"I apologize for the unorthodox transportation," he said, as they disembarked in the Megaship's hangar bay. "There are few enough spacecraft to spare on the Border as it is."

"I know," Kerone agreed, running her fingers idly over his zord's hull. "But it's not so strange--Zhane used to take me flying in his zord all the time."

He watched her as she studied his zord, not missing the tinge of wistfulness in her voice when she mentioned Zhane. He knew the two had been quite close before she left, though neither seemed willing to let down their natural defenses long enough to form any sort of lasting commitment to the other. He had little idea how their relationship had fared in the interim.

"I didn't notice this on KO-35," she remarked suddenly, her hand hesitating by the bottom of the sunburst logo. "Is this the team leader's symbol?"

His gaze was drawn involuntarily toward the insignia etched into the zord's Ranger markings. "It used to be."

She gave him an odd look. "'It used to be'," she repeated. "This is still your zord, isn't it?"

"It hasn't been anyone else's since I became a Ranger," he said, still gazing at the logo. "It does, of course, belong to the Red Elisian Ranger."

"Which is what you are," she prompted. She looked from him to the zord and back again, as though she might see whatever he was seeing if she turned quickly enough.

"That does seem to be the general consensus," he agreed wryly.

She frowned at him. "Saryn, if you don't want to talk about it, I wish you'd just tell me instead of playing these stupid games."

Startled, he glanced at her again. Her hazel gaze was as frank as ever, and a smile tugged at his lips as he realized how much he had missed her honesty. The other Rangers' tact had saved him a lot of discomfort--and, when he admitted it to himself, pain--but she managed to be her usual direct self without ever seeming unsympathetic.

"I was the Red Elisian Ranger," he said at last. "I still hold the Red crystal. But I wear the Phantom Ranger's armor, and I feel that if I were meant to be what I once was, the Power would have caused my uniform to revert by now."

She seemed to consider that. "The Power did that, then? Changed your uniform?"

"There is no other explanation. It is not unheard of; the Power does respond to drastic alterations in a Ranger's consciousness or state of need. That is, after all, the principle behind morphing."

"Do you think you've changed that much?" she asked curiously. She regarded him with a penetrating stare that wasn't unfriendly so much as it was contemplative.

He didn't have an answer for that, and she seemed to know it.

After a moment, she looked back at his zord. "So if you don't lead your team," she said, tapping the hull thoughtfully, "who does?"

His team didn't need a leader anymore. It was his first, instinctive reaction to her question, and his eyes widened slightly as he realized the implications of that. Maybe she was right... maybe he hadn't changed as much as he wanted to believe.

She turned, almost as though she had sensed his flash of insight, and caught his expression before it faded. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"

He just stared at her for a moment. "My team is dead," he whispered at last, gazing at her in surprise. "That was my first thought when you asked who led my team."

She took a step closer to him, worry in her eyes, and he had to smile at her concern. "Don't look like that," he murmured, shaking his head. "It's all right, it just--surprised me."

"It surprises me too," she admitted, but her voice was gentle and the worry didn't fade from her face. "I thought you had at least accepted the Astro Rangers as teammates, if not the other Elisian Rangers."

"The Elisian team... the new Elisian team is Mirine's." He frowned a little at that, but the more he thought about it the more he knew it was true. "I'm just the fifth Ranger. Less than that, even, since they've done well enough without a fifth for years."

It was his fault that they had had to learn to cope alone, but they had, and now he was extraneous. His old team was gone, and the new one had long formed a cohesive unit without their Red Ranger. Mirine had led the team for years in his absence--it was no wonder the team leader's insignia seemed out of place on his zord.

"A Ranger's identity is as part of a whole," Kerone said finally, interrupting his reflection. "That's what Andros says. It's no wonder you still wear the Phantom Ranger's uniform."

"No," he agreed quietly. "I suppose it isn't so strange, after all." He managed to smile then, giving her an amused look. "Andros said that, did he?"

Her lips twitched too, leaving no doubt that she was aware of the irony in her brother's statement. "He's not the same person he used to be, either."

"No," he repeated thoughtfully. "We have all changed for knowing each other."

He saw her gaze wander around the hangar bay, and he added, "Speaking of which, I'm afraid the hour is quite late in Angel Grove. Otherwise I have no doubt that DECA would have alerted the entire team to your arrival."

She laughed at that, allowing him to change the subject without comment. "I'm just as glad she didn't, to tell the truth. It was strange enough to see you after so long; I think I need a few more hours to get used to the thought of everyone else."

"You will have them," he assured her. "The others show no inclination to rise before DECA wakes them."

She looked surprised at that. "Are they all on the Megaship? I thought they were spending most of their time on Earth now."

"They were, until the Psycho Rangers. It seems wiser to keep the team together as much as possible right now."

Kerone gave him a knowing look. "And I'm sure you didn't have anything to do with a decision that keeps Cassie on the Megaship every night."

He tried not to smile. "Truly, I am not here as often as that."

She actually smirked at him, and he couldn't suppress his smile any longer. "Your opinion of me is decidedly unflattering," he informed her, amused.

"You'd be surprised," she replied, her eyes sparkling. "I have unflattering opinions about almost everybody; they just don't always know it."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or worried," he said dryly.

"I'll tell you when to be worried," she said with a wink. "In the meantime, I'm hungry--will you join me for something to eat?"

"Of course," he agreed, somewhat surprised. She didn't often plead hunger, but he hadn't eaten for some time and was glad of the excuse.

"So tell me," he added, as they strolled toward the hangar bay's exit. "Is the purple a permanent change, or just a passing style?" She had clearly been trying to conceal her identity on KO-35, but she had changed neither clothes nor hair since leaving.

She laughed, tossing her head. "I haven't decided yet. Do you like it?"

"I like the curls," he said truthfully. "I'm not sure how I feel about the color yet."

She gave her head a shake as they stepped across the hangar bay threshold, and the violet faded back to blonde. "Better?" she inquired, sounding amused. The curls had stayed.

He couldn't help smiling. "I do not presume to dictate your appearance," he told her. His eyes strayed to her hair anyway, and when he met her gaze again he knew she had seen it.

"Yes," he admitted, a little sheepishly. "I do like that better."

She grinned, but before she could answer voices from the holding bay made them pause. He had assumed everyone was asleep, but Carlos' accent was unmistakable.

"You've known about this the whole time?" The Black Ranger sounded distinctly indignant, and Saryn raised an eyebrow.

"I guess so. Since September, anyway."

It took him a moment to place the voice of Ashley's brother. He exchanged glances with Kerone, who just shrugged. She nodded a question at the door, and he almost shrugged in return. There wasn't any reason *not* to go in; he just hadn't expected to find anyone still up.

As they walked into the holding bay, Jeff was asking, "You mean you *didn't* know?"

"Know what?" Kerone asked curiously.

"Kerone!" An honest grin lit Carlos' face, and he put the foot he had been bracing against one of the stools on the floor. He came around the table and wrapped her in a bear hug before she could even respond. "Where have you been? Couldn't you have called someone other than Andros every once in a while? It was like pulling teeth just to get him to tell us how you were!"

She laughed delightedly, hugging him back as best she could. "I told him to say hi to everyone for me. I hope he at least did that!"

"Yeah," Carlos answered. "Grudgingly. Sometimes I wasn't sure if he was just making that up to get us to stop asking questions." He let her go at last, stepping back to take a good look at her. "So are you back to stay?"

She hesitated, glancing over at Saryn. "I heard about the Psycho Rangers," she said evasively. "Saryn thought I might be able to help."

"We need all the help we can get," Carlos agreed, leading her over to the table. He didn't ask again, which Saryn couldn't help thinking was unusually perceptive of him. "Want something to eat?"

"Actually, yes," she admitted. "I've almost missed your food. Hi, Jeff," she added, smiling at Ashley's brother as Carlos pulled a stool out for her.

"Good to see you again, Kerone," he said, smiling in return. "What have you done to Carlos?"

She laughed, but Carlos just rolled his eyes. "When one of your teammates takes off for months and doesn't do more than call her brother every once and a while to say she's still alive, you get a little worried," he informed Jeff. "Hamburger and french fries?" he asked, glancing down at Kerone.

She giggled, shaking her head but obviously flattered by the attention. "I was thinking more of cereal and fruit."

He sighed. "Kerone, you're the healthiest person I know," he complained, going over to the Synthetron. "It can't be good for you. Hey, Saryn," he added, by way of belated greeting.

"Good evening," Saryn answered, smiling a little. "I believe I have been outdone."

He had meant to compare Carlos' welcome of Kerone to his own, but Carlos misinterpreted the remark. "We did just see you yesterday," the Black Ranger reminded him. "In fact, I hear Cassie told you to stop worrying about us and go."

"I did go," he replied calmly. "Then I came back. Kerone needed a ride."

"What were you arguing about when we came in?" Kerone interrupted, as Carlos returned with her cereal. "Thanks, Carlos."

"No problem," he answered, putting his foot on one of the stools again and looking over at Jeff. "We were just talking about DECA. Did you know she has a 'holographic interface', or whatever Andros calls it?"

Saryn paused by the Synthetron, glancing back to catch Kerone's reaction.

"Of course," she said, swallowing her first mouthful of cereal. "Didn't you?"

Carlos rolled his eyes. "That's what Jeff said. Did everyone know this but me and TJ?"

"I did not," Saryn offered, joining them at the table. "The first I knew of it was her appearance in the morphin grid."

Kerone paused, spoon halfway to her mouth. "The what? When?"

"We went into the morphin grid to--because Andros told us to," Carlos amended. "I don't know exactly what it is, and frankly, it wasn't very useful. But when we appeared there, DECA was with us. Looking--"

"Like a Kerovan woman," Kerone finished, taking another spoonful of cereal. "Blonde and white hair, gold eyes, a little shorter than you..."

"Yeah," Jeff agreed. "That's her. The eyes threw me at first, but she says they're not unusual on KO-35."

Kerone giggled at that, glancing up at DECA's camera. "She's being modest. They're not very common at all. It's like people with grey eyes on Earth."

Saryn watched Carlos look back and forth between the two of them, and he saw an odd expression flicker across the other's face at that. But the look was gone too quickly to identify, and all he said was, "So how did you know what she looks like?"

Kerone looked at Jeff over her cereal, and he just shrugged. "When she first started helping me with chem, I told her it was weird to be talking to someone I couldn't see. She said, and I quote--"

"Viewscreen or hologram?" DECA's voice inquired. Her camera light was on, but her tone of voice was perfectly neutral.

Jeff grinned. "Yeah. I didn't have the faintest idea what she was talking about."

Without warning, there was a sparkle of light and the transparent form of the woman they'd "met" in the grid flickered into being. Saryn blinked, and he saw Carlos start out of the corner of his eye. Jeff just nodded to her, and she nodded gravely back. Kerone continued eating.

"My holographic interface was designed to facilitate the passing of information between crew, passengers, and computer," DECA informed them. "Rangers tend to be used to dealing with disembodied intelligence, therefore I did not feel it necessary to inform you of the possibility. However, if you prefer to interact with me in this fashion, I'm happy to oblige."

Carlos was looking around the room suspiciously. "How are you doing that? I thought the Simudeck was the only place on the Megaship that could create holograms."

"My cameras are all outfitted with holographic projectors," DECA replied, her gaze settling on him. "As you can see, they are not as sophisticated as those on the Simudeck, but they suffice."

Carlos studied her for a long moment. "Yeah," he said at last. "I guess they do."

He was clearly at a loss, and Saryn glanced over at Kerone in an effort to shift the focus of attention. "You have known about this particular trait for some time, I assume?"

"Trait," he heard DECA murmur. "That's as polite a word as any, I suppose."

He looked at her in surprise, but the small smile on her face said she hadn't taken offense. She was just reminding them that she was there, as she was sometimes wont to do when they got to discussing something into which she felt she ought to have input.

He had to smile back. The computer's holographic image might have been designed for non-Ranger personnel, but he thought he could get used to having a face to put to DECA's voice.

"Just since I came aboard," Kerone said, gaining his attention again. "Her voice sounded awfully familiar, so finally I asked her about it."

Jeff gave her a puzzled look. "What does her voice have to do with anything?"

"She sounds like our mother," Kerone answered, putting her spoon down. "She looks like her too. Or that's what she says; I don't remember our parents well enough to know."

This was greeted by silence. Saryn took the opportunity to glance at DECA. She stood calmly, hands behind her back as she regarded them. She caught his eye as he looked over at her, but she said nothing.

Jeff, too, was staring at her. "You look like their mom?"

DECA looked faintly amused at his incredulity. "There is a strong resemblance. Andros was only eleven when he first called on the Power, and he was alone but for Zhane. I did whatever I could to make him feel more comfortable."

Saryn smiled to himself, wondering if that explained Andros' remark in the Medical bay the night of the first attacks. "DECA's always had a holographic interface. I just don't use it anymore." Had the Red Ranger "outgrown" such comfort?

"Thanks, DECA," Kerone said, smiling at her. "For him. I know I've already said it, but that was really nice of you."

DECA inclined her head. "For as long as I operate, I am in the service of the Rangers." The hint of a smile on her face said that it was more than that, though, and for the first time Saryn had some inkling of how safe the Rangers actually were on the Megaship. That DECA would recreate her appearance just to put one of them at ease said something about how far she would go if they were in real danger.

"Thank you," he said quietly, getting to his feet. "For as long as we live, DECA, the service is reciprocal." He glanced around the table, and Kerone and Carlos nodded in agreement. Somewhat to his surprise, Jeff nodded as well.

DECA smiled in acknowledgement, looking genuinely pleased. He nodded to her before turning a questioning look on Kerone and gesturing at her bowl. She blinked, but held up her hands in a "finished" gesture, and he put her dishes on top of his. "Thanks, Saryn," Kerone called, as he returned them to the Synthetron.

"Bet you don't get service like this every day," Jeff commented, a grin in his voice.

"I'll make the most of it while it lasts!" she responded promptly.

Coming up behind her, Saryn rested his hands on her shoulders. "See that you do," he said, squeezing her shoulders gently. "I'm going to get some sleep, but it's good to have you back, Kerone."

She looked up at him, smiling. "It's good to be back," she answered. "Thanks for the ride."

There was a look in her eyes that said the thanks was for more than that, but she didn't have to say it aloud. He squeezed her shoulders again before lifting his gaze to include the others. "I wish you all a good night," he said, letting go of Kerone and taking a step back.

"Same to you," Jeff offered, but Carlos straightened up.

"Do you have a second, Saryn?" He didn't look at the others, but he clearly didn't mean here. "I wanted to ask you something."

Saryn raised an eyebrow. "Of course. You are welcome to accompany me to deck five, if you wish."

"Thanks." Carlos nodded to the others as he joined Saryn by the door. "Good night, guys. Good to see you again, Kerone."

She smiled and waved as they headed out into the corridor, quiet until they reached the lift. As the doors closed behind them and the lift started to hum upwards, though, Carlos sighed. "This is going to sound weird."

Saryn almost smiled. "I assure you, I have come to expect no less from this team."

A reluctant grin tugged at Carlos' expression. "All right," he said ruefully. "I'll give you that. Look, I'm asking you this because I feel like you'll be honest with me. I need someone who's objective."

Curious, Saryn touched the control panel by the door as the lift came to a halt. The door stayed closed, and he regarded Carlos quizzically. "I will do my best."

Carlos folded his arms, an odd look on his face. "Am I xenophobic?"

Saryn raised an eyebrow, considering that. "No," he said at last. "Why do you ask?"

"Just 'no'?" Carlos demanded. "Then why did you have to think about it?"

Used to the Black Ranger's single-mindedness by now, he returned the other's gaze evenly. "I was considering all possible definitions of the word. Since you provided me with no context, I was endeavoring to be sure that I could come up with no possible way in which the word could be applied to you."

That gave him pause. "Oh," Carlos said at last. "Well... thanks."

He tried again. "May I ask why you were curious?"

Carlos shrugged distractedly. "Someone told me I was, that's all."

"Someone whose opinion you value, I assume," Saryn remarked.

Carlos only shrugged again, but there was no other reasonable conclusion.

"Carlos," he said carefully. "There is a distinct difference between yourself and a person who has lived their entire life with awareness of an organization like the League. You grew up on an isolated planet, gaining concrete knowledge that offworld cultures exist only within the last year or two. Someone who has always taken that knowledge for granted is bound to be less easily... surprised, by customs foreign to them."

Carlos frowned, looking back at him. "Why does it matter how long you've known? I mean, say two people are both exposed to cultures they know almost nothing about. Does it matter whether one of them grew up in the League? Whatever they know still doesn't prepare them for this particular culture."

"No," he agreed. "But it does make a difference. A large difference. Other cultures..." He paused, smiling a little. "They stretch your mind, for lack of a better phrase. And the more your mind is stretched, the more likely it is that any given thing will fall within its boundaries. We are surprised when something falls *outside* our experience, so it is to be expected that someone with less general experience will be surprised by a greater number of specifics."

Carlos just looked at him for a moment, then muttered, "My head hurts. Okay," he continued, before Saryn could respond, "so you're saying it's not my fault that I'm naive? Is that it?"

"Not entirely." That was, in fact, what he was saying, but Carlos had apparently not gotten the point. "I'm saying that you can not compare your reactions to those of a League-born citizen. They will not be the same, and you can't expect them to be."

Carlos sighed, leaning back against the wall of the lift. "I don't," he admitted, staring over Saryn's shoulder at the other wall. "But I think she does."

With that, something clicked in his mind. Carlos wasn't talking about someone at the conference. He was talking about Aura. Saryn was silent then, considering the conversation in a new light.

After a moment, Carlos pushed away from the wall and reached for the control panel. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to make you deal with that, too. Thanks."

"Wait." Saryn stopped him before he could open the door. "Could you give me a moment, now?"

Carlos looked surprised, but he nodded warily. "Sure."

Instead of questioning him further, Saryn cast back, trying to remember what little he knew about Aura. She was a good person, if not always in complete control of her temper, and he had a hard time imagining her calling someone xenophobic to their face. Especially someone whom, as had been made clear on a number of occasions, she cared about very much.

"You asked only if I thought you were xenophobic," he said slowly. "This implies that she did not give you any reason for her statement."

Carlos shook his head.

"She is not prone to baseless accusations," he commented. "Yet we have already established that she is incorrect... You must believe that she meant it, though, or you would not have asked?"

"Yeah," Carlos agreed. "I think she meant it."

Saryn considered that. Xenophobia... the fear of that which was different or foreign. "You are aware, of course," he said, glancing at Carlos again, "that she is telepathic."

Carlos gave him what Ashley would have instantly labeled "a duh look". "Yeah, obviously. Their whole team is."

"No," Saryn corrected. "Billy is not, and Delphinius' telepathy is negligible. It is their Power allows them that kind of communication."

Carlos digested that, then nodded once. "Okay, yeah, I guess I did know that. Sort of. So?"

"Telepathy is not a highly desirable trait on Aquitar," Saryn told him. "Outside of the Rangers, telepaths are considered... aberrant. Even, in some ways, inferior."

Carlos looked startled. "Why?"

"I can not explain it. Nor can I explain why Cassie's mother disapproved of me because I am not 'Asian'. I can only tell you of the prevailing attitude, not the reasoning behind it."

"So..." Carlos looked like he was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of someone not liking Aura. A whole group of someones, at that. "You're saying that she'd be discriminated against by her own people if she wasn't a Ranger?"

"Again, you seem to have missed the point," Saryn said quietly. "She hasn't always been a Ranger."

Carlos' eyes widened. "You mean..." He trailed off, and when he spoke again he sounded angry. "Man, I can't believe stuff like that happens on Aquitar! They seem so... advanced! Peaceful, and--I don't know--perfect!"

"No place in the League is perfect. We live and work together in spite of that, and we learn to compensate for each other's flaws. But few people are blind to the fact that there is a great deal of room for improvement."

"And you think this has something to do with what she said to me." Carlos hadn't lost sight of the original point of the conversation. "She couldn't think *I* believe she's inferior!"

Saryn frowned a little. "No," he had to agree. "I don't see how she could. Nonetheless, her history is something you should be aware of, and I can't help thinking that it might have something to do with her accusation."

"Yeah," Carlos muttered. He still looked troubled. "Yeah, I guess it might."

Before he could pull himself together, Saryn added, "I doubt you will appreciate this suggestion, however, I feel compelled to point out that Cetaci is the person with whom you should speak."

Carlos looked at him as though he'd announced the planets would start revolving backwards tomorrow. "Why in the world would I want to talk to her?"

"Because they went to school together. There is no one on the team better qualified to tell you where Aura has been."

"They did?" Carlos looked only a little less startled. "I didn't know that."

Saryn could only stare at him. "What *do* you know about her?" he asked at last, giving in to his curiosity. "Surely you did not spend eight months talking about zord design."

"Actually, we spent a lot of the last four arguing," Carlos muttered. "It never occurred to me to ask whether we were arguing about me or her."

"Perhaps now would be the time to find out," Saryn suggested dryly.

"Yeah." Abruptly lifting his gaze from the floor, Carlos straightened. "Maybe it is. Thanks, Saryn."

"You're welcome," he replied automatically. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Me too," Carlos said, keying the door open. As he stepped out into the hallway, though, he paused. "Oh, and Saryn?"

Saryn gave him an inquiring look.

"Aura likes diving, heights, ice cream, and the rain," Carlos informed him. "She hates reporters, getting up early, and the word 'gadget'. She got her diver license when she was twelve. She's dyed her hair twice. And she wants to have a baby girl named 'Coral' someday."

Saryn smiled a little. "I look forward to meeting her," he said quietly.

***

He didn't want to move. He didn't feel like opening his eyes. He wasn't even particularly thrilled that he was aware, when it came right down to it. There was only one good thing about being aware, and that was the fact that he could choose to go back to sleep.

"Ten more minutes, DECA," he muttered, rolling over to face the wall. Even that small amount of motion convinced him that getting up was going to be truly unpleasant.

"As you wish, Andros." DECA sounded more sympathetic than reproving, and he cracked his eyes open curiously.

Opening his eyes just reminded him of how much he wasn't going to enjoy getting up, though, so he closed them and buried his head in the pillow again. The League was, of necessity, sympathetic to a multitude of time zones, so there was nothing that had to be done that couldn't wait until a more decent hour.

He had no real obligation to get up just because the rest of the Astro Rangers were, either, but he would. He would get up because Ashley was, and there were few enough times when he could count on seeing her lately. Yesterday had convinced him that he'd better take advantage of every one.

No sooner had he closed his eyes than he heard DECA say, "Angel Grove time is 6:40."

He groaned, but he rolled over on his back so she knew he wasn't ignoring her. He squinted at the bottom of the top bunk, blinking hard in an effort to persuade his eyes that it would be less trouble to stay open than not. If he could get that far, maybe sitting up wouldn't seem like such a monumental task.

He shouldn't have stayed up so late talking to Zhane. That was easy to say now, of course, but they had really dragged it out. He had actually spent a considerable amount of time convincing his friend not to join them on Earth. Zhane was, to say the least, unhappy about leaving the rest of the team to face the Psycho Rangers alone, but he was needed where he was.

They had spent another large chunk of the conversation discussing Ashley, and what she might face as a citizen of Earth in a place as introverted as the Border was now. Or, more accurately, they had discussed how they could make her want to face it, whatever "it" turned out to be. Zhane was only slightly less dismayed than Andros at the idea of losing her to college.

He winced as he hit his head on the top bunk, something he hadn't done in longer than he could remember. No, they shouldn't have talked so long, but they couldn't not have. The Psycho Rangers weren't going to wait, graduation was only getting closer, and on top of that the shipping problems on the Border weren't going away. The fact that the Kerova system was a dead end run didn't help, either. KO-35 was as far out as the League boundary extended, so once a ship arrived there was nothing to do but turn around.

He managed to stumble to his feet, locating his clothes without conscious thought and wondering irritably what he had done with his comb. It wasn't usually this hard to get going in the morning, late nights and different time zones notwithstanding. He was feeling the Power's loss in everything he did.

And *where* had he left his comb? He glared around his room. The comb did not appear, but his eye fell on a square of white by the door. It was lying on the floor, as though it had been shoved underneath the door--it took him a moment to figure out why that was strange.

The doors on the Megaship all sealed automatically when they closed to make the rooms airtight. The ability of the ship to compartmentalize made it less susceptible to hull breaches. It also made it quite impossible to slide something under someone else's door.

He went over and picked the piece of paper up, smiling as he recognized Ashley's handwriting. She was at least pretending that he had some privacy. DECA must have opened the door for her, so she could just as easily have left it on his bureau.

Andros, the note read. Thanks for yesterday. I'm glad we can still talk like that. We've been apart so much lately that sometimes it seems like we don't have the chance. But you're still the person I fell head over heels for last spring, and I love you with all my heart. That will never change. Love, Ashley

He touched the piece of paper with his free hand, imagining he could hear her voice saying the words. She wasn't the only one who had fallen "head over heels" that year... What were they going to do? If he couldn't stay, and she couldn't leave?

Never had the threat of graduation seemed so real--or so near.

He finally set the note down and headed for the holding bay, knowing that standing around wondering wouldn't help anything. So he walked and wondered instead, until the lift let him out on deck six and a voice through the open bay doors made him stop in his tracks.

He just stood there for a moment, wondering if his tired brain was playing tricks on him. He couldn't be hearing what he thought he was hearing. She would have told him. DECA would have told him. Someone would have said *something*.

He strode into the holding bay, only to stop again just inside the doorway. The bay was in a state of amiable chaos, with TJ trying to get one of the tennis balls away from Jetson and Cassie trying to steal her notebook back from Saryn. He was teasing her over something, and across the table, Ashley was giggling at them with--

Kerone. Kerone was sitting beside Ashley, a piece of toast in her hand and a delighted smile on her face. She looked older, somehow, despite her curly hair and carefree expression. But she was *here*...

She looked up as Ashley did, and her smile widened into a happy grin. "Andros!"

She leapt off her stool, dropping her toast on her plate in the process, and came at him in a whirlwind of purple and blue. He had to laugh as she threw her arms around him, and he hugged her back just as tightly. "How are you?" he demanded, not letting her go. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Is everything okay?"

She laughed too, pulling away from him with a grin. "I'm fine; everything's fine. I didn't tell you because I didn't know until Saryn showed up on my doorstep last night and kidnapped me. How are *you*?"

"I'm all right," he said, squeezing her arm fondly. Anything else he might have said was overridden by Saryn's objection.

"I didn't kidnap anyone," he informed the room. "She offered to come of her own accord."

The meaning of those words suddenly sank in, and Andros glared at him. "Wait a minute--you knew where she was all this time?"

"No, he didn't," Kerone said firmly. "Leave it alone, Andros; it's not his fault I called him. I'll tell you about it later."

He looked at her in surprise. It wasn't that he didn't expect the former princess of evil to assert herself, it was just that he didn't expect his little sister to talk back. He swallowed his reply, knowing--at least intellectually--that she could run her own life. Still, it was a moment before he realized Ashley was trying to get his attention.

"So since I have to get permission before the weekend, I want to give it to the principal today," she said, apparently oblivious to the fact that he had missed most of her explanation.

He gave her a confused look. "What?"

Kerone just laughed. "She wants you to sign this," she said, taking the piece of paper from Ashley and handing it to him.

"Hi Carlos," Cassie said, looking toward the doorway. Out of the corner of his eye, Andros saw her snatch her notebook back when Saryn glanced away.

"Morning," he replied noncommittally. "Hey, Kerone."

Startled, Andros watched the Black Ranger wander over to the Synthetron. He paused as though he couldn't quite decide what to ask for, but he didn't look over his shoulder. Even given Carlos' mood of late, that was a low-key reaction to someone he hadn't seen since January.

"He and Jeff were awake when she arrived," Ashley said, noticing his surprise. She waved a pen in front of his face. "Sign, please?"

"Never trust a girl who tells you to sign first," TJ put in, drawing his arm back and pitching the tennis ball out into the corridor. Jetson was off after it before he could blink, and TJ turned back to the table to clear his dishes.

Distracted, Andros set the piece of paper down and took the pen. "What am I signing?" he wanted to know.

"Prom permission slip." Ashley picked up her own dishes, adding, "You have to swear that you're under twenty-five, that you won't disrupt the prom, you won't bring your gate-crashing college friends with you, you won't sell drugs, you won't deal in illegal alien technology, that kind of thing."

"They worry about that?" Andros drew back as Cassie swung at Saryn. "I've been hanging out at the high school since I met you. Half the teachers know me anyway."

"They have to worry about that," Ashley answered, sidestepping Cassie and Saryn's tickle fight as she came back to the table. "Someone's parents would freak if they didn't have an official list of every non-AGH date who came. Last name too," she said, glancing over his shoulder.

He gave her an exasperated look. "I don't have a last name."

"Well, make one up," she said, grinning at his expression. "Normally you could use mine, but that might not be a good idea this time. And do you always print your signature?"

He frowned. "How else would I do it?"

Backpack over one shoulder, TJ took the pen from his hand. "Here." With a flourish, he signed 'Andros Kothir' and handed it back. "They'll never know the difference."

"'Kothir'?"

At Ashley's look, TJ just shrugged. "For 'KO-35'. If nothing else, he'll be able to remember it."

There was a muffled crash as Cassie tripped over one of the stools, and Carlos lifted his juice out of her way. "Guys," he said, picking up his backpack. "Get a room already."

"Write 'Kothir' next to your name, too," Ashley suggested. "So it looks like you wrote your name and then signed it."

Andros shook his head, but he did as he was told. She stuck the permission slip in her bag, and he caught her arm as she started to pick up her dishes. "Hey," he said quietly, trying to ignore Jetson's barking. "Thanks for the note."

She smiled at him. "It's true," she promised, kissing him quickly. "I'll see you after school?"

"Sure," he said. "We'll get Kerone used to Angel Grove again."

Ashley smiled at Kerone before grabbing her dishes off the table. "Sounds good," she called over her shoulder as she headed for the Synthetron. "Want to meet at my house? I need to pick some stuff up anyway."

"You have one excused absence left, young lady," TJ was telling Cassie sternly. "So don't tell me you'll be there in a few minutes. Get your stuff and get over here."

"Try to keep Andros out of trouble," Carlos told Kerone, as he joined the others by the door. "I know it's tough, but someone has to do it."

Cassie finally tore herself away from Saryn and Ashley waved as she shrugged into her backpack. "See you later!"

Just like that, they were gone.

"Wow," Kerone said into the sudden silence. "I can hear myself think again."

Jetson let out a single bark, and Saryn glanced down at him. "Yes, we know what you think. Thank you."

Andros was trying to remember whether Saryn had always spoken to Jetson that way--as though he were a person--when he felt Kerone's gaze on him. He saw an amused smile on her face when he caught her eye.

"So," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "What's all this about the prom?"