His feet were cold. He already regretted leaving the room so precipitously. He could have at least stopped to steal some of Andros' socks. The stairs were freezing, and he doubted the hangar floor was going to be any warmer.

That thought made him hesitate at the bottom of the stairs, eyeing the floor warily. The pause was enough that he noticed the voices drifting across the hangar from the kitchen, and he looked up as though he could see the source from here. Magic's tail was blocking his view, curled into a kink that was just enough to obstruct the line of sight.

He recognized Ashley's murmur after a moment, and he looked longingly at the exterior door. Maybe he could just escape into the outdoors, where likely no one would venture this early in the morning. He could go for a run, avoid any questions about his unusual state of consciousness at this hour--

Or he could if he had bothered to steal some socks. And sneakers.

With a sigh, Zhane remained where he was. It looked like he was stuck inside, at least for the moment. And was that Ty's voice answering Ashley? He'd assumed she was talking to Astrea, but if Ty was there it meant he could probably count on some moral support in the face of inconvenient questions.

He winced at the temperature of the floor, but the more quickly he crossed it the sooner he could get to the rug out back. He was a little surprised to see Ty and Ashley on the sofa together when he finally made his way past Magic. He had gotten used to seeing her and Astrea together, but Andros' sister was sitting in the chair across from them, an expression of mild amusement on her face.

"You lean to the right," Ashley was saying. "Everyone knows that."

"Maybe that's how they do it on your planet," Ty informed her. "Here you lean whichever way is comfortable."

"It's not a rule," Ashley protested. "It's just that you don't have to think about it because everyone does it that way. That makes it comfortable."

"Hi, Zhane," Astrea greeted him, smiling past the two on the sofa.

He saw Ashley look up in surprise. Ty glanced around without the slightly embarrassed look that flitted across Ashley's face, and he smiled in welcome. "Zhane, good. Back me up here: there's no certain way you're supposed to lean when you kiss, right?"

Cold as the floor was, Zhane stopped in his tracks. "Sorry?" he managed.

"Yes, there is!" Ashley insisted. "You lean to the right. It's just what people do!"

They both looked at him expectantly, and he glanced back at Astrea. She gave him a rueful smile, shrugging a little. "You don't even want to know how it started," she offered.

"You're wrong about that," Zhane said emphatically, maneuvering around the sofa and frowning at the bowl chair. He would sit in it, but he wouldn't like it. So there.

"I don't lean to the right," Ty told Ashley. "Maybe the people you've kissed just picked up on the way you were leaning; did you ever think of that?"

"No!" she retorted, but her indignation was good-natured. "That's not it! It's just accepted... come on, Zhane. You always lean right!"

"No he doesn't," Ty maintained. "He leans whichever way the other person leans, and sometimes that happens to be to the right. Sometimes it's to the left. What, are you right-handed or something?"

"I'm left-handed," Ashley corrected, with a fair attempt at wounded pride. "So are you."

He gave her a startled look. "How do you know that?"

She let out her breath in an exaggerated sigh. "We've been living together for weeks! Lefties notice these things. Some lefties," she amended, giving him a look.

"Forgive me for not being a member of the club," he said, rolling his eyes. "So? Zhane?"

Zhane abandoned his attempts to get comfortable in the bowl chair and glanced over at them again. "I think you lean whichever way the other person isn't," he offered.

"Yeah," Ashley said immediately. "To the right!"

"No!" Ty shot back. "Either way!"

"Either way," Zhane agreed at last, wondering if they would stop talking about it if he took sides. "I don't think everyone leans to the right, Ash."

She just laughed, throwing herself back against the sofa in surrender. "I give up! Obviously guys know nothing about kissing!"

"I've never had a problem kissing," Ty objected. "I bet the people you've kissed think you have some kind of right-handed fixation or something."

"I bet they haven't had to think about it because I do it the right way!" Ashley retorted.

Zhane was seriously reconsidering his decision to join them. True, his feet were grateful for the uncomfortable warmth of the chair. And true, no one seemed remotely curious about what he was doing up so early. But the conversation wasn't doing much for his state of mind, and the distraction quotient was right down around zero.

"We need some objective female input," Ty decided, glancing at Astrea. "But I'm not sure you qualify."

She only smiled. "You'd change your mind if I agreed with you."

His gaze turned speculative. "Well?"

She lifted her left hand, considering it thoughtfully. "I've never really thought about it until now. But..." She held up one finger. "Zhane leans to the left, at least as much as I can remember." Holding up another finger, she added, "Ashley leans to the right."

"How do you know how Ashley kisses?" Ty interrupted.

Ignoring him, she held up a third finger and remarked, "Saryn leans to the right, too. But I think maybe that's because of Cassie, so it's still possible that it's an Earth thing." She let her hand fall, regarding them calmly.

"How do you know how *Saryn* kisses?" Zhane demanded, more because he felt she expected someone to ask than because he wanted to know. He didn't really want to participate, but he didn't feel like moving again either.

She shrugged, then said the only thing he could think of that would make the conversation more uncomfortable. "Andros is lucky he's ambidextrous."

He glanced at Ashley before he could stop himself, and he found her looking back. The only thing that saved them was Ty's immediate objection: "It doesn't have anything to do with handed-ness!"

"That is *so* not a word," Ashley said, maybe a little too quickly. "You just made that up!"

"Like you with your leaning to the right?" Ty shot back.

"How long are you going to argue about this?" Zhane demanded testily.

Ty gave him a surprised look, then offered as explanation, "Ashley was trying to teach Astrea something about kissing. I'm just trying to make sure she doesn't get false information."

Zhane raised his eyebrows, aware that a smile was trying to make its way onto his face. "Is that what this is about?" he inquired, relaxing involuntarily. That was something entirely different. "What makes you think she needs teaching?"

Astrea gave him a look that couldn't be construed as anything but a smirk. "I did try to tell them," she said with a shrug. "But Ashley didn't think three people was enough."

Three? Now he was sure she was teasing them with the idea of Saryn. But she wouldn't bother to lie about it, so who was the third person? He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"You haven't kissed three people!" Ashley exclaimed. "I'd know!"

"Sometimes the point of kissing is not to tell," Astrea replied, smiling secretively.

Unless he was mistaken, and Zhane was sure he wasn't, she was enjoying the attention. It was actually kind of nice to see her acting so... childish, and he smiled to himself at the thought. She probably wouldn't appreciate it.

"The point is always to tell," Ty countered. "There are more fun things to do if no one's going to know. Kissing is all about telling people who you're with."

Damn. And there went the conversation again, around yet another turn that he would rather not have witnessed. He wondered if Kyril was up yet. Maybe he could just poke his head in, retrieve his sneakers...

"The world does not revolve around sex," Ashley was telling Ty sternly.

"Yes it does," Ty said with a grin. "But that wasn't my point, so where did that come from?"

"It came from you saying that the only reason people kiss is to tell other people who they're with!" Ashley retorted. "That's crazy!"

"Well, why do you kiss?" Ty wanted to know.

"Because--" Ashley looked a little flustered, and it might have been funny in different circumstances. "Because it feels good."

"And?" Ty prompted.

"And nothing," Ashley said firmly. "Kerone, why do you kiss?"

Astrea paused, apparently giving it serious thought. "Because other people want to," she said at last.

Ashley blinked, and Ty, too, looked taken aback. "Wow," Ashley said after a moment. "That's kind of..."

"Depressing?" Ty suggested.

She hit him with the pillow she'd been holding in her lap. "No," Ashley denied. "Just different. Have you really never wanted to kiss someone?" she asked, directing the question at Astrea.

"It's not that I don't want to," Astrea said with a shrug. "I've just never started it, that's all."

Zhane thought back, a little surprised that he'd never noticed. She was right, though... he couldn't call to mind a single time when she'd kissed him first. Yet she was a very tactile person when she wanted to be--he wondered why kissing was different.

"Zhane?" Ty asked, barely moving him out of his thoughts. "What about you?"

"It's all I can do," he said absently.

"What?" Ty's bemusement brought him back to the conversation, and the world went strange and still as he realized what he'd said. He wished, just this once, that his tongue had been as distracted as his mind was.

"Oh, you meant why do I kiss!" He forced a laugh, pretending he hadn't known all along what Ty was asking. "Because it feels good; same as Ash."

Ashley was giving him a sad look, and he knew that she, at least, hadn't been fooled. He kept his smile firmly in place, refusing to acknowledge his own words. Ty finally caught on to his discomfort and leaned back against the sofa, mimicking Ashley's posture. "Outvoted again," he remarked with a half-hearted sigh. "I'll never convince you guys of anything, at this rate."

"I think you won on the leaning thing," Astrea offered, going out of her way to help him cover. Silently, Zhane swore again. He hadn't fooled any of them.

"That's true," Ty said, giving Ashley a sideways look. "Are you willing to concede on the leaning?"

She wrinkled her nose at him, careful to avoid Zhane's gaze. "Maybe it's not a Kerovan thing," she admitted, managing to make it sound like she wasn't admitting anything. "But on my planet, people lean to the right."

Ty held up his hands, giving her that one without argument.

"What," a sleep-fogged voice muttered from behind them, "are you talking about?"

Zhane held very still, wondering if it was too late to get out now. Someone was going to notice if he didn't look at Andros, but he couldn't. And yet he couldn't not. His gaze was drawn inevitably toward the Red Ranger, standing in pajamas behind the sofa that held both Ashley and Ty.

Andros' gaze met his, and he swallowed hard. It hadn't been until after their move from the Megaship to Keyota that he'd convinced Andros to stop sleeping in his uniform, and he admitted only in the privacy of his own mind that he had more than just his friend's best interests at heart. Andros' serious mien was harder to maintain in pajamas, and he had a completely unconscious appeal in clothes that were so soft and stretched they might as well be falling off of him.

He tore his eyes away, catching Ashley's sympathetic look as he did so. For some reason, that shook him more than Andros' sudden appearance. He had expected her to be just as entranced, was prepared to see her sighing over Andros' tousled look and might have even commiserated a little. But to know that she had been watching him instead, that she had seen the longing he tried to hide... he didn't know what to think about that.

"Kissing," Astrea answered blithely. "When you go to kiss someone, which way do you tilt your head?"

Zhane didn't look at him, but somehow he could tell Andros' silence was contemplative rather than incredulous. Leave it to the Red Ranger to be sociable at the most random times. If he was actually going to participate in this discussion, Zhane didn't think he could listen.

"To the left, I guess," Andros said at last. "Why?"

Ashley clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling a sound that could have been either delight or dismay. Andros couldn't know it, but he was both reinforcing and proving her wrong at the same time. Astrea only smiled.

"Just curious," she said lightly. Zhane saw her give Ty a look that dared him to make something of it. Andros looked as though he'd seen it too, but he didn't seem to know what to make of it.

"Are you really talking about kissing?" Andros wanted to know, stifling a yawn with one hand. "Haven't you ever heard of sleeping till a decent hour?"

"Like you should talk!" Ashley exclaimed, tossing her pillow in his direction. "Mr. 'I got up to work out before breakfast yesterday'!"

Andros had to be almost as relaxed as he looked, because he didn't even bother to deflect the pillow. He caught it, one-handed, but only after it had bounced off his chest, and he stood there considering it for a moment. Then, in irritating Andros fashion, he lifted his hand and chose that moment to be perceptive.

"What are *you* doing up so early?" he wanted to know. It came out sounding accusatory, probably because Andros was only half-awake at best and what had made him come downstairs just now anyway? No matter the reason, Zhane stiffened and Andros saw it.

"Was going to run," he said curtly. "Heard them talking on my way outside."

They were all looking at him now. He felt Andros' gaze travel down to his bare feet, which he couldn't do anything about now. "Oh," Andros said at last, glancing around at the rest of them. "So which way do you tilt your head?"

Zhane knew the question was directed at him, and he wished Andros had picked some other time to get involved. "Either," he said, just as Ashley answered for him.

"Left," she contradicted, smiling over at him. "Zhane leans to the left too."

"Surprise," Ty said, and Andros seemed to be the only one who didn't hear the dry note in his voice.

The Red Ranger hid another yawn and shook his head at the same time. "Not really," he mumbled, blinking his eyes suddenly. "Everyone Zhane knows is left-handed."

Zhane went very still again as Andros gave the area another speculative glance. Ashley just giggled, poking Ty in the shoulder. "What were you saying, before?"

"You lean to the right," Ty reminded her, as though she might have forgotten. "Stop pretending he's agreeing with you."

Andros was wandering in his direction, and Zhane already knew what he was going to do. Unfortunately, there was no way to get out of the situation in anything resembling a casual manner. So he just shifted as far out of the way as possible, letting Andros collapse into the chair beside him without protest. What could he say, after all?

You slept next to me all night and now you have to sit with me too? Do you know why I left this morning? What does a guy have to do to get some space around here?

"I am agreeing with her," Andros argued, shifting to pull his legs up into the chair with him. Resting his knees against the side of the chair, he didn't seem at all uncomfortable to be pressed against Zhane's side with his feet practically in Zhane's lap. "Aren't I?"

"No," Ty said firmly.

At the same time Ashley replied, "Yes!"

Andros sighed, settling deeper into the chair and relaxing against Zhane's shoulder. "Well?" he demanded, nudging Zhane gently. "What's going on?"

He opened his mouth, but for once his voice was as lost as the rest of him. Since when did Andros cuddle? He must have gotten angry at Andros for not being demonstrative enough once too often. He was torn between basking in the attention and making a break for it before he did something really stupid. And on top of it all, he didn't doubt that Andros could feel his tension.

"They're trying to teach me about kissing," Astrea said, coming to his rescue with a fair display of resigned patience. "Ashley says everyone leans a certain way at first, to make it easier. Ty says you just sense what your partner's doing and do the same."

Andros seemed to think that was a perfectly reasonable thing to be discussing, which only increased the surreal nature of the morning. He tilted his head, clearly trying to call to mind past kisses, and Zhane tried very hard not to watch. It was a futile effort.

"No," he decided at last. "I think maybe Ty's right. It's different depending on who you're with."

"Their latest theory is that people on Earth lean to the right," Astrea offered, before Ashley could object. "And maybe it's just the rest of the universe that knows what it's doing."

"Hey," Ashley complained. "I'm outnumbered, here!"

"You think you're the only one?" Ty demanded.

Andros nudged him again, compounding the effect by turning to whisper in Zhane's ear. "What are they talking about?"

The temptation to just show him was overwhelming, and he was only saved by DECA's sudden appearance. Andros looked away, frowning, and Zhane closed his eyes. He definitely needed to avoid his best friend early in the morning.

Like he hadn't been trying.

Ashley had greeted DECA with a cheery, "Morning!" and DECA's hologram returned the welcome with a smile and a nod. She didn't reply, though, and that was enough to send Andros into leader mode.

"What's going on?" the Red Ranger wanted to know, scrutinizing DECA as though he could read the answer before she voiced it.

"There is an unfamiliar civilian outside the hangar." The Megaship's computer delivered the news in her usual calm way, but the fact that she had come to them first meant that she didn't know exactly what to do about it. Did she sound the intruder alert, or just warn the person off? Zhane wasn't sure either, now that he thought of it.

"Let me see," Andros demanded, unfolding himself from the chair with a startling amount of grace. The chair was not that easy to get out of, especially when you were sharing it with someone. "Do you have a camera on them?"

"Of course." DECA sounded a little miffed. "The hangar feed is appearing on the comm screen now."

Zhane craned his neck, trying to see around Andros as the Red Ranger padded over to the comm. He stopped when the picture appeared, folding his arms in obvious annoyance. "Great," he muttered, stepping out of the way before anyone could ask.

It took him a moment, seeing her out of context like that. But there was no doubt in his mind when he finally recognized her face. It was the reporter from yesterday, the one whose badge and camera were currently sitting on the table in front of the sofa.

"Hey..." Ashley got it too. Leaning over to pick up the ID, she held it up curiously. "Isn't that--"

"That's her," Zhane agreed, sneaking another glance at Andros. "She's the one who caught us outside the conference room yesterday. I told her I'd return her camera," he added, "but I didn't say I'd do it overnight!"

"She's got some good pictures on there," Ty offered. He shrugged when they all turned to look at him. "Well, it was just sitting there on the table."

"They're not all legal," Andros told him. "Our picture wasn't the only one she shouldn't have taken."

"She's not a gossip reporter," Zhane put in. "I checked. She works for K-Wind in Keyota, and she's been with them ever since the recolonization."

"Guys," Ashley interrupted, nodding at the comm screen. Kristet was making her way across the face of the hangar, zeroing in on one of the smaller entrances off to the side.

"Do you suppose she knows how fast the zords could crush her if they decided to go out right now?" Ty asked idly. "I mean, she'd hear the doors opening, but it's not like she could get out of the way."

"They wouldn't step on her," Ashley chided.

"Not on purpose," he agreed. "How alert are you when you first wake up, though?"

An odd sound emanated from Magic, who had flicked one tremendous ear in their direction and was making a credible attempt at an indignant yowl. Credible, despite the fact that she sounded like she was yawning at the same time. Zhane blinked, glancing over at Astrea, who didn't look at all surprised. The cats were becoming more and more responsive as time passed.

"She heard that," Ty observed, still watching the comm from his place on the sofa. Zhane followed his gaze and indeed, Kristet had paused, giving the towering hangar doors a considering look.

Then, unbelievably, she lifted something and held it up toward the hangar. Zhane's eyes widened. "She's got a camera!" he blurted.

"You were right," Andros remarked, watching with surprising unconcern. "That wasn't her only one."

"Does she know what private property means?" Ashley wondered aloud.

Kristet had lowered her hand by now and was continuing her trek toward one of the smaller doors. The camera was gone. Zhane had no idea what she'd done with it, but Andros had obviously been paying closer attention. "DECA," he said intently. "Can you get a close-up of her wrist?"

"Certainly, Andros." The picture on the comm froze for just a moment, then zoomed in on a still image of Kristet's charm bracelet. Or so it seemed to be, until another image was superimposed over top of it, showing all the technical specs of a recording device.

"Wow," Ashley breathed. "That's her camera? That's crazy!"

"She's right-handed," Ty commented, out of nowhere. "What?" he added, when Ashley and Zhane both glanced over at him. "I'm just saying."

"Zhane will have company," Ashley murmured, looking back at the screen. Kristet had almost reached the door by now, and she inquired, "Does she think she's going to just walk in?"

"Maybe she'll knock," Ty offered.

Sure enough, Kristet paused in front of the door and considered it for a moment before lifting her hand to knock. It was a futile gesture, since they couldn't hear it from where they were and the door wouldn't open for anyone without a morpher anyway. It could, of course, be seen as a sort of courtesy, to make up for yesterday, except that Zhane doubted she meant it that way. She probably just didn't know what else to do.

"I guess we could let her in," Ashley said after a moment. "I mean, what's she going to do?"

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to let people think they can just come up here whenever they want," Ty said carefully. "She may be the first, but all it will take is her telling someone that she got a tour of the hangar and tomorrow there will be a hundred more just like her."

"I agree." Astrea had turned in her chair to watch the comm, a sober expression on her face. "She shouldn't be here."

Kristet was backing away from the door now, looking around and over it, probably for some kind of camera or remote-entry device. Watching her, Zhane didn't even realize Andros was looking at him until the silence lingered a little too long. Lifting his gaze to Andros', he realized the other was waiting for his opinion.

"I don't think she'll tell anyone," he said slowly, glancing over at the camera on the table. "K-Wind could never use those pictures, and I don't think she's the type to sell them. She's just... curious."

Ty gave him a skeptical look. "And you base your judgement of her character on...?"

Zhane just shrugged.

"Ash," Andros said after a moment. "Kerone. You're with me. Ty, back up Zhane at the door. Let's give her a welcome she won't forget."

Zhane caught Andros' eye and grinned when he saw the Red Ranger pull out his digimorpher. "DECA," Zhane said, giving her hologram a speculative look. "Want to do some teleporting for us?"

Andros was fast, there was no question about that. By the time Zhane and Ty made it to the door, Andros was giving him a mental "ready" signal. He wished he could see the look on Kristet's face as three morphed Rangers appeared out of the landscape behind her, weapons drawn and trained on her.

He keyed the door open, suppressing a smile as Ty lurked very noticeably behind him. Neither of them had morphed, but Ty at least was dressed and had his stunner out, resting over top of his folded arms. For a scientist recently turned farmer, Ty did the menacing bodyguard look awfully well.

"Kristet," Zhane drawled, leaning against the doorframe as casually as he could. Which, he didn't mind saying, was very casually. "Nice to see you again."

She whirled, and his eyes flicked across the others. At Andros' signal they had lowered their weapons to a defensive position, but none of them demorphed, spoke, or even moved while he turned his attention back to Kristet. He heard Andros' unspoken message loud and clear: your call, your responsibility.

"Ranger Zhane," she managed, startled but hiding it well. "You don't look as welcoming as you sound."

"I don't?" He gave her his best wounded look. "Is it the pajamas? Maybe I should have gone with something fuzzier."

She just stared at him, clearly at a loss.

"Which reminds me," he added, holding out his hand. "Camera, please."

She pulled herself together at that, giving him a perfectly indignant look. "I think that's supposed to be my line!"

"Not very patient, are you. Didn't trust me when I said I'd get it back to you?"

She opened her mouth to answer but he wasn't going to let her distract him. "Give me your bracelet, Kristet, or you can turn around right now and head back to Keyota."

She frowned, but she removed the "jewelry" and handed it over without a word. Her lack of argument made him suspicious, but he couldn't exactly search her. Well, he could, but he wouldn't. Trust had to start somewhere, and he believed what he had said to Andros. She wasn't trying to hurt anyone.

"Thanks," he said, flashing her a smile as he straightened up. Stepping out into the sunlight, he felt Ty shadowing him. "You probably have a perfectly logical reason for sneaking around the zord hangar while most respectable people are sleeping."

"Sleeping?" she repeated, backing up a step. "Is that what you were doing?"

He smirked at her. "I never said I was respectable."

"I'm more interested in your reasons than his," Andros interjected, his polite tone at odds with the edge to his words. "We typically have things other than interviews to do this early in the morning."

She stiffened, though whether in reaction to his words or just the surprise of hearing him speak, Zhane couldn't tell. "I didn't come for an interview," she said sharply. "I came for my camera."

"Yeah, interesting pictures you have on that camera," Ty remarked, getting her full attention. "Yesterday wasn't the first time, huh?"

She gave him a look that could have meant anything. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," Zhane put in. "And I'd like to know what you do with pictures like that. K-Wind can't use them. So who are you taking them for?"

Unexpectedly, she smiled. "I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said me."

Zhane studied her, hearing the ring of truth in those words. There were things he just knew about others sometimes, and Andros had always trusted his judgement when it came to people. That had given him the confidence to act on his instincts, and he hadn't been wrong yet.

"We have a training sim this morning," he said suddenly, watching her expression go from resigned to wary as she tried to figure out why he was telling her that. "Standard PD exercise, zord-led fighter combat, that kind of thing."

He could feel Andros staring at him through the Red Ranger's visor, but he didn't try to interrupt. The rest of them followed Andros' lead, and Zhane hoped this wasn't going to be the first time he ended up being wrong. His call... his responsibility.

"We suit up at eight-thirty," he told Kristet. "On the PD base in Quon. If you come, I'll give your camera back then. Cameras," he amended, holding up the bracelet in his right hand.

She was staring at him again. "You expect me to just walk onto the base?"

Zhane shrugged, rather enjoying her surprise. "We'll let them know you're coming. Someone will take you up so you can get a better view of the sim--you don't get spacesick, do you?"

"You're going to let me record the sim?" she blurted. It was certainly a first, but he thought her shock was a little excessive. It was just a drill, after all.

"That's the idea," he agreed. "Unless you're not interested."

"Oh, I'm 'interested' all right." She gave him a wry look that said she knew exactly when he'd started teasing her. "The PD's okay with this?

"They will be once we tell them," he said easily. "We'll see you in Quon, then."

She straightened, clearly recognizing a dismissal when she heard one. "See you in Quon," she repeated, shaking her head just slightly. As she turned away, though, Andros caught her with a single word.

"You."

She halted, staring at him with what Zhane imagined was a fairly apprehensive look. But Andros just repeated himself. "You," he said again, adding, "Not you and ten other people. Not you and a crew, not you and an assistant. Just you."

"Me," she echoed, edging around the three morphed Rangers carefully. "Got it."

Her hover was out of sight, and well hidden if DECA hadn't noticed until she started out on foot. It was several long moments before they heard it start up and speed away, and three Ranger uniforms simultaneously flared and vanished. Andros took a step forward immediately, his gaze fixed on Zhane.

"She's not going to forget that, you know." The Red Ranger sounded almost conversational, and Zhane wondered if that was a good or bad sign. Andros was considering him as carefully as he had been eyeing Kristet a few minutes ago.

"It'd look kind of bad if she did," Zhane answered, looking away and shooting Ty an amused glance to make his evasiveness less obvious. "Nice bodyguard act."

Ty just smiled, an odd light in his eyes. "I'm more familiar with the look lately."

"I just hope she's as altruistic as you think she is." Andros was already making his way back inside, tossing the words over his shoulder as he went.

"We don't need someone who's altruistic." He had to call after the Red Ranger to make himself heard, and the mere fact that Andros didn't pause meant he knew exactly what Zhane was talking about. "We need someone who knows which side they're on."

"Zhane?" Ashley was at his side now, looking from him to the door with a cautious expression on her face. Astrea was right behind her, wearing an equally inquisitive air. "What was that about?"

He smiled, but it was only to hide a sigh and he was afraid it showed. "I think we need someone to do press conferences for us."

Instead of looking taken aback at the apparent non sequitur, Ashley just laughed. "I told Kerone the same thing yesterday! We were talking about it with Ty last night, up on the catwalk."

"Yeah?" He raked his gaze over the three of them, wondering if they had looked for him and Andros first. "You saw how he looked yesterday too, then."

Ashley wrinkled her nose, but the agreement was there in her eyes. "More how quiet he was at dinner, I think. He doesn't like doing them, and the rest of us aren't any good at it, so..."

"Yeah." He was looking back at the door without even noticing when his attention shifted. "I don't know if Kristet is the person to do it, but we can at least see how she handles the sim coverage."

"Have to start with someone," Ty agreed. "We can't exactly advertise."

"Well, we could," Astrea put in with a small smile. "It just wouldn't narrow things down much."

His smile was real this time, and he felt a little more relaxed after their show of support. Andros hadn't explicitly vetoed the idea, but he wasn't overflowing with enthusiasm for it either. It was nice to know that the rest of the team was just as worried, and seemingly ready to do something about it.

"Guess we'll see," Ty said at last, shooting his own look toward the door. "In the meantime, I'm going to make some breakfast before we have to go. Anyone else want?"

"Me!" Ashley exclaimed, skipping forward to link her arm through his. "Thanks, Ty; you're awesome!"

Zhane's smile widened, but he shook his head. "I'm going to change," he said, when Ty glanced his way. "I'll catch up with you guys afterward."

"Maybe you could put on some fuzzier pajamas," Astrea suggested, trailing her fingers across his back as they followed Ty and Ash inside. "So you wouldn't look so threatening."

Ashley giggled, and Ty laughed outright. "You could try fighting in them," the Black Ranger added. "Quantrons might just melt at the sight of you."

"I'll think about it," Zhane said dryly, detaching himself from their group and heading for the stairs. The gentle teasing warmed him from the inside, and he was almost cheerful as he started up the steps. The day might have started out... oddly, but it could still be salvaged.

Hesitating outside of Andros' door, he glanced over at his own and debated the likelihood of Kyril being up. Whether he was or not, it wouldn't be very polite to disturb him now. This was what he got for chasing Andros instead of helping the others show the Elisian Rangers around last night. At least he could wear most of Andros' clothes.

He made it two steps into the room before he realized it wasn't empty. He had assumed Andros was downstairs, getting something to eat or talking to DECA or whatever. Something leader-like. Not up here, still dressed in sweats while he brooded by the window.

Andros had turned as soon as he entered, and his expression was not encouraging. He was studying Zhane again, and this time whatever he saw made him frown. The thought flitted through Zhane's mind that however annoying it was to be taken for granted, it was more than he'd bargained for to be reassessed every single time he found himself in Andros' company.

"You lied," Andros declared, before Zhane could do more than stare back at him.

Ironically, the words unfroze him and he sighed reflexively. "I've lied a lot, Andros; you'll have to be more specific."

Andros didn't seem to find that amusing. "You weren't going to run this morning."

Zhane shrugged, eyes wandering a little. "I thought about it."

"What, in the three seconds between me asking why you were awake and when you answered?"

"No." Zhane lifted his gaze to Andros' again. "In the three seconds it took me to be turned on by waking up next to you."

Andros just looked at him, his expression revealing nothing. "You didn't have to leave," he said at last.

"I'd have woken you up if I hadn't."

Andros' mouth quirked, and he pushed away from the window. "Would have been better than waking up alone."

He was approaching Zhane the same way he had the night of the first quantron attack, careful but determined. Like he thought Zhane might turn away and he was completely prepared to follow. When Andros decided to do something, there was no stopping him.

This time Zhane didn't try. That night he had been upset and disappointed and convinced that Andros had no idea what he was doing. Today Andros knew: he knew how Zhane felt, he knew what he wanted, and he had to have a pretty good idea what would happen if he stalked someone with that particular look in his eye.

He stopped in front of Zhane, close enough that it was almost a challenge. But there was nothing challenging about the whisper-soft brush of fingers against his cheek, or the wistful look that flitted across Andros' face. "I miss you," he said quietly, convincingly.

Zhane pushed long hair back off of his shoulder, tweaking the blonde strands fondly as he smoothed it down. His hand itched to do more, to run across skin instead of hair, smooth warmth instead of the worn fabric that kept his touch at bay. Andros moved closer, and the fingers on his cheek slid down his neck and around behind his head.

In the next moment, Andros' lips were pressed against his and nothing else mattered. It was an easy kiss, one born of familiarity rather than desire. But he didn't push it, more than willing to put his arms around Andros and soak up comfort instead of heat. It was surprising how good it felt, even when he would have gladly taken more.

It was an open-mouthed comfort kiss, he realized after a moment--not that he was complaining. He couldn't be expected to keep his tongue to himself if Andros got any closer, though, and he was, free hand clenching on Zhane's shoulder and his mouth warm and inviting... what he planned didn't seem to have much of an effect on Andros anymore. Was that good?

Yes, he decided, heart skipping as Andros' fingers tangled in his collar and pulled it down, mouth following his hand a moment later. Zhane tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling and trying to catch his breath as Andros kissed him in a distinctly unfamiliar way. It wasn't even making out, it was more like...

The only word that seemed to apply was "foreplay".

And damn, but it was working.

He dragged his scattered thoughts together and got his hands working again, sliding them mercilessly under Andros' shirt. Andros was ticklish and very, very sensitive, and he lifted his head with a gasp as Zhane trailed his fingers up over his ribs. He covered Andros' mouth with his own, not above taking advantage of surprise like that, and was rewarded by a moan as one tongue tangled with another.

*Zhane...*

Oh, that was sexy. Even the voice in his mind sounded breathless, and he had no idea how Andros managed that. But he definitely wasn't complaining. *Nice,* he thought in return, wondering if his own voice conveyed just how much he meant that.

*Would've done it sooner if you hadn't left.*

Really! *Really?* He'd thought Andros, who was a walking personal space issue, might have wanted more of it after last night.

*Try it tomorrow and see.*

Zhane tried to pull away, but apparently he wasn't going anywhere. Still not complaining, here. There was just nothing bad about this situation. Nothing at all, he thought, as warm fingers met tingling skin and the flush spread through his entire body.

Had that been an invitation?

He fully intended to find out. Tonight.

That was assuming Andros let him go before then. He would happily have stayed where he was for the next few hours, even the whole day if it came to that, but there were voices in the hall and were those footsteps on the stairs? Andros could hear everything from this room. The fact that it might work both ways was something to keep in mind.

Fingernails scraping against his skin made him shiver and yeah, he'd noticed that last night too. He'd never asked why Andros let his fingernails get so long, whether it was deliberate or just laziness, and it was weird to realize there was something he didn't know about his friend. Weird... but cool.

Almost as cool as Andros' body pressed against his, his tongue in Zhane's mouth, and his hands doing their best to melt a spine that didn't seem to be offering any significant resistance. The thumping in the hallway barely registered, almost inaudible over the sound of his own heartbeat, and he ignored the sound of laughter with little to no effort. He had all the distraction he could want right here.

Saryn. That was what he had started to remember before, and it brought him up short. He wasn't sure how he felt about having an empath around right now, and one that didn't have the best mental control, at that. He hadn't forgotten the day he'd told Saryn he loved Andros, but it had been different then.

Even with that realization, he wasn't sure he'd have let go if Andros hadn't freed his mouth to whisper, "Guess we're being unsociable, huh?"

A helpless grin spread across his face, and he couldn't let that kiss go. "I think we're socializing just fine," he murmured, catching that lower lip in his mouth for just a second. "Want to lock the door?"

He was kidding--mostly--but Andros didn't chuckle. "Yeah," he breathed, rubbing his cheek against Zhane's and letting that single word stand on its own for a long moment.

Then he drew back, fingers on Zhane's jaw and a smile on his face. "But we can't. And you should shave."

He turned his head into the caress, inexplicably pleased by the intimate reminder. "Didn't hear you complaining before," he pointed out, taking a deep breath that didn't clear his head at all. Neither of them was moving.

"It's more noticeable..." Now Andros had lifted one hand to his hair, blonde bangs that hadn't been cut in too long. Almost to his eyes, about to be annoying but not quite there, and he wasn't sure he cared if Andros was going to notice. "With your hair."

"We can't all be blonde," he quipped, and was gratified to see Andros' smile widen.

"Some more than others, maybe," Andros murmured.

Glad of the excuse to catch strands of Andros' hair, he added, "Some less than others."

There was a shriek from the hallway, sounding unmistakably like Cassie, and Zhane couldn't help it. He laughed. "It's like being back on the Megaship," he said, no more ready to let Andros go than he had been before. "We could still lock the door."

Andros sighed, but it was a sound of equal parts amusement and rueful agreement. "Don't tempt me."