Disclaimer: Anybody who wants to sue over the fact that I don't own either Power Rangers or Matchbox 20 might possibly have a little too much time on their hands.

Without You
by Starhawk

"She was in our custody for only three of your hours before our defenses were compromised, allowing her to teleport out," Cetaci told the Red Astro Ranger.

"Ecliptor," Carlos muttered, just as the Blue Aquitian Ranger added something under his breath about debugging the security systems.

In the shade of the lakeside clearing, Phantom smiled a little at Billy Cranston's annoyance. Apparently the field-testing done to date on the Aquitian seaship had not included a shakedown of their prisoner containment facilities.

On the other hand, they had probably not been expecting to catch Dark Spectre's pet villainess off guard.

Cetaci passed the locket to Andros, who clenched his fingers around it and stared at the White Ranger. "You said she left it behind?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

Cetaci turned her head to regard one of her teammates, and Cestria stepped forward. From her explanation, it seemed Astronema had not had much choice in the matter. Phantom and Andros had both aided the Aquitian team of a year and a half ago, and apparently Cestria had remembered Andros's locket. Recognizing its duplicate, she had--in her own words--forced Astronema to part with it.

"Thank you," Andros said, lifting the gold pendant a little and nodding to her. "This means a great deal to me--though I would give even more to know how she got it."

"As would I," Cestria agreed, her soft features sympathetic.

Andros was staring at the glittering object in his hand, apparently oblivious to her words. Ashley put a hand on his shoulder, but to Phantom's surprise, the Red Ranger shrugged it off. He did not move away, but the distance between him and the others had grown in the past few minutes.

His visor's peripheral vision caught TJ's sudden movement, and the Blue Ranger said apologetically, "I hate to run out on everyone like this, especially now, but Carlos and I really need to get to class."

"And we should be on our way as well," Aura added. "Aquitar has been a long time without its Rangers."

Ashley looked at Andros, but he did not look up. "We really appreciate you covering for us," she said after a moment's pause. "Without you, we wouldn't have been able to take the chance of leaving Earth."

Her smile was sincere, and if Phantom hadn't known better, he wouldn't have had any idea that she was worrying over Andros. "The honor was ours," Cetaci replied, with a slight smile. She stepped forward and held out her hand.

Phantom tried not to let his surprise show--and then he realized it didn't matter, since none of them could see his expression anyway. Cetaci was a relatively new addition to the team, and to his knowledge, she had not interacted with Earth Rangers before this.

*Except Billy,* he thought, in sudden comprehension. Of course. The Blue Aquitian Ranger would have acquainted her with some of the more prevalent traditions on his home planet.

Ashley returned the handshake with a smile, and followed it by echoing the Aquitian gesture of respect. The other Aquitians stepped forward to take their leave of the Earth Rangers, but Billy's old teammates were far less formal. They engulfed their friend in hugs and even went so far as to make Cestria promise to take care of him--to Billy's obvious embarrassment.

The Yellow Aquitian Ranger just laughed and agreed, and Billy finally managed to extract himself from his friends' well wishing. Cestria put an arm around his waist, though, and he smiled at her as he turned to Phantom. "You'll come with us, I hope?" he asked.

Phantom froze, and he saw Cassie look up. "Zordon's been asking for you," Billy continued, oblivious to their reactions. "His release shifted the balance of power, and to be honest I think we're going to need someone with your diplomatic experience over the next few days."

The words he had said to Cassie in the Power Chamber all those months ago rang in his mind, haunting him. *"I go where I am needed."* He had known, even this time, that he could not stay with these people who had welcomed him--but he had not truly been prepared to leave them.

Still--*"I go where I am needed."* Phantom nodded slowly, feeling the last few days evaporating even as he did so. "I will accompany you."

It could have been his imagination, but for a moment he could almost feel Cassie's dismay. He looked in her direction and found her watching him with an expression frighteningly similar to the one that had been on her face this morning: pained resignation. He realized, too late, that this was what she had been dreading--the time when something more important to him than she was would take him away… again.

*But it isn't!* he wanted to cry. She was everything that mattered in his life, and this *wasn't* more important. The Aquitian Rangers had been the closest thing to friends that he had allowed himself to have for years--but if his sense of duty had permitted it, he would gladly have told them to solve their own problems, that he might stay here with Cassie.

"We will wait for you on the seaship," Cestria said, and he barely nodded to her, unable to tear his gaze away from Cassie's.

Then Carlos was there, with words that would have astonished him under other circumstances. "It was good to have you on the team," the Black Ranger told him.

"We'll see you again soon," TJ said, giving him a warning look that said they'd *better*.

Ashley echoed their sentiments, and he nodded to them as well, watching Cassie walk slowly toward him. The Aquitians turned into colored water molecule shapes and disappeared, while the other Rangers, past and present, gathered for a moment on the other side of the clearing. But he had eyes only for the dark-haired beauty in front of him.

She just looked at him for a moment, not speaking, and a breeze whispered through the clearing. It tugged at her hair and stirred the shade, letting sunlight sparkle in her eyes for a moment. But she seemed hesitant to touch him in his armor, and he couldn't stand the way his visor made her look farther away from him than she really was.

With a thought, he let his Ranger uniform dissolve, not caring what the others might think. "Cassie," he whispered, reaching out to stroke her hair.

She stepped into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him without a word. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, closing his eyes as her sadness suddenly hit him.

She shook her head a little, her hair whisper-soft against his face. "I knew you'd leave," she murmured. "I knew… I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

That hurt. The fact that she had been so certain he would leave hurt, but he couldn't blame her. After all, he was, wasn't he? Here he was, after all his promises, leaving her again.

"I promised myself I wouldn't ask you to stay," she said quietly. "But--" She pulled away, just enough to catch his eye. "You *will* come back, won't you? Sometime?"

He felt his expression twist. What had he done to her, that she had to ask a question like that? "I will, Cassie," he promised, praying that she could see how much he meant it. "I swear that I'll come back to you. Soon."

She tried to smile. "All right," she whispered, taking a step back. "You'd better go, then. They're waiting for you."

"Cassie," he said, aware that he was saying her name at every opportunity, as though it could somehow keep her from slipping away from him. "DECA has the emergency transmission code for my starfighter. I want you to get it from her, and I want you to use it. A lot. This afternoon, tonight, tomorrow morning… please? I do not want to go without hearing your voice."

This time, he thought her smile was real. "I will," she said, leaning forward again to kiss him.

He closed his eyes, hoping it would not be long before he felt her tender touch again. *Thank you for believing me, yet again,* he thought, as she pulled away. *It's true this time; I promise you.*

"Goodbye, Saryn," she said softly. "I love you."

"And I will never stop loving you," he replied, staring at her a moment longer, drinking in her radiant beauty before it had to be filtered through his visor.

Finally, he lifted a hand to the ruby around his neck, realizing only then that the two of them were alone in the clearing. The armor surrounded him once again, and he nodded slowly to her. "Never forget, Cassie."

"I won't if you won't," she whispered, and he smiled in spite of himself.

"I couldn't," he told her, and he let the dark red of teleportation carry him away before it became impossible to leave.

***

Andros was alone on the Bridge. He knew Ashley was worried about him, and he knew it had been rude to leave when the Aquitians did. He knew she and Zhane had been left to make his excuses to the former Earth Rangers, and he knew that he had teleported out without even a word of parting to Saryn.

Yet he sat here, gazing blankly out at the stars. He clutched Kerone's locket in one hand, while his own hung heavy around his neck. She was the first one he had failed, all those years ago.

Though she was no closer now than she had been since the day she was kidnapped, her memory haunted him more strongly than ever. He had hoped that wherever she was, the locket had been with her to serve as a memory of those who had never stopped loving her. To find that Astronema had had it all this time…

Nothing was different now, he supposed. So she didn't have her locket. She had probably been without it for years, and he had been none the wiser. Wherever and however his sister was, she was unaffected by his discovery. But how could he go on with *his* life as though nothing had changed?

***

"Hey, Carlos!"

Carlos slammed his trig book shut and stuffed it into his backpack. "Yeah," he said, not looking up as he gathered his notes, review assignment, and pencil into another pile and shoved that into his bag as well.

"Well, you're in a good mood," Karen remarked wryly, leaning against the desk beside his. "Get up on the wrong side of bed this morning?"

He couldn't help smiling. "Sorry. I just can't believe I spent three hours of a beautiful summer afternoon studying trig."

"I'll second that," TJ agreed, from behind them. "Let's go hit the beach. You want to come, Karen?"

She shook her head. "Can't. I have to work the rest of the afternoon, but thanks. I was just wondering if you two wanted to join us at my house tonight for a last minute study session."

"Sure," Carlos answered, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Count me in," TJ added. "I could use all the help I can get."

"Great," Karen said cheerfully, straightening up. "Sarah and Lindsey are coming too, and if everyone wants to chip in, maybe we can get some pizza or something."

TJ chuckled. "Good, because I don't cram half as well without food."

Karen gave him a friendly shove as she squeezed past. "See you around seven, then," she called over her shoulder.

"We'll be there," Carlos replied, and TJ lifted his hand to wave.

The two Rangers followed more slowly, leaving the classroom and heading down the hall toward the main doors. "Just think," TJ said suddenly. "No more trig classes for the rest of our lives."

Carlos grinned. "That does sound good. Let's get out of here."

"No argument here," TJ said fervently, as they stepped out into the sunshine. "Thanks for driving, by the way."

"No problem," Carlos said, fishing his keys out of his pocket. He unlocked TJ's door and tossed his bag into the back seat, then went around to the driver's side. "It's less conspicuous than teleporting, at least."

The beach was packed when they arrived, which didn't really surprise Carlos. It was, after all, the second to last Friday afternoon before school started, and the youth of Angel Grove were out in full force. He was a little taken aback at the sight of so many people, though, after an isolated week on the Megaship.

"Hey, I think that's them down by the water," TJ said, shading his eyes and pointing toward the shoreline.

Carlos shook his head, not asking how TJ could tell. He had accepted long ago that his friend's vision was unusually good, and it was certainly helpful in situations like this. "Lead the way," he invited, and they made their way through the sunbathing throngs to the water's edge.

"Hey!" Zhane saw them first, a grin lighting his face as he waved. He looked almost Californian himself, with his bleached blond hair, shorts and loose fitting white tank top.

*White?* Carlos wondered. It must be close enough to silver for Zhane, but he couldn't imagine where the outfit had come from.

"Hi guys!" Ashley called, looking up from where she was talking with Kat. "How'd class go?"

TJ dropped to the ground beside her with an exaggerated groan. "Don't talk to me about class. Where's Andros?"

Ashley sighed, as Carlos claimed a spot on the blanket someone had laid out on the ground. "I don't know," she admitted. "I thought he'd been done moping by now."

Carlos gave her a surprised look. The mere fact that she would say something like that was some indication of how frustrated she was. "Want me to see if I can find him?" he offered.

But Ashley shook her head. "No, I've been meaning to ask DECA where he is. I'm going to see if I can talk some sense into him."

"That's the spirit," Kat said, her Australian accent as noticeable now as it had been when Carlos first met her. "You can never leave depressed boyfriends alone for too long."

"Not that you would know, right, Kat?" her boyfriend added with a grin.

"Of course not," she replied, giving him a secretive smile. "But we wouldn't trade them for anything in the world."

Getting to her feet, Ashley sighed. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Zhane shot a concerned look in her direction. "Do you want some help? He really does need to get his mind off that locket."

She shook her head, but she did smile at him. "That's all right; thanks. If I can't get him down here, I'll call you."

Carlos watched her go, knowing that they would be seeing the Red Ranger soon. When Ashley turned the full force of her charm on someone, she was very hard to resist--and the look on her face said that she wasn't planning to take "no" for an answer.

***

He was slumped in the pilot's chair on the Megaship's Bridge, staring down at the necklace Cetaci had given him. His own locket hung loose over his shirt, and there was a look of heartbreaking sadness on his face.

Ashley sighed. She had definitely left him alone too long.

"Andros," she said quietly, moving across the Bridge to stand behind him. He didn't stir.

She dropped her hands onto his shoulders, and felt him tense involuntarily. He relaxed a split second later, and she started to massage his shoulders and neck. "What are you thinking about?" she murmured.

He didn't answer right away, but when he did, it was a single word. "Kerone."

"Do you think she's really any better or worse off now that you have her locket?" Ashley asked gently.

He shook his head. "No… but it's still my fault."

She didn't understand how his sister's kidnapping could possibly be his fault, and she told him so. Then, before he could answer, she added, "The only person you're affecting with this guilt is you, Andros. You're not helping her, and you're only hurting yourself."

"I know," he said, after a moment, and she looked down at him in surprise.

"Then why are you sitting up here all alone?" she wanted to know, kneading her fingers against his back.

He shook his head slightly. "I… I don't know."

Then, in her head, she heard, *I can't think. You're distracting me.*

Her hands stilled for a moment. She hadn't realized he was even paying attention to the shoulder rub, let alone being distracted by it. "Well, good," she said, with a private smile as she resumed her ministrations. "That was sort of the point."

He just sat there for a moment, not protesting as her hands soothed the muscles in his upper back. *That feels really good,* he thought at last, and she smiled again, wondering if he didn't trust his voice.

"Good," she whispered, letting her arms slide forward to wrap him in a hug. "So you're going to come down to the beach with us, right?"

He sighed, and she heard him think, *Not fair…*

She turned her head to kiss his temple. "It's as fair as you sitting up here, beating yourself up over something that isn't your fault."

"All right," he muttered out loud. "I'm coming."

Before he could move, she reached her arm forward and plucked the locket out of his loose fingers. "Let me keep this safe for you," she asked quietly, hoping he would understand why she was asking. "Just for a little while."

He didn't answer immediately, but neither did he move to take it back. Finally, Andros nodded, and she slipped it into her pocket. "Thank you," she murmured, knowing how much trust it had taken for him to let her do that. She had had to, though--as long as he had it on his person, he wouldn't be able to stop think about it.

"Now go change," she said with a smile, straightening up. "I'll wait, and we'll go join the others.

"Oh, and Andros?" He glanced over his shoulder at her as he stood, and her smile widened. "No one wears jeans to the beach."

***

The sun beat down on the crowded beach, reflecting off the sand to warm the air twice over. Andros was almost glad Ashley had made him wear shorts--even he would have been uncomfortably warm in jeans this afternoon.

He was also glad that she hadn't let go of his hand since they teleported down just outside of the public parking area. He hadn't seen this many people in one place in a long time, and though he would never admit it, it was a little intimidating. But Ashley seemed to know where they were going, and he let her lead him without question.

*Hey, Andros!* He heard Zhane call to him, but it took a moment to locate the Silver Ranger. Looking irritatingly comfortable in Earth civilian clothes, his friend was lounging on a multicolored blanket spread on the sand just above the tide line.

Ashley waved, and he saw TJ and Carlos down on the packed sand closer to the water, along with two of the former Rangers that had been with Justin earlier. Just as he identified them, he heard Carlos yell, "Ashley, catch!"

Andros ducked instinctively as the projectile came flying toward them, but Ashley let go of his hand and dove after it. The plastic disk collided with her hands, and she held it aloft triumphantly. "A little more warning would have been nice!" she shouted back.

She tossed it back to him, and grabbed Andros's hand again. "Come on," she said, her eyes sparkling at him. "Want to play?"

He hesitated, glancing back toward where Zhane was stretched out on the blanket. His friend was watching him with a grin on his face. "Play what?" Andros asked at last.

"Frisbee," Ashley said, as though that should have been self-explanatory. Seeing his confusion, she added, "It's just catch, only you use a frisbee instead of a ball.

"TJ!" she called, waving her arm to get his attention. The Blue Ranger tossed the disk to her and she caught it, one-handed, out of the air. "TJ has better aim than Carlos," she confided to him quietly, and he smiled at her amusement, even though he had no idea what she was talking about.

"This is a frisbee," she told him, holding it out for inspection. She wrapped her fingers around the edge and curled it along her wrist, simultaneously letting go of his hand and taking a few steps back. "You throw it like this."

She tossed it to him with a flick of her wrist, and he caught it automatically, looking down at the disk in surprise. "Here," Ashley said, coming back to show him how to hold it.

By that time, the other Rangers had realized what was happening, and they were making their way across the sand in Andros's direction. But all he could think about was how good Ashley's hands felt on his arm as she tried to adjust his grip for him.

"No, silly," she said, laughing at him. "Just relax; I'll show you." She pried his hand away from the frisbee and stepped closer, shoulder to shoulder as she reached across to arrange his fingers.

"Hey, Andros," TJ called cheerfully, and Andros looked up, not sure whether he should be grateful for the distraction or disappointed by it.

"There you go," Ashley said, finally satisfied. "Throw it to TJ," she suggested, demonstrating the gesture with her left hand.

TJ overheard her and stopped where he was, waiting. Andros tried to imitate Ashley's action, flinging the frisbee away from him and a little upward. It wasn't as easy as it looked, and he glared at the disk as it wobbled, correcting its trajectory with telekinesis before he realized what he was doing.

"Hey, good shot, Andros!" Carlos came up behind TJ and stole the frisbee from him, tossing it to one of the other Rangers converging on the little group.

"You cheated," Ashley whispered, her voice amused, and he shrugged. He hadn't meant to, but with her standing so near and watching his every move, he had done it without thinking.

Then the others were too close for them to talk without being overheard, and Ashley took a single step away so she wasn't quite so close. "Kat, Tommy," she said, as the two unfamiliar Rangers joined them, "this is Andros." She looked over her shoulder automatically, but there was no one else near enough to make out her next words. "He's our Red Ranger."

"Glad to meet you, man," the boy said, holding out his hand and offering a smile. "I'm Tommy."

Andros took his hand, nodding to him, and saw Ashley exchange glances with the girl out of the corner of his eye. Then she stepped forward, and her smile was as warm and friendly as Ashley's as she held out her hand. "I'm Kat," she told him. "It's nice to finally meet you, Andros."

She spoke differently than the others, and he didn't quite know what to make of her words, but the other Astro Rangers trusted them, and that was enough for him. As he clasped her hand, Ashley added, "Kat and Tommy were the Red and Pink Turbo Rangers before Cassie and TJ."

That didn't surprise him in the least. Traces of their colors still lingered in their clothes, though without the Power, it had to be a matter of preference--or pride--rather than compulsion. "You chose your successors well," he told them solemnly. "My teammates have never let me down."

Something about that made Ashley turn and smile her sun-bright smile at him, and he felt his insides go weak. He wanted suddenly to kiss her, and though it didn't really seem appropriate, he wondered what would happen if he did.

But then she was looking away, shading her eyes with her hand as she looked out over the water, and the spell was broken. "There's Justin out there," she said, pointing. "You know him, of course, but that's Rocky with him."

"Rocky's teaching Justin to bodysurf," Kat explained, following Ashley's gaze. "You'll have to wait till they get tired to meet him, I think."

"Yeah--or hungry," Tommy added with a grin. Then, without warning, he slapped Kat with the frisbee and took off. "You're It!" he called over his shoulder.

"Hey--" The blonde girl chased after him immediately, almost as though she'd been expecting that.

"Frisbee freeze tag!" TJ shouted, backing away.

Andros looked to Ashley for an explanation, but she was taking her sandals off and tossing them in the general direction of the blanket. Then she grabbed his hand and tugged him with her as she raced across the sand. "Come on!" she called, laughing, and he followed her toward the water.

When she judged them far enough from the group she slowed, and turned to him. "Whatever you do," she said with a grin, "don't let Kat touch you. If you're not holding the frisbee when she tags you, you're frozen, and if you are, then you're It, which means you have to tag *us*. Understand?"

He shook his head. "No."

She giggled. "That's all right; neither does anyone else. Run!"

He looked up to see Kat coming after them, but he didn't move quickly enough. Her fingers just brushed his shoulder, and he stopped. "You're frozen, Andros," she told him breathlessly, smiling. "Don't move until someone else tags you."

He nodded, and she turned to chase Ashley. The Yellow Ranger had somehow gotten the frisbee, and when she saw Kat coming after her she turned and ran for the water. The former Pink Ranger, also barefoot, followed her without hesitation. Ashley sped up, surf splashing around her ankles and hair flying behind her as she dashed along the shore.

He was so caught up in watching her that he didn't even hear TJ coming up behind him. A hand on his shoulder startled him, and he whirled. "You're unfrozen," the Blue Ranger informed him with a grin. "But if you'd rather stare at Ashley, I can pretend I didn't tag you."

He tried not to blush, glancing involuntarily after Ashley again. Tommy was suddenly there, and she threw the frisbee to him, veering deeper into the water as Kat went after him instead. Tommy had to slow to catch the frisbee, and she caught up to him easily, throwing her arms around him in what looked more like a tackle than a tag.

*They're… a couple,* Andros realized suddenly, as Tommy just laughed and put his arms around her in return. He wondered if everyone had known that but him.

"Time!" Ashley yelled, wading out of the water with a younger boy in tow.

"Hey, Justin!" TJ shouted, waving to the former Blue Ranger. Another boy, whom Andros assumed to be Rocky, trailed them out of the ocean as well, and everyone seemed to forget the game as they converged on their friends.

Andros found himself in the middle of more introductions, but it was Ashley he was watching out of the corner of his eye. She seemed distracted by something, and finally she asked, "Has anyone heard from Cassie?"

"She said she had something important to do," Justin said with a shrug.

"Actually," TJ said, looking a little sheepish, "I called the Megaship to find out where she was a little while ago. DECA said she was at Ashley's house, and I figured she wanted to be alone."

Ashley sighed. "Maybe," she admitted. "But maybe she needs company more than anything… I'm going to go check on her."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and Carlos nodded slowly at her. TJ looked a little relieved, and Tommy and Kat exchanged glances. Ashley put a hand on Andros's shoulder as she walked past, and she said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear, "I'll be back in time for dinner; don't forget."

He smiled after her, and she waved her fingers at him as she left.

"Wow," Rocky said, looking around at the suddenly solemn group of friends. "What did we walk into the middle of?"

***

The driveway was empty when Ashley pulled in, but she called out as she entered the house anyway. "Hello?" she said, dropping her keys on the counter in the kitchen. She peeked into the living room as she walked past, but her brother was nowhere to be seen.

*Must still be lifeguarding,* she thought, glancing at her watch. She wasn't too sure of his schedule these days.

She paused outside the guestroom, hearing music playing within. Ashley lifted her hand to knock before she recognized the band. *Matchbox 20,* she thought, grimacing a little. *That's not a good sign.*

She rapped on the door, but there was no answer. She knocked louder, wondering if Cassie simply couldn't hear her over the music. There was still no reply, and Ashley pushed the door open a crack. "Cassie?" she called.

The lack of response was starting to worry her, and she nudged the door the rest of the way open. Cassie was sitting on her futon, staring out the window--with Phantom's tunic wrapped around her. She didn't turn as the door opened, and she remained silent and motionless as Ashley entered the room.

The words blaring from the speakers suddenly penetrated her brain, "I don't know why you couldn't just stay with me; you couldn't stand to be near me--" and Ashley frowned.

Walking quickly across the room, she silenced the CD player with a touch. "Cassie," she repeated, turning back to her friend. "You know he didn't want to go…"

The Pink Ranger didn't move. Ashley sighed, going over to stand beside her. She touched her friend's shoulder lightly. "Cass?"

Cassie turned her head a little, but her eyes didn't quite meet Ashley's. Her gaze was so dispassionate, so unfocused, that Ashley's eyes narrowed. She wondered suddenly if it was more than depression. "Cassie--you *are* wearing something pink under that shirt, aren't you?"

Very slowly, still staring at a point just beyond Ashley's right shoulder, Cassie shook her head.

Ashley glared at her. No wonder her friend was so spacey. She could understand the desire to wrap herself in his color; she herself had never liked red much, but more and more recently she'd found herself drawn to it. But yellow was *her* color, and without it, she could be as disconnected and out of it as Cassie seemed now.

She went over to Cassie's closet without a word. Finding an old flannel shirt that her friend had had before she'd become a Ranger, she pulled it out and looked around for the shirt Cassie had been wearing this morning.

"Here," she said, going back to the futon. "If you have to wear something black, wear this." The flannel was a dull pink, interlaced with black. "But put your t-shirt back on first."

Cassie just looked at them. "I mean it, Cassie," Ashley said sternly. "I'm not leaving until you change."

Cassie hesitated another moment, then started to shrug out of Phantom's tunic. Ashley offered silent thanks as her friend pulled her t-shirt on over her head, and she held out the flannel. The other girl took it, but she made no move to put it on.

"Cassie?" Ashley asked, sitting down beside her. "It's not a great fashion statement, I know, but if it will make you feel better…"

Cassie lifted her head, but she didn't look at Ashley. Instead, her eyes seemed riveted on something across the room, and Ashley automatically followed her gaze.

The Pink Ranger didn't keep her room on the Megaship very neat, but she hadn't truly been living on Earth since the beginning of the summer, and there was relatively little clutter on the top of her bureau. The only thing that caught Ashley's eye was the little box, flaps open but facing away from her.

Glancing at Cassie, she got up and went over to pick it up. The brand name meant nothing to her, but underneath, her eyes widened at the words "oral contraceptives". "Are these--" She stopped, feeling foolish. Of course they were birth control pills.

"They said…" She looked up as Cassie spoke for the first time since Ashley had entered the room. "They said within seventy-two hours."

"Seventy-two hours for what?" Ashley asked gently, setting the box down.

Cassie swallowed. "You can take them retroactively."

*Morning after pills,* Ashley realized. "Oh, Cassie…"

She went back to the futon and sat beside her friend again, putting her arms around her and hugging her hard. "It's all right, Cassie," she whispered, feeling a flash of resentment for Phantom. He was the one she really needed right now. "You're not pregnant; I promise."

"You don't know that," Cassie said quietly. "What if I was? What would I do? Saryn couldn't handle something like that, and I couldn't do it alone…"

"You're *not* alone," Ashley whispered fiercely, hugging her friend tighter. "None of us would ever let you face that by yourself." *None of *us* would,* she repeated silently, thinking more dark thoughts about Phantom.

She heard her friend sniff, and she knew Cassie was trying not to cry. "It's okay," she murmured soothingly, rubbing her back. "It's going to be okay."

Cassie sniffed again, and Ashley heard her whisper, "He left. He left *again*…" She swallowed, and added softly, "I love him so much… and sometimes I don't think he even cares."

"That's not true," Ashley told her. "You *know* he cares. Leaving hurt him too, you know that; I could see it on his face." *And that's the only reason I'm not going to hurt him next time I see him for doing this to you,* she added silently.

"But he did it anyway," Cassie murmured. "He's gone again. I don't even know when I'll see him…"

Ashley had no answer for that, so she just held onto her friend, trying to remind her that there were some people who would always be there for her. She couldn't even imagine how hard it would be not to have the certainty she had with Andros. However things went, he would be at her side, and the next morning he would wake up just down the hall.

Arms around Cassie, she could feel the smaller girl shaking with silent tears. Ashley just held her, and finally she felt the Pink Ranger take a deep breath and calm a little. "What if he doesn't come back?" Cassie asked in a small voice, pulling away from Ashley's embrace. "What will I do?"

"You *will* see him again," Ashley said firmly, taking the flannel shirt from Cassie's hands and draping it around her friend's shoulders. "He'll be back. And in the meantime, you'll have us. Come on down to the beach, Cassie," she pleaded. "Everyone's there, and it'll cheer you up a little."

Cassie hesitated, and Ashley knew she didn't really want to be alone. "Come on," she repeated, standing up and clasping her friend's hands. Cassie let Ashley pull her to her feet, and Ashley put an arm around her shoulder as she led her out of the room.

***

"Are you sure you don't want something to eat?" TJ asked, dropping down beside Cassie on the lee side of the breakwater.

She looked away from the cheerful chaos that was too many Rangers trying to organize themselves onto one large beach blanket. Tanya and Adam had joined their former teammates, along with two people TJ had never met before today, and the group had grown into quite a crowd. "Yeah," she said, smiling a little at him. "I'm not really hungry; thanks."

His first thought was that she was depressed about Phantom's departure, and he thought she had every right to be. He had taken the other Ranger's unmorphed state as an indication that he wanted to try and develop his relationship with Cassie, and TJ knew that she wanted nothing more.

He had been surprised this morning when their display on the Bridge had not bothered him. Rather, he had felt something akin to gladness that the two seemed to have reached an understanding that, despite their different backgrounds, was solid enough to build on. But then this afternoon…

What could possibly have made Phantom agree to go with the Aquitians? He couldn't really be the only one with the necessary experience, and even from across the clearing, TJ had been able to see that it tore him up inside to leave. But he had, and the Blue Ranger wouldn't have blamed Cassie for being upset.

As he looked at her more closely, though, he was sure she was a little more pale than usual. Her posture, too, indicated something other than emotional distress. "Cass, are you okay?" he asked, watching her for a reaction.

She hesitated. "I'm all right," she answered at last. "I just don't feel so great; that's all."

That struck him as odd, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. "I'm sorry to hear it," he said, patting her shoulder. "You want DECA to check you out?"

That was when he realized what was strange. Ever since becoming Rangers, they had rarely gotten sick. It was as though they were immune to the common colds and viruses floating around the city, and TJ wondered if the Power protected them in ways other than simply healing them more quickly when they were injured.

Cassie shook her head. "I'm probably just tired. But thanks."

Carlos waved in their direction, and TJ glanced down at his watch. "Me and Carlos need to get moving," he said apologetically, not wanting to leave her here without any of her own teammates for company. Andros and Ashley had left more than an hour ago, and she didn't really seem to be in a mood to socialize with those who remained. "Maybe you should head back to the Megaship and get some extra sleep."

"Actually… I thought I'd sleep at Ashley's tonight," Cassie said, and he smiled.

"That's probably the best place you can go if you're not feeling well," he agreed. The Hammonds would take care of her. "Want us to drop you off?"

To his surprise, she shook her head. "Thanks, but I kind of feel like walking."

"From here? Cassie, it's four miles!"

She shrugged. "I'll cut through the park. I think I just need to clear my head a little."

TJ glanced out across the water, to where the sun hung low on the horizon. It would stay light for hours more, and she could certainly defend herself if she got into trouble. But she had already admitted to not feeling well, and he couldn't help but think that it wasn't a good idea for her to go walking alone--even if the Megaship was only a call away, it would still take time to alert the other Rangers if quantrons appeared…

Footsteps in the sand drew his attention back to the breakwater, and he looked up to find Carlos standing beside them. Zhane was right behind him, blinking sleepily and looking oddly opposite to the Black Ranger with his white shirt and blond hair. "Ready to go?" Carlos asked, and Zhane yawned.

"I am," he said, before TJ could answer. "Man, hypersleep really confuses your internal clock. I think I'm going to head back to the Megaship and get some sleep."

Glancing over at Cassie, he knew she could tell what he was thinking even before he spoke. "No," she said firmly. "I'll be fine, TJ; stop worrying."

But it didn't keep him from asking. "Hey, Zhane," he said casually, raking his fingers through the sand at his feet. "How would you feel about going for a little walk first?"

"TJ," Cassie complained. "I don't need a bodyguard."

Zhane looked from one to the other, obviously confused. "I'm not saying you do," TJ insisted. "I just want you to have some company on your way home. You said yourself you're not feeling well, and if Astronema decides to send down quantrons, I don't want you to have to fight alone."

"Think of me as a conversation partner," Zhane said, offering a hand to help her up as he finally caught on. "No one as beautiful as yourself should be without an escort anyway."

Cassie sighed, but TJ saw her lips twitch at Zhane's words. "Oh, all right," she muttered. She took Zhane's hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"Be safe," Carlos told them, and she smiled.

"You too. Study hard," Cassie added, and TJ sighed in mock-annoyance at the reminder.

"Just how I wanted to spend *my* Friday night…"