Chapters:

1. To Turn Someone's Head

He left his room definitely feeling more at ease. Talking with his best friend always had that effect on him. Zhane was off helping the rebels, protecting them while they built weapons to help in the war against Dark Spectre, but Andros and he were always in contact. Whether telepathically or like just now using shipboard communications, they spoke frequently.

Andros had called Zhane to discuss the latest Earth ritual he had been asked to participate in: something called a prom. After Andros had filled him in on the details, Zhane had actually laughed at him and claimed that he was returning on the day in question just to see it. Andros had threatened to sever the communications link right then, but Zhane got his laughter under control and offered him some advice on the matter. Just talking to Zhane had been enough to make him feel better, even if his friend had found it hard not to make jokes.

As he walked down the hallway, Andros remembered the first time he had heard about this prom, dance, whatever-thing. Ashley had asked him to attend the prom with her, and he had accepted even though he had no idea what it was; anything to spend time with Ashley. After some initial confusion the Earth Rangers had sufficiently explained to him the purpose of this social event. It was then that he became nervous; the dressing up, the dancing, the room full of strangers... But one look at Ashley's excited smile and he knew he wouldn't let her down.

She was even nominated for something called a 'prom queen', though Cassie had been the one to tell him that. She said that Ashley hadn't mentioned it because she didn't want to make it seem like it was a big deal. But all the Earth Rangers knew how much she wanted it.

He was passing Ashley's room when he heard laughter from within and couldn't resist peeking in. The Pink and Yellow AstroRangers had just returned from a shopping trip to the mall. 'Prom preparation' they had called it. Apparently special clothes were required for this event, and Andros was supposed to go get similarly prepared with TJ and Carlos later that day.

Despite his protests that DECA could synthesize him any clothes he needed, TJ and Carlos had insisted that if they had to go through the mess of the fitting and renting of tuxedos, then so did he. They had explained to him that the guy wore a tie and cummerbund that matched the girl's dress, and that he needed to find out what color Ashley was wearing.

TJ already knew that Cassie was wearing pink. The two were the best of friends, so it only seemed natural that they went together. It also helped to keep Cassie's admirers at bay without either of them having to explain that she was really in love with a currently absent intergalactic warrior.

Carlos' girlfriend, Karen, was wearing green, which made Carlos very happy. For despite being the Black AstroRanger, he had always felt more at home in green.

Andros thought it only logical then that Ashley would wear yellow. But as he looked into her room, he saw he was wrong.

Cassie was sitting on the bed, surrounded by shopping bags. She was laughing and clapping as Ashley swirled around the room holding a short dress in front of her - a short red dress. As she turned, Ashley caught sight of Andros watching her and stopped. Embarrassed, she lowered the dress and smiled at him.

Andros was amused by her reaction to 'getting caught', as if he would ever be angered by her exuberance. True it had confused him when he had first met her, but in time it was one of the many things that made him love her so much.

Cassie had been wearing a knowing grin when she had excused herself from the room, though neither had noticed her leave. They both stood there, staring at each other till finally Ashley looked away. She laid the dress out on the bed and seemed to consider it for a moment. She then walked over to stand next to Andros and hesitantly put her arm around his waist. She shyly smiled and asked, "So, what do you think?"

Andros shook his head to clear his thoughts, and much to Ashley's delight he put his arm around her shoulders. He looked again at the revealing red dress, then back at Ashley. "It's beautiful," he offered. "But it's not your color."

"No," she agreed readily enough, and turned to face him. "But it's yours."

With her words, the last of his nervousness disappeared and he leaned in to kiss her.

"Zhane! I don't want to go to the Simudeck! I'm tired! I just want to sleep and forget this miserable day ever happened," Ashley protested as Zhane dragged her down the hallway.

But Zhane refused to take no for an answer. He just laughed at her uncharacteristic whining and pulled her into the lift. "You won't want to miss this. Trust me," he winked and leaned against the wall.

She folded her arms across her chest and pouted in the corner as the lift ascended. She was really not in the mood for any of this, especially if it was one of Zhane's pranks. Though the day couldn't really get any worse than it already was. The day was supposed to have been happy. This was supposed to have been one of the best nights of her life. But as far as she was concerned, the whole thing was shot to hell.

The Psycho Rangers had been giving them a very tough time lately. And their capture of the MegaVoyager the day before had led the AstroRangers on a chase to another galaxy. It had been a long, hard fought battle, but the Psycho Rangers had finally been defeated once and for all. But not before they had managed to totally foil Ashley's plans. It had been a long search and battle; too long for Ashley's taste. For back on Earth the time was now 4am on May 14th... the morning after the senior prom. Instead of spending the night dancing with the man she loved, she had spent it fighting psychotic killer Ranger rejects on an alien planet.

Cassie and TJ had both been too tired to care about missing the prom, and had already gone to sleep. Carlos knew he was in trouble for standing up his girlfriend on prom night, but since Karen knew he was a Ranger, he hoped that she would understand. Ashley, on the other hand, was furious at having missed the one night she had looked forward to through four long years of high school. After the Psycho Rangers had been destroyed, she had stalked off on her own to make the repairs to the MegaShip. No one had dared to bother her, except Zhane. Nothing seemed to bother him. He had come to find her just as she had finished the repairs and was heading to her room to sleep. He had pretended to be totally oblivious to her irritation, and ignored all protests.

If a Psycho Ranger had been in the lift with them, she would have single-handedly ripped them limb-from-limb for ruining her night. As it was, Zhane with his annoyingly cheerful smirk appeared to be the prime and, unfortunately for him, only target available for her to vent her anger and frustration upon. She was plotting the many ways of wiping that smirk off his face when the lift doors opened.

Zhane started forward, but stopped in the doorway, blocking the doors' sensors so they wouldn't close. He turned and gallantly motioned for her to exit the lift first. She thought about refusing but decided it was just too much trouble to try to out stubborn him. Andros and he are as much alike as they are different, she thought as she exited the lift. Zhane stepped off also, and as the doors closed behind them, he started toward the open simudeck doors.

"Zhane," she sighed as she stopped outside the simudeck. "There isn't anything here that I could possibly want to see...," her words trailed off when she caught a glimpse of what was inside.

He quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her view. "No, I guess you're right. Nothing here you'd want to see. You said something about being tired, right? Why don't you go to sleep?" He jokingly tried to usher her away from the door, but she shoved him aside so she could see again. He made a show of stumbling backwards, not that she noticed. So he leaned against the doorframe and resigned himself to watching her reaction to what she saw in the simudeck.

The simudeck looked darker than usual. There had never been any visible lighting, but it had always been well lit. But now it was quite dark and the black walls, ceiling, and floor made it seem more so. The green grid lines were glowing in the darkness.

In the grid lines' glow stood a solitary figure, fidgeting with nervousness. But when he saw Ashley, he turned to her with a warm and inviting smile, hiding the anxiety as best as he could.

"Andros?" she stuttered. He was wearing his rented black tuxedo, with the red tie and cummerbund to match her dress; his hair was down, hanging past his shoulders. He looked so different out of his usual AstroRanger uniform, but at the same time he looked strangely normal, like any American teenager his age. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Waiting for you."

"And you took your own sweet time about getting here, too," Zhane interrupted, earning himself a glare from both Andros and Ashley. Not that either fazed him in the slightest.

"But what's going on?" she asked again, still not quite comprehending what was happening.

"I know how much this prom meant to you, Ash. I couldn't just let you miss it." He held out his hands, grinning and showing the still dark simudeck. "Now are you going to come in here so I can start this program or not?"

With a joyous smile Ashley ran into the simudeck and hugged him. She pulled away from his embrace only long enough to admire him in his tuxedo. "I'm not really dressed for this Andros," she admitted ruefully, looking down at her dirty uniform.

"I think you're beautiful no matter what you wear, Ash. You don't need a special dress for me."

But she just shook her head. "No, it's only fair. You got all dressed up for me, I can do the same for you."

"Then go ahead. I'll wait," he agreed, and added, "I'm sure Zhane will keep me company till you come back." Ashley turned to see the Silver Ranger still leaning in the doorway. He tossed them a jaunty wave, that ever-present smirk still on his face.

"I'll hurry back, I swear," she said, turning back to Andros.

Andros grinned at her attempt to placate him. "I'd wait forever for you, Ash."

She hugged him again before she could start crying. Andros had changed so much since they had met. And he continued to surprise her with how warm and open he could be when he really tried. She practically skipped to the door, stopping to turn back and smile at Andros. She gave Zhane a quick hug too before running off to the lift.

As he watched her leave Zhane commented, "I don't know, Andros. Are you sure she likes this? Or you, for that matter?" It earned him yet another good-natured glare from his best friend; one which he yet again cheerfully ignored.

True to her word, it did not take Ashley long to return. As she stepped off the lift, she saw that Zhane was no longer in the simudeck doorway. She started slowly down the hallway, the click of her high heels on the metal deck announcing her approach.

She peeked into the simudeck at Andros and Zhane, not hearing voices but suspecting her arrival would interrupt some silent conversation between the two. Andros' eyes grew wide when he saw her there in the doorway. Zhane saw his best friend's face and turned to see what had caused the reaction.

He let out a long, low whistle. "Oops, I'm sorry. I believe that was your line, Andros. And I believe that's my cue to leave." He clapped Andros on the back, and sent him a silent message to have fun. If Andros hadn't been so preoccupied with Ashley he would have had given him a sarcastic retort, or at least another glare. But Zhane escaped the simudeck without retaliation. He paused in the doorway, watching Ashley walk up to Andros in the grid lines' green glow. His smirk changed to a smile as he left them alone.

Ashley had glanced at the Silver Ranger as he passed her on his way out. He had seemed sufficiently smug and happy with his part of this plot. She reached the center of the simudeck and hesitated.

"Wow, you look beautiful, Ashley," he said slowly, still staring at her.

"Thank you," she muttered shyly, looking down but not moving closer. Neither her nor Andros made an attempt to close the small distance between them.

"So," she started, trying to open things up between them again. "Did Zhane help you set all this up?"

Andros laughed and looked away, thinking back to Zhane's prank after the fight with the Psychos. Zhane's dressing up as Psycho Red had scared years off of Andros' life. "Yeah, he did. He sort of owed me."

"I bet he did," Ashley giggled, and stepped forward when Andros offered her his hand.

"Now let me make sure I have all this right," he said, and held out his other hand to a corner of the room. Courtesy of his telekinesis, a corsage flew across the room to land on his hand. It was a wrist corsage of small red and yellow flowers of a kind Ashley had never seen before.

"Andros, they're gorgeous!" she sighed as he slipped it on her arm. She couldn't help but tease him by adding, "TJ and Carlos taught you well."

"Cassie taught me a few things too," he teased back, as once again something flew to his empty hand. This time Ashley stared in surprise at the small simply made crown in his hands.

"Well, no one else is here to argue," he offered conspiratorially. She giggled and relented, allowing him to crown her queen of 'their prom'.

"So where's this great program you mentioned?" she asked, steadying the crown in her upswept hair.

"Well, everyone described to me what the place would look like, but I thought there was a much better place we could go dancing," he said. "DECA, begin program please."

The gridlines faded away, taking with them the light in the room. In their place, tiny stars sprang up, lighting the darkness. Their glow brightened as more and more stars continued to appear. A slow and unfamiliar song started to play, and Ashley wondered if it was Kerovan as the warm and inviting melody filled the simudeck. He gently put his arms around her and they began dancing, criss-crossing their way through the stars.

"Andros, this is all so perfect," she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."

"I knew how much you were looking forward to last night. I'm sorry you had to miss it," he apologized. "I know there's no way I can make up for that."

"It was the Psychos' fault, not yours, Andros." She pulled back to look in his eyes. "And it wasn't so much the formality of a prom that I wanted, as it was a special night with you. And you've given me that. You're what matters, Andros. Not the clothes and flowers, but the quiet time with you," she paused. "We just seem to have so little of that lately."

"We'll just have to do something about that," and he kissed her as they continued their slow dance among the stars.

2. Come Back To Me

"My home is with you guys." It had only been two weeks ago when she had thought that meant they would be together forever. He had left KO-35 to come back to Earth with her, and she had known it was only a matter of time before they had a moment alone to say three magic words aloud. She had assumed they had all the time in the world, and so she hadn't pushed it.

Now she wished she could have those first few days back on Earth to do over again. They had been together, but the press of media and the unceasing need for explanation after explanation had indefinitely delayed the arrival of that "moment alone". Every time she had turned around there had been something else to take care of, catch up on, explain about or apologize for. Between family, friends, neighbors, teachers, classmates, and uncountable numbers of curious onlookers, personal time had become a thing of the past.

And she had let it. After all, she and Andros had been exclusive since their first date. They hadn't used the term, or said the words she still longed to hear, but there had never been anyone else. Not for either of them. It had never occurred to her that that might change, and so she had made the decision, consciously or not, to put their relationship on hold while she and the others tried to straighten things out at home.

She and most of the others, anyway. Cassie had vanished only hours after the Megaship made planetfall, turning an already chaotic mess into an uproar that wouldn't die down no matter how hard anyone tried to stifle it. Ashley hadn't been the only one who was thoroughly exasperated when her friend turned up a day later, on the arm of a boy no one recognized and wearing a grin that said no protest they could make would have the slightest effect on her.

The Astro Rangers had known him immediately, of course, if not for the ruby around his neck then for the fact that Cassie was with him. The Phantom Ranger had once promised to return, and though months had passed with no word Cassie's faith hadn't wavered. As happy as Ashley had been for her friend, she couldn't help but wish that the timing had been a little less inconvenient--there had been no time for personal matters those first few days, and she had wished then that Cassie could have tried to understand that the way she and Andros did.

Looking back, though, she could see that that was exactly when things started to become difficult for them. Cassie had been right, and she had been wrong. Relationships could only be put "on hold" for so long, and Cassie had been perfectly well aware of that. "Some things are just more important," she had told Ashley, unfazed by her teammates' complaints when she refused to appear at a press conference the following day.

At the time, her attitude had irked Ashley, though she did her best not to show it--especially when Andros had come to Cassie's defense, pointing out that the two had been kept apart enough in the past without their friends adding to it. Now Ashley wished she had listened to both of them more carefully.

Only six days after their return to Earth, word had come from KO-35 that another group of colonists had made it home and that they were asking for Andros and Zhane. She had been about to protest, but the expression on Andros' face when he looked up from the comm screen had told her it was useless. She had swallowed her objection and forced herself to smile, telling him to hurry back.

His hesitation had been her first clue that something was changing between them. "I'll try," he had said at last. "But Ash... we can't just show up and leave a few hours later. This is important. Our people are important."

She had heard the unspoken "too" at the end of his sentence, and she had wondered if he thought that Earth was the only place she cared about. "I know," she had assured him. She remembered the twinge of anxiety she'd felt at his skeptical look, and she wished she had made more of an effort to convince him.

An awkward silence had lingered between them for a moment, and finally he had asked if she would come with him. Surprised, she hadn't known how to answer--until he looked away, and suddenly she understood that it wasn't just an idle question. He had left his own planet in a time of upheaval to come with her, and now he was asking if she would do the same for him.

Saying yes, she reflected, was probably one of the first smart things she had done.

TJ had been easier on her than she had been on Cassie when she told them where she was going, for which she was grateful. Kerone had come too, and the four of them had been back on KO-35 before the end of the day. The colonists' sincere relief at seeing their Rangers, and Kerone, had been enough to make Ashley feel thoroughly guilty for keeping them--or at least Andros, and she suspected the others had stayed because he did--away from their people so long.

Seeing the colonists' reaction to Andros, Zhane, and Kerone, she had had her first inkling of the true nature of KO-35. She had thought the group on Centaur B had been unique in their closeness, or perhaps that they had recognized Andros and Zhane in an instant only because the two were Rangers. But not only did the second group seem just as close, they recognized Kerone as quickly as they did Andros and Zhane.

KO-35 wasn't a world at all, she thought, it was more of a small city. Everyone knew everyone else, by sight if not by name, and the bond between the inhabitants hadn't faded with time. She had found that comforting in a way she couldn't explain, and she had found herself sharing Andros' and Zhane's enthusiasm when Kinwon got word from a third group on the heels of the second.

She had even gone with them to welcome the new arrivals, relieved by Andros' pleased reaction when she asked if she was welcome. He had put his arm around her shoulders for the first time in days as the returning colonists disembarked, and she had smiled happily to herself. For a few blissful seconds, she had dared to hope that things were not as awkward as she had imagined between them.

Then Kesra had stepped off the colony ship.

The petite redhead had looked generationally displaced in the midst of colonists who all appeared to be Taikwa's age or older. The uniformity of the others only made her youth more striking, and Ashley had wondered briefly how she had come to be the only teenager in the group.

Then the girl's gaze had fixed on the four of them, and her face had lit up. "Andros!" She had bounded forward, golden highlights sparkling in her unruly auburn hair and an infectious smile on her face as she threw her arms around Ashley's boyfriend.

Andros had actually laughed, staggering a little with the force of her enthusiasm as he returned her hug. She had released him before he could speak, greeting Zhane and Kerone by name as well before turning to Ashley. "I'm sorry," she had said, a sheepish grin on her face. "I'm afraid I don't remember your name... refresh my memory?"

Ashley would never forget the moment she realized the girl thought she was Kerovan, or her own secret disappointment when she had to tell her otherwise. "That's why I don't remember you!" the girl had exclaimed, as though she had solved one of the great mysteries of the universe. And she had turned her attention back to the others as though Ashley had ceased to exist.

Ashley had tried not to take it personally. After all, the girl *hadn't* known her, and she did seem to know Andros and Zhane and Kerone. The four of them had years and years to catch up on, and she could accept that perfectly well. What had disturbed her more that first time was that no one had thought to introduce the girl to *her*, and it hadn't been until much later that she even learned the other's name.

Kesra. She couldn't help making a face at her reflection in the darkened glass. The name was small and cute and full of energy, just like its bearer. She didn't *mean* to dislike her. In fact, Ashley had gone out of her way to try to like the other girl. But the more she had seen and learned about her, the harder it had become.

Kesra had apparently grown up just down the street from Andros and Kerone. She had lived closer even than Zhane--making her quite literally, Ashley thought, the girl next door. She had admitted that she hadn't had much respect for the boys back then, but they had been classmates and neighbors up until the day Dark Spectre came. Kesra had seen Andros and Zhane become friends. She had been there when Kerone was kidnapped. And when the attack came, she had been evacuated along with everyone else on the planet, forced into hiding with little or no contact with the rest of her people.

Between the three of them, they had shared experiences in their lifetimes that Ashley could only imagine. And yet Kesra was so *cheery*... She was full of energy, with a ready smile for anyone and everyone, including Andros--*especially* Andros. There were days when Ashley thought that Kesra's sole reason for existing in the universe was to remind Ashley of what she had so blithely taken for granted.

Andros didn't see it that way, of course. How could he, when he spent all of his free time taking her on tours of the city, or the district, or whatever location she got it into her head to ask about on a given day? He said it was natural for her to want to see what KO-35 looked like now, and that he enjoyed showing her around because it gave *him* a chance to see everything, too. There was nothing Ashley could say to that, but she had to grit her teeth whenever he added, "Remember she hasn't had company her own age in two years, Ash. She really needs some friends right now."

It wasn't just friends that Kesra wanted; Ashley was fairly sure of that. The fact that Zhane saw it too worried her even more. He had come looking for her earlier tonight, saying that he and Andros were going out and that she was welcome to come.

"Just you and Andros?" she had asked.

He had shrugged a little--sheepishly, she thought. "Maybe Kerone," he had admitted. "But not... you know."

His response had troubled her, and she had asked him, rather hesitantly, what he thought of Kesra. Zhane had frowned, an expression so unusual on him that she had been taken aback. But his words had startled her even more. "I wish she'd stay away from Andros," he had told her bluntly.

She had found herself agreeing whole-heartedly with that sentiment, but her curiosity wanted an explanation. Zhane had only shrugged again and said, "Andros is ours. Yours and mine and Kerone's. All I know is that she doesn't understand him the way we do."

She still wasn't sure whether to be relieved that he understood or dismayed that she could no longer write her reaction off as paranoia. But she did know that her stomach had clenched when she and Zhane stepped out of the building and saw Kesra's red curls leaning against Andros' shoulder as he pointed out something in the distance to her. Kerone had glanced over at them and shrugged helplessly. Ashley had seen a look of irritation flash across Zhane's face, an expression she was sure had been mirrored on her own--but there had been nothing any of them could say.

The evening had proceeded to go just as miserably as she had expected after that. It was worse even than the one time she had invited herself along on one of the tours Kesra had procured, for this time there was no ostensible reason for anyone to be explaining anything. It was taken for granted that everyone knew where they were and what was expected--and the evening had only improved marginally when Zhane finally noticed her confusion and dropped back to keep her company.

She had never been so relieved to come back to a room that wasn't her own as she had been that night. She had lingered outside the door, wondering if she should wait up--Andros had offered to walk Kesra home, and as much as that dismayed her she had thought maybe she could catch him alone when he came back. They hadn't had more than a few minutes alone together since coming to KO-35, and during those few times she had been careful to avoid the subject of Kesra. Now she was afraid that that had been yet another mistake, and she had thought she might at last be able to confront him about it when he returned.

Instead, Zhane had folded his arms and leaned against the wall opposite Andros' door. "Go to sleep, Ash," he had told her. His tone had been serious in a way it usually was not. "I'll wait for him."

She had tried to protest, but he just shook his head. "It's been a long day, and you look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet. Trust me, I'm in better shape to talk to him right now."

He had been right; she hadn't even had enough energy to protest. She had just nodded, retreating without another word... but as exhausted as she still was, she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Finally she had dragged herself out of bed and come to sit in front of the window, gazing mindlessly down at the courtyard below and trying to figure out when things had started to go wrong.

The corridor was dimly lit and completely silent, save for the sound of his footsteps as he made his way through the temporary visitors' compound. He paused outside his door, tapping a simple code into the keypad set into the wall. The door slid quietly open and Andros stepped through, reaching for the lights as the closing door cut off any illumination from the hall.

Zhane's voice, emanating from the darkness, startled him. "Took you long enough."

The lights came up, dispelling the night and casting the room into sharp relief after the muted shadows of the hallway. Zhane was lying on Andros' bed, hands behind his head and eyes closed, with Andros' telekinesis ball hovering in the air above him. "It's practically morning," he added, not bothering to open his eyes. "I thought you'd gotten lost."

"She asked me to come in and have something to drink," Andros muttered, inexplicably embarrassed. His friend's voice was calm, but Zhane was radiating something distinctly... anti-calm. "I didn't want to be rude."

The telekinesis ball twisted rapidly, as though Zhane had grabbed hold of it and spun it like a top. "You didn't want to be rude," he repeated. He didn't move, didn't even turn his head. "Andros, if someone were absolutely, madly in love with you, would you want to be rude to them?"

Andros frowned, trying to figure out what Zhane was talking about. "You can't think Kesra's in *love* with me!"

Zhane opened his eyes and pushed the telekinesis ball aside impatiently as he sat up. "Why is everything about Kesra lately! Did it even cross your mind just now that I might be talking about someone *other* than her?"

Andros blinked, surprised by his friend's vehemence. "I--you mean... Ashley?" Just saying her name made him blush; somehow it seemed incredibly presumptuous to suggest that she might be "absolutely, madly" in love with him.

"Who else?" Zhane demanded. "You know, for someone you swore to me that you'd marry the night the two of you first kissed, you've really been giving her the cold shoulder lately."

"I haven't!" Andros protested. A plaintive voice in the back of his mind whispered, *She ignored me first...* He flushed again, knowing how childish that voice sounded and doing his best to ignore it.

"Yes, you have," Zhane said firmly. "She had a terrible time tonight, Andros. She always does when you're with Kesra--have you even noticed?"

"She's never said anything," Andros muttered, unable to repress a flash of guilt. He had to admit that there had been times when he wished Ashley would care, even just a little, about the amount of time he spent with Kesra. But the thought that it might have seriously upset her was abhorrent to him.

"Did you give her a chance? When was the last time you were alone with her?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it again slowly. "I don't know," he confessed at last. "I... can't remember."

"I bet she does," Zhane said, reaching out to pluck Andros' telekinesis ball out of the air. "Do you still love her?"

Andros stared at him, amazed. "Of course!" he burst out. "How can you even *ask* something like that?"

Zhane shrugged, tossing the collapsed telekinesis ball to his friend. "Maybe a more important question is, can *she* ask something like that."

Andros caught the toy instinctively, staring down at yellow spokes emanating from a red center. "I haven't told her," he admitted softly.

"Then you'd better to tell her now," Zhane informed him. "And you'll have to make it special," he added, a grin spreading across his face. It was a grin that Andros knew all too well... his friend was plotting.

Someone was shaking her. "Go away," she mumbled sleepily, pushing ineffectually at the hand on her shoulder. She tried to burrow deeper in her blankets, but they were nowhere to be found in the already-warm morning air.

"Get up before I listen to you," a familiar voice warned, and she blinked her eyes open.

Zhane was standing beside her bed, not looking at all drowsy. "What's going on?" she muttered, rolling over onto her back and scrubbing at her eyes to try and force them to cooperate. "You're up early."

"Late," he corrected. "Haven't been to bed yet, so don't try and tell me *you're* tired. Come on and get up."

"Why?" she complained, but she put her elbows behind her and pushed herself up. "What's happening?"

"Just trust me." Zhane folded his arms. "You'll be glad you did."

She ran her hands through her hair, trying to stifle a yawn. "Okay, I'm up. What's so important?"

"Get dressed," Zhane ordered. "You're going outside."

"Why am I going outside?" she wanted to know, easing her legs over the edge of the bed. "And I'm not getting dressed with you in the room!"

He rolled his eyes as though she were being deliberately difficult. "Fine. Wear something nice--just not a skirt, okay?" He ducked out of the room before she could question him further, and she wondered what could possibly have gotten into him. He was obviously up to something, and she was willing to bet it involved Andros in some way--but she wished he would just tell her.

"Wear something nice," she muttered under her breath. "That's helpful." She was briefly tempted to put on an old pair of jeans and a sweatshirt just to spite him, but if he really was planning something she had a feeling she was going to owe him.

After some hesitation, she donned jean shorts and a fitted t-shirt with sunflower designs on it. It might not be what he had in mind, but he hadn't exactly been forthcoming and she'd been wanting to wear that t-shirt for days. The yellow and green pattern was cheering in a way she needed right now. She stepped out into the hallway, not bothering to do anything with her hair but brush it.

Zhane looked up from where he was leaning against the opposite wall, in a position strangely reminiscent of last night. That reminded her to wonder what he and Andros had said to each other, but his appreciative grin gave her no room to ask. "You look great," he approved. "Let's go."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" she protested, having no choice but to follow as he strode down the hallway.

"Nope," he said cheerfully, taking the stairs two at a time. "You'll see."

He held the door for her when they reached the first floor, and she gave him a suspicious look as she stepped through. He just smiled innocently. Turning back to the courtyard, she squinted against the bright sunlight--and caught her breath when she saw Andros watching their progress. She had almost expected him to be here, but the adoring look on his face was one she hadn't seen in what seemed like forever.

"Hi," he said, sounding shy for the first time in weeks. "Sorry I made Zhane wake you up... I thought you might be, um--a little upset with me right now."

"No, of course not!" Charmed by his embarrassment, her protest was automatic no matter what she might have felt. It was a good thing he was honest, she thought, staring into his hazel eyes. With a look like that, he could get away with anything.

"Well, my work here is done," Zhane said to no one in particular. "I'm going to go crash. Kerone's going to meet Kesra when she shows up and... explain a few things."

"Thanks, Zhane," Ashley murmured, smiling when Andros shot his friend a grateful look. It occurred to her that Zhane had done it again, and she wondered when he had made it his personal mission to smooth out all problems in their relationship.

"Will you come for a ride with me?" Andros asked hesitantly, gesturing to one side. Not until then did she notice his Galaxy Glider hovering a discrete distance away, and she tried not to giggle. Only Andros would treat something so extraordinary as casually as though he was asking her to go for a walk.

She nodded, taking the hand he offered when he stepped up onto his Glider. She found herself in front, and she felt a smile creep across her face as he slid his arms around her waist. "Hold on," he whispered in her ear, shifting closer as she let her hands settle over top of his.

She couldn't help a flutter of nervousness as she felt his Glider hum to life. Normally their morphs protected them from the acceleration and inertia of a Glider ride, but this time all she had were his arms around her to keep her steady.

That proved to be enough. His Glider slid into motion smoothly, accelerating slowly enough that she could keep her balance without effort. She found herself relaxing, leaning back against Andros and letting his embrace dispel some of the awkwardness of the last week. It wasn't often that she got to enjoy a Glider ride for what it was, rather than where it would take her, and it was a wonderful feeling to be able to do it from the comfort of Andros' arms.

It was over too soon, and she was about to object to the deceleration when she realized where they were. She stared, wide-eyed, as the Glider came to a gentle halt in the park. A blanket had been spread out beneath the trees, with what was quite clearly meant to be a picnic nearby... a picnic breakfast?

"Zhane wanted me to take you out to dinner," Andros murmured, as though he knew what she was thinking. "But I couldn't wait that long."

"Zhane helped you set this up?" She didn't really have to ask, but it was the only thing she could think of to say.

"Yeah," Andros admitted sheepishly, climbing off the back of the Glider and picking up a simple bouquet from the edge of the blanket. Turning back to her, he held out his free hand to help her down. "Kind of like the prom all over again, huh?"

She had to laugh as she took his hand and stepped down. "A little," she admitted, searching his expression. "Andros..." As much as she had wanted to confront him last night, now she wasn't sure how to ask. "I know you've been--busy, lately..."

He glanced down as she trailed off, studying the flowers he still held in his hand. "These are for you," he said quickly, as though he was trying to get the words out before he lost his nerve. "But they sort of mean something, and you can't actually take them unless you agree, so..."

It was his turn to hesitate, and she couldn't quite suppress a smile at his apprehension. "So you'll have to tell me what they mean," she prompted, trying not to giggle when he gave her a chagrinned look.

"Well..." He took a deep breath, touching the petals of one of the flowers. "This one means I'm sorry I was such a jerk. And this one," he continued, touching another flower, "means that Kesra is just this girl I know, and I hope you don't think I like her even half as much as I like you."

She bit her lip, putting her hand over her mouth. He looked up and caught her eye, fingering the petals of a third flower. "This one means please forgive me," he said quietly, a heartbreakingly sincere expression on his face. "And all together..."

He swallowed, but he didn't look away. "All together they mean I love you more than anything, and I hope you believe that, because it's the truest thing I've ever said."

She wanted to stare, but she had to blink just to keep the tears in her eyes from escaping. "Oh, Andros..."

Slowly, and without a word, he held the flowers out to her.

"You can't actually take them unless you agree..." She accepted them without hesitation, searching his expression to make sure he knew she understood. His look of relief was as comical as it was endearing.

"I love you too," Ashley whispered, smiling through her tears. "More than anything."

3. Soft Candlelight

The faintest tinge of grey streaked the eastern sky, quietly announcing the dawn's imminent arrival. Not even strong enough to threaten the stars above yet, the glimmer was nonetheless a long-awaited sign that one of the most important days of her life was about to begin.

She stared out across the valley, back toward the district crouched low between the hills. Festival lights flickered gaily throughout Keyota and the surrounding meadows, fires that had burned through the night joined by the sparklers and luminescent halos of late-night revelers. Last year that had been her, dancing and celebrating with Andros and her Kerovan friends.

This year, she would be celebrating with Andros again. But this time she would be with friends she had known longer than those she had met here, and by the end of the day she would be wearing a wedding ring instead of a glowing halo.

"Wishing you were there?" a soft voice asked from behind her, and she started.

"Sorry," Andros murmured, amusement in his voice as he joined her. "Thought you heard me arrive."

She glanced over her shoulder automatically, and saw his hover settling itself gently in the matted grass of the foothills. The little solar-powered vehicles were quiet, but she should have caught the hum as it swept up the hillside. "I must have been distracted," she said, turning back to the view across the valley. She felt his arm go around her shoulders, and she leaned comfortably against him. "And no... I don't want to be anywhere but here."

"Even if we aren't supposed to be alone together until tonight?" he asked, a grin in his voice.

She shrugged a little, feeling an answering smile on her own face. "It's not our fault Zhane and Kerone are late."

They both contemplated the horizon for a few moments, watching the tinge of grey lighten almost imperceptibly toward blue as the dimmer stars began to fade from the sky. The silence was companionable, and she felt no need to fill it with words. They would say all they needed to say today, and they had been over it a dozen times before. Now she was content to simply watch the dawn creep closer in the company of the person who would be her husband before the stars came out again.

"There they are," Andros said at last, pointing toward a shimmer of violet light in the waning darkness. The glow of teleportation faded, but the illumination did not wink out entirely. A bright purple globe preceded the three individuals, casting dim shadows all around them in the predawn light.

"I can't believe this is really happening," she whispered suddenly, watching Zhane and Kerone pick their way up the hillside in their direction. She felt like she had been waiting for this forever, and now that it was finally here it felt unreal.

"Me either," Andros agreed, hugging her. "But it must be..."

He trailed off, tilting his head to one side, and she gave him a curious look. He pointed upward without a word, and she looked up in time to see a flicker of light falling toward the planet. The distant thrum of engines was audible to her a second later as an ambassadorial shuttle much like the one Andros flew shot across the sky, heading for the Keyota district. The sunburst pattern on the side caught the light just before the ship dropped below the terminator into twilight.

She felt laughter bubble up inside of her as the little ship disappeared into the valley, lost in the hover traffic of the district's festival celebration. "They always have to make an entrance."

"One of them planned that approach vector," Andros agreed, sounding as amused as she felt. "They wanted to make sure we saw them."

She lifted her hand when Zhane waved, calling hello as Andros' sister and his best friend approached. "You're breaking tradition!" Zhane shouted, letting Kerone help him over one of the exposed rocks.

"And you're late!" Andros shouted back, not relinquishing his hold on Ashley. "I was on time for your wedding!"

"Yeah, well you didn't have a baby to feed!" Zhane retorted good-naturedly, bouncing the little girl higher in his arms. "You babysit, and we'll be on time!"

"No deal," Ashley murmured, careful to keep her voice low enough for only Andros to hear as their friends came closer. She wasn't sure exactly how much of her mother's sorceress ability Zeri had inherited, but she was positive there would turn out to be some in the girl, and in Ashley's opinion *any* was too much on her wedding day.

She felt Andros stifle a chuckle. "Agreed," he said softly. "Make sure we have normal children, okay?"

She elbowed him for that remark on principle, even if she knew he was only kidding. They had taken care of Zeri often enough to know that no matter how cagey and mischievous she could be, she was equally adorable and surprisingly even-tempered. But "normal" was a word that would never apply to any of the Astro Rangers, let alone their children.

"Hey, Ash," Zhane greeted her, as they came near enough to speak without shouting. He gave her a half-hug, drowsy baby in one arm and her in the other, and she couldn't help laughing.

"Happy wedding day," Kerone added with a smile, hugging her brother first and then trading with Zhane to hug Ashley too. Ashley saw the globe that had been lighting their way fade out of the corner of her eye as Kerone let her go. "Sorry we're late."

"It's all right," Andros assured her, releasing Zhane and grinning at Ashley. "Ashley's made me break enough traditions already that one more doesn't really matter."

"Combining," Ashley corrected firmly. "We're combining traditions; that's called sharing. It's no wonder you had trouble in kindergarden."

"Hear that?" Zhane asked, apparently addressing baby Zeri. "That's called bickering. And when you're old enough, Aunt Ashley and Uncle Andros will teach you how to do it too. Maybe on *your* wedding day."

"I don't see why she can't just learn from you, Zhane," Kerone remarked, swinging her backpack off her shoulder and letting it settle on the ground.

Ashley giggled at Zhane's chagrinned look. "May I?" she asked, holding out her arms for Zeri.

"That will be Cassie and Saryn," Kerone said, glancing out over the valley.

"Where?" Ashley asked, not daring to look up as Zhane settled a now-sleeping Zeri into her arms.

"You saw them come in too, huh?" Andros' question overlapped with hers

"They were hard to miss," Zhane said, stroking Zeri's pale blond curls as she snuggled contentedly against Ashley. "Unlike you, he can never resist the chance to show off that fancy shuttle."

"Teleporting," Kerone answered Ashley. "They're about a hundred meters down the hill from here."

"They probably don't want to walk far with the twins," Andros said, raising his hand to wave and ignoring--rather pointedly, Ashley thought--his friend's comment about shuttles.

"I can't understand that," Zhane put in dryly. "So where's everyone else? I'm starving!"

Ashley lifted her eyes from the child in her arms to glance toward the horizon. The night was fading to blue, and the stars had almost all gone out. The sun would be up soon, and they were still missing half their party. "I'm sure they're on their way."

The entire hall had been turned into a temporary hostel for offplanet visitors during the festival. Sleeping was not a large part of the three-day celebration, but not many people could make it through seventy-plus hours without it. Most of the exhausted could be found sprawled in various positions across the floor, except for those few prescient souls who had thought to bring a cot or hammock.

TJ was not one of the prescient souls. On the other hand, he was lying on a sleeping bag, and that seemed to be a major step up from the bare floor. In his slightly less than half-awake state, he considered the muffled giggling which had apparently woken him. It seemed odd that giggling could possibly have dragged him out of a sound sleep when all around him people had been coming and going, having conversations, and playing with noisemakers all night.

It could be the fact that the giggling, now silenced, had been coming from right beside him. Or the fact that the quiet laughter had been a distinctly alien. There was a time, years ago, when it would have been laughter first and alien second. But he had been offplanet too infrequently of late for the sound not to startle him.

He squinted up toward the ceiling, watching it slide slowly into focus. It took him a moment to place the view, but he did eventually rouse his mind enough to remember the day before and some of the overnight in the converted hall. KO-35... He hadn't been here since Zhane and Kerone's wedding.

Then he heard the giggler whisper to someone else, in an accent that was no longer as familiar as it had once been. Nonetheless, in context he placed it immediately, and he rolled his eyes. "I'd tell you guys to get a room," he mumbled, still groggy, "but I know it wouldn't do any good."

"Good morning to you too," Carlos' voice replied, sounding suspiciously unclouded by sleep. "We didn't think you were ever going to wake up."

"It's the middle of the night on Earth," he grumbled, sliding his right arm out from under the jacket he was using as a pillow. He blinked at his watch, but it was still set to California time, and he no longer remembered exactly what the time difference was.

"It's the middle of the night here too," Carlos informed him. "But since we're supposed to be there at sunrise, do you think you could be more specific?"

He grumbled some more, but he did remember that Carlos had given up wearing a watch shortly after he had settled on Aquitar. The Aquitians were apparently more attuned to the rhythms of their planet than TJ was to his, and with Aura to depend on Carlos claimed he had gotten out of the habit.

TJ reached across his girlfriend's sleeping form, gently tugging her left wrist out from under the edge of their combined sleeping bags. The silvery hands, set as close to Keyota time as she could make them, glinted up at him in the dim light. "Is 'late' specific enough?" he inquired.

"What?" Carlos' surprised exclamation drew a few murmured complaints from the other sleepers around them.

"We are not late," Aura interjected at last, sounding just calm enough to be smug. "It is not yet ten in the Ranger dome on Aquitar, which means another two quarters until sunrise in Keyota."

TJ cleared his throat, trying not to smile at having one up on the girl who could do calculus in her head. "Aura? You know where they're having the ceremony, right?"

There was a rustle as someone shifted, and he heard Carlos murmur, "Those hills just to the west as we came in."

"Hills," TJ agreed. "Elevation?"

"Oh," Aura said. A moment later, she admitted, "I did not take that into account."

"Tess?" TJ didn't bother to gloat; he didn't have time. "Tess, wake up," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her shoulder. "Time to get going."

He heard Carlos and Aura stirring behind him, but he was focused on Tessa's bright green gaze as her eyes fluttered open. She smiled sleepily up at him and he had to smile back, but he warned, "We're going to be seriously late if we don't get a move on."

"Why does that sound familiar?" she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut and stretching her arms above her head. "You know, vacation is supposed to mean that you *don't* have to say that every morning."

"You shouldn't have taken that lab job this summer," he teased. "I'm not the one who has to be at work at seven-thirty every day."

She made a face. "You're right. We need a vacation from vacation."

"That's why you're here," Carlos interrupted. "So let's go."

Tessa sighed. "I'm not sure, but I think there might be something wrong with the world."

"With the universe," TJ corrected, pushing himself into a sitting position. "Any culture that believes in being at weddings for sunrise has a few issues."

"Stop complaining and move," Carlos suggested.

"They're here!" Zhane crowed. "We can finally eat!"

Andros rolled his eyes, amused. His friend would never grow up. Some things, like the wind and the stars and Zhane would just never change. *And what would I do if they did?*

"With a minute and a half to spare," Ashley murmured for his ears only, as a second hover parked itself beside Andros' and spilled the rest of their friends out onto the grass. "I was sure they were going to sleep in."

"They might have," he agreed quietly, smiling. "It's a good thing we have Aura to keep them in line."

She grinned back at him, and he clasped her hand briefly before they went their separate ways to get breakfast for their friends. "I love you," Andros whispered.

"I love you too," she murmured. She squeezed his hand and nodded toward the horizon, where the edge of the sun was just peeking above the foothills on the other side of Keyota. "Happy wedding day, Andros."

Their wedding day was very much like Zhane's and Kerone's, Carlos decided. From sunrise to sunset, surrounded by their closest friends and not allowed to be alone together until nightfall. Family members--Kerone and Andros had been each other's only mutual exception--didn't seem to be allowed at Kerovan weddings, and he wondered wryly if KO-35 too had a "Romeo and Juliet" story.

On the plus side, the "no family" rule had gone a long way toward keeping this wedding private, and he knew that had been a priority. It was the reason for having the wedding during KO-35's solstice festival, when all the Astro Rangers could both arrive inconspicuously and slip away from the celebration unnoticed. It was also the reason for having it so far from the district, as Zhane's and Kerone's had been more than a year ago. Andros and Ashley would be married before Keyota knew it had happened, let alone the interstellar media.

At least, they would be married if the garlands ever got done. As far as he could tell, spending the day making garlands for the ceremony was part of the custom, no matter how terrible one was at the activity. After his own handfasting to Aura, though, he had found himself unable to complain about other culture's odd customs. KO-35 had nothing on Aquitar when it came to strange traditions.

"You'd think I'd have gotten better at this after the first time," Cassie complained, echoing his thoughts. "Is there a class you can take in flower weaving or something?"

"Hey," Ashley said, as she lay on her back and stared up at the clear blue sky. "At least yours don't have thorns."

"Roses were your idea," Andros reminded her, holding one of the garland flowers above her face teasingly. "I seem to remember suggesting laisas."

"I want roses," Ashley insisted, pushing the flower away.

Andros just laughed, picking up one of the roses lying near her half-finished circlet. He reached out and tapped her nose with it, and she sniffed appreciatively. "That's the real thing," she agreed, pleased.

"Fletcher!" Cassie dropped the garland she had been struggling with and reached out to catch her son's hand before he could snatch up one of the roses. "Those are prickly," she told him, scooping him up into her lap. "They'll hurt your fingers."

The auburn-haired twin stared up at her with wide eyes, sticking his fingers in his mouth as though to protect them. Carlos couldn't help smiling as Cassie hugged the boy close, glancing over at Aura as he did so. He knew how much she wanted a child of their own someday--Billy had assured them that it wasn't impossible, but they were still working on the genetics.

"You couldn't have gotten roses without thorns?" Cassie was asking.

Ashley shrugged, still playing with the rose Andros had given her. "I'm philosophically opposed to thornless roses," she replied absently.

"Since when?" TJ wanted to know, looking up from the garland he and Tessa were working on.

"Since a while ago," Ashley answered.

"Hey!" Zhane's startled exclamation prevented her from having to elaborate. Carlos glanced over at him and blinked. Zeri was balanced rather wobbly on her feet, one small hand grasping Zhane's knee as she grabbed for an amorphous and insubstantial glitter of purple hovering in the air. Kerone lay on her stomach beside the pair, her head on her arms and an unfinished garland in front of her. Her eyes were closed.

Zhane reached for the violet shimmer as Zeri missed, collapsing into his lap as her precarious balance was lost. Instead of dissipating, the glow flared at Zhane's touch and then vanished altogether. He rubbed his eyes, looking from Zeri to Kerone with a look of amused exasperation on his face. "She obviously gets that from her mother."

"I've never seen her do that before." Andros was staring at them in surprise.

"That's because she hasn't," Zhane said, picking his daughter up and setting her back in the grass between him and Kerone. "We weren't sure Astrea's magic *could* be inherited, but I guess that ends that discussion."

"And I thought ours were trouble," Cassie said, giving Saryn a wry look.

He smiled, but didn't answer. Carlos had to wonder again exactly what those twins were capable of, since the moment had never seemed quite right to ask. They saw so little of each other these days that it was hard to find moments that *were* right, and between Saryn's reluctance and Cassie's protectiveness it didn't seem wise to pick one of the wrong moments.

Of course, Zhane had never been that inhibited. "Are the twins empathic?" he asked curiously.

Saryn's head came up at that, his smile gone, but Cassie just shrugged. "Yes," she admitted. "You must have noticed that they don't talk much."

"Aloud," Saryn amended quietly. "We would prefer that this not become public," he added, something uninterpretable in his tone.

Zhane looked affronted. "So much for my plans to call IN as soon as we get home. Come on, Saryn, none of us would let something like that get out. I just wondered, and I couldn't remember either of you saying anything one way or the other."

With good reason, Carlos suspected. He knew Saryn's empathy would bar him from his chosen career on his own planet if knowledge of it ever got out, and the more Carlos understood about the situation the less fair it seemed. Aura would say that life was about growth, not fairness, but he couldn't help wondering what growth came from hiding all the time.

"You know we trust everyone here," Cassie said quickly, smiling. "And Carynn and Fletcher wouldn't be in any danger, not from Elisia. It's just that Saryn's technically breaking the law..."

The two-year-old playing on the far side of Saryn made a sound, hauling herself onto her feet and padding closer to him in the grass. The dark-haired twin collapsed on the ground next to him, staring up at him with oddly bright blue eyes.

Saryn smiled, and Cassie laughed. The two of them exchanged glances, and then Cassie smiled fondly at their daughter. "Yes," she agreed, tightening her arms around Fletcher. "Special."

Carlos' eyebrows went up, and he caught Aura's eye. *Did she talk?*

*Not that I could hear,* Aura answered silently.

Ashley rolled over onto her stomach and studied them. "You said they don't talk aloud--do they talk with their minds? Do you mind me asking?"

Cassie shook her head, but it was Saryn who answered. "I do not mind. They do not speak nonverbally, but it seems they can project emotions as well as receive them."

"That's not really uncommon for empaths," Cassie put in. "At least, not on Elisia."

"No," Saryn agreed. "And it allows them to convey relatively complex impressions to us--and to each other, we assume. As Cassie just observed, 'special'. That was the gist of the impression Carynn projected."

"Say it aloud," Cassie coaxed Carynn. "Special."

Carynn very clearly refused, shaking her head and resting her cheek on Saryn's knee. She blinked at Cassie, but she made no sound.

Cassie only glanced at her watch and shook her head. "Naptime," she said ruefully, managing to dislodge Fletcher from her lap and passing him to Saryn. "They're all yours."

Carlos didn't miss Saryn's instinctively wary glance around the circle before he seemed to remember where he was. He dropped a hand to each child's head and smiled a little. Fletcher squirmed into a more comfortable position in the grass, and slowly, each twin's eyes slid shut.

"Oh, now *that's* a good trick," Kerone commented. "I wonder if you could teach me to do that."

"How long have you been awake?" Zhane demanded.

"I wasn't asleep." She studied the twins carefully, her chin propped on her fists in the same gesture that Zhane was wont to use when he was thinking. "I wish I could put Zeri to sleep just by thinking at her."

"You've done that before," Zhane said, looking puzzled. "You've done that to *me* before, never mind Zeri," he added wryly.

"But that was magic." She seemed to remember the garland in front of her, and she rolled over and sat up in one fluid motion. "It's not the same."

Carlos felt a tug on the garland he was working on, and he looked down to find the child in question playing with the other end. "Want to help?" he asked, grinning. "You could probably do a better job than I am."

Zeri's hazel eyes lifted at the sound of his voice, but the question failed to hold her attention. Instead she batted at the garland again, making a sound that was somewhere between a purr and a question, and he grinned. He took the end of the garland from her and draped it around her neck, like a very lopsided lei.

Ashley laughed as Zeri froze, holding completely still for a moment as she considered the flowers. "She's a little short to hold them up for us, I think."

"Maybe she could throw flower petals," Cassie suggested. Carlos couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "Your very own flower girl."

"She'd be as likely to throw them at you as at Ashley," Zhane interjected dryly. "If she didn't decide that she'd rather keep them for herself."

Zeri turned, trying to take the end of the garland with her as she crawled away. Carlos chuckled, reaching out to disentangle the flowers from her shoulders. "Sorry," he told her. "It's not finished yet. Why don't you go steal Andros'?"

Zeri's face scrunched up into a childish expression of distaste when he wouldn't let her keep the flowers, and she made a noise of protest. She turned toward Aura instead, heading determinedly for the next nearest garland. Aura deftly lifted hers out of the way just as Zeri reached for it, and the girl ended up knocking over Aura's water bottle instead.

"Oh, hey," Carlos said, realizing it was empty. "Let me get you some more water."

Aura caught Zeri gently under the arms and before she could go for the flowers again, smiling up at him in thanks. Zeri, though, complained immediately, and Aura turned her attention back to the girl on her lap. "If you are good," she said solemnly, "I will make you your own garland."

Zeri stared at her with wide eyes, probably entranced by Aura's accent as much as anything. She certainly didn't understand the words, but she seemed willing to sit still as Aura picked up a few of the loose laisas and twined them into a short, flowery necklace. Zeri crowed in delight when Aura settled the laisa chain over her head, and Carlos laughed as he grabbed another water bottle out of the hover and brought it over to her.

"That's very becoming," he told Zeri, but she paid no attention. Scrambling out of Aura's lap, she crawled over to Zhane to show off her new accessory.

Zhane just shook his head at her. "Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled," he declared fondly. "Go show your mom."

Zeri must have understood "mom", for she turned her hazel gaze on Kerone as soon as Zhane said the word. Kerone smiled at her and held out her left hand, producing a translucent violet bubble that bobbed invitingly in the air. Zeri grabbed for it as soon as it appeared, and though her fingers passed right through it, the bubble did seem to move when she batted at it. Then it bounced higher again, and Zeri lunged after it.

*Like playing with a cat,* Carlos thought, amused, as Kerone scooted the bubble of light around in the air in front of her daughter.

He heard Aura sigh, almost inaudibly, beside him. Without having to look he reached over and found her hand, squeezing her fingers gently. *Not that different,* he told her, repeating what Billy had said to them. *One of these days, Aura; I promise.*

"Smile!"

Andros laughed. "I thought you said you take pictures afterwards at Earth weddings."

"You're too cute to wait," Ashley teased. She sidestepped Carynn as the girl ventured farther from her father and her twin in the long grass, and she readjusted the recorder. "Now shut up and smile!"

Andros grinned at her, and the little light on her recorder flashed as it captured a 2D representation of him. Nearby, his best friend was soothing a cranky daughter while Andros' sister helped Cassie mark out an area in the grass. Aura and Carlos followed, planting thin poles in the ground behind them while Tessa tried to remember how to string the garlands.

"Come on Tess," Andros heard TJ say. "You can't figure out a few flowers? You're the one getting a degree next year."

"In astrophysics!" she retorted playfully. "Not horticulture!"

"Smile," Ashley declared, turning the recorder on them before they could stop arguing, and Andros laughed again.

"Give me that," Cassie said, her tone amused. She left Kerone with Carlos and Aura and snatched the device from Ashley's grasp. "You're a menace--go stand with Andros."

Ashley skipped over to him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Happy wedding day, Ash," he whispered, kissing her gently. He felt her smile against his lips, and there was a quiet click as Cassie triggered the recorder.

Wedding dresses weren't part of a typical Kerovan marriage ceremony, but they had been one of two things that Ashley absolutely insisted on. The other had been the arrangement of the hanging garlands--where Kerone and Zhane had hung theirs on the wedding poles in a traditional circle, Ashley had informed Andros that she wasn't getting married without walking down the aisle. So the garlands were arranged in a keyhole shape, with an "aisle" that opened into a circle at the end.

"Do I look okay?" Ashley asked, smoothing the waist of her sleeveless white dress. "I feel like I'm getting grass stains on my skirt every time I move."

Cassie laughed. "You're only going to wear it once; it doesn't matter how dirty it gets!"

Ashley did not look appeased, and Cassie shook her head in fond amusement. "Ash, you look fabulous. You're not getting grass stains on your skirt, the waist is perfectly smooth, and your hair looks great."

Ashley's eyes widened at the mention of her hair. "My halo!"

Cassie held out the rose circlet, trying not to giggle. Her friend had been living on KO-35 for far too long if she could say that with a straight face. "Hold still," she warned, lifting the circlet and settling it gently on her friend's head. The Kerovan sun had lightened Ashley's hair to the point where she looked almost native, and the yellow roses nestled against brown-streaked gold hair.

Ashley reached up to adjust the roses automatically, and Cassie caught her hands. "It looks perfect," she said firmly. "Don't touch it."

Her friend squeezed her fingers but made no move to disobey. "Cassie," she whispered, swallowing hard. "Why am I so *nervous*?"

"Because you're about to tell the love of your life that part of you would die without him," Cassie answered. She didn't have to think about it--she'd turned that question over in her mind a million times or more when Saryn had hesitantly offered her a ring. By the customs of Elisia they were already bonded for more than life, so it had surprised her--almost to tears--when he tried to follow Earth custom as she had followed Elisia's.

She had lain awake long into the night, and she knew he had too, listening without speaking while she wondered at her own reaction. Now she could tell Ashley, "You're admitting that you've given up control of part of yourself to someone else, and that's scary. It's hard to realize you depend on someone else that much... but it's wonderful too."

Ashley stared at her, rather strangely, for several moments. "Yeah," she said at last, her tone soft. "I think that's it. You thought about that a lot, huh?"

Cassie held up her left hand without a word, the thin gold band on her third finger glittering in the fading afternoon sunlight. Her friend smiled. "Yeah, I guess you would have... Thanks."

"There are places you can't go alone," Cassie said quietly. "You're a different person than you were before you loved Andros--but would you want to go back?"

Ashley's eyes sparkled. "No," she said fervently. "I love him."

"Yeah," Cassie agreed. "But if you're this nervous," she added, trying not to giggle, "just think what he's going through."

Ashley didn't bother to stifle her giggles. "What a horrible thought! I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Good," Cassie said with a smile. "I'll go get my guitar--are you ready?"

Ashley nodded quickly, letting go of her hands at last. "Yeah," she said, taking another deep breath. This one was clearly meant to calm her giggles, rather than her nervousness. "I'm ready."

Andros, strangely, looked calmer than Ashley seemed. He stood silently beside Zhane, waiting for the girls to be ready with a relaxed look that had become his norm of late. Though it seemed long ago now, she could remember a day when he had been more reserved than Saryn. Time and trust had melted some of the stiffness from his countenance, and the love he shared with Ashley had changed both of them for the better.

She strummed the opening chords of "Here Comes the Bride" as soon as Ashley appeared, and she saw Andros' face light up. She smiled to herself, letting her gaze slide over Andros and across the semi-circle of friends gathered around him and Zhane. Carynn and Fletcher were behaving beautifully, each twin clutching one of Saryn's hands while the traditional wedding music of their mother's home filled the air. Saryn caught her eye when she looked up again, smiling at her, and she smiled back.

As the last few chords faded into quiet, the semi-circle shifted to surround the radiant couple. Cassie put her guitar down and went to join them, stepping into the circle to echo Zhane's position on the other side of Andros and Ashley. He quirked his lips to acknowledge her, but it was Ashley who spoke.

"We're here today," she said, her voice quiet but strong, "because I've asked Andros to marry me."

"And we're here," Andros added, picking up where she left off without hesitation, "because I agreed when Ashley asked. Ashley is more than my love; she's a part of my soul that I never want to give up."

Ashley didn't take her eyes off of him as she replied, "And Andros is a part of my heart that I can't even imagine being without. We've invited you, our closest friends, to witness our wedding."

"We hope that you understand the strength of our love," Andros continued, "and that you all know something like it." There was the hint of a smile on his face as he said those words, for he knew perfectly well that all of them did.

She felt Saryn's gentle caress in her mind as Andros and Ashley paused, glancing around to include everyone in the circle. "Thanks, you guys," Ashley said quietly. "Not just for coming, today, but for being the best friends either of us has ever had."

"Thank you," Andros added. "For giving me Ashley... and for teaching me how to love her."

She saw Ashley swallow at that, and her friend's hand wasn't quite steady when she held it out to Cassie. She put Andros' ring into Ashley's hand, tapping her friend's fingers gently and smiling warmly at her. Ashley returned the smile, clenching her hand tightly around the ring as Zhane handed hers to Andros.

"Andros," Ashley began, as they turned back to each other. She hesitated a moment, but the brief silence only served to emphasize her words. "I've cared about you since the day we met. You felt so much and shared so little--I wanted to understand you, to find out what made you like that. But as I got to know you, your hurt and your happiness, your past and what drove you toward the future, I found that that wasn't enough. I realized that I didn't just care about you for you; I cared about you for me, too... and that was when I knew I loved you.

"You saved me more times than I can remember," she said. Her eyes were bright with memories and maybe tears, but her voice was steady. "You kept our entire team alive with your experience and your determination. But more than that, you were there whenever I needed you. Planetary Ranger or not, you took me seriously those first few days on the Megaship, and you stayed up with me that summer when the nightmares of the Psychos kept me from sleeping.

"You came back with us to Earth after Zordon's energy wave, and you yelled at that reporter for me after graduation..." She trailed off, biting her lip as a smile warred with the brightness in her eyes. "You even helped me apply to colleges, and I know how much you hated that idea. But you never told me not to, and you never tried to pressure me into coming here instead."

She took a deep breath before she added, "I'm glad you didn't, because then I might not have come, and the last two years have been wonderful. Because of you I've found something I love doing, and the best thing about it is that I can do it with you. I may not know what the future will bring, but I know that I never want that part to change."

Ashley reached for his left hand with her right, clasping his fingers loosely in her own. "Andros... you opened up the universe to me, but you'll never give me anything more important than your love. So for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, I promise to love you and to stand by you, and to never ask any more or less than the same of you." She slid the ring onto his finger, repeating more quietly, "I'll love you always, Andros."

Andros turned his hand over, catching her fingers before she could pull away. Ashley didn't move and he just stood there for a moment, gazing at her. Cassie thought at first that he was savoring the moment, but when he took an unsteady breath before speaking she realized that he was struggling to compose himself too. She tried to suppress a smile, for she knew that reaction all too well. They were declaring their love for all time, and here they were, both of them trying not to let tears get the best of them.

"Ashley," Andros said softly, squeezing her fingers as he finally started to speak. "You say I saved you, and maybe I did once or twice, but I never would have been able to if you hadn't saved me first. You met me when I didn't care about anyone or anything, and you made me open my eyes and my heart again. You were the hope I'd given up on, and when you laughed I remembered what happiness sounded like.

"At first I tried to tell myself that your optimism was silly, impractical. But I found myself listening to it anyway... at first because I wanted to believe in you, and then, finally, because I did start to believe. Where I saw only the dark of night in deep space, you saw the brilliance of the stars, and I began to realize how much I was missing.

"You've always done that for me," he continued, his gaze flickering to their joined hands and then back up to her face. "You've shown me what I don't see. You showed me that there's always something worth living for, no matter how hopeless things seem. Everyday I remind myself to appreciate what I have, because everything can change in a moment... You showed me that, too.

"The moment I met you, it all changed. The moment I realized I had to protect you, and couldn't... that was when I knew I loved you, but I was too scared to tell you. The moment you disappeared into the Megaship after Zordon's energy wave and I was still standing outside--when the door closed, I knew I could never be whole without you. I didn't know what we were going to do the day you told me you got accepted to UCLA... until the next day when you told me you weren't going.

"The only thing I know about the future," Andros added quietly, "is that there will be a lot more moments like those. But in the past, love has been enough to get us through, and I can't believe that will ever change. I'm honored to be the person you want to call your partner for life, and I promise to love you and to stand by you. I don't ask anything more or less than that of you..."

He reached for her other hand, sliding the ring onto her third finger. "I'll always love you, Ashley Hammond," he told her, lifting his gaze to search her expression.

A single tear had spilled down Ashley's cheek, but she paid it no mind as she threw her arms around him. "I love you too," she whispered, hugging him hard as he put his arms around her and returned the embrace.

Cassie brought her hands together, unable to resist clapping for the two of them. She laughed when Carlos and Tessa echoed her, and then again when TJ announced, "Time for some real pictures! Cassie, where did you put that camera thing?"

"Congratulations, guys," Carlos added, as Cassie pointed the recorder out to TJ.

"Congratulations," Zhane agreed, waiting for them to separate so he could give his friend a hug.

"I can't believe I have to wait until sunset to kiss you," Ashley complained. She let Andros go with a good-natured sigh, and Cassie stepped forward to hug her friend affectionately.

"Congratulations," she said aloud, and then, more quietly, "That was really beautiful, you know."

"Yeah," Ashley murmured, hugging her in return. "I know." Then she giggled a little, admitting, "It should be; we worked on it forever."

"All right, everyone get close together," TJ ordered, turning the recorder over in his hands.

"Do you even know how to use that?" Tessa inquired, standing beside Aura as they all obediently gathered closer. Andros put his arm around Ashley's shoulders and she lifted her left hand to weave her fingers through his, their identical wedding bands glinting in the evening light.

"Of course I do," TJ said, sounding affronted. "Just give me a minute."

"A short minute, I hope," Zhane put in. "I'm starving!"

"As you have been all day," Saryn reminded him. "As this is nothing new, I see no reason for TJ to hurry."

"Hey!"

From her place between Kerone and Saryn, Cassie saw Ashley turn her head to smile at Andros. He grinned back, but he placed one finger over her lips ruefully. "Sorry," he apologized. "I can't concentrate when you look at me like that, and it's bad luck to kiss the bride before the sun goes down."

"Why is that?" Aura wondered aloud. "What a strange superstition."

"Oh, like you should talk," Carlos retorted.

"Everyone smile," TJ declared, and the recorder clicked open.

The last sliver of fiery light slipped below the horizon, and the air darkened almost imperceptibly. Andros glanced over his shoulder, scanning the pale blue of the western sky before turning back to her with a grin. "I think we're safe."

She smiled, leaning closer without a word. She saw him close his eyes, and then his gentle kiss was soft on her mouth. She let her own eyes slide shut, savoring a kiss she had been denied since the night before. It had only been for a day, but she had been surprised by how much she missed it.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Carlos put in helpfully, and Ashley giggled, lowering her head.

"Thanks, Carlos," Andros said, his tone amused. He lifted the roses from her head with a smile, running his fingers through her hair to smooth it out. "Tess, I think these are yours."

"It's only fair," Ashley agreed, reaching up to take the halo from him. She had gotten Kerone's last year. "You're the closest to single."

"Other than Carynn and Zeri," TJ said with a grin, as she passed the roses to his fiancée.

Carynn looked up at the sound of her name, and Zhane leaned over his own child to tousle her hair affectionately. "Maybe next time, kid."

Carynn ducked her head, scrunching her face at him. Then she turned her frown on Saryn, but he shook his head. "Tell him," he insisted gently, pointing at Zhane.

Zhane's eyes widened as the girl looked back at him, and Saryn sighed. "No, Carynn. Aloud."

Carynn pouted, but she opened her mouth and spoke clearly for the first time all day. "Ca-*rynn*," she pronounced, staring at Zhane determinedly.

Ashley gave Andros a puzzled look, but he just nodded toward Zhane.

"Right," Zhane agreed, not at all condescendingly. "Maybe next time, *Carynn*."

Her mission accomplished, Carynn seemed to lose interest in Zhane, but Saryn shot him a grateful look. Zhane just winked at him, and Ashley smiled to herself. Zhane was better with children than she would have imagined... as opposite as he and Kerone were, they made wonderful parents. She hoped it would be the same way for her and Andros.

She felt Andros' hand touch her shoulder, as though he knew what she was thinking, and she turned to smile at him. She heard Cassie say something about the twins' bedtime, and she knew Kerone was getting out the candles, but she wished this day didn't have to end. It had been so perfect, having all of them together again and saying "always" to Andros for everyone to hear...

Andros put his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against him. She watched Tessa laughing at TJ as he stole her rose halo and placed it, rather comically, on his own head. She saw Aura help Carlos to his feet, and the two of them began to gather the remains of dinner back into the basket from which it had come.

Closer by, Cassie scooped Fletcher up into her arms while Saryn snapped a couple of colored glowsticks, passing one each to Cassie and Carynn. Carynn waved the red one wildly in the air, and Cassie gave the blue one to Fletcher. Zhane broke another one for Zeri, shaking it until it glowed before handing it over to her.

Then Kerone was coming around with candles for the rest of them, purple sparkles weaving around her fingers as she passed them out. It took Ashley a moment to realize that she was coloring the white candles magically, matching them to each Ranger's color. "Thank you," Ashley murmured, as Kerone turned over her gold candle with a smile.

"You're welcome," Kerone answered gently. "Sister."

Ashley felt tears sting her eyes, and she swallowed hard. She couldn't talk without her voice wavering, but she gave Kerone a fierce hug and the other girl seemed to understand. Violet sparkles made another candle bright crimson as she turned to Ashley's husband, and Andros hugged his sister too. He whispered something Ashley didn't hear before he let her go, but whatever it was, it made Kerone smile.

As she passed out the rest of the candles, Ashley reluctantly accepted Andros' sparker. "You know this means it's almost over," she murmured, too quietly for the others to hear. Though the candles had been postponed to allow for the Earth tradition of food and dancing after the vows, the last ceremony of their wedding day was finally at hand.

"No," Andros said, surprising her. "I know this means it's just beginning."

She smiled a little at that, feeling her heart lighten. "Yeah," she agreed slowly. "I guess it really is." She rested the wick of her candle against his and lit the sparker, holding the flame under the wicks until they both started to burn.

He caught her eye above the flame and smiled at her, and then they each took a step back, turning to face their friends. She held out her candle, lighting Saryn's with her own and watching him touch the wick of his candle to Cassie's. On her other side Andros lit TJ's candle, and the flame traveled around the circle in either direction until every candle cast faint, flickering shadows in the rapidly fading light.

Zhane's candle had been lit last, so he spoke first. "I wish you both happiness," he said, his voice solemn as the first stars began to twinkle above them.

"I wish you love," Kerone added. She held Zeri in one arm, raising the candle in her free hand. Zeri put the end of her glowstick in her mouth, sucking contentedly on it and paying no attention to the people around her.

Fletcher was too big to hold that way for long, and Cassie had set him down as soon as Kerone handed her a candle. She held his hand now, candle in her other hand and a smile on her face as she told them, "I wish you freedom."

"I wish you peace," Saryn offered, Carynn's hand clutching his.

From beside him, the little girl with the red glowstick echoed, "Peace," and Ashley's smile widened. She heard some of the others chuckle, and then it was TJ's turn.

"I wish you fun," TJ told them, a grin in his voice, and this time Ashley laughed too.

"I wish you truth," Tessa said, when they had all quieted down again. TJ held out his candle and tapped it against hers, as though they were wineglasses and she had made a toast.

Aura tilted her head slightly, her loose dark hair shifting a little in the breeze that had sprung up. "I wish you courage."

"And I wish you honor," Carlos said, completing the circle. Ashley tried to suppress her smile, tempted to tell him that he had known Aura too long.

"Thank you," Andros said quietly. "Thanks for being here today, all of you. And thanks for being our friends for so long."

"Thanks for your good wishes," Ashley added impulsively. "Thanks for coming, and... for being so great."

Saryn and TJ took a step back and the others followed, circling around behind the newlywed couple and putting their candles out as soon as they were out of sight. Ashley lowered her gaze, listening to their footsteps in the grass. She knew the night was for her and Andros now, and by custom the others would respect that, but she was glad no one was leaving KO-35 until tomorrow evening. One day didn't seem like nearly enough time to catch up on everything that had happened.

"Hey," Andros murmured. He switched his still-lit candle from one hand to the other and slid his arm around her again. "I can't tell if you're happy or sad."

She sniffed a little, smiling as she realized she was crying again. "Happy," she whispered, turning to look at him. "Very happy."

"But you miss them all," he said quietly, not deceived by her smile. "I know, because I do too."

She sighed, feeling another tear slip down her cheek. She could hear the muted voices of their old friends, talking and laughing and joking with each other as though they were never apart. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the flash of one of the kids' glowsticks, and it was a bittersweet reminder of how much things had changed over the last few years. "Yeah," she admitted softly. "I do miss them."

Andros took her candle gently from her hand and blew them both out, setting them down in the grass. Then he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her and holding her safe and warm against the melancholy that threatened at the edge of her thoughts.

"We're still a family, Ash," he whispered after a moment. "Just because we don't see each other as much as we'd like doesn't change that. You could ask any of them and they'd tell you the same thing."

"I know," she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut. "And they'd be right. You're right. We all have our own lives. It's just--" She tried to smile, though she knew he couldn't see her. "I liked it when our lives brought us together instead of keeping us apart."

She had meant it to be a joke, but her voice cracked on the last word and he hugged her harder. "Shh," Andros whispered. "Just because we don't all live on the Megaship anymore doesn't mean we're being kept apart."

"I know," she repeated, swallowing. She blinked rapidly, trying to dry her eyes. "I'm sorry... I can't believe I'm crying on our wedding night."

"Don't be sorry," he said softly. "I just want you to be happy."

She sniffed, but this time her smile was genuine. "I am happy, Andros," she whispered. "Honestly. Just being with you makes me happy."

He was silent a moment, and then he murmured, "I've known you a long time, Ash." There was a smile in his voice as he added, "And if this is you happy, then I've never seen you sad."

She couldn't help giggling at that. She buried her face in his shoulder and hugged him harder for a moment, then she pulled back enough to catch his eye. "I am happy," she repeated, smiling at him. "How could I not be? I'm married to the most wonderful person in the universe."

"No, you're not," he told her, kissing her gently. His eyes twinkled at her in the twilight, and his gaze was warm as he smiled back at her. "I am."

4. Brand New

"Can I hold him?"

"Okay, but if you wake him up, I swear," she left the threat hanging.

Cassie just laughed as she took the sleeping baby from his mother, "I think I know how to do this, Ashley. I do have two of my own."

Ashley stuck her tongue out at her best friend. It was a childish gesture, but then they were still almost children themselves. Becoming Rangers had forced them to grow up fast, though none of them had thought twice about trading the few remaining years of their childhood for the advantages of being a Ranger. They had gained far more than they had lost.

True, they would have had substantially more normal lives. But Ashley knew that she never would have met Andros, and she would never have had their son, whom Cassie now held. She wouldn't trade that for anything. Their lives would have been so different. There would have been college and then jobs, back on Earth with never a thought of living on another planet. Their futures had changed the minute that they had been chosen as the successors to the retiring Turbo Rangers.

Somehow her future plans had been altered and forgotten along the way, as Rangering opened up the entire galaxy to her. Did she miss her dreams of fashion design and the life she could have lived on Earth? She smiled at her son and knew she had made the right choice. She was right where she wanted to be. And what of Cassie? If she had never been a Ranger, she never would have met Saryn, Ashley thought, as she watched Cassie's well-behaved twins playing with Cassie's dog, Jetson, a short distance away.

Cassie and her children had come to visit from Elisia. Saryn was preoccupied with trade talks so Cassie had taken their ambassadorial shuttle to KO-35 to see Ashley, Andros, and their new son. Only Andros wasn't there. He wasn't there a lot lately. Work often took him away from the family he loved.

"Come on, Ashley," Cassie said, interrupting her thoughts. "Spill it. Why the name?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she answered, avoiding the question.

"Don't get me wrong," Cassie assured her. "It's cute, but Autolycus?"

Ashley sighed dramatically, as if it were a great chore for her to answer the question. Truth be told, Ashley loved her son's name in part because of its originality. "If you must know, it's Andros' middle name."

"Middle name?"

"Yeah, it's tradition in his family that the father's middle name becomes his son's first name," Ashley explained.

"Middle name," Cassie repeated again, mulling over the idea. "So you're telling me that Kerovans, who don't use last names, have middle names? With no last name, how is it the 'middle' of anything?"

Ashley shrugged, "Maybe middle names are universal because of the whole discipline thing. You know, when your parents are correcting you, and you know you did something really bad because they call you by your full name."

"This can't be true, Ashley," Cassie laughed. "I mean, come on! Autolycus is the 'King of Thieves'!"

"Are you saying that Andros lied to me?" Ashley smirked.

"All I'm saying is that Andros watched too much "Xena: Warrior Princess". A bad habit picked up from Zhane, no doubt," she teased her friend. "I'm just kidding, Ash," she relented. "You know I love the name."

A burst of purple sparkles announced the arrival of Ashley's sister-in-law. Marriage and motherhood had done nothing to slow Karone's use of her sorcery, and Zeri didn't seem to mind at all. Unfazed by the teleportation, the toddler cried out cheerfully when she saw Cassie's twins playing on the rug.

With Karone's arrival, Ashley hit upon an idea. "We could always ask Karone. She would know!"

"I would know what?" Karone asked, setting her wiggling daughter down on the floor. Zeri had been anxious to get down, and hurried over to Carynn and Fletcher to play with the large Labrador.

"If Andros has a middle name, and about this family tradition of naming sons after fathers," Cassie giggled as Ashley smirked at her again.

Karone looked at them both before announcing simply, "I'm hungry," as if that statement would answer all their questions.

"You're intentionally being difficult!" Ashley jokingly accused, yelling after Karone as the sorceress headed toward the kitchen.

"I know," she called over her shoulder, disappearing into the next room.

"She may not be the Queen of Evil anymore, but she sure still has the attitude," Cassie remarked, shaking her head.

"Good thing too," Ashley replied. "Being married to Zhane she probably needs it." But Ashley's raised voice had awakened her son, and his cries filled the room.

"Your fault, Ash, not mine," Cassie said, passing him back to his mother. "Besides, I think he needs to be changed."

As the crying child settled in Ashley's arms, she immediately felt the heaviness of the soiled and wet diaper. And she frowned as she tried to remember the last time that Andros had been home long enough to change one.

Cassie noticed the sudden change in her friend's demeanor, and tried to continue their lighthearted conversation about Zhane and Karone. "It must be nice to have them living so close."

"Yeah, they've been a big help," Ashley sighed, and left the room without further comment.

Karone was standing in the doorway of the kitchen then, an apple in hand and a bottle for Autolycus in the other. She watched with a raised eyebrow as Ashley left. She turned her curious look to Cassie then, who shrugged in answer. Karone handed her the bottle and waved her on as she took a seat on the couch to watch the children. Cassie flashed her a grateful smile and headed off down the hallway toward the nursery.

Andros' and Zhane's status in the hierarchy of the Kerovan government afforded them the position that meant they could live in some of the nicer homes in the Keyota district. But all four had agreed that they didn't want to live anywhere 'in town'. They valued their privacy and wanted to raise their children in peace. So they had constructed their homes among the hills that overlooked Keyota, not far from the spot where they had had their weddings.

The house was large and roomy, but small enough to be cozy for a growing family. But when Andros was away, Ashley thought, the house felt far too big and very empty. She set Autolycus down on the changing table and pulled off his wet diaper. She was too tired to give the cloth diaper the washing that it required and threw it in the nearby hamper. Her son had stopped crying by the time she had a clean diaper on him and had put him back in his blue sleeper. He then suddenly started reaching up, grabbing for a bottle that Ashley didn't have.

"How long has he been gone this time?" Cassie asked softly, walking up behind Ashley with the bottle that Autolycus was so intent on getting.

"Too long," Ashley answered wryly, laying him down in his crib before giving him the bottle. "He had meetings on Aquitar and Triforia before he ended up at the trade talks on Elisia."

There had been a time when Andros and she had done much of this traveling together. As KO-35 had grown and rebuilt itself as a colony, they had also been working to reestablish their reputation as the premier shipbuilders in the known galaxies. And as time progressed, Andros' role in intergalactic trade agreements had grown; grown far beyond either of their liking.

But Andros was well liked and respected. And as the Kerovan Red Ranger, most planets would rather deal with him, a Ranger who was honest and could be trusted, than with any politician that KO-35 could send. Andros had found himself pressed into greater and greater roles, roles that he did not think he was suited for.

In the beginning he and Ashley had always done the job together. But the joyous news of her pregnancy had caught them both off guard. He had promised that they would both slow down. No more planet-hopping to negotiate treaties. But the slowdown never came. When the time came that Ashley could no longer travel comfortably, she had started staying at home, telling Andros each time that everything was okay, as she watched him leave her once again.

She had not been off-planet in months, and she knew she had missed so much. Andros had just left Aquitar, she remembered. That meant he had gotten to see Aura and Carlos' child, the baby girl that she had yet to see. She had been unable to travel when little Coral had been born. After all the discussion of the genetics and how it could be accomplished, Aura had become pregnant shortly after Andros and Ashley's wedding a little over a year ago. The first child born to an Aquitian and a human, the baby girl was the focus of much media attention. And the protective parents had shielded their child from the limelight. All the AstroRangers had journeyed to Aquitar to visit, all except Andros and Ashley. And now Andros had been there... without her. She did not want to minimize the importance of the work that Andros was doing. But she missed her husband, and she missed seeing her friends.

"Zhane stopped a lot of his government traveling when Zeri was born," Ashley said, watching her son suck on the bottle as she smoothed his thin blonde brown hair back from his face. "And no one in the government argued with him over it."

"That's true, but who would argue with someone who's married to the former Queen of Evil?" Cassie countered. "Ash, you know that Andros would much rather be home with you and Autolycus. He's just so loyal that he let himself get pressed a lot further into the thick of this politic mess than he wanted. He just needs a way out."

"Ash, I think you need to talk to him. You know he isn't doing this on purpose," Cassie consoled. "He does love you."

"I know. We've made it through more complicated times than this before. I don't know what's so different this time."

"Because you're lonely?" she offered. "There isn't much conversation to be had with a three month old. And as much as you love Zhane and Karone, they're no substitute for the man you love with all your heart."

Ashley laughed as she tried to wipe away her tears before they could fall. "When did you get all this figured out so perfectly?"

Cassie gave her a knowing smile, her eyes downcast. "I've been there, done that. I was missing Saryn for years before I even knew his name. And no matter how much you guys all tried to include me, it didn't make up for the part of me I knew was missing because he wasn't there."

"I'm sorry, Cassie," Ashley said, pulling her friend into a hug. "Here you're trying to cheer me up, and I end up depressing you instead!"

"Don't be sorry," she responded, hugging her friend tighter. "I've never been happier. And if those lonely days are the price I had to pay for my life with Saryn, then I'd gladly go through it all again." She stepped back to study Ashley's face. "Now, we just need to let Andros know what he's missing!"

Ashley started to laugh again, but quickly stopped, her hand covering her mouth as she turned to look back at the crib. Autolycus was asleep, his half-finished bottle lying beside him, forgotten. His hands, scrunched into little fists, were up in front of his eyes as if trying to keep out the invading light.

Ashley leaned over and kissed his forehead. He squirmed, his fists raising above his head, batting her away. Cassie couldn't help but giggle at him as Ashley switched off the light and left the room, motioning for her to follow.

They made their way back to the living room, Ashley quickly leading the way. Her step was lighter than it had been when she had walked this same path earlier. Entering the room, they were greeted by the sight of Karone sitting cross-legged on the couch, munching on her apple and watching the kids with much amusement.

She had spread a tablecloth on the floor on which the three toddlers now sat, having a picnic. She had made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but they seemed more intent on playing with their food than eating it. Fletcher had pulled apart his sandwich so he could play with the goo, finger-painting on the tablecloth. Carynn and Zeri were giggling as they squirted each other with their juice boxes. Jetson was running between the three kids, licking as much of the food off of them as he could get.

"Why do I let you let them do this?" Ashley asked, looking at the mess and the sticky children.

"Because I always clean it up?" the sorceress offered, purple sparkles swirling around her fingers.

"Good answer," Ashley laughed, her humor definitely returning as she made her plans. "Now where's Zhane?"

"Up on the MegaShip again," she answered. "He's got DECA helping him to design this ultimate jungle gym idea of his."

For weeks Zhane had been planning and scheming, and he had promised to build the children the greatest swingset ever. It would be swings, slides, bars for climbing and hanging, a complex architecture of plastic tubing and whatever else he could think of, all set under several shade trees in the perfect spot in the back between Andros and Ashley's, and Zhane and Karone's houses.

It would be one all the AstroRangers' children could enjoy when they visited. Of course, even Carynn and Fletcher, the oldest children at three years old, were too young to truly use and appreciate such a gift. But Zhane claimed that fact only meant that he had plenty of time to build it.

He had begun designing, using the simudeck on the MegaShip to quickly construct and tear apart whatever came to mind. DECA had agreed to help in computing the physics of the actual construction. Though many suspected she did so not for Zhane, but for her grandchildren, as she considered the AstroRangers' children.

"That's perfect!" Ashley exclaimed. "Can you call him? And Cassie, can you get a message to Saryn? And could you please watch Autolycus tonight?"

"Sure," Cassie added her answer to Karone's affirmative nod. "But why? What are you up to, Ash?"

Ashley smiled as she turned to head back down the hallway. "I'm going to remind Andros of where he belongs."

5. When I First

Andros fidgeted impatiently in his seat as his shuttle streaked along in hyperrush. It was as fast as the little ship could go, despite how much Zhane and he had supped it up over the years. It still wasn't fast enough for Andros though, as he quietly complained about its imagined slowness.

"Stupid shuttle," he muttered. "I should have taken my Glider." Not that his Galaxy Glider would have gotten him to his destination any faster; he just needed something to complain about, and the shuttle had the misfortune of being his chosen topic.

Rather than continue to uselessly moan over the shuttle's lack of desired speed, he tried to find other things to obsess about. And his mind automatically turned to the stinted and brief conversation he had had with Zhane. It had only been a short time ago, but it felt like a lifetime.

He reviewed the conversation in his mind, and found that he could only recall three words: "Autolycus", and "come home". That was all he had really needed to hear. Just the mention of his son's name combined with the urgent tone of Zhane's mental call had been enough to send Andros running from the trade talks. He had drawn many stares, he was sure. But he had not looked back to see them, nor did he care. Saryn had followed him out shortly after, and Andros had tried to explain but knew he probably hadn't made much sense. Saryn assured him that everything would be fine, and that he should go. After Saryn had made their excuses, he would join them on KO-35.

Looking back, he tried to recall whether Zhane had said anything else. But if he had, Andros had forgotten it completely in the ensuing panic as he had raced to his shuttle and plotted the course back to KO-35.

He had tried periodically to contact his best friend since then, but Zhane wasn't answering. Zhane was blocking him, and Andros was hesitant to try harder to contact him, as he was worried that Zhane was preoccupied with handling the situation at home, whatever that situation was. He tried instead to raise either of their houses or the MegaShip on the shuttle's communications system. But no one, not even DECA, was answering his transmissions. That only bothered him all the more. He urged the shuttle on for only the hundredth time, as he tried not to think the worst.

As the shuttle approached KO-35, he remembered one other thing from Zhane's message: the MegaShip. So as the MegaShip in her orbit around KO-35 came into view, Andros began docking procedures. DECA obligingly opened the hangar bay doors, even though she still would not answer his transmissions. After the shuttle had been pulled inside, the doors closed and the hangar bay repressurized quickly. Andros exited the shuttle just as Zhane ran into the room.

"Zhane! What's going on? What's wrong?" he shouted in lieu of a greeting.

"Come on, you need to see for yourself," his best friend answered, as he quickly led the way out of the hangar bay.

He followed Zhane without really watching where they were going. He was trying to stay calm, trying to fight the panic. But he could not help the sense of déjà vu he felt as he distinctly remembered feeling this same grip of fear on the day that Karone had been kidnapped all those years before.

Looking up, he saw they were standing outside the simudeck, and he glanced at Zhane in confusion. "What are we doing here? Where's Autolycus?" But before Zhane could answer, Andros heard laughter coming from inside the simudeck.

"He's spending the night with Cassie and Saryn. And I'm glad to see you too," he heard as he turned toward the source of the well-known laughter.

And he felt a different kind of déjà vu, this time of a pleasant memory as there, bathed in the gridlines' glow was Ashley, wearing a dress very similar to the one she had worn to "their prom" four years before. Staring at her standing there, Andros almost forgot his anger at Zhane for lying to him about Autolycus... almost.

*I can't believe you lied to me!*

*Hey, I didn't lie! I was just a little sparse on the details!* came Zhane's laughing reply. *Besides, you'll be thanking me later for getting you out of another boring trade conference.*

*I'll get you for this,* he threatened half-heartedly, knowing he could never stay mad at his best friend for long.

*You're welcome,* Zhane sent with a smile as he clapped Andros on the back. He added aloud, "Have fun you two!" he waved at Ashley and winked at them both before teleporting away.

"So what was that all about?" Ashley inquired, referring to the silent talk Andros and Zhane had so obviously just had.

"Do you know what he told me to get me to come here?" Andros asked, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her.

"No, I'm just glad it worked," she admitted happily as she snuggled deeper into his warm embrace. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not," Andros informed her, even as he thought of how funny it would be to see Ashley laying into Zhane for even joking about their son's health.

Ashley stepped back then, and took his hands in hers as she led him further into the simudeck. "Begin program please, DECA," she said.

He looked around in surprise has his "prom" program began to play. Only this time as the stars sprang up around them, it was an Earth song that started to play.

"It's finally my turn to surprise you, Andros," she giggled at his expression.

"I could learn to like surprises like this," he answered, kissing her hands. "Somehow I feel like I should be asking you if you would like to dance."

"Or something," she grinned as she stepped back into his waiting arms. They slowly started to dance, swaying to the music. And Ashley sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "We never seem to have time like this anymore, Andros."

He remembered her saying those same words on prom night, and he remembered the promise he had made then to 'do something about it'. He knew he had been gone too much lately. He not only missed the woman he loved, but he was missing his son's childhood.

"I'm sorry, Ash. I should be here more. And I will."

She lifted her head to look in his eyes, "But what about your work?"

"I'll tell them what I should have told them from the start; that my family is more important to me than whatever they have to offer," he smiled. "And I can always go back to helping the government, when you and Autolycus are ready to come with me again. If you want."

Ashley laughed at the idea of a screaming baby at the next trade talks, "They may just pay you to stay away."

"Sounds like a plan then," he agreed. "But for now, I have a surprise for you too." Ashley hadn't been expecting that, and Andros took advantage of the moment.

"I've arranged for everyone to visit." Her face lit up at the idea and he answered the question before she could ask. "Yes, everyone. Billy says Coral is old enough for travel so Carlos and Aura will be here too."

"Oh Andros! That's wonderful! Thank you!" she cried and pulled him close again, then just as quickly let him go. "C'mon, it's been a long time since we've been stargazing. Let's go see some real stars!"

Andros was overwhelmed with her enthusiasm, and followed her lead. They ran hand-in-hand from the simudeck, heading for the lift. DECA's light blinked at them, then went out, as she switched off the program.

The observation deck was as deserted as the rest of the Megaship, but with the two of them there together it didn't ring with emptiness the way it sometimes seemed to of late. Instead the place where they had spent so much time felt welcoming, tinged with the fondly tolerant air that home often has when one has been away from it for a while.

"I feel like I haven't been here in forever," Andros said, echoing her thoughts as they strolled through the doors.

"It's always been here," she teased gently. "It's only us that's changed."

He came to a stop, paying no attention as the metal portal above irised silently open. He studied her as she gazed back at him, squeezing her hand unconsciously. "Not so much," he said at last, his hazel eyes not leaving hers. "This is where we first kissed, you know."

She smiled, lifting his hand in hers and twining their fingers together. "How could I ever forget that?"

A look of regret flashed across his face, so quickly she wasn't even sure she had seen it. "I thought maybe... I don't know. It seems like we're apart more than we're together, lately."

Ashley tightened her fingers on his, lifting her other hand to touch his cheek gently. "You know distance doesn't change anything."

"You just said it did," he reminded her.

She shook her head firmly. "I said we'd changed, not the way we felt. Maybe we act differently now, but I still feel the same way about you. I love you, Andros. I always will."

He pulled her closer at that, wrapping his arms around her as if he could keep them together forever just by holding on. She felt him swallow hard as he whispered, "I love you too, Ash. No matter what happens... I'll never stop."

She smiled and closed her eyes, secure in his embrace as they let the quiet moment linger. After a little while something occurred to her, and she said softly, "You know, it's funny..."

He turned his head to kiss her cheek gently. "What's that?"

"Well..." She glanced up, toward the transparent dome that had been revealed when the ceiling slid away. "Look."

Andros tilted his head up without letting her go, but he didn't reply.

"In all those stars," she continued softly, "in all those planets and suns and galaxies, and through all the space in between... somehow the two of us found each other. How did we get so lucky?"

He didn't answer aloud, but he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

"What?" Ashley wondered, sensing his amusement.

"I don't know for sure," he told her, unable to resist, "but I suppose Zhane set it up."

She giggled. "I suppose he must have."

"Either that," Andros added quietly, lifting one hand to stroke her hair as he stared out at the stars, "or we were meant to be."

She sighed a little, making a contented sound as she cuddled closer. He smiled, closing his eyes and hugging her more tightly. Whichever it was, he knew he would never take it for granted again.