the others, fists clenched at his sides. He seemed to be looking out across the ocean, but it was hard to tell through his visor. Ashley hesitated, glancing at the others once more, but the beach really was beautiful and no one seemed in any particular hurry to return to the Megaship.

Taking a deep breath, she crossed her wrists and flung them out to the side. "Power down," Ashley announced quietly, and her Ranger uniform disappeared in a flash of yellow.

She drew in another long breath, reveling in the smell of unfiltered ocean air. A breeze darted through the semi-darkness to ruffle her hair while the nearly full moon glimmered on the water. Ashley saw Carlos and TJ exchange glances, and then they too demorphed. Cassie followed their lead a moment later, but Andros remained frozen in position.

Folding her arms to keep off the chill that was all too noticeable through her lightweight clothing, Ashley moved forward to join him. "Andros?" she asked softly, not wanting to startle him. "What are you thinking about?"

His helmet turned toward her for an instant, and she wondered if he had just given her The Look. Good or bad, she wished she could see his expression. Ashley mentally willed him to demorph.

He didn’t, but he did, at last, speak. "Astronema," Andros said in a low voice. "I’ve lost almost everything I cared about in my life--my home, my family, my sister…" He looked down at the sand. "I don’t want her to take you away from me, too."

She wasn’t sure if he meant her, specifically, or the Rangers in general. "It’ll take more than a few quantrons to finish us off," Ashley assured him.

His head turned in her direction again, and it stayed facing her longer. Finally, the red uniform brightened, sparkling briefly before it faded out of existence altogether. It warmed her heart to see the expression of unguarded affection that lingered on his face before he looked away again.

"Andros…" Ashley put a hand on his arm. Before she could continue, though, TJ interrupted from behind them.

"Hey, guys? We’re going to head back to the Megaship…" He trailed off, obviously at a loss for how to finish his sentence.

Cassie solved the problem. "Take your time," she added, mischief in her voice.

The three of them teleported out before Ashley think of a reply. She glanced at Andros, wondering if he was upset. I was so careful not to say anything to him before, and now he’ll be embarrassed anyway...

She found Andros sneaking a glance at her even as she looked over at him. He quickly averted his gaze, and Ashley couldn’t help smiling. He thinks I’m embarrassed!

As it had this morning, his uncertainty gave her confidence. After all, if they were both as shy as Andros, nothing would ever happen. And people called her many things, but "shy" usually wasn’t at the top of the list.

"C’mon," Ashley suggested impulsively. "Let’s go for a walk."

She linked her arm through his and gave a gentle tug. He followed willingly enough, falling into step beside her. Neither of them spoke for a while, but it didn’t bother her. She didn’t feel pressed to make conversation, or really to do anything except enjoy the moonlit beach and Andros’ presence at her side.

She did start shivering, though, as the breeze picked up--her shorts and T-shirt were fine for a hazy August afternoon, but they didn’t offer much protection against the cooler seashore air of night. She moved a little closer to Andros, who couldn’t help but notice. "Are you cold?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. "We can go back to the ship."

"A little," Ashley admitted, looking up at him. His hazel eyes met hers, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. "But I don’t want to go back to the ship yet."

"Here," Andros said, shrugging out of the warm-up sweatshirt he’d been wearing all day. It seemed to be his way of compromising between the Megaship uniform and the rest of the Rangers’ civilian clothes. "Put this on."

Ashley let him drape the sweatshirt over her shoulders. She had to admit, as she pushed her hands through the sleeves, that it was warm. She shivered again, feeling the residual heat from Andros’s body in the fuzzy red fabric. "Thank you," she said, drawing the sweatshirt tight around her.

She looked up to find him gazing down at her, and for some reason, she blushed at his open regard. She wanted to speak, but she had no idea what to say. He looked away and the moment was lost.

She turned to keep walking, her feelings so confused that she wasn’t sure whether she should feel disappointed or relieved. Am I reading this completely wrong? she wondered. Is he just trying to find a way to get me to leave him alone? Andros would be the master of the easy let-down.

He’d been a mystery to her since the beginning. Most people she could get a feel for just by meeting them: optimistic or not, clever or slow, whether they wanted a new friend or would rather be left alone. Andros had given off all of those signals at once, and she still didn’t know how to interpret some of the things he said.

He shadowed her movement when she turned, close enough that their hands brushed. Ashley could almost feel the butterflies in her stomach as she reached out for his fingers, entwining them in her own. Andros didn’t resist.

She kept her gaze straight ahead, but after a moment she smiled into the dimness.

"Ashley?" Andros’s voice broke the silence a few minutes later. "Did I do something wrong?"

Ashley glanced at him in surprise. "No," she replied automatically. The bewildered expression on his face made her pause, and she reconsidered her mechanical reply. Had she sighed?

"I’m sorry," she offered, giving him an apologetic smile. "I guess I was just wondering…" She searched his expression, looking for a way to ask and not finding it.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked at last. Oh, very smooth, she chided herself. Very subtle.

Andros spoke before she could revise her question. "I was thinking what a beautiful world you have," he told her. "How free and alive it seems…" Andros hesitated, then added tentatively, "How it reminds me so much of you."

Ashley stared at him for a moment. Then her delight spilled over, uncontainable, and she threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered. "I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me."

And it was infinitely more special because she knew he wouldn’t say something he didn’t truly believe. "Thank you, Andros," she repeated, feeling his arms close slowly around her. Half of her wanted to dance around the beach, but the other more persuasive half wanted to stay here in Andros’ embrace for the rest of the night.

***

Carlos couldn’t sleep. He didn’t like leaving two of his friends undefended so soon after yet another of Astronema’s random hit and run attacks. Especially Andros, who had a demonstrated tendency to get into trouble when left on his own.

Ashley will take care of him, he reminded himself, but the thought didn’t bring him any closer to the realm of dreams than he had been before.

"DECA?" he asked suddenly. I could be worrying for no reason… "Have Ashley and Andros come back to the Megaship yet?"

"Not yet, Carlos," DECA answered, the red light of her camera flashing as it became active.

He sighed and rolled out of bed, giving up on sleep for the moment. Grabbing his jacket, he wandered out into the hallway, reflecting wryly on how used to sleeping in his uniform he’d become. But, as tonight proved, one never knew when the next crisis would strike.

Carlos headed for the Glider holding bay, more to have a destination than because he had any real desire to go there. As he stepped into the room, though, he saw TJ sitting at the table, an electronic datapad on the table in front of him and a mug in his hand. The Blue Ranger looked up as Carlos walked in.

"Hey," Carlos greeted him, shooting an inquiring look at the datapad. "What are you doing?"

TJ shrugged. "Just busywork, really. Couldn’t sleep."

"You and me both," Carlos agreed, idly poking at the Synthetron’s control panel. The machine produced the requested mug of cocoa, and he joined TJ at the table.

Frowning at his mug, Carlos nudged a seat far enough back from the table that he could sit down comfortably. "Why does the Synthetron make steaming cocoa?" he asked rhetorically. "No one can drink it until it cools off anyway."

TJ grinned the way he always did right before he said something particularly ridiculous. In a conspiratorial stage-whisper, making a show of looking over his shoulder, he said, "It’s all part of DECA’s plan to evict us from the Megaship."

"What?" Cassie’s amused voice exclaimed from the doorway.

Carlos looked up and waved. "Hey, Cassie. Don’t tell me you can’t sleep, either."

She shrugged, making no move to enter the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Carlos saw the glow of DECA’s red light as her camera came on. No reply to TJ’s comment was forthcoming.

"Do I smell hot chocolate?" Cassie asked suddenly, peering over at their mugs.

"Yeah--maybe the hottest hot chocolate you’ll ever taste," TJ remarked, clinking his mug against Carlos’.

Cassie smiled. "Well, I guess I’ll have to see for myself," she said, uncrossing her arms as she wandered toward the Synthetron. "Ashley and Andros still aren’t back?" she asked over her shoulder.

Carlos shook his head, then thought better of his assumption. "DECA, are Ashley and Andros back on the Megaship yet?"

He was fully prepared to for a "Not yet" and probably some snippy remark about the amount of time that had elapsed since he lasted asked. Instead DECA replied, "Yes, Carlos. Andros and Ashley returned from Earth several minutes ago."

Cassie took a cautious sip of her cocoa as she joined them at the table. "Mine’s not too hot," she remarked.

TJ shot her an incredulous look. "Favoritism," he complained, glaring at DECA.

"I am not programmed to show favoritism," DECA said calmly. Or maybe not calm, exactly... smug. That was it. DECA sounded smug.

It occurred to Carlos to wonder what TJ thought he was having for breakfast in the morning.

Cassie just smiled. "Thanks, DECA."

The red light on DECA’s camera blinked once. "You’re welcome, Cassie."

"Hey!" TJ exclaimed. "What happened to ‘I’m not programmed to show favoritism’?"

"I am not programmed to show favoritism," DECA repeated, then continued after a noticeable pause, "to you, TJ."

"What?" TJ yelped.

Glancing at Cassie, something occurred to Carlos. "DECA, who programmed you?"

There was a brief pause. "That information is classified," DECA answered finally.

I bet it is, Carlos thought, an amused smile on his face. There was at least one Ranger out there who had plenty of reasons to make the onboard computer "favor" Cassie. Just how well do Andros and Phantom know each other, anyway?

"I knew it!" TJ pointed a finger at DECA’s camera. "You program yourself, don’t you!"

Cassie shook her head, laughing at his triumphant indignation. "Drink your hot chocolate, TJ."

He stared at her. "Haven’t you been listening?" he wanted to know. "You’re the only one with cocoa that came out of the Synethron at a drinkable temperature."

"Ah." She seemed to consider that, her eyes still laughing at him while he waited for her reply. Caros blew on his own cocoa just to make the point.

Cassie’s gaze flicked to him and her smile widened. "In that case," she said solemnly, "I guess I’d better enjoy it."

***

Andros stared at the bottom of the bunk above him, too restless to sleep and too tired not to. Everyone else is asleep, he thought. Why can’t I be?

Of course he knew why. Ashley haunted his thoughts, and he was pretty sure she’d be in his dreams too... if he ever managed to sleep.

Logically, he knew that if Astronema kept up her frequent and seemingly random attacks, he would need all the sleep he could get. But logic hadn’t kept him from walking down the beach with Ashley until they were both numb with cold. And it didn’t keep his pulse from racing now when he remembered her smile.

There came a knock on his door, so soft he thought he had imagined it, until it repeated. Ashley? he wondered. Throwing off his lightweight blanket, Andros got up and padded over to the door.

Sure enough, there was Ashley, standing in the hall with his sweatshirt still wrapped around her shoulders. She’d brushed the tangles out of her hair, but her cheeks were still glowing from the brisk sea breeze. "Hi," she whispered, somewhat sheepishly.

Andros blinked, abruptly realizing he’d been staring at her. "Come in," he offered quietly, stepping away from the door.

She did, and the door closed behind her, shrouding the room in a darkness that seemed less pervasive, somehow, now that she was here. Tapping the control panel by the door brought the lights up to half-strength, and he turned his full attention back to Ashley.

"I, um…" She squirmed under his gaze. "I forgot to give you back your sweatshirt."

"You didn’t have to bring it back tonight," Andros assured her, though he was secretly happy to see her again for whatever reason.

She shrugged, making no move to take off the sweatshirt. "I couldn’t sleep." Then, nervously, Ashley glanced up at him. "I didn’t wake you, did I?"

He shook his head, unable to keep from smiling any longer. "I couldn’t sleep, either."

They stood there, staring at each other, for what seemed like several minutes. Finally, Ashley said awkwardly, "I should probably go…"

"Ashley--" A question that had been bothering him all afternoon suddenly became clear enough to voice--and it had the happy side effect of keeping Ashley for a few minutes longer. "What’s Monty Python?"

She just looked at him for a minute, apparently considering the question. "DECA?" she asked at last. "You can receive video transmissions from the satellites in orbit around Earth, right?"

"Of course, Ashley," DECA replied, sounding almost offended.

"Can you scan the TV satellites for a specific reference? Say, ‘Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail’?"

In answer, the computer monitor in Andros’ room came to life and images began flashing across the screen. "Forty-two references to the phrase ‘Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail’ were found," DECA reported.

Ashley stared intently at the monitor while Andros watched, bemused. "There," she exclaimed suddenly. "Go back a couple of frames, DECA."

The onboard computer system obliged wordlessly, slowing down and backtracking through the images. "Stop," Ashley said. "There--can you let us watch that one while it plays?"

"I can intercept radio transmissions over a distance of hundreds of light years," DECA informed her, a reproving note in her usually toneless voice. "There is no difficulty in displaying a transmission that originates only a few hundred kilometers away."

The sound came on suddenly, and Andros watched strange people in stranger armor run about an obviously fake landscape. "This is Monty Python?" he asked, confused as to its appeal.

Ashley nodded. "It’s a spoof of the legend of King Arthur." She paused, looking away from the monitor toward him. "Have you heard of King Arthur?"

Andros shook his head. Ashley didn’t say anything for a moment, just reached up to put her hands on her shoulders. "Well," she said, "I’m not sure I can explain it that well. Maybe if you watch the movie you can sort of follow along."

He glanced over at the screen, but saw little point in devoting attention to it when something far more worthwhile was standing right in front of him. Taking a deep breath, Andros asked shyly, "Will you stay? And explain it to me?"

Ashley flashed him a brilliant smile. "I’d love to." Rubbing her shoulders, she added, "But only if we sit down. I’m sore enough from fighting; I don’t need to add aching feet on top of that."

He smiled back, wishing he dared offer her a backrub in return for the one she’d given him this morning. But he’d been bold enough for one evening; he wouldn’t risk rejection now. Instead, he gestured toward his bunk, and she seated herself on the floor in front of it, back against the metal sideboard.

Andros joined her, sitting close enough to be companionable, but not quite close enough to touch. On the monitor, the group of strangely-clad people were standing at a bridge off which an alarming number of them were being thrown. He had no idea what was going on, but for once, it didn’t bother him. All that mattered was that Ashley was there with him.

Was it really only this morning that she kissed me? he found himself wondering. This morning that I was thinking she couldn’t be anything more than a friend?

He still shied away from the word "love" or even "crush", but he was willing to admit that he’d been denying feelings for Ashley for a long time. She was more than a friend--but what that meant, whether or not she returned those feelings, and what they would do about it if she did… That all seemed unimportant and somehow distant right now.

He glanced over at her profile, remembering what she’d said to him this morning. Just relax--stop thinking about the things that could happen, and concentrate on what is happening now.

Steeling himself, Andros drew in a breath and opened his mouth. It took several more tries before he found the courage and the words to ask, but finally he said, "You said you were sore--would you… would you like a backrub?"

Ashley turned to look at him, eyes sparkling in the dim lighting. He held his breath, but she smiled as soon as she caught his eye. "That would be heavenly, thanks!"

She scooted across the floor to sit in front of him, drawing one knee up to her chest as she did so. "Can you still see?" she asked over her shoulder. It took him a minute to realize she meant the monitor, where the movie was still playing.

"Yes," Andros told her, touching the spill of hair across her back with cautious fingers. He half-expected her to protest this invasion of privacy, even if she had agreed to it, but she said nothing.

He pushed her silky soft hair forward over her shoulders, mimicking her own actions when she had done this for him. He rubbed her back and shoulders gently, remembering the discomfort she had caused him at first. But Ashley was more relaxed now than he had been even after her ministrations, and clearly that made a difference.

Andros imitated the backrub she had given him to the best of his ability, and soon he heard her yawn. "You’re a natural, Andros," she murmured sleepily. "I don’t think I'll be awake much longer."

She should just go back to her room, the reasonable part of Andros’ mind said. She can finally sleep and be well rested in the morning.

But something within him rebelled. He hadn’t enjoyed another person’s company this much for longer than he could remember, and he was reluctant to let it go. "You can lie down on my bunk, if you want to," Andros offered. "You can still watch the movie from there."

"I’ll fall asleep," Ashley protested.

"You look like you’re going to fall asleep anyway," he told her gently. "You could at least be comfortable."

She twisted around to look at him. Seeing that he was serious, she tilted her head and smiled irresistibly at him. "You’re so sweet, Andros."

He felt his lips curve upward in response to her heart-melting expression, but he didn’t know how to reply to that. Ashley didn’t wait for an answer, though, just crawled onto his bunk and curled up. Sitting on the floor, Andros was at eye level with her, and he watched her surreptitiously until her eyes drifted shut.

Smiling to himself, he got up and turned off the monitor. "Thanks, DECA," he whispered, and her camera blinked once at him.

Andros pulled his blanket over Ashley, then climbed as quietly as he could into the top bunk. He couldn’t resist looking down at her once more before DECA turned the lights down. He rolled over then, staring into darkness.

I’m not alone, he thought vaguely, as drowsiness overtook him and sleep waited just around the corner. It was a good feeling.

***

"Time to wake up, TJ." That monotone was not the announcer, and the sun brightened to completely obscure the baseball diamond.

TJ opened his eyes a crack, squinting into the lights that DECA insisted on turning on as soon as she woke them up. "Come on, DECA," TJ groaned. "We were up all night fighting quantrons; don’t we get a break?"

"You have slept an hour later than usual," DECA told him, as though that was somehow adequate.

"I don’t believe this," TJ muttered, making no move to get up. "’How I Spent My Summer Vacation’ by TJ Carter: Every morning at seven I was woken up by a computer with an attitude--"

"It is eight o’clock," DECA corrected him. "Time to get up, TJ."

"I know!" he exclaimed. "Stop that; I’m up already!"

Suiting actions to words, he sat up, ducking to avoid the low upper bunk. His blanket was on the floor, as usual, and he grabbed it and tossed it over his shoulder onto the bunk.

"Please fold your blanket, TJ," DECA requested, and he looked up at the camera in surprise.

"What's with you today?" TJ inquired, a little surprised. "I’ll fold it later, all right? Now go away; I want to change."

The camera light obediently blinked out, and TJ shook his head. That’s a computer with too much time on its hands, he thought, pulling on a fresh blue shirt.

Some of his annoyance drained out of him as he did so. From indigo to aquamarine, stormy seas to the color of a clear sky, this new color of his made him smile. Truth be told, although he had led the Rangers into battle countless times as their leader, he preferred his more relaxed role as morale booster for the team.

Shrugging into his jacket, TJ began to whistle as he walked down the hallway to the Glider holding bay. Why the Synthetron is in the holding bay, I‘ll never know, he thought, grinning to himself. Maybe there used to be a tradition that space villains only attacked at mealtimes.

Cassie and Carlos were already there, and both called hello as he arrived. TJ waved as he headed for the Synthetron. He called up his usual breakfast of pancakes, opened the door, and had his plate in his hand before he noticed something was wrong.

"Very funny, DECA," TJ said, exasperated all over again.

Carlos and Cassie both looked up at his tone, and he turned so they could see what he was holding. Cassie smothered a laugh. Heaped on his plate was a pile of spinach, and it was none too fresh either, from the looks of it.

Ashley bounced into the room, looking exceptionally cheery for someone who had been up until midnight battling quantrons. "Hi, everyone!"

"Well, you’re in a good mood," Cassie remarked, smiling at her friend.

"That’s right," Ashley replied, grinning back but not offering any explanation. Catching sight of TJ’s plate, she stopped mid-bounce.

"TJ, what are you eating?"

"Or not eating, as the case may be," Carlos put in.

"DECA, come on." TJ appealed to the nearest camera. "I have to eat. You wouldn’t want my strength to give out in the middle of a fight, now, would you?"

"Yeah, someone else could get hurt," Cassie put in, and he shot her a withering look.

"Thanks for helping me out here, Cassie."

She grinned unrepentantly. "No problem."

"Mine’s fine," Ashley commented, coming over to the table with a plate full of bacon and eggs. She took a deep breath. "Mmm… smells good."

TJ gave DECA’s camera a reproving look, then returned to the Synthetron to try his luck a second time. Over his shoulder, he heard Cassie say, "But I thought you didn’t like the Synthetron’s bacon and eggs."

"I changed my mind," Ashley replied cheerfully. "They’re not so bad, once you get used to them."

TJ punched a few buttons, and this time, to his intense relief, a plate of perfectly edible pancakes emerged. "Thank you," he said to DECA.

Carlos was looking around as TJ sat down. "Has anyone seen Andros this morning?"

"He’s still sleeping," Ashley told them, around a mouthful of bacon.

TJ saw Carlos and Cassie exchange glances, but in his indignation he missed the significance of Ashley’s comment. "He’s still asleep?!" Casting yet another look at DECA’s camera interface, TJ grumbled, "Sure, Andros gets to sleep late…"

"How do you know he’s still sleeping?" Cassie interrupted, cutting TJ’s monologue short.

TJ raised his eyebrows at that, looking first at Cassie, then at Ashley. Carlos, too, stopped eating to catch her reply. But no matter what one could infer from her assertion, Ashley was the epitome of composure as she looked up. Meeting Cassie’s gaze, she shrugged. "Well, he’s not here, is he?"

Cassie’s suspicious look waned, though it didn’t disappear altogether. "We’ll let it go this time, Ash," she said, and the knowing expression she shot at Ashley was so ridiculous they both burst into giggles.

TJ just shook his head and picked up his fork. "Man, am I ready for some pancakes," he declared, not speaking to anyone in particular.

A whooping siren cut through the holding bay, and DECA’s camera flashed at them. "Astronema has sent quantrons to the warehouse district of Angel Grove," the computer announced.

"Well, that’s original," Cassie commented dryly.

I must have jinxed us with that speculation about eating in the holding bay, TJ thought, grabbing one of his pancakes and polishing off the entire thing in three bites.

Taking a second pancake with him up the stairs, TJ managed to swallow the first and start on the second before Andros ran in. The Red Ranger nodded to all of them, and TJ shoved the rest of the pancake into his mouth as Andros leaped up the stairs. Barely taking the time to turn his back to his jump tube, Andros shot a quick look to his right before extending his arm and whirling with the rest of them to board their Gliders.