Last Day
by Starhawk

As soon as Ashley woke up, she knew something was wrong. The dance at the Surf Spot hadn't ended until midnight, and the place hadn't cleared out for another half an hour. She'd been up way too late to be waking up before DECA's alarm.

Her first thought was TJ. He must have turned off the computer's voice again--but then she remembered him saying that he was going to stay at his uncle's last night. Who did that leave?

*Carlos.* It had to be. He and Karen had stayed out for some time after the dance ended, and she had been asleep before he returned. He would have had plenty of time to turn the computer's voice off without any of them knowing. *Motive and opportunity,* she thought with a wry smile.

And if Carlos had been out later than her, that meant she was probably the first one awake. Andros had a bad habit of sleeping through DECA's alarm even when it did go off, and he had said himself that Zhane was a late sleeper.

Her smile turned into a grin at the thought of Andros, and she sat up. It was a little bit mean, but worth it. And he hadn't gotten mad the last time she'd gone into his room uninvited…

She climbed out of bed, residual sleepiness fleeing in the face of her anticipation. She gave her hair a quick brushing but didn't bother changing out of her night clothes. Poking her head out into the hallway, she crossed her fingers that she wasn't wrong and everyone else really was still asleep.

The hallway was deserted, and she went quickly over to Andros's door. The others' opinions of their sleeping arrangements would not be improved if someone other than Andros caught her. There was no answer when she knocked, but she hadn't really expected one. Glancing over her shoulder, she keyed the door open and ducked into his room.

Andros was sprawled across his bunk, eyes closed and one arm buried under his pillow. His blanket was crumpled at the end of his bed, and she wondered if he'd been having nightmares again. He had told her about his dreams of Kerone and the day she'd been kidnapped, and she suspected that the confrontation with "Astrea" the night before had only brought those memories to the fore.

He looked peaceful enough now, though, and she smiled involuntarily as she watched him sleep. She didn't know how he could be so relaxed while he slept, to the point where she never seemed to wake him up no matter how much noise she made, and yet so alert the rest of the time.

*Not that I mind,* she thought, her smile turning smug. She'd woken up with him enough--under perfectly innocent circumstances, despite what the rest of the team thought--to know that he didn't come awake quickly. There were always a few seconds where he wasn't really asleep *or* awake, and a few days ago she'd found out just how interesting those seconds could be.

He'd slept through DECA's alarm, and she'd come to wake him up. She would suspect that DECA's alarm didn't sound in his room at all, except that she'd heard it once. Shaking his shoulder gently, he had blinked up at her and sleepily asked for a kiss. Literally, "Can I have a kiss, Ashley?"

She'd looked at him in surprise, unable to keep herself from asking if he was awake yet. He'd looked around, puzzled, and she could see him waking up the rest of the way. She'd regretted her missed opportunity, and she'd kissed him before he could say anything else. But she'd wondered ever since what would have happened if she'd kissed him when he asked…

And she planned to find out. Even if it did mean ambushing him in his own room. In his own bed. She hesitated for just a moment, wondering if she was taking something she meant as a joke a little too far.

*But I won't really do anything,* she told herself. *I'm just going to wake him up…*

And he really did look irresistible. She could stand there for hours, just staring at him, but she thought he'd be a little startled if he woke up and found her watching him. *As opposed to this?* Ashley wondered, bending down to kiss him.

"Andros," she whispered, touching his lips gently with her own. He stirred a little in his sleep, but his eyes didn't open. She ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it against his pillow and saying his name again, a little louder this time.

This time, his eyelids flickered, and she felt something spark in her mind. Just as he opened his eyes, she brushed her other hand across his face and kissed him again. "Morning, sleepyhead," she said playfully.

He did move, then, and she thought he was stretching until she felt his hand slide through her hair to rest against the back of her head. Pulling her down again, he kissed her in return, catching her hand with his and tugging until she tumbled onto the bed beside him.

Surprised, Ashley stared into his hazel eyes and saw him smile. "Morning," he murmured back, kissing her again before she could answer. He didn't pull away, his kiss gentle as always but insistent enough that she suddenly wondered who had ambushed whom.

*You were awake!* she accused, silently but not as coherently as she would have liked. He had propped himself up on one elbow, his hair falling across his shoulders and his kisses warm on her face. His hand slid down her neck to rest on her bare shoulder, and she shivered, closing her eyes.

"No," he whispered, amusement in his voice. "Not until you kissed me."

She couldn't answer, not wanting to ruin the moment and not sure she could trust her voice anyway. But she didn't want him to think she was upset, and she tried to think, past his soft and sometimes elusive touch, of some response.

*You never wake up that fast,* she thought at last, eyes opening as he kissed her mouth again. Sliding her arm around him, she could barely think past the thought that she wanted him closer.

He broke away long enough to murmur, "You never kiss me awake, either."

How could he be so calm? His voice, as quiet as it was, was perfectly steady, while she knew that anything she tried to say out loud would be questionable at best. She raised her free hand to pull his head down again, kissing him as lightly as she could.

He leaned closer until her skin tingled at the not-quite contact, and she couldn't stand it anymore. Pushing him onto his back, she rolled on top of him and kissed him hard, feeling his arms go around her and his hands run gently across her back. So tentative…

She let her body relax against his, burying her fingers in his hair. He was breathing faster than she'd thought, and she realized he wasn't as calm as his words made him sound. Pressing closer, she felt him returning her kiss eagerly.

*He makes it so easy,* she thought distantly, barely able to focus on the thought with his mouth on hers and their bodies pressed close together. She almost never meant things to get as serious as they did, but he always gave her just enough encouragement that she couldn't seem to help it.

His arms tightened around her, and she realized suddenly how easy it would be to just stay here, in his arms… in his bed.

*No,* she thought firmly, the word fading in her mind even as she kissed him again. His hand slid lower across her back, and she wondered what she would do if--

Andros turned his head, pulling away from her abruptly and sitting up. "Ash," he said, his voice low and a bit hoarse. "We have to talk."

She drew in a careful breath, trying not to let the tremor show. "Yeah," she agreed in a whisper.

Her mind was racing, almost as fast as the pounding of her heart. She couldn't help but remember earlier conversations, when they'd agreed not to sleep together--yet. How soon was yet? How long did those words apply before they had to decide again?

"I'm not--" He looked down, his back to her. "I love you, Ash. I really do, and…"

"I know," she said softly, sitting up herself but careful not to touch him. "I love you, too. But that doesn't mean we have to--I mean… I don't want to pressure you into anything."

He scrubbed at his face with one hand, sighing. Finally, he turned to look at her, his gaze meeting hers steadily. "Do you--do you want us to sleep together?"

She swallowed, knowing how hard it had been for him to ask something like that straight out. She opened her mouth to say no, but he had asked for a reason. He really wanted to know how she felt, and she couldn't just tell him what she thought he wanted to hear.

"I… don't know," she admitted quietly. "I mean, no--when I think about it." She paused, trying to sort her feelings into some kind of sense. Giving him a quick smile to reassure him, she murmured, "Just give me a second."

He nodded wordlessly.

"Okay," she said after a minute. "We've known each other for months. But we've only been going out for a couple of weeks. And we've been through some wild stuff together, but… that's still really soon. *Really* soon," she repeated fervently, and saw him nod again.

"So I guess I think that, no, we shouldn't sleep together." She couldn't help sighing. "It's just that--sometimes, when I'm with you, it's really hard to remember to think."

He smiled a little at that, and she thought he looked relieved. "Sometimes?" he echoed. "I can't think at *all* around you… and the scary thing is that I don't care."

She had to smile. "I know what you mean."

"Really," he insisted. "It's like… being in a fight, when you're totally on instinct because there's no time for anything else. Only there is time, but I'm acting on instinct anyway, because I don't remember how to do anything else…"

She let her breath out in amusement. "Yeah," she murmured. "All the things that seem so reasonable when we're not together don't seem to matter anymore when--" She hesitated, then shot a nervous glance at him and continued anyway. "Whenever you kiss me."

He looked at her for a moment, hazel eyes serious and unreadable. She waited patiently, wondering what he was thinking. Then he reached out, brushing her hair away from her face and letting his fingers linger on her skin longer than he had to.

"Maybe--we need some rules," he said after a minute.

She felt her lips quirk, but she nodded. "Like what?"

His own lips curved in answer. "Like, no kissing me when I'm just waking up. That was completely unfair."

Ashley gave him an indignant look. "All I did was kiss you. *You're* the one who pulled me into bed!"

He flushed, but he was still smiling. "That's what I mean--I wouldn't have done that if I'd been awake."

"Oh, really," she said, giving him what she hoped was an unreadable look of her own.

"Well, look," he said quickly. "Let's just say, no kissing when one of us is in bed. Okay?"

She couldn't help it. She tried to stifle a giggle and couldn't quite manage it. "No kissing when one of us is in bed," she repeated, the words interrupted by her giggles.

A sullen look warred briefly with his smile and lost. "Well…" He eyed her. "If we were living on Earth or something, you wouldn't have done that… would you?"

The thought of her parents only made her laugh harder. "No *way*," she managed to get out. "Even if you were somewhere where I *could* get into your room without anyone knowing--I don't think I would have dared."

He gave her a suddenly suspicious look. "You did knock first, didn't you?"

"Of course," she answered, miffed. "I wouldn't just walk in. But you know the way *you* sleep," she added with a grin. "I could have banged the door down before you noticed anything was going on."

"Yeah, but you didn't," he said wryly. "You snuck in and kissed me."

"You didn't seem to mind at the time," she retorted.

He looked down for a moment, and her smile faded. "Andros, I was just kidding--"

"No, you're right," he interrupted. "You're right," he repeated, meeting her gaze again. "I didn't mind," he said softly. "And the truth is, I wouldn't mind you doing it again. It's… it's where it starts going, after that, that--"

He sighed suddenly. "I wish I could explain better."

She shook her head, just stopping herself from reaching out to him. "You're doing fine," she promised.

He gave her a searching look. "I guess…" He stopped again, obviously frustrated, and she heard in her mind, *I guess I just can't let go that far. I mean, I can kiss you, and really like it, but something…*

He trailed off again, and she knew what he was thinking even before she heard he words. *I'm scared, Ash. I trust you, and I love you, but I just can't go any further than we are right now. Not yet.*

This time she did reach out, grasping his hand and wishing she could hug him. *I'm not asking you to. I'm not sure I could either. And there's *no* reason we *should*. Andros…*

She just stared at him for a moment. *The only thing I know for sure is that I love you,* she said finally. *And that means more than sleeping together. That means there's something between us that no one can take away, and it has nothing to do with sex.*

He smiled tentatively at her. *Do you really think that?*

She nodded vehemently. "Yeah, I really do. And I think that if we have to question it, we definitely shouldn't do it."

He smile became a little more sure of itself. "I think you're right. And--I'm really glad… that we can talk like this."

She smiled back at him, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him with an effort. "Andros?"

He tilted his head at her, and she continued, "Would it be breaking any rules if I hugged you?"

She thought he almost laughed. He did exhale suddenly, relief on his face as his smile widened. "The only rule is that you can't kiss me while I'm in bed, remember?"

That said, he leaned forward and hugged her himself. "I love you, Ash," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," she murmured happily, resting her head against his. It was unbelievable to think that tomorrow she'd be going back to school. Suddenly, she heard herself ask, "Andros? Let's leave."

He pulled away to look at her oddly. "What?"

"Let's leave, right now," she said impulsively. "We could go down to Earth, and just have a day without any Rangering at all."

She knew he wouldn't agree, but she had to suggest it. It was the last day before she started school again, and she wanted nothing more than to spend it with Andros. But he had things to do, and she couldn't see him cutting himself off from the Megaship for a whole day.

"But… what would we do?" he asked, obviously at a loss when it came to planning an extended period of free time.

"Drive along the beach," Ashley said immediately. She had wanted to do that with Andros for the longest time. "We could get something to eat, and go swimming, and--"

She stopped, seeing his expression. "I know, you have too much to do," she said, trying to smile. "It was just a thought."

"Just us?" he asked slowly, and she nodded. The corner of his mouth quirked, and he said quietly, "I'd like that."

She just stared at him for a moment, waiting for the "but" that she was sure would follow. When it didn't, she breathed, "Really?"

He nodded. "Let's go."

"Oh, Andros!" She threw her arms around him happily, and she heard him chuckle.

"If it makes you this happy, it must be fun," he said, and she thought he was teasing.

*It's spending time with you that's fun,* she answered seriously, and he hugged her in return.

"Are we going to tell the others where we're going?" he asked after a moment, and she shook her head as she pulled away.

"They'll figure it out. Meet me in the Glider bay?"

***

He was waiting when she raced in, car keys in hand and a grin on her face. "Carlos almost caught me," she said, a giggle escaping as she dropped a note on the table in the middle of the room. "I heard his door open just I got into the lift."

Andros couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. "How do you know it was Carlos?"

"Do you really think Zhane's awake yet?" she countered, and he had to admit that his friend was probably still sleeping. "Come on!"

She reached out and flipped his morpher open, doing the same with hers. "My driveway?"

He nodded, wondering what he had agreed to. Ashley was full of energy this morning, while he felt like he was still trying to wake up. There was no way he could have gone back to sleep after she'd kissed him like that, but he wasn't sure he was ready to face a whole day of Earth, either.

But she was already disappearing into gold sparkles at his side, and he followed quickly. Soon he was blinking in the bright sunlight of midmorning, and he smiled involuntarily as he saw Ashley lifting her arms over her head and raising her eyes to the sky.

"It's a beautiful day," she said with a sigh, and he found himself agreeing--but not for the same reasons that she had said it.

Before he could stop himself, he had said, "You make it a beautiful day."

Ashley turned her bright smile on him, and he knew why he had come. Sometimes he felt like he was being swept along by a hurricane, but it was worth every minute when she smiled. He could spend his whole life chasing a hurricane like that, trying to catch and hold, for one fleeting moment, the life and vigor that was Ashley Hammond.

***

Carlos wandered into the Glider holding bay, still blinking sleep from his eyes. It was funny, but as he had left his room, he had thought he heard someone else moving around in the hallway.

The note on the table didn't catch his eyes until he returned from the Synthetron and sat down. Andros and I went down to Earth for the day, it read. We'll be back this evening--have a good day! Ashley's name was scrawled across the bottom, and Carlos smiled.

Andros had relaxed a lot in the last few weeks. They'd all noticed it--his relationship with Ashley was changing him. He laughed now, and smiled more, and he would offer his opinion on non-Ranger matters without being asked. And now, apparently… he was learning to take time off.

*Good for them,* Carlos thought, lifting his glass in a silent salute. *Enjoy your last day of summer, guys.*

***

"Are you sure it's supposed to look like this?" Andros asked doubtfully.

Ashley swatted him playfully. "It's a sand castle; it can look like whatever you want."

"That's what you said," he agreed, still looking skeptical. "But it doesn't look like anything at all."

"Hey!" Ashley mock-glared at him, and when she saw his lips twitch, she knew she'd been had. "You," she growled, pushing him harder and seeing him struggle to maintain his crouching position. "You have the best poker face of anyone I know!"

"Poker face?" he asked innocently, and she opened her mouth to explain--and then she saw the twinkle in his eye.

"Andros!"

"If you push me again, I'm taking you with me when I fall," he warned, a smile creeping onto his face.

That was too good an offer to turn down, and she deliberately reached out and gave his shoulder a shove. Before she even realized he was moving he had grabbed her hand and tugged hard enough to completely upset her balance and send her sprawling across his lap.

"If that was a punishment, I think you're going to have to come up with something more convincing," she said with a grin, twisting to look up at him.

He just smiled. "Who said it was a punishment? That was my reward for putting up with you."

"Putting up with me?" she repeated indignantly, trying not to think about how sweet he looked when he smiled like that. Lifting her hand to push her hair out of her face, he must have misinterpreted her gesture.

"Yes," he said firmly, grabbing her hand. "You've been pushing me around all morning!"

She closed her fingers around his hand involuntarily, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She struggled into a sitting position, still holding his hand but staring down at the sand. "Yeah…"

She hadn't meant to say anything, but the word was out before she could stop it. He shifted so he was facing her again, suddenly serious. "Ash? What's going on?"

She shrugged a little, tracing a pattern in the sand. "It's just--I keep going to touch you, or hug you or something, and then I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable…"

"So you hit me?" he asked wryly, and she glanced up. For once, he was joking when she was being serious--she couldn't help but notice the strangeness of their sudden role reversal.

"I'm sorry," he said, sobering when he saw her expression. "Ash--that's not what I meant, this morning."

"I know," she sighed, staring into his eyes. "I mean…" She knew he didn't mind their usual touching, but she didn't know where to draw the line between that and what had happened in his room. The difference hadn't been so much in the actions as in the mood…

"The last thing I want is for us to be uncomfortable around each other," he said quietly. "I just--" He stopped, then, in a rush, "It felt so good to hold you this morning; I don't think you know how close I came to not stopping."

She looked at him, startled. "But you said…"

"I *know*," he replied, obviously frustrated. "But that was what I was thinking… not what I was feeling."

"What were you feeling?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch his face.

"Ash…" There was a pleading look on his face that she hadn't seen in a long time, but he continued without prompting. "I was feeling like I wanted to keep kissing you. For as long as you'd let me."

She was almost holding her breath, looking at him. "Even if it meant…"

He nodded, no longer meeting her gaze. "That's why I said we should have rules… Just so things don't get out of control. I never meant for us to not touch at all."

"So all we need is another rule," she said gently. "Just *tell* me when something makes you feel that way. Like you did this morning--just stop, and say something."

He gave her a look she couldn't interpret. "If I promise to do that--will you stop hitting me?"

She just stared at him, until she realized he'd done it again. She was going to learn to see through that poker face if it took her another three months…

But for now, she could only giggle and put her arms around him. "Promise," she whispered, feeling him return the hug.

***

The sound of sandaled feet on the control room floor made him look up, and he smiled at the pink-clad figure that stepped lightly across the room. The room was deserted but for the two of them, and although he knew one of the Aquitian Rangers could happen by at any moment, he felt his armor vanish as she approached.

The delighted look on Cassie's face was enough to erase any doubts, and he caught her up in a hug as soon as she was close enough. "Good morning," he whispered, breathing in the soft smell of her hair.

"'Did you sleep well?'" she echoed, even as he asked the same. She giggled. "You always ask the same thing."

"I always want to know," he answered, stroking her long dark hair and smiling.

"Yes, I did," she said, squeezing her arms tighter around him. "And you?"

He nodded wordlessly, knowing she could feel his head move as they leaned against each other. It was so nice to be able to hold her like this--lately, he had been more and more frustrated by the armor that had hidden his identity for so long. The need to maintain it in any company but hers grated on him whenever she was near and he could not reach out to touch her warm skin.

And the knowledge that she would be leaving today made it even worse. He felt as though they could never really be close enough, except for these few brief moments they managed to steal alone. And tomorrow, even that would be gone, and he would once more be incomplete--no "Saryn" anymore, just "the Phantom Ranger".

"What's wrong?" she whispered, sensing his mood. He still had no idea why she was so much quicker to pick up on his feelings than he was with hers.

"I'm going to miss your being here," he answered quietly. "I wish you did not have to go back."

He winced, knowing she couldn't see it. He shouldn't have said that. The last thing he needed was to make her feel trapped here, or to sound like he didn't respect her life outside of the Rangers. But for him, there *was* no other life… and he would desperately miss her constant presence.

"I'm going to miss it, too." She sighed a little. Then, after a moment, she added, "Well, except for the food." There was a smile in her tone as she said, "I'll be glad to eat real food again."

He tried to smile, too, remembering her repeated complaints about the Aquitians' idea of nutrition. "Nothing will be the same without you."

*Why* did he have to keep bringing it up? She offered a perfectly acceptable distraction, and all he did was bring them back to the original topic. *Am I trying to torture myself?* he wondered. She would go; they both knew that. She had stayed far longer than she had originally planned, and now she had to return to her own life.

But he would *miss* her, as much as the air he breathed…

"I'll miss you too," she said softly. "But we've been apart before. It won't be that different."

"Please, do not say that," he begged, drawing back to regard her anxiously. "It *will* be different. This is not like those times, Cassie."

"I know," she whispered. "That's not what I meant. I just--"

He silenced her with one finger across her lips. "I love you, Cassie. Never doubt that, no matter how far apart we are."

She smiled at him, taking his hand and leaning forward to kiss him. "I know," she murmured, touching his lips with hers. "I love you, too, you know."

He kissed her in return, closing his eyes and feeling her words breathe across his skin. She was running her fingers through his hair--she still hadn't realized that he refused to cut it because he liked feeling her play with it--and she opened her mouth to his willingly.

He was distracted enough that he didn't hear the scuff of a footstep in the doorway, but a moment later, a tuneless whistle caught his attention, echoing from down the hallway. He pulled away from Cassie, the disappointment on her face cutting through his heart.

"I'm sorry," he whispered breathlessly, stroking her cheek and silently pleading with her to understand. How he wished it didn't have to be this way…

"I love you," she murmured, as he took a step back.

"And I you," he promised, wishing the words did not have to be enough. Reaching reluctantly for the crystal that hung around his neck, he kept his eyes on her until the flash of dark red obscured his vision.

The armor surrounded him once more, isolating him from the world again--from her. He saw her square her shoulders determinedly, and his hand twitched toward her before he caught himself, wanting to take away some of her tension. He barely tore his gaze away as Billy wandered in, still whistling.

The Blue Ranger glanced around the control room somewhat warily as he entered, a slight smile on his face as he caught sight of them. "Gr--good morning," he said, switching from the usual Aquitian greeting to a more Earthly phrase.

The Phantom Ranger gave him a quick nod, moving back to the console he had been working at when Cassie entered. He heard Cassie return the greeting, and he listened only to hear the sound of her voice.

Then Billy's words sank in. "The fighter wing launches in an hour or so," he offered. "Want to join us?"

Phantom felt himself stiffen. *No!* his mind cried, insisting that she not go. The dread hit him, even harder than yesterday, and it was all he could do not to turn around and intervene.

He took a carefully controlled breath. This was ridiculous--perhaps not quite as ridiculous as the jealously he had finally managed to stamp out whenever he saw her with Billy, but close. *The wing is safe,* he reminded himself firmly. *Aquitar has not been seriously attacked in years, and the wing would protect her even if it was.*

With that thought in the fore of his mind, he managed to turn around when she said, "Phantom? You're too busy to fly?" and he nodded calmly.

"I am sorry," he apologized, working to keep his voice steady. *Go with her!* his mind insisted. *Just say you'll fly with her!*

But he could not do that. He did not have the time, and she would only wait patiently while he promised that there was just one more thing to be done, until the opportunity was gone. But it took an incredible effort to keep from asking her to stay anyway.

She nodded, smiling to show she understood, and turned back to Billy. "Sure," she told him. "Thanks, Billy."

The words seemed to come from a distance, and he almost spoke. But he clenched his jaw and let her go, nodding to her as she looked over her shoulder and waved on her way out of the control room. "Please be safe," he whispered, as they disappeared into the hallway.

The next hour was worse, knowing that she was still safe in the command center and that he could call out to her and stop her from going at any time. Finally, even the Inner Alliance's infighting wasn't enough to distract him, and he turned the system scanners to full gain and started to monitor the input from the far reaches of the Aquitians' solar system while he worked.

He couldn't explain the nebulous feeling of fear that had filled him yesterday when she went out with the fighters, but today the feeling had only grown stronger. If nothing else, he would make sure the system was safe while she was out there without him.

Cetaci entered the control room a few minutes before the wing launched, and she only nodded mutely to him. He returned the gesture, knowing why she was here. As he was, she was concerned for the one she loved, and being here no doubt made her feel as though she was making a difference.

They busied themselves with other tasks, no communication necessary between them--until the recalibrated scanner web blipped. No alarm sounded, but Phantom caught the sudden fluctuation in the readings out of the corner of his eye.

Glancing across the room, he saw Cetaci look in his direction as well. They both headed for the scanner readouts, studying them for a brief second before the White Ranger pointed to the upper right hand corner. One of the scanner buoys had stopped transmitting.

He frowned. "Malfunction?" he asked, and she gave him a measured look.

"Those buoys do not simply 'malfunction'," she reproved. He knew that as well as she. He had been referring to the possibility of a random event causing the problem, as opposed to an intended one--a meteoroid hitting the scanner, rather than, say, a laser beam.

"Halt the fighter wing's launch," he said finally.

She touched the appropriate comm buttons, then shook her head. "They've already left." Cetaci hesitated, looking as indecisive as he'd ever seen her. Finally, she turned to him. "Do I recall them?"

It was a split-second decision, and he had only the smallest idea how it would haunt him later. "No," he said, turning back to the scanners. "Wait until we know--"

"Phantom!" The computerized alert sounded half a second before Cetaci slammed her palm down on the Ranger-activated alarm system.

He could only stare in horror at the readout as the energy readings that had made the web fluctuate that first time suddenly became clear. Raising his eyes to the viewscreen, tied into the orbital scanner platforms as soon as the alarm sounded, the visual only confirmed what the more precise instruments had already told him.

Astronema's Dark Fortress wavered into view above the water-covered planet, cloak falling away as its weapons powered up.

***

Miles down the coast from Angel Grove, Andros felt an eerie sense of déjà vu. That and a rather strong sense of disorientation, but the latter was to be expected on waking up. What he had not expected was to feel Ashley's gentle kiss as he struggled back toward consciousness.

He couldn't help himself, but as soon as he started to return her kiss, she pulled away. "What have I told you," he mumbled sleepily, blinking his eyes open, "about kissing me when I'm waking up?"

She was crouching beside him on the blanket, a slightly sheepish expression on her face. As he came more fully awake, he realized she had shed her t-shirt and was now wearing only her shorts and bikini top. He resisted the temptation to just close his eyes again--*how* was he supposed to form coherent sentences with her dressed like that?

The last thing he remembered was lying with her on the blanket, watching the clouds roll in from the ocean. Now the sky was completely overcast, and he had obviously been dozing for some time. *So how,* he wondered idly, pushing himself into a sitting position, *can she be wearing *less* now than she was when it was sunny?*

"Rule number one," Ashley was reciting, not seeming to notice his distraction. "No kissing while one of us is in bed." She paused briefly, then added, "You weren't," as though he might not have noticed.

"Yeah, I see that," he murmured, looking around him, down at the sand, anywhere but at Ashley.

"Sorry," she said contritely, settling down beside him again. "I didn't mean to wake you. You must have been tired."

"You didn't mean to wake me up?" he asked suddenly, glancing at her in surprise. That proved to be a mistake, as it was all he could to keep his eyes focused on hers. "Then why did you kiss me?"

She squirmed a little, and he couldn't help glancing down as her arm brushed his. "I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, a tentative smile on her face as she looked at him from under her eyelashes. "You just looked so sweet…"

He barely even heard her words, getting lost in that expression. He suspected, in the back of his mind, that she had given him that look on purpose, but the part of his mind that was completely overwhelmed by it didn't care. He found himself leaning forward, and she closed her eyes as he kissed her gently.

He almost put his arms around her before he remembered what she was wearing--or not wearing--and what it would mean if they were any closer than this. So he drew away, reluctantly, and reached a hand out to her as he stood up. "Walk with me?" he offered, not wanting the day to end.

She smiled up at him and grasped his hand unquestioningly. Andros pulled her to her feet, almost forgetting to step back as she stood. She linked her arm through his, making his hesitation seem intentional somehow, and they headed down toward the water.

This stretch of beach had cleared out as the clouds came in, and they found themselves finally free of the crowds that had thronged California's sandy coastline earlier that day. They were still people out here, riding the waves and lying on the still-warm beach, but their numbers were far fewer. A lone kite flew overhead, its fiery orange tails whipping through the air behind it.

Ashley was on the side closer to the water, and she steered their joint course until they were both splashing through a few centimeters of surf. Andros had to smile as the warm waves lapped across their feet, amused that she insisted on walking *through* the water rather than simply beside it.

"Stop," she said suddenly, and he paused.

She wiggled her feet in the wet sand, grabbing his shoulder when she almost lost her balance. He reached out to lend support, although he couldn't believe she really needed it. A cheerleader with martial arts skills on top of that needed him to help her stand?

But she grinned at him when he caught her arm, and he found himself smiling back. "What are you doing?" he wanted to know.

"Going to China," she said seriously, then giggled at his expression. "It's a joke--'cause China's on the other side of the world, and see," she pointed to their feet, already half-buried in the wet sand that shifted every time a wave crept past. "We're on our way."

He looked at her doubtfully. "We're going to the other side of your world by sinking through it?"

"No, of course--" She glared at him as she saw him trying not to laugh. "What's that," she demanded, "the third time you've gotten me today?"

"Fourth," he said, adding hastily, "not that I was counting."

"You'd better not be," she muttered, but he saw her smile as she looked down at the ground. She moved abruptly, pulling one foot and then the other out of the sand. "I like California better anyway."

"I like wherever you are," he said quietly, lifting his feet to follow her example.

She gave him a brilliant smile, and he reached out to catch a few strands of her hair and tuck them behind her ear. The incoming sea breeze immediately freed them again, but she caught his hand and drew it to her mouth for a kiss. "I don't want to be anywhere but with you," Ashley murmured.

Taking a step closer, he freed his hand and cupped it underneath her chin. Tilting her head a little, he leaned in to kiss her mouth. When she put her hands on his shoulders, it was only natural to slip his arms around her, and as their kiss deepened her bare skin was a more and more welcome sensation.

He did give silent thanks, though, that he was wearing *his* shirt, no matter what she said about swim trunks. With the heat of her body already threatening to make him mildly crazy, he didn't think he would be able to stand anything more without forgetting everything he had ever known or thought.

Andros's communicator started to beep, but he didn't hear it. A moment later, Ashley's went off as well, but the sound no more reached their ears than that of his had. Across the beach, the two morphers lay forgotten, buried in a corner of the blanket Ashley had brought with them.