A breeze tumbled past, tickling her ankles and tugging her hair away from her face. The slanted hem of her skirt rippled in the warm air, and she got the distinct impression of sunlight on her bare skin. Even the breeze smelled faintly of warm sand, as though it was coming in off the desert, and it brought with it a perceptible whisper of rustling grass.

The only problem was that there was no grass in sight. There was also no sand, no desert, and definitely no sun. She was surrounded by a featureless white that was disorienting in its uniformity. There was something solid under her feet, but she knew that only because she wasn't falling.

"Where am I?" Cassie asked aloud. The question was natural enough, but it occurred to her suddenly that she expected someone to answer. When she thought about it, she didn't know who that someone should be, but she didn't feel alone.

She didn't feel much of anything, actually. This sort of situation probably qualified as alarming, but for some reason she wasn't worried. She didn't know where she was or what had brought her here, yet all she felt was a mild curiosity about her circumstances. She wondered if that in and of itself ought to worry her.

"You're at the junction of Reed and Firstroad."

Cassie turned, not surprised by the answer. It wasn't that she had expected that particular reply, she just wasn't surprised. "Near the old library," she surmised, scanning the vast white expanse. At least, she assumed it was vast. It was hard to judge distances when there was nothing to measure them against.

"Right in front of it, actually." The voice still came from behind her, and she wondered if turning again would do her any good. "Between the crowd and the spectacular wreckage, you're causing quite a scene."

Cassie turned full circle, but there was still no one there. "I go past the library almost every day," she told the disembodied voice. "This isn't it."

"No," the voice agreed. It was feminine and vaguely familiar, and she wondered if she should know it from somewhere. "But you did ask where you were."

"What happened?" Cassie wanted to know. It seemed like a logical follow-up question.

"You ran a yield at Firstroad and slammed into a cargohauler. I hope you didn't have any sentimental attachment to your hover."

She felt her first flicker of concern at those words. "Was anyone hurt?" A cargohauler wasn't going to suffer much damage no matter what hit it, but there could have been any number of passersby on the street at this time of day.

The reply was strangely comforting. "Just you."

"I blacked out while I was driving," she realized. "That's why I didn't yield. The cargohauler couldn't stop."

Someone clapped once, twice, three times. She turned slowly, feeling the presence more strongly this time and reluctant to confront it as she had not been before. She knew somehow that this time the sound would have form, and she was no longer sure she wanted to know who was talking to her.

An older girl with flyaway curls and sparkling eyes leaned back against the nothingness, the casual posture at odds with her curious expression. "You remembered more quickly than I did," she remarked. There was a palpable distance between them, despite the fact that she was little more than an arm's length away.

It was a face that Cassie knew all too well, and warning bells went off in her mind. "Jenna."

The blonde-haired girl inclined her head. A pink bandana kept her curls from falling in her eyes, and her crystal necklace gleamed in the nonexistent sunlight. "Cassie Chan."

She swallowed, knowing what she had to ask next. "Am I dead?"

"Not yet," Jenna said, with an odd smile. "And not anytime soon, if the medics have their way."

"Then--why am I here?" she asked uncertainly. Since Katherine Hillard's intervention three years ago she'd had several near-death experiences, but she hadn't found herself talking to ghosts until now.

Jenna cocked her head. "Well, it's not always up to the medics, is it."

The words gave her a chill, and she fought to suppress the sense of foreboding. "Where's Saryn?" she asked quietly.

"He's waiting for you at the hospital. The medics found your Ranger ID and called the compound, and Saryn teleported there as soon as he set down."

He had been on Calijyt, she remembered suddenly. "He's not alone, is he?"

Jenna shook her head. "Mirine's with him," she said, that same odd smile touching her lips again. "She'll keep him calm, if anyone can."

"Are you... have you been watching over him?" Cassie wondered aloud.

"You, actually," Jenna said with a shrug. "Although I admit that it turns out to be almost the same thing."

"Me?" She wasn't sure she'd heard right. "You've been watching out for me?"

"Sure." Jenna gave her a fierce grin. It was the most expression she'd shown yet. "We Pink Rangers have to stick together, you know."

"It was you," Cassie breathed, staring at the former Pink Elisian Ranger. "Last fall, on Aquitar... that was you, wasn't it."

Jenna seemed to know what she meant without explanation. The other girl tilted her head in acknowledgement, her grin gone but a flicker of amusement lingering in her eyes. "I didn't put Saryn through four years of hell just so he could go and die right after he found you."

"Thank you," Cassie said softly. "For keeping him here. Again."

Jenna didn't even blink. "You're welcome. Now if I can keep *you* here long enough for him to get to you, then you can really thank me."

"He has the others," Cassie murmured, looking away. "He'd be all right." She deliberately kept her gaze averted, for if she couldn't convince herself there was no way she was going to convince Jenna.

"Right." The other girl's tone was wry. "Someday he'll be that stable, but right now you give him too much credit and I think you know it."

"Is that why you're doing this?" Cassie caught her eye again. "So Saryn won't be alone?"

Jenna actually shrugged, as if to say her reasons didn't matter. "He's a wounded soul," she offered. "It attracts protectors, I think. That and the voyager tendencies. The universe tends to balance strength and vulnerability, and he has a little too much of both to be comfortable."

It was the longest explanation she had given yet, but Cassie couldn't help noticing that she hadn't really answered the question. "So you're one of his protectors?" she prompted.

Jenna gave her an odd look. "No," she said at last. "For some reason, I'm drawn to you."

Cassie frowned. "But you don't even know me!"

"You don't think so?" Jenna inquired. A smile played about her lips, and Cassie shifted uncomfortably. There was something more than a little familiar in that expression. "I think you'd be surprised."

"Do you watch us?" Cassie blurted. She couldn't help feeling defensive, and she wasn't sure she didn't have the right. The idea of Saryn's former girlfriend spying on them was creepy, no matter how benign she seemed.

Jenna's smile widened, but her voice was gentle when she replied, "That's a little too time-consuming for me, and none of my business besides. No, it's not that I watch... it's more that things have become clearer."

"I don't understand," Cassie said, still frowning. "What things?"

"You, for one," Jenna remarked. "Your place in Saryn's life... His identity as a voyager, combined with his empathy and his history, makes him dangerously self-destructive. You've seen that, I'm sure. He has all that power and very little focus. You and your children will help ground him, give him the anchor he's needed for years."

It was on the tip of her tongue to say that Saryn was doing just fine when that last sentence brought her up short. "Children?" she repeated, startled. Reluctantly she added, "Saryn's been having dreams..."

"He would," Jenna agreed. "He can probably sense them. I assume you didn't tell him when you stopped taking your hormone supplements."

Cassie stared at her, her mind clicking into overdrive. She had stopped keeping track of her period months ago, when the stress of moving and going off the pill had made her irregular. "But he said--he's not human! I can't be... pregnant?" It came out as a question despite her best intentions, for the idea was too incredible to dismiss out of hand.

"You of all people should know how minor the difference is." Jenna looked nothing so much as amused. "From an evolutionary standpoint, the Eltaran line hasn't diverged that much. Although," she said thoughtfully, "I can't vouch for your children. I'm not sure whether they'll be able to continue the family or not."

"Children?" Cassie echoed again, not quite able to wrap her mind around the concept. But Saryn had used the plural too. "You keep saying 'children' instead of 'child'..."

"Are you telling me you really didn't know?" Jenna asked, giving her a curious look. "Not even a suspicion? You're pregnant with twins, Cassie. Believe me, you won't be able to ignore it much longer."

Her hand went to her stomach automatically, but she couldn't find the words to answer. "Twins?" she whispered, searching Jenna's face for confirmation. The surreal nature of the situation struck her then: standing here in what was quite literally the middle of nowhere, talking to her husband's old flame about her unborn children...

Jenna flashed an envious smile in response. "A boy and a girl--I hope I didn't spoil it for you," she added wistfully. "I'd always heard that you can tell when you're pregnant, that it's a feeling better than anything in the world."

"You wanted kids," she said softly, turning the statement into a question at the last second. She didn't want to assume too much about someone she had never truly met.

Jenna tried to smile, but her eyes were sad. "Doesn't everyone?"

Impulsively, Cassie reached out to clasp her hand and lay it over her stomach. "Will you watch out for them too?" she asked, searching the other girl's expression. "Will you come see them when they're born?"

The white flickered, a brilliant piercing sparkle that made her eyes tear. There was a sound like a radio tuned a little too low, picking up static with the occasional understandable phrase. She shook her head, trying to clear it, and she felt Jenna pull her hand away.

"He's waiting for you," the former Ranger told her.

This time the white was drowned out by a crimson tide, a glow that washed through her and turned the world upside down. It brought with it intense pain, fear, and an anguish that did not abate with the rest as the flood of red light subsided once more. She felt the warmth and tingling that proceeded Saryn's Power-induced healing ability, stronger than ever as it brought her back to herself for a few brief seconds.

"I will not stand aside," she heard his voice growl, full of raw menace that would have sent any sane person scrambling for cover. "She is my wife, and my place is here!"

"She's also a pregnant woman who has just suffered intense trauma," a clipped voice replied. "So unless you're a prenatal specialist, get out of the way and let me do my job."

The static flared, as though everything she could hear had just taken on equal significance, and through the roar she could hear Saryn repeating faintly, "Pregnant?" He sounded so lost that she desperately regretted not discussing the idea with him before.

"You have to go," Jenna's voice urged. The white had melted into a chaotic blur that refused to settle, and the Pink Elisian Ranger had vanished but for her words. "I didn't keep you here just for the company, you know."

"Cassie?" She heard Saryn again, closer than he had been. When she tried to move she found that her body was no longer responding, and panic edged out all rational thought. There was only swirling darkness, throbbing noise, and an immense weight across her arms and chest.

"It's all right, Cassie..." His voice came again, and she wondered wildly what had happened to his friend. "Don't try to move. You're going to be fine. You have to stay still so the doctor can get some pictures."

She found herself relaxing involuntarily, and she tightened her fingers. She felt his hand in hers abruptly, and a surge of relief swept through her. The success with her fingers gave her enough courage to try opening her eyes, and kaleidoscopic motion made her head spin the moment she managed it.

"It's all right," Saryn murmured, and she felt his hand squeeze hers again. "Everything's going to be fine. Don't try to move."

She cracked her eyelids once more, intent on waiting out the dizziness this time, and color came rushing back. The ceiling settled out above her, the old-fashioned fan resolving itself at the proper distance and putting everything else into sudden perspective. She drew in a sharp breath when she realized there was some kind of equipment spread across her upper body, and she tilted her head before she thought.

A hand pressed against her forehead, holding her down, and she closed her eyes briefly. "Saryn?" she whispered, her eyes going wide as she tried to find him in the confusion.

"I'm right here." His voice had lost none of its reassuring calm--a far cry from the fierce defiance she had heard in his warning before. "I'm not going anywhere, Cassie. You're going to be fine; it's all right."

He had a tendency to latch onto a single phrase in a crisis, she noted distantly. It was as though his creativity failed him and he spoke only because he thought he should. And with the way he was projecting, she didn't see how he could think he had to talk. Mirine must be pouring everything she had into containing him, and if experience was anything to go by he wouldn't even thank her for it.

"Cassie?" He might say everything was all right, but his pretended calm slipped the moment she didn't respond. "Can you hear me?"

She swallowed, not sure how much she could trust her voice. But it was better than thinking about anything else right now, so she tried. "The whole--" Her throat closed up, and she swallowed again. "The whole city can probably hear you," she whispered, finally catching sight of his worried gaze at her side.

His lips quirked, but it was obviously a token smile. "You're going to be all right," he repeated, for the dozenth time. "Just relax."

"I'm more... more relaxed than you are," she breathed, her fingers clenching as she felt metal on her bare skin. She didn't try to move, not that she could have with him holding her down, but she couldn't help wondering. "They told you?"

"Told me what?" he asked, all innocence. His concern was unfeigned, of that she was sure, and she found herself wondering how much to say.

"The twins," she murmured at last, her eyes sliding shut against her will. "We're going to have babies, Saryn."

***

The room was dark except for the reflected glow of the streetlights, and she thought she was dreaming when she woke to the sight of Andros' face. Then she realized he was shaking her, gently but insistently enough to pull her out of a restless sleep. His hair was hanging in his face, and as she struggled to sit up she realized she didn't recognize his clothes.

"Andros?" she whispered. For a moment she thought Justin's experiment had sent her to JT's dimension, to switch places with an Ashley who knew a different Andros, or maybe brought him here instead. But then she saw his locket, still on its accustomed chain around his neck, and the absence of the phoenix necklace was enough to convince her that this was her Andros.

"I need your help," he whispered back. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah," she murmured, untangling the sheet from her legs. "Of course. Is everything all right?"

"For now," he said cryptically. He caught her hand and helped her up, letting her pull him toward the door. "That's what I need to talk to you about."

She gave him a searching look as she put her hand on the doorknob, but he didn't seem to see it. "The others?" she asked, a little worried.

"They're okay," he assured her. "This is about KO-35. Saryn sent a message this morning to the Border teams, and it sounds like we may have trouble."

The lights from the hallway blazed full strength all night long, and the instant she opened the door the glare spilled into her darkened room. She winced, squinting against the assault as she stepped out into the corridor. It didn't seem to bother Andros as much, and she took a closer look at him as her eyes adjusted.

"Where's your morpher?" she asked suspiciously. His wrists were bare, and she studied his clothes once more. "Andros, you didn't resign!"

He put a finger to his lips. She wrinkled her nose at the reproof, silently demanding an answer, and he nodded reluctantly.

She slapped his shoulder. "What were you thinking!" She kept her voice to a loud whisper as he pulled the door shut behind them. "How could you resign without telling me? And what's this about trouble on the Border? KO-35 hasn't recovered from the last war yet!"

"Believe me, I know," he said, his voice just as quiet. "And I resigned because it was the only way to get the Council off my back. I would have told you, but there wasn't time. They're getting worse, Ash--Kerone says they summoned her and Zhane yesterday."

"That doesn't surprise me," she whispered. "We tried to tell you, you know."

"I know," he agreed, looking appropriately chagrinned. "I finally listened. It's time the astromorphers were reunited."

"Andros..." She glanced over her shoulder out of habit, but the hallway was empty. "We've been over this before. We can't all go to KO-35, and it's not fair to ask us to."

Andros gave her a half-smile. "I don't want all of you to come to KO-35." He held something out to her, and she glanced down automatically. Her eyes widened when she saw the two morphers in his hand, and as she looked up he told her, "I want to bring all the astromorphers here, to Earth."

"But--" She stumbled over the word, not sure where she was going with the rest of that thought. "You said..."

"I can't stay," he cautioned, a flicker of regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but now KO-35 is more vulnerable than ever. I can't abandon it just because I don't like the way the government is treating us."

"Then why--" She couldn't seem to complete a sentence. "You're giving us the astromorphers? All of them?"

"You guys were the team," he said simply. "I was just the Red Ranger. The astromorphers have defended Earth for years now, and I think somehow the Power knows that. I want them to stay here."

Her gaze was drawn irresistibly back to the red and pink morphers in his hand, and she reached out to take them. She hesitated before their fingers touched, though, and she frowned at him. "What about KO-35? You said you were going back, and if there's trouble on the Border... you need them more than we do right now."

"We do need them," he agreed. "But so does Earth. We can't have one team for two worlds, and as much as I admire TJ and Zhane for trying to make a split work, it's not going to last. It's just not enough."

"You're going after new Power," she breathed. "You're going to form a new team, aren't you. You and Kerone and Zhane."

"And you, if you'll come," he said steadily. He didn't seem at all surprised by her intuition, but they had always been able to read each other like that. She hadn't realized how much she missed it until he was standing in front of her again.

Now he was asking her to stand with him permanently, to be like this again: partners, lovers, two halves of a whole. But he was also asking her to give up all the things she had put on hold to be with him: school, her family, everything she had outside of the Rangers. They wouldn't just be secondary anymore, they would be out of the picture completely.

If she went with him this time, she wouldn't be coming back.

"We'll have to leave the morphers with Carlos," she whispered, pulling her silver and yellow wristband off over her left hand. "Let me call his phone so we don't have to knock on the door."

She ducked back into her room and picked up Missy's cordless from the desk. She tilted it toward the light as she slipped out into the hallway again, punching in the number she had only yesterday committed to memory. She felt a pang of disappointment at the thought that she probably wouldn't be using it again, but she suppressed the feeling as she pressed it to her ear and waited for Carlos to pick up.

There was no ring, no sound at all even, not even the chime of voice mail. She frowned, wondering if she had gotten the number wrong. She hung up and tried again, with no better results, and suddenly it dawned on her. "Damn," she muttered, lowering the phone. "He must be on Aquitar. Does he ever sleep?"

"What about Tessa?" Andros suggested. "She's just downstairs, right? She'd keep them for TJ if we asked her."

Ashley nodded slowly, still wondering about Carlos. She didn't even know when he'd left... it was funny, but she wasn't much closer to her friends now that they were on the same planet than she had been all summer. The old days really were gone--maybe they'd been gone a long time, and she just hadn't noticed until recently.

"I'll change," she murmured, realizing Andros was still waiting for her answer. "Let me put on some clothes and we'll go."

It was easier to leave than she had expected. The sense of muted urgency from Andros helped, and she suspected he had some kind of timetable. She didn't ask, just pulled on a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt and pretended not to watch Andros watch her dress. She was already wearing the necklace he'd given her for her birthday, and she slid Cassie's friendship bracelet into her pocket as she grabbed a sweatshirt off the back of her chair.

"I'm ready," she whispered, turning back to him. "Let's go find Tessa. Did you bring the Megaship?"

He shook his head, holding the door for her as she stepped out into the hallway. "Kerone," he answered, and that was all he had to say. Astronema's teleportation was nothing short of fantastic, and it was easy to forget how powerful she really was.

No one answered at Tessa and Karen's door for a good minute and a half, and Ashley was beginning to wonder if everyone was out when the lock clicked and the door cracked open. She put on her guiltiest face, which wasn't hard when she thought about what time it was, and the door creaked open a little wider. "Ashley?" someone whispered. "What's going on?"

It was Karen. She felt Andros shift impatiently, and she groped for his hand behind her back. He caught her fingers and squeezed briefly as she gave Karen her most apologetic smile. "It's kind of an emergency," she said softly. "Sorry to wake you up. Are you alone?"

The door creaked again, and it opened enough to reveal a sleepy Tessa beside Karen. "No," the blonde-haired girl said with a yawn. "We're harboring fugitives. Come on in."

Karen flipped the light on, and she and Tessa both shied away from the brightness. "What's the emergency?" Karen asked, ever practical. "Can we help?"

"Actually, yes," Ashley said with a small smile. She caught Karen's hand and closed her fingers around the Yellow astromorpher before she could protest. "Andros and I are going back to KO-35. He wants Earth to have the astromorphers. Carlos is gone and we don't have a whole lot of time, so you got elected as their guardians. Is that okay?"

Karen was staring at the morpher in her hand, and Tessa was staring at all three of them. "You want us to keep your morphers for you?" she managed at last. "For how long?"

"Forever," Andros interrupted. He took her hand as Ashley had done and put the Pink astromopher in it. "Or at least until you decide you don't want them anymore. You'll have to give mine to TJ; he'll know what to do with it." He proffered the Red astromorpher, and, if it was possible, Tessa's eyes widened even further.

"You're quitting?" Karen demanded. "You're giving up your morphers, just like that?"

"It's kind of a long story," Ashley offered, then narrowed her eyes at Andros playfully. "At least, I assume it is. I haven't actually heard it yet."

His mouth turned up at the corners, and they shared a smile.

"So does that--are we--" Tessa broke off, and Karen filled in the rest of the sentence.

"Are we Rangers, or what?" she asked bluntly. "Do you have someone else in mind for these? Are you coming back for them?"

"No," Andros answered. "They're yours. I hereby declare you the Yellow and Pink Astro Rangers, unless and until you choose not to accept the Power. Does that answer your question?"

"Not really," Tessa admitted. "Why are you giving them to us? Where are you going? Aren't you leaving KO-35 undefended?"

"Maybe it's just me," Karen added wryly, "but that seems bad."

"It's not just you," Ashley said, trading another amused look with Andros.

"There will be a Kerovan team soon," Andros told them. "Whether it's us or not, some new Power will rise to fill the void. That's how the Power Rangers work. By handing over the astromorphers we've created a vacuum, and it can't last."

"That's some pretty serious faith you've got there," Karen remarked.

"If faith is knowing something that other people only hope for, then yes," Andros replied. "It's serious faith. We need to go. Will you make sure TJ gets this?"

Tessa held out her hand without a word, and Andros passed his morpher to her. "I have faith," he added quietly, "that you'll both be excellent Rangers."

Karen's expression broke into a grin, and Tessa flashed him a brilliant smile. "Good luck," she said, her gaze flicking to include Ashley. "We'll see you soon."

Ashley smiled back, and Andros' hand on hers was the only warning she had before the world sparkled violet. He must have spoken to Kerone, but for the life of her she couldn't hear him when he did it. She could catch his thoughts when he spoke to her or to Zhane, but she seemed to have a blind spot when it came to his sister. She had cornered the Silver Ranger about it once, and he had admitted that he couldn't hear them speak to each other either.

They appeared in the room Andros shared with Zhane, and the light through the window was that of late morning at least. The time difference changed fast, for Keyota had been almost equivalent to PST in Angel Grove when she left. She glanced around, unconsciously scanning for other changes.

Zhane's clothes were still tossed haphazardly over everything in sight, while Andros' side of the room was predictably neat and organized. She smiled a little, remembering their discussion about living space. There was plenty to go around, but they had ended up spending more time in each other's rooms than in their own when they were separated, so Kerone had suggested sharing. She refused, however, to share with Zhane, which meant that they wound up with one room for the girls and another for the guys.

"She must still be with Zhane," Andros muttered, and only then did Ashley notice that they were alone. "How long does it take to wake him up, anyway?"

Ashley frowned a little at his tone, and she shot a glance at Zhane's bed. It was hard to tell whether it had been slept in or not, since he rarely bothered to make it. "Was he sleeping?" It must be almost noon, and that seemed excessive even for Zhane.

"Yes," Andros grumbled. "Maybe," he amended, at her surprised look. "I don't know. He was out late last night."

Ashley glanced at his bed again, considering Zhane's absence. There was only one logical conclusion, and it might account for Andros' odd reaction. "Have he and Kerone been sleeping together?" she asked, as casually as she could. She hadn't expected that, but it wasn't as big a deal as Andros would make it out to be.

"No," he said, surprising her. "But she doesn't seem to care."

She blinked. He actually sounded... upset. And that didn't make any sense. "Sex isn't everything, Andros. It's enough that they love each other, isn't it?" She shook her head, smiling a little. "I would have thought you'd be the first to tell her that."

"It wouldn't matter if I did," he muttered. "She doesn't take my advice anymore."

"Did she ever?" Ashley countered, puzzled. "She's your sister. She's Kerone! Since when do you not trust her?"

"I trust *her*," he retorted. "She was here last night. Zhane wasn't."

She stared at him. "You don't... where was Zhane?" she asked, changing questions midsentence. It was probably safer to avoid the implication that his best friend was the one he didn't trust.

"No idea." Andros glared at the floor as though it had done something to offend him. "He didn't tell me where he was going."

She put a hand on his shoulder, repressing a sigh at the tenseness of his muscles. Zhane must have gotten tired of fighting and gone out to find his own fun. She didn't blame him: Andros was too much for her sometimes, and she was in love with him. She couldn't imagine how happy-go-lucky Zhane put up with him when he got like this.

"He just needs some space," she murmured, putting her free hand on his other shoulder and squeezing gently. "You can't ask him to give everything without getting something back. He's just..." She dug her thumbs into his muscles, kneading absently as she searched for the right words. "Zhane has different priorities, that's all. He'll always be there when you need him."

Andros rolled his shoulders, and it surprised her when he only tensed further with the motion. He did sigh, but it didn't seem to relax him any. She let her hands slide down his arms and leaned forward to kiss the back of his neck. "Andros," she said quietly, resting her chin on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

He sighed again, and this time, finally, she felt his shoulders slump a little. "I don't know," he muttered. "I'm glad to see you, but I'm so angry with Zhane that I haven't even told you. I'm worried that this isn't going to work, and I'll have left KO-35 with no defense against evil. And on top of it all, I slept on a couch last night and my neck hurts even more than my shoulders."

She smiled to herself, pressing closer against his back as she slid her arms around his waist. "Typical Andros," she whispered in his ear, walking her fingers slowly up his chest. "Taking all the responsibility for yourself. Didn't you learn about sharing in kindergarden?"

He drew in a breath as her hands reached bare skin at his collar, and she flexed her fingers gently against his neck. "No," he mumbled, letting his head droop forward a little. "Everything I know about sharing I learned from you."

She kissed him again, but she didn't stop her caresses. He shrugged once, loosening the tight cords of his neck further, and she worked her fingers around to the back. There was only so far she could reach, but when he moaned softly she knew she'd hit the right spot. She kept it up until he relaxed enough to lean into her, and then she unwound her arms and let him turn toward her.

"Did I mention that I missed you more than anything?" Andros whispered, lifting one hand to stroke her cheek tenderly.

"Maybe." She tilted her head, nuzzling his fingers until he slid them into her hair and drew her closer. "But I wouldn't mind--"

"I missed you," he breathed, not waiting for her to finish. "I've never missed anyone like this, not the way I've missed you the last few days. I don't know how I made it through all those years before we met."

He kissed her before she could answer, his mouth melding with hers in a hot kiss that took her breath away. She hadn't expected his insistence, and her arms crept around his neck even as her knees threatened to give way beneath her. He held her close, held her up, demanding everything she had and giving no less in return.

As she melted into his embrace, Ashley found herself wondering why she had ever left.

***

*Zhane?*

He didn't move from the pleasant tangle of arms and legs, keeping his eyes shut in an effort to deny the intrusion. *Not here?* he suggested hopefully.

*Sorry,* Astrea's voice answered. *That won't work this time.*

The corner of his mouth quirked upward, but he still didn't stir. *You say that like it worked last time!*

*I need to talk to you,* she insisted, not diverted by his humor. *Can I come in?*

*No.* Of course she could come in; it was her room, after all. And if she said she needed to talk to him, it had to be important. *Give us a minute, would you?*

*Sure.*

He really didn't want to move. As long as he was here, in this bed, the world couldn't touch him. And he didn't have to care--about the world, about the Rangers... about anything, really. It was a pretty nice way to exist.

The warmth beside him shifted a little, and it was enough to tell him that he wasn't the only one reluctant to face the consequences of consciousness. "Awake?" he heard Ty whisper, the word barely audible in the silent room.

He sighed, letting his eyes slide open at last. "Awake," he agreed quietly. As he took in Ty's tousled hair and sleepy golden eyes, he felt a smile spread across his face. "Morning, Beautiful."

A lazy smile echoed his own, lighting Ty's face and making him seem far more alert than he'd been a moment before. "Back at you," he murmured, tipping his head so that his hair fell away from his eyes.

Zhane reached out and brushed it back, his fingers skimming the tangles so they wouldn't pull. The auburn streaks gleamed in the sunlight pouring through the window, and he wondered idly what time it was. Then Ty stretched, drawing in a deep breath as his eyes closed in utter contentment, and the thought vanished as quickly as it had come.

*Zhane...*

He sighed again. *Just a minute!*

Ty was watching him, and there was a flicker of concern in his expression. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Zhane mumbled, pushing the sheet back unwillingly. "Remember the girlfriend I told you about?"

Ty went from concerned to wary in the space of a second. "Astrea?"

"Yeah," Zhane repeated. "Astrea. She's at the door right now, and she says it's important."

Ty reached the logical conclusion, and his eyes widened. "You can read each other's minds?"

"Not so much," Zhane said wryly, propping himself up on his elbows. He reasoned that it was closer to getting up than he had been before. "It's more that she can read anyone's; she just does it to me more than most. She's a telepath."

Ty considered that for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. "That must be--interesting," he said at last.

"That's one word for it," Zhane agreed with a half-smile. "She wants to talk... do you mind if I let her in?"

"Not until I put something on!" Ty protested. He sat up abruptly and glanced around as though he expected the door to open at any moment.

Zhane narrowed his eyes in amusement. "Spoilsport."

"She's seen you naked already!" Ty retorted.

"Not as often as you'd think," Zhane admitted ruefully. "Besides, it's not like you have anything to be ashamed of. I consider it a privilege to look at you, with clothes or without."

Ty shot him a grin, but a knock on the door prevented him from replying. No ordinary knock, this was the sound of an extremely impatient sorceress banging on the door in an effort to get her point across. She was probably about two seconds from coming in whether they were ready or not, and Zhane couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"We're coming!" he shouted. "Why'd you agree to wait if you were just going to annoy us the whole time anyway?"

"Stop complaining and hurry up!" she answered from the other side of the door.

Ty was pulling on the sweats he had worn to the showers last night, and Zhane leaned over the side of the bed to retrieve his trousers. "Okay!" he yelled a moment later, exchanging a quick glance with Ty. "You can come in, but this better be important!"

A violet silhouette stepped through the still-closed door, and he saw Ty's eyes widen. "Showoff," Zhane accused, frowning good-naturedly at her. "You only did that to prove you can."

"That's the only reason I do anything," she replied. "How does it feel to be KO-35's only remaining Ranger?"

He blinked, trying to process that. "You resigned too?"

"No," Astrea said calmly. "I sent my morpher to Earth with Andros. We stole the Red astromorpher back and he took that with him too. The astromorphers will defend Earth permanently now."

The world had just dropped out from underneath him. "Andros..." It came out as a whisper, and he cleared his throat with some effort. "Andros--moved to Earth?"

"No," she said quickly. "He just took the morphers so he could hand them over to TJ and Carlos. He thinks KO-35 needs its own team, with independent morphers and a new Power source. So he gave the astromorphers to Earth."

Zhane stared at her. "Why bother to tell me?" he asked at last, barely managing to keep his voice even. He was seething inside. It was some testament to how confused his emotions were lately that he could go from bliss to rage in a few short minutes. "Obviously I'm not a part of this plan."

There was sympathy in her gaze, but wisely she didn't try to apologize for her brother's actions. "He wants you on the new team," she said simply. "He wants you to come with us on our Power quest."

"'Us'?" Zhane repeated, eyes narrowed. Only two days before, he had asked Andros which was more important to him: his identity as a Ranger, or his "best friend". With every word, Astrea proved Andros' answer a lie.

"Him," she said slowly. "Me. And... he was going to ask Ashley while he was on Earth."

"Sounds like you have everyone you need," he remarked, ignoring her hesitation. "Why should I go? I already have a morpher, and I haven't been part of the team since I 'died'. Why change now?"

She looked back at him steadily, unfazed by the angry undertone to his voice. "Because we need you, too," she told him. "And because... I'm asking you. Please come, Zhane."

He could count on one hand the number of times she had said "please" to him, and he found himself wavering. She wanted him to go with them--and when it came right down to it, could he let Andros go without him? His mind said yes, vehemently and somewhat bitterly, but his heart said no.

"All right," he muttered. There was nothing else he could do, no other answer he could live with, and he couldn't help resenting it. "When do we leave? I'm sure Andros has it all planned out."

She flashed him a smile that, under other circumstances, would have made his heart melt. "This morning. As soon as you're ready."

"Wait a minute," Ty interjected, the interruption tinged with uncertainty. "I know this isn't any of my business... but how safe is this? This quest you're talking about?"

"On a scale of one to ten?" He was staring at the floor. He didn't know when that had happened, but he didn't particularly feel like looking up, either. "It's maybe a zero."

"Zhane." There was a note of urgency in Ty's voice, so different from his usual calm indifference that it got Zhane's attention. Then he was down on one knee, directly in front of the bed so that Zhane couldn't help but meet his eyes.

"I've already lost one lover to a battle I had no control over," Ty told him, his voice carefully neutral. "I'd rather not go through that again, if it's all the same to you."

Zhane shifted where he sat, uncomfortably aware of Astrea's curious gaze on them. "It's not," he muttered, looking away. "It's not all the same to me; you know that. I don't want you to get hurt."

He felt Ty's fingers brush his chin, and he glanced back at him reluctantly. "Then don't go just because you think you don't have any reason to stay," Ty said quietly.

Zhane looked at him, forgetting for a minute that Astrea was there. "I don't think that," he murmured. "But I have to go. Sometimes the actions of your teammates choose your course for you. That's what it means to be a Ranger."

"Then--" Ty paused to swallow. "At least let me go with you." His voice was still perfectly steady, but his eyes pleaded with Zhane to agree.

There was a long silence, and Zhane didn't have to ask whether or not Ty knew what he was saying. He didn't. He couldn't; none of them could. Andros had been handed his morpher as soon as he was old enough to understand what it was, and Ashley and Astrea had come by theirs in similar ways. The concept of a quest was completely abstract to them, with no practical implications except the receipt of new powers if they were found "worthy".

But then, that was often the way with Rangers. When it came to the Power, innocence and blind faith could take you just as far as experience and skill. Sometimes farther.

"I can't tell you not to come," Zhane said at last. "But if anything happened to you--"

"At least I'll know I wasn't left behind again," Ty interrupted firmly. "That matters to me, Zhane. And," he added, his tone softening, "to be honest? I think you're going because it matters to you, too."

They just looked at each other for a moment, and finally Zhane smiled a little. "I guess it's a good thing I'll have my trusty bedwarmer along to keep me company."

A look of outrage swept the serious expression off of Ty's face, and he unfolded from his position on the floor faster than the eye could follow. As he tackled Zhane, slamming him down on the bed hard enough to make his teeth rattle, he retorted, "Good thing there'll be someone who can cook for me... oh, that's right--you can't!"

"Lucky me," Zhane teased, grinning up at him. "All the comforts of home, and I don't have to do a thing!"

"Is that what you think?" Ty growled. He leaned forward until his mouth was centimeters from Zhane's, a hungry look in his suddenly dark eyes. "Remind me to disabuse you of that idea at the first opportunity," he said huskily.

"Gladly," Zhane murmured. He came awfully close to pointing out that this opportunity was as good as any other when Astrea intervened.

"Excuse me," the former princess of evil said calmly. "As interesting as this is, I believe I mentioned that we're a little short of time. Since I obviously can't leave you alone together, I suggest you finish getting dressed. Now."

Ty let him up with an exaggerated sigh, but Zhane noticed that he gave Astrea wide berth as he padded across the room to retrieve his shirt. "Are we allowed to use the bathroom?" Zhane inquired, tearing his eyes away from Ty to give Astrea his most innocent look.

He saw Ty lift his head at that, but Astrea only narrowed her eyes. "One at a time," she said firmly. "Hurry up."

He would have given a great deal to know what she and Ty talked about while he was gone, or indeed if they spoke at all. When he came back, though, they were on opposite sides of the room, studiously avoiding each other's gaze. He gave Ty an inquiring look, but the other boy just smiled reassuringly as he straightened up and headed for the door.

Zhane turned his stare on Astrea as soon as the door closed. "What did you say?" he asked suspiciously. "You didn't give him a hard time, did you?"

She frowned at him. "I didn't say anything. He seems perfectly nice--why would I give him a hard time?"

He relaxed a little. "No reason. Sorry. I didn't mean to sound upset."

"It's okay," she said with a smile. "It's nice to see you enjoying yourself again."

He shrugged, pleased that she approved. "I like him," he said simply.

"I'm glad," she answered, but her smile faded a little. "Zhane... you know Andros won't want him to come."

"So?" he demanded, bristling again.

Astrea shook her head. "So nothing. I just don't want you to be surprised."

"I won't be," he muttered darkly. Then he shook it off, making an effort to lighten his tone as he gave her an apologetic smile. "Thanks, though. I'm sorry about all this."

She looked a little surprised. "It's not your fault."

"It's my fault that you're in the middle," he said with a sigh. "I shouldn't complain to you about your brother, but I can't help it. I have to tell someone, and until you shut me up it will probably be you. I'm really sorry, Astrea."

The smile crept back onto her face, and she shook her head again. "It's okay," she repeated, more gently. "I wish there was something else I could do, but... Andros is Andros."

"Can't argue with that," Zhane agreed, pulling a clean shirt on over his head. He had been tempted to wear Ty's, but he couldn't quite justify it. Besides, if there was one thing he knew about Power quests, it was that the more of yourself you held onto, the more likely you were to succeed.

Neither of them said another word until Ty returned.