"Are you going to obsess over this forever?"

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to, Kerone?" Leigh slid into the seat next to her, ignoring the glare those words evoked. "What doesn't he obsess over?"

"This is ridiculous," Kerone said firmly. "He saw the quantron. He freaked out. Maybe it got your attention, but--"

"He didn't freak out," her brother countered. "He yelled a warning. He saved my life."

"Do you really think so?" Rill's curiosity was polite and slightly less skeptical than that of her teammates. "You were morphed, after all. It's not like that quantron could have taken you out with a single shot."

"It only takes one," Andros insisted. "And I didn't even see it coming."

Kerone exchanged glances with Leigh. It was some indication of how distracted their leader was that he had admitted that. When was the last time he had confessed to weakness in a training sim, let alone in battle? She couldn't remember.

Velocifighters had gotten past the PD this morning, and they'd made planetfall in the Cayeron district before the Rangers could intercept them. There hadn't been any casualties, except apparently Andros' self-confidence. He was convinced some kid had saved him from certain death by disobeying the evac order.

"Got it," Kaeth announced, tossing an electronic reader on the table as he dropped into a seat across from them. "Name and ID for the kid on the beach."

Andros grabbed the reader before anyone else could, and he scanned through it with an intensity that denied the rest of the world. It took longer than it should have, but what did he care that he had made the rest of them just as curious as he was? Kerone sighed, giving Kaeth a helpless look.

Kaeth grinned sympathetically. "Vagrant," he summarized. "No regular employment, no familial connections. Primary education, surprisingly. Been in Cayeron on and off for the past three years."

"History of infractions?" Leigh wanted to know.

Kaeth shook his head. "The usual: loitering, trespassing, disorderly conduct. No major transgressions until today."

"I'm not reporting him," Andros said abruptly, and they looked at him in surprise.

"Ranger discretion," he added. "He doesn't need that on his record."

"He ignored the order," Leigh said with a frown. "We worked hard to get that authority, Andros. We can't let one kid set an example for everyone else."

"He's not a kid," Andros retorted. "He's the same age as us. And his name is Zhane."

Kerone nudged the girl beside her before she could respond. *Forgotten who you're talking to, Leigh?* she inquired wryly. *Let it go before he gets any more determined.*

The reader spun across the table toward Rill and leapt into her hand with a telekinetic flourish. "Zhane's lucky day," she remarked, studying the screen.

Warmth was seeping into him from the sand below and the sun above. The cry of the gulls pierced even the pounding surf, producing a familiar melody that had lulled him to sleep countless times before. This afternoon it was a choice between a nap and rigging maintenance, and he was ready to embrace the nap option whole-heartedly.

At least, he was until a shadow fell across his face and he cracked his eyes open curiously. They widened the rest of the way when he realized who was standing over him. There was no way this was happening. He must already be asleep. Yeah, that was it. He was going to wake up any second now.

He waited, but nothing happened. Nothing but the quirk of an eyebrow from the person blocking his sun, and the mild inquiry from a voice almost as familiar as the face: "Mind if I join you?"

Zhane was frozen in place, running through the possibilities in his mind. Rangers weren't law enforcement, so if they were going to bust him for yesterday they wouldn't be doing it in person. But they also weren't likely to be chatting up beach bums without a reason, so he'd better watch his step.

"Be my guest," he said, as nonchalantly as he could.

The Red Ranger dropped to the ground beside him, his body folding in an easy way that said strength and flexibility were a given. He did glance at the ground before he sat, but he didn't hesitate or rearrange himself once he was there. Strange: for someone so often in the spotlight, appearances were apparently not his first concern.

Stop analyzing him! a voice in the back of his mind whispered urgently.

Why? he demanded. It's what I do.

He'll know!

So? He's just the leader of the Rangers, he reminded himself.

He's just the most powerful person on the planet, the voice echoed sarcastically.

"Thank you." The Red Ranger's voice interrupted his frantic thoughts, bringing him up short for just a moment.

Then his mind raced off in a new direction, turning circles on itself as he tried to make sense of those two words. "What for?" he asked, tilting his head to look up at the figure by his side.

That was a mistake. He looked away as soon as he could casually manage it, because as unnerving as it was to have the Red Ranger sitting next to him, it was infinitely more so to see him there. It would be a miracle if he got through this inexplicable conversation without totally embarrassing himself.

"For saving my life," Andros answered, staring out at the horizon. He shouldn't have come. This kid obviously wasn't impressed by him, and if he got through this conversation without embarrassing himself it would be a miracle.

"You save lives every day." The figure lounging in the sand beside him didn't seem to think it was anything special. His tone indicated that he felt Andros was just doing his job.

"Not like that," he said awkwardly. Maybe it didn't mean anything to Zhane, but it had meant something to him and he was going to make sure someone knew. "It's not--personal, when we do it."

He winced when his brain caught up with him. He had meant that they rarely saw the faces of the people they saved, that being a Ranger was often about doing good in the abstract, but if he had said that in front of a camera... Why had Kerone been coaching him all this time if not to keep him from saying things without thinking first?

Zhane glanced up at him and away again, too quickly for Andros to catch his eye but not fast enough to hide his grin. "How did you know?"

Andros' frown deepened, trying to decide whether the kid was laughing at him or not. "Know what?" he asked at last. He could hear the wariness in his tone, and maybe Zhane heard it too because his smile faded a little.

"That it was personal," he said idly. "How'd you know I thought you were cute?"

Andros stared at him. Say nothing, he remembered Kerone telling him. If you don't know what to say, don't say anything at all. People will hear what they want to hear, and that's better for us than anything we could come up with.

Sure enough, Zhane took it upon himself to fill the silence. "Oh, come on," he said, sounding uncomfortable for the first time. "Like you don't know that half the population has a crush on at least one Ranger!"

The words tumbled out before he could stop them. Kerone would have telepathically shut him up by now if she'd been there. "You have a crush on me?"

For some reason, that brought a smile to Zhane's face. "You know, you're not half as worldly as people think you are," he remarked, closing his eyes.

"I don't have to be," he reminded the waves. "I make the rules." He didn't know where the words came from any more than he really knew what had made him return to Cayeron. But Zhane's easy confidence was catching.

A moment later, he realized the conversation had come to a halt. Glancing down, he found Zhane gazing back at him curiously. "Just when I think I know something about you," the boy mused, not looking away, "you go and say something like that."

The smile still played around the corners of his mouth, and his blue eyes were frankly admiring. Usually such an expression made Andros back off faster than armed quantrons, but this time he found himself smiling back. Maybe more than Zhane's confidence was contagious.

"Zhane!" The rest was drowned out by the roar of the floaters, and it wasn't repeated.

He lifted his head to holler, "You want something; speak up!" He went back to the nav controls without another thought, letting them soak up his concentration. Kerry was one for idle conversation, but the faster he was done with this the faster he was out.

He didn't even notice the face at the top of the hatch until Kerry shouted again. This time his name was more than audible over the suddenly surging engines, and he rolled his eyes. "What!" he demanded, looking up impatiently.

Kerry motioned, obviously wanting him to follow. "Visitor!" The boat's owner looked unusually sober, probably because the floaters still weren't reliable after two days of work. Funny, he hadn't seemed that worried about them a moment ago.

"You know," Zhane groused, ducking over to the ladder and pulling himself up, "this'd get done a lot faster if you'd stop interrupting me. If you want help with the damn floaters you could just say so and save me the trouble of--"

"Zhane." Kerry jerked his thumb at the dock, and Zhane followed his gesture absently. There wasn't anyone who should be looking for him at this time of day; it was too late for new work and too early for anything else. Maybe someone looking for help tomorrow, or...

The Red Ranger. For a moment he just stared, wondering if he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. The Red Ranger was standing on the dock, one foot on the mooring post as he gazed around the marina. The seabreeze ruffled his long hair, shifting the blonde and brown strands across his shoulders while the sun glinted gold off the Ranger insignia on his shirt.

Zhane put one hand on the railing and vaulted over the side of the boat, landing with a thump that somehow caught Andros' attention over the sound of sputtering floaters. He put his foot down and turned curiously, lifting his chin in greeting as he caught sight of Zhane. "Hey," he said, and the word was almost lost in the noise.

Wiping his hands on his shorts self-consciously, Zhane moved close enough that he wouldn't have to strain to hear. "Hey," he echoed, trying to look casual. "What are you doing here?"

The Red Ranger shrugged. "You told me to come by sometime," he said, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "So I did."

Zhane stared at him. Come on by sometime... Sure he'd said that. It was what you said. It was polite. He hadn't expected the leader of the Rangers to actually seek him out. Ever, in point of fact, but certainly not again.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he affected his best uncaring grin. "So what took you so long?"

"You know how it is." Andros shrugged again, trying not to feel out of place. Zhane's cutoff shorts and bare feet seemed to be the norm around here, and his own casual tunic was probably more dressy than these people ever got. "Saving the world, making the streets safe for small children and their pets... It keeps a person busy."

Zhane's blue eyes seemed to assess him, seeing past the flippant response to the uncertainty beneath. "Bet you say that to all the guys," he replied at last.

Andros blinked, then smiled. Zhane continued to study him, adding unexpectedly, "That looks good on you. You should do it more often."

The smile faded, and Andros stared at him in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Smile," Zhane explained. "You should smile more; it looks nice."

Andros shifted, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Nice isn't usually what I'm going for," he offered wryly.

"Sure, you don't have to be with that uniform." Zhane gestured at idly at his Ranger insignia. "The rest of us should be so lucky. We have to get by on charm or nothing."

He felt his lips quirk again. "It works for you," he remarked frankly. "The charm, I mean."

"Lots of practice," Zhane confided without missing a beat.

Another smile was threatening. "Walk with me?" he invited.

"Wish I could." Zhane gave every appearance of regret. "But I've got to finish the nav controls for Kerry, and probably fix whatever he's done to the floaters after that."

"Today?"

It was Zhane's turn to shrug self-deprecatingly. "If I want to eat tonight, yeah."

"I'll take you," Andros said, hoping he didn't sound too eager. "Wherever you want. It's the least I can do after you saved my life."

Zhane considered that for a moment, just long enough that Andros wondered if he had unknowingly violated some dockworker etiquette. If there was any. There must be, right? The marina was a culture unto itself; he could see that for himself. But in the absence of knowledge, he would just have to go with instinct.

This time, it seemed, instinct was correct. "Kerry!" Zhane shouted, breaking eye contact for the first time as he turned back to the boat he'd emerged from. "I'm done for the day--don't blow it up while I'm gone!"

"Kerry" just waved him off, giving him a grimace that didn't look particularly friendly. Any other response he made was lost under the roar of the floaters, but Zhane had a smirk on his face when he turned around again. "Let's go," he said simply.

The chiseled stone bench was rough underneath his back, and the rays of the evening sun slanted across his body. Eyes closed and face turned toward the horizon, he could feel the muted warmth of sunset on his skin. It was a much more pleasant end to the day than the one he had originally planned.

"Zhane!" The voice was familiar, and he turned away from the sun before opening his eyes. There was no mistaking the figure striding down the boardwalk toward him.

"Been a while," Taizer greeted, throwing himself down on the bench opposite and eying Zhane casually. "Where'd you go?"

"Quon." Zhane stared back at him, considering the changes in his friend since he'd seen him last. He wore a new bracelet, probably embedded with his skif registration, and he had grown his hair out some. "Caught a ride with some tourist looking for sail help."

"How d'you find these people?" Taizer demanded. "I'm twice as good-looking as you are, and I'm lucky to hire on as a guide!"

Zhane put his hands behind his head, shifting his gaze to the sky. "Telling you, it's all about the charm."

"If that's what you call it," came the grumbled reply. "You got a date?"

Glancing over at him again, he saw Taizer jerk his head at the two drinks sitting idle by the end of the bench. "Yeah," he said, since there didn't seem much point in denying it. "And no, I'm not introducing you."

"Spoilsport. Who is it? Do I know 'em?"

Zhane smiled to himself. "You might have seen him around."

"Him?" Taizer repeated. "That's new for you."

"You'll understand when you see him."

"Thought you weren't going to introduce me." Taizer sounded awfully smug, and Zhane rolled his head back to check on Andros' progress down the boardwalk.

"I wasn't," he agreed, catching his friend's eye again. "But since he's on his way back, and I can probably get points for politeness..." He let the sentence trail off.

"Polite," Taizer snorted. "That's a good one." He craned his neck around, trying to identify Zhane's mystery date by sight.

Zhane knew he'd spotted Andros when he stiffened. "Zhane," the other said urgently. "Check it out. The Red Ranger's on the boardwalk!"

"Yeah?" Zhane didn't bother to look, affecting disinterest.

"I'm not kidding!" Taizer hissed. "He's going to walk right by us!"

"Oh, I don't think so." Zhane was enjoying himself. "Bet he stops right here and offers me some ice cream."

"Fine," Taizer told him. "Don't believe me. But don't get all upset about it later."

"I won't," Zhane assured him, swinging his legs over the side of the bench as he sat up. He waved as Andros approached, and the Red Ranger lifted his chin in greeting.

"Ice cream?" Andros offered, passing him one of the cups without waiting for an answer. Zhane wished he could have caught Taizer's expression without Andros seeing. Instead he gave the Red Ranger his brightest smile, and, somewhat to his surprise, Andros smiled back.

"Thanks," Zhane mumbled, trying not to look as dazzled as he felt.

The Red Ranger put one foot on the bench and braced the hand that held the ice cream against his knee. He gave Taizer a curious glance but said nothing, and Zhane hurried to introduce them. "Taizer works with me on the docks," he explained. "He just stopped to catch up for a minute."

Andros inclined his head, all polite interest and reserved courtesy. It was his game face, Zhane realized, even as it occurred to him that Andros hadn't worn that expression once this entire evening. He didn't have time to wonder what that meant, for Taizer's reaction was priceless.

"I'd better be going," he said quickly, as uncomfortable as Zhane had ever seen him. "It was, uh... nice to meet you."

Andros nodded again, just short of dismissing him. Taizer picked himself up off the bench and headed down the boardwalk without another word. In a moment he had been completely obscured by the evening crowds.

It wasn't that he had anything against the company Zhane kept. It was just that he'd be happier if Zhane would keep it on his own time. The boy had been gone for half the season, and if his friends wanted to catch up then they could damn well wait their turn.

"Don't like him?" Zhane asked mildly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. He dug his spoon into the side of his ice cream cup and popped it into his mouth without looking.

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" The question came out of nowhere, and Andros winced. Not nowhere, exactly, but certainly nowhere they'd come close to in almost an hour of idle conversation.

Zhane seemed to consider that. "Well, it's not like I see you every day," he pointed out at last. "I don't think I'd be able to get a message to you if I tried. And I didn't try because to be honest, I didn't think you'd care."

"I did," Andros informed his ice cream. He stopped there, knowing he shouldn't sound so petulant about it. Zhane was just a kid he liked to buy ice cream for; he didn't have any claim on his affection or his time.

"Why?"

Andros looked up in surprise. There was nothing but genuine curiosity on his face--well, that and a smudge of chocolate from his ice cream. As though he had read Andros' mind, Zhane's tongue darted out to retrieve the ice cream from his lips, and Andros found himself transfixed by the sight.

It was at that moment that realization struggled up through the haze of "should be" and "can't" to present itself with startling clarity. He was attracted to Zhane. He had been ever since an unheeded evac order had led to their first meeting. That was what had made him seek the other out: not gratitude, but curiosity.

"I--I don't know," he stammered, aware that Zhane was still waiting for his answer.

Zhane just shrugged, turning back to his ice cream, and before he could stop himself Andros asked, "Zhane? Is this a date?"

Zhane looked up, glanced around as though inspecting the circumstances, then shrugged again. "Looks like one to me," he said cheerfully. He seemed to find the idea thoroughly entertaining, and Andros hoped that was a good thing.

"Isn't it traditional to kiss on a date?" he insisted, hoping he wasn't blushing when Zhane looked over at him again.

"Usually the person with the superpowers and the bodyguards decides what's 'traditional', and everyone else just smiles and nods," Zhane told him.

"If you're trying to prove this isn't a date," he added, "I'll smile and nod. But if you're asking whether I mind, the answer is no."

Andros stared at him for a moment, then said the only logical thing he could think of. "People with superpowers don't need bodyguards, you know." Then he leaned over and kissed Zhane before he could lose his nerve.

"See..." Zhane slid closer even as he pulled away. "You shouldn't say things like that to people like me, because they're likely to take advantage of it. The threat of bodyguards was keeping me on my best behavior."

Zhane's kiss was slow and lingering, warmer than his and a lot more confident. Andros barely dared to move, afraid he would ruin the moment or reveal his own uncertainty, or both. He was surprised to find he was still holding his ice cream when Zhane drew back.

"That--" He cleared his throat, looking for something to say. "That wasn't a first date kiss."

"This isn't our first date," Zhane replied, searching his gaze and almost daring him to contradict. "Want to skip to the third date kissing?"

Andros swallowed. "I haven't been on many third dates," he confessed.

"S'okay," Zhane said with a grin. "There's a trick to it."

Andros found himself struggling not to smile. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

Zhane pulled a chocolate chunk out of his ice cream before setting the cup on the ground beside the bench. "When we're done," he said, holding it up so Andros could see it, "you want to be the one with the chocolate."

So saying, he opened his mouth and put the chocolate on his tongue. He gave Andros a smirk, blue eyes daring and somehow expectant at the same time. It was a challenge, pure and simple.

Andros never backed down from a challenge.

He should be working. It was a perfect day for it, grey and windy and just cool enough to make the breeze of the ocean invigorating instead of soporific. He'd had several offers, including one he'd sought out himself, and he knew he wasn't doing his reputation any good by turning down paying jobs.

On the other hand, he wasn't who he was because he cared about his reputation. He did what felt good, what felt right at the time, and so far it hadn't gotten him into anything he couldn't get out of. Today the Keyota commons had felt right, so here he was.

The place was filled with people, residents that had turned out for the celebration and sightseers like himself who were hoping for a glimpse of Keyota's most famous inhabitants. There was no way the Rangers wouldn't attend a gathering like this. He hadn't seen Andros in several days, and as much as he hated to admit it...

Well, just because he was the Red Ranger's secret fling didn't mean the feeling was mutual. He knew when to keep his mouth shut and his expectations nonexistent, but there was no harm in looking, right? Half the people here would be doing the same thing.

He looked away from the streamer screening when a stir drew his attention to the arrivals he had been waiting for. He drifted along with the others, not exactly flocking but definitely angling for a glimpse... all right, flocking. They were definitely flocking, and he told himself he was just caught up in the crowd.

Somewhat to his surprise, the Rangers were talking. To the people around them, not just amongst themselves. They were still moving, wandering toward some mutually agreed on destination, but they all allowed themselves to be waylaid by a friendly greeting or a wave whenever it was offered. He hadn't expected them to be so familiar.

He was completely unprepared when Andros lifted his head and looked straight at him. His gaze slid away, no doubt seeing the crowd instead of individuals, but then it snapped back and he could see Andros' startled expression from here. He offered a half-smile, ready to turn away as soon as the Red Ranger moved on.

Andros didn't move. He was frozen in place, but his startled expression was fading. In its place was what looked suspiciously like a smile. As he watched, Andros lifted his chin subtly, acknowledging him and catching one of his teammates' attention at the same time.

The girl that Zhane knew to be Andros' sister followed his gaze curiously, scanning the crowd and apparently coming up empty. She wouldn't have any reason to know about him, after all. He was about to turn away when he saw Andros jerk his head in clear invitation.

Zhane glanced around, trying to ignore the immediate wild hope that he was the one Andros was gesturing to. That was ridiculous, and he hoped no one else noticed him looking around covertly for the actual recipient. It would only make his disappointment more obvious.

When he looked back at Andros, though, he found himself on the receiving end of an amused and slightly exasperated look. The Red Ranger lifted his hand and pointed directly at him. Then, turning his hand over, he crooked his finger deliberately. The intent couldn't be plainer.

Hesitantly, Zhane took a step forward, squeezing between a couple of families that seemed to be reacting exactly the same way he had. They were all looking around for whatever had caught the Red Ranger's attention, and they paid no mind to Zhane as he slipped past them. He paused, glancing at the Rangers again.

Andros nodded impatiently as soon as Zhane caught his eye, and he tried not to think about what he was doing as he pushed his way forward. The Red Ranger's sister was still the only one to have noticed something was up, but it wouldn't be long before the others realized they had fallen behind. Andros wouldn't really introduce him to one of the other Rangers... would he?

"Hey," Andros greeted him, taking his elbow to steer him out of the crowd when he hesitated. "I didn't expect to see you here.

"Kerone," he added, "this is Zhane. Zhane, this is my sister Kerone, the Yellow Ranger."

"Hi," Zhane said, giving her his most charming smile to cover his uncertainty. "You're prettier in person."

"So are you," she replied, surprising him. "Nice to meet the guy Andros has been obsessing over all this time."

He gave Andros a startled look, but the Red Ranger was giving his sister a glare that was just irritated enough to confirm her words. "We're on our way to the holoshow," he muttered quickly, glancing toward Zhane and then away as though he was uncomfortable. "Want to join us?"

Zhane's instincts took charge of his speech, which was good because otherwise he would have just stood there and stared for who knows how long while he tried to rationalize what was happening. Instead, he found himself agreeing cheerfully and falling into step with the Red Ranger in front of the entire population of Keyota.