Close As You
by Starhawk

Irini was already on the downward arch of its journey across the sky. The blue-green planet's nearly full face could be seen sweeping toward the horizon over the river's west bank, glowing with a luminescence sufficient to obscure all but the brightest stars.

Despite the lateness of the hour, however, Andros found himself staring up at the cobalt sky, eyes wide open and as far from sleep as he was when the sun had been up. He knew he had dozed since lying down to sleep, but he knew too that he had not closed his eyes for more than a few hours at a time.

He was simply too miserable to dream for long. His head ached with an overwhelming pain, and now his back was beginning to hurt as well. Lying down was incredibly uncomfortable, but he had tried sitting up, and that was even worse.

So he lay by the river, staring up at the sky and listening to the sounds of nocturnal life on Irini's largest moon. The soft chirps and squeaks might have been comforting, and he knew the sound of running water ought to soothe him. But neither offered any solace from the pounding of his head.

*Ashley?* he thought, knowing she would not thank him if he woke her up but unable to keep himself from trying. He refused to take another pain reliever until his head was clear enough to exchange thoughts, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand this.

To his immense relief, he heard her stir. "Andros?" she murmured sleepily.

*Can you hear me?* he asked, holding his breath.

"Yeah," she said, still sounding drowsy. "What's wrong?"

His head throbbed, and he let his breath out in a sigh. At least, it was supposed to be a sigh--as pain stabbed through his brain, it turned into a whimper.

The quiet sound must have brought Ashley the rest of the way awake, for she was at his side in an instant. "Andros," she whispered, her fingers curling around his hand. "Are you all right?"

He didn't even try to nod. "I'm okay," he managed to whisper. "I'm trying to reach Zhane."

She fell silent. Her hand tightened on his, but she said nothing more while he concentrated as hard as he could on his best friend. It was hard to think properly through the pain, but *she* had heard him, for the first time since he had taken that pain reliever. Zhane should be even easier to reach.

*Zhane,* he thought desperately, reaching for his friend's steady presence. They had been able to hear each other for almost as long as he could remember, and he knew he was trying harder than he should have to.

Despite his effort, silence was his only answer.

*Zhane,* he tried again. He could sense his friend--the feeling was faint and almost intermittent, but it should have been enough. It would be night on the Megaship as well, but sleep had never been enough to separate them before.

*Even Ashley woke up when I called her,* he thought, not giving up on Zhane yet. *Both times…*

He had awoken her once by accident, and then again, just now. And he and Zhane had roused each other from sleep countless times over the years, sometimes legitimately, sometimes not. But never had an attempt by one of them to reach the other failed.

"Andros?" Ashley whispered, her tone worried.

He felt her fingers brush his cheek, and only then did he realize that tears had gathered in his eyes. He blinked them away furiously, frustrated that something so simple as a headache could provoke such a reaction.

As though to emphasize that point, the pain he had been able to ignore for a few brief seconds intensified. He must have cried out, for Ashley leaned instinctively closer. "Andros," she whispered urgently.

"I--" He struggled to sit up, knowing it wouldn't help but wanting *any* kind of change at this point. The pain was wearing him down, and he would do almost anything to stop it. "I can't reach him," he confessed, pressing his hands to his temples.

"Hold still," Ashley said, reaching across him to grab the flashlight. He squeezed his eyes shut before she could flip it on, and then he felt her leave, probably going across the clearing for her pack.

He doubted anything short of Darkonda would have made him move in this condition, so her warning was unnecessary. He just sat where she had left him, trying and failing to think of anything to keep his mind occupied. All he could concentrate on was the pain.

He didn't even notice Ashley's return, until he felt her lift his hand and press two tablets into it. "Take these," she instructed. "Right now, Andros; I mean it. You can't reach Zhane; there's no point in torturing yourself any longer."

She didn't have to convince *him*. He would try to talk to Zhane again in the morning. He swallowed the tablets, bracing himself for the intensified pounding that would inevitably follow the simple gesture.

Then he felt Ashley's fingers on his temples, heard her murmur, "Tell me if this hurts." Her fingers traced small circles in the gentlest and most focused massage he'd ever received. And to his amazement, it seemed to help.

He remained tense, waiting for the sharp, shooting pain that would signal the headache's redoubled efforts, but Ashley's soft touch seemed to hold it at bay. Her fingers continued to rub his scalp, her hands burying themselves in his hair as she managed to hit just enough of the pressure points to keep his headache from overwhelming him again.

He let himself start to relax, feeling his breath come and go and not daring to think about anything else in case the pain should suddenly return. He almost didn't even thank her, afraid that if he said anything, she would stop. But politeness eventually won out, and he whispered, "That feels really good; thanks, Ash."

"Does it help at all?" she asked, not even pausing.

"It helps a *lot*," he said fervently. He wasn't sure how he would have gotten through the few minutes before the pain reliever took effect without it.

"Good," she murmured. She kept it up for a little while longer, before her hands slowed to a stop. "Any better?"

He hesitated, waiting to see if the headache would return. Experimentally, he nodded just a little, and couldn't help a sigh of relief when he felt nothing more than a slight twinge. "I think the pain reliever is finally taking effect, yes. Thanks," he said again, wanting to turn and look at her but still not sure he dared to move.

"You're welcome," she said, her fingers combing his hair back into place. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too," he agreed gratefully. He tried turning then, and felt somewhat amazed when the motion provoked no additional bout of pain. "I can honestly say that I've never been happier to take pain relievers in my life."

"That bad, huh?" Her gaze, even in the harsh flashlight glare, was sympathetic.

"Worse," he said, hearing the wry tone in his own voice and seeing her smile. "Sorry I woke you up," he added. As glad as he was that she *had* woken up, he was annoyed with himself for breaking into her sleep.

"I'm glad you did," she said, handing him the canteen. "I'm sorry you couldn't talk to Zhane, but I can't believe you've gone this long without taking another pain reliever. I thought it would have worn off a long time ago."

*It did,* he thought. He had assumed, since he couldn't hear Zhane, that the effects of the pain reliever weren't completely gone. He had tried Ashley more out of desperation than anything else, and had been surprised when she answered. The fact that he *still* couldn't reach Zhane meant that it wasn't the drug that was keeping them from being able to communicate.

"Something must be wrong," he muttered. "I've *always* been able to talk to Zhane." *Except when he was in hypersleep,* he reminded himself, but he would not accept that anything had happened to his friend this time. There had to be another answer.

"I'm sure he's all right," Ashley said quietly, as though she could read his mind. "They all are. They're together, and that's all the Rangers have ever needed."

But the team *wasn't* all together. "What about us?" he couldn't help asking.

She leaned in front of the flashlight before he could see her expression, but he was sure she smiled. "We're together too," she said, putting her arms around him in a gentle hug. "We'll be all right."

It was a strange statement to make, deep in a jungle and kilometers from any sentient civilization. Chased by agents of Dark Spectre and with no way to communicate with *anyone* on the side of good, let alone their teammates, he had never let himself consider the odds against them.

But as he returned her hug, Andros heard himself whisper, "I believe you."

She let out her breath in amusement. "You sound surprised," she chided.

She didn't seem to expect an answer, but after a moment he admitted, "Maybe I am, a little."

Ashley drew away, leaving just her hands on his shoulders. She cocked her head at him, not saying anything, just waiting to see if he would explain.

He looked at her for a moment, feeling the wisp of a nighttime breeze tug at his hair. It lifted her shorter hair and pushed it away from her face, and he smiled. "It's strange, I guess, to think that everything really *does* seem like it will be all right," he said finally. "Just because you're here with me."

She sighed, raising one hand to stroke his cheek. "That's all I need," she murmured, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his.

"Me too," he whispered, content in her closeness. The humidity had not abated much with nightfall, but her warmth was a welcome presence nonetheless. He found himself once again reluctant to move, and this time for a far more pleasant reason than before.

He closed his eyes, feeling more relaxed than he had since they had first lain down on the ground to sleep. A little too relaxed, he realized a moment later, when he had to blink his eyes open to keep from nodding off.

Ashley turned her head, letting it rest for a moment on his shoulder before she straightened up. "I'm going to fall asleep right here, if I'm not careful," she said reluctantly, and he nodded.

"I'm tired," he confessed, not wanting to let go of her but unable to see any way around it.

"Have you gotten *any* sleep tonight?" she asked, sounding worried again.

"On and off," he said. It was true, but it didn't feel true. He felt like he'd been up for two or three days, actually.

"Hopefully the pain reliever will help." She caressed his cheek again, and he couldn't help reaching up to rub his eyes in an attempt to keep them open.

Ashley just laughed. "In fact, that and sheer exhaustion should be enough to get you to sleep now. See you in the morning, Andros."

Though her words were those of "good night", she had not yet pulled away. He hesitated a moment, then leaned forward before she could leave and kissed her. "Thanks for coming after me, Ash," he whispered.

She took a deep breath. "Anytime," she murmured. "Thanks for being here."

"Always have been," he told her quietly, and she smiled.

"Always will be," she answered, giving him a quick kiss in return. Then she did pull away, reaching for the flashlight. " 'Night, Andros."

"Good night," he replied, watching her return to her selected sleeping area. She rearranged her jacket before flicking the flashlight off and lay down across from him.

He watched her for a moment longer, then lay down himself, pillowing his head on his jacket as she had done. The sound of the river was a calming murmur in the background, and the birdlike chirps continued to emanate from the jungle. But this time it was the quiet sound of Ashley's breathing that he noticed most, and it lulled him to sleep where the noises could not.

***

She wasn't sure what woke her this time--Andros was still sound asleep, and the jungle actually seemed to have quieted as the sun rose. Or perhaps she had slept through the early morning animal activity, and now the native fauna was retiring from the oncoming heat.

It certainly was warm, there was no denying that. She hadn't realized how much it had cooled down during the night until the sun, already significantly above the horizon, had brought back yesterday's heat with a vengeance.

Somehow, though, her sleep since the time Andros had awoken her with his telepathic call had been unbroken. For that she was grateful, and she hoped he had slept as well--they had a long way to go yet, and the Power healed best while its wielder slept.

She rolled over on her side, wincing as she pushed herself into a sitting position. As if she weren't stiff enough from their hike the day before, she had to compound the problem by sleeping on the ground without so much as a blanket to cushion her body.

Ashley didn't even try to stand before testing her ankle. She stretched her leg out in front of her, groaning quietly when even that simple movement made her muscles complain. Flexing her ankle carefully, she then bent her knee and pushed her foot against the ground.

Her ankle was the one part of her anatomy that *didn't* seem to object to moving, and she judged it safe to stand. Gingerly transferring her weight to her right foot, she sighed in relief when her ankle took the added burden without a problem. Her next test was walking over to her pack, but that too was accomplished without incident.

*I love being a Ranger,* she thought, for no less than the hundredth time since the Power had healed some injury or other.

With a wry smile, she admitted to herself that she wouldn't have *gotten* most of those injuries if she hadn't been chosen to be a Ranger. But she wouldn't give the job up for anything, and having injuries and illnesses healed practically overnight was a definite perk.

Pulling the scanner out of her pack, she let the instrument power up. They'd left it on standby over night, running continuous passive scanner sweeps. It would have alerted them had anything particularly big--either Darkonda, or any other nasty sort of predator--had gotten within a kilometer of them. It wasn't much warning, but it was the only thing that was practical in this kind of setting.

A chime signaled the device's readiness to operate at full capacity once more, and she gave the surrounding terrain a quick once-over. If the concentration of vegetative life was anything to go by, the morning's hike would be easier than the afternoon's. She wasn't sure she liked that, having the difficult part at the end of the day, but they would just have to make the best of it.

*Fourteen point two kilometers to the settlement,* she thought, dropping the scanner back into her pack. She and Andros hadn't covered all that much ground the day before, although they'd made good time for the shape they'd been in.

Turning to look over her shoulder, she smiled. She knew better than any civilian that the Power Rangers were just ordinary people, like everyone else. But seeing Andros in one of his rare moments of vulnerability, sleeping sprawled out by the riverbank with a completely peaceful expression on his face, it was hard to think of him as the Astro Rangers' team leader.

She went over to his side, crouching down next to him and smoothing his tousled hair away from his face. Hard though it was to think of him as the leader of the stronger of the Ranger teams she'd been on, it was harder still to think of him as the cold and withdrawn personality she remembered meeting when the former Turbo Rangers first came into space.

*You've changed so much,* she thought, watching him turn a little in his sleep. He was still the same person who had lost his sister, his best friend, his entire world at a heartbreakingly young age. He was the same person who had lived alone aboard the Megaship for nearly two years, and who had refused to even consider taking on a team when they first met.

But he was also someone who had been through a great deal of change in the last few months. Necessity had made him accept them as teammates, and by the time the team had accomplished its original mission, none of them would think of parting. Andros had relearned what friendship meant, and the rest of them had drawn him into their own inseparable group.

*And,* she had to admit, *Zhane's return probably didn't hurt any, either.*

He had been as used to being alone then as he was used to being part of a whole now. He had even admitted to her once that "the important thing is that we're all still together". And last night he had told her that everything seemed better "just because you're with me".

She smiled, stroking his curled fingers. She knew she would always treasure those words. "Things always seem better to me when we're together, too," she whispered.

Andros stirred again, and she drew her hand away quickly. No matter how much he enjoyed their company, enjoyed *hers*, she had been pushing it these last few days and she knew it.

She grabbed the canteen and stood up, moving quietly along the river's bank--away from him. If anyone could become claustrophobic about a relationship, it would be Andros, and the quickest way to make him feel trapped would be to be there watching him, yet again, when he woke.

A few minutes later, Ashley was sitting by the river, the cold water on her bare feet only emphasizing the heat of the still air that hung around her. She had thought about eating, but somehow ration bars--which had had only the smallest amount of appeal when Andros was awake to share them with her--did not sound even slightly appetizing without him.

Instead, she settled for fresh water and the promise of real food when they finally got off this moon. It wasn't very filling, but with the humid air weighing heavily around her she was strangely unmotivated to do anything, least of all eat.

The water felt good, though. While the river had tumbled rapidly past the spot where she and Andros had spent the night before, it evened out and slowed here, contained within a wide pool that stretched a good ten meters downstream. She was sorely tempted to strip and just dive in, but she knew that the moment she did so would be the exact moment that Andros woke up and came looking for her.

She did wonder if she could wash her hair, though. Or at least rinse some of the previous day's sweat out of it. There was a rock close by that protruded into the pool, and she thought that if she sat on that she could lean out over the water and wet her hair while the rest of her stayed dry.

*It always sounds easier than it looks,* she thought, as she tried it. She managed to soak her hair, but no matter how much she tried to wring it out afterwards there was absolutely no way to keep water from running down her back when she straightened up.

Ashley couldn't help giggling a little, and finally she just let go of her hair and let it hang down over her shoulders and neck. *I must look crazy,* she thought. She had managed to get more than just the cuffs of her pant legs wet in her scramble onto the rock, and her shirt felt as wet as it might if she had just jumped into the water.

She considered that for a moment, a smile on her face. Her wet clothes actually felt good in this humidity, and it would solve the problem of Andros finding her. And it was just silly enough to sound like a tremendous amount of fun…

Before she could think about it any further, she slipped off the rock and into the water. She bit back a shriek as the cold water came up to her waist. Giggling again, she splashed water on her face and then flung her arms out to the sides happily.

"*This* is the way to beat the heat," she announced out loud, grinning like an idiot.

"If you say so," a skeptical voice said from behind her, and this time she did shriek.

"Andros!" She whirled, or at least she tried to. The drag of the water threw her off balance, and she had to take a step backward. Andros watched in amusement as she didn't quite get her feet underneath her in time, and only the shallowness of the water kept her from going completely under.

"Warn me next time, would you?" she sputtered, making her way to where he stood on the bank. "I thought you were still asleep!"

"How could I be, with the racket you're making?" he asked, a smile creeping across his face as he looked down at her from the steep embankment. He had the upper hand here, and he knew it.

"Are you going to help me, or not?" she demanded, holding her hand out expectantly.

Instead of taking it immediately, as she had expected, he just stood there with a considering look on his face. "No," he said after a moment. "I don't think I will. You look pretty playing in the water--why should I interrupt?"

"Why, you--" She just stared at him, not sure whether to be flattered or embarrassed. She had never heard him say something like that.

He blushed a little in the face of her scrutiny, but he did not apologize. "Besides," he added, sounding more like himself as he offered her his hand, "the first thing you're going to do is hug me, and you're soaking wet."

There was only one answer to *that*, she thought, grabbing his hand. Instead of pulling herself out, she tugged hard, smirking in satisfaction as he stumbled forward. His foot slipped on the banking, and he leaned toward her for support--as she stepped back.

Andros yelped as he lost his balance and tumbled into the water. She folded her arms and watched smugly as he flailed about, trying to get his feet under him again. She couldn't help giggling as he managed to stand up, water dripping from his face and arms as he glared at her.

"*Now* who's soaking wet?" she asked primly, making a show of backing away from him. Unfortunately, the pool only got deeper toward the middle, and as she stepped back, her bare feet slipped off the rock she'd been standing on and she found herself floundering in water that came up to her shoulders.

Andros laughed, making no move to help her. "Both of us," he declared. "I think that was some sort of cosmic revenge for you dragging me in here in the first place."

She tried to sulk, but he looked so delighted that she couldn't do it. He was still chuckling, and she couldn't help smiling at the carefree look in his clear hazel eyes, a look that wasn't there often enough as far as she was concerned.

As she made her careful way forward, pushing her arms through the water as she maneuvered just beyond the edge of the deeper part of the river, she realized what was different. "Andros?" she asked, a little surprised, while part of her mind wondered how close she could get to him before he would suspect something. "Can you see now?"

He nodded, glancing around as though it still surprised him, too. "Yeah. Almost as well as normal, I think. A lot better than yesterday, anyway."

She sidestepped a little, trying to get in position. Just as he looked back at her, she grinned and lunged forward. "I'll show you revenge," she exclaimed, tackling him and catching him enough off balance that he actually fell backward toward the deeper water.

She had only meant to make him stumble, but this was certainly preferable. Andros had time only for a startled, "Hey!" before the water splashed over both their heads.

She let go of him as soon as they were underwater, scrambling to her feet and shaking water out of her eyes. He came up only a second later, coughing and trying to push his dripping hair out of his eyes.

She couldn't help it. She started to giggle. The blond streaks in his hair darkened when they were wet, and for a moment his hair looked almost all brown. Brown and long, as he still couldn't get it out of his face, and he sent her an indignant look that only made her laugh harder.

"You look just as funny," he warned, a smile tugging at his lips. "But do you see me laughing?"

"You're just mad that I surprised you," she teased.

He gave her the Look, but it lost most of its effectiveness when combined with a reluctant smile. She caught her breath as he tipped his head back and ducked under the water again, letting the water smooth his hair back from his face. The gesture was so natural that she knew he'd done it before, and for a moment the strangest image took hold of her mind.

"Ash?" Andros was shaking her shoulder, and she blinked at him. "You okay?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"What, I'm not allowed to stare at you for no reason?" she said, trying to smile.

His lips quirked. "I don't mind. But you looked like you were thinking about something."

She frowned a little. "I had this dream…" Suddenly, she realized how odd it was to be having this conversation in the middle of an alien river, both of their clothes soaked through and kilometers of hiking still to do.

She shook her head, laughing a little. "It's nothing; I was just remembering a dream I had. It made me think of you."

"Couldn’t have been bad, then," he said, and she grinned at his cocky tone.

"You're confident this morning," she teased, splashing him. "Taking lessons from Zhane?"

"Why--" He splashed her back. "Do you think I need to?"

"No!" she exclaimed, giggling. "Definitely not!" Throwing her arms around him, she conveniently blocked any future splashing attempts. "There's a reason I fell for you, after all."

"Why's that?" he murmured in her ear. As he slid his arms around her waist, she grinned.

" 'Cause I love you," she whispered back, and felt him chuckle soundlessly.

"That's a good reason," he said, his tone amused, and she nodded.

"I thought so," she answered, hugging him harder.

She was a little surprised when he pushed her away, but the look in his eyes was tender, not at all distressed. "I love you too," he said quietly, searching her expression in a way that made it perfectly clear that he was about to kiss her.

She toyed with the thought of ambushing him right now, pushing him over when he was least expecting it, but she couldn't do it. Not when he looked so solemn--but her eyes widened when he grinned at her. "I know what you were thinking," he whispered, leaning closer and kissing her gently.

"Do not," she mumbled, pulling him closer.

He didn't answer, but for the first time, he opened his mouth first and leaned into her as soon as she tightened her arms around him. She could hardly breathe with their mouths pressed so close together, and she could hardly *think* with his hands rubbing her back like that. If she didn't know him better, she'd think he really *did* know what she had thought when he went to kiss her, and now he was going to make her pay for it.

*I'm glad you didn't push me.* His words echoed in her mind, and her eyes flew open. He *had* known--but before she could wonder how, his lips had left hers and started to kiss her face and forehead.

*Me, too,* she thought, but she wasn't sure she had thought clearly enough for him to even pick up on the words. She gasped, feeling his lips, gentle on her neck--everything she had ever done to him was coming back to haunt her.

She shifted unconsciously as his hands slid just underneath her shirt. He didn't really *do* anything, and she wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. After that first kiss, he was just barely touching her, but it was enough to drive her completely crazy.

She wanted to press closer, wanted to run her hands across his body and feel him kiss every inch of her skin--she knew she was out of her mind, and she couldn't help it. Andros had never done this to her before, he had never been the aggressor; that had always been her role. But he was *good* at it…

She felt him pull away, his hands slipping off her waist and the slightest movement of water as he took a small step back. It was only then that she remembered that they were still standing in the middle of the river, and she opened her eyes again to find his fingers lingering near her face.

He smiled tentatively at her, and when she smiled back, amazed, his hand stroked her cheek. He brushed her wet hair back behind her ear and leaned forward to kiss her once more.

She returned it eagerly, wondering if she would think they were both completely insane later. Then she heard him in her mind again, and she decided telepathy wasn't always everything it was cracked up to be. Even with their lips pressed together, he could still tell her, *We should probably get moving, Ash.*

*Ever the voice of responsibility,* she thought, disappointed, as she pulled away.

"Someone has to be," he whispered, and she felt better to realize that he was breathing just as hard as she was. The look in his eyes said that he didn't want to separate either, but she knew he was right.

She could stay here with him all day, but they certainly weren't going to get where they were going like that. And even if Darkonda's search--if indeed there *was* one now that he had destroyed the rest of the Delta Megaship--had been grounded by nightfall, he could come looking again at any time.

"You're right, of course," she mumbled, taking his hand and wading reluctantly toward the banking.

"Hey…" He stopped, tugging on her hand until she turned. "Did I--do something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not!" She smiled, a little slyly. "We really do need to get going, but--you think we could continue what you didn't do wrong when we stop for a break?"

A smile spread across his face. "That'll make me walk faster," he kidded gently, and she grinned.

He startled her by putting his hands on her waist and lifting her out of the water, setting her on the rock she'd been sitting on just before their impromptu swimming party. He climbed up beside her as she was standing up, looking down at herself in mock-dismay.

"I'm soaked," she announced, as though she hadn't expected it.

Andros shook his head as he, too, got to his feet. "*You're* soaked? It was your idea. And at least *you* weren't wearing your boots."

"Sorry," she muttered sheepishly, glancing over at him.

"I'm not," he answered immediately. To her surprise, he put his arm around her shoulder as they walked back toward where they had slept the night before. "I had fun."

She smiled again as she put her arm around his waist. "Next time I get stuck on an alien moon in the middle of an uninhabited jungle, remind me to make sure it's with you."

He chuckled. "Next time, maybe we should just go on vacation."

***

Backpack over his left shoulder, TJ stepped off the lift and strode toward the Medical bay. The doors were closed, but they slid open at his approach and he slapped the lock by the door as he stepped inside to keep them from closing behind him.

Unmorphed, Phantom lifted his head off of his arms and caught TJ's eye as he entered. TJ felt a brief flash of sympathy as he realized that the other Ranger had been literally sleeping at Cassie's side, probably all night long. He had been sitting on a stool by the main patient bed, his arms on the bed and his head resting on his arms in what had to be a terribly uncomfortable position.

TJ's gaze flickered to the other patient bed, only a few feet away, then back to Phantom. The other didn't say a word, just flowed to his feet with enviable ease and nodded to TJ.

" 'Morning," TJ greeted him, looking down at Cassie. "How is she?"

"She woke during the night," Phantom replied quietly. "We spoke, and I am convinced that she is herself again."

"But is she okay?" TJ asked, impatient. He had been only slightly worried that the girl Zhane had vouched for would deceive them--she had been on their ship, with a clear opportunity to strike, and she had not. Mostly, he was concerned about Cassie's reaction to being under the spell in the first place.

Phantom seemed to consider that. "Yes," he said at last. "I believe she will be all right. She still feels extremely guilty, but when she fell asleep again, she was more worried about her teammates than she was about her own actions."

TJ's head came up, and he glared at Phantom. "You *told* her?" He couldn't believe the other would do something so heartless--the last thing Cassie needed to hear as soon as she woke up was that two of her teammates were now missing in action, with one on them presumed dead.

"I could not avoid it," Phantom answered, no expression on his face. "She asked--"

"Then you should have lied," TJ snapped. "Or is that word not in your vocabulary? Didn't it occur to you that maybe Cassie's been through enough in the last couple days without you adding to it?"

"TJ…" Cassie moved a little, but her murmur had drawn his eyes to her instantly. "It's not his fault."

"Of course it's not," he soothed, taking her hand. He gave Phantom another glare, his look saying everything he could not without upsetting Cassie. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she mumbled, lifting her free hand to rub her eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, TJ saw Phantom take a step forward, but the other said nothing.

Cassie struggled to sit up, and he reached out to help her. "It's not Saryn's fault," she repeated, blinking at them. "I asked DECA. TJ--Andros…?"

She couldn't finish the question, and he had no answer for her. Instead, he just leaned down and enveloped her in a hug, hoping somehow that it would help. He heard her sniff, and he patted her back, feeling her hug him harder.

"Ashley went out looking for him," he said quietly, when it became clear that Cassie did not want to let go. "Zhane says she thought she could hear Andros talking to her--did you know they could do that, talk the way Zhane and Andros do?"

He felt her nod. "Yeah," she murmured. "Ashley told me a while ago. Did she tell you?"

"We found out on Aquitar," he admitted. He almost told her how, but then he realized that that would bring up more bad memories than she needed right now. "Anyway, Zhane says that she dreamed about Andros, and she kept insisting she could hear him trying to talk to her. She took the shuttle while Zhane was down on Aquitar with you guys, and we haven't heard from her since."

"Could she have?" Cassie asked, pulling away from him at last with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Maybe she knows something we don't."

TJ looked over at Phantom, but the other stayed silent. "Zhane didn't seem to think so," he said at last. "He said she had been acting sort of strangely all day. And Zhane and Andros have been able to talk that way for years--Zhane didn't think that Ashley would be able to hear Andros when he couldn't."

"Sometimes you just know," Cassie murmured, a little sadly. "We should go after her, either way."

TJ nodded. "I think so too--she should be okay for a while in the shuttle, but me and Carlos were planning to go looking for her this afternoon."

"This afternoon…" Cassie frowned, and he saw the realization hit her. "School."

"Yeah," he said. "Don't worry; I went to see Ashley's parents yesterday. The school had already called them to ask where you were, and they were pretty worried. I told them--as much as I could."

She turned her face up toward him questioningly, and he shook his head. "Just that Andros was--missing, and that you and Ash weren't in any condition to go to school," he assured her. "They wanted you to come home, but I told them that we needed you and that you were better off where you were anyway."

She sighed, and he could see the gratitude in her expression. "Thanks, TJ," she said softly, and he just nodded.

"No problem," he told her. "I told them you wouldn't be going today either, so I'm sure they've already let the school know."

She gave him a wide-eyed look. "Teej, I missed the first day--I can't miss today too!"

He glanced at his watch. "Yes, you can," he said wryly. "For one thing, it's already started. Even I'm going to be late, and there's no way you can get yourself together in time to make first period.

"Second, you need time to recover. You have a perfectly legitimate excuse, so take advantage of it. I'll go over to the Hammonds' again after school so they don't worry that we've all been eaten by aliens or something, and you can go tomorrow."

He didn't add that by tomorrow they might have some news on the Hammonds' biological daughter as well, but he could see that Cassie understood. "All right," she agreed with a sigh. "I guess I couldn't really face school today anyway. Thanks for taking care of--everything. I really appreciate it, Teej."

"I know," he said, giving her a wink. Just seeing her back to normal lifted his spirits considerably, and he started to think that they might be able to pull the team back together after all. "You take it easy. I'll see you this afternoon."

"Right," she said, a real smile on her face. As he started to turn away, she said suddenly, "Wait--TJ, want us to look for Ashley while you're in school? It wouldn't be that big a deal; DECA knows the coordinates…"

He shook his head. He had thought of that, and discarded the idea. "I think it might be better to let her have the time alone. She can call for help if she gets in trouble, and she may need time to try and sort some of this out on her own. If we haven't heard from her by this afternoon, we can all go looking for her and try and get each other through this."

She swallowed, but she nodded in agreement. "Okay," she agreed quietly.

"Incoming transmission," DECA interrupted, before he could say goodbye again, and TJ rolled his eyes. Cassie saw, although he hadn't meant her to, and she grinned a little.

"Someone just doesn't want you to go to school," she said, glancing toward DECA's camera. "Who's it from, DECA?"

"Request for assistance from Aquitar," the onboard computer replied calmly, and TJ frowned.

"Since when do they ask for help?" he demanded, of no one in particular.

"Get going," Cassie chided, sliding off the patient bed and pushing him toward the door. "It's not a distress call, it's just a request. They probably want to know how to spell your names right so they can print it up in their newspapers or something."

"Aquitar uses electronic news relays," Phantom interjected quietly.

This time it was Cassie who rolled her eyes. She sounded almost like her old self when she answered impatiently, "Whatever." Giving TJ another shove, she assured him, "We'll take care of it; don't worry."

"Be careful," he said over his shoulder, and she just grinned at him.

"You too," Cassie shot back. "Those teachers are dangerous. I hope you know how much tutoring I'm going to make you do to catch me up."

At that, he grinned back. "Just say the word."

She waved, and he twisted his wrist to dispel the illusion of a blue-banded gold wristband. His morpher appeared in its place on his wrist, and he punched in the code for the school coordinates--this wasn't the first time they'd gone directly to Angel Grove High from the Megaship.

The world turned deep sparkling blue, and when it lifted he found himself in a small, secluded grove just off school grounds. Settling his bag more firmly over his shoulder, he started across the courtyard toward one of the side entrances, careful to avoid any area where he could be seen from the west wing's second floor windows. His traditional "car trouble" excuse would not be so believable if his first period class saw him entering from the courtyard rather than the parking lot.

Despite his tardiness, he stopped at his locker to dump most of his books and found a note in Carlos's nearly illegible writing. "Waited till the bell--meet you after second period."

"Sorry, man," he said under his breath, slamming the door shut. He had told Carlos that he would check on Cassie and then meet him in the cafeteria to grab some breakfast. He hoped the other Ranger had not gone hungry on his account.

Stuffing the note in his pocket, TJ spun away from his locker and headed for his Literature class.