Sunset
by Starhawk

"Sit," Ashley told him, in a tone that left no room for argument.

He sighed, and decided to try anyway. "It's really nothing, Ash--"

"Sit down!" She was clearly upset. He probably should have told her, but the pain in his head had overwhelmed everything else. And then, in the hurry to get away from the Delta Megaship, it hadn't seemed so important.

Reaching out, his hand found the trunk of a tree and he lowered himself slowly to the ground. She dropped down beside him, tugging impatiently at his uniform jacket as he started to shrug out of it. He honestly couldn't feel anything, but she insisted there was blood on the back of his jacket.

As she pulled it away, he heard her gasp. He winced, having a vague memory of being hit from behind as the ship's inertial damping failed to compensate completely for the stress it had been under. He knew the tank top he wore under his jacket had torn, but the pain reliever she had given him prevented him from knowing how bad the injury was.

"Dammit, Andros!" That couldn't be a good sign. Ashley never swore, much less at him. "Would you *tell* me when you're hurt!"

"I wasn't--" he started, intending to say he hadn't meant to hide it from her. But even as he spoke, he knew that wasn't entirely true, and he was a little relieved when she interrupted him.

"Take off your shirt," she demanded. "Right now, or I'm going to do it for you."

He tried hard not to smile. He would have dearly loved to say something to that, but he doubted it would help her mood any. Without a word, he tugged his tank top loose and pulled it off over his head, a little surprised at the lack of dizziness accompanying the motion.

He felt her touch his back tentatively, and he inhaled sharply. It didn't hurt, but it *felt* like it should hurt. "God, Andros," she said, her voice choked, and he heard her rummaging through her backpack.

"Ash, it's okay," he said, a little alarmed. "It doesn't hurt..."

"Of course it doesn't hurt," she snapped, pulling out the emergency kit she'd brought with her. "That pain reliever didn't just work on your head, you know."

"Ash," he said again, twisting a little. He knew instinctively that it wasn't that bad--she was upset about something else. "What's wrong?"

"You're hurt!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. "Isn't that enough?"

Carefully, he shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "Not for you to be like this."

"Well, excuse me for worrying about my boyfriend!"

"Ashley..." He said her name again, as though he could somehow get through to her with just that word. He wondered, suddenly, if this was how she had felt all those times, trying to get *him* to talk. How had she done it?

He reached out, fumbling for her hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said finally, when she didn't say anything. "I--I just didn't want you to worry."

"Oh, and bleeding through your *jacket* was supposed to reassure me?" she retorted, but her indignation sounded half-hearted.

"I'm sorry," he offered again, meaning it. The last thing he had wanted to do was to upset her.

Her fingers tightened on his, and she sniffed a little. Even through his blurred sight, he could see her fighting not to cry again. "Ash," he murmured, pulling her closer and feeling relief when she let him draw her into his embrace.

"I didn't mean to yell at you," she whispered, and he hugged her tighter. "Andros... I love you."

"I love you, too," he murmured, grateful beyond words for her presence. "Always."

"Always have, always will," she said softly, repeating the words he had told her once. "I'm sorry I was so terrible--I just--" Her voice wavered. "I'm so scared, Andros," she whispered. "I can't lose you, I *can't*. And when I think how close I came to giving up on you..."

"But you didn't," he told her, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of warm comfort she offered envelop him. "You're here, and I'm fine, and I love you. No one's going to lose *anyone*."

She let him hold her for another minute, seeming to take comfort in those words. It seemed, in that fleeting moment, that he had never needed anyone or anything but her. He marveled at his own feeling of contentment, but he didn't question it.

She pulled away far too soon, and he sighed without meaning to. He tried not to blush, looking away as she gave him a surprised smile. Her fingers brushed his cheek lightly, and she got to her feet.

"I'm going to clean up that scrape on your back," she said, not sounding nearly as upset as she had before. Grabbing a cloth from the emergency kit and a canteen from her bag, she added, "Be right back."

He nodded wordlessly, turning a little to watch her make her way down to the river's edge. He blinked automatically, trying to clear his eyes, but it did no more good than it had the dozen other times he had tried it.

Then he could see her returning, and a moment later she dropped to the ground behind him. He heard water slosh as she covered the mouth of the canteen with the cloth and turned it upside down briefly. "This might sting," she warned. "I'm not really sure how thorough that pain reliever is..."

"S'okay," he said, shaking his head. "I'll live."

She was silent for a moment, and he winced as he realized that that probably wasn't the best thing he could have said. "You'd better," Ashley said quietly. Her tone was fond enough to reassure him, though, and he smiled a little.

"How could I not--" He caught his breath as the cloth, cold from its dowsing with river water, touched his back. "When I have you to live for?" he finished more softly.

"Good," she whispered. "Just remember that." He felt her hair brush his arm and suddenly her lips were warm on his skin as she kissed his shoulder.

Surprised, he twisted around to look at her. "Oh, no you don't," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder and firmly turning him back around. "Hold still."

She didn't remove her hand as she started to clean the scrape on his back again, and he was suddenly very conscious of his half-dressed state. TJ had told him--and he had observed for himself--that it wasn't uncommon for the males of Earth to go shirtless, especially on the beach. But he had never been able to bring himself to do it.

Now, with Ashley so nearby, he found it didn't bother him as much as he had expected it to. He couldn't help feeling a little vulnerable, but around her it was almost a pleasant sensation. Now if only she would slide her hands forward and wrap him in the kind of possessive hug he knew she could do so well...

"And by the way," she was saying, her words flowing into his daydream but not interrupting it. "How did you manage to tear your shirt and not your jacket?"

The gentle sound of her voice in his ears was as welcome a feeling as her hands on skin. Several times after the crash he had imagined he heard her, had almost thought she was talking to him. But the sound had always faded back into the darkness, leaving him even more alone than he had been before.

"Andros?"

He started, reacting instinctively to the sound of his name. "Huh?"

"I just asked why your jacket isn't torn," she said, sounding amused. "What were you thinking about?"

"I--" He wondered if she would let him get away without answering the second question. "I wasn't wearing it. The Delta Megaship's environmental controls reset, and it was such a short trip that I didn't bother trying to fix them."

"They reset?" She sounded as though she was frowning.

He shrugged. Her hand left his shoulder briefly, and he heard her tip the canteen over once more. The sudden coldness startled him again, and he shivered involuntarily.

Then her fingers were back on his skin, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. "Sorry," she offered. "Almost done."

"No, it's okay," he assured her, a little disappointed. He knew it was selfish, but he found--he liked having her take care of him. It was a strange thought, after being so long alone and convinced he needed no one, but meeting her had changed his life irrevocably. And he wouldn't wish it any different.

"The environmental controls?" she prompted, and he thought ruefully that he probably ought to be grateful she was almost done. At least once she had moved farther away he would be able to think coherently again, and about something other than her.

"Yeah. Saryn must have set the default settings higher than Earth normal, because it was pretty warm." He shrugged again, trying to ignore the fact that she had put the cloth down and was now running her fingers lightly over his injury, as if she could somehow make it disappear faster that way.

"The Power will probably heal that pretty quickly," she said suddenly, pulling her hands away. "Um--" It could have been his imagination, but he thought she sounded a little flustered. "I'm just going to cover it up so it doesn't get infected or anything in the meantime."

He nodded, wishing he could turn around and see her expression. "Thanks," he said simply, not trusting his voice to say anything more.

"You're welcome," she said, her tone soft. Then she cleared her throat, and he heard her tearing open the covering on one of the sterile adhesive bandages. "So," she said conversationally, as she laid the bandage gently across his back. "You didn't tell me what you were thinking about a few minutes ago."

He sighed a little, amused. "You never forget anything, do you."

"Not when it comes to you," she said, and this time the urge to turn and look at her face was harder to resist.

He tried to remember, but her fingers were running across his back again, pressing the adhesive part of the bandage down. He almost thought he could feel her breath on his skin as she leaned closer to inspect her work, and he tried not to shift restlessly. If he didn't get to wrap his arms around her after this, he thought he might go crazy.

"So?" she asked again, and he blinked.

"I don't remember," he said truthfully, and she gave him a gentle shove. "Really," he insisted. "But it was probably about you..." The words sprang unbidden to his lips, but even as he said them, he knew they were true.

Her hands met between his shoulder blades, finishing the bandage's seal, but she didn't pull away. Instead her hands slid over his shoulders and across his chest as she leaned closer, resting her head against his. He leaned back without thinking, letting her embrace draw him in.

"Did I mention that I missed you?" Ashley whispered, and he smiled a little.

"I think so, yes," he murmured, putting his hands over hers. He turned his head a little, felt her kiss his cheek, and wondered if maybe he wasn't the only one to want more.

He shifted so he could actually see her, reaching tentatively to touch her face. It troubled him that he still couldn't see her clearly, even this close, but his hand found her cheek by instinct, and his fingers caressed her soft skin.

One arm still draped over his shoulders, she lifted her other hand to catch his and hold it while she kissed his fingers. "Andros..."

"Yeah?" he whispered, slipping his free arm around her and edging closer. He wanted her lips on his with a sudden intense longing that he couldn't explain, only obey.

"Nothing," she breathed, leaning forward and fulfilling his unspoken wish. Her kiss was light, but her hand dropped to his chest and he leaned into her touch, returning that gentle kiss again and again.

She let him kiss her, eyes closed and seemingly not half as affected by their nearness as he had found himself. But she wasn't pulling away, and that was all that mattered--until her hand started to slide across his bare chest, his skin tingling in the wake of her trailing fingers.

The sensation overwhelmed the last of his defenses, and he kissed her harder than he had intended. He felt the fingers of her other hand tighten on his shoulder, and suddenly she was returning his kiss with the same hunger that had both frightened and excited him the morning before.

He didn't try to stop her. They had nothing else to worry about, nothing to care about except each other. And it was only kissing, he thought, a little dazed as she pressed closer and he tightened his arms around her. What harm could that do?

The ground shook, and he almost didn't notice. Lost in the feel of her kiss and her body against his, gravity itself could have shifted without making him blink. But then came an attenuated high-pitched screech, followed by a distant rumble, and they both froze where they were.

"Andros?" Ashley whispered, her tone strangely alert for someone who had been kissing him breathless only seconds before.

"I think--" He struggled to focus, the adrenaline coursing through him not completely negating the effects of having Ashley almost in his lap. "Darkonda must be destroying what's left of the Delta Megaship. He--he probably searched it first, but he wouldn't want to take any chances."

He felt her shiver, and he hugged her closer instinctively. "We'd better get moving," she muttered, and he drew back to look at her in concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked, worried by her tone of voice.

She didn't say anything for a moment, and he couldn't quite make out her expression when she lifted her face toward his. But her words made the cause of her distress clear. "That came so close to being you," she said quietly. Her voice shook as she added, "Another few hours, and..."

"It's okay," he said, pulling her back into a tight hug and wishing he could kiss her again. But the farther they got from the crash site, the better they would feel, and that wasn't going to happen if he gave into his impulse again. "Let's just think about now, all right?"

He felt her nod, and then she was drawing back, scrambling to get her backpack together and climb to her feet. He thought he saw her stumble as she stood, and he frowned up at her. "Ash," he said, accepting her hand gratefully when she offered. "You would tell me if *you* were hurt, wouldn't you?"

She managed to pull him to his feet, and he thought the world had started to spin again as he felt her pressed against his side. But then she straightened, and he realized that she had been the one to need support, not him. "It's nothing," she said, stuffing his jacket into the still-open top of her pack.

"Ash." He let himself sigh, and he saw her hesitate.

"Well, it's dumb, anyway," she amended, grabbing his shirt off the ground. "I caught my ankle underneath the console when the shuttle crashed, and I had to blast it free. I didn't think I twisted it, but it feels like it's swelling a little."

"Hey," he interrupted, as she started to put his shirt in her backpack as well. "I'm wearing that; don't put it away. And we should bandage your ankle."

She shook her head. "Can't. I wouldn't be able to get my boot back on over it. I think it'll be all right, honest. It's just a little clumsy right now. It'll be better once we've walked a little way."

"Maybe better, maybe worse," he countered, but he suspected she was right. Her boot would keep the swelling down by itself, and if she hadn't actually sprained it, the Power would probably heal her ankle in a matter of hours. Assuming she didn't aggravate the injury by walking on it nonstop, of course. "And give me my shirt, Ash."

She eyed his tank top distastefully. "But it has blood on it."

"So does my back," he said, reaching for it. "I'll wash it next time we stop."

She relinquished his shirt with reluctance, and he had to admit that the idea of putting it back on didn't appeal to him either. But he pulled it on anyway and he felt one of her hands take his, her other arm slipping around his waist. "Ready?" she asked.

Andros nodded once. "But your ankle..."

"It'll be okay," she assured him. "I'll tell you if it gets worse." He must have given her a skeptical look at that, for she added, "Promise."

He supposed that was the best they could do right now anyway, and he resolved to question her again the next time they stopped. And at least didn't have to support him anymore. She was just guiding him, to make sure he didn't trip over anything, and if she needed to, she could lean on *him*.

"All right," he agreed finally, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Let's go."

***

The muted rumble that filled the halls of Angel Grove High as school let out for the afternoon sounded hollow to Carlos. The laughter and the occasional shouts made no impression on him as he fought his way through the crowds to his locker.

He twisted the combination lock and yanked the flimsy metal door open, a little annoyed by the normalcy of the activity. With one friend lost in an act of random violence and another who might as well have been, he had barely made it through the day without lashing out at someone. He had trouble tolerating the grumbling and complaints of other students when his own life had taken such a drastic turn for the worse the day before.

He debated just shoving his entire bag in his locker and forgetting about it, but responsibility too deeply ingrained to ignore made him sort through his books and pull out those in which he had been assigned homework. Stuffing them into his bag, he slammed his locker shut and slung his backpack over his shoulder as he turned away.

"Hey," Karen said, appearing abruptly from out of the crowd before he could take a single step. "I've been looking for you all day--wow, you look upset. Are you all right?"

"No," he said, more sharply than he'd intended. "I'm not; and if one more person asks me that, I'm going to explode!"

She blinked, looking a little taken aback but not particularly offended. "Sorry... With that kind of expression, I guess you've been hearing that question all day. Um--should I ask what's wrong?"

He sighed, reminding himself not to take it out on her. She didn't deserve it, especially when she was only concerned for him. "I don't care," he muttered. "I really don't care anymore."

She bit her lip, frowning a little. "Carlos--do you want to talk, or should I leave you alone?"

He couldn't make decisions right now, let alone second guess her motives or her sympathy. "What I really want is to sleep," he said, glaring at someone as they shoved by him. "I feel like I've been awake forever."

She hesitated, shrugging her backpack a little farther over her shoulder. "Do you want to crash at my place? My dad's away right now, and at least you wouldn't have to deal with anyone asking you questions."

For a moment, he was seriously tempted. She seemed willing enough to let him keep to himself, and it would mean not having to face any of the others on the Megaship. But at last, he shook his head. "Thanks, but I can't. I don't want to get in your way."

She gave him a half-smile, and he looked down in surprise as she took his arm. "You won't get in my way. Come on; let's go."

"But--"

She didn't listen as he tried to protest, and he followed reluctantly as she led him down the hall and out into the open sunshine. *It *would* be a beautiful day,* he thought, irritated all over again by the way the world was going on as though nothing had changed.

"Here," she said, unlocking the passenger door of her car and giving him a gentle push. "Get in. I'll drive you back this evening so you can pick up your car."

He let her bully him into the car, strangely comforted to have someone else making decisions for him. She got in on the other side and stuck the key in the ignition. Pulling her seatbelt over her shoulder, Karen gave him a pointed look and waited until he did the same.

The little car shook itself awake as she turned the key, and he stared out the window as they took off across the parking lot. She said nothing on the brief ride to her house, and he was grateful for her silence. He didn't know what to tell her, how to explain his sudden depression without giving away more than she could know.

He supposed, watching the trees fly by the window, that he and TJ would have to come up with some sort of cover story for the whole mess. Andros hadn't gone to Angel Grove High, of course, but a fair number of the students had known him. He had hung out at the Surf Spot and the beach with everyone else, and he had even accompanied them into the high school from time to time.

Carlos blinked, trying not to think. But he couldn't help it--as soon as he managed to get Andros out of his mind, he would think of Cassie. Friends had asked about her and Ashley all day...

"Here we are," Karen announced quietly, her voice a welcome diversion from his thoughts. "You know that if you want to talk, I'll listen."

He nodded wordlessly. She waited a moment more, then pushed her door open and climbed out. He followed her into the house, shaking his head when she asked if he wanted anything to eat, and she pointed him toward the couch.

"Karen," he said, pausing in the doorway to the living room.

She looked up. "Yeah?"

He took a deep breath, then found himself fighting to keep it from turning into a sigh. Depressed people weren't exactly fun to be around, and no matter what she said, he knew she was going out of her way to be here for him right now. "Thanks," he said, wishing he could say more but not sure how.

The smile on her face made him feel a little better, and she nodded. "Anytime."

As he lay on the couch, he found himself staring toward the open window. A delicate wooden bird was suspended in front of it, its wings waving gently in the breeze, and he stared at it as though it could erase the images in his mind.

To some extent, he found that it did. Watching the bird bob slowly up and down gave him something to focus on other than his own thoughts, and the peaceful motion lulled him toward the sleep that had eluded him the night before.

He thought he heard an inquisitive "Merow?" come from the floor nearby, and he realized his eyes had drifted shut. It was too much work to open them again, but he smiled a little as he felt Karen's cat leap up onto the couch beside him. Its warm fur pressed against his arm, and he was drowsily aware of Karen entering the room.

He thought she sat quietly down on the floor by the other end of the couch, and there was the rustle of paper. He didn't know how long he drifted in the haze between waking and dreaming, but the calm comfort of the room seemed to keep his nightmares away, and for that he was grateful.

Then, what he could have sworn was only a few minutes later, he felt her hand on his ankle. "Carlos," she whispered, shaking him gently.

He pried his eyes open, surprised to see that the cat was gone and shadows were coming through the window where sun had shone not so long ago. "What?" he mumbled, wondering why his voice wouldn't cooperate.

"Sorry to wake you," she said quietly. "But your watch alarm's going off--I wasn't sure if it was important or not."

*Watch?* He glanced down automatically, just as the black and gold band around his wrist chimed again. *Not good...*

He pushed himself up, lifting one hand to rub his eyes. "Man--Karen, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

He tried to come up with some kind of excuse, but he must have been asleep longer than he'd thought. His mind was too muddled to come up with anything coherent, so he just stumbled to his feet and hoped she would understand.

"It's all right," she assured him. "Just give me a call later to let me know how you're doing, okay?"

He hesitated, but it was the least he could do. "Sure," he said, crouching down beside her to give her a quick kiss. "Thanks, Karen," he said again. "I really appreciate it."

She smiled up at him. "No problem. Here, let me give you a ride back to school--"

"No," he hurried to assure her. "That's all right. I'm just going down the road; I'll pick up my car later. I have to get going--thanks again."

He backed up as he spoke, and he ducked out of the living room and let himself out the front door before she could object. He felt badly about not being able to accept her offer, and especially about not offering a better explanation. But his communicator had already gone off twice now, and he didn't want whoever it was trying to call him again in her presence.

"This is Carlos," he said, lifting his wrist as he made his way down the front steps.

"Carlos!" TJ's voice was concerned. "Are you all right?"

His jaw clenched as he struggled not to snap at his friend. "I'm okay," he answered as calmly as he could. "What's going on?"

"It's Astronema," TJ said, and Carlos tensed. "She's going to meet us in the park at sunset. Can you get back to the Megaship?"

Carlos blinked, glancing over his shoulder as he stood on the sidewalk in front of Karen's house. *That's right--Zhane thought she might... help us.* He shook his head. If the world went any more insane, he was going to do something drastic. He didn't know what yet, but *something*.

"Yeah," he said finally. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Right."

Carlos's communicator hissed faintly as TJ cut the transmission off, and Carlos lowered his wrist, letting the APD turn the little device off by itself. He started down the street, hunting for a place he could teleport from without being seen.

A car cruised past, leaving the street nearly deserted in its wake. He stepped behind one of the wide tree trunks that lined the road, counting on it to hide him from casual observers inside the houses. A curtain of sparkling black enveloped him as he tapped his communicator, and when it lifted he found himself on the Megaship again.

There was no one in the Glider holding bay, but he could hear voices coming from the Bridge. Striding out of the bay, he recognized first Zhane's voice and then Phantom's, and he could see TJ through the open doors.

The Blue Ranger was leaning against one of the auxiliary consoles, arms crossed and no expression on his face as he watched the argument taking place in front of him. He did glance over at the door as Carlos stepped through, and Carlos frowned, giving his friend a questioning look.

TJ just shook his head and turned back to the two Rangers standing in front of the main viewscreen. Phantom was demorphed, his calm expression at odds with the tension in his stance. Zhane, too, seemed tenser than usual, but he looked more annoyed than anything else.

"How do you expect me to entrust Cassie to someone you will not tell me anything about?" Phantom was asking as Carlos joined TJ beside the auxiliary console bank.

"I've *told* you, I don't *know* that much about her," Zhane told him. "She was evil, she's not now, she might help us. What else matters?"

"How do you know her?" Phantom insisted, and Zhane glared at him.

"I know her from KO-35," he said, and Carlos raised his eyebrow. Zhane obviously hadn't told Phantom whose help it was they were trying to enlist. With a wry look that said he knew the answer to this question, Zhane asked, "Don't you trust me, Saryn?"

"I trust what I know," Phantom shot back. "I do not trust those I do not know, and I certainly do not trust someone who used to be evil!"

Zhane pounced. "Why not? Cassie's evil, and you trust her!"

Phantom visibly flinched. "I love Cassie," he answered quietly. "I do not trust her, not as she is now. There is a difference."

"Well, it certainly doesn't show," Zhane snapped.

"Stop it," TJ interrupted at last, stepping forward. "Look, both of you--"

"You do not understand," Phantom told Zhane coldly, ignoring TJ. "You are nothing but a child who does not know what it is to love."

"Phantom!" TJ sounded as shocked as Carlos felt.

Zhane paid no more attention to TJ than Phantom had. "Just because you can't keep your hands off of her doesn't mean that you do, either!"

Carlos glanced at TJ, wondering if the Blue Ranger wanted help. He was as irritated with their squabbling as TJ was, and two weeks apart seemed to have made the situation worse rather than better.

"You can *not*--"

"Shut up!" TJ yelled, effectively cutting Phantom off. "Both of you, stop it right now! This is no time to be at each other's throats!"

Carlos blinked, straightening up. Although TJ had hidden it better, he had been under as much stress as the rest of them. It was a wonder that any of them had kept their tempers as long as they had, when it came to that.

*At least he picked a good target,* Carlos couldn't help thinking, feeling some small amount of satisfaction at the twin expressions of surprise on Zhane and Phantom's faces.

TJ took advantage of the momentary silence to press his point. "We're all angry and upset, but Cassie still needs us. We have a chance to help her, and we need to take that chance, not stand around insulting each other!"

"That 'chance' is based on someone that Zhane will not tell us anything about," Phantom objected. "Someone who may or may not help us, and whom he admits was once evil herself!"

Carlos stepped forward, seeing TJ's shoulders rise and fall as he sighed. His friend gave him an appreciative glance, silently thanking him for his support, and Carlos nodded once. All they had was each other, now, and he couldn't stand to see Zhane and Phantom tear that apart.

"Look, Phantom," TJ said quietly. "I'm sorry, but we've already decided. This is a chance the team has talked about and agreed to take. All of us, before Andros left, before Ashley took off--"

"What?" Carlos gave him a sharp look. "Where's Ashley?"

TJ just barely took his eyes off of Phantom, as though he didn't trust the other to behave for the few seconds it would take him to explain. "She took the shuttle to go looking for Andros," he said with a sigh. "Zhane didn't know about it until after she was gone."

"She thinks she can hear Andros," Zhane interjected in a low voice. Carlos looked over at him and found the Silver Ranger staring toward the viewscreen, where a realtime image of the stars was currently being displayed.

"Can she?" Phantom asked suddenly, and they all looked at him in surprise.

"Yes," Carlos said, realizing that Phantom didn't know of Ashley's newfound ability.

At the same time, Zhane said, "No." They exchanged glances, and Zhane added, "She used to, yes. Since the Delta Megaship exploded--" He blinked, looking away again. "Neither of us can hear him anymore."

"How do you know?" Phantom asked, an odd expression on his face. "If she says she does--do you not trust her?"

Zhane's head jerked up, and hid eyes shone with unshed tears as he glared at Phantom. "You know how I know? I know because I've felt Andros in my mind since I was four years old. He has *never* disappeared the way he did last night, and I have never in my life been as alone as I am now!

"I am *tired* of you telling me I don't understand, Saryn!" A tear spilled down Zhane's cheek, and he brushed it away angrily. "I've loved Andros for as long as I can remember--longer than Ashley has, and certainly longer than you've loved Cassie! Just because I can't drop everything and take off across the galaxy looking for him doesn't mean I don't care!"

The flood of words stopped abruptly, but Zhane swallowed hard and kept right on glaring at Phantom. The expression on the other's face had gone from odd to almost... malicious. But as he stared back at Zhane, it started to fade a little and suddenly he looked away.

"I--" Phantom stopped, and quiet though his tone was it was obvious that he was forcing the words out. "I'm sorry; I did not mean to say that. Cassie--" He hesitated, and this time his voice was no more than a whisper. "Cassie is waking up again."

Carlos shot a quick glance at TJ, frowning when he caught the other's eye. He had no idea what that had to do with anything, but it seemed to mean something to Zhane, for he nodded once. At least Phantom had apologized...

"We'll have to sedate her again before we go down to Earth," TJ said calmly, as though nothing had happened.

Phantom drew in a breath to object, than glanced at Zhane and said nothing. Oddly enough, it was Zhane who spoke up. "No," the Silver Ranger said, his voice almost steady again.

Carlos transferred his frown to Zhane. "What?"

Zhane straightened, turning toward Carlos and TJ for the first time. "First, Astrea might want Cassie to be conscious. The sedative won't wear off completely for a little while--maybe we should just leave her in the Medical bay until Astrea tells us one way or the other.

"Second--" Zhane took a deep breath, as though he knew they weren't going to like this. "I don't think it's such a good idea for all of us to go down to Earth. At least not right away. I was the one who sent the message to her, and I'm the only one she's expecting. I don't think we should startle her by having most of the team appear."

No one said anything for a moment. "You're right," TJ agreed at last. "I don't like it, but you're right."

He glanced at Carlos, who hesitated. He didn't like Zhane going down there alone either, but it wasn't exactly a first time occurrence. If Zhane was to be believed, he had been seeing this "Astrea" for several weeks now, and she hadn't tried to kill him yet.

Carlos nodded reluctantly. "I agree. But--DECA should monitor you, just in case we have to teleport you out of there quickly."

Zhane was already reaching for his digimorpher. "Right," he said, catching each of their gazes in succession. "Thanks, guys."

***

The park was quiet as the last glimmer of the sun's spectacular presence began to fade from the sky. The fading glow spread itself across the western horizon, silhouetting the trees against a multitude of darkening hues. The calm beauty was almost eerie as the city lingered on the terminator line between light and dark.

*And in the end,* the girl thought, gazing through the lengthening shadows toward the vanishing sun, *night always wins.*

"There's no night without stars," Zhane had told her, with a look of something like affection in his eyes.

Was that why she was here? Because someone saw more than "Astronema, princess of darkness" when he looked at her? Because he had been the first in years to look at her without fear or hate, and he had thought it worth his time to reintroduce her to a way of life without violence and destruction?

*Not anymore,* she thought to herself, tossing her head to shake away the twinge of sadness. The Rangers he had been with that night at the dance would undoubtedly have informed him of her identity, and she had assumed he would want nothing more to do with her.

Then had come his audio message. *That* was what had brought her here--curiosity, surprise, and maybe the smallest amount of hope. She had enjoyed spending time with him, when she admitted it to herself, and if nothing had changed she would have continued to seek him out.

A noise she knew all too well made her whirl, and her eyes widened as a silver streak teleported into the clearing behind her. She summoned her staff without thinking, bracing herself and ready to fight even as the rain of sparkles cleared to reveal--

*Zhane?!* Years of caution kept her from saying the name aloud, but suddenly things clicked in her mind. The sudden appearance of a sixth Astro Ranger, combined with his tendency to always be in close proximity to the Rangers...

"*You're* the Silver Ranger," she said flatly.

He gave her a startled look. "Yeah--I thought you knew."

She glared at him for a moment, her instinctive hatred for Power Rangers warring with the kinship she felt for him. It was the same inner battle she'd been waging ever since the Red Ranger had insisted her necklace belonged to his sister.

She had almost believed him, for she had seen the locket's duplicate hanging on a chain around his neck. But every time she started to wonder if there was some crazy, remote chance that *he* was her brother, she would remember Ecliptor's tales of the destruction of her homeworld and family. Destruction caused by Power Rangers.

For the past couple days, as that internal debate continued, her hatred for the people who had taken her old life from her had always won. But now, she started to wonder all over again. She found it almost impossible to hate this person who had never questioned her and always welcomed her presence. And--she found she didn't *want* to hate him.

"No," she said finally, swinging her staff upright again and letting it rest on the ground. "I didn't know."

He regarded her for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm sorry," he said at last. "I would have told you, if you had asked."

Her lips quirked a little. "I wouldn't have told *you* who *I* was," she said wryly. "You had to find out from your Ranger friends."

She must have put more sarcasm into her voice than she thought, for he frowned. "They're not just my friends, Astrea. They're my team, and I'm not ashamed of them."

"I'm not ashamed of who I am, either," she said defiantly, stabbing the ground with her staff for emphasis. "I'm evil, and I like it."

That might not be entirely true anymore, not now that he had shown her how much more there could be to life than fighting, but she certainly wasn't going to admit it to him. As it was, he gave her another inscrutable look and said, "I'm not here to argue with you. I asked if you would meet me because I need your help."

She drew her staff back a little, looking at him suspiciously. "What could you possibly want *my* help for?"

"It's Cassie," he said bluntly, watching for her reaction. "She was in one of the ships your velocifighters shot down over Aquitar. The next thing we know, she's blowing things up and threatening to kill people."

"The evilyzer ray." She looked away, remembering Ecliptor's words. "'Not honorable, but effective.'"

"No, not honorable," Zhane agreed. "If we're going to fight, we should be able to do it because we believe in something, not because it was programmed into us."

She frowned. Ecliptor had expressed doubts about the ray as well, but Dark Spectre had insisted. "What do you want *me* to do?" she asked, suspecting she already knew.

"Change her back," he said. "She's our friend, Astrea. She doesn't deserve to have her life torn away from her, any more than you deserved it when you were kidnapped from our home years ago."

She looked at him, shocked, and the words tumbled out before she could stop them. "You're from KO-35?" she demanded.

He looked as startled as she felt. "You know *you're* from KO-35?"

"No! I--" She looked down, annoyed that she had spoken before she had thought. "Where's your friend?"

He only hesitated a moment before answering, "On the Megaship. But we can bring her down here--"

She shook her head. "This is too public. The kind of magic you're asking for won't be very inconspicuous."

He frowned. "Well, we can't go to the Dark Fortress."

She twisted her staff a little, hoping he wasn't about to suggest what she thought he was. "You can't expect me to teleport onto *your* ship."

The sheepish look he gave her said that he had indeed been thinking of that. "What if..." He paused for a moment, then looked at her consideringly. "What if I gave you my morpher?" he asked, his voice as even as though he weren't suggesting anything out of the ordinary.

"That way, the computer will register you as a Ranger," he continued when she didn't answer. "We won't be able to stop you from leaving whenever you want."

She wondered if she looked as incredulous as she felt. "You wouldn't give me your morpher!"

For answer, he pulled the Silver Ranger's digimorpher out of his pocket and held it out to her wordlessly.

She just stared at it, her mind racing. She had asked about his friend only as a way to distract him from her slip, but here he was, ready to hand over his entire Power just to save his fellow Ranger. Could he actually trust her, or was it only desperation?

"Why?" she asked finally, looking up at him.

He looked a little taken aback. "Because she deserves a chance. Just like you. And because I believe in the good in everyone."

She had thought that a naïve thing to say, the first time he had told her that. She had thought it only a statement from one ignorant of the true evil that existed in the universe. But he was a Ranger--he *knew* that kind of evil, and yet he could still say something like that.

"Because she deserves a chance. Just like you." She had never had the chance to fight back when she was young. She had spent the last couple of years making up for it, attacking Rangers wherever she could in a desperate attempt to make up for everything that had been stolen from her.

But was it really Rangers she should be fighting? Or was it anyone who could ruin a life as thoroughly as hers had been, without even a trace of remorse? "She doesn't deserve to have her life torn away from her, anymore than you did."

Before she could change her mind, she reached out and snatched the morpher from his hand. Letting her staff vanish, she gave him a sharp nod. "Let's go."