Disclaimer: In Saban's world--where these characters originated--Zhane and Phantom never met. That was probably a good thing.

Integration
by Starhawk

The muted illumination emanating from the overhead lights was just barely enough to see by. The dim colors of the room blurred into shadow, and if the lighting were any lower, it would have been non-existent. Even unconscious, she knew how sensitive he was to changes in his surroundings, but she had wanted very much to see him.

After three months of sleeping only as time permitted--and for very brief periods, if the logs in his starfighter could be trusted--and a week that had not exactly been restful, she had insisted Saryn go to bed early last night. *"Only if you come with me,"* he had answered with a smile. Luckily, they had been alone, but it was comments like that that made her wonder how long they could really go without the others knowing.

Cross-legged on the bed beside him, she propped her chin on her fist and watched him sleep. As she had told Ashley, they were few, they were close, and the team was together most of the time. How could they *avoid* knowing each other's secrets?

*Not that it's really a secret,* Cassie told herself. But that wasn't true--of course it was a secret. If it weren't, she wouldn't have cared that Ashley had seen them the day before. She wouldn't have asked him not to kiss her around the others. And she wouldn't have looked over her shoulder when he teased her about bed last night.

She was afraid of what the others would say, when it came right down to it. She had never cared much about what other people thought, but she'd never had friends like these, either, and their opinions mattered to her. She couldn't help but remember everyone's reactions when they'd thought Andros and Ashley had slept together.

*And they're so much more--normal than us,* she thought, gazing at Saryn. Andros and Ashley were friends who were slowly realizing they loved each other. She and Saryn were very much in love--but they had never had the chance to get to know each other, let alone be friends.

She hoped that would change. She assumed that he would be around more now, but he had not given any indication of his plans for the future. She hoped, secretly, that he would stay on the Megaship--but she suspected he couldn't. He had been a loner for too long, used to getting things done his own way and with no help from anyone else.

It would be hard to watch him leave, but she had been steeling herself for it for some time now. With his promise to return soon, which she fully intended to get from him before he left, she would be able to do it.

*I hope,* she added silently.

But she remembered, suddenly, a similar promise made on Hercuron. *"I'll see you soon…"*

And he had not. He had been gone months with no word, and by his own admission, only chance had brought him back to her. *Could I stand that, again?* she wondered. The uncertainty and loneliness had been bad enough then, when she hadn't really known what she was missing. But now, after the last few days when he had been there whenever she looked for him, she wasn't sure how would deal with his absence.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't try to fight them. He wasn't awake to be hurt by them, and she could feel a familiar depression coming over her. If she told him she wanted him to stay, he might. Would the attempt be more successful than the one he had promised on Hercuron, though? He would try to do what she wanted, but he couldn't change who he was--and she wouldn't ask him to. But that didn't stop her from wanting him with her.

*How long?* she wondered, watching him shift restlessly in his sleep. *How long until you mutter something about duty and take off into the stars--alone?*

She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and she didn't bother to wipe it away. He might love her, and he might mean every word he said about wanting to spend the rest of his life with her. But the truth was that he had a one-person fighter for a reason. He didn't work as part of a team, and no matter how much he cared about her, there would always be a large part of his life that she didn't share.

A muffled shriek interrupted her thoughts, and she started. Glancing automatically toward the door, her brain caught up and identified the sound as Ashley's voice calling Andros's name. And to judge by the tone, her friend was extremely happy.

Cassie felt another tear escape even as she smiled. They were so lucky. She wondered if they had any idea how envious she was of what those two had. They could truly be everything to each other, if they so chose…

A slight movement beside her made her look down. Saryn's eyes were open and unclouded, and she wondered inadvertently what it would be like to wake up that fast.

"Andros is back," she whispered, hoping the darkness would hide her tears.

"So I guessed," he murmured, his blue eyes studying her face. "Cassie, are you--have you been crying?"

She shook her head, not trusting her voice.

He sat up, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder. She let him draw her into his embrace, resting her head on his chest and sniffling a little. "Tell me what I can do," he said quietly, touching her cheeks to wipe the tears away.

She shook her head again, catching his hand and wrapping his arm around her. "I can't," she whispered. "It's not something I can ask of you."

"Tell me," he answered immediately, hugging her closer. "Tell me, and I will do it."

She sniffed again, turning her head a little so she could hear his heartbeat. "I know," she said softly, letting the steady thrum soothe her. His freedom was his life, as much as the heart she could feel beating in his chest, and if he gave it up, he wouldn't be the same person.

Tilting her head back, she smiled up at him. "That's why I can't ask."

She lifted her hand and laid her fingers against his mouth before he could respond. Shifting her position a little, she let them slide just enough that she could kiss him. He let the kiss stay gentle, but she could feel his muscles tense with the effort it took *not* to pull her closer.

"Please tell me, Cassie," he murmured, running a hand through her hair. "All I want is for you to be happy."

She smiled at him, a little sadly. "And all I want is you."

She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him again. He closed his eyes, and she dropped her hands to his shoulders, trailing her fingers down his arms and feeling him shiver. She kissed his mouth, his jaw, his neck, and she heard him say softly, "I know what you are doing."

"Oh?" she breathed in his ear, kissing him again.

"You are trying to distract me."

Unfolding her legs, she laid them over his and rested her free hand lightly on his chest. "Is it working?" she murmured, touching his lips with her own. Feeling him start to return the kiss, she turned her head a little to kiss his cheek and temple instead. Right now, she just wanted to make him crazy enough that they could both forget about everything except each other for a while.

He didn't answer right away, but she could feel his heart pounding beneath her hand. "Saryn," she breathed, more to feel his name on her lips than anything else.

He turned his head, and she could see the answer burning in his eyes. "Yes," he whispered, lifting a hand to turn her face toward his. "It's working."

He leaned into her, pressing his lips to hers with a heat that she should have expected. But it took her breath away nonetheless, and she melted against him, abandoning her teasing for his more serious lovemaking.

***

The bright light assaulted his eyes as he stepped out into the corridor, and he winced. "Funny, DECA," TJ muttered, even though he knew the lights were no brighter than usual.

"What'd she do now?" Carlos wanted to know, and TJ looked up to see the Black Ranger emerging from his own room.

"Nothing," TJ admitted, shrugging his uniform jacket on over his shoulders. "That was just on principle."

Carlos chuckled. "Has she gotten even with you for turning her voice off yesterday?"

TJ shook his head, shooting a suspicious glance at a nearby camera. "Not yet. I'm still waiting."

"Maybe she decided to let it slide," Carlos suggested, wrapping an elastic around his dark hair.

"Oh, no," TJ said, going across the hall to knock on Cassie's door. "She's plotting something; I'm sure of it. The longer she's nice to me, the more worried I get."

"Maybe that's the plan," Carlos said. He wasn't wearing his uniform, TJ realized suddenly. The other Ranger was dressed in khaki and black again, the same as yesterday. But they had finished the repairs yesterday--maybe he was just anticipating the Megaship's return to Earth.

"What, to make me completely paranoid?" TJ asked, rapping on Cassie's door again. He wondered if she had gone back to sleep--like him, she was not by nature an early-riser, and if she were tired enough she might have ignored DECA's alarm.

"She's probably at breakfast already," Carlos offered.

TJ shrugged, turning away from his teammate's door. "Maybe."

As they walked toward the lift, Carlos picked up their original conversation again. "So why wouldn't she want to make you paranoid? It's working, isn't it? And she doesn't have to do anything at all."

"Yeah," TJ agreed, following him into the lift. "That's pretty advanced reasoning for a computer, though."

He glanced at the lift's camera out of the corner of his eye, and sure enough, the red light came on. "I have compiled psychological profiles for every person to occupy the Megaship," DECA told them calmly.

TJ couldn't help smirking. "Is that a threat?"

"It is a statement of fact," DECA replied, and the lift came to an abrupt halt.

Carlos put his hands out to steady himself, and as the doors slid open he practically dragged TJ out into the corridor. "Remind me not to be anywhere around you when you and DECA are fighting," he said wryly. "Personally, I wouldn't argue with an intelligence that can control every function on the ship."

"Someone has to," TJ said, still a little smug as he followed Carlos into the holding bay.

Ashley, Andros, and Zhane were already there, and the conversation paused as TJ and Carlos came in. "Hi, guys," Ashley greeted them cheerfully.

"Morning," TJ replied with a smile. Carlos just waved, more concerned with the Synthetron than socializing.

"Ashley says you finished the repairs yesterday," Andros said, and TJ nodded.

"We'll need to test the thruster after takeoff, but other than that, yes," he agreed. "We should be ready to go."

Ashley glanced around the table. "We're going to need another place," she said suddenly.

TJ frowned at the non sequitur. "Ash, it's too early in the morning to change subjects like that."

Carlos brought a plate over and set it down next to Ashley. "TJ, get something to eat," he ordered, obviously amused. "I'll take care of it."

TJ raised an eyebrow, watching his friend leave the table again. The Black Ranger returned a moment later with another stool, and TJ smiled in comprehension. Zhane made seven--even with enough places to sit, the table was going to be crowded.

"Where's Cassie?" Ashley asked, setting her drink down. "I thought she'd be with you guys."

Carlos frowned at her. "TJ knocked on her door, but she didn't answer." He glanced around the room, as though he expected the Pink Ranger to materialize suddenly. "We thought she was with you."

If TJ hadn't been looking directly at Ashley, he would have missed the expression that flashed across her face. For just a moment, a combination of surprise and something else he didn't recognize gave her face a look of almost comic startlement. Then it was gone, and he shook his head, wondering if he had imagined it.

Ashley pushed herself to her feet, resting a hand briefly on Andros's shoulder. "She probably just fell asleep again after DECA woke her. I'll go get her."

"Yeah, Cassie gets to sleep in," TJ grumbled good-naturedly, going over to the Synthetron. "If I tried to do that, DECA would probably play the national anthem in my ear."

"Sorry, Ash," Carlos apologized, looking up from his breakfast. "If we'd realized she wasn't here, we'd have woken her up."

"That's all right," Ashley answered quickly. "I'll be right back."

She disappeared into the hallway, and Zhane looked at Andros. "Cassie is the Pink Ranger, then?"

Andros nodded, and Carlos paused again. "That's right; you haven't met her yet," he mused.

"She dragged Phantom off to get something to eat as soon as we came back," TJ added, bringing his plate back with him to the table. He took a seat across from Carlos, next to Zhane. "He'll probably be here soon, too."

***

Ashley knocked on her friend's door, but there was no response. She knocked louder, but again got only silence. "DECA?" she asked, reminding herself that she wasn't actually asking where Cassie *was*. Somehow, it still felt like a breach of privacy. "Is Cassie in her room?"

"Cassie's room is empty," DECA replied, and Ashley sighed. Her eye was drawn, almost unwillingly, down the hall toward the next door.

*They couldn't be.* It had been the first thing she'd thought of when Carlos said that Cassie hadn't answered her door, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

On the other hand, Phantom wasn't at breakfast yet either. And they were the only two she hadn't woken when Andros surprised her a couple hours ago. *Could they?*

She hesitated, but she knew that if she didn't return with Cassie, the others would go looking for her. And if she and Phantom really were together, that would probably be the last thing Cassie wanted.

So she walked down the hall and knocked lightly on Phantom's door. To her surprise, the answer came almost immediately. "One moment, please."

Ashley wondered suddenly what she would say if Cassie were *not* with him. *Sorry, you didn't come to breakfast fast enough for us, and we thought you'd gotten lost,* she thought wryly.

Then the door slid open, and Phantom stood there, looking more human than she had ever seen him in jeans and one of Carlos's old button-up shirts. His longish hair was tousled and the shirt unbuttoned, but, despite the darkness of the room behind him, he did not blink as the light from the hallway hit his eyes.

She glanced down inadvertently, catching sight of the ugly bruises on his chest for the first time. "I'm--I'm sorry," she stammered, realizing that he had been hurt more seriously than any of them had known. He was still recovering--it wasn't surprising that he might want to sleep through breakfast.

"I didn't mean to disturb you," she continued awkwardly. "I was actually looking for Cassie…"

She trailed off, wincing as she realized how that sounded. "She didn't come to breakfast," Ashley tried to explain, "and she's not in her room. I thought you might have seen her--I'm sorry if I woke you."

The corner of his mouth quirked, and she was suddenly reminded of Andros. That thought, coupled with the shake of his head, put her a little more at ease. "You did not wake me," he assured her. "But…" He hesitated, just for a moment. "I am afraid I cannot help you find Cassie."

Ashley shifted uncomfortably, intending to apologize again. Before she could say anything, though, a sound from deeper in the room caught her attention.

"No," Cassie's voice said quietly, and there was a rustle of movement from the darkness behind him. "You don't have to lie for me."

"DECA," she added, stepping out of the shadows to stand next to Phantom. "Please turn the lights up."

DECA complied, and Ashley tried very hard not to stare. Barefoot, wearing only an oversize pink t-shirt that hung halfway to her knees, Cassie had obviously not stopped by on her way to breakfast.

"I--" Ashley tried again. "We missed you, at breakfast."

"So I heard," Cassie replied neutrally.

Ashley tried to decide whether her friend was upset or not, but she found she couldn't read Cassie's expression at all. "Are you… planning to come?"

Cassie nodded wordlessly.

"Do you want me to wait?" Ashley offered. A quick glance at Phantom revealed him watching Cassie as well.

A flicker of relief was the first readable look on her friend's face. "Would you?" she asked, and Ashley nodded emphatically.

"Of course," she said, wondering if Cassie had worried that she would think less of her. Ashley smiled, and her friend returned it, visibly relaxing.

"I'll be out in a minute," she promised, and Ashley nodded.

Only as the door slid shut again did the meaning of Cassie's words sink in. She was changing--in Phantom's room. The fact that she had clothes to change *into* meant that she had expected to spend the night there, and Ashley wondered if this was not the first time. Either that, or they had planned it in advance…

She shook her head, leaning against the corridor wall as she waited. It wasn't any of her business. The two were responsible enough to be Rangers, so she wasn't going to question the decisions they made about their love life.

*Too bad no one gave me and Andros that same courtesy,* she thought wryly, remembering the commotion they'd unwittingly caused two days ago.

That memory led inevitably to the incident that had *started* the commotion, and she smiled. Aside from his laughter the next morning, her most vivid memory of that night was waking up and finding herself mysteriously lacking for a blanket. She had slid sleepily out of bed to retrieve the one from the bunk above hers.

Turning back to him, she had caught her breath. To see Andros, so often solemn and withdrawn, curled up on her bed, all his defenses down as he slept…

She sighed, then clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized she'd done it again. *Andros,* she thought, smiling to herself. *How did you turn me into such a hopeless romantic?*

The door next to her slid open, and she realized she'd been staring at the opposite wall for the last few minutes, reliving that morning with Andros--and this one. The feel of his kiss, and his fingers in her hair… both had been wonderful, but she managed to keep herself from sighing again as Cassie stepped out into the hall.

"Hey, Cassie," she greeted her friend, pushing away from the wall. The Pink Ranger was wearing regular clothes, rather than her uniform, and Ashley couldn't help remembering how out of place Carlos had looked earlier when he'd come into the holding bay in shorts. But she didn't ask, and Cassie didn't volunteer an explanation.

"Is Phantom coming?" Ashley asked, glancing over at the closing door.

Cassie looked away, a little uncomfortably, Ashley thought. "He'll follow us in a few minutes," she said quietly, and Ashley looked at her sympathetically.

"The others could take it, you know," she told her friend gently. "They'd just want you to be happy."

Cassie shrugged, and turned away to walk toward the lift. "Ash, if it were someone else, *I* wouldn't understand. How can I expect them to?"

"Give them a little credit," Ashley reproved mildly. "We all know how you feel about him. It might seem a little--fast, I guess, but if you're happy, they'll be happy for you."

Cassie stepped into the lift without a word, and Ashley frowned a little, suddenly alarmed. "Cassie? You are happy, aren't you?"

The lift doors slid shut, and Cassie glanced over at her. The smile on her face reassured Ashley, and she nodded slightly. "I wouldn't trade what I have with him for *anything*," she said, quietly, but so fervently that Ashley couldn't doubt her.

"It's just--" She stopped, and Ashley realized they were still standing in the lift without having given it a destination.

"Deck six," she told DECA, and then gave Cassie a searching look. "It's just what?"

Cassie squeezed her eyes shut for just a second, and then met Ashley's gaze. "I'm so afraid he's going to leave," she confessed in a whisper.

Ashley's eyes widened. "He couldn't… I thought--" She stopped. Phantom had been so much a part of the team yesterday that she had almost forgotten he wasn't.

"He's always left before," Cassie said, not seeming to notice her friend's hesitation. "No matter what he says, he never stays very long…"

"But it's different now," Ashley insisted, feeling the lift come to a halt and hitting the control panel to keep the door from opening. "I mean, you two…"

She trailed off. Cassie just shook her head. "I'd like to believe that," she murmured, mustering a small smile. "I really would."

Just then, thoughts not her own intruded on Ashley's mind. *Ash?* Andros's voice asked tentatively. *Are you okay?*

She couldn't help the smile lit her face. *I'm fine,* she thought, concentrating on Andros. *We'll be there in a minute.*

*All right,* he said, his voice fading. *Sorry to bother you. *

*Andros!* She reached out, feeling as though his presence were slipping away.

It came back as strong as before, and this time she recognized the glow on the edge of her perception as him. *What?*

*Sorry,* she thought, a little sheepishly. *But you didn't bother me--and it felt weird, you going away like that.*

There was silence for a moment. *You're incredible, did you know that?* he asked finally.

She shook her head, realizing all of a sudden that Cassie was regarding her strangely. *Tell me later?* she asked, trying to divide her attention and failing miserably.

*Sure,* he answered, seeming to understand. This time she listened as his presence waned, and she realized that the glow did not fade entirely from her mind. She could almost sense him, just inside her conscious range of perception.

"Ashley?" Cassie was asking, when she focused on her friend once more. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ashley assured her. "Nothing's wrong…" She trailed off, knowing that wouldn't be answer enough. "Well--it's a secret for a secret, okay?"

She didn't have any particular reason not to tell the others, but she hoped it would make Cassie feel better. Her friend nodded immediately, and Ashley said, "You know how Andros can talk to Zhane telepathically?"

Ashley saw a flicker of comprehension in her eyes. "Don't tell me you can--"

Ashley nodded, unable to keep a happy smile off her face. "He can talk to me like that, too. And he can hear me, sometimes. He was just asking if I was okay--I guess I've been gone kind of a while."

"Just now?" Cassie repeated. "That's why you spaced on me?"

"It's hard to concentrate on two conversations at once," she tried to explain, but Cassie just grinned.

"That is so cool," her friend opined, taking her arm. "But he's right; you have been gone a long time. And I'm hungry!"

Cassie had hidden her earlier sadness, assuming the cheerful and flamboyant persona that she so often used to keep the world from seeing her real feelings. It had taken months of knowing her for Ashley to realize that it *was* a persona--a disguise for the serious person underneath. This time, though, there was nothing she could say that would comfort the girl beneath the mask.

"Me too," Ashley said with a smile, letting her friend pretend nothing was wrong. They would just have to wait and see, and if Cassie could laugh instead of crying in the meantime, it would be a good thing. She touched the control panel by the door, and they sauntered out into the corridor arm in arm.

***

Carlos looked up as Ashley's voice drifted down the hall, soon followed by her presence in the hallway outside the holding bay. Cassie was with her, and the two girls entered the room with their arms linked together.

He smiled at the display of solidarity. The two had hung out in such completely different circles before becoming Rangers that he doubted if they ever would have met each other, let alone gotten to know each other. It was good to be reminded of how strong team friendships were.

He was also relieved to notice that Cassie was wearing jean shorts and a pink butterfly t-shirt. He had hoped the clothing issue might occur to TJ and Ashley as well, but he supposed he couldn't blame them for not thinking of it. He himself had only realized this morning that out of the now seven Rangers on board, Phantom was the only one without a uniform.

It hadn't seemed to matter as much when the other Ranger was wearing his own clothes--whether they were a uniform or not, they were his. In Earth civilian clothes, though, which he could not possibly be as comfortable in, Carlos was afraid the other would feel undeniably out of place.

Belatedly, he realized that Zhane had gotten to his feet as soon as the girls entered. Carlos shot a look in TJ's direction, and saw the Blue Ranger raise an eyebrow as he returned the glance. They were rarely so polite with one another--the girls were part of the team, after all, to be treated no differently than the rest of them.

With Zhane's courtesy prodding them on, though, they scrambled to their feet as well. They were only seconds behind Andros in following his friend's example, and Ashley and Cassie regarded them all in surprise.

"Wow," Ashley said, obviously amused. "We don't get that kind of reception very often."

"I'm surprised," Zhane replied quickly, smiling at both of them. "For ladies as beautiful as yourselves, I would have thought it would be an everyday occurrence."

Carlos glanced at TJ again, and stifled a grin as the other rolled his eyes. Zhane had inspired the same reaction in him the first time, but neither Cassie nor Ashley seemed to mind much.

"Zhane," Andros interjected, taking on the task of introductions, "This is Cassie, from Earth. She's the Pink Astro Ranger."

Zhane stepped out from behind the table, and Andros added, "Cassie, this is Zhane, the Silver Astro Ranger."

Carlos noted briefly that Andros didn't give either Cassie's last name or Zhane's home planet, but the scene in front of him distracted him before he could wonder about it. Ashley had gone to stand beside Andros, leaving Cassie on her own as Zhane approached and held his hand out to her.

She smiled at him and offered her hand in return, but as Carlos had expected, the Silver Ranger did not simply shake it. Instead, he took her hand and raised it to his lips. Kissing her fingers, he told her warmly, "I'm pleased to meet you."

Phantom, unfortunately, chose exactly that moment to walk in. Carlos looked over in time to see a flicker of fierce jealousy on the other's face as he hesitated in the doorway, watching Zhane and Cassie.

Cassie probably didn't help matters by blushing. Pulling her hand away from Zhane, she murmured, "Nice to meet you too."

Phantom's expression had smoothed over almost immediately, and when Cassie glanced in his direction, his face was impassive. He entered the room calmly, as though he had not just looked like Zhane could disappear from the face of the universe without inconveniencing him in the slightest.

Andros took a step away from his own place, putting him a little closer to Zhane. He probably meant well, but from Carlos's point of view, it only looked like the Red Ranger was backing up his friend. He wondered if Andros had even noticed the sudden tension in the room.

Ashley had, if he hadn't. "Hi Phantom," she said cheerfully, before Andros could introduce him. She practically bounced over to him, hair swinging as she took his arm and pulled him forward.

*Only Ashley would dare do that,* Carlos thought, amused. Phantom did look a little surprised, but not particularly displeased.

"Phantom, this is Zhane," she said, stopping beside Cassie and just a few feet from the Silver Ranger. "Zhane, this is the Phantom Ranger."

Then she looked over at Andros and cocked her head. "How'd I do?"

Her expression was so expectant that Carlos couldn't help but grin. Andros was not immune to her charm either, of course, and the Red Ranger's lips quirked upward. He nodded to her, and she flashed a brilliant smile in his direction.

If Carlos hadn't been looking right at him, he might not have seen Andros's features soften. The look was gone as quickly as it had come, but there was no doubt about it--that smile had made their stoic leader go starry-eyed, if only for a moment.

"Just 'the Phantom Ranger'?" Zhane asked, dragging Carlos's attention back to the introductions. "No name?"

Startled, Carlos tried to glance at Phantom without the other noticing. None of them had ever questioned his apparent wish to remain anonymous, and though Carlos had wondered in the beginning, now the other Ranger had become simply "Phantom". It had been days since Carlos had considered the fact that they still didn't know his real name.

Phantom stared at Zhane, and the room suddenly seemed very quiet. "You may call me Phantom," he said at last, his tone neutral but firm enough that it was clear he would take no argument on the subject.

Zhane frowned, oblivious to the unspoken warning in Phantom's tone. "So is this a new Ranger naming system that no one told me about? Does that make me 'Silver'?"

Carlos tried very hard not to smile at Zhane's words. While his point might be valid, his tone was borderline mocking, and Carlos suspected Phantom would not react to it well.

The other Rangers could tease each other to their hearts' content, but it was obvious that Phantom had something in his past that he didn't want to talk about. The Turbo team had tried to respect his desire for privacy, and yesterday had made Carlos think that they could be friends without knowing what he was hiding. But Zhane was clearly not willing to let it lie.

Phantom continued to look at him for a moment. Then, "I would call you Silver if you wished me to," he said quietly. "I ask only that you extend to me the same courtesy."

"But why--" Zhane cut off abruptly, glancing over his shoulder. Following his gaze, Carlos saw Andros glaring at the Silver Ranger.

Reluctantly, Zhane turned back to Phantom and offered his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Phantom."

Phantom looked a little wary of Zhane's sudden change of heart, but after a moment he extended his own hand, and the two clasped wrists. *Same thing he and Andros did, a few nights ago,* Carlos noted idly. *I wonder if that's some kind of Kerovan greeting.*

"I am honored to make your acquaintance," Phantom replied, and Carlos felt his lips twitch wryly. He wondered if that had been as hard to say as it had sounded.

"Great," Ashley said happily, her enthusiasm once more dissolving the tension a little. "Does this mean we can finish eating now?"

Carlos laughed, and he saw TJ grinning. "My thoughts exactly," the Blue Ranger put in.

Zhane smiled too, but he kept his eyes on Phantom until Andros clapped his shoulder and drew him back toward the table. Ashley followed them, and Carlos pushed his dishes a little closer to hers to make room for two more at the end of the table.

She smiled her understanding and moved her stool toward the corner of the table, dragging her own plate to give him more room. The move put her that much closer to Andros, and the Red Ranger looked over at her as he sat down. "Don't I get any room?" he complained.

"You have room," Ashley countered, sitting down beside him and shifting her silverware back into position. "Just because you have issues with sharing…"

She trailed off, glancing over at him with a smile on her face. It must have been a private joke, because the instant their eyes met, he returned the smile with one of his own and reached out to squeeze her hand.

Then Cassie was sitting down on Carlos's left, and he turned to make sure she had enough room. Phantom took the place to her left, at the end of the table, and Carlos winced a little as he realized they three--in civilian clothes--had ended up next to each other. He knew none of them wanted this to look like taking sides, but the initial sparks between Zhane and Phantom had not helped the situation.

The slightly uncomfortable silence lingered for only a few seconds before TJ looked up and asked, "Hey, Zhane, can you pass me the ketchup?"

Zhane glanced around the table in confusion. "Sorry; what?"

Ashley leaned in front of Andros to grab the ketchup and pass it to TJ. "'Scuse me," she apologized, but he just smiled at her.

From Carlos's other side, Cassie laughed. "The ketchup," she repeated. "TJ puts it on everything he eats. It's kind of frightening."

"Untrue," TJ said, pointing his fork at her. "I don't, for example, put it on my scrambled eggs." He looked pointedly at her plate.

She reached across the table to snatch the ketchup from his hands. "But putting it on eggs is normal. Putting it on toast is just weird."

"Hey!" TJ exclaimed, making no move to reclaim the ketchup. "I wasn't done with that!"

She grinned at him. "If I waited till you were done, there wouldn't be any left."

TJ gave her a "very funny" look, and she passed the ketchup back. Carlos was tempted to intercept it as it went by, just to annoy TJ, but Ashley beat him to it. She had to reach in front of him to do it, but she managed to snag the ketchup from Cassie's hand before TJ could take it.

He gave a mock-exasperated sigh. "What is this, keep-away?"

Zhane glanced at Andros, and Carlos saw the two lock gazes. He paused, watching them, as Ashley and TJ sparred verbally over the ketchup. The two Kerovan Rangers seemed completely oblivious to the argument, and indeed to anything in the room except each other. He could only assume they were using the telepathy Zhane had mentioned two days before.

Still, it was a little odd, Carlos reflected as TJ managed to regain control of the ketchup once more. Zhane had been able to "talk" with Andros and still stay perfectly aware of his surroundings--why the sudden intense focus?

Ashley, no longer distracted by the ketchup fight, noticed as well. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ear. He turned his head suddenly, catching her eye with a surprised expression, and Zhane blinked.

"No offense," Ashley said, a smile on her face. "But we can't hear you guys, remember?"

Andros looked around the nearly silent table. Phantom was studiously ignoring them all, and Cassie was picking at her food while TJ and Carlos exchanged glances. The mock-fight over the ketchup notwithstanding, it was certainly one of their more strained meals. Unfortunately, no one seemed to know quite what to do about it.

"Sorry," Andros offered after a moment, looking back at Ashley. It was not a word Carlos heard him use very often, but it seemed to be answer enough for her. He didn't offer any more explanation, but she smiled at him anyway.

"It sounds like you guys finished the repairs yesterday," Andros continued a moment later, clearly determined to make up for his lack of participation in the general conversation thus far. "Will we be ready to lift off after breakfast?"

"Should be," TJ answered, pausing with his half-eaten toast in hand. He repeated what he had told them earlier, possibly for Cassie and Phantom's benefit. "I want to run a few tests on the port thruster before we leave the atmosphere, but other than that, we're good to go."

"I have done that sort of repair before," Phantom interjected. "It will hold."

"I think so too," Cassie said, looking over at him, "but the tests are routine checks for *any* damaged part of the Megaship. It'll only take a few minutes."

"After all, that's what they said about the Silver Astro powers," Zhane chimed in. "'They'll hold.' Two years after the explosion that almost burned them out, I woke up." He gave a wry smile. "It's safer not to count on anything."

Carlos was looking at his plate, so he heard Cassie's startled inhalation without seeing the expression on her face. When he did look up from his food, though, he saw an expression of pain quickly being replaced by one of anger. Both were so strange to see on her that he opened his mouth to ask what was wrong--but then she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her fingers to her temples.

"Cassie?" Ashley and Phantom asked, at the same time.

"I'm sorry," Phantom said suddenly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't realize--" He cut off abruptly, maybe realizing the others were listening intently.

Carlos frowned. *What's *he* apologizing for?*

"Ashley's the one who's supposed to be getting headaches, Cass," TJ reminded her jokingly, but his expression was worried too. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, letting her hands fall and managing a smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. You're right; it's just a headache--must have hit my head on something yesterday without realizing it."

"You should have DECA check you out," Ashley said, obviously concerned.

Cassie caught Phantom's eye, and to Carlos's surprise, she nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think I will. 'Scuse me, guys; I'll be right back."

As quickly as that, she had gone. By the time she returned, the conversation had shifted back to yesterday's repairs, and TJ was recounting the story of breaking Cassie's morpher.

Carlos looked around as he heard her reenter the bay, and she gave them all a thumbs up sign and a smile. Reading that to mean nothing wrong, TJ went on with his story and kept most of the table amused while they finished eating.

Something about the Blue Ranger made him a terrific storyteller--his presentation, or his dry humor… Carlos wasn't sure what it was, but he was glad TJ had finished his breakfast first. His words kept the rest of the team occupied with something other than themselves, which seemed to be a good thing.

*It's almost like it was with Andros in the beginning,* Carlos thought, looking around covertly and seeing the awkwardness of the Rangers at the table. Everyone seemed to be trying not to look at someone else--and Zhane and Phantom seemed to be the focal points of the discomfort.

*One, we could have dealt with,* Carlos thought. *One or the other--but both?* He caught TJ's eye as the other Ranger launched into a description of various failings of the safety harnesses they had had to use to fix the second hull breach. *Both of them will certainly make life interesting.*