Warning: Chapters marked (R) contain semi-graphic erotic content. "Incomplete" and "Stargazers" are rated for male/female sex.

Chapters:

1. Incomplete

"Hey, Cass!"

Cassie rested the monitor on the edge of the blue station wagon and glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah? What's up?"

Ashley stuck her head out through the living room window. "You forgot your suncatchers--want me to put them in one of these boxes?"

"No; that's tapes and stuff. Hang on." She hefted the computer monitor again and walked around the end of the car, settling it on the floor of the back seat and wedging her jacket in around it.

"Hey, Ash--" She frowned as she straightened up. "Have you seen my duffel bag?"

"What?" Ashley's face reappeared, this time in one of the upstairs windows. "What are you looking for?"

"My duffel bag," Cassie repeated, turning back to the house. "I thought I put it in the car already."

"Oh!" Ashley vanished, and a moment later the screen door banged against the porch as she came flying through it. "It's under the rug in the trunk. I figured there wasn't anything in there that could get crushed..."

"Yeah," Cassie agreed distracted, trying to remember what she still had left in the house. "I think, by some miracle, everything's going to fit."

Ashley didn't answer, and she frowned. "Ash?" Her friend was staring past her, and Cassie turned to follow her gaze automatically.

Her eyes widened a little as she caught sight of the figure standing uncertainly by the Hammonds' blue station wagon. "Hey," she said, a slight smile on her face. "I didn't think we'd ever see you again."

"Uh, I'm going to go inside," Ashley said quickly. "I'll go get your suncatchers."

"Thanks," Cassie said, not taking her eyes off the Ranger in front of her.

The screen door banged again, and Cassie heard her friend quietly close the front door behind her. She tried not to roll her eyes. Ashley had always been convinced that the Phantom Ranger would come back, and she was no doubt hoping for some sort of romantic reconciliation.

"You are leaving?" he asked, looking from her to the car.

She laughed. "Hello to you too. Yeah, I'm leaving. Summer's almost over; I've got to get back to school."

"School?" he repeated, as though he had never heard the word before.

"Yeah," she said with a grin. "You know, study, learn stuff, that kind of thing."

He didn't answer, and she glanced at the car. He was looking at it oddly, and she wondered if there was something she had missed. "What brings you back to Earth?" she asked finally, when the silence had gone on a little too long.

He looked up at last, catching her eye again. "You," was all he said.

She blinked. "You're kidding." Studying him more carefully, she asked, "Why?"

"I told you I would see you soon," he said quietly.

She did her best not to smile. "That was three years ago, Saryn."

He started. "You know."

Cassie nodded. "Andros has been keeping us updated. Congratulations. Elisia's only surviving Ranger, hiding in plain sight all this time--I'm glad you got your home back."

"Thank you," he said, staring back at her. "It has kept me busy for some time now."

She shrugged. "I figured. It must be nice to have a real life again."

He frowned a little. "My time as the Phantom Ranger was just as real to me. I was hiding, yes, but it was no lie."

She heard the hum of a familiar motor, and she glanced down the street. The green Jeep Wrangler was a welcome sight, no matter how late it was, and she waved as Jake Seitzer pulled into their driveway. "It's about time you showed up!" she shouted, and the car rolled to a stop right behind the Hammonds' station wagon.

Saryn had turned to see what she was looking at, but she only had eyes for Jake as he caught the top of the driver's side door and stood up to wave at her over it. "It isn't my fault," he protested, reaching back into the car. "I had to pick up these."

"Oh!" She clapped both hands over her heart, pretending to stagger from the shock. "Well, it's all forgiven then."

"It better be," he said with a grin, not bothering to slam the door shut behind him as he strode toward her. "Because I'm not letting you leave angry."

She wrapped her arms around him as he hugged her, closing her eyes. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

"I know," he whispered back. "I'll miss you too. Call tonight, okay?"

She nodded wordlessly, hugging him harder until he laughed. "Hey, hey!" He pulled away, giving her a quick kiss. "You'll make me crush your flowers!"

She giggled as he presented them to her, taking them and breathing in their scent with bittersweet happiness. He would be here when she came back tomorrow, but she was catching the bus tomorrow afternoon once she returned the station wagon. The time they still had was measured in hours, not days.

"Oh," she said, suddenly realizing. She caught Jake's arm and turned him toward her visitor. "I'm sorry; Jake, this is Saryn. He's a good friend from our Power Ranger days."

Jake glanced sideways at her. "Does that mean I should or shouldn't offer to shake his hand?"

"Shouldn't," she said with a grin. "Saryn, this is Jake Seitzer." She held up her left hand proudly. "We're engaged."

He could only stare at the slim gold band wrapped around her third finger, the clear stone set into it sparkling at him as he struggled to keep his expression calm. "Ashley said yes!" Andros had told him, only a few days ago. Or a week... last month? Could it have been that long? "We're getting married next summer. You should have seen what I had to go through to get her a ring!"

The former Red Ranger had been so excited. It was obvious in everything he said, no matter how he tried to hide it. He had been overjoyed at the idea of spending the rest of his life with the girl he loved, and Saryn had thought it only fair, after all Andros had been through, that he have this happiness. But he hadn't been able to keep himself from envying the other Ranger...

It was not to be, obviously. The only person he wanted to spend *his* life with was in love with another, and his trip here had been a waste of time. He wished now that he hadn't come--at least then he would still be able to dream that she was out there somewhere, waiting for him.

He lifted his gaze and managed a slight smile. "I'm honored to meet you."

"Same here," Jake agreed, returning his smile easily. "You must be the Phantom Ranger that Cassie's told me so much about."

"Has she?" he asked involuntarily.

"Oh, yes," Jake said. "You're quite the hero, from what I hear."

Cassie poked him, and he grinned at her. "In fact," he continued, "you were all she talked about for the first--"

"Oh, shut up," she complained loudly, elbowing him in the ribs. "Don't listen to him," she told Saryn, flushing. "He's just jealous."

"Sure I am," Jake teased. "You were totally smitten, admit it."

The color in her cheeks deepened, and suddenly she wouldn't meet his gaze. "I was not," she protested.

He watched Jake laugh at her embarrassment, and felt an unmistakable ache in his heart as the other boy pulled her close and kissed her. *Smitten?* Had that been the exaggeration of a jealous boyfriend, or the honest opinion of someone who knew her too well? He couldn't help but wonder if that could be him holding her now if he had only found the time to return a little sooner. If only it hadn't taken Andros' excited announcement to give him the courage to conquer his fear and seek her out.

A beep sounded, and he looked down automatically. But his communicator was silent, and the couple nearby broke apart as Jake went for a little device clipped to his belt. It must have been some kind of communicator itself, for he took one look at its display and sighed. "They need me at work," he said, replacing the device. "I'll call and tell them I can't--"

"Go," Cassie said firmly. "I'm leaving in a few minutes anyway."

"But I want to see you off," he objected, squeezing her shoulders.

"Don't be silly," she said, smiling a little. "I'll be back tomorrow; we'll say goodbye then."

Jake hesitated, and finally shook his head. "I can't believe summer went so fast," he said. "It seems like a few weeks went missing, somehow..."

"More than a few," Cassie agreed fervently. She leaned in to kiss him again, and Saryn looked away. "I'll see you tomorrow," he heard her whisper a moment later.

"Drive carefully," he answered. "I'll talk to you tonight?"

"You better," she said fondly, and he waved as he backed away.

She seemed to take no notice of him as her boyfriend climbed back into his car and the machine roared to life. She watched it move carefully down the driveway and back out onto the residential road, then lifted her hand to wave again as Jake drove away.

When she continued to stare off down the deserted road, Saryn shifted uncomfortably. "I'll go," he offered uncertainly.

She gave her head a shake and turned to smile at him. "No, stay, please. Sorry, I'm just a little distracted right now. Don't leave because of me."

"Hey, was that Jake?" Ashley demanded, stepping out onto the porch with a box in her arms.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Of course it was Jake. You were expecting Andros to show up in a green Jeep?"

"Here, do something with this," Ashley said sweetly, thrusting the box into her friend's arms.

Cassie staggered as Ashley let go of the box, and Ashley grinned. "I added a few things," she said innocently.

"Yeah, rocks!" Cassie exclaimed, clearly struggling to hang onto the box as she turned.

In a moment, Saryn was at her side, tugging the box gently away from her and nodding to the car. "This goes in there?"

She nodded, holding her arms out in front of her and making a show of shaking them out. "Thanks a lot, Ash! What's *in* there?"

"You'll find out," her friend said smugly. "No, Saryn--put it down there. She has to be able to see out the back when she's driving."

Wordlessly, he obeyed her instruction, and heard Cassie ask, "Is that all the boxes?"

"Yeah," Ashley confirmed. "There's just your backpack inside, and your suncatchers--I wrapped them up for you."

"Thanks," Cassie said gratefully. "I'll be right back."

He watched her dart up the porch steps and disappear inside the house. It took a moment to realize that Ashley was watching him stare after her friend, and he tried not to let his chagrin show as he shifted his gaze to her.

Before he could speak, she said, "She waited, you know. For almost a year after that message you left for her."

He glanced back at the house, then away, feeling his gaze settle on the car beside him. "I wanted to come back. I didn't think she wanted to see me, after everything that happened."

"Everything that *didn't* happen," Ashley corrected. "She didn't care, though. She just wanted to see you again."

He swallowed. "When... when did she meet Jake?"

"Right after Zordon's energy wave swept through the universe," Ashley answered. "He came from Stone Canyon to help with the rebuilding, and he asked her out the first day they met. She turned him down... It wasn't until after Christmas that she finally agreed to a date."

*Christmas.* He remembered, with sudden clarity, exactly what event she was referring to. Andros had shown up on Elisia with Zhane, bringing news from the rest of the border and from Earth. The two had complained of some ridiculous Earth ritual involving hanging plants and kissing, and had been nearly incoherent with laughter when they tried to explain it to him.

It had been the first he had seen of the Astro Rangers in almost a year. They had exchanged as many details of the war as they could stand, trying to get straight the stories the media had distorted or denied entirely. And before they left, they had asked him to come with them--back to Earth.

"I am needed here," he had told them. And while it was true, he knew now that Andros had been right when he said he was needed on Earth more.

"I should have come," he admitted, finally. Looking back at Ashley, he said, "The loss was no one's but my own."

"You're wrong," she said quietly, just as the door swung open behind her.

"See you tomorrow," Cassie said, trying to extricate herself from a hug and prop the door open at the same time. "I'll call you when I get there tonight!"

"Here," Ashley said, bounding up the steps to take her friend's backpack from her. "Mom, she'll be back tomorrow!"

"Saryn," she added, turning. She tossed the backpack to him as soon as he looked up, and Cassie yelped.

"There's breakable stuff in there!" the former Pink Ranger protested, pulling away from Ashley's parents to give her friend an affectionate shove.

"Drive safely," Ashley said, ignoring her complaints as she pulled her friend into a hug. "Don't get into any accidents!"

"Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone," her friend retorted. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ash."

Standing by the back door of her car, he watched her saying her goodbyes. He was just about to slip away when she came bouncing down the porch steps toward him. Taking her backpack from his arms, she shoved it into the backseat and closed the door behind it. Going around to the back of the car, she closed the other opening before rejoining him.

"So," she said, tossing what he assumed were keys up in the air. "You coming?"

He froze. "What?"

"Want to come?" she repeated. "I'm going to need someone to help me unload. It's a long drive, but it's not like we don't have some catching up to do, if you're interested."

"I would like that," he managed, trying not to let his surprise show. *It's nothing,* he told himself firmly. *"A good friend," she said. That's all it is; friends exchanging news.*

"Great," she said. When she smiled, he knew the false hope in his heart was only setting him up for future pain--but he would bear that pain gladly, if it meant he could spend even one more minute with her.

"One order of large fries, two grilled chicken sandwiches, and two chocolate milkshakes," Cassie told the woman in the drive-through window.

"That'll be nine twenty-seven," the woman answered, not looking up.

She passed a ten-dollar bill through the window, and took the change without bothering to look at it. "Here," she said, passing it to Saryn as she let the car roll forward a few feet. "Put that in my wallet, would you?"

"Here you go," the boy at the pick-up window said cheerfully, and she looked up in surprise.

"Thanks," she said, taking the order and giving him a genuine smile.

"Have a nice day, beautiful," he answered, and she laughed.

She handed the drinks off to Saryn and set the food down on the seat behind him, waving out the window as she pulled away from the drive-through. "Why did he say that?" Saryn wanted to know, as she put the car in park in the restaurant's small parking lot and turned the ignition off.

She gave him an indignant glance as she reached for their food. "Maybe because he thinks I'm pretty?"

"But--" His glance strayed to her left hand.

She curled her fingers, looking down at her ring. "He was just flirting," she said, feeling oddly defensive. "I'm engaged. It doesn't mean I can't *talk* to other guys."

He nodded, and she tried to put it out of her mind. "Here," she said, taking one of the shakes and putting a sandwich in his hand instead. "Don't eat it if you don't like it, but I'd feel bad if I'd just gotten dinner for myself."

"Thank you," he said, looking down at it. His expression was that of someone not wanting to make a wrong move, and she tried not to smile at his confusion.

"Here, let me." She slid one of the straws out of its paper wrapper and reached for the cup in his hand. He didn't let go, and she wrapped her fingers around his to hold his hand steady as she stuck the straw in. "It's probably pretty thick--it's easier if you let it melt a little before you try and drink it," she explained.

"It's cold," he said, setting it down carefully on the seat beside him.

She giggled at his expression. "It's ice cream. It's supposed to be cold." She put the other straw in her own shake and started to unwrap her sandwich.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him watching her. After a moment, he imitated her, and she laughed again when he started to pull his sandwich apart even as she was. "You don't have to do that," she said, as she removed the tomato slices. "I just don't like tomato. Most people eat it the way it is."

He hesitated, then took a careful bite of the tomato. She bit her lip to keep from exclaiming, "Not plain!" and waited for his reaction.

"It's good," he said, surprising her.

She grinned. "You can have mine, then."

She reconstructed her sandwich and wrapped it back up halfway, switching it to her left hand as she reached for the key. "Ready?" she asked, glancing at him.

Mouth full--probably of tomato, she thought, amused--he only nodded. The car hummed to life when she twisted the ignition and shifted into reverse. She put her arm over the back of his seat as she turned to look out the back window, and she saw him turn to follow her gaze automatically.

She waited until they were back on the highway to reach for the radio. She poked the "power" button with a free finger, and music filled the car as they headed north again.

The wind coming through the open window tossed his hair back and stung his eyes, reminding him in the smallest way of home--or at least, of the planet he called home now. Glancing sideways at her, wind streaming through her dark hair as she sucked happily on his "milkshake", he didn't know how he could ever have thought a mere place would make him complete.

She paused long enough to sing along with the music emanating from the car's speakers. "With her radio blasting, she dreams of taking it too far..."

She caught his gaze on her and flushed, and he tried not to smile. "Too loud?" she asked sheepishly, turning the volume down a little. "Sorry; I'm not used to having a CD player while I'm driving. It's fun."

He shook his head as she stuck the straw back in her mouth. "I like hearing you sing," he said simply, turning his head back to the window so she would not read anything more into that than what he had meant. And so that he would not have to think about her mouth on the same straw that he had just been using--he had no taste for chocolate, and she had eagerly offered to finish his shake for him. Now he had to fight the urge to ask for it back.

"Something's got to give somewhere," she sang, more softly this time. "Forcing circles into squares--hey!"

He looked up at her exclamation, and saw her pointing off to her left. "Look! You can see the ocean from here!"

He looked where she indicated, but there was only the hazy grey of the edge of the sky where it met the hills. "Where?"

"Right there," she insisted, still pointing. The car swerved suddenly, and she muttered, "Damn. Come on, we'll go see."

She put her blinker on, and he frowned. "You do not have to do this for me," he said reluctantly, though he was terribly curious. Water was scarce on his world, and several times he had marveled at the vast expanses of it on Earth. He had never seen them up close...

"Too late," Cassie answered cheerfully, as the car slid smoothly off the freeway and down one of the chute-like exits. "Besides, I'm ready to get out of the car for a little while."

The air smelled odd, suddenly, and he took a deep, experimental breath. "Ocean air," Cassie said, taking a deep breath herself. "There's nothing like it."

His eyes widened as they came around a corner and suddenly he could *see* it. A grey flatness that stretched into infinity, blending with the horizon so that he couldn't tell where the ocean ended and the sky began. "Water?" he whispered, awed.

"Saltwater," she corrected quickly. "Not drinkable."

He could only stare as the car turned down a side road that ran just above the rocks littering the water's edge. There was some sort of cement barrier between the shore and the road, and he frowned, disappointed. They were just close enough that he couldn't quite see over it anymore.

He heard her giggle, and he looked at her. She shot another sideways glance at him and giggled again, turning her gaze back to the road as she slowed down. "You're so cute," she said, and the car's left blinker clicked on as she pushed her foot down farther. "We'll pull over and look, don't worry."

"You don't have to--" he began.

"I want to," she interrupted, and they coasted into a line of parking spaces that ran parallel to the road. "Do we have to feed the meter on Saturdays? I can never remember."

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, pushing her door open and grabbing the top of the door to pull herself out. He recognized the same gesture Jake had used, and couldn't help but wonder which of them had started it.

He got out too, but no matter the lure of so much water his eye was drawn back to her as she stretched. Lifting her hands above her head, she leaned over the roof of the car and reached toward him, letting her breath out in a sigh. "It's so nice to be able to *move* again," she said fervently, straightening up and rolling her shoulders.

"I'm used to it," he offered before he thought.

She glanced over at him, then smiled a little. "Yeah, I guess you would be."

Then she stepped away from the car, putting her hands on the barrier and bouncing up to sit on top of it. She looked over her shoulder at him and cocked her head. "Coming?"

He blinked. "Of course." Walking around the front of the car, he paused to look at her, but she was already climbing down the other side of the barrier. He went over after her, landing somewhat unsteadily on the rocks, and she reached out instinctively.

"Careful," she warned. "They're slippery, and some of them are loose. Watch your step."

He nodded, concentrating only on following her as she took off across the rocks. She had obviously done this before, for she seemed to know exactly where to put her feet. He stumbled as he tried to keep pace, and she stopped to wait for him. He slowed, and she held out her hand impatiently.

Surprised, he took it, and she grinned over her shoulder at him. "Whatever you do, do *not* take me down with you."

"Never," he agreed, his fingers clutching hers as she pulled him forward. The extra weight must have thrown her off balance, for she flung her other hand out to the side, and he stepped closer.

The rock under his foot tipped, and he grabbed her shoulder for support. She wavered, wrapping her arm around his waist to keep herself standing, and she giggled as they clung to each other on the rocks. "Between the two of us, we'll never make it," she said breathlessly.

He did not answer. His eyes closed, he barely heard her, savoring the feel of her arms around him and her body pressed against his as she tried to regain her footing. It was probably the closest he would ever be to hugging her, and he wished the moment wouldn't end.

Then her fingers tightened on his and she lurched away, tugging him after her. "Come on," she called, and he forced his feet to follow.

They finally made it off the rocks onto the thin strip of sand at the ocean's edge, him without falling and her without having to jump away from him just to keep her balance more than once. Walking on those boulders had to be an inborn talent, he decided, glad to feel flat ground beneath his feet again.

She tossed something on the ground, and she skipped the short distance to where the water lapped across the sand. She had left her sandals behind, he realized, watching her dare the water's edge with her bare feet.

"Run away!" she exclaimed suddenly, and he watched as the water frothed in front of her and chased after her feet as she scampered back toward him.

"What is that?" he asked, frowning, and she laughed.

"What, the waves?" Grabbing his hand again, she pulled him toward the water. It frothed again, making a rushing sound as it came toward them, and he drew back in alarm. She let him go, but she herself leapt into it, jumping over the white edge and laughing as the clear water splashed up around her ankles.

The foam withdrew, then, making smooth lines in the sand around her feet, and she looked back at him. "It's just what the ocean does," she explained. "Wherever it meets the shore it makes waves that. It's something about how deep the water is or how it changes or something."

He watched her play in it, torn between her carefree game and the stretch of infinity that reached out toward the horizon. He had never seen so much water in his life. Nor, he thought, as he watched her dart after the waves to pick up something they'd left behind on the sand, had he ever wished for something he couldn't have more than he did now.

"Serifalls 113," she told the police officer directing traffic in and out of the dorm road.

He nodded, taking a pen from his clipboard and flipping through to the appropriate dorm. "Cassie Chan?"

"That's me," she said, glancing into her rearview mirror. There were cars lined up behind her ten deep, and the loop road that wound through most of the campus' residential buildings looked twice as chaotic.

The officer scribbled her dorm and room number on a post-it pad and slapped the temporary sticker on her windshield. "You have fifteen minutes to unload," he warned her. "Take your things out of the car and set them on the curb. Someone has to be with the car at all times; no moving things in as you take them out of the car."

"Right," she agreed, not really listening. The only thing worse than move-in day for upperclassmen was move-in day for freshmen, and she was glad to have missed that this year. But the sheer number of people was still overwhelming, and she gave Saryn a quick look as she eased her foot off the brake to see how he was doing.

He looked, if anything, interested by the throngs of students and family gathered by every parked car in front of the dorms. Hazard lights were flashing on almost all the vehicles and people kept leaping into the middle of the road as she tried to drive past, but she made it to the far corner of the loop without slamming on the brakes too many times.

There were two clear spots in front of Serifalls, and she took the one that had just been vacated. Turning the car off, she announced, "Well, we made it." She drew in a deep breath as she stared out through the windshield and added, "Now comes the hard part."

"Can I help?" he asked, turning away from the window.

She grinned. "You came all this way; you'd better help."

Between the two of them, they managed to get everything out of the car and onto the curb, and she had to smile at his care in handling things. Even she didn't treat her stuff that well.

"I'll be right back," she told him at last, slamming the trunk shut. "I have to move the car, but it won't take long--do you mind waiting here with this stuff?"

"Of course not," he answered. "I'll move it into your room, if you wish."

She paused, considering. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw only the one police officer, still admitting people to Res Road and clearly far too busy to keep track of who had been where for how long. "Hang on," she told Saryn, and darted for the main door of Serifalls.

The rec area was open and waiting, set up to receive the upperclassmen as they arrived. "Cassie Chan," she told the boy at the table. She didn't recognize him, but he was probably a new RA or something.

"Can I see your ID?" he asked, and she fished it out of her pocket and handed it over.

"Great," he said, and he stuck it in a nearby box.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "I need that!"

"I'm holding it ransom," he told her with a grin. "Fill out your info card, and you can have it back."

"Look, I'm parked outside," she told him, annoyed. "I just need my key so my friend can bring stuff in while I move the car."

"You'll get it after you fill out your info sheet," he insisted, smile still firmly in place as he held out a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Cassie, hey!"

She glanced up to see Nikki walking into the rec area. "Hey," she said, trying to put her annoyance aside. "How was your summer?"

"Oh, it was great," Nikki assured her, walking around the table and pulling up a seat next to the irritating check-in boy. "Did you get your key yet?" She started sorting through the keys without waiting for an answer.

"I'm not giving out keys until they fill out the info sheets," the boy beside her tried to say, and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't be silly. Cassie filled one out last year. If we could keep decent records around here, we wouldn't have to hand them out every single year. Here you go," she added, handing over the 113 key. "You going to pay dues this year?"

"I'll think about it," Cassie said wryly, taking the key. "Thanks, Nikki."

"Hey, no problem," her friend said. "Don't forget your ID."

Cassie grabbed it out of the box and gave the other girl a grateful look. "Thanks again."

She left before the kid doing check-in could protest, glad Nikki had shown up when she did. The girl had been on the Serifalls hall council for the last two years, and she knew every one of the returning students. She also knew, first hand, how frustrating some of the rules were.

Saryn was still waiting by the station wagon when she emerged, and he smiled a little in welcome as she walked over to him. "Got it," she declared, taking his hand and putting her key into it triumphantly. "That's for 113--the number's on the door. Thanks, Saryn," she added as an afterthought, circling around the front of the car.

She didn't hear his answer, but she saw him wave tentatively as she started the car. She smiled a little, hoping he didn't feel too out of place, and threaded her way slowly around the rest of the loop road. The nearest student lot was emptying out as evening progressed, and she found a space near the entrance--but she shuddered to think what it would be like in the morning. Her school was probably the only campus in existence that thought starting move-in day at night was a good idea.

Saryn was nowhere to be seen by the time she got back to Serifalls, and she frowned at the two boxes and duffel bag that were all that remained of the stuff they had piled on the curb. She looked around, but found no sign of him anywhere. Slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder, she grabbed one of the boxes and headed inside after him.

The door to her room was propped open, but she didn't have to look inside to find him. Saryn was standing farther down the hall, talking to one of her neighbors from the year before and, to her surprise, not looking the slightest bit uncomfortable.

"Phil!" She set her box down outside her room and waved as she walked over to them.

"Hey, Cassie," he acknowledged. "Your friend and I were just talking about this whole night check-in thing."

"Yeah, isn't it annoying?" she asked, trying to cover up her surprise at his involvement in *any* conversation, let alone one so casual. "Phil, this is Saryn. Saryn; Phil--he was my neighbor last semester."

"We introduced ourselves," Phil said. "Where are you living, Saryn?"

"Oh, he's not a student," Cassie said quickly.

"I only came to help Cassie move in," Saryn explained, and Phil gave her an odd look.

"Where's that Jake guy you were seeing last year?" he wanted to know.

"He had to work," she said. "Saryn's just a friend. He showed up just as I was leaving, and he was too nice to say no when I asked him to help me move."

Phil whistled. "I hope you're paying him. You live in Angel Grove, right?"

She blushed. "Yeah..." She shot a glance at Saryn. "He's a really good friend."

"No kidding," Phil agreed. "Me and my ex-girlfriend took a four-hour drive once. Then we broke up."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for those words of wisdom. We can't break up; we're not together."

"You could still kill her," Phil told Saryn. "How can you stand driving anywhere with a girl? It's always, 'Oh, I have to go to the bathroom,' or, 'No, not that radio station!'"

"Shut up!" Cassie exclaimed.

"I enjoyed the drive," Saryn said, just as someone yelled for Phil from down the hall.

"You're crazy," Phil said. "Later, Cass, Saryn."

She sighed as he walked away. "Sorry. Phil's a little weird."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Saryn told her. "I spoke to him of my own accord. But he's wrong about driving with girls," he added, when she gave him a surprised look.

She blinked. "Well, thanks," she said, smiling. "That's nice of you to say. Oh--I have one more box to get. Be right back."

"I'll get it," he said, catching her arm to hold her in place. "You stay here and find something to do with all of this." He nodded to her door, and she groaned as she glanced through it.

"Why does it always look like so much stuff once I get it here?" she complained.

He squeezed her arm gently. "You've done it before," he reminded her. "It will work again."

She turned to him in surprise, but before she could say anything he was striding away down the hall. He disappeared around the corner, and she shook her head. She hadn't expected him to be--comforting.

*He's a real person,* she reminded herself, shifting the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder. She bent down to gather up her box, and sighed when the bag fell forward and banged against her arm anyway. *After everything he told you, you'd think you could remember to stop thinking of him as "Phantom".*

She gave up and slid her duffel bag into the room, then grabbed the box separately and carried it inside. "Where am I going to put this?" she demanded aloud, looking around the tiny room..

"On the floor?" Saryn suggested from behind her, and she tried not to jump.

"There's no room on the floor," she objected, sighing.

He set down his box and took hers without a word, carefully placing it on top of the one he had just brought in. She sighed again. "Okay, I'm being silly. Sorry. I just hate having to unpack."

"You went to all that effort to pack it in the first place, and then..." He trailed off, gesturing around the room.

"That's exactly it!" She studied him curiously, then shook her head. "I don't even want to think about this now. I'm going to go get my schedule and copy my key." She knew she was procrastinating, but she didn't care. She would have to do both eventually anyway.

"Do you want me to wait?"

She shrugged. "You can come if you want. It won't be very interesting, but there isn't really anything to do here, either. Unless you want to talk to Phil some more," she added, and he shook his head.

"I'll come with you," he told her, and his tone sounded wry.

She grinned. "Good choice."

"I hate stuff!" she exclaimed, her voice muffled by the closet door and several layers of hanging clothes.

"All stuff?" he asked, amused. He looked up from her computer as she pushed her way out of the closet and slammed the door with finality.

"Yes. All stuff. There's too much of it in the world. And I own most of it!" She poked the cover of the last box and watched dispassionately as it slid to the floor.

"Most of the stuff in the world wouldn't fit into this room," he pointed out, glancing around.

She smiled half-heartedly. "Well, that's true. I guess that's comforting. How's the computer doing?"

"I haven't broken it, if that's what you're asking," he answered wryly. "Most of these cables only fit in one outlet."

"It's made so that even really dumb people can put it together," she offered, pulling lengths of cloth out of the box and tossing them onto her bed.

"Your confidence in me is astounding," he told her, trying not to smile at her sudden dismay as she realized what she had said. Then he paused, and glanced back at the mostly connected computer components. "How do I turn it on?"

As he had hoped, she giggled, and she pointed down at the floor. "There's a button that says 'power' on that part. Push it."

He did, and the computer hummed to life.

"Hey, good job," she said, watching the monitor flicker on. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," he answered automatically, turning to watch as she tackled the bed. He wondered if he should offer to help, or if that would be too awkward. *It's nothing,* he reminded himself. *Just another thing she has to get done. Nothing to do with you.*

That, of course, was the problem. He tried not to think about how many times Jake must have stayed overnight in this very room--the key Cassie had copied was for him, and she had mentioned him losing the one from the year before. Jake had obviously come and gone as he pleased for some time.

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and forced himself to join Cassie by the bed. "What can I do?"

She jerked one of the sheets tight against the mattress with unnecessary vehemence. "I don't know. Hang on."

He waited patiently, until finally she sighed and grabbed her pillow. "Here," she said, tossing it to him and rooting out a pillowcase a moment later.

He covered the pillow wordlessly, knowing how hard she was trying not to snap at him. Despite her attempted cheerfulness, her bad mood was getting worse as it grew later, and he hadn't yet dared to ask what was wrong.

"Thanks," she said at last, reaching for the pillow. He let go of it before she had finished grabbing it, and she swore as it fell to the floor.

"Cassie," he said uncertainly, as she retrieved it. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly. She smoothed the comforter over top of the pillow and sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. Glancing around the room, her gaze caught his momentarily and then slid away again.

"Are you?" he asked, resisting the urge to sit down beside her.

She sighed again, shaking her head once.

He couldn't help it. He sat down and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently until she looked up at him. "It will be all right," he offered quietly.

She smiled a little and patted his hand absently. "Thanks... I'm sorry; I always get like this when I'm moving. It always feels so... final, you know? Like I'm on this path, and things keep happening to move me along it, but I don't get any say in where it goes."

Before he knew what he was doing, his arm had slid around her shoulders and he was telling her, "You do have a choice. You can do anything you want to with your life."

He held his breath as she leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. "I wish I thought that was true," she whispered.

"It *is* true," he insisted--or tried to insist. His voice came out much softer than he had intended, and he turned his head to the side in an effort to ignore the sweet, clean smell of her hair. He knew there was something she needed to hear, but he could only think enough to repeat what he had already said. "You can do anything you want."

She didn't say anything for a few moments, and then, just when he had resigned himself to the silence, she burst out, "Why do you have to be so nice!"

Startled, he didn't know how to reply.

She jumped up before he could find words, pulling the closet door open again and taking her sleeping bag out of it. She pushed the last box under her bed and threw the sleeping bag down on the floor, clearing the few remaining items out of the way with her foot as she did so.

"I need some sleep," she announced. "You don't have to sleep now, but I'm going to the bathroom, and when I come back I'm turning out the lights." Gathering things up, she headed for the door. As she pulled the door open, she added, "If you still feel like being Mr. Helpful, you could set my alarm for me. We'll have to get back on the road early in the morning."

With that, she was gone, leaving him to stare after her in confusion.

Cassie tugged on her nightshirt and dropped her clothes on the heater on her way to the sink. She pulled off her ring as she went to wash her hands, setting it on the edge of the sink. Another girl came out of one of the stalls, and Cassie tried not to smile as the second sink sprayed water in all directions.

"That one's a little sensitive," she offered, stifling a giggle at the girl's dismayed expression.

"Yeah..." The girl prodded the faucet as though it was a wild animal. "They should have a sign about that or something."

"They used to." Cassie watched her twist the knob again, more carefully this time. "It must have been taken down over the summer."

"Well, I'm making a new one," the girl said decisively. "I'm Jean, by the way."

"I'm Cassie." She turned the sink off and shook her hands vigorously. "I'd shake your hand, but there doesn't seem to be much point."

"No," Jean agreed with a grin. "Hey," she added, seeing Cassie reach for her ring, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. I live down the hall, by the way, in 113."

"Oh! We're neighbors, sort of. Me and Krissy are right across the hall from you. We saw your boyfriend this afternoon," she added. "He was moving your stuff in just as we were leaving for dinner."

"He's not my boyfriend," Cassie said uncomfortably, twisting her ring a little. "He's a friend from home; he just came to help me move in."

"Oh..." Jean winked. "Must be nice to have a friend like that."

Cassie didn't know whether to laugh or stare. "No--it isn't like that. My boyfriend had to work, so Saryn drove up with me instead."

Jean shook her hands off, finally giving in and wiping them on her sweatpants. "I guess that answers my question, then," she said, a slight smile on her face. "I was going to ask what it's like to be engaged. So--is your friend seeing anyone?"

Cassie's eyes widened. "Yeah," she said quickly. "He has a girlfriend back home. I think they're pretty serious."

"Too bad," Jean said, shrugging. "He's really cute."

"Yeah..." Cassie looked down at her left hand, unable to finish the sentence.

"So have you ever wondered?" Jean asked, turning to lean against the counter. "I mean, about getting married? What if someone else comes along?"

"I love Jake," Cassie protested, picking her shirt up off the heater and folding it distractedly. "Who else could possibly come along?"

"But what if you meet someone you love more?" Jean persisted. "I mean, how do you know you've found the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with?"

"I just know," Cassie said defensively, folding her jeans and putting them on top of her shirt.

Jean shook her head. "That must be nice. I wish I felt that way about my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?" Cassie asked, surprised after her earlier question about Saryn.

"Sort of." Jean waved her hand dismissively. "It's a long story. Hey, are you going to the block party tomorrow?"

Cassie sighed. "I can't. I have to drive back home and return the car I brought to move my stuff."

"Long trip?" Jean asked sympathetically.

"Four hours."

"Wow," Jean said, pushing away from the sink. "That's rough. It's a good thing you have someone to talk to."

"Yeah," Cassie agreed, gathering up her things. "It was nice of him to come."

"Well, have a good night," the other girl said, catching the door as she left and holding it for Cassie.

"Thanks. You too," she said, as they headed back toward their rooms.

Jean swung her door wide open, waved over her shoulder, and strolled inside. Cassie hesitated, waiting until the door had closed again to shift her stuff to one arm and try her own door. It creaked a little as she pushed it open, as always, and she blinked at the darkness.

"Saryn?" she whispered, creeping inside and closing the door gently behind her.

She heard the sleeping bag rustle from somewhere right in front of her. "Yes?"

"Um--I'm just going to turn on a light for a second, all right?"

"All right."

She dropped her things on her bed and reached for the reading light on the headboard. It flickered on, and she looked down at the floor automatically. Saryn had his back to her, shoulders set just like Jake's when he was punishing her for something.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, unable to bear the thought that he was angry with her. "I'm sorry I was so rude. I really didn't mean to be--"

He shifted a little, and she stopped. He still didn't look at her, but his voice was gentle when he told her, "It's all right. I understand."

She sighed, tempted to ask him to explain it to her. He was the last person who deserved her temper, but he was the only one around for her to snap at. She wished Jake had come. He was used to her moods, and always knew how to make her laugh when she was upset about something.

She put her clothes and toothbrush away and climbed into her freshly made bed. She hesitated before turning out the light, glancing down at Saryn again. "Are you sure you're comfortable?" There was really nothing she could do, but she suddenly felt bad for dragging him all this way and then making him sleep on the floor.

"I'm comfortable," he assured her, still facing the opposite wall. "Don't worry."

She waited a moment, watching him. He was completely wrapped in her sleeping bag, but it suddenly occurred to her that he had no clothes to change into for the next day. What had she been thinking to ask him to come along with her?

She had thought it was her due, of course. After three years of hearing nothing, she had thought he owed her at least some explanation. She had waited so long for him to come back, and he hadn't so much as sent a message to tell her he was all right. She had had to hear it over the news, and later, from Andros. She couldn't help wondering if things could have been different if he had contacted her, somehow.

The conversation with Jean weighed on her mind as she reached for the lightswitch, and she asked quietly, "Saryn?" He didn't reply, but she plunged on ahead anyway. "Have you ever been in love?"

There was only silence for a moment, and she thought he wouldn't answer. Then, at last, he said, "Twice."

"Really?" She pulled her comforter up over her shoulder and turned to face him in the darkness. "What happened?"

"Dark Spectre happened." There was a bitterness to his tone this time, but he didn't hesitate. "She died in the first attack on Elisia."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know."

"There is no way you could have. I don't talk about it."

There was a subtle warning in his voice, and she knew she should let it be. But for some reason, she couldn't, and she had to ask, "Was she--very beautiful?"

She heard him sigh a little. "She was the kindest and most loyal person I've ever known. Her smile is the thing I miss most about the old Elisia. And yes," he added, as the sleeping bag rustled again, "she was very beautiful."

She bit her lip, troubled. "Was she a Ranger?"

"Yes," he said simply.

Why was it so hard to hear him talk about his old love? *I'm engaged,* she reminded herself, running her thumb across the ring on her third finger. *We never had a chance anyway.*

"You said you loved twice," she said, steeling herself. She could do this. She had to know, had to remind herself that he had never really felt anything for her. He would have come back long ago if he had.

"Yes," he repeated.

She waited, but he didn't continue.

"What happened?" she asked tentatively, knowing how nosy she was being and hoping he wouldn't be able to guess why.

He sighed again, very softly. "She loves someone else."

"'Loves'?" she repeated. "Present tense?"

"Is that what I said?" he asked, his voice uninterpretable.

"Sorry," she murmured, tugging her comforter closer. It was a warm night, but somehow she needed to feel it wrapped around her. "I don't mean to pry."

He breathed out, and his tone sounded amused. "Too late."

There was silence for a few minutes, and she wondered how long it took him to fall asleep. Her old roommate had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but Cassie had never been so lucky. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her eyes wandering across the glow-in-the-dark smiley face someone had painted there before she moved into the room.

"Saryn?" she asked, as quietly as she could in case he wasn't awake.

"Yes?"

She smiled sheepishly. He probably wished she would just shut up, but she was going to ask this one last question. "You said Elisia was doing really well, and that the border is back together, and that you were glad you didn't have to be Phantom anymore."

He didn't answer.

"So why did you come back to Earth?" she pressed. "You never came to visit before. If everything's so great, how come you came to see us now?"

"Andros made me realize what I was missing in my life," he said softly.

She frowned up at the ceiling. "Andros? How?"

His answer surprised her. "He has Ashley."

"And the person you like loves someone else," she murmured, realizing that his "present tense" was much more "present" than she had thought.

"Yes." His whisper sounded sad, far more so than it had moments ago when he was talking about his first love. He obviously hadn't gotten over this other girl yet, and Cassie had the strangest urge to seek her out and hurt her for making him so upset.

"So why did you come to Earth?" she asked, trying to distract him.

She heard another rustle from the floor, and this time when he spoke his words were muffled. She could barely make them out as he replied, "I don't know."

She waited, but he didn't say anything else. She stifled a sigh of her own, knowing she had already asked too much. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax enough to sleep.

She remembered something suddenly, and she twisted around to see the clock beside her bed. Half past twelve. She freed one arm from underneath her too-warm comforter and touched the "alarm" button. Instead of the twelve AM default, it was set for six the next morning.

A strident repeating buzz jolted him out of a restless sleep, and for one panicked second he couldn't place the sound. Then he heard the voice that had haunted his dreams for years, sleep-fogged but recognizable nonetheless, mutter, "Stupid alarm."

There was movement, and then a crash, and he heard her swear. The buzz continued, unabated, and he almost rolled over to see what was happening. But just in time he remembered to stay facing the other wall, and he remained where he was. He had seen what she took with her when she went to change last night, and there was no way he wanted to see her walking around in nothing but a t-shirt.

He heard her fumbling with something, and at last the alarm was silenced. She sighed, and the springs of her bed complained as her weight shifted. "Saryn?" he heard her ask sleepily, and he moved a little to let her know he was awake.

He hit something as he stretched, and he heard her exclamation of surprise as he realized it hadn't been furniture he had bumped into. He sat up abruptly, just in time to see her try and catch herself against the bed as she tripped over him.

She was too off balance for that to work, and he grabbed her before she hit her head on the bureau. She yelped as he pulled her backwards, stumbling a little, and before he knew what had happened she had, quite literally, fallen right into his lap.

"Man, I'm so sorry," she said breathlessly, trying to push her hair out of her face and clutch his shoulder to steady herself at the same time. "I didn't even see you; I thought you were closer to the desk than that and I didn't think--"

Her voice gave out as she gulped for air, and he felt her fingers tighten on his shoulder. Her body was pressed against his bare chest, warm and fragile through her thin pink t-shirt, and he tried desperately to remain motionless. His arms were wrapped around her as she tried again to explain, and he couldn't hear a word she was saying.

Her arm brushed his face as she combed her hair back, and he glanced down inadvertently. The soft curves of her body held his eye, and her long t-shirt slid off her thighs as she pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to gather herself. He could only stare, wishing he dared slide his arm under her bare legs and cradle her closer against his chest.

"Saryn?" she asked, her voice calmer now that she had caught her breath. "Are you--all right?"

He swallowed, glancing up at her quickly. Her innocent brown eyes were so full of concern that he couldn't return her gaze, and he tried to look away--but the only thing he could see was her. She shifted, and his downcast eyes took in every movement.

"I'm really sorry," she repeated. "I hope I didn't--"

Her hand slid off his shoulder, fingers just brushing his chest as she drew her hand away, and he lifted his burning gaze to meet hers once more. She broke off at the look in his eyes, her own eyes widening as she stared back at him.

He tried not to move, tried to stay absolutely still, but his body screamed that this was the only chance he would ever get and he *had* to take it or he would regret it the rest of his life. He fought to ignore it, fought to ignore the fact that a gorgeous and barely dressed girl who had been his only desire for more than three years was sitting on top of him as he tried to pretend it didn't bother him in the least--and he lost.

He pulled her closer and kissed her, tasting her lips for the first time and almost melting at the exquisite sweetness. He kissed her again, tightening his arms around her as her fingers convulsed against his chest, and to his utter shock he felt her respond.

She kissed him back and he leaned into her, wanting to feel her pressed close against his bare chest, wanting to feel her hands on his skin and her lips on more than just his mouth. Her arms twined around his neck, trapping him against her, and suddenly she was falling backward against her sleeping bag as he kissed her again and again, trying to make up for all the dreams when he had woken and found himself alone.

He felt her fingers stroke his hair, and he moaned as she brushed it back across his forehead and kissed him harder. He pressed closer, sliding his hand down her bare leg and trying frantically to distract her--if she found out what that did to him, he would be lost to her forever.

"Saryn--" She wrenched herself away, pushing him off of her as she sat up, gasping for breath. "What are you--what are we *doing*?"

She wasn't far enough away--he had to touch her; he couldn't stand having her warmth so close and not reaching for it. She stared at him as he caressed her leg, only barely stopping himself from pulling her into another passionate embrace. He wanted that again, he wanted it forever, and he wanted it right now. He didn't know what small shred of civility kept him from acting on that desire, but he clung to it, even as he ran his fingers hungrily across her skin.

"Saryn!" She finally pulled away, her face flushed as she climbed to her feet. "I--I have to go take a shower. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She all but flew out of the room, and he stared down at the floor rather than watch her leave. He closed his eyes as the door slammed behind her, loud enough to momentarily drown out the pounding of his heart, and he felt a single hot tear slide down his cheek.

"No," he whispered, clenching his fingers as he tried not to think. He tried, more than that, not to feel. How could he have ever done that? It was the worst crime he had ever committed, and against one he cherished above all others. Another tear escaped, and he wondered, fleetingly, if she would ever speak to him again.

"Hey, Cass. You're up early."

Cassie glanced over her shoulder as she scanned the hall unhappily. "Yeah, I guess so. How's it going?"

"Great," Nikki said, leaning against the opposite wall to stretch her legs out. Her curly golden hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she was dressed in the same old jogging shorts she had worn day after day the semester before. "It was so nice to wake up this morning and not have to think about classes."

"Yeah," Cassie agreed again, glancing down the hall. Her room was empty--Saryn had been missing when she returned from her shower. She had expected him to be back within minutes, but as she dried her hair and got together a few things for their second road trip he still had not returned. She was starting to get worried.

"Hey, your boyfriend's outside," Nikki offered, capturing her attention instantly. "You might want to go talk to him. He looks like his best friend just died or something."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Nikki. I was wondering where he had gone."

"Cassie--" Nikki stopped her just as she was turning away. "I thought your boyfriend's name was Jake."

She bit her lip. She shouldn't have ignored the "boyfriend" comment, but it had seemed easier than not. "It is," she said quietly.

Nikki shook her head. "Be careful."

Cassie sighed. "I'm trying," she muttered. "It isn't working."

Nikki straightened up and clapped her on the shoulder. "You know, sometimes the easy way isn't the one that will make you happy. Don't get your heart broken twice, Cass."

She tried to smile, and Nikki tapped her chin lightly before turning away. "See you at the floor meeting tonight," she called over her shoulder. She disappeared around the corner before Cassie could even register her words.

"He looks like his best friend died or something..." The other girl's first words superseded her more recent sentences, and Cassie pulled her door shut and went to find Saryn.

He was indeed outside, sitting on the stone steps right in front of the main door. He was staring down Res Road, apparently lost in thought, and he didn't so much as twitch as she walked up behind him. She scuffed her foot deliberately against the stone, and still he didn't move.

She wasn't quite sure she wanted to sit down next to him, after what had happened a little while ago, but he looked so far away. She felt like he might not even hear her if she talked to him now.

She sat down gingerly, flinching as he turned his head toward her. His eyes were distant and a little too bright, and she wondered what he was seeing. "Saryn?"

He swallowed, lowering his eyes and turning away again.

"Saryn," she tried again. "I--" The truth was, she had absolutely no idea what to say. He had kissed *her*, but she hadn't exactly objected. And what had that meant, anyway? What had she been thinking to let him to do that? What had she been thinking to let herself enjoy it?

She *had* enjoyed it, she knew that much. She had felt something come alive inside her, something that wanted his touch so badly that she had been willing to forget everything else. She had never felt that way with Jake. She'd never felt so... consumed, so overwhelmed by another person. And--she had liked it. If someone had described the feeling to her, she thought it wouldn't sound so nice, but it had been the most intoxicating sensation she'd ever felt.

"I'm sorry," he muttered at last. "I know that's not enough. But it's all I can say."

She bit her lip, feeling her heart sink. She couldn't help but remember his "second love" that he had spoken so wistfully of the night before. He obviously missed her more than anything in the world, and he seemed like the type to be completely loyal. He probably wouldn't even look at another girl when he cared for someone else so strongly. He needed *some* release, and she was there...

She looked down, resting her chin on her hand dejectedly. There was a time when she would have given anything to be the one he was that loyal to. She had daydreamed about him time and again, and most of her fantasies had centered around him coming back and declaring his undying love.

She had grown up since then. Now she knew how silly that dream had been, and she had long since gone on with her life. But the dreams had never stopped, and now that he was back, her fantasies seemed suddenly so much more real. There was even a tiny part of her mind that whispered that she could be the best second choice he'd ever had, if only he'd give her the chance.

But now there was Jake. He had been one of her best friends for the past few years, and she knew she was the only girl in his life. It wasn't fair to him for her to go chasing after some teenage daydream, just because one of the old gang had come back into her life.

Was that what this was about, really? Did she just miss the intensity of life as a Power Ranger?

She sighed. *No,* she admitted to herself. *But that would be an easy excuse.* In all their conversations, she and Saryn had barely even mentioned the Rangers. They had filled hours the day before talking about everything they were doing *now*, not what they had been doing three or four years ago. She was, if anything, longing for the person she had just met, rather than the Ranger she had known so long ago now.

But that wasn't fair to any of them. Not to him, still pining for someone else, or to her, settling for second best in a relationship that she wanted to last the rest of her life. And definitely not to Jake. She clung to the thought of Jake as she firmly put aside any idea of telling Saryn how she still felt about him.

"You don't have to apologize," she said quietly. "We can't help who we are."

"No," he agreed, his voice barely above a whisper. "We can't."

"Deny all that you feel," Cassie sang idly, staring out the window, "and they will bring you home again..."

He didn't say anything, recognizing the words of a song that had been playing yesterday. She had turned the radio off almost half an hour ago, when it played "one too many slow songs". He had been happy for the silence, for every song seemed to be both sad and far too relevant to his life for his taste.

She continued to sing, and he tried not to listen. As beautiful as her voice was, he really didn't want to hear about "silent legacies" right now. It was made somehow worse that it was her singing, rather than some abstract figure on the radio.

"Your body is alive, but no one told you what you'd feel," Cassie continued, reaching out to poke the crystal hanging from the rearview mirror. It twirled, sparkling in the sunlight and throwing rainbow sparkles across the interior of the now-motionless car. "The empty aching hours, trying to conceal--"

"Why are we stopped?" he interrupted, not wanting to hear the next words. "Is there a problem?"

She shrugged helplessly, giving the crystal a last push and resting her hand on the steering wheel again. "I don't know. There must be an accident up ahead--I've never seen the freeway like this."

"Will we be here long?"

She shrugged again, reaching for the radio. "I don't know. Bored?"

Static filled the car as she scanned through stations. He waited, not sure what she was looking for but even more sure that he didn't want to try and answer her question. They had barely spoken since they stopped for breakfast on the way off campus, and he wasn't so much bored as he was so tense that he wasn't sure he could go the rest of the way without exploding. He *wanted* to talk, wanted to tell her everything he was feeling, but after the way she had taunted him the night before he knew he couldn't do it.

"The one you like loves someone else," he remembered her saying. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't keep her words from repeating in his mind. "So why did you come to Earth?"

*We can't help who we are,* he thought, answering a memory that couldn't hear him and probably wouldn't care anyway.

"Damn!" Cassie exclaimed, and he looked over at her in surprise. She put a finger to her lips and pointed at the radio.

"--has overturned on I-5 just north of Willow Creek," someone was saying. "All southbound lanes are blocked, and officials estimate that they'll remain closed for another hour while cleanup is underway. Once again, if you're planning to head south on I-5 in northern California, now is a good time to change your plans. There's been a--"

"Funny," Cassie muttered under her breath, turning the radio off. She flipped her blinker on and put her hand on the back of his seat, craning around to look out the back window.

He stared out the window, keeping his mind as blank as he possibly could. He just didn't want to think anymore. Thinking would only put him that much closer to talking, and talking would just get him hurt again.

Neither of them said anything for several minutes, and Cassie sighed in exasperation. He glanced at her inadvertently, but she was still staring out the back. "Everyone else wants off too," she said. "And they're not going to let us--hey!"

She waved suddenly and turned back around, sliding the car into the space left by a kind driver behind them. The traffic was crawling in the breakdown lane, but at least it was moving. "There's an exit up ahead about half a mile," she explained, stopping once to let another car in. "Everyone must be trying to get off the freeway up there. I never thought I'd say this, but we were lucky we were in the slow lane."

No response seemed to be required on his part, so he said nothing. She seemed completely focused on the road, and he was perfectly willing to let her be distracted. They crept along, silently and in stark contrast to the same trip the day before, until Cassie finally sighed and reached absently for the CD player.

The same CD she'd had in there yesterday afternoon started to play, and he clenched his jaw. He would not give her the satisfaction of admitting the music was getting to him. She *knew* how he felt, and she could still play something like this. He had never suspected her of petty cruelty, and he tried to convince himself that she simply wasn't thinking.

"I'm the only one, who'll walk across the fire for you," she sang softly, and he closed his eyes. "I'm the only one, who'll drown in my desire for you--"

"Must you sing along?" he asked through clenched teeth.

There was silence for a moment, and the singer continued, "It's only fear that makes you run..."

"Sorry," Cassie said, sounding a little startled. "I didn't realize it bothered you."

"Hey," she said a moment later. She sounded almost cheerful. "We're onto the exit ramp; that's a good sign. We'll get out of here yet."

"Yeah," he agreed, only because she seemed to expect him to reply.

"Um--" He saw her glance in his direction. She pushed something on the CD player as she did so, and the music paused. "Did I mention that I have no idea to get back to Angel Grove without using the interstate?"

He looked over at her. "No."

"Well, I don't," she said. "So we're going to be sort of stuck until they get that accident cleared up."

He tried not to sigh. "That's all right. I don't have anywhere to be."

She clapped her hand over her mouth, and he gave her a questioning look. "Sorry," she said, and he heard the giggle in her voice. "That was funny. Don't ask me why."

He smiled reluctantly and she lowered her hand, grinning back at him. For a moment, he thought she would say something, but then she just turned back to the road and kept the car inching along the exit ramp.

They finally reached the end, and Cassie breathed a sigh of relief as they pulled out onto the two-lane road that ran beneath the interstate. "That was a nightmare," she remarked, not sounding particularly upset. "So where should we go?"

He looked over at her. "You're asking me?"

Another smile graced her expression, and she lifted her hand palm-up on the steering wheel in acknowledgement. "Okay, silly question. But I don't even know what town we're in. And when I try to think of something to do, sleep is the only thing that sounds really good."

He frowned, surprised. "You only just woke up."

"At six in the morning!" she exclaimed, shooting an indignant look in his direction. "After five hours of sleep!" She paused, as though something had just occurred to her. "How long do you usually sleep?"

"Longer than that," he acknowledged, smiling a little. "If you want to sleep, I'll listen to the radio and wake you when the road is clear."

She shook her head, slowing to turn down a dirt road. "Is everyone on Elisia like you?"

Puzzled, he watched her bring the car to a halt in the shade of a giant bay tree and turn the engine off. "What do you mean?" he asked finally, as she twisted in her seat to face him.

"You know," she said, smiling. "Incredibly thoughtful. Generous. Nice in a totally unreal way."

He stared at her, knowing those words would burn themselves into his mind. "No more than everyone on Earth is like you," he said before he could stop himself.

She tilted her head, leaning against the back of her seat. "Like me how?"

He knew he was going to say it. He couldn't stop himself, not after the nicest thing she'd ever said to him and the way she was looking at him right now. "Kind," he said softly. "Loyal. Someone who can believe no matter what."

Her eyes were wide, but she didn't interrupt.

"And..." He looked away, but he heard himself say it anyway. "So beautiful."

She was quiet, but when she responded it wasn't at all what he expected. "There's plenty of beautiful people here," she said, a grin in her voice. "Maybe they *are* all like me."

"No," he said immediately, surprised into catching her eye. "You're beautiful from the inside. It's not the same thing."

She regarded him steadily, her smile fading as her gaze locked with his. "So are you," she said, a long moment later.

He stared at her, trying not to read anything into that. It didn't matter what he wanted to hear; he wasn't going to ask. She knew how he felt. There was no need to keep throwing it in her face, especially if she was just going to ignore it.

"Saryn... why did you come back to Earth?" she asked slowly.

He sighed softly. She was going to try and drag it out of him again, and he knew, no matter his resolve, that he was going to tell her. Again. "I told you," he reminded her, trying to avoid his fate anyway.

"You said you didn't know," she corrected.

"You weren't listening the other three times you asked?" He knew he sounded bitter, and he hated it. She couldn't help the way she felt, and no matter what motives he had ascribed to her when he was angry he knew she wasn't being intentionally mean to him.

She studied him. At last she said hesitantly, "You said... you had a second love."

He closed his eyes, not wanting to meet her gaze any longer. "You know I do."

"But I don't know who," she whispered.

"You must."

"Please," she begged, and his eyes opened involuntarily. "Please tell me who you love, Saryn."

His jaw clenched, but he couldn't resist her imploring tone any longer. "I came back because of you," he repeated, frustrated with her repeated questioning. "I love you. I need you. I can never, ever be complete without you by my side, but I will live, because you love someone else. But I will never stop wondering what might have been if I had found the courage to seek you out earlier."

Her eyes were wide, and she reached out one hand toward him. She let it fall before she touched him, though, and he closed his eyes. How long could he continue in her presence before his heart was finally beyond hope?

He heard something click, and the faint hum of the CD player was audible in the silent car. The one opening chord was somehow familiar, and the words started immediately.

He opened his eyes, and found her watching him closely. As soon as he caught her eye, he realized she was whispering the lyrics--inaudibly, but he could see her lips forming the same words that came from the speakers.

She trailed off, and he could only stare at her. They sat that way for one immeasurable moment, and the song went on, saying nothing... and somehow, he hoped, saying everything.

"Just to reach you," she breathed. "Saryn--" He held absolutely still. She had said nothing that had to mean anything, nothing even in her own words, but the look in her eyes was the most beautiful thing he'd seen in... years. He could barely breathe, waiting on the rest of her sentence.

When it came, it brought his rising hope crumbling down into nothing. "I love Jake," she said quietly, and for the briefest moment, he felt anger flare inside him. He couldn't hate her--but he could hate Jake, and for a few seconds, he did, with an intensity that frightened him.

"But I love you--I've *always* loved you more," she said, her eyes steady on his.

"Saryn?"

He had no words, no way to answer as he waited for the scene to dissolve before his eyes as it had so many times before. As soon as she uttered those words, he knew it was a dream--one he had to wake up from, again, and face the lonely reality of life without the love he had cherished for longer than she knew. The music continued to play as they waited, separately together.

He could feel her fingers on his, knew what she was doing as she leaned toward him, and knew he would never feel her lips touch his. He had dreamed her into his arms so many times before, he could recognize the dreams where she would end up there and those where she would not. This was one of the times where she would vanish just as he reached out to touch her.

She kissed him, gently, her lips lingering on his just long enough for it to dawn on him that they had actually touched. He followed her when she drew away, kissing her tentatively and feeling her return it with the same hesitance. He kissed her again, and he could *feel* her. Her mouth was actually there, beneath his, and her hands were sliding gingerly up his arms to pull him closer.

He was all too willing to obey, and he slid his arms around her eagerly. She opened her mouth as he moved closer to her, sliding her tongue under his and wrapping her arms around behind his shoulders. He welcomed her kiss, his heart pounding in his ears as his world narrowed to just the feeling of her mouth on his and the heady sensation of her arms around him.

Then she moved, leaning closer to him until her body pressed against his chest and their kiss deepened. He shifted restlessly, feeling her hands move across his back and wanting to pull her into his lap and feel the rest of her so close. He leaned back, pulling her with him to keep their mouths from parting, and gathered her legs up to slide her into the passenger seat with him.

She scrambled a little to help him, ending up on her knees on the half-seat between them, hands rubbing his shoulders as her tongue teased the inside of his mouth. It was almost too easy to tug her off balance, arms around her waist as he swung her onto his lap, sliding one hand up her spine to bury his fingers in her hair as he kissed her again.

That was a mistake, for she only imitated him, running a hand through his hair as she held his head close to her and returned his kiss with the same intensity. He tightened his arms around her, acutely aware of every movement her fingers made, trying to concentrate on her kiss and failing miserably.

"I think," she breathed, kissing his mouth between words, "that the back seat is the... traditional place for this." Her kiss moved down to his neck as he tilted his head back in pure ecstasy, feeling her fingers stroke his hair away from his scalp.

"What?" he mumbled, lowering his head to follow her hand.

"Anything," she said, answering a question he didn't know he had asked. "Plus..." She pressed her mouth to his again, and he moaned as her other hand started to stroke his hair. She couldn't possibly know what she was doing to him, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep her from finding out.

"Plus there's--more room," she continued breathlessly, her legs sliding across his as she shifted to rest both hands against his chest and push herself away from him.

"Right," he agreed, gazing up at her flushed face and trying to remember why he shouldn't just pull her back into his arms and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. He was about to ask when she pushed the car door open and scrambled out, grabbing his hand to pull him after her.

He stumbled to his feet, tilting her head up when she turned to look at him and kissing her again. She responded immediately, reaching up to touch his face as her lips pressed gently against his and she sidled closer.

He took a step forward, and the full length of her body was warm against his. He felt her hands between them on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, effectively pinning her there as he kissed her lips, her forehead, her eyes when she closed them and then her mouth again... He knew he would never be able to make up for the kisses he had missed these last three years, but he couldn't stop himself from trying.

"Saryn," she murmured, tilting her head back as he kissed her neck, gently at first and then with increasing intensity as she didn't protest.

"Yes?" he breathed, afraid to speak but unable to ignore anything she said. He ran his hands over her back and tugged the neckline of her t-shirt lower so he could kiss her collarbone, tasting her sweet skin with a hunger he knew would never be appeased.

"I love you," she whispered, freeing her hands to slide them up over his shoulders and around behind his neck.

He froze. Lifting his head, he stared into her eyes and tried to formulate some kind of reasonable sentence. "I..."

She smiled tentatively, her breathing quick and warm on his face as she rested her hand against his cheek. "Say something," she whispered, kissing him once and then searching his expression for some sign of understanding.

"I--I want..." Her fingers touched his forehead gently, tracing a curve all the way across his face as she waited on his reply. "I want to hear you say that," he murmured, trying to catch his breath and speak loudly enough to be heard over the sound of his heart, "every day, for the rest of my life."

Her face broke into a wide smile, and she leaned into him to hug him tightly. "I love you," she murmured again. "I love you so much."

"I love you--Cassie," he said, kissing the top of her head and smoothing out her t-shirt with his hands. "I have waited so long to say that... I thought--"

She turned her face up to him and kissed him before he could finish, giggling a little at his expression. "Sorry. Go ahead."

"I thought I would never get the chance," he said, expecting her kiss this time. He was not disappointed, and he caught her before she could stop and opened his mouth to hers, pulling her closer.

She shifted, one hand fumbling against the car behind him. He let his mouth slide off of hers, kissing her cheek, and then her temple, jealously trying to get closer and bring her attention back to him.

He felt the exclamation she tried to stifle, and he drew back in alarm. "Cassie?" he murmured, feeling her breath tease his skin as she tilted her head up. "Are you--"

"I'm fine," she promised, lifting her wandering hand to touch his face. "The door--" Her upturned face was an invitation he couldn't resist, and he pressed his open mouth to hers. Her sentence trailed off into a wordless murmur, and he felt her fingers caress his cheek.

He drew away as her hand came dangerously close to his hair, and she finished breathlessly, "--handle pinched my finger..."

He covered her hand with his, bringing it around in front of his face to kiss her fingers. She closed her eyes, leaning into him as he drew the injured finger into his mouth and sucked gently on it. He let his tongue trail across her other fingers, and her hand twitched a little as he kissed her palm.

He broke off, turning his head to kiss her temple soothingly. She tilted her head in response, but he didn't let go of her hand. Kissing her palm again, he moved down to her wrist, and he felt her shiver as his lips touched the inside of her arm.

There was a click, and she braced herself against him as she tugged the door open. He took an inadvertent step back, thrown off-balance by the movement, and she followed. Freeing her arm, she lifted her hand to the back of his head and whispered, "Duck," as she pushed gently against his shoulder.

He let her guide him backward, not taking his eyes off of her as the doorframe hit the back of his legs and he sat down hard. "Scoot back," she murmured, and he complied wordlessly. He tried not to protest her absence, but his whole body was aching to feel her again while she was maddeningly unaffected by their separation.

Then she was there, straddling his legs as she knelt over him and pressed her lips to his, and his arms went around her almost of their own accord. He ran his hands across her back, caressing her spine and reveling in the feel of her fingers massaging his shoulders. She wriggled closer, and he gasped into her mouth as her hips pressed against his.

That was the moment that all the clothing between them began to feel unbearable. He had ignored it until now, satisfying himself with her face and her neck and her arms--so unattainable for so long, they almost seemed to be enough. And he hadn't wanted to go too far... if she only wanted to kiss, he didn't want to be the one to force the issue.

But now... he bit back a moan, kissing her frantically as she shifted on top of him, trying to keep his hands from straying too low. "Cassie," he murmured hoarsely, knowing that if he didn't tell her she would push him past the limits of all control without even realizing it.

Her arms slid across his shoulders as she wrapped herself around him, her kiss just as thorough and passionate as any of his. "Yes?" she whispered, turning her head to nuzzle his cheek and lifting a hand to the back of his head. Before he could speak, she had buried her fingers in his hair as she trailed gentle kisses down his neck.

All his thoughts dissolved into warm tingles of sensation, and he relaxed into her arms. "Nothing," he breathed, rolling his head back and closing his eyes as her fingers slid across his scalp.

"Good," she whispered, dropping her hand to his shoulder and sliding her fingers under the collar of his shirt. She pulled it lower and lower, and his skin burned beneath her lips as her mouth followed her fingers.

He didn't remember moving but suddenly he could feel her thigh under his hand, bare below her cutoff shorts. She arched her back and leaned into him, the gentle weight of her breasts a tantalizing pressure against his chest as her weight across his legs shifted.

"Cassie," he groaned, clutching her waist and fighting desperately to keep his hands from sliding under her shirt. He couldn't stand it any longer. "I can't--"

"Don't," she murmured, her hands rubbing his back as she leaned down to kiss his mouth. His body was traitorously compliant, and he couldn't get enough of her kisses as her arms wound around his neck.

"I can't," he gasped at last, heart pounding in his ears as he wrenched away from her. She wouldn't let go, kissing the side of his face down to his neck, teasing his skin with her warm tongue. "I can't do this," he insisted, closing his eyes as her body moved against his, more with every indrawn breath. "Not if... if we aren't going to finish it."

"Who says we aren't?" she murmured, drawing back at last. He opened his eyes to find her staring down at his chest as her fingers traced idle patterns across the fabric of his shirt. He caught her hands before they made him more crazy than he already was, searching her expression as she lifted her gaze to meet his.

Without another word, she tugged her arms free and reached for the hem of her shirt. He stared as she pulled it slowly off over her head, drinking in a sight he had always been so sure was not for him. She didn't stop there, watching him from underneath her eyelids as she bared her breasts to him. She was oddly shy for someone who had pushed him into the backseat to begin with, he thought distractedly.

When she didn't move, he reached out to stroke her sensitive skin, holding his breath as he waited for her reaction. He couldn't help feeling that he was somehow overstepping some boundary. She squirmed in his lap and his fingers tensed involuntarily, cupping her breast as she inhaled sharply.

That was all the convincing he needed, and he leaned forward to kiss her hungrily. She gasped again as his tongue touched her breast, clenching her fingers on his shoulders as he drew her nipple into his mouth. He let go just long enough to murmur breathlessly, "If you ever--wondered...?"

He felt one hand teasing the ends of his hair as she ran her fingers across his neck and shoulders, and between feverish kisses he managed to continue, "You are more beautiful... in reality--"

Her hands wandered lower, sneaking under his shirt even as he spoke, and he buried his head in her shoulder, trying to suppress a moan. "Than," he whispered, swallowing hard as he inhaled her intoxicating scent, "you are in my dreams..."

"You dreamed about me?" she whispered back, tugging at his shirt. He forced himself to help her with it, pulling it off impatiently as she ran her hands across his bare chest.

"Every night," he breathed, gathering her close to him and smoothing her hair down her back. Her rapid breathing echoed his as he held her pressed against him for an interminable moment, and he thought fleetingly that he couldn't have made as many mistakes in his life as he had believed if he was allowed to be this happy.

Then her hands slid down his chest, so slowly that he didn't realize what she was doing until they reached his lap. The blood pounding through his veins caught fire as her fingers started to explore, and with a growl, he pushed her off his lap and back against the car door.

Her mouth opened under his demanding kiss, and he felt more than heard her moan as his hands roamed across her skin. He ached with the delicious torment of her teasing, feeling the urge to be even closer and have her all around him becoming impossible to ignore. There was no turning back now, and they both knew it.

But when his hands fumbled with her shorts, she stopped him, twisting to the side and whispering, "You first."

He obeyed without hesitation, her hands driving him to distraction as she tried to help. Her fingers were on his skin more than they were on his clothes, and she caught his hands in hers before he could return the favor. Her long raven hair fell everywhere when she kissed him, making him crazy to feel something more substantial against his skin.

Finally she let him go, unbuttoning her shorts and letting him free her of the last of her clothing. This time when he ran his hands up her bare legs, there was nothing to stop them, and she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down with her onto the seat. Desire building to a fever pitch within him, he pressed gently against her, gritting his teeth as she moaned.

He tried to be slow, careful--she was not Elisian, and he would not have her hurt for the world--but her hands slid down his chest to his hips, urging him on, and he gave in to her burning touch on his skin. He pushed into her again, and again, harder, some inner fire raging out of control as he heard her cry out. It consumed him, overwhelming his every sense, until finally, euphoria burst through him and he shuddered from release.

The feeling permeated every part of his being as he relaxed, and he wrapped his arms protectively around her as he rested his head beside hers. He listened to their ragged breathing in the otherwise quiet car, and as his heart gradually began to slow, he could hear her CD still playing.

"And I've finally found it," he whispered contentedly. He heard her breathless exhalation of amusement and knew that she understood.

He should have been heavy, lying over top of her as he was, but all she felt was a deep and abiding comfort, secure in his closeness for the first time. Stroking his shoulder idly, she tried to ignore the seatbelt poking into her side, not wanting to move from their entwined position.

"Are you comfortable?" he whispered, breath tickling her ear.

"No," she said with a smile, turning her hand over to trail the backs of her fingers across his skin. "But I don't care."

He shifted, settling his weight to one side and taking her place against the back of the seat. "I do," he murmured. A moment later, though, he added, "You're right. This isn't very comfortable."

She giggled, and, with a sigh, he pushed himself into a sitting position. He retrieved his shirt from the floor and wedged it into the corner between the backseat and the door, then leaned back against it and held out his hand to her. "Try this," he offered softly.

She came willingly, taking his hand and snuggling up against his side as he wrapped his free arm around her. She sighed happily, resting her head against his chest and whispering, "I've been talking to my angel..."

He chuckled as she echoed the singer and asked, "How long is this--CD?"

"This is the last song," she murmured. They were quiet for a moment, the words of "Talking to My Angel" the only sound aside from their breathing. Then she remembered something, and she pulled away a little to look up at his face. "Saryn?"

He was watching her, arm still around her shoulders and a peaceful look in his eyes. "Yes?"

She hesitated, but curiosity got the best of her. She lifted her hand to his dark hair and ran her fingers through it. His eyes widened, and an unmistakably dreamy expression flitted across his face.

She giggled at his reaction. "I thought so. What, do you have a hair fetish or something?"

He caught her hand with his and drew it to his mouth, kissing her fingers. "Only when it involves the woman I love," he murmured.

"You do!" she exclaimed delightedly. She tried to free her hand, but he wouldn't let her go. "You have a hair fetish!"

He let out a long-suffering sigh as he lowered her hand. "Jenna always used to tease me about that, too," he admitted.

She giggled and leaned into him again, playing with his fingers as he relaxed his grip on her hand. She didn't have to ask to know that "Jenna" had been the first love he had mentioned the night before. "I think it's cute," she informed him.

"I'm glad," he replied wryly. "Since there's not much I can do to change it."

She sighed in contentment, turning his hand over and running her thumb across his palm. "You know how you said you dreamed about me?"

She felt him nod, his chin rubbing against her temple.

She smiled, her hand stilling on his as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. "I dreamed about you, too," she confessed quietly. "All the time."

He didn't answer right away, but finally he asked, "With or without the hair fetish?"

She dissolved into giggles, burying her face in his chest. "I'm not sure," she admitted, her voice muffled by her laughter and his body.

He obviously understood her, though, for he teased, "They must not have been very memorable dreams, then."

She quieted, trying not to blush as she remembered. "Oh, they were," she whispered, turning her head so he could hear. "Believe me, they were."

He squeezed her shoulders, hugging her closer to him. He said nothing aloud, but his nearness was the only reassurance she needed. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, but it did dawn on her after a while that the CD had long since stopped and she still had no particular desire to move.

"Cassie?" she heard him whisper, and she let out her breath in a sigh.

"Yeah?" she murmured drowsily, and it was only then that she realized how easy it would be to fall asleep in his arms.

"Go to sleep," he breathed, sounding amused. "That's all I was going to say."

She tried to shake her head. "I don't want to sleep anymore," she murmured. "I might wake up and find out that this was just another dream."

"You won't," he assured her, and she felt him kiss the top of her head. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?" she breathed, settling herself more comfortably against him.

"I promise," he agreed softly.

He had been as reluctant to doze off as she, but when her sudden movement brought him awake he knew it had happened anyway. As blissful as the feeling of waking up with her in his arms was, he couldn't help his disappointment at the thought that he had missed watching her sleep.

She was still pressed up against his chest, but he saw her fingers twitch. "Awake?" he whispered, reaching down to stroke her hand.

"Yeah," she murmured, twisting her hand beneath his.

He saw her watch glint up at them from her wrist, and he moved his fingers to cover its face--too late. "Man!" she exclaimed, putting her hand on the seat and pushing herself into a more upright position. "It's ten-thirty!"

His skin felt suddenly cool without her, and he sighed a little as he sat up. She grabbed for her clothes, muttering something about bus schedules, and he felt a wisp of cold fear creep into his heart and settle there. Did everything just revert back to the way it was before? Was he not now to be any more a part of her life than he had been two days ago?

He couldn't bear that thought, and he didn't want to hear her say it--but he hated the silence even more. Uncertainly, he reached out to her, but before he could touch her, she froze. Something had fallen out of her shorts' pocket as she scrambled into them, and he watched her slowly reach down to retrieve it.

Turning to him, she held up the key she had made for Jake the day before. Searching his expression, she said carefully, "I don't know exactly what all this meant to you. Maybe it was nothing. But when I said I love you... I was never as serious about anything in my life."

"Everything I said, I said from my heart," he told her quietly. "I love you more than life, and I don't think that will ever change."

She smiled a little, her eyes not leaving his as she held out the key. "Do you want this, then?"

"More than anything," he breathed, making no move to take it.

She looked down and reached for his hand. "Then keep it," she said, pressing it into his palm and curling his fingers around it with her other hand. "I--I'm going to have to talk to Jake anyway."

"Cassie..." He swallowed. "I *want* to be with you, but if you--" He found he couldn't finish.

She sighed, an uncertain sound that tore at his heart. "I just feel like my life has turned upside-down, you know?" She lifted her gaze to his again, her eyes begging him to understand. "And now I have to try and hold things together somehow."

He reached out and she let him pull her into a hug without a word. "It will be all right," he promised softly, key clutched in one hand as he stroked her hair with the other.

She didn't answer right away, but when she did it made him smile. "It sounds so convincing when you say it," she murmured.

"It will be all right," he repeated, hugging her tighter. "We'll make it all right."

She sighed as he continued to caress her hair, but she didn't sound as troubled as she had before. "I believe you," she said at last.

"Good," he murmured. "Because I have it on good authority that 'Mr. Helpful' can't lie to you."

He heard her choke back laughter, and her body trembled with restrained mirth. "I can't believe I said that!" she gasped, giggles escaping even as she tried to speak. "I was so rude last night--I'm sorry!"

"It's all right," he assured her, gratified to hear her laugh. "I understand."

"You always do," she whispered, suddenly serious as she pulled away to stare into his eyes. "Thank you."

He smiled, and he felt his heartbeat quicken as she glanced down, her eyes sliding inadvertently across his body. "God, you're gorgeous," she murmured, then bit her lip as she looked up at him sheepishly. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

He cupped her chin and tilted her head a little, smile fading as he leaned in to kiss her. "So are you," he whispered, his lips touching hers gently. She put her hands on her knees and leaned closer, her tongue brushing against his playfully, and he slid his hand around behind her head as their kiss deepened.

Finally she drew away, and he felt a thrill at the warm smile she turned on him. "You'd better get dressed," she said softly. "Before you give me any ideas."

He followed his fingers with his eyes as he let his hand trail down her neck and across her shoulder. "What kind of ideas?"

"The kind of ideas that will make us *really* late getting back to Angel Grove," she said firmly, catching his hand with hers. Her act was spoiled by the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth, but she pulled away from him and rested her hand on the door handle threateningly.

He obeyed with an overly loud sigh, and she just laughed at him. "C'mon, Gorgeous," she teased, pushing the door open. "Let's get moving."

It was almost two before the Hammonds' station wagon rolled into their driveway again, and Ashley must have been waiting for it. The screen door opened before the sound of the motor had faded into silence, and Ashley came sauntering down the porch steps toward them. "It's about time," she declared, looking unbearably smug. "Did you two sleep in or something?"

"For your information," Cassie told her, climbing out of the car and stretching thoroughly to cover her blush, "there was an accident on I-5 that tied up traffic for hours. If you'd been listening to the news, you would have heard about it yourself."

"Are you guys okay?" Ashley asked, switching from smug to concerned in the space of heartbeat. "What did you do?"

"We're fine," Cassie assured her, reaching back into the car for her backpack. She remembered just in time to pull her Melissa Etheridge CD out of the disc player and put it back in its case. Stuffing it into her bag, she added, "We just got off the highway and... uh, waited for everything to get cleared up."

She backed out of the car and slammed the door behind her, careful not to meet her friend's gaze. Unfortunately, she didn't manage to avoid Saryn's, and he caught her eye over the top of the car as she straightened. He smiled innocently at her, and she felt a return smile threatening to give them away.

Ashley didn't miss the silent exchange. "Just waited, huh?" she said, her earlier smugness returning full force.

"Yeah," Cassie said, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Just waited. Have you seen Jake today?"

"No," her friend answered, momentarily diverted. "But he called twice last night, and again this morning. If you weren't going to call him, you could have at least told me so I could let him know!"

Cassie sighed, pulling her backpack over the other shoulder and tapping her fingers against the strap nervously. "I meant to call him; really. I was just waiting until--we got everything set up in the room, you know? And then it was so late..."

"Cassie?" Ashley interrupted, when she trailed off. "Where's your ring?"

She looked down involuntarily. The third finger of her left hand was conspicuously bare, and she should have expected Ashley to notice. She let go of her backpack and shoved her hand into her pocket. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to him about," she said reluctantly, pulling out Jake's ring and holding it up so Ashley could see it.

Her friend's eyes widened, and she glanced back and forth between Cassie and Saryn. "Oh, you have got to tell me this story." She hesitated a moment, then added, "Look, I promised to let Jake know when you got back--do you want me to ask him to come over? He'll probably want to anyway."

"Yeah," Cassie said determinedly. "We need to talk before I leave again."

"I'll be right back," Ashley said, shooting another glance at Saryn before she headed back into the house.

Cassie took a deep breath, turning to face Saryn over the top of the car. "Maybe you should disappear for a while," she suggested quietly. "I don't want him getting upset with you."

He laid his arm across the top of the car, and she reached out to meet him halfway, covering his hand with hers. "I'll leave if you want," he answered, his tone sympathetic. "But when..."

"Will I see you?" she finished. With a tentative smile she asked, "What are you doing tonight?"

A look of relief flitted across his features, and he smiled back. "Seeing you, I hope."

"I'll be back on campus by nine... I don't--" She looked around, suddenly puzzled. "I don't even know how you got here, come to think of it. Can you come? Can you even stay?"

"I can come," he assured her quickly. "And I can stay. I have my own transportation."

She looked at him speculatively. "Faster than a bus?"

"Much," he said his smile widening. "Do you want me to pick you up here? Or at the bus stop?"

"At the bus stop," she said with a sigh. "I don't want to freak anyone out more than they're already going to be. Thanks, Saryn."

"You're welcome," he said softly, kissing the fingers of his free hand and laying them over hers. "I love you."

She imitated his action, smiling as he turned his hands over to clasp hers. She squeezed his fingers, feeling his words, his very presence, reassuring her as she gazed back at him. "I love you, too."

2. Real Life

"Hey, girl!"

Perched on the edge of the Hammonds' porch steps, Cassie didn't look up at the sound of her fiancé's voice. Staring down at the ring in her hands, she heard the door of his Jeep slam shut. She knew this was the last time he would greet her so cheerfully, the last time he would call her "girl" with a smile on his face.

She heard his footsteps on the pavement, and his shadow fell across the steps next to her as he sat down. "Hey," he said more quietly. "It'll be okay. You can come down for a visit next weekend, after you settle in. And I have some time off coming up; I'll come see you then."

She sighed, looking up at him. He smiled when she caught his eye and pulled something out from behind his back. "I brought you a present."

She drew away as he offered the brightly wrapped package to her. "No... I can't."

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. He set the present down and put an arm around her shoulder. "We did it last year, Cass; it won't be so bad. We'll see each other more than you think."

"It's not that," she said softly, lowering her gaze. How could she ever tell him what was really on her mind?

"Then what?" he asked. Before she could say anything, he said, "Wait--don't answer yet."

She felt his arms go around her, but she didn't even realize what he was doing until he swept her up off the steps. It was uncomfortably reminiscent of the way Saryn had held her that morning, and she squirmed against him. "Put me down," she complained, trying not to think about that. She was afraid that somehow he would know, just from the way she felt, that she was no longer only his.

"Sorry," he said cheerfully, carrying her across the driveway. "No can do. See, this--" He lifted her a little higher and she felt the metal hood of his car beneath her as he set her down. "This is the magic car, right here. It will carry me to you all semester long, and once I'm with you, we'll go anywhere you want. Just think of it--your own personal limo service! A green limo, yes, but that's all the rage now. You wouldn't want anything too conventional."

"Jake," she said, biting her lip. She wished with all her heart that there were some way out of this. Maybe it would be better to wait until the weekend. Or after that, when she was supposed to come see him. She could call and tell him she had met someone else this year...

He went down on one knee in front of his car and offered her the package again. "Your present, milady," he said. "Come on, open it. It'll cheer you up."

She was so tempted. He was obviously waiting for her to smile, even once, so he could climb up next to her and put his arm around her while she opened it. He had done this for her often during the rebuilding of Angel Grove, to cheer her up, and it was a tradition he seemed to enjoy carrying on.

"I can't," she said finally, looking down at the ring she still held loose in her hand. She couldn't wait to tell him; she knew she would keep finding excuses and it just wouldn't be fair. And it would be worse if he found out some other way--she couldn't let that happen. "Jake... I need to talk to you."

"Sure," he said, looking puzzled as he got to his feet. He waved the present just in front of her once more and said teasingly, "Are you positive it can't wait just a few minutes?"

She swallowed, trying hard not to give herself away by sniffling. He wasn't making this any easier just by being him. "You're so wonderful," she murmured, shaking her head at the proffered gift. "But there's something I have to tell you before anything else."

"Okay," he agreed. He climbed up beside her on the Jeep's hood, setting the present behind him at the bottom of the windshield. "What's up?"

She looked up at him, but the words were no closer to coming than they had been before. "I--I don't know how to say this," she said awkwardly. Searching his expression, she couldn't help but remember all the times he had been there for her. He really was wonderful, in so many ways. How could this have happened? How could she be about to break up with him?

"How about just saying it?" he suggested gently, seeming to sense her distress. He reached out and stroked her hair. "You know you can tell me anything."

She took a deep breath, knowing it wouldn't get any easier if she waited. "I think--we should stop seeing each other."

It was the first thing she had said that he had no answer for, and she hated the way the words sounded before they were even out. She didn't know how else to say it, but she tried hastily to make it sound less harsh. "I mean, I think you're terrific, and you're the best thing to happen to me since I was a Power Ranger, and I love you, honestly I do..."

She trailed off at his bewildered expression, knowing that there was nothing that could balance out that horrible first sentence. "I'm sorry," she whispered at last.

"I don't understand," he said finally, studying her. "Are you--breaking up with me?"

She blinked her eyes quickly, trying to keep them dry. "Sort of... yeah. I'm sorry, Jake; you don't deserve this at all--"

"Then why?" he interrupted. "I don't get it. Is this just a school thing? Are you just upset about going back to school?"

She shook her head. "It isn't a school thing. It has nothing to do with that."

"Then why?" he repeated, frustrated. "Everything's been so great! I could never want anything more than us, and you said you didn't either. Why on Earth would you want to break up?"

*Not on Earth,* she thought, unbidden, as Saryn's unnaturally blue eyes seemed to gaze back at her from out of her memories. "Because..." She swallowed hard. "Because I was wrong when I said that. I'm sorry."

"You want something more?" he insisted. "What? Tell me, and I'll do it. You know I'd do anything to make you happy, Cassie."

She felt her tears threatening to spill over as she glanced over at him. She looked away quickly, shaking her head. "You can't do this. It isn't you, really; it's me. It's just--I thought I was happy with you--and I *was*," she said hastily. "But... I just can't marry you."

His expression cleared. "Oh, is that what this is about? Look, you know we can wait as long as you want. We haven't set a date, and I would never ask you to until you're ready. We'll wait till you're done with school, and then maybe we'll think about--"

"No," she interrupted. "No, it isn't that. Jake..." She held out the engagement ring he had given her, taking his hand and setting the ring in it when he made no move to take it back. "I can't marry you. Not someday, not maybe--not ever."

He frowned, clearly trying to stay patient. "But why *not*? You were so excited a few months ago; you said you thought I'd never ask."

"I thought I wanted to, then," she said softly.

"Then when did you change your mind?" he demanded.

She couldn't answer. She didn't want to hurt him by telling him she loved someone else, but more than that, she didn't want to hear his inevitable disapproval when he did find out.

"I know you too well," he said firmly. "There's never been anyone else; I would have known. You didn't start acting strangely until--"

He broke off abruptly, and she closed her eyes. A tear slipped loose with the motion, but she didn't dare turn. She didn't want to see his expression.

"No," Jake said. His voice was suddenly wary, empty of the pleading tone that had been in it before. "It isn't him. You told me you were over him, Cassie. I *believed* you when you said you were over him."

She sniffed a little, biting down harder on her lip as she tried to stay in control. "I believed me too," she whispered. "I never would have asked him to drive up with me if I thought I still had feelings for him."

"He went with you yesterday?" Jake exclaimed. "He slept in your room? Man, no wonder you didn't call me last night! I guess it'd be pretty inconvenient to have your old lover on the phone while your new one was sitting right there!"

Her head came up, and she glared at him. "That's not fair! We didn't--" She stumbled a little over the words, and she hated herself for it. "Nothing happened last night! He slept on the floor the whole night!" She couldn't help feeling horrified that he thought she would sleep with someone else when she was engaged to him, but she knew she had very little room to object.

When he sighed and lowered his gaze, she felt even worse. "I'm sorry," he told her reluctantly. "You're right. That was out of line. But one day with the guy tells you what? You see him for a few hours and all of a sudden we mean nothing?"

She winced. She didn't want to think about everything she still didn't know about him, but Jake had seen her hesitation.

"We have years between us, Cassie," he insisted, pressing his advantage. "He comes out of nowhere and you're going to just dump all of that like it doesn't matter? You said he used to do this all the time, remember? He'd show up for a little while and then vanish, and what did you have?"

"The memory," she mumbled miserably.

"And it took you months and months to get over that memory," he reminded her. "Don't do that to yourself again! You know I love you more than anything, and I'd never hurt you. What do you know about him, other than that he has a history of showing up for a day or two and then leaving without a word?"

She looked up at him slowly. "He wouldn't do that. Not this time." She tried to stop herself, but the words were her only defense and they tumbled out regardless. "He said he loves me."

"Well, isn't that great," Jake told her. "He can say it with the best of them. So what? You waited for him to come back for almost a year last time, all because he said he'd see you soon. Look how much of a lie that turned out to be!"

"Don't say that!" She felt another tear trickle down her face, and she brushed it away impatiently. "He wanted to come back. He was just... busy." She knew how weak the excuse sounded even as she said it, and she felt a flare of irritation for having to defend him. *He *could* have come back sooner.*

"Right, busy," Jake said dryly. "That's good. So next time he's 'busy', he'll leave you alone for another three years while he goes and does who-knows-what? That's really comforting."

She turned her back on him, and he sighed. "I just don't want to see you hurt, Cassie. Can you blame me for that? I love you, and I don't want you to give up what we have just because you've made this mysterious guy into the hero of your dreams."

She bristled, her anger keeping her tears at bay for the moment. "You know I'm not like that!"

"You're a dreamer," he interjected gently, before she could continue. "There's nothing wrong with that; in fact it's one of the things I love most about you. But you can't build a life on dreams alone."

She stared at him. *What's the point of having dreams if you don't chase them?* she wondered, but she didn't dare say it aloud. "But he isn't a dream! He's real; I can talk to him, touch him..." She stopped, too late, feeling a blush tinge her cheeks as she remembered how unshakably real *that* part of it was.

"Of course *he's* real," Jake said, not seeming to notice her discomfort. "But this vision that you have of him--that's not. You told me so yourself, remember?" he prompted, reaching out to tap her chin lightly.

She caught his eye again, sadly. "But I was wrong," she said. "Don't you see? I was upset then, mad at him for not being here--I thought if he really loved me he couldn't have stayed away so long. But he *does* love me; I know that now!"

Jake was shaking his head, and she wanted to shout at him to listen to her. "Cass, don't *you* see how easy it is to tell yourself that now, while he's here? What happens when he's gone again? You'll be right back where you started, and you'll just have to go through all that pain again.

"There's no miracle cure for life, you know," he said, while she was trying to figure out how to explain why this time was different. "Maybe you want a Prince Charming, but this isn't a fairytale. It's the real thing, with school and jobs and families all getting in the way. Love isn't the solution to all your problems, Cassie. It's just what makes all those problems worth it."

"I *know* it isn't a fairytale," she exclaimed, frustrated. He thought he knew her so well, and yet he wouldn't even listen. "And having him doesn't change any of that, but it's what I want! I want to be with him, Jake!"

He gave her a look like he had never seen her before and he wasn't pleased with what he was seeing now for the first time. "I thought you were smarter than that," he said at last. He slid off the hood of the car and regarded at her for another long moment before shaking his head. "I thought you were *older* than that. But maybe you two deserve each other. Just don't come crying to me when he takes off again."

He walked around the front of the car and jerked the driver's door open, climbing into the front seat and slamming the door shut behind him. Her eyes were still wide with shock when she heard the engine rumble to life, and she scrambled down off the hood of the car just before he put it in reverse and rolled out of the driveway without a backward glance. She heard the Jeep roar as he shoved the accelerator the floor and took off down the street, and she could feel tears springing to her eyes again.

"Maybe you two deserve each other." She knew what Jake thought of her former "crush"; there was a time when he had been very vocal about his feelings toward her mysterious Phantom. There was even a time when she had been glad to hear him say those things about Saryn, because it made her feel less alone. But it made those words all the more hurtful now. "Maybe you two deserve each other."

"Fuck you," she muttered half-heartedly, tearing her eyes away from the road.

She turned back to the house and started up the steps by rote, but she couldn't make herself go in. Ashley was inside, and her mom, and she didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Dropping down on the porch steps, she covered her face with her hands and tried not to think about anything.

It wasn't long before she heard someone on the other side of the screen door, and it had to be Ashley that stepped out onto the porch a moment later. She just stood there for a little while, then, finally, sat down beside Cassie without a word.

Cassie didn't move, hoping her best friend would just go away. She didn't want to talk, she didn't want to explain, she didn't want anything except to be left alone. She couldn't believe she had just done that to Jake. She couldn't believe it was all over; time between them erased like it had never been. Even if he ever spoke to her again, nothing would be the same.

"Breaking up sucks," Ashley said at last, quietly.

Cassie squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring the tears she could no longer contain. "What do you know," she muttered. "He wasn't your fiancé."

"No," Ashley agreed softly. "But you couldn't stay with him if you loved someone else."

"I didn't want to love anyone else." She wiped her face with her sleeve before burying it in her hands again. "Love sucks. I just wanted to get married to Jake and live happily ever after. Why did *he* have to show up?"

"At least he came now," Ashley murmured. "He could have come back after you were married or something."

"He could have come back right after the war."

Ashley sighed a little. "Yeah. He could have." She felt her friend's arm go around her shoulders and she leaned against her, letting Ashley hold her while she cried.

She couldn't truly be mad at Saryn for coming back; he hadn't done it with the intention of breaking her and Jake up. It wasn't his fault that she'd never gotten over him, and it certainly wasn't his fault that she'd acted on those feelings. He had tried to be a perfect gentleman, he had tried so hard, but he could only take so much when she stopped making things easy for him.

She couldn't be mad at Jake, either; there was nothing she could blame him for in all this. Maybe he had tried to make her fall in love with him, but she had let it happen. He hadn't forced her to forget Saryn; he had told her he would wait as long as it took for her to be comfortable with him, and if it never happened that was all right too. He had trusted her when she said she was over Saryn, and he had still trusted her when Saryn turned up on their doorstep again the day before.

The problem was that without being able to blame anyone else, the only one she could fault was herself. She had made a mess of everything. She had waited for Saryn to come to her when she could just as easily have gone looking for him. She had let Jake sweep her off her feet the way she had once dreamed Saryn would. She had just allowed everything to happen around her, and now she was paying the price.

Now, to be happy, she had to somehow try and undo the last three years. She had to fix everything she had let happen, and there was no "rewind" or even "pause" to help her out. She had to do the best she could while life was still in progress, and somehow she wasn't sure her best was going to be good enough.

"Hey," she heard Ashley whisper. "It's going to be okay."

"I know," she mumbled, not convinced. How much of this could have been avoided if things had been different a few years before?

"You don't really wish he hadn't come back, do you?" Ashley asked quietly.

Cassie sniffed, not moving. "He screwed everything up. It would have been fine if he had just stayed where he was. I never would have known the difference."

"But do you wish he hadn't come?" Ashley persisted.

She straightened slowly, resting her arms on her knees again and staring down at the steps. "No," she admitted softly. "I wish... I wish I didn't have to break up with Jake. But I don't wish he hadn't come back."

Ashley breathed out in amusement. "Hard to have both, though."

Cassie scrubbed at her face again, blinking back a few leftover tears. "Yeah," she said, with a small smile. "I guess."

"It'll work out," Ashley promised, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "Things always do, you know. One way or the other."

"It's 'the other' that I'm worried about," Cassie murmured, taking a deep breath. The urge to cry had faded, but in its place was a feeling of calm that she knew wouldn't last. It was a precarious calm; one that would let her function only as long as no one said the wrong thing or asked the wrong questions.

"It's okay," Ashley said, giving her another quick hug. "You did the right thing."

She swallowed hard, feeling her composure threatened already. "No I didn't," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. She heard the waver in it anyway, and she blinked quickly in a vain attempt to hold back more tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ashley asked, immediately concerned. "You were right to break up with him. I heard you talking before I called Jake, so I know you and Saryn made plans to meet tonight--you can't be engaged to one person and date someone else at the same time."

"I know," Cassie said, sniffing again and brushing the tears away impatiently. She'd had enough sobbing for one afternoon. "That's not what I meant."

"Cassie," her friend said, eyeing her with a sort of tentatively amused expression. "Are you going to 'fess up, or do I have to drag it out of you?"

"I--" She couldn't help smiling a little at her friend's knowing tone. "We... kind of kissed," she admitted, rubbing her eyes and taking another deep breath. Jake was gone. There was nothing more she could do to make things right between them. She had broken up with him, and though it had been every bit as hard as she had expected, now she had to keep going.

"Well, I sort of figured that," Ashley said, looking disappointed. "You make it sound terrible."

"We didn't--just kiss," she said, feeling her lips twitch at Ashley's immediate interest. "It was--umm... well, trust me. It wasn't something you do when you're engaged to someone else."

"Did you sleep with him or not?" Ashley demanded.

Cassie looked down again, feeling her cheeks heat up as she tried not to think about it. "Well... maybe."

"Maybe?" Ashley repeated, obviously enjoying her friend's discomfort. "You don't 'maybe' sleep with someone, Cass. You either did or you didn't."

Cassie glanced over her shoulder at the screen door and then glared at her. Ashley clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced inside as well, but her mother was nowhere to be seen. "Sorry," she whispered. "So? Did you or didn't you?"

She hesitated, but Ashley made an impatient gesture with her hand, and finally she admitted, "Did."

Ashley let out a sigh of relief. "I knew it. You should have seen how jealous he was when he saw Jake kiss you yesterday!"

Torn between embarrassment and curiosity, she was totally unprepared for Ashley's next statement. "That's ten bucks for me!"

Cassie stared at her in surprise. "What did you just say?"

"Oh," Ashley said, pretending to be embarrassed and not doing a very good job of it, "Andros and I had a little bet. Nothing important."

"You bet on us?" Cassie hissed. "I can't believe you!"

Ashley shrugged a little. "Come on, Cass. It was either you two or Zhane and Kerone, and Kerone does nasty things to us when we make bets about them."

"So you bet on whether or not I'd sleep with Saryn?" Cassie couldn't decide whether to be outraged or just laugh.

"Well, Andros wanted to keep it to kissing, but we both agreed you'd do that so there wasn't much fun there."

"You have no life," Cassie informed her.

Ashley grinned. "Just because I only sleep with my future husband doesn't mean I have no life. Hey," she added suddenly. "What was it like, by the way? I mean, he is an alien and all--did you really do it? Or did you just... you know?"

She blushed furiously, but she couldn't resist her friend's conspiratorial tone. "We really did it," she mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at the door again. "He's--" She looked back at Ashley's expectant expression and bit her lip in an effort not to giggle. "You wouldn't know he isn't human."

"So?" Ashley leaned closer and whispered, "Is he good?"

This time she did giggle, but she nodded emphatically. "There was another girl," she said softly. "I think she was the only one, but they must have been together for a long time, because... wow."

"What happened to her?" Ashley asked, diverted.

Cassie looked down. "She was one of the other Rangers for his planet."

"Oh." Ashley looked chagrinned. "Sorry." There was a brief pause, then she said, "Okay, back to the topic."

Cassie felt her lips twitch, and she looked up to see her friend grinning at her. "So we've established he's good all-around," Ashley continued. "What about kissing in particular? Say you had to rate him, one to ten."

She sighed inadvertently, feeling warmth steal through her as she remembered his uncontrolled kisses on the floor of her dorm room. "Ten."

"Hey, he has one point on Jake!" Ashley exclaimed.

A gentle rap on the screen door made them both jump, and they turned to see Ashley's mom regarding them through the screen door. "Are you watching the time?" she asked, pretending not to notice their guilty expressions. "I don't want you to miss your bus, Cassie."

Cassie glanced down at her watch automatically. "Yeah, I should get going," she agreed, scrambling to her feet. She might not have to catch the bus, but she didn't want to explain why right now, and besides, Saryn would be waiting.

"Cassie." Ashley's mom stopped her before she could grab her backpack. "Are you all right? You and Jake didn't fight, did you?"

She froze, clenching her left hand and putting it behind her back as though she could somehow prevent this conversation. "Kind of," she mumbled, looking over at Ashley.

Ashley shrugged helplessly, though her expression was sympathetic. She probably didn't want to say anything for fear she'd mention something Cassie hadn't meant anyone else to hear yet.

"We're not together anymore," Cassie blurted out, wanting to just get it over with. "I--I gave him the ring back."

"Cassie, why?" Ashley's mom asked, sounding genuinely concerned as she stepped out onto the porch. "You and Jake are so happy together; what could have made you break up?"

Cassie sighed, not wanting to go through this again. It had been hard enough to explain to Jake. It would be impossible to explain to anyone else. "I just... I don't love him as much as I thought I did, that's all."

"That's all? Yesterday you were upset that he couldn't come with you to move you in to Serifalls, and now you don't love him 'as much as you thought'?"

"Mom," Ashley said quickly. "Cassie really needs to get to the bus stop. Maybe she could call you tonight or something."

"There's someone else," Cassie muttered, not wanting them to start arguing over her.

"Since when?" the older woman inquired mildly. "That's an easy answer, Cassie, and you're not the type."

"It's true," Ashley put in, glancing sideways at her friend. "I've, um, met him."

"Then who is he?" her mother wanted to know.

Cassie shifted uncomfortably, glancing covertly at her watch. At least maybe they would have time to calm down once she'd left, and this could blow over in a semi-peaceful way. "It's Saryn," she said quietly.

"Saryn who?"

Ashley gave an exasperated sigh. "Saryn, the Phantom Ranger. I told you he was here yesterday, and that he went with Cassie to help at move-in."

"Yes," her mother agreed. "I'm only asking for his last name."

"I don't think he has one," Ashley said, glancing at her friend again. When Cassie said nothing, she added, "You know, like Andros. It's no big deal."

"But do you know?" her mother persisted, and this time there was silence until Cassie shook her head. "So you've broken off your engagement to a boy you've known for two and a half years to be with someone you'd never met until yesterday, and you don't even know his full name."

"I'm not asking anyone to understand," Cassie said, scuffing the toe of her sandal against the ground. "I just know I love him, and I couldn't wear Jake's ring knowing that."

No one said anything for a few moments, and finally Cassie reached down and grabbed her backpack. She swung it over her shoulder and said quietly, "Bye. I'll e-mail you when I get there."

"Cass, wait." Ashley leapt up the porch steps, saying, "Let me get my keys and I'll give you a ride to the bus stop." She disappeared inside the house before Cassie could protest, and she was left to wait in uncomfortable silence.

"Cassie," Ashley's mom said at last. "I just hope you're not making a big mistake here. I only want you to be happy, you know."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Cassie burst out. "You want me to be happy, Jake wants me to be happy--but no one wants me to do what I know will *make* me happy!"

The other woman sighed, and held out her arms for a hug. Cassie stepped forward reluctantly, hugging her back as her friend's mother told her, "We're just trying to watch out for you. Remember, you'll always have us."

She looked down at the steps as she pulled away, fighting her tears again. *She doesn't think it will work either.* Would this really turn out to be her biggest mistake? Everyone else seemed to think so, and she hated the loneliness of being the only "crazy" person around.

"Okay," Ashley said, a tad breathless as she ducked through the screen door again and darted down the front steps. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," she said. Lifting her head again, she followed Ashley to her car and climbed into the passenger seat. She waved half-heartedly as they pulled out of the driveway, but she couldn't help thinking her friend's mother was shaking her head as the car drove away.

She sighed, leaning her head against the back of the seat. "This sucks," she said, mostly to herself.

"Hey," Ashley chided. "I thought we'd gotten past the sucking part. We were onto... kissing, I think."

Cassie felt her lips quirk at the way that had come out, but she didn't take the bait. "Maybe."

"Definitely," Ashley said firmly. "Look, you have to do what your heart tells you, no matter what anyone else says. That's one of the basic rules of love, remember?"

"I guess," Cassie murmured, but her friend's certainty was reassuring. Of course, it was easy for Ashley to be sure; she and Andros had been together practically since they'd met. But it was a relief to have her best friend on her side.

"Cassie." Ashley's tone was stern as the car turned onto the main street. "You always used to say he'd come back. And he *did*. Don't let anyone tell you this is wrong just because it's... a little unconventional."

She smiled at that, turning her head to make sure her friend saw her. "A *little* unconventional," she repeated, and Ashley shook her head.

"Well, you never could do anything the normal way. Hey, speaking of your lover boy, there he is now. Did you tell him to meet you here?"

Cassie nodded wordlessly, not trusting herself to speak after the "lover boy" comment.

"Good." Ashley gave an exaggerated sigh of relief as she pulled up in front of the bus stop. "I was going to be a little worried if he was already stalking you or something. So you're going to call me tonight, right?"

"Yeah," Cassie said, still smiling as she pushed the car door open. "Thanks, Ash. For everything."

"Hey, what are friends for? Keep me updated!" Ashley waved at her as she closed the door. Then the car pulled away from the curb again, heading on down the street to take the back way home.

He watched her climb out of the car, reaching back to grab her bag before she pushed the door shut behind her. She waved after her friend, then turned to look for him. He smiled tentatively as she caught sight of him, and the look of undisguised relief on her face reassured him.

She walked over to him, yanking the second strap of her backpack over her shoulder as she smiled back at him. "You have *no* idea how glad I am to see you," she said, keeping her voice low as she joined him.

"Almost as glad as I am to see you," he suggested, longing to pull her into a hug but not sure it was the right thing to do. He settled for resting his hand on her shoulder as his fingers played with her hair, but she took it as the invitation it was and stepped closer.

"No," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist as she leaned against him. "Much, much more glad than that."

"I don't think so," he countered, hugging her hard. He wouldn't tell her that he had been half-afraid she and Jake would reconcile, that the fear that she would show up at the bus stop with her fiancé instead of Ashley had been tormenting him ever since he left her at her friend's house. But he was terribly grateful to see her here alone, to have her arms around him again and to hear her say she was glad to see him.

"I do," she said, leaning back to stare at him.

"I don't," he maintained, responding to the challenge in her tone.

"I do," she insisted, and before he could answer she had pressed her lips to his. Her kiss was as welcome as her sudden presence, and it was hard to muster up the appropriate indignation when she pulled away.

"That was unfair," he told her, trying not to smile at her smug expression.

"But it was more fun than arguing," she pointed out.

"And it conveniently let you get the last word," he retorted, though he couldn't disagree about that.

"But--"

This time he kissed her, gently, but thoroughly enough that she couldn't continue. He wasn't sure what he expected when he let her go, but she smiled up at him, dropping all pretense of argument. "Now we're even," she murmured.

The rush of air and the squeal of brakes announced the arrival of her bus, and she glanced over her shoulder nervously. "You're sure I don't have to be on that, right?"

He smiled, taking her hand and pulling her away from the bus stop as the doors opened. "I'm sure. You can be at Serifalls right now if you want to be."

She gave him a surprised look. "Really?"

"Do you want to be there?" he countered.

She hesitated only a moment. "I guess so..."

He tugged her off the sidewalk, ducking behind the hedge that lined the main street and broke only briefly in front of the bus stop. She paused when he did, looking at him expectantly, and he pulled her a little closer. It wasn't necessary, but it was a good excuse, and he put his arm around her shoulders as he closed his eyes.

He felt the air change as the swirls of red swept across his vision, and when he opened his eyes again the late afternoon sunlight was streaming through the window of her small room. He glanced over at her and saw her staring around in surprise.

"You can still teleport," she said, tilting her head to look up at him at last.

"Of course." He let his arm slide off her shoulders, but she didn't step away. "Can't you?"

She actually laughed. "Saryn, if I could still teleport, why would I bother taking the bus back to school?"

For the first time, the true significance of the watch on her left wrist struck him. "You no longer have your morpher."

She shook her head. "We left them on the Megaship. It was safer than trying to keep track of them ourselves when we weren't wearing them. We just don't need them anymore, not since Zordon's energy wave."

"I see," he said, trying to imagine that. No one had *needed* a morpher since the last war, but he couldn't conceive of being without his. Being a Ranger was so much a part of him that it simply hadn't occurred to him to give it up.

"You have yours?" she asked.

Wordlessly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his ruby. She stared at it for a moment, then lifted her eyes to his again. "I suppose the red should have clued me in the first time I saw you," she murmured.

He looked down at it, a little uncomfortable. "I'm sorry for..." He remembered Ashley's words the day before, and he repeated, "everything that didn't happen. You don't know how many times I regretted not speaking to you when I was on Earth the first time."

"Why didn't you?" she asked frankly, reaching out to touch the stone in his hand.

She drew back in surprise when he caught her hand, but she didn't object. He put the ruby into her hand and stepped back, watching her reaction. "I was afraid," he said quietly. "It isn't everyday that you look into someone's eyes and know in an instant that they could be everything that gives your life meaning."

She had been staring down at the ruby in her hand, but she looked up at that. "Being afraid isn't a very good reason, then," she said, with a small smile.

"No," he agreed. "But fear is the hardest feeling to overcome."

"Yeah," she said softly, looking down again. "I guess it is."

"You were not afraid?" he asked, not sure what he wanted the answer to be.

She hesitated. "I was terrified," she admitted. "Sometimes for you... sometimes of you. I think--maybe I still am," she said, searching his expression.

"Terrified?" he echoed.

"Well... at least really scared," she said, not taking her eyes off of him. "Of where we're going. What can happen, really? I don't know how long you're staying, or how much you even want to stay, or what I'm going to do when you leave--"

"Cassie," he interrupted, moving closer instinctively and wrapping his arms around her. "It's all right. This means as much to me as it does to you. Probably more."

She hit his shoulder half-heartedly as she leaned into his embrace. "Does not."

"Does," he disagreed, trying not to smile.

"Does *not*."

"Stop arguing," he told her sternly. "I know my heart, and it wants you. Forever."

She stilled at that, and he held his breath in the sudden silence. "Forever--like the rest of our lives?" she asked timidly.

"Longer," he murmured, turning his head to kiss the top of hers.

"Forever like getting married, forever?" she persisted.

"I wouldn't ask you to get married unless you wanted to," he said, not entirely sure of the custom behind the ring she had worn up until a few hours ago. But Andros had wanted it for himself and Ashley, and if it meant forever, that was what he wanted with Cassie, too.

"Silly," she mumbled. "That's why you're supposed to propose. So you'll know."

He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her a little away from him so he could look into her eyes. "Then tell me what I must do to 'propose'."

She folded her arms across her chest. "You have to go down on one knee and say, 'Cassie, will you marry me?' Then you have to wait till I say 'yes', and you have to look relieved, like you weren't sure I was going to agree. Then you can kiss me and tell me you love me."

He felt his lips twitch, and he fought to stifle a smile as he went down on one knee. "Cassie," he said carefully, gazing up at her. "Will you marry me?"

She stared back at him, arms still folded, and he was completely unprepared when she burst into tears. "What's wrong?" he asked, bewildered. Standing, he took a step closer to her and she turned away.

"This won't work," she said, hunching over as she sat down on the edge of her bed. She lifted one hand, making a token effort to wipe away tears that just kept coming. "It can't work, Saryn; I don't know why you're even trying."

She didn't move when he sat down beside her, but he didn't dare try and touch her. "What won't work?" he asked gingerly, hating to see her cry. What had he done wrong?

"Us!" She pulled back further onto the bed, gathering her legs up to sit cross-legged and lean her elbows on her knees. "We're from different *worlds*! How can we ever be together like that?"

"We're together now," he pointed out, not understanding what had prompted her outburst. "What's wrong with wanting it to stay that way?"

"I *do* want it to stay that way," she protested, sniffling as she tried again to dry her tears. "But you wouldn't want to live here, and I can't go to Elisia, so how can it?"

Unable to stand it any longer, he reached out and pulled her hand away from her face. He stroked her cheeks gently, brushing her tears away and sighing as new ones took their place. "I would stay here on Earth if it was the only way to be with you," he told her, though inwardly he flinched at the thought of leaving his own world permanently. "And there is no reason you can't come to Elisia. But in the end, what does it matter? You and Jake weren't always near each other, but you still maintained a relationship."

"He was in another *town*," she insisted, though she seemed a little calmer now. Lifting her hand to her face again, she scrubbed her own tears away without immediately replacing them. "You're from another planet!"

For a moment, he wasn't sure what to say to that. He certainly couldn't dispute it--but as he glanced down, the red stone in her other hand caught his eye and he smiled a little. "So is Andros," he reminded her, meeting her gaze once more. "It does not keep him away from Ashley."

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She hesitated, then finally pressed her lips together again and stared up at him. "You're right," she admitted quietly. "They manage."

"So can we," he said firmly. "All we have to do is try."

"Yes," she said at last. Her smile was tremulous as she added, "Yes, I'll marry you. If you still want me." She wiped away the last of her tears impatiently. "I'm such a wreck today; *I* can't even believe it. I'm not always like this, honest."

"I think you're wonderful," he whispered, reaching out to touch her face again. "This is the part where I get to kiss you?"

Her smile strengthened a little, and she shook her head. "You forgot to look relieved."

He couldn't keep himself from smiling, and as he leaned closer he whispered, "I'm so relieved."

She shook her head and started to draw back. "Uh-uh, you don't sound very relieved to--"

He kissed her, sliding one hand around behind her head to keep her from pulling away. She squirmed a little, but she relaxed against him almost immediately and he felt her arms go around him as she started to return his kiss. He shifted, slipping his free arm around her waist and kissing her harder, careful to keep his hands from wandering too far.

She turned her head, and he forbid himself to kiss her again, but it didn't work. He kissed her temple gently, stroking her hair with his hand, and his heart melted as he heard her whisper, "I love you."

"I love you too," he murmured, running his hand through her hair again and resting his cheek against hers. "Thank you for... believing in me. In us."

He could hear her swallow, so close, and her arms tightened around him as she hugged him hard. "Thank you for giving me something to believe *in*," she whispered back. Her voice sounded choked, but before he could answer there was the sound of loud banging out in the hallway.

"Jean!" he heard someone yell. "Leah! It's the block party or no dinner, so get out here!"

Neither of them moved for a moment, and then he heard a door open across the hall. He could hear someone talking, presumably Jean or Leah, and then the first voice answering. "There isn't a lot of privacy here, is there," he murmured, amused that he could pick up the entire conversation.

He felt her shake her head as she pulled away. "No," she admitted, lowering her head quickly. He saw her rub her eyes before looking up again, giving him a bright smile in return for his concerned look. "But they're right; if we want dinner, we should get moving."

"Dinner?" he asked uncertainly.

"Hungry?" she countered, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and looking down at her hands.

He was a little surprised to see that she still held the ruby he had given her earlier, though when he tried he couldn't remember her giving it back. "Do you still--um, need this?" she asked abruptly, holding it up.

He shrugged. "Only when I'm morphed. Since I don't think that would be wise here, no, I don't. Why?"

She giggled a little, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "I was--" She giggled again, and he couldn't help smiling at her obvious amusement. "I was trying to picture the Phantom Ranger walking around campus."

"Do they know who you are?" he asked, suddenly curious.

She shook her head. "No. Just a few people in Angel Grove. Well..." She hesitated. "A lot of people in Angel Grove. But it didn't get as far as it might have. There weren't any cameras there when we morphed, and the police were all too happy to frighten reporters away for us afterwards. There were a lot of people willing to help us sort of... cover things up."

He sighed. "It's terrible that you have to hide your identity that way."

She gave him a startled look. "We were lucky. There were a few days when it looked like there might be chaos, but people really rallied around us. The few who didn't were mostly discredited, but I can't even imagine what things would be like if the whole world had found out that I was... well, you know."

"The Pink Ranger," he said firmly. "You were the Pink Ranger. And you still are. It's something to be proud of, Cassie, not something you should have to hide."

"I am proud of it," she insisted. "That was the best year of my life! But it's over now, and if everyone knew who we were we'd never have any privacy again."

He looked down, troubled, but not willing to offend her by saying anything against her world. Instead, he settled for, "You'd like Elisia, I think. I hope you will visit sometime."

She smiled a little. "That much better than Earth, huh?"

"No," he said quickly, catching her eye. "I didn't mean it that way--"

"I know," she interrupted, still smiling. "I was just kidding. I'd love to see your world."

He smiled back, relieved. "Good," he said. "I would have been disappointed if you'd said you didn't."

She giggled, throwing her arms around him once more. "How could I not want to see it? I want to know everything about you. And I want to know about Elisia, and your friends, and the new Ranger team, and where you live, and what the stars look like, and--"

He chuckled himself when he realized that she would just keep going until he stopped her. "Then you will," he promised, hearing her quiet as soon as he spoke. "You have only to say the word and we'll go."

"Thank you!" She pulled back to kiss him once more before bouncing up off the bed. He smiled as she rummaged through her backpack, glad to see her happy once again.

Pulling something out of her bag, he saw the flash of plastic before she stuffed the card into her pocket. Then she turned to him and cocked her head. "You never said anything about dinner--are you hungry?"

"Yes," he admitted, unable to stop smiling.

Her lips quirked. "What's so funny?"

"It isn't that," he said, shaking his head and trying to smooth his expression out. It proved impossible, and finally he gave up. "I just... I'm just realizing that--we're actually here. *I'm* actually here, with you... and it's wonderful."

Her expression softened, and she sighed softly. "I'm so glad you came."

"Me too," he agreed quietly.

The sound of pounding feet in the hallway made her start, and he heard someone yell, "Hall sports!"

She giggled. "If you can stand even one night here now that the dorm's full, I'll be impressed."

He caught his breath. "Can I--stay? Overnight, I mean?"

She shifted, just enough that he couldn't tell if her pose was deliberately provocative or only coincidental. "You did last night," she said innocently.

He gave her a wry look. "That's not quite what I meant."

She smiled, and her soft words were at odds with the teasing look that lingered on her face. "I... I'd like to wake up with you again."

"So you can trip over me again?" he suggested.

She giggled. "I'm not spending the night on the floor, so if you want to be with me you'd better sleep on the bed."

He sat further back on her mattress and lay down, resting his head on her pillow as he looked over at her expectantly. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but her eyes were laughing at him and he could tell she was grinning. "Wait, hold still," she said, looking around the room.

He raised an eyebrow as she turned to her desk, yanking open one drawer after another. Finally she pulled something out and held it up, turning to him with an impish look on her face. "Smile!"

He couldn't help smiling at her obvious delight, though he had no idea what she meant to do. Then a white light flashed at him, and he blinked as she lowered the object in her hands. "You're so cute," she said, doing something to it and tossing it to him. "Want to take one of me?"

He caught it automatically, then glanced back at her. "What is it?"

"Camera," she said, coming over to him as he sat up. "It takes still pictures of people, but you have to go and get them developed."

He gave her an apologetic look. "I've never been very good with recording devices."

"No, it's easy," she said, perching on the bed beside him and reaching over his shoulder. "See, you slide this part open, and then you look through here. When you push this button, you get a picture of whatever you see through the window."

"I'm familiar with the concept," he said dryly. "But my comment stands."

She drew back, sitting cross-legged on the bed as she faced him. "Just try," she coaxed. "It doesn't really matter how it comes out. It's just fun to take the pictures."

He lifted the camera reluctantly, staring through it at her, and he smiled as soon as she did. "You're beautiful," he murmured, and her smiled widened. He pushed the button, and the device flashed again.

"See, that wasn't so hard," she said cheerfully, taking it from him and closing it again. She tossed it down on her bed as she got up again. "We'd better get going before all the food's gone."

"Food sounds good," he said fervently, getting to his feet, and she gave him a sheepish look.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to make you wait."

"I'd rather wait with you than eat with anyone else," he offered.

"But I bet you'd rather eat with me than anything," she said with a grin, reaching for his hand. "So let's go."

He smiled, taking her hand and letting her lead him out into the hall. She paused outside the door and patted her pocket with her free hand. "Okay: key, ID. That's good." Then she pulled the door shut and tested the knob, apparently satisfied when it wouldn't turn. "We'll have to walk a ways for dinner," she said apologetically, as they started down the hall again. "I hope you don't mind."

He shook his head, squeezing her hand. "Nothing I do with you could be unpleasant."

She smiled up at him and moved a little closer, bumping her shoulder against his as they walked. "Same here. Everything is fun with you."

As they rounded the corner by the stairs, she added, "Oh, I meant to tell you, they lock the doors at seven. Your key will only get you into my room; you won't be able to get in through the dorm doors after they're locked."

He pushed the door open for her and she stepped through, pointing at a black box off to one side. "That's the card reader. It unlocks the doors for a few seconds to let in students with IDs. See--" She fished her plastic ID card out of her pocket and slid it through the box. "If the doors were locked, they'd let me in now."

He frowned at the card in her hand. "How does it work?"

She looked at it, surprised. "I don't know. It's magnetic, I think. Why?"

"May I borrow it sometime, and scan it?" he asked, as she looked up. "I might be able to duplicate it."

She stared at him. "You're kidding."

He shook his head, and a grin crept across her face. "Don't tell anyone that, okay? You could do a great black market business with fake ID cards."

"I have no motivation other than my desire not to get locked out of your building," he assured her.

She laughed. "I know. You can definitely borrow it, but until then--" She pointed down the exterior of the dorm. "That's my window, the single one right near the tree. If you get locked out when you're not with me, you can knock and I'll come let you in."

"If it is nighttime and I am not with you," he said quietly, smiling at her, "the loss is mine."

"Oh, but during the day it's no big deal," she teased. "Men. You're all the same."

"That was intended as a compliment," he told her, his smile widening. "But I remind you that this morning was *your* idea, not mine."

"It was not!" she retorted indignantly.

"It was!" This was indisputable; she had kissed *him* first, and it had been her idea to move to the back seat.

"Was not!"

The door slammed open again, and he stepped out of the way just as two more people emerged from the dorm. One of them he recognized from yesterday, but the other was a stranger.

"Oh, how cute," Phil remarked, pausing to nod to him. "A lovers' quarrel. Haven't you got her in line yet?"

"Shut up, Phil!" Cassie exclaimed. "And it isn't a lovers' quarrel!"

He leered at her. "Yeah? So are you free or what?"

Saryn took an instinctive step forward, and Phil backed off hastily.

"No, he's just kidding, Saryn," Cassie said, obviously trying to suppress a giggle. "He thinks sexual harassment is a joke."

"It was just a question!" Phil protested, eyeing Saryn. "You're awfully defensive. You sure you're just a friend?"

He didn't mean to, but he glanced at Cassie anyway and found her looking sideways at him. Phil didn't miss the exchange, and he nodded wisely. "Right. Didn't think so." He walked off without another word, his friend trailing behind.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "I swear, Phil is one of the weirdest people I know. Not in a good way, but not really in a bad way, either. I've known him for a year and a half, and the only thing I really know about him is that he almost never means what he says."

"It's hard to have a conversation with someone like that," Saryn said, following her as she moved away from the door.

"You'd know," she said wryly. "He's like that all the time. I've never talked to him when he was actually serious. At least, I don't think I have. Maybe I wouldn't be able to tell."

"I still don't like the way he looked at you," he muttered.

He felt her hand slide into his again, and when he glanced over at her she was smiling at him. "That's sweet... but I don't think he'll do it again. Not after the way you glared at him," she said, giggling.

He shrugged, taking careful note of their route as they left Serifalls behind. "I didn't mean to. Not that I wouldn't have done it if I'd thought about it," he added darkly.

She giggled again, squeezing his hand. "I love you, you know."

His irritation dissolved, and he felt himself smiling again. "I love you, too."

Cassie rolled her eyes as she made herself comfortable on the ground. "You would like hot dogs. Those things are terrible for you, you know," she informed him.

He only shrugged. "They taste good. And after attending more than my share of diplomatic functions, I can assure you that taste is a luxury. I've come to believe that as long as it is digestible, there's nothing intrinsically bad about it."

"Hi Cassie!"

She looked up, her smile fading as she searched the crowds gathered on the lawn in front of the president's office. The main street had been blocked off so that the university picnic could expand in all directions, and a good number of the town's residents had come to join them as well. It was almost impossible to pick anyone out, but finally she caught sight of Marissa waving to her.

"Hey!" she shouted back, gesturing at her friend to come over. "That's Marissa," she said quietly, leaning toward Saryn. "We've been in a lot of theatre classes together, and that's Colleen and Joy with her. Joy sings, and Colleen and Marissa are drama majors."

"Drama majors?" he repeated, but before she could explain the other girls were close enough to overhear.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling up at her friends. "This is Saryn. Saryn, this is Marissa, and Colleen, and Joy."

She saw him nod politely at them, and then added, "Hello," when all three of them said "hi" or waved as they were sitting down. "So how was summer?" she asked, shifting to give Saryn more room as he moved closer to her.

"It was great," Colleen put in enthusiastically. "I met this guy--"

"Hey," Joy cut her off, staring at Cassie. "Since when are you not engaged anymore?"

Colleen gave her friend an irritated look, but when she turned her gaze on Cassie she didn't look any less annoyed. "What's this? What happened to Jake?"

Cassie sighed, looking around for a napkin as she set her cheeseburger down. "Maybe I just took my ring off and forgot to put it back on; did you ever think of that? Why do you immediately assume Jake and I broke up?"

"Well, did you?" Marissa wanted to know.

Saryn offered her his napkin, and she took it gratefully. "Thanks," she said, smiling at him.

"Oh, I know that look," Colleen said with a grin. "You're with him now, aren't you."

"Darn!" Joy exclaimed, then blushed when Colleen and Cassie both turned to stare at her. "Well, come on. You can't blame me for hoping."

Saryn just shook his head and started on his second hot dog, pointedly ignoring them. Cassie giggled, but she knew Marissa hadn't been diverted. And she might as well get used to explaining. "Jake and I--broke up." It was harder to say than she had expected, but she made herself keep going so it wouldn't be so obvious. "Saryn and I are just..."

Now she was stuck, and looking at him didn't help. He paused and glanced over at her, clearly waiting on her answer as much as any of her friends. "Well, we sort of knew each other in high school. When I was in high school," she amended. "Now we're kind of--"

"Getting back together?" Marissa suggested. "That's so romantic!"

"Poor Jake," Joy said thoughtfully, then exclaimed as Colleen elbowed her. "Ow! I'm sorry, okay? I'm just trying to think of everyone here."

"Well, I think that's great," Marissa said firmly. She looked up as a hamburger appeared in front of her, and Cassie grinned as *Marissa's* high school sweetheart sat down beside her. "Thanks honey," she said, tilting her head up for a kiss.

Dan kissed her, then turned his attention back to his own food. "So are we going to eat this here, or go watch the movie? What's the verdict?"

Marissa shrugged, glancing around at her friends. "We were thinking of going back to my room just to get away from the crowd," she told Cassie. "Do you guys want to come?"

"I'm still in," Colleen said, getting to her feet. "But since me and Joy don't have anyone to wait on us, we'll have to catch up with you after we get our food."

Joy bounced up, and Cassie caught Saryn's eye. "Do you want to go?"

He shrugged. "It's up to you. I wouldn't mind going somewhere quieter, but this is fine too."

"Sounds like a yes to me," Marissa said, grinning. "We'll meet you guys at my room, okay?" she asked Joy and Colleen, and Cassie stood up just as Saryn finished his hot dog.

"Are you still hungry?" she asked, holding out her hand to help him up. "You can have as much as you want, you know."

"Plus there's dessert," Marissa added helpfully. "They have ice cream bars!"

"Oh, where?" Cassie turned where she was, trying to figure out where the desserts were. "I want one! But Saryn doesn't like chocolate."

"What?" She turned back just in time to see Marissa staring at Saryn as though he was from another planet, which he was. "You don't like *chocolate*?"

"All right!" Dan exclaimed, startling Cassie. "Join the club, man. I thought I was the only person on campus who didn't like chocolate."

Marissa just sighed. "Well, I guess they make up for it in other ways," she said, but she didn't sound very sure.

Cassie laughed, linking her arm through Saryn's. "They usually have cookies and stuff, too, if you want dessert that doesn't have chocolate."

"Yeah, it's not the end of the world," Dan said, putting his free arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "Although some people would have you believe otherwise."

Marissa just sighed again. "Doesn't like chocolate," she repeated sadly. "It's a terrible thing."

Marissa too had her own room, Saryn discovered, and it was, if possible, smaller than Cassie's. When she first opened the door, he wasn't entirely sure that six people would actually fit inside. But it turned out that, since Dan and Marissa counted themselves as one person, it was possible to fit most of the girls--and Dan--on the bed, while Joy sat in Marissa's desk chair and Saryn offered to sit on the floor.

Cassie protested immediately, of course, saying there was plenty of room for him on the bed. There wasn't, especially since he wasn't sure how close she wanted to be to him in public. And it was easier to simply lean back against the bed and not have to worry about her nearness completely distracting him while he was expected to be watching a movie.

At least, so he had supposed. It turned out there was very little movie watching involved, though it provided some background entertainment. Colleen and Cassie and Joy talked through most of the beginning, making him totally confused when he tried to follow both conversations. Dan would periodically tell them to be quiet, but with Marissa in his arms he didn't seem too concerned with enforcing it.

Finally, Saryn gave up on trying to comprehend the movie at all and just listened to the girls talk. That made things far easier, until he felt the mattress shift behind him and Cassie's hands started to rub his shoulders. "Backrub?" she offered quietly, and he couldn't say no.

Colleen kept talking, and Cassie's hands started to ease some of the tension from his shoulders. He relaxed a little, trying to stay on top of the conversation so he wouldn't think too hard about her. But when Joy said something he felt Cassie turn a little, and then her fingers were smoothing his hair absently and it was suddenly that much harder to focus on anything else.

He couldn't help remembering the look in her eyes that morning, when she had begged him to tell her who he was in love with, and the look of sweet disbelief on her face when he had said it was her. He relived the first moment she had told him she loved him for maybe the fiftieth time that day, and he tried to keep a smile from overwhelming his face.

He tried, too, not to let in the flood of memories that followed that simple declaration, but with her fingers in his hair and her touch as gentle as it had been then, it was impossible. He saw again her delightfully shy expression as she tugged her shirt off, felt her arms go around him--

"Oh, look!" Joy exclaimed. "Saryn's blushing! Isn't that cute?"

He heard Cassie giggle, and he shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea what they had been talking about, or what they thought had embarrassed him. But if she was doing this to him on purpose, he was going to find a way to get even.

Saryn positively squirmed when she and Joy laughed at him, and her hand froze as she realized what she was doing. His dark hair was so soft, and it shone slightly auburn as she played with it--she hadn't even thought about it until he moved.

No wonder he was blushing, she thought, feeling her cheeks heat. He would probably kill her for that later. She sat back against the wall again, both hands in her lap as she tried to keep up her end of the conversation without letting her embarrassment show.

She was given an abrupt reprieve by shouting out in the hallway, and she saw Marissa glance down at her watch. "Damn," the other girl said, making no attempt to move. "Floor meeting in a few minutes. And the RA saw us come in, too, so she knows I'm here. I guess I'm going to have to go."

Colleen made a show of stretching, but Joy scrambled to her feet without complaint. "It won't take that long. Maybe she'll give us candy again; you never know."

Colleen frowned, sliding toward the edge of the bed. "Is it Erin again? I didn't know she was coming back."

"We'd better go anyway," Cassie offered. "Have a good night, you guys."

"Hey, come over tomorrow night and we'll finish the movie," Marissa suggested.

"After dinner," Dan reminded her, and she nodded.

"I'll call you," she said. "Lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds great," Cassie agreed. "When do you get out?"

"I'm free at noon," Colleen put in, and Joy agreed.

"Noon is good," Cassie said, trying to call to mind more than her morning schedule for Wednesday.

"Noon it is," Marissa said, resting her head against Dan's shoulder. "We'll see you then. Nice to meet you, Saryn."

Colleen and Joy echoed her as she and Saryn made their way to the door, and Joy added, "Even if you aren't single." Cassie pulled the door open, and she heard Joy exclaim, "Hey! If you don't stop hitting me I'm going to report you."

Cassie stifled a giggle as she stepped out into the hallway, and she heard Dan tell Saryn to leave the door open. He followed her toward the main door, and she glanced over her shoulder. She waited until they had stepped outside to turn to him and say, "Saryn, I'm sorry about--during the movie. I didn't think..."

He glanced around them and she trailed off, wondering if he was really upset. She was too surprised to protest when he took her arm and made the whole world fade into a wash of red light. As her room reformed around them, dim in the waning evening light, she frowned a little. "You really shouldn't--"

She broke off as his mouth pressed hungrily against hers, kissing her with enough heat to erase everything else from her mind. Her heart pounded in her ears as he pushed her backwards, and she felt his hands slide under her t-shirt. She twisted against him, yearning to be closer, and didn't resist when he shoved her down on the bed.

He braced one knee against the mattress and leaned into her, and for a brief moment his rough kiss was the only thing she cared about. But as she tried to pull him closer he drew back, and she could only stare breathlessly at him as he let go of her and took a step away from the bed.

Even in the half-light, she could see the expression on his face. He knew exactly what his touch had done to her, and he hadn't made her body burn without feeling some of it himself. But as she gazed at him, a slow smile spread across his face. "Maybe next time you'll listen to the answer when you ask me something."

She was meant to understand that, but she couldn't think clearly enough to know why. His smile was the only thing she could get her mind around, and she had to ask, "What?"

"'Do you have a hair fetish', she asks me," he said, apparently addressing someone else but not taking his eyes off of her. "When I finally admit it, what's the *first* thing she does in the middle of a group of complete strangers..."

She giggled at his look of fond resignation. "Okay, okay; I said I was sorry." She sat forward on the edge of the bed and gave him a deliberately inviting look. "Let me make it up to you."

She thought he might have taken her up on that, if someone hadn't chosen that exact moment to bang on the door and make them both jump. He sighed, and before she could protest he strode over to the door and yanked it open. "What?"

She giggled again at his obvious impatience, but the person on the other side of the door wasn't intimidated. "Who are you?" a vaguely familiar voice demanded.

"Who are *you*?" Saryn wanted to know, and she got up and pulled the door the rest of the way open.

"Hey Dave," she said, trying to repress a grin at his expression. "What's up?"

"I need some tape," he told her, not missing a beat. "Do you have any?"

"You always have a hundred rolls of duct tape!" she exclaimed. "What are you asking me for?"

"Because I don't need duct tape," David informed her. "I need some of the wimpy Scotch stuff you have."

She rolled her eyes and went over to her desk. Only when she pulled one of the drawers open did she realize how dark it was getting, and she had to ask, "Saryn, could you hit the lightswitch?"

The overhead lights flickered to life, and she squinted a little. "Thanks." Grabbing her roll of Scotch tape, she pushed the drawer shut again and turned around, tossing the tape to David as she walked back to the door. "There you go."

"Thanks," he said. "I'll give it back to you in a few minutes."

"David! Cassie!" Nikki's voice was audible from clear at the other end of the hall. "Don't go anywhere!"

Saryn sighed audibly, and she poked her head out into the hallway to see what was going on. Nikki was knocking on people's doors, gesturing them to come out when they opened the door. "Floor meeting," she explained. "It's important, so meet us in the rec area."

"Yeah, right," David muttered "It's always important." He turned and headed the other way without another word.

"David, I'd better see you in the rec area in five minutes!" Nikki shouted after him.

Cassie leaned against the doorframe and shook her head. "Maybe if we just stay here, she won't notice us."

"Cassie, bring whoever you're talking to and get down to the rec area," Nikki ordered, waving a few more people out into the hall.

"But he's not a floor resident," she protested.

"Unless he's supposed to be at another floor meeting in this dorm, I don't care," Nikki answered. "Come on."

"What are you, the new RA?" Cassie demanded, only half joking.

"Yes," Nikki answered. "Come set a good example for the freshmen." She paused to knock on another door, and Cassie stepped hastily back into her room.

Pushing the door shut quietly, she waited till the knob clicked and then turned to Saryn. "I bet she won't notice if we don't show up," she suggested.

He put a hand on the doorframe behind her and leaned a little closer. "I'm willing to find out," he said softly, and she tilted her head up toward him. He kissed her gently, and she closed her eyes.

She heard a muffled click behind her, and she tried not to giggle as the light behind her eyelids disappeared. Then his hand was on the back of her head, and she wrapped her arms around behind his neck as she leaned into him.

Then someone was pounding on the door, and she pulled away again, not sure whether to laugh or sigh. Without a word, she reached behind her back and fumbled for the doorknob. Saryn found it before she did and pulled it open, his other arm still around her. "Yes?" he said calmly.

"You again," Nikki said, and Cassie turned around. Before she could say anything, though, Nikki added, "Come on, floor meeting, let's go. You don't have to stay," she said, more quietly. "Just come stand in the doorway while I do announcements."

"You mean we can skip the 'getting to know you' games?" Cassie asked wryly.

"I won't tell," Nikki said with a grin. "But it looks bad if none of the upperclassmen come for the beginning."

Cassie looked up at Saryn, and he nodded once. "We're coming," she said, reluctant to step away from him but knowing Nikki would never forgive her if she didn't put in an appearance now.

The fact that they arrived a little late ended up being to their advantage, for the inside of the rec area was already lined with seated students. He and Cassie lingered on the periphery, with probably a good quarter of the attendees, until Nikki finished the announcements she had mentioned earlier. He waited till Cassie stopped whispering with one of the other girls from her floor, and then they, along with most of the other students gathered in the doorway, started to drift away.

"So tell us your name, major, and something about yourself," Nikki was saying as they left, and he was just as glad to have missed that. No one seemed to care--or even know--that he wasn't a student, but he would have had a tough time answering those questions inconspicuously.

"I swear," Cassie fumed, as they reached her door, "if one more person asks me where Jake is..."

"Hey, Cassie," someone said from behind them, and she turned.

A girl in a fall jacket waved as she passed, and Cassie smiled. "Hi Meg. You're just in time to miss the floor meeting."

"I know; I timed that well, don't you think?" Meg grinned, turning to walk backwards down the hall as she spoke. "Who's your friend?"

Cassie sighed in exasperation. "Not Jake!"

"Yeah, I can see that," Meg agreed. "Nice to meet you, not-Jake."

"Saryn," Cassie said. "His name's Saryn."

"Ah," Meg said, nodding. "That's nice. Well, see you later." She disappeared into an apparently unlocked room, and Cassie shook her head as she turned back to him.

"Are you tired of that yet?" she asked, bending down to grab the roll of Scotch tape David had left outside her door.

"Not as tired as you," he said with a smile. He pushed her door open for her, and she flipped the lights on automatically as she walked in.

Dropping the tape back into her desk, she turned and made a face at him. "You are too; admit it."

"I'm not," he insisted, closing her door behind him. "I don't mind."

She sighed. "I'd mind if people kept asking you about *your* old girlfriend."

"I'll remember that," he said softly, and she sighed again.

"No, I didn't mean that. I wouldn't really; I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," he murmured, leaning against the closet door as he watched her.

"Yes, I do," she told him. Her smile was tired and amused at the same time.

"No, you don't."

"Do," she said, stepping away from her desk and coming toward him. He caught her hand before she reached him, and she gave him a questioning look.

"Don't," he told her. "And no hitting me this time."

She laughed, moving into his embrace without another word. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close. "I love you."

She turned her head and rested it against his chest, snuggling against him. He breathed out contentedly, closing his eyes and reveling in the feeling of just being able to hold her. He smiled as he heard her whisper, "I love you, too."

3. Stargazers

She blinked, rubbing her eyes as she realized they had slid closed when she wasn't paying attention. The oddest feeling of not being alone was the next thing to register in her sleepy mind, and she couldn't help glancing over her shoulder.

The fact of someone standing right outside her window was enough to startle her, even as recognition set in a moment later. "Saryn!" she scolded, scrambling across her bed to kneel in front of the window. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long," he answered, leaning his arms on the windowsill and gazing back at her. "But you looked so peaceful that I couldn't wake you up."

She rolled her eyes, though his fond regard made her feel warm inside. "And if I didn't wake up? Were you just going to stand there all night?"

He shook his head, resting his chin on his arms as he smiled at her. "I came very close to teleporting in to kiss you awake, but people kept walking by. I was only waiting for the road to quiet."

"On a Friday night?" she asked wryly. "You'd have been here for a while."

He shrugged a little. "You underestimate your beauty." She blushed, and his smile widened. "May I come in now?"

She put her arms on the windowsill and leaned forward, imitating him. "I don't know. What's in it for me?" she teased.

He didn't hesitate. "I guess you'll never know if you don't let me in, will you."

She giggled at the challenge in his tone. "Guess not." She turned away and slid off the edge of her bed, realizing suddenly that he hadn't commented in the rearrangement of her furniture. Her furniture... and Jean's. At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but now she wasn't sure how to bring it up.

She pulled her door open and stepped out into the hallway, somewhat distracted, until Dan's voice yelled to her to get out of the way. She looked up, startled, and saw him waving at her from the other end of the hall. "It's going to hit your feet!"

She jumped back, scanning the floor for whatever he was talking about. A marble was rolling toward her, weaving uncertainly before finally coming to rest a few feet past her door. "What are you doing?" she demanded, walking over to the marble.

"Don't touch it!" Calvin shouted. "How far did it go?"

She studied the object, bemused. What she had at first assumed was a marble was actually a Skittle, one of many, in fact, littering the floor at this end of the hall. "What do you mean, how far did it go? It's right here."

"Yeah, but did it go farther than mine?" Calvin wanted to know.

She surveyed the carpet. "Which one's yours?"

"The green ones!"

She tried not to giggle. "The farthest green one is down there. What are you *doing*?"

"We're having a Skittles-throwing competition," Dan said, as though it should have been obvious. "Want to play?"

"Can't," she said, treading carefully toward the other end of the hall. "But thanks."

"Hey, get back behind the line!" she heard Dan tell Calvin, and she grinned to herself. Leave it to them to find another non-alcoholic way to spend Friday night. Last year they had "borrowed" the two rolling chairs from the Hall Director's office and played bumper cars until the RA accused them of hall sports and made them stop.

Saryn met her coming around the corner, and she blinked up at him. "How did you get in?"

"Could you get out of the doorway?" a familiar voice demanded. "Some of us are trying to enjoy our constitutional right to walk where we want, you know."

Cassie sighed, stepping out of the way. "Thanks for letting him in, Phil."

Phil pushed past Saryn with an offhanded, "Whatever."

"Get out of the way!" Dan yelled, obviously impatient with the way they were holding up his contest.

"Shut up!" Phil shouted back.

Dan threw a Skittle at him, and Phil picked one up off the floor and hurled it back.

"Hey!" Calvin exclaimed. "That's an official record you just screwed up!"

Phil vanished into his room without replying.

Cassie shook her head, opening her own door and holding it as Saryn stepped through. She pushed it shut behind him, and held her breath as he looked around. The room wasn't quite as he'd last seen it.

Finally he gave her an amused look. "Redecorating?"

"I meant to ask you," she said quickly. "I know it's kind of weird, and I didn't mean anything by it--"

"No?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well..." She tried not to blush. "It's just I know I'm kind of a restless sleeper, and it's not that I expect you to be here all the time but I thought maybe when you were..."

She trailed off again, and he caught her eye. "As much as I approve, I have no wish to crowd your living space. Are you sure this is not an imposition?"

She glanced around the room. Two single beds occupied side by side space by the window, and her bureau had switched places with her desk. The refrigerator and old TV given to her by the Hammonds sat near the other end of the bed. "I think it's more open this way," she said, and he gave her a reproachful look. "I'm serious! It gives me more room by the windows. I like it."

He didn't look convinced, but she was willing to bet he also didn't want to argue. He didn't move much in his sleep, but she knew she did, and her bed alone really wasn't big enough for both of them. "It isn't an imposition," she said firmly. "I like it this way. I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

He smiled a little, and she realized that didn't have to be taken the way she had meant it. But all he said was, "Where did you get another bed?"

She shrugged. "Jean didn't want hers. She brought a futon with her, and if she didn't find something to do with the bed the school gave her she would have had to pay for it to be put in storage. So I offered to keep it for her for the semester."

He reached out and touched her face lightly. "That was very kind of you."

"Well, I didn't do it for her," she said with a grin.

"I know." He took a step closer, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "Thank you."

"Welcome," she murmured. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," he answered softly, kissing her again. "More than you know."

She wanted to ask how he was, how things had gone, whether they were leaving now or not... but somehow those thoughts faded away as his arms went around her and he pulled her closer to him. She let him kiss her, let his warmth soothe away the stress of the first few days of class and the annoyance of having to explain to every third person she saw why she wasn't wearing an engagement ring anymore.

He paused a moment later, not pulling away, and his breath whispered across her skin. "Do you like camping?"

She tried to stifle a giggle and failed. "That was so random," she whispered.

"Maybe I'm trying to distract myself," he said, eyes full of amusement as he gazed back at her from only inches away. "So do you?"

"Yes," she answered, smiling. "I love it."

"Good," he answered, sounding satisfied. "Tomorrow night we will go camping."

"Where?" she inquired, delighted that he had been planning the trip already.

"You'll see," he told her. "Are we leaving tonight, or waiting until tomorrow?"

His eyes caught the light from overhead and she watched the blue sparkle at her with a kind of dreamy fascination that she found herself caught up in. It was flattering to be so completely the center of his attention, and she tried to suppress her sudden misgivings about visiting Elisia. Would it be the same there? Or would she become just one of a crowd?

"Cassie?" he prompted. "Do you wish to leave tonight?"

"Yeah," she said quickly, smiling at him. "I'm ready."

He let out a small sigh. "I suppose that means I have to let you go now."

She giggled. "I guess so. Don't go too far."

He didn't move. "Is this too far?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes," she murmured, sliding her hand around behind his head and stealing another kiss. He wasn't hard to convince, and he didn't let her go when the kiss ended. His lips pressed against hers again, and she could feel his restraint slipping. He wanted her, and after those years without him it felt so good...

"We won't--" His lips brushed against hers again, and she told herself to listen. But it was hard when he kept interrupting himself to kiss her. "We won't get to Elisia like this," he said huskily, kissing her forehead as though that would somehow be less distracting.

"I know," she admitted, sighing. She forced herself to pull away from him, taking a step toward her bed to grab her backpack off the floor.

"Do you have something warm to wear?" he asked.

She glanced over her shoulder at him, and his eyes snapped up to meet hers guiltily. She tried not to grin at his sudden shyness, but she couldn't keep a smile from spreading across her face. "Why?"

"You said you wanted to see the stars," he reminded her, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. "It is likely to be chilly tonight."

"Saryn, you think eighty degrees is chilly," she teased, but she went over to the closet anyway.

"I realize our definitions vary," he agreed, turning to follow her movement. "It will be chilly to you, I think. To me it will be cold."

She laughed, tying her windbreaker around her waist. "I'll keep you warm," she promised, and he smiled. She went to the door to flip the lock into place and turn out the lights. "Okay. Now I'm ready."

The streetlights outside cast their eerie orange glow into the room, and she saw him hold out his hand to her in invitation. She took it gladly, and wasn't surprised to see the brilliant unfiltered light of the teleportation stream fill her vision.

The "stars" cascaded past on the viewscreen, the computer's feeble attempt to recreate what hyperspace might look like. It was a beautiful sight, no matter how lacking in accuracy, and there were times when he could lose himself in the fluid and symbolic grace of such a view.

Tonight was not one of those times. Not when there was someone at his side whose beauty so exceeded anything the computer could generate.

She slept now, and he didn't have the heart to wake her. Her initial curiosity about his shuttle had been vast, ranging from questions about how it worked to what had happened to his starfighter. But once he had answered every question she could think of, and then some, she had leaned back in her chair and gazed silently "out" into space. He had ignored his own urge to talk when he recognized her exhaustion, and he let her dream as the shuttle slipped between the stars.

As his home planet came within range at last, he let the shuttle fall out of hyperrush, coasting into the system at something that still significantly exceeded lightspeed. With few reference points it seemed agonizingly slow, but at last Elisia appeared on the screen's maximum magnification, a steadily widening sparkle of light that grew into a dusty marble in no time at all.

The ambassadorial shuttle snuck through the atmosphere with barely a tremor, and Cassie continued to sleep as it touched down behind the stone compound he called home. Though the sun had been on them for most of the descent, it vanished just before they reached the planet's surface. Sunset had been only moments ago, then. Most people would be inside, enjoying the evening meal as the stiflingly hot temperatures of the day relaxed a little with the onset of dusk.

He didn't want to wake Cassie, but she stirred as he lifted her out of her chair and her eyes fluttered open. "Hey," she murmured, not seeming particularly surprised to find herself in his arms. "Are we there?"

"Yes," he said softly. "Go back to sleep."

"Yeah, right," she mumbled, pushing half-heartedly against his chest. "Put me down."

He shook his head, about to refuse, but she was impossible to hold when she set her mind to escaping. Unwilling to risk hurting her, he let her slither free, catching her arm to steady her as her feet touched the deck. "I am sorry I woke you," he offered, picking up her bag before she could do it herself.

"I'm not," she protested, rubbing some of the drowsiness from her eyes. "I'm sorry I fell asleep! I wanted to talk to you..."

"About what?" he asked, diverted.

She shrugged. "Anything. I just wanted to be with you."

Touched, he lifted his hand from her arm to stroke her hair. "You are with me," he pointed out gently. "And I'm not going anywhere. We will have plenty of time to talk."

She smiled up at him as he swung her bag over his shoulder. He tapped the keypad by the access hatch, and most of the rear wall let go of its seals with a hiss and lowered itself carefully to the ground. He gestured to the impromptu ramp, and she gave him a delighted look.

She stepped lightly off the main shuttle deck, as though the ramp might collapse beneath her weight. When it didn't, she lifted her gaze--and stopped short.

He joined her on the ramp, feeling warmth creep back into him as the hot, fresh air washed over them. He watched her expression of wonder as she stared out toward the horizon, hoping she saw in it at least some small part of the beauty that always drew him back home.

It wasn't Earth, and even the most intensive terraforming would never make the best parts of Elisia into more than a marginally habitable desert. But there was freedom in the burning sand and shifting hills, and the unending plains were the closest he had ever been to infinity on the surface of a planet.

"This is amazing," Cassie whispered, turning slowly to stare all around them. "Is it all like this?"

"Is all of your world like Angel Grove?" he asked, amused by the question but gratified by her awed reaction.

She gave him a wry look, her eyes sliding past him even when she tried to refocus her gaze. "I meant the habitable parts."

He shook his head. "Not everywhere. There are places here that are greener than your California, though they are few and small."

"Oases?" she guessed, and he smiled in acknowledgement.

He stepped off the edge of the ramp and held out his hand to help her. She tore her gaze away from the horizon and smiled back at him, taking his hand and hopping down. The ramp lifted up behind them, becoming part of the shuttle's hull once more, and he led her around the other side.

He heard her quiet gasp at her first sight of the compound, its sharp stone silhouette hunkered low against a horizon dyed red and gold with sunset. He smiled fondly, glad to be back and pleased that the place where he lived had made such a good first impression. "You approve?" he asked quietly.

She squeezed his hand and gave him a quick look before her eyes were drawn back to the sprawling structure in front of them. "Wow," she breathed at last. "I *so* approve. This is incredible, Saryn."

"Come inside," he urged. "You'll find my place of residence is somewhat larger than yours, I think."

She laughed, but she let him pull her toward the exterior of the compound. "A closet would be bigger than my room. How many people live here?"

"Just the Rangers," he replied, pausing outside the entrance to his own private dwelling. Punching in the appropriate code, he added, "And some of their family, of course."

"Of course," she murmured, sounding amused as she watched as him clear the lock code from the door's keypad and try again. "Having a little trouble?"

"The lock is somewhat temperamental." He tried again, and it let out a high-pitched beep. He sighed in exasperation and reached for his ruby. Placing it over the keypad, he hit the emergency override and the lock clicked open obediently. The door swung open when he pushed it, and he reached inside to touch the lightpad before gesturing to her. "After you."

She walked through with some hesitance, clearly not sure what to expect. He followed, closing the door quietly behind them. He watched her look around, running her left hand along the counter as she took a few tentative steps forward. He set her bag down in one of the chairs by the back door, not taking his eyes off of her.

Drawn by his movement, she glanced at him briefly before letting her eyes slide along the near wall. They flickered across the main door, then out into the living area on the other side of the counter. He moved a little closer, looking over her shoulder as she stared, and she took a single step back to lean against him. "This is so pretty," she murmured, not looking up at him. "This whole place is so... open."

"Mirine and I fought over it," he said with a smile. He slid his arms around her waist and was rewarded by her head on his shoulder. "This part of the compound is the first to see sunrise, and she said I wouldn't appreciate it."

"Who's Mirine?" she asked, twisting her head a little so that she gave the impression of looking at him without turning all the way around.

"The Pink Ranger," he replied, kissing her hair softly. "My sister."

He felt her stiffen in surprise. "You have a sister?"

He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it. "She often helped our old team. She sent the distress call to Eltare when Elisia was first attacked, and she took Jenna's place after--afterward." He tried to ignore the stammer, but he felt her fingers squeeze his reassuringly. "She has been the Pink Elisian Ranger ever since."

Cassie didn't answer right away. "Do I get to meet her?" she asked at last.

He smiled, kissing her hair again. "She would like that, I think," he murmured.

As blissful as the feel of her in his arms was, he wasn't oblivious to her indrawn breath. "You're yawning," he told her, resting his head against the top of hers. "You should sleep first."

"Uh-uh." She started to shake her head, then stopped when he didn't move. "You said we were going to see the stars."

"We will see them tomorrow night," he began, but this time she did shake her head.

"Tonight," she insisted, turning a little as he lifted his head. "I don't want to sleep yet. I refuse."

He looked at her in surprise, and her lips twitched. "Well, I do," she informed him. "I refuse to fall asleep, so let's go outside. Please?" she added, almost as an afterthought.

His heart melted with that single word, and he sighed. "You aren't going to do that to me all weekend, are you?"

"Would you mind if I did?" she asked, grinning up at him.

The look in her eyes was an invitation he couldn't resist, and he kissed her gently. "No," he whispered, lifting one hand to her hair and kissing her again.

"Good," she murmured, when he finally let her go. "So should I change? How far are we going?"

"Not far," he answered, letting his hand slide down her arm. "But I would change. It cools off quickly here."

"'Kay," she said, giving him another quick kiss before pulling away. She rescued her bag from the chair, and he waited for her to look up again before cocking his head to invite her to follow.

She smiled, trailing after him as he walked around the counter. He led the way across the open living area, and saw her glance out the corner windows. "It got dark really quickly," she remarked.

"No trees," he said. "Dusk doesn't last long."

He pushed open the door to the bedroom, and she laughed as she looked inside. "You sleep in a hammock!"

"I don't!" he exclaimed, responding more to the teasing in her voice than anything. "You sleep on a table!"

She laughed again, shaking her head. "I have to try this out." She dropped her bag inside the door and looked at him hopefully. "Can I?"

He couldn't help but smile at her expression. "It seems only fair, when I've dreamed you there so often."

She didn't answer, but her smile brightened and she gave him a warm look. Then she bounced across the room, apparently with every intention of jumping on his bed. She came to an abrupt halt in front of it, though, and reached out to give it a push. The heavy netting shifted only a little, anchored as it was at several points along the wall.

She must have decided it was safe, for a moment later she climbed into it and threw herself down on the soft comforters. He sighed soundlessly, watching her dark hair spill across the pillows as she closed her eyes. She had no idea how often he had seen her there, just that way, in waking dreams that he had hated to leave when the real world intruded.

Then she blinked her eyes open, rubbing them carelessly and pushing herself into a sitting position. "Well, that's no good," she said with a grin. "I really will fall asleep, and then where will we be?"

"Still together," he said softly, walking over to her. "That's all that matters."

She smiled, moving over to make room for him. As he sat down, though, she turned her head toward the window. "You're big on windows here, aren't you."

Though it hadn't been a question, he nodded. "It keeps the air moving during the day."

She scrambled a little closer to the window, making the bed shift underneath them. "How do you--" She reached out her hand and blinked as it just kept going. "Do you ever close them?"

He leaned over her shoulder to point at a little electronic keypad set into the side of the window. "When it's cold at night, or when a storm comes through, you can use that to keep the outside out."

She pushed it experimentally. Nothing happened, and he smiled a little. Moving closer, he reached around her and traced a half-circle around the edge of the keypad. An almost inaudible hum sprang up as the transparent forcefield came into being. He touched the other side of the circle, and the window went opaque.

"Cool!" Cassie exclaimed, imitating him. The window didn't change, and he was about to say something when she tried it in reverse. It cleared again, revealing the well-lit courtyard at the heart of the compound, and with another touch the field fell away entirely. "That's neat," she decided, leaning forward to rest her arms on the windowsill. "So all the Rangers live here?"

He shifted so he was sitting beside her, putting one arm around her shoulders as he pointed out into the courtyard. "That's Mirine's place, beside us on the other end of this building. The building next to her is the common area; no one lives there.

"Kyril lives on our other side. He's the Blue Ranger. He and his brother share that building right there. Raine and Azmuth are the Green and Yellow Rangers, and they live together, in that building across from us."

"They live together?" she repeated, sounding surprised.

"Is that so strange?" he asked, letting his hand fall as his arm rested lightly on her shoulder. "I would live with you, were it possible."

She moved a little, so she was leaning on him more than the windowsill. "That's sweet of you," she whispered, still staring out at the courtyard.

"Is something wrong?" he wanted to know, wondering at her tone. He hugged her closer without thinking about it, as though he could keep her from slipping away just by holding on.

She shook her head quickly. "No, just..."

"Just what?" he prompted, when she didn't continue.

"Just... don't ask me, okay?" she said quietly. "Don't ask me to stay."

"I wouldn't," he protested. "You have every reason to be on Earth, and none to be here. I would never ask you to leave you world."

She looked up at him, and her smile was a little sad. "I didn't think you would. But see, if you did... I'm not sure what I'd say."

"Shh," he whispered, stroking her hair as best he could with his arm around her. "It doesn't matter. We don't have to be together all the time. I'm just glad to have you with me now."

She caught his free hand off the windowsill, turning it over in hers and studying it carefully. "I might say yes," she confessed, not meeting his gaze. "And I can't do that."

He swallowed, wishing she hadn't told him that. He didn't want to know that having her forever with him was as easy as asking. "I understand," he said, fingers twitching a little as she played with them. "I... I know that fear."

She looked up at that, her fingers stilling on his. "You'd have stayed on Earth?"

"I can't," he said wistfully, glancing out through the window. "Even as you can't stay here. But 'no' wouldn't be my first reaction... if you were to ask."

She sighed. "I know. I won't say it if you don't."

"All right," he agreed reluctantly.

She was silent a moment longer, until she looked up again. "Well, we're not going to spend the whole weekend being depressed! Let's not think about it anymore."

He tried to smile at her tone, but it must not have worked. She lifted her free hand to his cheek and whispered, "Don't be sad. It's silly to be upset when last weekend we hadn't even seen each other for years."

"Last weekend I didn't know what I was missing," he countered, but she was right. He was about to tell her so when he felt her lips on his, lingering with a sweetness that made everything worthwhile.

"I'll change," she murmured at last, breaking the gentle kiss.

As she drew away, though, he couldn't let it go at that. Catching her arm, he pressed his mouth to hers as soon as she looked back. He knew it was too serious, full of all the heat that hers had only hinted at, but as hard as he tried he couldn't ignore where they were. He didn't want to be alone in this bed again.

She put her hand on his arm and leaned into him, seeming to forget her intent to change as quickly as she had remembered it. He lost himself in her kiss, and her free arm crept around him as she relaxed into his embrace. He felt her soft hair fall across his hands, and before he realized it they were sinking back against the pillows.

He braced himself on his elbow, trying to remember her insistent desire to see the stars. "As much as I enjoy this," he murmured, running his fingers across her arm, "the longer we stay here, the colder it will get outside."

"You started it," she pointed out mildly, making no move to sit up. She kissed her fingers and then lifted them to his face, brushing his loose hair back. It was a futile effort, for his hair wasn't long enough to push over his shoulders, but it felt good.

"Don't do that," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her again.

"Or what?" she teased. She allowed his kiss, but as soon as he drew back she pushed herself up on one arm to put her level with him. "You'll kiss me? There's a threat..."

He was just quick enough to catch her hand as she reached for him again, determined to prove he was stronger than her smile. "You won't get to see your stars," he reminded her, unable to resist the temptation to kiss her fingers.

"You're wrong," she murmured, tugging gently on their clasped hands. "I can see all the stars I need from right here." Her mouth covered his and he closed his eyes, distantly aware of her fingers slipping out of his.

He knew what she was going to do before it happened, and he forced himself to let her go before he forgot his resolve entirely. Struggling to sit up, he tried to ignore her bare skin and warm expression. "We're going," he told her, more firmly than he had intended as he tried to keep his own conflicting emotions out of his tone.

To his relief, she only giggled and pushed herself up. "Going, right. Got it." She scrambled off the edge of the bed with more energy than someone who was as tired as she had looked earlier ought to have.

She unzipped her backpack and pulled out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved blouse. She didn't look at him, possibly not even thinking about it as she pulled her shorts off and stepped into her jeans. But he couldn't help being disappointed when she pulled the blouse on over top of her t-shirt.

She stuffed her shorts back in her bag, and reached up to free her hair from underneath her collar as she turned to him. "Ready?" she asked innocently, snatching her jacket up off the floor.

"Here," he said, getting up to take her jacket and hold it for her.

She laughed, lifting her hair out of the way and sliding her arms into the sleeves one at a time. "Thanks." She turned and gave him a quick kiss, and he fumbled for her hand. Her fingers squeezed his, and he smiled as she pulled him toward the door.

He had been right about how quickly it would cool off. She had laughed when he brought a blanket with them, but now she was grateful for its warmth. The rocks behind them held a certain amount of residual heat, but the wind that raced over the sand cut through her clothes and dispelled that warmth as quickly as she could absorb it.

He had wrapped the blanket around their shoulders as soon as he saw her shiver, and she leaned against him contentedly. The thin material had a built-in wind resistance that served to keep the heat of their bodies close to them at the same time as it blocked the air's chill. She slid her arm through his, smiling at the comforting feel of his old quilted jacket on her cheek as she watched him point with his free hand.

She knew he was telling her some story about Elisia's north star, but she found she had stopped listening to his words long ago. She was far too tired to concentrate on sentences and explanations right now, so she just let his voice wash over her, nodding when it rose in question and admiring its effortless flow. He was used to painting pictures with words, it seemed.

She kept her face turned upward, but she let her eyes slide closed for just a moment. They were leaning back against one of the rocks, huddled together in the deepening twilight and somehow so isolated from everything else in the universe. Back when she was still listening he had pointed out where her galaxy would be, if they had been able to see it from here, and she found that the idea of all those uncountable light years between her and home appealed to her in some way.

*It's funny how easy it is to have perspective when everything is just little dots of lights in the sky,* she thought idly, letting her head rest more comfortably against his shoulder. Especially when they were invisible dots of light.

He thought he knew when she stopped listening, but he finished the story anyway. She would have said something if she wanted him to stop, and the words of the old legend were a welcome change from the speeches and maneuverings of the last couple days. It was one of the things he liked best about being with her--she made him feel normal again, as though who he was mattered instead of just what he stood for.

When he looked down he found her eyes closed, and he smiled to himself. She had wound her fingers through his while he was staring up at the sky, and her head rested trustingly against his shoulder. There couldn't truly be anything better in the universe.

He didn't know how long he might have stayed there if the wind hadn't picked up. It could get worse very quickly, and they were already at the limits of what he considered comfortable. Yet he hesitated to wake her up. She had been dozing off all evening, and he wasn't sure she was up to the walk back to the compound.

He shifted a little, wondering if he could get up without waking her. She murmured a little in protest when he moved, but her eyes didn't open. He smiled again, touched both by her reaction and her trust.

He wrapped the blanket around her and lifted her up carefully. Her weight in his arms convinced him that she was fully asleep, and he closed his eyes. His bedroom back at the compound sprang into sharp detail behind his eyelids, and he felt the air warm subtly.

As the wash of red light faded, he brushed the blanket away from her and let it fall to the floor. He laid her down on his bed, reaching over her to close the window and darken it a little. Glancing down at her as she moved, he saw her curl up, snuggling deeper into the pillows.

He hated to disturb her further, but she couldn't possibly be comfortable sleeping in that coat. He pulled her sneakers off first, shaking his head fondly at the thin pink designs embroidered on the sides. She might have given up her morpher, but the Power was still influencing her choice of clothes.

He put her shoes on the floor and sat down beside her, sliding one hand behind her head as he pulled her into his lap. It was never easy to take off a sleeping person's clothes, but she was as sound a sleeper as Mirine. She barely stirred as he tugged the jacket off over her shoulders.

He was sorely tempted to undress her the rest of the way--just for comfort's sake, his mind argued--but he had no illusions about what that would do to him. He held her a moment longer, just glad to have her there in his arms.

Finally, though, he threw one of the comforters back and eased her back onto the bed. She shifted again as he pulled the comforter up over her shoulders, and he heard her mumble something he couldn't make out. He stroked her hair gently, pleased when she quieted with his touch.

He left the bedroom then, taking the blanket and pulling the door most of the way shut behind him. He turned up the lights in the living area and stared around for a minute. It looked exactly the way it always looked; there was nothing to say that today was different from any other. Nothing except the knowledge that Cassie slept in the room behind him.

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling his lips twitch. He felt like he'd been smiling all day long, first in anticipation of seeing her, and then in the sheer delight of her presence. He supposed it was lucky he hadn't been around the others much, or they might have asked what it was that had him in such a good mood.

He should have told them, he supposed. He should have at least made some mention of her to his teammates, especially when he knew she wanted to meet them. It would be terribly awkward to have to explain who she was when he was introducing her, and he knew she wouldn't be pleased.

He almost called Mirine right then. Cassie was asleep, and it wasn't that late. He could get all the explanations out of the way now, and when it finally came time for introductions, it would seem to her that they had always known. They would be glad to meet her, and Cassie would be none the wiser.

Instead, he started to close the windows. He folded up the blanket they had taken stargazing and put it away. He took off his own jacket and hung it by the door, and checked a third time to make sure he had what he was planning on for breakfast.

He glanced into the bathroom too before he turned out the lights, but Cassie had seen it earlier and said nothing. He supposed he had Mirine to thank for that, for keeping it up to a girl's exacting standards of cleanliness. He wondered if she would want a shower in the morning--maybe not, once she found out where they were going, but he calibrated the water cyclers for it anyway.

He paused by the counter on his way back to the bedroom. The computer linkup stared accusingly back at him, still dark. He sighed, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Everything was so perfect just the way it was.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator, gazing down at it uncertainly. Why couldn't he be selfish, just for tonight? Hadn't he earned it?

He dropped the communicator on the counter and headed for the bedroom.

She thought she had overslept, until the softness of the patterned white comforter and the pleasant smell of the pillow registered. This wasn't her bed, it was his, and she was light years from school right now. Filtered sunlight came in through the tinted windows, making odd shadows in the room as she struggled to sit up.

The bed shifted slightly underneath her, and she lifted one hand to rub her eyes. The room looked no clearer afterwards, but she did notice when the sleeve of her blouse brushed against her face. She couldn't remember falling asleep in her clothes...

Her windbreaker caught her eye, folded neatly on top of her backpack next to the door. Who folded a jacket? That would be his doing, she thought, and suddenly she remembered dozing off out in the desert the night before. She couldn't remember anything after that.

*Silly," she thought fondly, hugging the comforter around her shoulders despite the pleasant warmth of the room. He had probably teleported them both back here. Leave it to him not to wake her up.

She let herself fall back against the pillows, just for a moment. Just long enough to breathe in the smell of him, and to smile at his thoughtfulness. Pushing herself up at last, she tossed the edge of the comforter aside and climbed gingerly off the bed. It was more stable than it looked, but she couldn't help being careful.

Brushing her hair out of her face as she stood, she briefly considered trying to make herself presentable before she showed her face outside the bedroom. It seemed like too much trouble, and she wanted to see him so much more than she wanted to change her clothes or brush her hair--but what if he had company? It sounded quiet, but she could just see herself walking out of the room and right into a breakfast club.

That convinced her, and she changed into her shorts and a fresh t-shirt as quickly as she could. The bathroom had two doors, so that it was accessible from both the front room and the bedroom, but as she splashed water on her face at the sink she couldn't bring herself to just walk out through the other door. Instead she went back through the bedroom, dropping her hairbrush into her backpack on the way.

The door was slightly ajar, and as she pulled it the rest of the way open, she couldn't help blinking. The sun, easily visible through the corner windows, was only just over the horizon, but it filled the entire place without a light several times brighter than that of the bedroom. The air was warmer out here, too, and the slight breeze that stirred around her ankles told her that the windows were all wide open.

"Saryn?" she asked hesitantly, making a face at the feel of sand on the cool stone floor. She should have put her sandals on.

"Out here," his voice answered, and she stepped around the corner.

He was standing at the counter, where it turned from extending out into the room to run underneath the windows a short way, but he glanced over his shoulder to smile warmly at her. "Good morning," he offered, motioning to her to join him. "I'm afraid breakfast isn't quite ready yet."

"You cook?" she asked incredulously, going over to stand beside him. "Of course," she added, looking over his shoulder. "You would."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment," he said lightly, and she smiled.

"Do," she agreed. "I'm sorry about last night; I didn't realize I was so sleepy--"

"Don't apologize," he told her, waving a spoon at her threateningly. "Next time my stories are so boring, just tell me."

"No! It wasn't--"

Her exclamation was cut off by his sudden grin, and he reached out with his free hand to pull her close. "I was only kidding," he murmured, and then his mouth was on hers with a slow, lingering sweetness that made her catch her breath.

She stared at him as he drew away, then remembered herself enough to smile. "I can't believe you sometimes," she said, putting her hands behind her on the counter.

He gave her an amused look, stirring whatever he had over what had to be his version of a stove. "In a good way, or a bad way?"

"Oh, good," she assured him, her eyes wandering as she leaned back a little. He wore a bright red t-shirt, hanging loose over shorts that looked sandy somehow, as though he had already been outside this morning. Even stranger, he was barefoot, and looked perfectly at home here in, well, his home. She had never really thought about him having a home, back when she was in high school, though she'd thought of it often enough since and wondered what such a place could be like.

Back then, though, it was all about his place in *her* life, not the other way around. She had known so little about him, it had seemed only logical to think that he was isolated from the normal everyday aspects of life. At least, logical to a teenager who hadn't given much thought to anything but what she wanted.

Was that why she had waited after the war, instead of going to him? Because the news broadcasts had scared her with the realization that there was more to him than just the faceless hero she thought she knew?

"What is it?" he asked gently, reaching out to stroke her hair. His fingers caught in the tangles she had only half-heartedly tried to comb out, and he smiled. "Let me brush your hair."

She let out her breath in a laugh. "*That's* it. That's what I was thinking about. How can you be so--you?"

He cocked his head, almost as though he was considering it. "I think it's something I was born with," he said at last, in all seriousness, and she giggled.

"You must have been," she agreed with a grin. "I just can't believe how lucky I am to know you. To really *know* you, and to love you so much anyway."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that. Once I puzzle out what you said, then I'll let you know what I think."

She giggled again, reaching out to run her fingers over his arm. "I just mean... I've loved you for so long. But I only got to know you in the last few days. How could I have known you'd be more perfect than my dream of you was?"

He smiled, and she saw comprehension in his eyes. "We have a word for that, you know," he told her. "It's called fate."

She sighed, knowing that was the only answer either of them could have given to the strangeness of their meeting. "I didn't used to believe in fate," she confessed.

He only shrugged, glancing back at the stove. "I spent a great deal of my life trying to rebel against fate. But it isn't something to be fought." He caught her eye, gesturing with the spoon. "You're proof enough of that."

She tried not to blush, and he added, "The universe doesn't dictate our lives, it only responds to our expectations. It took me a long time to realize that fate is the universe's way of helping us, not controlling us."

She thought about that for a moment, watching him do something to the stove that made the flame go out. He bent down to retrieve something from the cupboards under the counter, and she smiled to see him carelessly brush his hair out of his face. "I like this kind of help," she remarked.

He turned, flashing his smile at her again. "Me too."

The sun glinted on her hair as she sat by the windows after breakfast, and he set her brush down on the windowsill. Gathering her dark hair over her shoulders, he watched it spill down her back and flow across his fingers.

"You cut your hair," he accused, suddenly remembering what he had wanted to say to her years ago.

She turned her head a little, giving him a startled look. "No I didn't."

"You did," he insisted. "I saw you on IN after the war. Your hair was shorter."

She frowned a little. "After the war..."

He ran his fingers through her hair as she tried to remember. The ride across the desert would only tangle it again, and far worse than sleeping had done. He almost said something when she exclaimed, "Oh! Yeah, a little before the energy wave. Ashley made me come so she had an excuse to bring Andros."

"Why?" he asked, combing her hair farther back.

She shrugged. "She wanted him to trim his hair, and I figured it would help mine grow out faster. I only cut it a couple of inches; I can't believe you noticed."

He lifted her hair away from her neck and leaned forward to kiss her lightly. "I had nothing of you but my memories and what I saw on the news," he murmured. "I couldn't help but compare the two."

She turned her head a little, but he couldn't see her expression this time. The smile was in her voice when she spoke. "What about you? Is your hair always like this?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with it?"

She let out an amused breath. "Why so defensive?"

He shook his head at himself. "Sorry. Raine cuts everyone's hair for them, but I find... I don't enjoy it. I--" He couldn't explain it, so he shrugged. "I just don't like having my hair cut. So it tends to grow somewhat longer than she would like."

"It's your hair," Cassie pointed out. "You can do whatever you want."

"I haven't actually said anything to her about it," he admitted, letting her hair settle back against her t-shirt. "I'm afraid she thinks I'm being difficult for the fun of it."

She turned all the way around then, giving him an odd look. "Then why don't you just tell her?"

He sighed. "What am I supposed to say? 'Don't cut my hair; I don't like it'?"

"That would be a start," she agreed, smiling. "Is that so hard?"

"It seems silly," he muttered. "Everyone else lets her do it."

She actually laughed at him. "I can't believe you just said that, Saryn. Since when has that been a good reason for doing something?"

He knew she was right, and somehow that only made him more defensive. Before he could say anything, though, she reached out and touched his face gently. "I'm sorry," she said, searching his expression. "I didn't mean to sound--mean. Your hair's just so cute the way it is; why would anyone pressure you to cut it?"

He smiled reluctantly, and she brushed his hair back along his forehead. "You're not as tough as everyone thinks you are, you know," she said fondly.

He sighed again. "I know. You found me out; I'm afraid of having my hair cut. Don't let it get out--it could ruin me for the rest of my political career."

She giggled. "That means I'd get to spend more time with you, right?"

"Turn around and let me braid your hair," he told her sternly, "and I'll forget you said that."

She grinned at him. "Oh, now you braid, too?"

"You'll understand when you see Mirine," he informed her. "Now turn around. You don't want your hair loose when you're riding a jetcycle, I promise you."

She turned around obediently, but a moment later she asked, "So when do I get to meet Mirine? Is she around today?"

"Yes," he admitted, glancing over at the counter. His communicator still lay where he had left it the night before. "But we won't be. It's dangerous to be out in the desert during midday, so if we want to see the oasis before evening we'll have to leave soon."

"How far is it?" she asked, apparently diverted.

He separated her hair at the base of her neck, laying one strand over the other as he wove them together, careful not to make it too tight. "Maybe three hundred kilometers. It's out past the terraformed border, but it will be..." He tried quickly to work out the conversion in his head. "A little less than an hour, I think, by jetcycle."

"Long trip," she mused.

"It's worth it," he promised, shifting backwards a little as the braid wound its way farther down her hair. "Do you have one of those--scrunchies?"

She swung one leg off the sofa and reached into her pocket, passing him a piece of woven pink elastic cloth. "Is that where we're camping tonight?" she wanted to know.

He nodded. "If you like it, yes. It's a beautiful place to spend the night."

"I'm sure I'll like it," she said, twisting her head experimentally as he wrapped the scrunchy around her braid. "Are we leaving now? Or do I get to brush your hair?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said quickly, getting to his feet and holding his hand out to her.

She took it, grinning up at him. "It was just a suggestion. Afraid we'd have to wait until the afternoon to go?"

"I'm afraid we wouldn't get there at all," he admitted.

"Saddlebags!"

He settled the double backpack into place over the back of the jetcycle, giving her an odd look when he was convinced it was solid. "What?"

She laughed, though whether at his confusion or her own randomness, she wasn't sure. "The bags you put over the back of a horse. That's what those look like, but I don't know what they're called on a bike."

He pulled a strap tight over the top of the bags, silent for a moment as he tried to puzzle that out. At last, he looked up and shook his head at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, we have these animals called horses on Earth," she tried to explain. "And some of them let you ride them, and they'll carry your stuff in saddlebags. So saddlebags were such a good idea that bikers adopted them, only they called them something different. Motorbikes, I mean," she added, when she saw his confused expression. "They're like jetcycles."

He pulled the second strap tight and straightened up, giving her a measured look. "There's no reason to be nervous, you know."

She blinked, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm not nervous. Why do you think I'm nervous?"

"The way you're talking," he said, coming around the jetcycle to stand in front of her. "You sound different."

She sighed. "I'm talking too much, aren't I. I'm babbling."

"I would not have put it that way," he protested, then broke off when she gave him a wry look. "Maybe a little," he agreed.

She shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. "A friend of mine was in a motorcycle accident. She was just on her way home from band practice, and the next day she was on crutches. For months. She still has the scars."

"We don't have to go," he said softly, studying her face. "I would never ask you to do something you weren't comfortable with."

"I want to!" She unfolded her arms and shrugged again, hooking her thumbs into her pockets. "I'm just--nervous," she admitted, looking down at the sand.

He reached out to touch her chin, tilting her head up. "I would never let anything happen to you. I promise, Cassie."

His sincere blue eyes caught hers and held them, and she found herself nodding. "I know," she said. "Ready when you are."

He smiled at her, but as he turned back to the jetcycle she thought of something else. "You don't happen to have any sunscreen, do you?" They were inside a protected garage-like area--really just an indentation in the exterior of the building that had been walled off, she thought--but the sun outside was intense, especially in light of an hour-long open-air ride.

"Sunscreen?" he repeated, giving every indication of puzzlement.

"You know, to protect yourself from the sun," she said. "From UV rad--ultraviolet light."

He gave her what looked like a genuinely horrified look. "Ultraviolet light is a mutagen. None of it gets through our atmosphere."

She sighed, relieved, and he looked at her more closely. "Earth's atmosphere doesn't block it out?"

"Most of it," she admitted. "Not all."

He shook his head. "Elisia wouldn't have been chosen for terraforming if the atmosphere admitted the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. At least not by Eltarans."

She shrugged. "We didn't choose Earth," she told him wryly. "But we like it anyway."

"I wasn't criticizing," he said hastily. "I was only surprised to hear you say it."

She smiled, charmed by his efforts not to offend her. "I know; I was just... well, maybe everyone's a little defensive about their home."

"Your planet is beautiful," he told her, looking every bit as sincere as he sounded. "I only hope you may come to think the same of mine."

"I already do," she said, surprised he didn't know. "I love Elisia."

He smiled back at her, then surprised her by going up to the second jetcycle in the garage and pulling the helmet off its handlebars. "Mirine won't be going riding today, I think," he said conversationally.

As he settled the helmet on her head, she gave him a worried look. "Are you sure she won't mind? Maybe you should ask..."

"She's my sister," he said firmly, adjusting the transparent visor until it covered her eyes. "She's not allowed to mind."

As he put on his own helmet, she heard a quiet click in her ear, and she frowned. Then her eyes widened as he said, "Can you hear me?" His voice seemed to come from right in front of her and right behind at the same time.

"Yes," she said, putting her hand to the side of the helmet automatically. "It is doing that?"

He nodded, reaching out to adjust something on her helmet. "Is that better?"

Now it sounded as though he was speaking in her ear, and she couldn't keep a smile off her face. "Yeah, that's perfect."

"It will let us talk during the ride," he explained. "If you get cold, or thirsty, or anything else, let me know. We are not so late that we can't afford to stop on the way."

*Cold?* she thought, wondering if he was serious. He had given her one of his extra pairs of windpants, and she wore her own windbreaker over her t-shirt. She was hot just standing in the cool shade of the garage. "I will," she promised anyway.

"Then let's go," he said, giving the jetcycle a push. It moved surprisingly easily for something that looked so heavy, and she pulled the massive garage door shut behind them as he wheeled it out into the sun.

He swung one leg over the seat with the ease of someone who had done it a thousand times before, and he cocked his head at her. "Ready?"

The wind raced past them, roaring louder in his ears than the sound of the jetcycle's engine. The front of the jetcycle and the windshield deflected enough of it that it wasn't dangerously cold or biting, but the wind's strength was unmistakable. Cassie's soft warmth, pressed against his back, was a strange counterpoint to the harshness of the swiftly moving air, and he found he liked her occasional comments and inescapable presence.

It was an odd feeling to ride double again after all these years. It was even odder to know that he found this better than the isolated freedom he had so enjoyed only the week before on this same trip. This then, was what it was like not only to love, but to finally know that that love was returned--to know with absolute certainty that nothing one did alone could compare to something done with another.

"Is that the oasis?" Cassie's voice said in his ear.

"That's it," he said, letting their speed fall off slowly as they drew closer to the expanding island of vegetation. The jetcycle was coasting by the time they got close enough to pick out individual trees, and finally he had to apply the brakes as the edge of their destination stretched out in either direction.

"It's big," Cassie said, sounding surprised.

"You can walk around the entire thing in a day," he answered, feeling the wheels slip a little on the dry desert grass at the edge of the oasis. He slowed the jetcycle further, not wanting to alarm her. "It isn't the largest by far, but the Rangers have traditionally laid claim to it."

"Just you?" she wanted to know, shifting as she tried to peer further over his shoulder.

He shook his head. "Not by any rule. Just... because it's always been that way."

"Is this your path?" she asked a moment later. The track was becoming more apparent as the grass and scrub gave way to more definitive brush.

"It was already here when I became a Ranger," he said, slowing the jetcycle further to maneuver through the increasing vegetation. "I never thought to ask whether my teammates had made it themselves or inherited it."

The edge sprang up around them, and he brought the jetcycle to a halt so they could look back the way they'd come. The understory would be clearer further in, but here where the brush blended into a veritable forest, it was dense enough to filter sunlight and make the path they'd followed the only clear view back out.

"Wow," Cassie breathed, and it was odd to hear her words aloud as well as through the transmitter's circuit. "This is so beautiful."

He smiled. "Wait until you see the river."

"There's a river?" she exclaimed.

"The water has to come from somewhere," he said, unable to resist the chance to tease her a little. "Did you think it just fell from the sky?"

"Like rain?" she retorted. "Imagine that!"

"We only get rain here once a year," he reminded her, turning back toward the track in front of them. "It's a big event when it happens. Ready to go?"

Her arms wrapped around his waist again, her hands sliding into his pockets to protect them from the wind. He could feel her when she nodded. "Ready."

The jetcycle jumped forward, as though eager to move again, and they followed the track until it faded into the lush green grass of the riverside clearing. Here, faint trails and slightly matted circles were the only evidence of the Rangers' comings and goings. The fresh grass held impressions for a far shorter period of time than the dry stalks that had surrounded the edge of the oasis, and they tried to tread as evenly as they could on it.

He deliberately didn't follow any of those faint paths, so as to avoid forming any permanent scars in the grass. Instead he took them toward the river across seemingly untouched grass, bringing the jetcycle to a halt a safe distance away from the sometimes unstable banking.

Cassie didn't move, even after the engine powered down, and he turned his head a little. "You all right?" he asked softly.

He could feel her nod, and she added, "I'm just in awe. I went from Elisia directly to awe. Just give me a minute to find my way back."

He chuckled, and tugged his gloves off of his hands. Shoving them into his now empty pockets, he reached up and unfastened his helmet, and a moment later he heard her doing the same thing. He shook his hair out, and felt her shift a little. Then her hands were on his shoulders, and he heard her giggle. "Okay, now that my balance is totally screwed, I have to stand up. That's good."

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned. He twisted around and found her sliding off the back of the seat, a little awkwardly and amid a rustle of windblocking fabric.

"I'm fine," she assured him, gripping his shoulder more firmly as she got both feet back on the ground. "Maybe just a little stiff. I'm not used to riding like that, I guess."

He swung off the jetcycle easily, seeing her make a face at him as he did so. He shrugged, running a hand through his hair as he set his helmet on one of the handlebars. "You get used to it. I never get tired of jetcycles."

"Oh, I loved it!" She held her helmet until he took it from her, then rubbed her hands together fiercely. "Except that my fingers are freezing. But that was so cool!"

"You should have told me," he chided, reaching for her hands and wrapping them in his.

She laughed. "That won't do any good. Yours are freezing too."

He lifted her hands to his mouth and blew gently on them. She shivered as he continued to breathe on her warm fingers, and finally she admitted, "Okay, that did help. I take it back." So saying, she slipped her hands out of his grip and wrapped them around *his* hands, rubbing them back and forth.

"Thanks." He smiled at her, and she leaned over their clasped hands to kiss him.

"When you said 'cold', I thought you were joking," she told him. "But it feels so good to be warm again."

"You might not be yet," he warned her, tugging her hands gently out of her grasp. "But the air should warm you up quickly."

"And you!" she said, laying her hand against his cheek. "You feel cold too."

"Me too," he agreed ruefully. "The wind gets to you after a while. You have to be careful on long trips, even when the sun is high."

She shook her head. "Who knew there were so many ways to be cold in the middle of the desert? Don't answer that," she added, almost as an afterthought.

He only smiled. "So can I show you around? It'll warm us up--even though that may not seem like a good thing in a little while."

She laughed. "Well, that's what the river's there for, I guess. We can always swim when it gets really hot."

"You know how to swim?" he asked, mildly surprised. Then he shook his head. "Of course you do; you live near an ocean."

She looked at him quickly. "You don't? Swim, I mean?"

He shrugged. "Kyril can, and a girl on my old team could. But I never learned."

"I could teach you," she offered, a mischievous look in her eyes that he recognized but didn't fully understand. "As soon as we warm up some. It'd be fun."

The sun was hot even through the tree canopy, and the air of the oasis hung heavy and humid here by the river. When she held absolutely still and closed her eyes, she found she couldn't tell the difference between the air and the water. She moved her feet a little, feeling the water swirl gently around her ankles, and she smiled to herself.

Careful footsteps on the sun-warmed rock marked Saryn's return, and she didn't move when he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Boo."

"You scared me," she murmured contentedly, not opening her eyes.

He chuckled, sitting down beside her. "Still in awe?" he teased.

She sighed, feeling her smile grow. "I like awe. It's a nice place. You should try it some time."

He slid his hand under her braid and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm in awe whenever I'm with you," he said softly.

She opened her eyes then, turning to look over at him. He smiled, tilting his head to kiss her gently. "There's no one luckier than I am," he whispered, emphasizing his words with another kiss. "When you're with me, I feel like nothing else matters."

"Yeah," she agreed, putting one hand on his shoulder to pull him closer. "That sounds like awe to me. It's pretty lucky we're in it together."

When she pressed her lips to his and felt his arms tighten around her, she wondered if maybe it was more like heaven than awe. But then he shifted, and she couldn't help giggling as he tried to make himself comfortable sitting sideways on their rock.

He let her draw back a little, giving her a wry look. "The girl always gets the comfortable position, have you noticed that?"

She laughed outright at that. "That's because--"

She stopped, abruptly realizing what she was about to say. It was an odd feeling, to realize just how secure she felt around him. She had been about to treat him as much like her best friend as her lover, but there were some things she just couldn't say to anyone but Ashley.

"What?" he prompted, his eyes amused as he waited for her to finish her sentence.

"Nothing," she said quickly. She braced her hands against the rock and pushed herself forward, her bare feet splashing in the shallow water as she stood up. "The water's not as cold as I thought it would be."

"I think you've gotten the wrong idea about Elisia," he said wryly. "Believe it or not, most of the planet has a reputation for being quite hot."

"Just like you," she murmured under her breath, wading farther out into the river. She couldn't help blushing when he laughed, for she hadn't meant him to overhear that. It was so easy to be around him, and the oasis was so far away from everything... real, that she could almost feel her inhibitions melting away.

She heard a gentle splash from behind her, and she knew what she would see before she turned around. What she didn't expect was to see him pulling his shirt off over his head, tossing it on the banking before turning to wade toward her. "Oh, that wasn't fair," she whispered, unable to take her eyes off of him as he picked his way carefully through the shallow water.

He looked up as though he had heard her, and she swallowed. He smiled, shaking his head at her. "You couldn't have picked the nice sandy part to go wading in," he complained good-naturedly, as he caught up with her. "No, you had to go out on the rocks."

"You're the one who followed me," she pointed out, trying to look away from him but finding her gaze drawn irresistibly back. He radiated a sort of calmness, a sense of being at ease that she had never noticed in him before. It was as though this place was less a destination than an escape, more a place he came for himself than anything that was expected of him.

"True," he agreed, reaching out to take her hand as she turned away. "Are you testing me?"

She stopped, giving him a startled look. "What?"

"To see how far I'll follow you," he said. His tone was light, but his smile was gone, and she couldn't tell how serious he was being.

"I wasn't," she said uncertainly. She didn't know how to tell him that the surrealness of everything that was happening had suddenly spooked her. She was treating someone she had known for a week like a friend she had had for years. And it felt right.

"Doesn't matter," he told her quietly, stepping closer. He glanced down, making sure of his footing as the water eddied around their ankles, and when he lifted his head again his eyes were only inches from hers. "I'd follow you anywhere."

She tried to shift, to move onto more solid ground, but her foot slipped out from under her on the rocks. His hand tightened on hers and she felt his arm go around her, pulling her close and wrapping his other arm around her to hold her up. "To the ends of the universe, Cassie," he whispered in her ear. "Fate, remember? We're in this together."

She got her feet under her again, but she didn't let him go. "What happens if the end comes sooner than we think?" she wondered, not looking up at him.

"Then we'll face it together," he said firmly. "There's only one thing that could ever make me let you go now."

She swallowed, lifting her head to catch his eye. "What's that?"

"For you to tell me you don't love me," he said, staring steadily back at her.

For a single heartbeat she was frozen, unable to comprehend those words. Then she was hugging him, holding him as hard as she could against the heat of the day with her cheek pressed against his chest. "I will always, always love you, Saryn," she whispered. "Always, do you understand?"

"Then I'll always be with you," he answered simply.

She took a deep breath, trying to relax. His warm scent tickled her nose, and she turned her head a little, letting her forehead rest against his chest. She took another breath, glad of his arms around her. She smiled when she felt his kiss on the top of her head, and she tilted her head just enough to kiss his skin in return.

He tugged gently on her braid, and she kissed him again, still not lifting her head. "Not fair," he murmured, lifting one hand to run his fingers across her temple. "I can't do that to you."

"Shouldn't have taken your shirt off," she said, turning her face up to smile at him.

"Or maybe you're overdressed," he suggested softly, pulling her braid over her shoulder. Her scrunchy was missing, she realized, amused as she watched him idly brushing the end of the braid out of her hair.

"It's a guy thing," she told him, watching him continue to play with her hair. "It's really not fair that you can take your shirt off when it's hot out and I can't."

"There's no one else here," he pointed out, lifting his gaze from her braid to her eyes. He leaned slowly toward her, and just when she thought he was about to kiss her he turned his head to whisper, "I won't tell if you don't."

She tried not to giggle. "I can't. It would be weird."

"I can," he murmured, pressing a heated kiss to her lips. She closed her eyes, not even registering his words until his hands slid under her short t-shirt. She caught her breath, leaning into his kiss even as his hands ran up her sides toward her shoulders. Her skin tingled in the wake of his fingers, and she sighed in disappointment as he pulled away.

His hands slid across her arms as she lifted them up, and she let him tug her t-shirt off over her head. Opening her eyes again, she draped her arms over his shoulders and smiled smugly at him. "So what are you going to do with it now, smart guy?"

He linked his arms around her, doing something she couldn't see behind her back. "You underestimate me," he said, holding her shirt up in one hand.

She had to let go of him to turn and look, and she laughed. "What, were you a boy scout as a child?" Her t-shirt was rolled into a ball, twisted carefully enough that he might as well have tied a knot in it, and it stayed compact as he tossed it onto the banking. "If that has grass stains on it..." She let the threat trail off as she glanced back at him, not sure she would care with the way he was looking at her now.

"I'll wash it for you," he finished huskily, lifting one hand to her face. He stroked her skin gently, as though it was the most precious thing he could touch. She held her breath as he leaned closer, his eyes wandering across her face and finally coming to rest on her lips.

She closed her eyes as his mouth brushed lightly against hers. His second kiss was just as fleeting, and she sighed when he pulled away. His free hand touched her other cheek, cupping her face in both his hands, and she could feel his breath against her skin. He kissed her again, this time lingering over her mouth and teasing her lips with his tongue.

She tried not to lean into his kiss, but it was hard not to. He pressed back, still holding her face gently in his hands but kissing her with a strength belied by his soft touch. It reassured her to feel that insistence in him, made her more secure in the knowledge that the passion he inspired in her wasn't one-sided.

Unfortunately, the rocks lining the riverbed weren't conducive to standing still for long periods of time. As she tried to shift her weight, he slid one hand down her arm and smiled against her mouth. "Come with me," he whispered, letting his other hand fall and tugging her after him as he stepped away.

The rocks turned to sand farther downstream, and before she knew it the water that had been less than knee-deep was as halfway up her thighs. "Where are we going?" she wanted to know, watching him wade through the deeper water without concern.

He pulled her closer, tracing his fingers along her cheek and brushing a few escaped strands of hair away from her face. "Where would you follow *me*?" he murmured.

She reached up to catch his hand, twining her fingers through his. "Anywhere," she answered, tilting her head to lay it against their clasped hands.

He leaned down to kiss her, a slow kiss that warmed her all the way through. When he finally let her go, she wished he hadn't. "Over there." He pointed toward a cluster of boulders by the opposite shore, spilling out into the middle of the river so that they caught and held the calmer waters of a small pool.

She shook her head as he pulled her out of the current and into the relatively still water by the banking. The water was up to her waist, and she felt decidedly odd being towed through it by her determined lover with his sights set on something she couldn't see.

When they reached the rocks, though, he stepped up on a boulder that had to be entirely under the water and held out his free hand for hers. She took it and let him pull her up beside him. Hands in hers, he tilted his head to the side, indicating the large, flat rock beside them that rose only inches above the surface of the water. "It's the best spot on the river," he told her, stepping backwards up onto it.

"It's warm!" she exclaimed, pleasantly surprised as she followed him.

"It's good for sunbathing," he said with a smile, turning to look downstream. "And the view."

She followed his gaze and her eyes widened. The water dropped off on the other side of the rocks, naturally, but the riverbed seemed to as well. Water pouring between the rocks and rushing around the side splashed down in miniature waterfalls to rejoin the river's surface. The falling water threw just enough mist into the already humidity-laden air that it cast rainbows anywhere the sun touched it. "That's beautiful," she breathed, staring in wonder.

"Back in awe?" he suggested quietly.

She couldn't help giggling. "Definitely."

Distracted by the cascade of water, she was unprepared when his arms slid around her from behind. She caught her breath as he kissed her neck, and she tilted her head to one side instinctively. He took it as the invitation it was, and his mouth roamed gently across her skin, the gossamer touch of his long hair on her shoulders making her shiver.

When she tried to turn around, though, he put his hands on her arms and held her in place. She stilled, feeling his fingers on her hair a moment later as he started to comb out the rest of her braid. It didn't take her long to realize he was less than focused on the task, for his hands kept straying to stroke her shoulders, or her arms, or to trace some gentle pattern on her back. And for every other strand he unwound, it seemed, he had to kiss her again--not enough to satisfy, only enough to make her skin tingle and her blood warm a little bit more.

It was as exciting as it was maddening to force herself to stand still and let him do it, to feel his hands on her and not be able to touch him in return. With every bit he loosened from her braid, too, his hands were closer to her scalp, and it grew easier and easier to feel the movement of his fingers in her hair. She bit her lip, trying not to giggle at the thought that his hair fetish might be contagious.

Finally her hair was free, and she shook her head automatically, feeling her hair brush against his hands as he traced the line of her back down to her waist. She turned then, before he could stop her, and she laid her hands on his chest. She could see in his eyes what he expected her to do--he was waiting for her to run her fingers across his skin the way he had her, waiting to see if he could last longer under such a distraction than she had.

It was only fair, then, that she lean forward and kiss him instead. Her hands stayed still on his chest to keep the two of them apart, and she just brushed her lips against his. He didn't move, though his wide-eyed surprise was enough to make her smile. When she placed another whisper-soft kiss on his mouth she felt him lean into it, just a little, trying to follow her as she pulled away.

She kissed him again and he took a step forward, pressing against her hands and almost succeeding in stealing the kiss back a hundredfold. She knew she wouldn't be able to do it to him another time without handing the game over to him again, so she only smiled up at him. "That's why, you know," she said quietly.

He hesitated, making a visible effort to focus on her words. "Why what?" he murmured at last, clearly confused.

"Why the girl always gets the comfortable position," she told him, her heart pounding as her rational mind made a last attempt to keep her from saying what she had bitten back earlier. She was asking for it with this one, and she knew exactly how good he was. He could make her pay.

"Oh?" he asked, gazing back at her. His expression was already more clear, and she could tell he was listening to her words now, not just her voice.

Leaning close enough to whisper the way he had done earlier, she breathed in his ear, "Because guys want it more." She had a brief moment in which he was too startled to move, where she could lift both hands to his face and run her fingers through his hair unrepentantly.

Then his hands clamped down on her wrists and he warned, "Take that back."

She shook her head, making a token effort to free her hands. She failed, as she had known she would, and she grinned as his eyes glittered dangerously at her. "Make me," she challenged.

"Oh, I will," he agreed, a slow smile spreading across his face.

She was completely unprepared for him to swing her into his arms as though she weighed next to nothing and step off the edge of the rock. She shrieked, fully expecting to be immersed in water, but he only walked out onto the submerged boulder he had used as a step earlier. Just as she was coming to terms with the fact that they weren't actually in the river, they were, as he stepped off of *that* rock and the water splashed and swirled eagerly around her body.

"You--" Her exclamation was cut off as he let go of her legs and she struggled to find footing on the uneven riverbed. She felt his hands slide across her back as she fought to stand on her own, but somehow she didn't realize what he was doing until the water touched her uncovered breasts. It was a feeling like cool silk on her skin, and she inhaled sharply as his hands followed the water's path across her body.

She closed her eyes, catching his shoulders to steady herself. Then he was kissing her, the heat of his mouth a delicious counterpoint to the coolness of the water as his hands found the waistband of her shorts. She heard herself moan, felt him resist when she tried to pull him closer, his tongue tracing a line of fire across her breasts.

Almost as maddening was the feel of his hair as it fell across her skin, teasing her with every kiss until finally she buried her fingers in it to hold it back. When her hands didn't slide smoothly through his hair, though, she realized it was still dry beneath her damp fingers, and she cupped her hand in the water and let it trickle over him. The droplets beaded and spilled, fleeing through his hair as she chased them with her fingers.

He was closer than he had been before, though she wasn't sure he realized it. His hands were restless on her skin, leaving her shorts and roving across her stomach. His kiss had taken on an edge, the teasing feel slipping away as she brushed a little more water through his hair, watching distractedly as the darker streaks lost their auburn shine. She bent down to kiss them, her lips just brushing his hair.

He jerked back, startling her. "Stop it," he growled, his breathing ragged as he glared at her. His arm went around her shoulders and she felt his fingers clench in her hair, pulling her closer as he pressed his mouth to hers. There was nothing light or teasing about this kiss; it was hungry and desperate and she welcomed it.

His warmth, finally close against her skin, did nothing to soothe the fire his hands had ignited in her body. She ran her fingers across his back, leaving damp, watery trails of invisible finger-painting as their kiss deepened. She felt him shudder as a tentative breeze drifted past, turning their wet skin and hair abruptly cooler.

She laid one hand against the back of his head, smoothing his hair as she leaned into him, and his fingers tightened on her arms. "Stop it," he whispered hoarsely, kissing her without regard for his words. "I'm trying--"

Despite his protest, their mouths melded together again, and she forgot he had spoken until he managed to mumble, "Trying to prove something."

She combed her fingers through his hair, curling it around her hand as she watched his face for a reaction. "Give up," she whispered, and he stared back at her for one interminable moment.

She let her face tilt toward him until her lips only just touched his. "Give up," she murmured again, feeling his mouth under hers with each word and struggling not to act on it. But when he didn't, she couldn't keep herself from claiming his mouth with her own, forcing her tongue past his and hearing him moan at the sudden intrusion.

She thought he was unbuttoning her shorts, but she couldn't concentrate. All she could focus on was the way his lips yielded beneath hers, passively encouraging her exploration. Her shorts were sliding down her legs but she barely noticed, stepping out of them impatiently and kissing him harder.

At least, she barely noticed until his hands were everywhere her clothes had just been, and she gasped as he reminded her that the rest of her body was just as eager as her mouth. Her gasp turned into a moan as he took full advantage of her distraction, kissing her roughly as his fingers continued to stoke the fire inside of her.

She felt herself push against him, and to her surprise he slid his hands under her arms and lifted her off the ground. It was a completely unexpected reaction, but instinct made her wrap her legs around him and press her body close. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as she draped her arms over his shoulders, and she leaned forward to kiss him again.

She felt him move, stumbling toward the shore, and she was unbelievably tempted to whisper, "I win," in his ear. But if he didn't get his shorts off *soon* she was going to burn up, water or no, and he was just spiteful enough to make her wait if she teased him. He might even have that kind of control, for this was a game neither of them could truly "win".

Instead, she managed to draw just enough breath to murmur, "I love you."

Though not entirely unpleasant, she thought the sensation of water dripping off of them was one of the strangest she had ever felt--until he knelt, laying her in the sand at the edge of the river, and the shallow water washed against her bare feet and legs again. He gazed down at her, smiling slightly as he brushed a strand of damp hair away from her face. "I love you more," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.

"Do n--" His mouth covered hers, and her back arched as his hands caressed her stomach, wandering carelessly across her skin. "Saryn," she gasped, as soon as his kiss released her.

"Mmm?" His hands slid down over her hips before moving back up, never quite reaching their destination. She closed her eyes as he bent down to kiss her again, his lips following his hands in an infuriatingly slow and unsatisfying pattern.

She arched again as his tongue caught a tiny rivulet of water on her skin, and her answer came out as a moan. "Take off your shorts." He kissed another droplet of water, tongue flicking across it, continuing his torture with a kind of lazy deliberateness. She wondered feverishly how he was so controlled all of a sudden.

He straightened slowly, disturbing the water around them. Waves lapped against her with his every movement, and she bit her lip, knowing it was no coincidence that they were where they were--half in, half out of the water. He shifted, and she suppressed another moan as the little waves flirted with her skin.

Only then did she realize he was watching her, an amused glitter in his hungry gaze. "I need you," she whispered, reaching for him even as he braced himself with one elbow and stretched out next to her.

"I win," he said simply, his fingers tickling her hand and arm. "Take it back."

She could see him tremble, and she knew it wasn't as easy as he was making it look. She was willing to bet he wouldn't be so calm if he lost the upper hand.

She felt like she was about to burst, but the promise of revenge overcame the urge to beg. Rolling onto her side, she ambushed his mouth with hers and slid her hand down his chest. She felt him stiffen in surprise, and she pushed him onto his back as she scrambled to sit up. Swinging one leg over him, she put her hands on his chest and smirked at his wild-eyed expression. "Draw," she informed him.

He nodded wordlessly, his eyes fixed on hers as she lowered herself onto him. She heard him gasp, felt heat sweep through her, and she rocked forward on her knees even as his hands found her hips and urged her back. The feeling was sweet torment, promising everything yet delivering nothing, feeding their rhythm instead of slaking it.

She could feel him writhe beneath her, his fingers clenching painfully on her skin, but the tension inside of her was the one sensation that overwhelmed everything else. It climbed with every movement, building on itself, like a wave growing higher as it rolled toward the shore until finally it crashed over her, the pressure exploding outward in every direction.

Warmth flooded into her, and as tingling pleasure coursed throughout her body she was vaguely aware of him relaxing beneath her. Sliding her hands forward, she laid her head against his chest, listening to his heart pound as his labored breathing echoed hers. The roaring in her ears faded gradually, until she could make out the rush of the river behind them again.

His chest rose and fell in a heavy sigh, and she felt his hand stroke her hair gently. "You know you're good," he whispered.

She was too warm to blush, but she couldn't suppress a contented smile. He had said that last time, too, and she found it a charming habit. "So are you," she murmured.

She moved a little, and he forced his eyes open as she sat up. He watched drowsily as she flowed to her feet, tilting her head back and stretching her arms up to the sky. Sand clung to her skin and lightened her dark hair just a little, and he thought he had never seen her look more beautiful.

*But then, I always think that,* he thought fondly, pushing himself up on his elbows. She was wading out into the pool, splashing water on her legs and arms to wash the sand off. He saw her lean forward, letting her hair swing over her shoulder so she could study it.

She made a face, and he sighed silently as she leaned back and let the water float her hair in all directions. She scrubbed her hands through it and then lifted her head, smoothing the water out of her hair before leaning back to rinse it again. He couldn't help running a hand through his own hair, reflecting ruefully that the sand hadn't bothered him until now.

On the other hand, he wasn't exactly averse to the idea of joining her, so he got to his feet and waded out into the river without another thought. She grinned when she saw him coming, and as soon as he got close enough she asked, "Are you coming to find my shorts?"

He gave her his most innocent look. "They're not *my* shorts!"

"You took them off," she retorted. "It's only fair!"

He felt his lips twitch, and her indignant act was spoiled by her answering smile. "You have sand in your hair."

"I'm aware of that," he agreed wryly. "Thank you."

She shrugged, but her smile persisted. "Just trying to be helpful." She glanced over her shoulder, changing topics abruptly. "You're sure Rangers are the only people who come here?"

He followed her gaze idly, unconcerned. "Yes. It is hardly convenient to the settlement; there are places much nearer that are just as attractive. The Rangers like this one for its remoteness."

"Do the others come here often?" she asked, a little apprehensively.

He chuckled. "I think they wish they could come more often, but you have no reason to worry. Raine and Azmuth are working, Kyril is away, and Mirine had other plans. We are alone here today."

She regarded him for a moment. "You know exactly where everyone is?"

He gave her a sheepish look, knowing his answer had been too quick. "I checked on their plans yesterday. I wanted to be sure we'd have time to ourselves."

She smiled slowly, not taking her eyes off of him. "That was sweet of you."

He cocked his head, pretending to consider. "Yeah, that does sound better than 'selfish'. You're welcome," he added flippantly.

She giggled, slapping the water with her palm to splash him. "Go find my shorts!"

He splashed her right back. "I wasn't the one who lost them!"

"Yes you were!" She struck the water at an angle, dragging her hand through it and sending an arching spray in his direction.

He flinched instinctively, but she ducked under the water before he could retaliate. He twisted quickly around, for Kris used to pull this trick all the time. He wasn't disappointed--she popped up in front of him, and he caught her hands before she could carry out her "surprise" attack. "And when do I get my swimming lessons?" he demanded, enjoying the startled look on her face.

She freed her hands with a quick jerk and dove into the water again, coming up just out of arms' reach. With a smirk, she told him, "After you find my shorts!"

The little flame flickered, leaping and settling back down again, giving up its challenge to the oncoming darkness. Instead it burned steadily, content in its own light. *A fire with nothing to prove,* she thought, amused by the idea.

"Here," Saryn said quietly, offering her a mug.

"Don't turn the stove off," she said, looking up at him.

He cocked his head at her. "No?"

She took her mug, turning her eyes back to the tiny fire. "No... leave it for just a minute?"

"As you wish," he said mildly, settling down beside her with his own mug.

She thought maybe the flame deserved some sort of tribute for its fight. Or maybe it was a tribute itself, to the fight that had finally brought them together. She supposed she owed the villains of the universe. All of them, from Dark Spectre on down, for the war they had started.

For the war, even with all its devastation, had united people and planets across the universe. Even with the horrible casualties, there had been a counterforce of joy whose effects were with them still. Andros and Ashley, Carlos and Aura. Finally, she and Saryn. They were all wonderful results of something terrible, good from evil even where evil had once come from good.

"Where are you?" Saryn murmured.

She felt his arm slide around her shoulders, and she tore her gaze away from the flame to give him a distracted smile. "What do you mean?"

"You're far away," he said softly. "I can see it in your eyes. What are you thinking about?"

She sighed, snuggling against his shoulder. "Just getting philosophical, I guess. I was thinking about the war, and all the good that came from it while we were distracted by how bad things were."

"That's always the way," he agreed, surprising her. "There's no pure evil, anymore than there's a pure goodness somewhere in the universe."

"Except for you," she murmured.

He chuckled. "I'm afraid the longer you know me, the less true that will seem. But I appreciate the thought."

She smiled at the tiny fire. "But all the things about you that aren't pure good make you better. So how does that work?"

He didn't answer right away. When he did, though, his tone was light. "Maybe some of us are perfect after all."

She giggled. "Oh, that's what it is."

"You asked," he answered, a smile in his voice.

They were quiet for a few moments, and her thoughts drifted away until she didn't bother following them. With a contented sigh, she leaned forward and blew the stove's flame out. Moving back, she nestled against Saryn's side again and waited idly for the faint purple imprint of the flame on her eyes to fade.

"Look," he whispered at last, and she lifted her head to follow where he was pointing.

She shouldn't have worried about extinguishing the flame. Sparkles glowed in the tree canopy overhead, flickering in and out as they rose and fell through the leaves. Like high-altitude fireflies, they wove a pattern of fairy light through the air.

As she stared upward she felt Saryn shift a little, turning to speak directly into her ear. "The fire never goes out," he breathed. "Remember that, Cassie."

She sighed, lowering her eyes to smile back at him. "I know."

He blinked, staring up at the domed ceiling of their tent. Sunlight streamed through the colored panels, making patterns of dappled shade on the tent's surface. Beside him, Cassie's quiet warmth was still and, to all appearances, soundly asleep. What could have woken him?

The roar of jetcycles registered a second later, and his heart sank. They had come after him. He should have told them about Cassie, but all they knew was that he had been out of touch for more than a day and that he wasn't answering his communicator. Cassie wasn't going to be happy to find out he had hidden her from them, but now there was nothing to do but hope she forgave his selfishness.

His teammates probably weren't going to be too pleased with him either, he thought, putting his hands behind his head and glancing over at her again. The whine of the engines outside fell off as the jetcycles pulled up by the riverbank, and he waited. He honestly had no idea what their reaction would be, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he found out.

He wasn't disappointed. Mere moments later he heard Mirine's voice yell, "Rise and shine, Saryn!" The tent flap was flung open, and bright blue eyes peered in at him from beneath sun-blonde hair.

He frowned at her, but her gaze had already slid across to Cassie's sleeping form. Her eyes widened, flicking back to him in sheer disbelief. He saw her lips form the word what?! with as much emphasis as she could put into the silence.

He motioned for her to leave, though he knew it was a futile request. Go away, he mouthed back.

She gave him a "yeah, right" look. She tilted her head to one side impatiently, gesturing for him to come outside.

He sighed quietly, indicating that she should give him a minute. Mirine rolled her eyes and let the tent flap fall back into place, and a moment later he heard the soft murmur of conversation pick up outside. He could make out Azmuth's distinctive tone, and then Raine's, but no male voices. If Kyril was there, he wasn't speaking.

He sat up reluctantly, reaching for his clothes. As he pulled his shorts on, though, he felt Cassie stir. He hesitated, brushing her hair gently out of her face, and her sleepy smile prompted a return smile from him. Before she could say anything, though, he murmured, "We have company."

She frowned a little, clearly trying to puzzle that out. He saw her suppress a yawn, and her voice was muffled with sleep when she asked, "What company?"

He sighed again, shooting a look at the tent flap. "My team has come to find me."

She pushed herself up on her elbows, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. "Why? Is something wrong?"

He smiled ruefully. "Only in that I left my communicator back at the compound. They have had no way to contact me since we left."

"But you told them where you were going, right?" She sat up the rest of the way, smoothing out her "pillow" and pulling her clothes out from under it. "Would they have come after you if everything was fine?"

He didn't answer, and finally she looked up. "Saryn?"

He pulled his t-shirt on over his head, avoiding her gaze. "I didn't actually tell them anything."

"Oh, that was good," she said, her tone amused as she struggled into her clothes. "So you just vanished into the wilderness with an alien girl. No wonder they were worried."

"No," he muttered. "I didn't tell them *anything*."

There was a pause. "What do you mean?" she asked uncertainly.

"I didn't tell them about you," he confessed, wanting to get it over with. "They don't know where I've been going when I leave for Earth, and they didn't know I was bringing anyone back with me. I'm sorry."

"Do they even know I exist?" she asked softly.

He looked up, catching her eye. The hurt on her face did terrible things to his heart. "Mirine does," he said. "She... she saw me watching you on IN one night."

"Everyone watches IN." Her voice was toneless, but her eyes pleaded with him for reassurance.

He swallowed. "Not everyone cries whenever the Pink Astro Ranger looks at the camera."

Her expression softened. "Oh, Saryn..."

He sighed at the sympathy on her face. "You see, then, why I couldn't tell them? If I couldn't even look at your image over the computer link, how could I ever talk about you?"

She leaned forward, laying her fingers against his cheek. "I taped every broadcast you were on," she whispered. "I--I cried, too."

He gazed back at her, the sincerity in her dark eyes healing something in his soul. "Thank you," he whispered, not knowing how else to say it.

She breathed out in amusement, smiling a little. "Thank *you*," she murmured. "For everything."

He wanted to kiss her, wanted to feel her in his arms, but he knew the others must know they were both awake by now. Mirine would have no reservations about disturbing them again if they didn't move fast enough for her. "We should go," he said, reaching up to clasp the hand that still rested against his face.

"Wait." She squeezed his fingers, sounding more curious than anything else. "Why didn't you say anything when we started seeing each other?"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Because I wanted you all to myself?"

She shot a wry look at him, and his grin widened. "You don't believe me, but it's the truth. I didn't want to share you with anyone else."

She laughed. "Well, even if it isn't true, it's too sweet to argue with."

He shook his head. "It's true," he muttered, pushing the tent flap back.

As he climbed outside, he heard her whisper, "Is not!"

He held out his hand to her with a grin, ignoring the array of Rangers waiting outside. "Is," he murmured as she stood up.

"Is not," she hissed, but her eyes slid past him to regard his teammates.

Mirine stared back at her, unashamedly curious. Azmuth's gaze was more mild, as she leaned back against her jetcycle and waited. Raine was lounging in the grass at her girlfriend's feet, while nearby Kyril seemed the most unconcerned of any of them. He fussed with the gears of his jetcycle, not even looking up until Saryn cleared his throat.

"Cassie," he said, squeezing her fingers. "I'd like you to meet the other Elisian Rangers. My sister Mirine, Azmuth, Raine, and Kyril."

"Nice to meet you," Raine murmured, and Kyril nodded to her.

"This is Cassie Chan," he added, pulling her a little closer to him. "She's from Earth, in the Sol system. I..." He glanced at her, saw her smile up at him, and he finished, "I've loved her for a very long time."