He didn't know how long he sat there with his arms around her, just listening to her breathe. He heard her sniffle once or twice, and his heart twisted at the thought that she might be crying. But he hadn't managed to say anything right the rest of the evening, so he didn't want to chance speaking to her now when she had finally relaxed.

After a while, he started to suspect that she had fallen asleep. Her breathing was slower and more even, and she hadn't so much as twitched for several minutes. He held her for a little while longer, enjoying the feeling and hoping that sleep was all she needed to restore her to her normal, cheery self.

*How much *has* she been working, these past few weeks?* he wondered suddenly. He had been so busy himself that they had rarely had time to spend together--that had been a mistake, he realized now. They should have *found* the time.

But he had kept promising himself that things would calm down once they left Earth, and life on Terra Venture had a chance to settle into something like a normal routine. He had been promising himself that for three weeks now, ever since the space colony broke Earth orbit and headed for the edge of the Sol system. They had left the system behind in a matter of hours as the engines powered up--but things had not settled down.

Somehow, they had found themselves as busy as before. As Power Rangers and some of a very small group of colonists who had actually been in space before, everyone turned to them for advice and assistance. They found their lives swamped by concerns ranging from gravitational anomalies to misaligned fusion generators to inadequate vegetable growth in one of the tropical environments.

*It's not like we even *know* anything about any of this stuff,* Andros thought. *It just makes them feel better to have someone to turn to. And who better than Earth's own heroes?*

He had worried that Ashley was feeling the pressure most of all--she was too accommodating for her own good, to ready to help anyone and everyone, even when it meant impossible hours for herself. The rest of them knew or were learning how to say "no", but Ashley would--and apparently had--work herself into a state of sheer exhaustion without the slightest complaint.

She had been unusually cranky the last couple of times they had met for dinner, but he had put it down to hard days or something he had done. He wasn't as quick as Zhane to pick up on things he had done wrong in a relationship, and his friend had the advantage of unstoppable charm.

Andros sighed, leaning down to kiss the top of Ashley's head. "I love you, you know," he whispered quietly. "Even if I haven't been showing it as much as I should."

That was going to change, he decided. She clearly needed some time off, and he wasn't going to let her spend it alone unless she wanted to. He edged away from her gingerly, supporting her shoulders as he slid off the couch and pushed a cushion and several pillows into his place.

Ashley accepted the transition without so much as a murmur, not even shifting her position, and he frowned in concern. She wasn't a heavy sleeper, and normally she would have moved at least a little when he got up. He had been afraid he would wake her, actually, but it seemed that that fear had been groundless.

If she *wasn't* going to wake up, maybe he should try to move her to her bed, where she could at least be more comfortable. A click from the kitchen distracted him, though, and he smoothed her hair away from her face as he turned away. He would move her later, if she was still asleep--after he had spoken to Cassie.

Walking quietly, just in case she wasn't as deeply asleep as she looked, Andros made his way over to the door to the small kitchen area Ashley shared with her best friend. Cassie was inside, the door to her own room open as she stood in front of the heater unit, staring off into space.

Andros knocked gently on the doorframe to get her attention, and she jumped. "Oh, hi Andros," Cassie said, glancing over her shoulder and smiling at him. "I didn't know you were here."

"I thought Ash might want to have dinner," he said, leaning against the doorframe. "But she's too tired; she's already asleep."

Cassie frowned. "She's been sleeping a lot lately. Whenever she's here, it seems like, she's asleep. Of course, she isn't here that much…"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said, troubled. "Do you think she's overworking herself? She's almost never here when I come by, and when she is, she's tired and sort of… cranky."

Cassie sighed. "I think we've all been pushing ourselves too hard, now that you mention it. When was the last time you had a day off, Andros?"

"Last weekend," he said immediately.

"And before that?" she countered.

He had to think about it. "Well, not since we left Earth, I guess."

"Same here," she said with a sigh. "And Ashley didn't even take off that day last weekend with the rest of us--she was helping with the sunlight calibrations in the main habitat area."

Andros remembered clearly, since he had been hoping they could spend the day together. But she had insisted that it wouldn't take that long, and that they would still have the afternoon. Then afternoon had turned into evening, and by the time the light team was done, she was too tired to do anything but fall into her bed.

"We're taking the next three days off," he said suddenly, coming to a decision. "All of us. I'll tell Commander Jennings tonight--we can't keep going like this."

"I think we were all hoping it would get better once we left Earth's solar system," Cassie murmured. "We've all been telling ourselves it's just a few more days, and then we'll have some time to ourselves again."

"But we won't," Andros said firmly. "All anyone sees, no offense to your people, is the invincible Ranger team that saved Earth over and over again. If we don't tell them otherwise, they'll just keep assuming we can--and will--do anything."

Cassie nodded reluctantly. "That's not an image any of us can live up to," she admitted.

"And trying to isn't going to help anyone, if it means we all end up like Ash." Andros looked over his shoulder, but the sleeping form on the couch had not moved. "Don't report in tomorrow, Cassie. I'll send messages to everyone else."

She smiled, giving him a grateful look. "Thanks, Andros. I think we all need the break."

"We do," he agreed. " 'Night, Cassie."

"Good night," she answered, and he stepped back and keyed the door between the kitchen and Ashley's room shut.