She was painting. It was the only word he could think of to describe it, though she used neither paint nor any tangible medium that he could see. It was simply a vast expanse of air, shimmering slightly like the surface of a soap bubble, illuminated here and there by streaks of color that seemed to respond to her touch.

Saryn paused on the lower landing, watching her trail her fingers across the ephemeral canvas. Her blonde hair was curly this morning, as it had been since he arrived, and he thought he caught the glitter of a hair ornament when she moved. He couldn't help noticing that the longer her hair got, the more its style resembled Astronema's.

Yet she had so little in common with Astronema these days. It was odd that their obvious physical characteristics were converging while their personalities went in opposite directions. Kerone was calm, even-tempered, and far more frank than Astronema had ever been. She hid little, and she had an easy smile that Astronema had never known.

And she painted. Saryn leaned on the railing, watching rainbows flash and fade beneath her hands. The symbols that she left behind had little meaning to him, and they evanesced as soon as she turned her attention to something else. She went over and over the same places, new colors replacing the old and forming a fading mosaic that was as beautiful as it was transitory.

As fleeting as memory, sometimes. He knew there had been a time when he watched someone else paint, someone with the same blonde curls and pensive expression. When he watched Kerone, he could almost see that person in his mind.

Almost. He had found, though, that he could no longer conjure up Jenna's face when he closed his eyes. He could no longer recall every detail of her presence. He couldn't remember exactly what her voice had sounded like, or her laughter. If asked to describe how she had made him feel, he would not be able to be more specific than "loved".

It was a bittersweet loss, and one which he had refused to acknowledge for some time. He knew Cassie saw it in his face sometimes, when someone asked him about them--and they did... they did ask, now. He supposed that too was a change. His time of mourning was over, even by Elisian standards, and there was history of which he had been a part.

It was growing easier to admit there were things he could not recall. When someone asked him a question he couldn't answer, he no longer felt disloyal. There were things to learn from the past, certainly, things to remember... and there were things to forget. Such was the nature of time.

A resonant sound, like the sigh of a giant animal, drew his attention out toward the bay floor. He couldn't tell which of the zords had made the noise, but when he glanced back Kerone had turned to look up at him. He smiled slightly, and she lifted her hand in return. Tipping her head to the side, she indicated he was free to join her.

The grate of the stairs rattled just enough, as he made his way to the floor, that he wondered if she had heard him before. She had turned back to her "painting" by the time he came up behind her, and he blinked at the sunburst pattern she had created. A transparent echo of his team's logo, he smiled a little when she turned it red and made it brighten for a moment.

"You are quite the artist," he offered quietly, as she traced the Astro Ranger logo around the sun. He wasn't surprised when she colored that pink, but he was impressed when the entire design started to rotate.

"Thank you," she replied. She wasn't displaying any other symptoms of magic overload, but he found himself scrutinizing her anyway. She caught him looking and smiled. "No magic problems. Not for a few weeks, anyway."

"I'm glad. I was concerned when I heard that it had happened again."

"I know," she said, making a tiny two-dimensional explosion in the middle of her painting. "So was I."

"So you do this instead?" He watched her set off more fireworks with nothing more than touches of her finger to the shimmering surface. She liked fireworks, he knew. He wondered if she still created life-sized displays for the sheer fun of it, or if she saved them for special occasions.

"Among other things," she agreed. "I teleport a lot, and I've gotten better at making things..." She lifted one hand to her hair, fingering the silver charm.

"May I?" he asked, indicating the little circle.

She tilted her head, letting him lift it away from her hair to study it. A miniature phoenix spread its wings to the sky, its head thrown back in a silent scream of defiance. The image matched the one on the medallion she wore over her shirt, and he glanced down at it involuntarily.

"I duplicated it," Kerone said, catching his gaze as he let the hair ornament fall. "I keep meaning to give the necklace back to Zhane, so he can use it the way he used to, but somehow..."

"You have grown accustomed to it?" he suggested.

"Yeah," she said, but her eyes were thoughtful. "Something like that."

That wasn't it, but her attention returned to her painting and he knew when not to push. "You wear both a phoenix and a locket," he remarked carefully. "The symbol of a new life and a reminder of the old, together."

He could hear the smile in her voice as she answered, but she didn't look away from her designs. "I do, don't I." She traced a heart in the air in front of her. "I don't know what it means."

He watched as she traced a jagged line down the middle of the heart, the pieces splitting apart and dissipating as she let her hand fall.

Saryn touched her shoulder, and finally she looked back at him. Her hazel eyes were as clear as ever, but hers didn't reflect her feelings the way Andros' did. She didn't utter a word of protest as he reached out and drew her gently into his arms.

"Are you all right?" he murmured, keeping his embrace loose and comforting as she relaxed against him. He thought he could guess what the problem was, but if she wanted to talk about it she would tell him.

She shifted a little but didn't pull away. "Yes," he heard her whisper. "Thanks."

He held her until she let him go, stepping back with a curious look that acknowledged nothing. "How are you? You'll be a father, soon."

"Yes," he agreed, glancing up as she let the "canvas" disappear in a sparkling waterfall of light. "I look forward to that day."

"Do you?" Her expression was genuinely quizzical, and he had to smile at her honesty.

"I'm terrified," he admitted. "And delighted at the same time. Terrified of the responsibility, delighted by the idea of family. I don't have the faintest idea how we'll manage."

She smiled back, her serious expression vanishing as if it had never been. "I guess that's probably how all parents feel, at first."

"Perhaps," he allowed. "We..." He hesitated a little, struggling with the words. "Cassie was not supposed to get pregnant, of course. And--some of those concerns are still valid."

"What concerns?" she asked innocently. "The timing? Your lifestyle? You won't be a Ranger forever."

"No... yes," he corrected. "Both of those things, but more fundamentally--there are compatibility issues between our species. The fact that conception occurred naturally was something of a shock to both of us."

She just nodded, slowly, as though she hadn't thought of that.

"There is, too, the dimensional shifting," he said with a sigh. "There is some doubt that the twins endured it without harm. But because their existence is essentially unprecedented in the League, we have few standards by which to judge their current condition."

"They're all right," Kerone promised, her confidence unshaken. "Don't you think you'd know, otherwise?"

"I might." He considered that, then shook his head. "I might not. We will neither of us be content until we see them for ourselves, I suppose."

Kerone smiled again. "Spoken like a true parent," she teased.

"Yes," he agreed after a moment. "I suppose it was." He couldn't help being amused by the idea--and somewhat reassured.

This time, the sound from the floor was more of a growl than a sigh, and he followed Kerone's gaze toward the zords. The cat with violet accents was rising slowly from the floor, and he watched with amazement as the bay doors began to roll open of their own accord. The cat gathered itself, a mechanical hum growing and peaking as it launched itself out into the light of the morning.

Distracted by the show of strength--not to mention independence--Saryn had not even seen the silver cat get to its feet and pad silently past the other two as it followed. Their fellow zords didn't stir, although the doors remained open after they had gone. He wondered exactly how aware the giant creatures were.

"Is that typical?" he asked at last, when Kerone didn't seem inclined to comment.

She nodded. "We used to have to take them hunting, when we first got them. Now they'll go on their own. We all agree that they're becoming more intelligent, but no one really knows why."

He stared at the open bay doors. "Are they wired to the hangar controls, or do they communicate with DECA?"

"Both," Kerone answered. "They've interacted with DECA before, but as far as we can tell they open the doors on their own. DECA says she's not doing it, anyway."

"Curious," he murmured. He had to wonder if they were truly learning or just following a preset knowledge curve that would eventually level off as they reached their full potential.

The rattle of the stairs caught his attention then, and he looked over at them in time to see Zhane tripping down the stairs with an almost comically disheveled look. He frowned. The Silver Ranger's usual grin seemed out of place, and he waved without bothering to say good morning. He headed for the front door without a word, ignoring the open bay doors and vanishing as quickly as he had come.

He looked over at Kerone and found her staring after Zhane with a troubled expression. She was playing idly with the phoenix necklace, but she stopped as soon as she caught his eye. She shrugged apologetically. "He's not much of a morning person."

"And yet he is awake before any of your teammates," Saryn remarked, puzzled.

"He's started running in the mornings, sometimes." There was something she did not add, and he didn't have to try very hard to guess what it might be.

She would see through any effort to be diplomatic, so he just came right out and asked. "How do you feel about his relationship with your brother?"

She didn't so much as blink. Still staring at the door through which Zhane had disappeared, she replied evenly, "I don't know."

And that was nothing less than the truth, if he knew her. He stayed quiet, for they weren't his questions to answer. He did worry, though, that maybe this was something she didn't want to do alone. What if she felt like talking about it was a betrayal of confidence?

"How did you do it?" she asked at last, the words so abrupt that he wasn't sure what she meant. "How did you manage, alone for so long?"

That gave him pause. Did she feel like that now? He kept his tone as neutral as he could when he replied, "My isolation was largely self-imposed. There were plenty of people willing to care about me, if I had only given them the chance."

She didn't answer.

"Kerone." He hesitated, not knowing whether to encourage her or offer a way out. "This entire planet would be less, for your absence. Nonetheless... you will always be welcome on Elisia. In any capacity."

She remained quiet, but out of the corner of his eye he saw her lower her head. Concerned, he glanced over at her and she looked up. She was smiling when she met his gaze, and he thought her eyes were a little too bright.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I know you don't say that lightly."

"And I do not say it insincerely," he told her. "If you ever find that your path takes you away from KO-35, I hope you know that there are places you can go."

"Thank you," she repeated, stronger now as she gazed out across the zord bay. "But this is my home now. I need them as much as they need me."

He only nodded, understanding the sentiment.

"What about your team?" she asked, a moment later. "I've heard more about them from Kyril than from you."

He made a conscious effort not to smile. "And I've heard more about you from Kyril than from your teammates."

"Have you?" She sounded surprised. "Does that say more about him, or about my teammates?"

"I suspect it says something about you," he replied, amused. "He's fascinated by your physiology. Not to mention your history."

She smiled a little at that, not the least bit uncomfortable. "Well, I'm fascinated by his. It's not every day you meet a ghost."

"So he says," Saryn agreed. "Except that he uses the word 'sorceress' in place of 'ghost'."

She actually laughed, and the carefree sound pleased him. "Can you spare him for a few more days? He's good for my ego. Not to mention my curiosity."

"The decision is entirely his," he said mildly. He wasn't convinced she was joking. "I suspect that, were you to ask him, he might agree."

She opened her mouth, but the sound of footsteps on the catwalk made her stop. He was a little surprised that the noise of the doors hadn't woken all of her teammates, though if Ashley's warning two nights before was any indication they might be used to it by now. He wished he knew what she had been about to say.

Andros appeared at the top of the stairs. He took the first flight two steps at a time, glanced around when he hit the upper landing, and paused. He nodded when he saw them watching, taking the next two flights with a little more dignity.

"I'm surprised," Saryn murmured to Kerone. "Were they not the most notoriously late-sleeping members of the Astro team?"

It made her smile, if nothing else. "They've been sharing a room, these last two nights," she said under her breath. Andros was coming across the zord bay toward them, and they were careful to keep their words to themselves.

"Do you mean to imply something by that?" Saryn asked quietly.

Her gaze flickered toward his and all she said was, "You know I do."

Then Andros was there, possibly trying to look casual, though if that was the case he had failed in spectacular fashion. His hair was damp, his earrings were missing, and for the first time since Saryn had known him he wasn't wearing red. He tried to smile, mumbling "good morning" while his eyes wandered conspicuously around the living area behind them.

"He's outside," Kerone said softly. Andros' attention snapped back to her, and she managed a more convincing smile than he had. "He went out to run a few minutes ago."

Andros hesitated, clearly wanting to deny her assumption but not able to do it in any credible way. Finally he gave up, giving her a grateful look. "Thanks."

She gestured, indicating he should go. Saryn watched him leave, crossing the bay to exit through the massive zord doors. The gold tinted cat flicked an ear in his direction as he passed, but Andros didn't seem to notice. Were all Red Rangers single-minded to the point of obliviousness?

"Ashley will be down next," Kerone predicted. "Pretending she doesn't want to know where Andros and Zhane are. Then Ty, who will ignore any comment not addressed directly to him. After that, if we're really lucky, Cricket will show up and try to interview us in our 'natural environment'."

"Status quo?" Saryn suggested, mouth quirking a little.

Kerone just sighed. "Welcome to my life."

The long, soft grass tickled his bare arms, and he wondered idly whether they should make more of an effort to avoid wearing paths around the hangar. It couldn't be good for the grass, and yet... it was just the five of them. It wasn't like they had parties here or anything.

Why not? Zhane wondered suddenly. His lips twitched as he considered that. They should have parties. They had the perfect place for it: removed from the city, indoor and outdoor space, built-in entertainment...

Sabotage. Publicity issues. Thrill-seekers. He sighed. Why had he decided to become a Ranger, again?

He felt a gentle brush against his mind. No words, nothing he would have even noticed if he hadn't been surrounded by such peace, and he swore silently. Andros had just gotten enough direction to lead him right to this place, and he hadn't even asked. He just did it, like it didn't matter--like Zhane wasn't deliberately avoiding him.

He didn't move. He could, of course. He could up and leave, wind his way back toward the hangar before Andros realized what he was doing. Even the Red Ranger couldn't track him in the city. In a hover.

He was still there when the soft swish of grass announced Andros' presence. He kept his gaze fixed on the sky, watching clouds drift lazily over the hills on currents of early morning air. It was several moments before he heard anything else.

*Zhane?* The voice in his mind was worried, and it brought with it an unmistakable sense of proximity. Then it fell silent. Waiting.

Zhane thought about that. Finally, he lifted his left hand and made an abortive gesture that could have been a wave. Andros had come after him, after all. Which wasn't what he wanted. Was it? God, he didn't know anymore.

When had he started swearing to "god," he wondered absently. Around the time Andros had, maybe. Ashley's influence. He tried not to think about it too much.

*Are you okay?* Andros asked at last. The question was more uncertain than his name had been, and he felt an unwanted flash of sympathy. Like Andros didn't have enough to deal with right now...

He doesn't have to deal with this, he reminded himself. It's my problem, not his. Not that he hadn't taken on enough of Andros' problems in the past. Had he done it expecting the favor to be returned?

No. He had just done it.

"I just need some space," he told the sky. "That's all."

As though the spoken words broke the invisible barrier between them, Andros appeared in his field of vision. He was frowning down at the Silver Ranger, and Zhane couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Smile, hell. He was grinning and he knew it. Andros did the "tousled" look like nobody's business.

"I don't think that's true," Andros informed him.

Zhane raised his eyebrows, but his grin wouldn't go away. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Yes," Andros said without hesitation.

That was good. It was oddly reassuring to know that Andros could see through him again. To know that he bothered. Zhane turned his smile back to the sky, confident now that Andros wouldn't disappear until he'd figured out what was going on.

"Why did you leave?" Andros dropped to the ground beside Zhane, further declaring his intention to stay. "I was sure... I mean, I thought this was what you wanted."

Zhane felt his smile fading at that. He couldn't shift his stare away from the sky, and he vowed not to let anything he felt show in his voice. "Is it what you wanted?"

"I've wanted it for days," Andros said fervently. "Please don't say you've changed your mind. Please don't--don't make me like everyone else..."

He was sitting up before he knew he was going to move. When Andros got that tone in his voice, no careless act or idle words were going to cut it. "I love you," he whispered fiercely. "Don't ever think I don't."

Andros didn't look reassured. That was no surprise, and Zhane hated himself for causing this. He'd left this morning with no thought--for once--of what it would do to his best friend, and now Andros was tearing himself up inside with doubt. Not only was he sure he'd made some terrible mistake, but he was questioning the very thing that had driven Zhane away in the first place.

There were things he had to make Andros understand, somehow. He couldn't keep exploding every time they got too close, couldn't keep pushing Andros in two directions at once. But first he had to fix this.

"I haven't changed my mind," he said quickly. "You're not like everyone else--you're not like anyone else--and I'm sorry I left this morning. I'm sorry, Andros."

"Why?" Andros demanded, stronger than before. "I don't get it; why did you leave?"

"Because I was waiting," he blurted out. "I was waiting again, and I'm always waiting for you. I can't--I just can't help it," he finished awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" Andros sounded worried and frustrated at the same time. "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" Maybe, a voice whispered rebelliously, but he ignored it. "No... look, I told you--you asked what was enough. Remember?"

Andros only nodded, and Zhane struggled on.

"I said you were enough, and you are. But you're the only thing. Do you get that, Andros? You're the only thing, the only person that's enough for me."

Caught up in the effort to make himself understood, Zhane didn't notice the anguish in Andros' eyes until it was too late. "I can't," Andros whispered. "I can't choose, Zhane. Please--"

His voice broke, and Zhane cursed aloud. "That's not what I meant! I'm not talking about you, Andros! I'm talking about me here, okay? For once can you stop thinking this is any reflection on you and just listen?

"I love you, all right? I love you more than anything. It's so, so hard to be in love with someone who doesn't know how they feel half the time, but it's worth it because I am. I couldn't change it even if I wanted to.

"I don't want you to choose between me and Ashley. I just want you to know that what I said at KaliKay's was true: you own me. You don't owe me anything, but I'd do anything for you and you know it. And it's not any easier for me than it is for you."

He ran out of words, and Andros didn't seem to have any of his own. So they just sat there, staring at each other for a long moment until Zhane realized that his friend's eyes weren't just bright. Funny... for all of Astrea's cracks about emotional expression, he had never seen her cry.

He reached out, laying his hand on Andros' cheek and catching the tear on his thumb. Who would have thought he'd turn out to be the tender one? Andros had always been the sensitive child, the one that felt too much and loved too hard. And yet here he was, trying to cut himself off the same way Andros always had, to keep from hurting.

Andros closed his eyes. "I don't know what to do," he whispered, letting his head rest against Zhane's hand. "I don't deserve you, but I want you."

"You've got me," Zhane promised, his voice quieter than he had meant it to be.

"For how long?" Andros didn't open his eyes. "How do I do this, Zhane? You said you were waiting, and all I did was go take a shower..."

"I told you, it wasn't about you," Zhane interrupted. "I'm just--this is hard, okay? I--I know I want more than you do, and I know I've had a lot longer to think about it, but--"

"How much longer?" It was Andros' turn to interrupt. He had opened his eyes now, and he was staring at Zhane with determined intensity. He wanted an answer this time. "How long have you... loved me?"

Zhane tried to smile, letting his hand fall. "I've loved you forever. You were always my best friend; you know that."

Andros regarded him steadily. "That's not what I meant."

"Well, maybe I don't have an answer to what you meant," he said sharply. He regretted the words the moment they were out, but he didn't know what else to say. Why did Andros always get to be the one with the questions?

"Then how much more?" Andros insisted, and Zhane's patience ran out.

"Haven't we had this conversation already?" he demanded. He couldn't say it and look at Andros at the same time, and he found his gaze shifting toward the horizon instead. "Talking doesn't solve everything, Andros."

"I don't know what else to do!" Andros sounded almost as frustrated as he felt, and somehow his tone was better than anything he could have said.

Zhane caught his eye, looking for anything that would tell him this was the wrong thing to do. All he saw was the same frustration he heard in Andros' voice, and that gaze didn't waver as he leaned forward. Andros met him halfway, leaning into a kiss that was more hungry than familiar.

Hunger was fine. He could do hunger. Hell, all he did lately was lust after his best friend. He could certainly handle a little reciprocated desire. He could handle an awful lot of reciprocated desire, if it came to that, and yet he knew there was something they were forgetting--

Ashley. He disentangled himself abruptly, looking anywhere but at Andros. "We were supposed to talk to Ashley this morning," he muttered.

"Shut up," Andros growled, startling him with a harsh jerk that brought his mouth back to Andros' without a word of apology or regret. Too surprised to protest and too dizzy to care, he let Andros kiss him breathless until he realized what was happening, and then he leaned into the assault with enthusiasm.

Andros didn't let up, and Zhane didn't want him to. It was too easy to let everything slide... too easy to let this be the only thing he wanted. It was surprising how much a kiss could put right. Especially when Andros was the one doing the kissing.

He didn't miss the fact that Andros had stopped him from talking about Ashley. But not, he suspected, because he actually didn't want to talk about Ashley. Rather it had to be because of his complaints a few days before--about Zhane's avoidance of their own relationship.

He didn't mean to do it, but Andros had no idea what he was asking. He had held himself back from taking anything that Andros wouldn't give willingly for what seemed like forever, and now suddenly what Andros was willing to give had increased dramatically and he didn't know what to do with it. If he took this and got used to it...

It would be terrifyingly easy to come to depend on it. He wanted this. He loved every second of it. He was more scared than he had let on of needing it. Andros had never been the most stable person he knew, no matter his loyalty to his friends or his unswerving devotion to his family. He was volatile and hard to read. And if Zhane came to depend on someone who wanted to be his only lover but wouldn't be everything to him...

It didn't seem important with Andros' tongue in his mouth and his hands trying to get under Zhane's skin. But then, what did? He had been here before. He would never be able to say no to Andros no matter what the logical part of his brain decided. He was just rationalizing now, not making decisions.

He already needed this--he needed it more than anything and he would do whatever it took to keep it. He would just have to trust that "whatever it took" wasn't more than he could do. He had trusted his best friend before.

He wasn't sure yet whether Andros had let him down or not.

The metal was cold under her fingers, and the hollow sound seemed too loud in the quiet hallway. The murmur of voices from below didn't pause, but she glanced over her shoulder nonetheless. She knew who she was supposed to be talking to this morning, and she knew just as well that she couldn't seek them out. She didn't know whether she was hoping to run into them by accident or not.

She knocked again, no louder than before but longer this time. She didn't hear anything from inside the room for a long moment, but finally Cassie's voice called, "Come in."

Ashley keyed the door open and stuck her head in hesitantly. Cassie had propped herself up on her elbows and was smiling rather fuzzily at the door. She squinted in Ashley's direction, and then her expression brightened. "Hi," she offered, pushing herself the rest of the way up. "I thought I heard someone knock."

"Sorry..." Ashley wavered in the doorway, not sure what to make of her friend's reaction. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I know it's earlier on Elisia--"

"No," Cassie interrupted, gesturing to her. "Come in here! I can't sleep for very long anyway, and I'd rather talk to someone instead of lying here staring at the ceiling."

Ashley smiled, coming through the door. "I just thought I'd see if I could get you anything. I'm going down for breakfast, and I wondered if you wanted something."

Cassie laughed, pushing herself back across the bed to lean against the wall. "Did you hear me complaining about the stairs last night? I like the temperature here, but I swear the gravity is higher than it is at home."

"Do you think so?" Ashley tried to remember if she'd noticed a difference when she first came to KO-35. "It feels the same as the Megaship, to me."

"Higher than Elisia," Cassie corrected. "I've been spoiled by living off of Earth all this time. I guess I'm lucky to be pregnant there instead of here. Except for the heat," she added with a grin.

"Is it really bad?" Ashley asked sympathetically. She sat down beside her friend when Cassie patted the bed in invitation, squirming back to lean against the wall. "It's been cold here for months."

"You get used to it," Cassie said, shifting to make room. "This is nice, though. I miss California winters sometimes."

"Especially when you're pregnant?" Ashley suggested, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes!" Cassie exclaimed. "I'm never comfortable!" She smiled, clearly willing to accept the tradeoff, but she let her head rest against the wall for a moment as she stared up at the ceiling.

"So?" Ashley prodded gently. "Are you excited? You're due next month, right?"

"I'm excited," Cassie admitted. "I'm kind of worried--what if they're not all right? But Saryn says they are, and yeah, I'm due next month, so I can see for myself then."

"Saryn's sure they're all right?" Ashley repeated. "But you don't believe him?"

"He says he's sure," Cassie said with a small smile. "I'm not totally convinced he's not just saying it to make me feel better. But Analisa is my... I guess she's like a midwife, and she says they seem healthy in every way she can measure."

"She's right," Ashley promised, reaching out to squeeze Cassie's fingers. "I'm sure they're fine. I mean, you're fine, and Saryn would know if something was wrong. He wouldn't be able to keep something like that from you, either."

Cassie just squeezed her fingers in return, still smiling a little. She looked more peaceful than Ashley remembered, and she wondered if it had anything to do with her pregnancy. "Are you happy?" Ashley blurted out.

Cassie looked over at her, but didn't answer right away. She seemed to consider the question as carefully as though it were perfectly reasonable. At length, she answered, "Yeah... yeah, I think I am."

She stopped for a moment, then added, "I've never done anything this... permanent, before. But Saryn's been great, and Raine's helped a lot... I'm nervous--but I'm excited too. Yeah," she concluded, "I think I am happy."

Ashley tried to smile, but even she knew it wasn't very convincing. "I'm glad," she said quietly.

She could feel Cassie's gaze on her. "What about you?" her friend asked gently. "Are you happy, Ash?"

She couldn't help sighing, and she hated how dramatic it sounded. But what other answer could she give? She wasn't happy. She wasn't exactly unhappy. "I don't know," she admitted aloud. "I don't think I know anything these days."

"Ash..." Cassie bumped her shoulder affectionately, and her voice was just as gentle as before. "Tell me about Andros and Zhane. And Kerone... and Ty--what's going on with you guys?"

"I wish I knew," Ashley said, staring at the opposite wall. Kerone had covered it with a glittering mural, and it was the only thing left of her wildly chaotic holographic decoration after she let Cassie and Saryn borrow her room during their stay.

"Want to talk about it?" Cassie pressed.

Ashley bit her lip, keeping the words in. She did want to talk about it. Or she thought she did. She had thought that she wanted to talk to someone about it for days, but now that the opportunity had presented itself, she wasn't so sure.

"Andros and Zhane are sleeping together."

She didn't know where the words had come from. Once they were out, though, she just kept going. "I saw them kissing the other day, and it was like my whole world just fell apart. I can't watch them without feeling like he's left me. And when Zhane tries to explain..."

She caught herself trying to see straight through the other wall. "I don't know," she finished with a sigh. "I just don't know."

"They're sleeping together," Cassie repeated. She didn't sound incredulous, just taken aback. "Okay... I didn't know that."

"They have to be," Ashley murmured, half to herself. "I don't know that they are, they just... I mean, they have to be."

"They wouldn't have--I don't know, told you?" Cassie asked uncertainly. "I guess I thought Andros was trying to keep things together with you."

"He is," Ashley told the mural on the far wall. "He says he is. And they've... they've told me a lot of things. Just not this, I guess."

"Have you asked them?" Cassie wondered. "I mean, I know that sounds weird, but maybe they just don't know how to say it?"

Ashley thought about that for a moment, then glanced over at her friend in belated surprise. "You don't think it's weird that I still want to be with Andros?"

"Do you?" Cassie countered. "Do you want to have a boyfriend who has a boyfriend?"

Ashley frowned, but that wasn't really the point. "I want to be with Andros," she said softly. "I guess if he has to be with Zhane too, then that's just what being with Andros means."

There was no answer, and when she looked over at Cassie she realized her friend was smiling a little. "I don't think that's weird," Cassie said simply.

"Really?" She was torn between relief and consternation. She wasn't sure she knew what to feel, but Cassie's words changed so much of what had been hanging over her in a matter of seconds. "Even if they're sleeping together?"

Cassie lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "To be honest? I couldn't do it." She was looking sideways at Ashley, the smile still on her face. "But I think you can. I know you love Andros enough to try, and I think he loves you enough to make it work."

"I'll have to try getting pregnant," Ashley said with a sigh. "It makes you so much calmer about things."

Cassie just laughed. "Saryn would probably tell you just the opposite! He hates the mood swings. But when I'm calm? I'm really calm. You could say anything to me right now and I wouldn't even notice."

That was too great a temptation to resist. "I'm sleeping with Kerone," she remarked as casually as she could.

Cassie didn't answer, and finally Ashley poked her gently in the side. "I'm kidding," she offered, shooting a sideways glance at her friend.

Cassie smiled distractedly. "Funny you would say that, though," she mused, an absent tone in her voice. "I was just... thinking about something Kerone said to me once."

Ashley blinked. "What?"

"How are--" Cassie stopped, seeming to change her mind mid-sentence. Then she tried again. "Are she and Zhane still together?"

Ashley started to answer before she thought, then caught herself. The sudden shift in subject was disconcerting at best, especially when it was something she hadn't given much thought to lately. "I... think so," she said at last, but it came out sounding more like a question than a reply.

Cassie turned her head, still resting it against the wall as she looked at Ashley. Ashley glanced at her, then away, a little embarrassed. It was true that she had gotten too wrapped in her own problems to really keep track of every aspect of her teammates' lives... but whether Zhane and Kerone were still together? She really should be able to answer that one. And she couldn't.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I should, but I don't. Kerone hasn't said anything about it for a long time."

Cassie just nodded, following her gaze across the room.

"Why?" Ashley asked after a moment. "What did she say to you?"

Cassie hesitated. "Just... we were talking about love, and the kind of person we were attracted to. She said--Zhane. That was it. That was all she had to describe the kind of person she could love, and I guess it stuck with me."

"When was that?" Ashley asked in spite of herself. She had thought she and Kerone talked about everything, and yet... they had avoided the topic of Zhane and Andros lately. It had been on her mind so much that she felt like it came up constantly. With everyone. Only now was she realizing how little she and Kerone had talked about it since... well, since they had moved. Since they had stopped sharing a room.

"Just before you went on your quest," Cassie answered. "She called for Saryn, actually, but I was there. She was... looking for advice about Zhane and Andros."

"She was?" Ashley didn't know whether to feel hurt or ashamed that Kerone had felt like she had to ask someone else.

Before she could decide, though, there was a knock on the door and an unfamiliar voice called, "It's me."

"Come in," Cassie responded, smiling as Saryn's teammate took two deliberate steps into the room and stopped in front of the door. "Ani mara, Kyril."

"And to you both," he said, a return smile blossoming on his face as he included Ashley in his greeting. "Saryn sent me to get your backpack."

"Oh, whatever," Cassie grumbled, closing her eyes. She was silent a moment, then her smile changed. "That sneak," she exclaimed, without any real conviction.

Opening her eyes, Cassie added, "He knows perfectly well I'm not even dressed yet. He's just trying to get me out of bed."

Kyril didn't say anything, but there was a sparkle of amusement in his eyes as they sought Ashley's. Cassie didn't miss it, either. "Get out of here," she told him good-naturedly. "Tell Saryn to make some breakfast and then we'll talk."

Kyril saluted nonchalantly and took himself back through the door. Ashley stared after him, noticing once more that he was perfectly silent when he moved. Everyone made noise on the catwalk--even Saryn. Everyone except Kyril, it seemed.

Cassie levered herself off of the bed with as much care as Ashley had ever seen her use. She shifted uncomfortably, wanting to help but not knowing what to do. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked at last.

"Actually, I'm going to take a shower," Cassie said over her shoulder. "I wish we had more time to talk, though. I think Saryn has some conference or other this afternoon."

"Can I call you?" Ashley asked quickly. Maybe it was selfish to think that she still needed to talk, but she wasn't sure she could approach Kerone without knowing what Cassie knew first.

"Sure!" Cassie flashed her a smile, gathering clothes out of her backpack and a towel from the back of the door. "That'd be great. I'll probably be in the community center, but I'll set the comm to route my messages there."

"Great," Ashley echoed, following her toward the door. "See you at breakfast?"

For some reason, that made Cassie laugh. "I'll be there!" she called back, as she headed down the hall.

Ashley watched her go, wondering when their lives had become so different. They had all graduated last year... so why did Cassie seem so much older now? Did the others see it too? Carlos and TJ were back on Earth, and she missed them with a sudden, sharp longing that made her swallow hard.

Why did things have to change? She remembered Carlos' reply to that very question, and it made her smile a little sadly. To show us what's important. Hold on to the best and deal with the rest.

She put her hands on the catwalk railing and stared down at the zord bay. Kyril was just crossing the hangar floor toward the warmup area, and if she listened carefully enough she could hear the greeting he exchanged with Saryn. What did "ani mara" mean, anyway?

Kerone stood beside Saryn, and Ashley noticed that she too acknowledged Kyril. She stayed even after Saryn turned away--heading for the kitchen, Ashley wondered?--and seemed to be talking with him about something. He gestured, and she reached up to pull something out of her hair and hand it to him.

Ashley frowned, trying to remember if she knew exactly what Kerone was wearing in her hair. She was fairly sure that it had only appeared yesterday, and she had just assumed it was a bead. An etched bead, maybe, and a silver one, she realized now, but nothing significant enough to register before this.

At least not with her. Kyril had noticed. What did it mean when strangers knew more about your best friend than you did?

What did it mean when your best friend didn't tell you how she felt about your boyfriend's... boyfriend?

When had things gotten so confusing?

She heard footsteps on the catwalk behind her, but she didn't turn her head until she heard them pause. Glancing down at the floor and back, she caught sight of Ty's bare feet. How did he do that on the grating?

"Morning," he offered, when she didn't say anything.

She looked back out at the hangar. "Hi."

"You're quiet this morning," he remarked, joining her at the railing. He considered the scene below, then added, "Looking for someone?"

"No, I was just--" She stopped as she realized what he probably thought. "No."

"Me neither." He paused, but before she could wonder about that, he added, "Going to miss your friends?"

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. Returning her attention to the conversation in the warmup area, she admitted, "It's been nice having them around."

"You didn't get to see much of them," Ty noted. "Maybe you should take a vacation or something."

She smiled at the thought. It wasn't a bad idea... but she couldn't even imagine leaving right now. She hated leaving them alone overnight, let alone for days at a time. Who knew where they'd be when she came back?

She bit her lip as it occurred to her that Kerone had been giving all of them far more space than that.

"Something wrong?" Ty asked carefully. He was still looking out at the hangar, but she didn't doubt that he had seen her expression.

She leaned harder on the railing and then let up, her fingers relaxing deliberately. "Not wrong," she said reluctantly. "Not exactly. Just... not right, either."

Ty's tone was odd, but his words were somehow reassuring. "Not yet."