He could hear voices from the kitchen. Lamplight spilled over the island that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house, but the flicker of violet sparkles was far more distracting than that steady glow. The occasional rustle of fabric as Ashley or Tixe shifted in their sleep wasn't helping either.

He sighed, rolling over on one side to watch Kerone play tic-tac-toe on the floor next to her pillow. He might as well be honest with himself. The house could be dark and perfectly silent and Andros knew he still wouldn't be able to fall asleep. It was kind of Zhane's grandparents to welcome all of them into their house, but his mind was racing too quickly to follow, let alone tame with the calm of unconsciousness.

Kerone glanced over at him, apparently misinterpreting his stare. "Sorry," she whispered, putting her hand over the glowing grid on the floor. "Is it bothering you?"

He shook his head. "No, it's fine," he whispered back. Then a thought occurred to him, and he smiled a little. "Can I play?"

The sound of footsteps made him look up, but it was just Zhane's grandfather puttering around the island. Zhane and Ma were still silhouetted by the stove light, conversing in quiet tones that Andros hadn't been able to overhear no matter how hard he tried. He knew it was paranoid to think they were talking about him, but he couldn't help wondering.

"Go talk to him," Kerone whispered, startling him with her voice even though he had asked her a question. "You won't be able to sleep until you do, and you know he's not going to come over here until you're asleep anyway."

He shifted uncomfortably, steeling himself for the answer before he had even asked the question. "Kerone," he said, very softly. "Did you know?"

"Yes." Her quiet tone was matter-of-fact. "I knew how he felt. I knew how you'd react to Ty. And I knew Ashley would eventually find out. I also knew there wasn't a thing I could do about any of it, so I kept my mouth shut and watched you hurt each other until I couldn't stand it anymore."

He sighed again, soundlessly this time. "I don't know what to tell you," he whispered.

She shrugged. "I forgive you," she murmured, as though it had been a given. "But he hasn't, so go talk to him."

"What about Ashley?" The words were out before he could think about how they would sound, and he cast a furtive glance over his shoulder. The Yellow Ranger was still sleeping peacefully, she and Tixe granted enviable respite from the world for a few hours.

"She doesn't want anything from you that you won't give willingly," Kerone whispered. "She won't want *you* until you figure out what you want."

He swallowed. That was just depressing enough to be true, and he didn't know whether to hate her for it or thank her. He sat up without another word, pushing his sleeping bag away and trying to stay as quiet as possible. The last thing he wanted was to wake up the only two people who were getting any sleep tonight.

Well, it was almost the last thing he wanted.

Andros stepped carefully between the prone forms, his motion silent as he made his way toward the kitchen. Pa was gone, probably outside checking the moon moths or whatever new exotic they were harboring in the garden these days. Zhane and Ma didn't seem to notice as he hesitated on the edge of the light, bracing himself against the side of the island.

"--who we wanted on the team," Zhane was saying quietly, and Andros realized he was now close enough to overhear. "It was weird, you know? Suddenly deciding for everyone else... I didn't have to do that last time. And you know what my first thought was?"

Andros tried not to breathe, hoping Zhane would finish before either of them noticed he was here. Only a sense of duty had made him add Tixe's name when he'd been asked that same question. Now he knew that had been part of the test, and it scared him that he'd come so close to failing yet again. He had taken the Power for granted all his life, yet he had ended up being a liability to the team on their quest.

"I didn't say it," Zhane said softly, but his words carried nonetheless. "But I thought, 'anyone but me'. What's wrong with me, Ma? I was on a quest for the Power. I was looking for something most people never get a chance to have, and I didn't even want it."

"Was it the Power you didn't want?" Ma asked gently. Her voice was soothing, but her words filled him with dread. Was there anyone who didn't know about how he had treated Zhane?

Zhane hung his head, but he didn't answer.

"The first time the Power chose you," she continued, reaching out to put her hand over his, "it chose you because you wanted it so much. You had to have it. Nothing else in the world mattered as much as being able to go with Andros on the Megaship. You didn't have anything else: no fighting skills, no experience, nothing except your loyalty to your friend. And that was enough."

He fully expected her to say that the opposite was true this time. Now the Silver Ranger had experience but no motivation. Instead, Ma just patted Zhane's hand again and said simply, "Maybe it was enough this time, too."

Zhane lifted his head and looked straight at Andros. There was no surprise in his blue eyes, and Andros straightened uncomfortably. He didn't know whether it disturbed him more to be caught eavesdropping or to realize that Zhane had known he was there all along and had still said what he did.

Anyone but me... He was only now starting to understand how wide the rift between them had become. What if there was no way to close it?

"Can't sleep?" Zhane asked, not bothering to raise his voice. He knew Andros could hear.

Ma turned around, and Andros felt himself blushing at the reproachful look on her face. But the look was gone in a moment, replaced by a sympathetic smile as she bustled over to him and drew him into the light. "I'll make you some tea," she promised, letting go of his arm to open one of the cupboards. "You've all had a long day; it's no wonder you can't settle down enough to rest."

"Doesn't seem to be stopping the others," Zhane muttered. It was hard to tell whether he was envious of them or suspicious of Andros for the same reason.

He swallowed. "I can't stop thinking," he confessed, staring down at the counter beside Zhane. "I was hoping... maybe we could talk."

There was no answer for a moment. Zhane had kicked off his shoes the moment they were inside, and it was his bare feet that caught Andros' attention now. He remembered Tixe following suit, and the grin the two of them had shared had made him want to scream. Why was Tixe so lucky? What had he done to deserve that look from Zhane?

Like the Power, he had taken Zhane's affection for granted until it was threatened. He could see it now, and he was desperately afraid that he understood too late.

And what if he didn't? What if it wasn't too late? Would that be any better? "I can't share my boyfriend, Andros." Why was the best that he could hope for the possibility that he would only lose one of them?

"Do you want to go outside?" Zhane asked at last.

"Yeah," Andros agreed, almost sighing with relief.

"Your tea will be ready when you come in," Ma said over her shoulder. "Tell Pa to come in if you see him. The moths can survive one night without his help."

"We will, Ma," Zhane assured her, though they both knew she had only said it to give them some privacy.

Andros added his thanks on top of Zhane's, and they filed out through the garden door as quietly as they could. The cool air wrapped damp tendrils around them even before the door closed. The darkness was full of chirps and the murmur of running water. The moon moths glowed along the garden path, but Pa was nowhere to be seen.

Zhane didn't say anything, clearly waiting for him to speak.

Staring down at the path beneath their feet, Andros wondered if it still led to the same places that it had taken them when they were younger. It had been a long time since he visited this house. Zhane had been back several times since they'd returned to KO-35, but he'd been too busy. Too busy for a lot of things, it seemed.

"What did you see in the morphin grid?" Andros asked abruptly. "When we first appeared, all of us in our own visions... what was yours?"

"Nothing." The words were toneless, but he elaborated, "I didn't see anything. Maybe it figured it had already tested me."

Andros glanced up, frowning. "You went through all the other tests."

"I didn't see anything," Zhane insisted, looking away. He had been doing that ever since the visions. At first Andros had thought it was his own fault, first for getting lost and then for trying to kiss his friend in front of the others. But now he was starting to wonder.

"Nothing at all?" he pressed. "You just stood there waiting for us?"

"Nothing," Zhane echoed, staring down at the ground. Then, almost inaudibly, he muttered, "Nothing new, anyway."

"You saw the same thing you saw last time?" Andros guessed quietly. Zhane had never told him much about his first quest, claiming alternately that it was too hard to explain or that he didn't remember much of it. It was one of the few things he had been close-mouthed about, and Andros hadn't pushed for answers.

Now he was pushing. "Does that mean that what you want most hasn't changed?" he asked, when Zhane didn't say anything. "Or..." He stumbled over the words as the thought occurred to him. "That you want to go back?"

"What does it matter?" Zhane snapped, taking a step back. "It wasn't real. Kerone said you wanted me to come, and I did. Now you say you want to talk, and here I am. So talk."

"What do *you* want?" Andros demanded. "How am I supposed to know what to say if you won't tell me anything?"

"How am I supposed to talk to you if you never listen?" Zhane shot back. "I told you everything, Andros! You've known where I am every second for more than a year. You've known who I'm with, what I'm doing, and why I think it matters. You've known because you always knew, and it didn't occur to me not to tell you.

"Obviously it occurred to you," he added, bitterness creeping into his tone. "I guess after being alone for two years you lose the habit. But I figured that was all it was, and then I figured it was because you were with Ashley, and then I figured you were just too busy. By the time I got done making excuses for you, I realized that I was making them because you didn't bother. You didn't think you needed an excuse for not talking to me."

"I did talk to you," Andros protested automatically. "I tried, but you haven't been around, and then there was Tixe--"

"I met Ty two days ago!" Zhane exclaimed. "I was *always* around! Until you disappeared without a trace a few days ago and wouldn't answer your communicator. When Kerone invited me to the hay party, I knew you wouldn't worry if I didn't come back because you weren't here. So I didn't come back."

"I worried," Andros murmured, remembering the Rangers from JT's dimension. "I met you on Eltare, and you said some things..." He folded his arms across his chest unconsciously. "I worried," he finished, hearing the awkwardness even as he said it.

Zhane was giving him the strangest look. "You met me on Eltare?" he repeated.

"Justin's been doing some experiments," Andros muttered, wondering how much of this explanation he would get through. "He's been transferring Rangers from one dimension to another. Mostly on purpose. You came through from another dimension while I was there. It knocked out the generators for more than an hour and we... we talked some."

"About what?" Zhane looked torn between curiosity and resentment. "What was I like? Did you meet anyone else?"

"Myself," Andros admitted. "And Ash's double came through, too."

"Of course." Zhane's expression was suddenly blank. "Must have appealed to her romantic nature to see the two of you together in yet another dimension."

His tone was detached, but his words were arguably sharp. Andros watched his face all the more closely as he replied, "We weren't."

He let Zhane sort through the implications of that for a moment, then added, "Me and Ash weren't together in that other dimension. You and I were."

Zhane opened his mouth, but no sound came out. "Oh," he whispered at last, looking away. "I--I'm sorry."

Andros stared at him. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Zhane said again, a little louder this time. "Ash must have been... upset."

"No," Andros said slowly. That wasn't quite the reaction he'd expected. "She--wait, you're *sorry*?" he repeated incredulously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Zhane caught his eye, but it was hard to tell whether he was surprised by the question or not. "It means I'm sorry," he said, sounding a little irritated. "You and Ash are always talking about how you're meant to be together. I'm sorry if it bothered you to be with someone else, even in another dimension."

He had told Kerone earlier that he didn't know what to say. That was nothing compared to his utter inability to formulate a response to Zhane's apparently sincere contrition. He was more than speechless. He suspected his brain had shut down entirely in the face of such an apology.

"What?" Zhane asked at last. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I--" He couldn't find anywhere to go with that sentence, so he tried again. "You... you're the most selfless person I've ever known," Andros said wonderingly. He had known that, once, and he had had it proved to him over and over again. It was just one more thing he had long since started taking for granted.

"Yeah, well, it's not all it's cracked up to be," Zhane muttered.

"Zhane..." He took a deep breath. "We were together in my vision, too. In the morphin grid."

Zhane looked up, searching his expression with inscrutable eyes. "You almost stayed in your vision."

Andros swallowed. "I know. I--I wanted to stay. It was all... everything was so perfect there. I guess it was supposed to be."

"You were with me," Zhane said evenly. "And you thought it was perfect?"

"You woke me up with your stupid starfighter game," Andros told him, determined to recount as much as he could remember. "You knew I was awake, but you didn't say anything until I complained. You didn't shut it off until I told you I'd had a bad dream... I'd dreamed I was here," he added. "Here where you're mad at me and I don't know what to say and here where there's Tixe."

If he'd had to guess, he would have said Zhane tried not to smile at that. "Yeah, it's pretty terrible," he agreed, straight-faced. "No wonder you didn't want to come back."

"It wasn't that I didn't want to come back," Andros said firmly. "It's that I wanted things to be like they were when I was there! You listened to my stupid dream, and you teased me and made me feel better, and you..."

Zhane was watching him intently. "I what?" he prompted, when Andros trailed off. "What happened?"

Andros dropped his arms, suddenly aware of his body language. "You... you kissed me," he confessed, staring down at the ground. It was a silly thing to be embarrassed about, especially when they had once kissed as casually as they teleported, but he was.

"Did I," Zhane said, his voice curiously detached.

Andros nodded, picking up the thread of the story quickly. "But then you were hungry, so we went to breakfast, and the others--"

Zhane took a step closer, a long step that put him well within Andros' personal space. It had never made him uncomfortable before, but this time he broke off even before Zhane repeated, "I kissed you."

Andros lifted his head slowly.

"If it was in your vision," Zhane said quietly, searching his expression. "Does that mean it's what you want?"

Andros drew in a deep breath, bracing himself to repeat the question Zhane still hadn't answered. "What do *you* want?" he asked again. He had to know.

"You know what I want," Zhane told him fiercely. He put one hand on the side of the house behind Andros' head, his eyes cast in shadow as he leaned closer. "Damn you, Andros; you know perfectly well what I want!"

For one timeless moment, he forgot everything but Zhane's breath on his skin and his warmth in the coolness of night. The mouth he hadn't felt on his for so long that he could no longer clearly remember it was now close enough to taste, and all he had to do was move a little closer. He leaned forward--

The door hissed open behind them. "Boys?" Ma called, as though she couldn't see them. "Zhane? Andros?"

With the light from the kitchen behind her maybe she really couldn't see them, Andros thought dazedly. Zhane had already pulled away, but his heart was still pounding loud enough to be heard in his ears. He couldn't remember feeling this weak even after the cog attack on their quest. God, he had wanted that kiss.

"We're right here, Ma." Zhane's voice wasn't particularly steady either, but his grandmother didn't seem to notice.

"You'd better come inside," she said, peering in their direction. "There's a comm alert with an underground evac order for the entire continent. Cavreigh and Quon are under attack."

The words were foreign, leftover from another time. How often had he and Zhane been called in from this same garden for similar reasons? How often had they--

"Come on," Zhane hissed, jolting him out of his distraction.

The others were already in the kitchen, gathered around the comm with both of Zhane's grandparents. Pa must have gone in through one of the other doors. The lights blazed throughout the house now, making no concession to the hour. The comm was loud enough that Andros could hear it from the door, and he caught Ashley's eye the moment she looked up.

"We tried to reach Kinwon," she said, not waiting for him to ask. "The official channels are all jammed. We can't get anything but the alert."

He and Zhane exchanged glances. "The Megaship," they said at the same time.

Zhane flipped his digimorpher open and punched in a code in the same amount of time it took Andros to remember he wasn't wearing his communicator. "DECA," the Silver Ranger said. "Five to teleport."

DECA didn't need anything else, and the house vanished from around them. Andros spared a thought for Ma and Pa, who would probably worry up until the moment they returned, but they would be safer in Cayeron than anywhere else. They knew what it was like to have Ranger children.

"DECA," Andros snapped, as soon as the teleportation stream released him. "Status."

"Cavreigh, Quon, and Kataisa are under heavy laser bombardment," the computer reported. "The velocifighter attack is concentrated over sector 12, though strays are coming through sectors 10, 11, 14, and 22. I am unable to account for three orbital platforms and seven communication relays, but the primary focus appears to be terrestrial rather than atmospheric."

"Get us over there," Andros ordered, slipping into the pilot's seat without a second thought. "Zhane, weapons. Ash, I want you on nav and comm. Kerone--"

He broke off as he remembered Zordon's words in the grid. "It is difficult to say what the effects on non-human physiology will be." Andros swiveled around to face her, dismayed as he recognized, too late, their wasted time. Rangers that succeeded came back from their quests just when they were needed. They should have known better than to think they would have a night to themselves before they had to confront the Power they had been granted.

"Kerone, take Ash's place," he said at last. "Ash, you and Tixe will have to morph. Take the zords out and chase down DECA's strays. I don't want anything that opened fire on this planet to escape untouched."

"You got it," Ashley agreed, glancing over at Tixe. "Ready?"

"Andros!" Kerone knew exactly what he was doing. "I'm no good to you if you won't let me help!"

"You are helping," he told her, turning back to the pilot's console. "We'll figure this out later. Get on nav."

There was the chime of activated morphers, and then, "Let's rocket!"

The bright flash of morphing energy enveloped the entire Bridge before vanishing as quickly as it had come. The glow of teleportation took its place, and Andros wished briefly that he had gotten to see them before they left. Ashley would have used the old words, but he knew he'd heard Tixe's voice in there too... what did their uniforms look like?

"Incoming," Zhane's voice warned tersely. "55 by 20--Kerone, what the hell are you doing!"

"Navigating," she replied innocently as the Megaship pulled out of its forward roll.

"Don't!" he shot back. "Andros is bad enough; we don't need two of you doing it!"

The Megalasers opened up, catching two, three, four velocifighters with half intensity at almost point-blank range. The explosions ignited the local atmosphere, and Andros swore as he realized how long it had been since they had fought above a city. There was no vacuum to put out the flaming debris as it fell.

"Zhane!" He knew the Silver Ranger had seen it too, but he had to say something. "Vaporize or nothing!" The Megaship swooped in underneath the impact, disintegrating most of the wreckage as it came in contact with the shields.

"Better one falling ship than a hundred laser strikes!" Zhane retorted, but he pushed the Megalasers to maximum without another word.

"KPD deployment confirmed," DECA announced.

Andros' tactical map changed abruptly. Instead of the free-floating green specks that represented friendly fighters, he had a dimmer net of green overlaid by the fiery orange of velocifighters. The net rippled and flowed as the deployment shifted around weapons' fire and intruding ships, but the pattern was holding.

"We have contact with the ground," Kerone added. "Funny... Kinwon doesn't sound as officious as I remember."

"Funny," Zhane echoed wryly. "Tell him we're a little busy right now. We'll get back to him."

Two velocifighters vanished from the tactical map simultaneously, proving beyond any doubt Zhane's ability to talk and shoot at the same time. Andros pulled up, leaving the stragglers for the PD as the Megaship intercepted the next wave. "DECA, how are the others doing?"

"Sectors 14 and 11 are clear," DECA answered. "Ashley and Tixe appear to have split up, although judging from their comm transmissions they are well aware of each other's status."

"Which is?" Zhane demanded, fingers dancing across the Megalaser controls.

"Optimum," DECA replied. "Their zords are performing satisfactorily. Their skill, enhanced by the Power though it may be, is more than adequate to the task."

"Andros--" Zhane yelped as a velocifighter impacted against the shields. "What was that! Since when do you play chicken with velocifighters!"

"Since you don't shoot them down before they lose," Andros retorted. "That one was practically dead ahead!"

"I was a little distracted by the strafing run you weren't avoiding," Zhane informed him, blasting two more velocifighters as the Megaship swung around to give him a clear shot at the debris from the first one.

"I tried to avoid it!" Andros protested, completing the arc as soon as Zhane cleared the sky. "Kerone overrode me!"

There was a noticeable silence, and he wished he had a moment to glance over his shoulder at his sister. Her training at the nav station was somewhat limited, but she was an excellent pilot and that usually made up for a lot. He hadn't meant to imply that she wasn't doing her job.

"Well, Astrea?" Zhane demanded. His control of the Megalasers was almost instinctive. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Oh, am I expected to participate in this?" Kerone sounded, if anything, amused. "I thought it was between the two of you."

"Anyone on the Bridge is fair game," Zhane said over his shoulder. "Keeps us alert."

"Incoming," Andros interrupted, when a velocifighter got a little too close for comfort. "15 by 45!"

"I see it, I see it," Zhane grumbled. The enemy fighter was gone before the Megaship had time to evade. "You have no faith."

"You have no aim," Andros retorted. "That was a lucky shot!"

"Whatever it was!" Zhane exclaimed indignantly. "I saw that thing coming before you did! It was thanks to your lack of piloting ability that I had to wait that long before I had any kind of shot!"

"This keeps you alert?" Kerone's voice was laced with disbelief.

"Zhane has to learn to multitask somehow," Andros replied, swinging the Megaship around to sweep through the remains of the second wave.

"That's funny coming from the one-track wonder," Zhane shot back.

"Sectors 10, 22, and 23 are clear," DECA interrupted. "Velocifighter encroachment on sector 12 has fallen to 20 percent of maximum. Ashley and Tixe are on an intercept course."

"His name is Ty, DECA." Zhane didn't look up from the weapons' console. "Andros only calls him that to be annoying."

There was no safe way to answer that, so Andros said nothing. The zords had already appeared on his tactical map, within weapons' range and closing fast. They peeled off in opposite directions with a symmetrical flyby that looked for all the world as though they'd rehearsed it a dozen times, making Zhane swear as they dove recklessly between Megalaser bursts.

"Kerone, get them on the comm!" The Silver Ranger was either fuming or impressed; it was hard to tell. "I don't know what they think they're doing, but that wasn't funny!"

Fuming. Definitely fuming, Andros thought, trying to hide a smile. The anger was funny when it wasn't directed at him.

The only answer was the sound of Ashley's laughter when Kerone opened the link, and Andros couldn't help chuckling. "Jealous?" he inquired, shooting a sidelong look at Zhane. The velocifighters were all but eliminated, and Ashley and Tixe were obviously enjoying the chance to show off.

Zhane glanced back at him, and their gazes locked for a brief second. "Of which one?" he asked, deadpan.

Andros blinked, and Zhane's attention was back on the Megalasers as though nothing had happened. Andros turned back to his own console, but his focus wasn't as easily shifted. Had Zhane's feelings always been so obvious, or was he just more attuned to them all of a sudden?

"We have fighter contact," Kerone informed them. "Someone important-sounding just gave the all-clear. Do we stand down on her order?"

"DECA," Andros said, forcing his thoughts back to the task at hand. "Velocifighter status."

"Encroachment is zero," DECA answered. "Detectable air traffic is restricted to friendly fighters, and terrestrial invasion is insignificant."

"I'll take that as a 'no'?" Kerone inquired politely.

"No," Andros agreed. "We don't answer to the KPD, but we will stand down. DECA, autopilot for high-altitude orbit. We'll catch up with you as soon as we figure out what's going on."

"Acknowledged." There was a brief pause, and then she added, "Welcome back, Rangers."

As he got to his feet, Andros found himself glancing automatically at Zhane. The Silver Ranger grinned, and Andros could only smile in return. The more things changed, he supposed.

"Thanks, DECA."

***

"Hi, Zhane."

Ashley's voice greeted him from the comm and he looked up in surprise. She was almost the last person he had expected to hear from via recorded comm message, especially since she had only left this afternoon and was probably still in transit to Earth. Given recent circumstances, hearing from her at all was a bit of a shock.

In fact, on the list of People Who Wouldn't Call Zhane, Ashley ranked somewhere below Ecliptor and right above, say, Saryn. He expected to hear from the former any day now, just on general principle, and the latter wouldn't have spoken to him without good reason even if they were alone on a six-hour shuttle ride.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye," she continued. "Things got a little crazy there for a while, and between Marsie and Kinwon and Andros I just never caught up with you."

The leader of the Kerovan PD wanted the new Rangers to consider training with her fighter wings. She had suggested it with all the deference and respect that Kinwon had lacked when he appeared on the scene via comm link later. He had demanded to know what right Andros had to steal the astromorphers before vanishing on a potentially suicidal quest, showing very little in the way of gratitude or even happiness for their safe return.

Andros had promised to consider Marsie's request. Kinwon had been ignored in favor of a private conversation with Ashley, and Zhane hadn't minded the chance to cut the Council leader off mid-rant. He had been so satisfied that he managed not to eavesdrop on the Red Ranger's conversation with his girlfriend, though he hadn't missed her tears or the stormy expression on his friend's face when Andros returned alone.

"I guess... I guess maybe I didn't try very hard," Ashley admitted after a moment, studying the screen frankly. "I don't know exactly what to say to you, and maybe I didn't want to have to do it face to face."

She was doing a pretty good job of it over the comm, he thought, unbidden. She sounded calm, far calmer than he would have been in her place--far calmer than he *had* been in her place, actually. Andros had managed to turn both their lives upside down without even trying.

He realized belatedly that she had paused again, and his gaze flicked over her surroundings quickly. She must have recorded this from her zord. He still hadn't seen the cockpits firsthand, but she looked perfectly comfortable in the foreign environment.

"You should know that Andros and I broke up," Ashley said abruptly. Now he could see the tears in her eyes, and her struggle to repress them. "I'll tell you the same thing I told him: I'll always be your friend. No matter what happens, I hope you never doubt that I love you.

"He asked if I was coming back," she added, choking on a laugh. She dashed one hand across her eyes impatiently, directing a too-bright smile at the screen. "Sorry... I didn't mean to dump all this on you. I just want you to know..."

Ashley trailed off for just a moment, but it was enough for her to regain her composure. "I told him KO-35 is my home now," she said, taking a deep breath. "You guys are my family." The smile that flitted across her face this time was wistful as she added, "I hope you still feel that way too, after everything that's happened.

"I have to work some stuff out on Earth," she went on, reminding him that she wasn't really on the other end of the comm link waiting for his reply. "You probably know that Kerone's coming too, which is good because I'm going to need moral support. But I'll be back soon, I hope, and maybe we can... I don't know. Not talk about Andros," she said with another attempted smile.

She was reaching for something in front of her when she paused, giving the screen an intent look. "Zhane... I'm not doing this very well, because what I really wanted to tell you was that--well, I hope you and Andros can figure things out. I mean... I want you to be happy. Both of you."

Ashley sighed, her shoulders drooping as she stared down at the console. "It's easy to be angry at Andros... believe me, I know. But he doesn't deserve that. I know in my heart that he loves us, and he would never intentionally hurt either of us. So I hope you'll forgive him for whatever he's done recently, and--and give him a chance.

"I'll see you soon," she added awkwardly, glancing up at the screen. "Don't get into too much trouble without me."

Just like that, she was gone. He was left staring at a blank comm screen, the pawprint logo of the new Kerovan Rangers fading into darkness even as he watched. They were a team now, no matter what. She had said it herself, and the ties between Rangers superseded all other relationships.

"Selfless," he said aloud, the word grating in the stillness of the room. "Andros..." He sighed, wondering if the Red Ranger could fathom the depths of the turmoil he had caused so unintentionally. "You have no idea what selflessness is."

He stacked his fists on top of each other and leaned forward, resting his chin on them as he leaned on the workstation surface. It wasn't true, of course; Andros had sacrificed more for intangible goals than anyone he knew. His determination inspired others, and so he had become a leader.

The unfortunate part, Zhane reflected, was that those others had a disturbing tendency to fall in love with him. Too bad there wasn't some sort of screening process. Subject A may only follow Andros if he or she is motivated by external factors. Subject B may join the team only if he or she can prove a prior permanent attachment. Subject C--

The door slid open, and the aforementioned leader strode through.

He had intended to be in and out before Andros returned, counting on the conference with DECA to delay the Red Ranger while Zhane made himself scarce. He hadn't wanted to be alone with his best friend after what had almost happened in the garden... The near-betrayal of Ashley had shaken him to the core, reminding him of just how vulnerable he was if Andros so much as looked his way.

Yet now it was Ashley that made him hesitate, questioning his own resolve. She had all but said she wanted to see the two of them together. And why else would she have broken up with Andros instead of trying to work things out, if not to give him a chance?

He closed his eyes, knowing he was only telling himself what he wanted to hear. The same way she had. She knew what he wanted because she wanted it too, and she was giving it up because she thought it was the right thing to do--not because her heart told her to.

It occurred to him that Andros' footsteps had stopped, and he looked up to find his best friend watching him. The tawny, natural hue looked good on him, but it was still strange to see Andros in something other than red. He had had several opportunities to change, and it made Zhane wonder what message the Red Ranger was trying to send.

"DECA wanted to know where you were," Andros said abruptly.

With a sigh, Zhane rested his chin on his fists again. "Nice of her to care."

There was a moment of silence. "I wondered too," Andros said, more quietly. "Are you all right?"

He couldn't help smiling. "I guess that depends how you define 'all right'," he remarked, staring at the blank comm screen.

There was another pause. "Is there anything I can do?" Andros asked at last.

If it had been anyone but Andros he would have said, sure, he could think of a few things. But it was Andros, and there were lines they didn't cross. He had never had to censor himself around his best friend before. He didn't like it.

"Why did you let that monster win?" he asked suddenly.

"What monster?"

"The one that beat you." Zhane frowned down at the tabletop, wishing he could change the outcome of that day somehow. "The last time we fought here. When I died, and we lost KO-35."

Andros' response was pained. "Could you please stop saying that?"

Zhane lifted his head, giving him a curious look. "What?" He knew, of course, but he preferred to feign innocence.

"That you died." Andros glared back at him. He knew Zhane knew what he was talking about. "You didn't die. You're here and you're fine and it's going to stay that way."

"I didn't die," Zhane echoed. He thought about that for a moment, debating the merits of voicing the truth. Finally he looked Andros straight in the eye and said, "But I lost you, didn't I?"

Andros just stared at him, and he would have given a lot to know what was going on behind those hazel eyes. Then Andros swallowed, glancing away, and Zhane had to strain to hear him when he muttered, "I didn't know."

"Didn't know what?" Zhane demanded, frustrated. "That I would live? That I would still love you? Or that you'd find Ashley?"

"You went out with every girl we knew!" Andros exclaimed. "Every time I turned around you were on another date! What was I supposed to think?"

"Name one girl that lasted more than two weeks!" Zhane stared at him, but Andros refused to meet his gaze. "I was never serious about any of them, and I told them that! Hell, I told *you* that a hundred times! Everyone knew it was just in fun!"

"If you weren't serious about them, how could I think you were serious about--" Andros broke off, studying the workstation with an intensity it didn't deserve. "Anyone else?"

In his voice Zhane heard the echo of the insecure boy Andros had once been, and it took the edge off of his anger. "I used to kiss you for good luck," he reminded his friend. "I said I love you more times than I can remember. If you thought I was just kidding around, why didn't you tell me to knock it off?"

"I know when you mean things," Andros admitted, lifting his gaze to Zhane's at last. "I just don't know how you mean them."

Zhane had to sigh. "How many different things can 'I love you' mean? It's not like I said it to everyone I met!"

"We were kids," Andros said quietly. "We were practically brothers, Zhane. After you were gone, I... I had a lot of time to think about it. And all I could think was that I must have been wrong, that you must have said those things because we were family and you knew it made me feel good to hear it."

"You think too much," Zhane muttered. "I told you it would get you into trouble."

"Well, you are the expert at getting into trouble," Andros offered.

Zhane gave him a brief smile. "I try. I do have a reputation to maintain, you know."

"So I've been told."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, but the silence was more comfortable than it had been of late. Andros broke it first, his words soft but measured. "You didn't lose me, Zhane."

Zhane didn't look up, tracing his fingers across the top of the workstation. "Maybe not," he agreed, watching the imaginary trails vanish in his minds' eye. "But things aren't the same anymore, are they."

Andros didn't answer, and he sighed.

"I won't hurt Ashley," he told the table. "I know she thinks you've broken up, but you haven't. You can't turn feelings on and off." He sensed Andros' surprised look, but he didn't mention the message she had left for him.

Lifting his head again, he made himself catch Andros' eye. "I love you, but so does she. You guys have been together for a long time. I don't want to screw that up any more than I already have."

"You didn't screw anything up," Andros protested. "Ash left because of me, not you, and she only came back because she knows we need her. She's part of the team."

"We're all part of the team," Zhane pointed out quietly. There were more people to worry about than just the two of them now. "It's bigger than it used to be, and it's more important than any of us. We can't let the three of us tear it apart with some stupid love triangle."

"So what are you saying?" Andros was staring at him with alarming intensity. "You think things aren't awkward enough already, so you're going to go back to sleeping with Tixe and pretending to be my friend and flirting with Ash and somehow miraculously everyone will be happy?!"

Zhane opened his mouth, but Andros wasn't done yet. "Do you really think that if we keep going the way we have been things will suddenly get better instead of worse?" he demanded. "We'll stop fighting? Ash will just accept it? Tixe won't care that I hate him for the rest of my life? Yeah, Zhane, that's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that!"

This time the silence between them crackled, and he found himself frozen in place. It was a fine line between critical indignation and genuine anger, and they were closer to it than usual lately. Zhane knew that all it would take was one of them walking out and they'd be right back where they started.

Andros looked away first, and the tension eased incrementally. "You can talk now," he muttered, his voice ruefully apologetic.

Zhane closed his mouth, still trying to get over his shock. "I'd rather not," he said carefully, feeling his lips quirk upward. "That was... one of your more logical temper tantrums."

"It wasn't a temper tantrum," Andros informed him. "And it only sounded logical because what you said was so dumb. Ash will never believe that I lied to her yesterday, and you've already proven that you can't hide your feelings worth anything."

"Hey!" Stung, Zhane reacted without thinking. "You said *you* didn't know!"

"And apparently I was the only one!" Andros retorted.

On the verge of another unthinking remark, Zhane caught himself just in time. "What did you lie to Ash about?" he wanted to know.

Andros paused. "I didn't lie," he said at last. "She already knew, anyway. Even before I told her about my vision."

"You told her about your vision?" Zhane repeated, dumbfounded. "Why?"

Andros shrugged as though the question had never occurred to him. "Because she deserved to know. And because she must have guessed when I tried to kiss you after you brought me back anyway."

"Guessed what?" He knew he was pushing his luck, but he couldn't help it. "You said she knew before you told her... what?"

Andros caught his eye. "That I love you," he said simply.

Zhane swallowed hard, but he found he couldn't look away. "Don't say that."

"Why not?" Andros wanted to know. "Why is all right for you to say it and not me? I know things are messed up right now, but ignoring it isn't going to make it any better!"

"If I had ignored it from the beginning things wouldn't be messed up at all!" Zhane burst out. "This sucks, Andros, and it's my fault! I knew you were with Ashley, but I waited around thinking maybe it wouldn't last. Then I had to go and sleep with Ty, who looks so much like you that even Astrea knew something was going on, and--"

"You're wrong," Andros interrupted. The words were quiet, but they were enough to stop Zhane in midsentence.

"About what?" He was too taken aback to be indignant.

"The ignoring part is my fault," Andros said softly. "You were right not to, and I was wrong. I knew how you felt. Or I should have known," he amended. "I should have said something, but I didn't. That's why I know we can't pretend this isn't happening--because we already tried that, and it didn't work."

"But if--"

"It didn't work," Andros repeated firmly. "We were never fighting over the Rangers, were we. We were fighting for each other's attention. At least I was... I thought you were ignoring me, and you probably thought I was ignoring you."

"You were," Zhane muttered. He saw the ghost of a smile on Andros' face.

"We can't keep doing that," Andros told him. "We can't lie to Ash, either. And if you keep spending all your time with Tixe I'm going to kill him, teammate or not. So let's find a way to figure this out instead of trying to cover it up."

"How?" Zhane demanded. "What can we possibly do?"

"If I knew," Andros said wryly, "there wouldn't be anything to figure out."

Zhane had to smile a little at that. "I guess that's fair enough," he admitted. "Any ideas on where to start?"

"Yeah," Andros answered, surprising him. "Several, actually. For one thing, we need to check in with your grandparents. I'm sure they know we're all right, but we should at least call. After that, I want to get a look at these new zords before we have to take them into battle again."

He frowned, as though contemplation of the immediate future had completely absorbed their conversation. "We also need to talk about Marsie's request, plus housing for Tixe when he gets back from Chessa Brook. But first--"

Andros stopped, giving Zhane an expectant look. "There's something you could do for me that would make me feel a lot better."

Distracted, he hadn't seen that one coming. "What's that?"

Andros walked over and pulled him to his feet, the gesture so casual that Zhane didn't even think about it until he was standing. Andros didn't step back, didn't even let go of his hand, his hazel eyes fixed on Zhane's. With sudden and breathtaking certainty, he knew what his best friend was about to do.

Then Andros' mouth was on his, warmth suffusing his awareness and making everything sparkle as he closed his eyes. The kiss was gentle and heartbreakingly familiar, and Zhane leaned into it without conscious thought. For one too-brief instant, there was nothing else in the world.

"Thanks," Andros breathed, pulling away carefully. "That was exactly it," he added, flashing a genuine smile that warmed the space between them.

"Anytime," Zhane managed. For once he was caught with nothing more clever to say, and the smirk that tugged at Andros' smile said he knew it.

In that moment, Zhane vowed to prove Andros right. They would figure out a way to make it work... because he wanted to do that again. And when the Silver Ranger decided to do something, he didn't let anything stand in his way.