Debriefing
by Starhawk

The southern research dome had been emptied of its usual occupants, and the people that now gathered at one end of the underwater facility were there by invitation only. There were six Qesiti, one flagship captain from the Irini ships, the woman who had introduced herself as Linnse, two Aquitian Rangers and of course, Zordon.

Almost the entire Astro team had come as well, including Saryn but minus Zhane. Only Andros and Saryn were actively participating, however, and Ashley found herself trying not to yawn.

"I'm so hungry," she whispered, standing a little apart from the group gathered in front of Zordon's time warp.

"Complain, complain, complain," Carlos teased quietly. "If you hadn't been so busy sitting in Andros's lap, you could have gotten something to eat back on the Megaship."

She reminded herself not to make a face at him. "I wasn't hungry then," she murmured.

"Not for food, anyway," he said with a straight face, his gaze still on the gathering in front of them.

Her eyes widened, and this time she almost did stick her tongue out at him. "Carlos Vargas, you are insufferable," she hissed, very softly.

"Hey, at least you get to spend time with your significant other," he said, a wry half-smile on his face.

That made her pause. "How's Karen?" she asked after a moment.

Carlos shrugged slightly, but his expression was sober and she knew he was more worried than he let on. "All right, I guess. I haven't really talked to her since the dance. We saw each other yesterday--"

He broke off suddenly, wincing. "Shoot."

Ashley gave him a quick glance. "What?" she whispered.

"I was supposed to call her last night," he muttered. "Between Cassie and Astronema, I totally forgot."

"She'll understand," Ashley said, reaching out to squeeze his arm reassuringly.

He just sighed. "Sure, she'll understand this time. But what about next time? And the time after that?"

Ashley didn't answer right away, suddenly realizing exactly how lucky she was to have Andros. Beyond the fact that he was her favorite person in the entire world, he was also a Ranger. She never had to worry about explaining herself to him when one of Dark Spectre's attacks came--as they seemed to more and more lately--at the worst possible time, because Andros would most likely be there fighting with her.

"Maybe--" Ashley hesitated, for Dimitria had often drilled into them that they were to tell no one. But when they had lost the Power she had wanted them to protect, and gained a new one that required them to be offplanet for days at a time, they had had to bend the rules a little. "Maybe you should tell her?"

She saw Carlos glance sideways at her. "Believe it or not, I've thought of that," he muttered. "In some ways, it would make things so much easier. But in other ways…"

Ashley nodded, just a little. They were already trying to balance their lives as normal teenagers on Earth trying to survive their senior year of high school with their duties as Power Rangers in a League caught up in war. The absolute last thing they needed was to have their secret get out and have the media go crazy over them.

"I've only been going out with Karen for a couple of weeks, Ash," Carlos said softly. "I just can't trust her that much yet."

"Relationships take time," she reminded him quietly. "It was more than a month before I could even talk to Andros alone without him suddenly remembering something on the Bridge that he had to take care of."

As she had hoped, Carlos flashed a brief smile in her direction.

***

"Hey." He leaned over and poked Cassie gently. "What are you dreaming about?"

She blinked, tearing her gaze away from the group they stood on the outskirts of. More specifically, he suspected, she looked away from the dark, mysterious Ranger who had captured her heart before he even gave her his name.

"A shower," she answered, quietly and a little ruefully. "I haven't had a shower in… I don't know how long."

"Sure," TJ said knowingly. He gave the object of her affections a pointed glance. "Come on, Cass, you can tell me."

She followed his gaze with a slight smile. "Well, okay, him and a shower would be nice."

"But not at the same time," he teased.

She leaned carefully back against one of the science consoles, further distancing herself from the group. "Actually…" She let the sentence trail off, an impish look on her face.

Startled, he raised an eyebrow at her until he remembered where he was. All anyone had to do was look in their direction--even if they weren't really adding anything to the exchange of information, they were still representing the Alliance here. They should at least *look* like they were paying attention.

Glancing back toward the discussion currently taking place, TJ could have sworn he saw Phantom's visor turn slightly toward them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cassie smile a little. The Phantom Ranger did not respond, but TJ would bet anything that underneath that armor Saryn was smiling back.

"Anything you want to tell me?" he murmured, only half kidding.

Cassie shifted, rearranging her hands on the console behind her. "Maybe," she admitted, and he resisted the temptation to look at her again. "Teej… would it--*really* freak you out…"

She took a deep breath, and he had to glance over at her. She looked almost nervous, despite the calm expression she was trying to hold onto for the sake of anyone who might be watching. "To know that we've slept together?" she finished in a rush, her voice so soft it took him a minute to figure out what she'd said.

As he did, though, he just *stared* at her. He tried desperately to keep from saying anything, knowing that it would come out--at best--in a normal tone of voice that anyone in the room could overhear. And at worst, it would be a yelp of surprise that he would never live down.

Clenching his jaw, he counted, very slowly to ten. Judging from the way her lips were twitching, she was trying to restrain what was probably a wide grin, if not outright laughter, and he did *not* want to know what his expression looked like right now.

Finally, he managed to stammer, "You and Ph--Saryn?"

She nodded wordlessly. He knew it had been a ridiculous question, but it was, quite frankly, the only one he could voice. She had *slept* with him? Cassie, the girl who had asked him what he thought about Andros and Ashley only a few weeks before? The one who had promised him that it wasn't a decision *she* had to make?

He couldn't say any of that, of course, and especially not here. How could she have sprung this on him *now*? Finally, he managed to give her an indignant glare. "Don't ever, *ever*, do that to me again," he whispered vehemently.

She looked a little worried. "Do what?" she whispered back.

He glanced wide-eyed at the others, but fortunately none of them seemed to be paying any attention to them. "Don't *tell* me something like that when there are other people around!"

Her lips twitched again, and he gave her an incredulous grin that he couldn't stifle. "I can't believe you just *did* that to me," he breathed, putting as much indignation into the quiet words as he could.

She shrugged, her apologetic look spoiled by her obvious amusement at his plight. "I kind of wanted you to know--I hope you're not… upset?"

"Only with your timing," he managed, giving her a wounded look. "You couldn't have told me on the Megaship or something?"

She bit her lip. "Well, I didn't really want everyone to know. Ashley sort of found out by accident, and you're like my other best friend…"

*By accident?* he couldn't help wondering. *Do I want to know how you find something like that out by accident?* He decided the answer was probably "no".

"You didn't have to tell me," he murmured, resting on hand on her shoulder.

"I know," she said simply.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. Then, finally, he had to tell her what he was thinking. "I'm glad things are finally working out for you guys," TJ whispered.

"Me too," she replied, glancing sideways at him with a small smile.

***

Even morphed, he couldn't quite pick up what TJ and Cassie were saying to each other--they were talking almost inaudibly, and had managed to inconspicuously separate themselves from the rest of the group enough that overhearing their conversation was impossible. No one else seemed to notice their absence, but he had been fighting to ignore Cassie's presence in his mind for some time, and he couldn't help being aware of her activity.

He doubted she even knew she was doing it, but she was thinking so completely about him that she might as well have walked over and put her arms around him. The action could not have distracted him any more than what she was doing now.

As TJ caught and held her attention, though, he almost sighed in relief. He saw Linnse glance in his direction, under cover of Billy's argument with the Qesiti, and he was terribly grateful for the visor that hid his expression. She had tried to corner him before the debriefing was called to order, but the rest of the representatives had arrived as quickly as they, and Cestria had suggested beginning right away.

He had nothing to hide from Linnse, but her curiosity was insatiable, and he would much rather talk with her privately than in the middle of a gathering such as this. Not to mention that the focus of this debriefing was supposed to be the defense of Aquitar--though he had to admit that he could not concentrate on it anymore than Linnse seemed to be.

Beside him, Andros spoke up, defending Billy's position, and he tried to drag his attention back to the discussion. Cestria was not intervening, despite Billy's obvious irritation with the Qesiti commentary on the situation, and he couldn't help but think that it would be different if Cetaci were here.

The White Aquitian Ranger would put an end to the argument with a few sharp words, and the debriefing would continue. The atmosphere might be slightly more strained for her sometimes tactless remarks, but she would keep the others in line. Cestria simply let the debate grow more heated, and Zordon, to his surprise, did not seem inclined to stop it either.

After a few more minutes of listening, he found himself wondering more about when this would finally be over, rather than what the outcome would be. Without turning his head, he looked in Cassie's direction. She was, as he should have expected, watching him again, and he tried very hard to suppress an exasperated sigh.

Her impatience felt like his own, and he could *not* shut it out. Why had he even come to this debriefing? He was adding nothing but his presence and silent support of the Aquitian team. Other than Andros, the Astro Rangers really had no reason to be here either--

*Politics,* he reminded himself firmly. *The Rangers must be seen as a strong and unified force.* There *was* a reason for all of them to be here; Cassie just didn't understand it. And it was her wish to be elsewhere that was influencing him, to the point where he couldn't ignore it.

He wondered, trying to find humor in the situation, whether he preferred the distraction of her present impatience, or that of her earlier daydreams about him.

***

"What time is it?" Carlos asked quietly, leaning a little closer to Ashley.

She shrugged. "How should I know?" she whispered back. "I don't have a watch."

He tried not to fidget. "I know. Thought I'd ask anyway."

"Feels like dinner," she volunteered, and he tried not to smile.

"It probably is. Not to mention time to start some serious homework."

He saw her fold her arms. "I don't even want to think about how much homework I'm going to have tomorrow," she murmured, sounding dismayed.

"Not as much as you'll have tonight," he replied softly. "If we ever get out of here, that is."

She shot a quick glance in his direction. "What do you mean?"

"I went around to your classes today and got your books and your homework for you," he whispered. "I told the teachers you'd been sick, but you were feeling better today and you were really bored."

She was quiet for a moment. "What about Cassie?" she asked at last.

"I think TJ got her stuff," Carlos admitted. "We haven't exactly had time to compare notes yet."

There was another long pause. "That's *so* nice," she murmured finally, and he shrugged a little.

"Just be glad we all exchanged schedules back at the beginning of summer," he kidded quietly.

Ashley shook her head. "Thanks, Carlos--I mean it. That was really great of you."

"Hey, what are friends for?" he whispered, and she turned to smile at him.

It was the same bright smile that she turned on Andros from time to time, and she used it with no regard for where they were. "Hey," he teased, nudging her with his arm and cocking his head toward the rest of the group. "Pay attention."

"I am," she insisted, looking away again. He was glad she was pleased, though--he hadn't been sure the girls would thank him and TJ for their intervention, but he knew how *he* would feel if he had to face the "first" day of school after everyone else had been attending for days.

"Andros says the important stuff is done," Ashley murmured suddenly. "But they could argue about details for another hour or so."

Carlos barely kept himself from looking at her in surprise. He kept forgetting that she and Andros could talk without actually talking.

"Another *hour*?" he repeated, studying the rest of the group. Cestria was talking, presiding over them all in her soft-spoken way, and he was impressed that even the Qesiti--who had apparently sent six representatives because they couldn't agree among themselves on who should come--listened when she talked.

Linnse also appeared to be listening carefully, but the Irini captain looked as bored as Carlos felt. Saryn--well, who knew what *he* was thinking under the armor, and Andros's poker face was almost as complete. Carlos would never have guessed that he was talking to Ashley even as he appeared to be completely focused on Cestria.

TJ and Cassie were on the other side of the group, nearer to Zordon, and Carlos managed to catch TJ's gaze briefly. TJ actually gave the suggestion of rolling his eyes, and Carlos tried to stifle a smile.

Then Ashley unfolded her arms, and his eye was drawn inadvertently to her. Her whisper sounded puzzled as she began, "He says he's going to--"

The blurred three-note tone of their morphers' comm units overrode the end of her sentence, and Carlos looked down at his wrist in surprise.

"Excuse me," he heard Andros say smoothly, and the Red Ranger stepped away from the group. He didn't go far enough for his conversation to be private, however, and those gathered in front of Zordon's tube all paused to listen.

"This is Andros," he told his morpher, and Carlos glanced at Ashley, wondering if they should join him.

"Andros, the Dark Fortress was detected inside the Sol system," Zhane's voice said urgently, and Andros nodded.

"We'll be right there," he answered, catching Ashley's eye and cocking his head. She and Carlos joined him without hesitation, followed closely by TJ and Cassie.

"There's an emergency on Earth," Andros said, turning back to the others.

"Of course, you must protect your own planet," Cestria said quickly. "Thank you for your assistance here today."

Andros gave her a quick nod. Glancing around at the others, he reached for his morpher and the rest of them followed suit. The Aquitian research dome disappeared.

***

The bright red glow of teleportation had barely faded when he felt Ashley's arms around him. "Thanks, Andros!" she exclaimed, and he heard Zhane laugh from somewhere near the main screen.

Glancing in that direction, he hugged Ashley back absently. Zhane was sitting backwards in the pilot's chair, grinning at them. "She's a terrible influence on you, you know?"

Andros tried not to blush, but Ashley just let go of him and wrinkled her nose at Zhane. "Oh, you made him do worse; admit it!"

"Don't we need to get to Earth?" TJ asked, sounding somewhat impatient.

Andros cleared his throat. "Well, not exactly…"

"No, he's right," Zhane said, still grinning. "We can't just sit here in orbit."

Carlos was looking back and forth between the three of them. "All right, what did I miss? *Is* there an emergency, or not?"

"There is," Ashley insisted. "The emergency is that if we don't do our homework and get some sleep, we'll fail out of high school, and our parents will kick us out, and *then* where will the team be?"

"But what about Astronema?" Cassie asked uncertainly.

Zhane just shrugged. "The Dark Fortress has been in orbit around Earth on and off for days now. She's there, but she hasn't sent any monsters--not even quantrons--in weeks."

"And the debriefing?" TJ asked, sounding as though he couldn't decide whether to disapprove or just laugh.

"Well…" Andros shifted uncomfortably. "It was mostly over. Zordon will keep the Alliance under control, and there's no question that more ships will be coming to Aquitar to relieve the ones already there, probably within the next day or so."

"Andros asked me to do that 'emergency call'," Zhane said, swiveling idly in his chair. "I couldn't exactly say, 'Andros, get those kids back up here so they can go to school' now, could I?"

"What about Saryn?" Ashley asked suddenly, and Andros saw Cassie shoot a grateful look in her direction.

"He couldn't say it either," Zhane said, twisting to one side in his chair. "Not with a straight face."

"Don't you think they sort of need him down there?" TJ asked skeptically, ignoring Zhane.

Ashley shrugged. "Andros said they were mostly done. We should at least tell him we're going, don't you think?"

"I think he knows," Carlos said wryly.

Andros couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. "I'm not sure this is the kind of thing he'd approve of…"

"Oh, come on, Andros," Ashley said with a smile, putting an arm around his shoulders. "A little while ago, we would have said the same thing about you."

"A little while ago, you'd have been right," he muttered, but she had won as soon as she smiled, and he suspected she knew it.

Zhane knew it, too. "Make Cassie call him," he suggested. "He won't get mad at *her*."

Cassie looked hopefully at him. "Can I?"

Andros sighed. "Sure, why not."

***

Everyone in the room heard the miniature comm unit on his wrist go off, and he excused himself with a nod to Cestria and Zordon. He headed for the nearest door, stepping through and waiting until it closed to tap his comm unit. He could not imagine who wanted his attention, but that didn't mean it might not need to be confidential.

"This is the Phantom Ranger," he announced, keeping his tone neutral.

"Hi, it's Cassie," a voice replied, and he couldn't keep from smiling, both at her "hi" and at his own involuntary delight in hearing her voice.

"Cassie," he repeated, knowing his own voice had softened as he said her name but powerless to prevent it. "I thought you were on your way to Earth."

"Well…" She hesitated. "We sort of are, but it's not quite an emergency." She paused again, and then added, "Well, Ashley says it is."

He heard the Yellow Ranger exclaim indignantly, and his smile returned. "There is no threat to your planet," he surmised, remembering a similar prank his team had pulled to get him out of a meeting they considered both boring and unnecessarily long.

"Not exactly," Cassie admitted. "But we have to get back to Earth." There was another pause, and he felt disappointment stab at his heart.

He had no wish to see them face danger--quite the contrary--but if they were returning to their planet for personal reasons, they could be gone indefinitely. *At least when she was evil I got to see her.*

He drew in a sharp breath, a flash of uncontrollable fear flickering through his mind as he firmly repressed that thought. The despair of the last two days was something he never wanted to repeat, no matter the cost. If she had to leave, he could not ask her to stay, and he would not try.

"We--" He knew distantly that someone else was talking to her, even as she spoke with him, accounting for the intermittent pauses. "Um, we wondered if you wanted to come with us," she finished at last.

He froze, feeling the almost irresistible urge to look over his shoulder.

"We're not saying you have to," Cassie said hastily, and he smiled, a little sadly. Those days were gone forever--but if he let her, Cassie would draw him just as tightly into her own group of friends. "We just thought--"

"Yes," he whispered. There was more to life than politics, and without Cassie, he knew he never would have remembered that. Then cleared his throat, knowing the comm link wouldn't have caught his tentative reply. "I--will come."

"Hurry up, then," Zhane's voice said, somewhat muffled, but distinctive nonetheless. "We can't just sit up here forever."

He broke off the communication without further comment.

***

"Zhane!" She heard the faint hiss as her communicator registered no signal from the planet below, and she glared at the Silver Ranger.

He just winked unrepentantly, and Cassie gave him a shove. "If he doesn't come because of that, I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh, he'll come," Zhane promised, holding up his hands defensively. "I heard you using that sweet "pretty please" tone on him."

"Yeah, Cass," TJ agreed, a wide grin on his face. "You don't have to pout when he can't see you, you know."

"Hey!" She ducked her head a little in embarrassment, but she couldn't help giggling. She *had* done it on purpose, after all. "It's always worked before!"

"So what are you getting mad at me for?" Zhane demanded.

She didn't have time to retort, for at the same moment TJ asked, "So when are you going to make him cut his hair?"

"Hey!" Carlos exclaimed. "What's wrong with long hair?"

"Nothing, nothing," TJ said hastily, and Cassie grinned as she saw Andros also giving him an indignant look. "But his isn't long, it's just--shaggy."

"Oh, you take that back, Mr. I-have-no-hair-because-it's-cooler!" Cassie exclaimed good-naturedly.

"No, he's right," Zhane chimed in. "Come on, Cassie, it's shaggy; admit it."

"I won't," she cried, trying not to giggle. "Ash, help me out here!"

Carlos took a step back. "Oh, never side against the girls. I'm staying out of this."

"It *is* cute," Ashley admitted, paying no attention to Carlos.

"Ashley!" Zhane threw his arms out to the side in mock-dismay. "I thought you had better taste than that!"

"I like you," Ashley shot back. "What does *that* say about my taste?"

"Oh!" Carlos pretended to have been stabbed in the heart.

"I thought you were staying out of this," Cassie said, giving him a mock-suspicious look.

"Just the part about Saryn's hair," he assured her cheerfully.

She couldn't help laughing. "I can't believe we're talking about this!"

"You started it," Carlos reminded her, and her eyes widened.

"*He* started it!" She pointed at TJ, but TJ just held up his hands and backed up a step.

"I may have started it, but it was Zhane's fault."

"It usually is," Andros muttered, just loud enough to be overheard, and his friend gave him a hurt look.

Ashley burst out laughing. "That's so true!"

Luckily, a dark flash cut off the conversation before it could get any more out of hand. Cassie supposed they all needed the release, but it did occur to her that they were all tired and tempers could flare if it went much longer.

Saryn's morph vanished with the teleportation stream, and she hesitated only long enough to remember that she didn't have any more reasons for not hugging him in front of the others. She darted forward and wrapped her arms around him, smiling happily as she felt him return her embrace. "I'm so glad you came," she murmured.

She thought she heard Zhane snicker, but she ignored him. She *meant* it, and she didn't care--much--how she sounded.

"As am I," he agreed. His arms tightened around her and she closed her eyes, grateful that they'd been given another reprieve from separation.

The silence lasted for only a minute, before Ashley broke into it with a plaintive tone. "Am I the only one who's really, really hungry?"

***

A few hours later, she glanced up as the tape in Cassie's battery-powered player stopped. She'd already flipped it over once. "Hey, Cassie, want to find another…"

Ashley trailed off as she realized her friend's eyes were closed. Cassie had put her head on her arms a few minutes before, claiming she thought better that way. Ashley had just laughed and gone back to her vocab list for Spanish, but she found her own eyes drifting shut as she tried to study, and she made a quick executive decision.

"Cassie," she said more quietly, shaking her friend's shoulder. "Time to go to bed. Come on, Cass…"

Cassie lifted her head a little, blinking as she glanced down at her notes. She rubbed at her eyes with a sigh and shook her head. "I haven't finished this chapter yet."

"S'okay," Ashley assured her. "I'll tell you what happens in the morning. You done with everything else?"

Cassie nodded, slumping back in her chair. "I'm so glad performance classes don't assign homework."

"Yeah, you're lucky," Ashley said dryly. She had always considered cheerleading "performance", and it took more hours a day than any class.

"Are you done?" the other girl asked sleepily, not seeming to notice her sarcasm.

Ashley nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I think I'm going to go get some sleep."

"Me, too," Cassie agreed, yawning. "See you in the morning, Ash."

"Bright and early," she said, and Cassie made a face at her.

Ashley just smiled innocently and gathered up her books. " 'Night, Cassie."

Cassie waved a little, climbing out of her own chair as Ashley slipped out of the room. She hoped her friend would get enough sleep that she didn't feel terrible in the morning.

*At least it's Friday,* Ashley thought, stepping through her own door and putting her textbooks directly into her backpack so she wouldn't forget them. *The first and last day of the week…*

She changed into her pajamas and sat down on her bunk, and it was only then that she found she couldn't quite bring herself to go to bed. Maybe it was the excitement of the day, or just her unwillingness to go back to something as normal as school in the morning, but she suddenly wished for company.

*Andros?* she asked, hoping she wouldn't wake him up.

*That's me,* he answered immediately, and she smiled a little.

*What's up?* Her eye fell on the telekinesis ball beside her bed, and she reached for it idly.

*Just talking to Zhane,* he said, and she tossed the ball from one hand to the other. She had a brief mental image of stars, and she frowned a little.

*Where are you?* she asked curiously.

This time, he hesitated before replying. *Deck one,* he said at last. *There's kind of a window…* This time, she got a much clearer picture of the wide circular area at the top of the ship--a place she had been once or twice herself, but she had never known of any "window".

*An observatory,* she thought, startled, as he looked up toward the ceiling. *I never knew it did that.* A large section of the ceiling seemed to have irised open, revealing the familiar--to her, at least--Earthly constellations.

*I… I didn't really tell anyone,* Andros confessed. *Me and Zhane used to come up here, before…*

He hesitated again, and she understood him to mean before Zhane had "died". He wouldn't have wanted the memories such a place brought back, and she wasn't going to intrude on them now, just when they'd been reunited again. *I understand,* she said gently. *Maybe I can come see it tomorrow or something.*

*That'd be great,* he answered, sounding genuinely pleased. *You'll like it, I think.*

*I know I will,* she said with a smile, spinning the telekinesis ball on her palm. *'Night, Andros.*

*'Night--I love you.*

*Love you too,* she thought, bouncing the toy one more time in her hand before setting it down. She got to her feet and wandered out into the hall.

***

"DECA," TJ said sternly. "Let me explain to you the concept of flavoring. Flavoring does not mean that you just put in anything that makes the food you're preparing taste different--it's supposed to be something that makes the food taste *good*."

"You requested a grape popsicle," the computer reminded him.

"Yes!" TJ exclaimed. " 'Grape'! Not 'salt'--there's a big difference!"

Carlos rolled his eyes. "TJ, no one would put salt in a popsicle. It lowers the freezing point of the water."

"Oh, well, *that* explains why it's melting already," TJ shot back.

"There is no salt in your popsicle, TJ," DECA told him calmly.

"You could have fooled me," the Blue Ranger muttered.

"Give me that!" Carlos took his friend's popsicle and ran his finger along the bottom, where it was indeed melting. Sticking his finger in his mouth, he frowned. "Yuck. Maybe you should have stuck with ice cream or something."

"See?" TJ gave DECA's camera an indignant look. "Carlos doesn't like it either."

"Whether or not you like the food you request is not my concern," DECA replied.

"I *like* grape popsicles," TJ argued. "I just don't like whatever this thing is that you've created *instead* of a grape popsicle."

"Hey," Carlos said, catching sight of a familiar figure in the doorway. "Come on in."

"I do not wish to intrude," Saryn began, and Carlos grinned.

"Oh, don't mind TJ. He and DECA get into periodic fights--I think she's just getting even with him for blacking out all the viewscreens last week."

"I didn't do that!" TJ exclaimed.

"Sure you didn't," Carlos said, giving him a knowing look. "Who are you going to blame--Andros?"

"I would not have suspected Andros," Saryn offered, a little hesitantly, and Carlos snickered.

"That's because Andros didn't do it; TJ did. He just won't admit it."

"I'm telling you, Carlos," TJ insisted. "It wasn't me!"

"Previous experience indicates that you are the most likely culprit, TJ," DECA interjected.

TJ sighed dramatically. "I get blamed for everything around here lately. If I'm going to be everyone's scapegoat, can't I at least get a decent popsicle?"

DECA's camera blinked once, and after a moment, the Synthetron hummed. TJ looked suspiciously from it to the camera and back again, but he removed the proffered popsicle and tasted it carefully. "Hey!" With a surprised smile, he glanced up at the camera. "Thanks, DECA."

Carlos just shook his head, amused. "So, Saryn, what are you doing still awake? Other than watching DECA abuse TJ?"

The other Ranger cocked his head, finally entering the room. "I am not accustomed to sleeping this early."

"Early?" TJ raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, that's right," Carlos said, suddenly understanding. "It's earlier on Aquitar, isn't it."

Saryn nodded, but Carlos couldn't help adding, "You look exhausted, no matter what time it is."

"I am somewhat tired," the other admitted.

"Join the club," TJ offered, rejoining them and taking a seat across from Carlos. "Man, I can't believe that after all this, we still have another day of school this week!"

"You will--all attend school tomorrow?" Saryn asked.

Carlos nodded. "Yeah, all us lucky Earth people. How do Andros and Zhane get out of school, anyway?"

TJ shrugged. "I never thought to ask."

"They don't go," Ashley said from the door. "Their school system graduates kids at fifteen."

"Hey, Ash," Carlos greeted her, and TJ took his popsicle out of his mouth long enough to give her a suspicious look.

"How do *you* know?" he demanded.

Ashley shrugged, but a wide smile spoiled her nonchalant act. "I thought to ask. What do you think we talk about when we're alone, Ranger duties?"

"Man, I wish I went to their school," Carlos remarked.

"No you don't," Ashley assured him, walking over to the table. "DECA had to tutor them most of their last year there, and Andros says it was really hard. Zhane complains about it all the time."

"But not Andros?" TJ asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Here," Ashley said, pushing a stool out from under the table for Saryn as she sat down herself. "For Andros, it's been more than two years since then. Zhane remembers graduating just a couple months ago."

Saryn sat down carefully, and TJ put his popsicle back in his mouth, looking contemplative. They were all silent for a few minutes, thinking their own thoughts.

Ashley leaned forward and put her elbows on the table, and Carlos had to smile as she rested her chin on her hands. "You look pretty tired yourself, Ash. Here me and TJ thought we'd be the only ones still up."

She shook her head without lifting it. "Andros and Zhane are still up too. I didn't feel like sleeping--I guess Cassie's the only smart one of us."

"Did you guys finish your homework?" TJ asked. "Enough of it, anyway?"

"Yeah," Ashley said with a smile. "Thanks for translating that chapter for me, Carlos. That would have taken me forever to read, otherwise."

"No problem," he answered automatically. "I wish they'd let *me* take Spanish," he added as an afterthought. "It would really help my GPA."

Ashley giggled. "I think the fact that your family's bilingual might have something to do with them not wanting you in that class."

He pretended to sigh. "It's so unfair. I'm being discriminated against, and no one can see it but me."

"Right," Ashley said, tilting her head to lay it on her arms. "You just keep telling yourself that, Carlos."

"While the rest of us laugh," TJ added, finishing his popsicle with a flourish.

Ashley tried to stifle a yawn, and Carlos dropped his affronted act. "Ash, it is kind of late," he began.

"I don't see *you* in bed," she murmured.

"Andros might have something to say about that," TJ put in, and she lifted her head just enough to make a face at his joke.

"I'll go to bed if you will," Carlos suggested. "Separately," he added wryly, and she giggled a little.

"Okay," she agreed at last, and he looked over at TJ.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," TJ assured them. "Saryn?"

The other Ranger didn't answer, and Ashley sat up slowly, stretching. "Saryn?" she repeated, and he blinked.

"Are you going to bed?" Carlos asked, when it became obvious that he hadn't been paying attention.

Saryn shook his head. "Not right now, I think."

"Oh, come on," Ashley said, putting a hand over her mouth as she yawned again. "You don't want to fall asleep in here, do you? And you look like you're about to."

Saryn hesitated, and TJ clapped him on the shoulder as he came around the table. "Come on," he said good-naturedly. "The beds on this ship may be uncomfortable, but they're not *that* bad."

Saryn smiled a little at that, and at last he too got to his feet and the four of them left the holding bay.