"I'm fine. You can go."

"But, I--"

"Andros! I'm okay!" Karone turned quickly from the doorway of her room on the Megaship, wishing the door was one she could actually slam. She sighed and turned back to her older brother. "Andros, really... don't worry about me. I'll be okay." She smiled at him and he gave her a half-smile in return. She pushed him down the hallway, "Go see that girlfriend of yours. She's been waiting for you, you know."

Burning up the phone until there's nothing left to say
So I lay here and just listen to you breathe
Girl you know it's only been a week since our first date
Back when you were just a stranger to me
I've never let another in so soon
I've never been caught talking to the man in the moon

Andros left Karone and walked off down the hall. He was worried about her, of course. The war had just ended. It was her first night back on the MegaShip, back with her family, back on the side of good. He didn't want her to have to spend it alone.

After takeoff from KO-35, TJ and Carlos had proposed a celebratory dinner, with actual cooking and not food from the Synthetron. Carlos had assured them he would take care of all the details, and he had. They had had a huge meal, full of laughter and fun. Then everyone had gone their separate ways, off into different parts of the ship.

Andros had followed Karone. He was concerned for her and didn't want to neglect her if she wanted company. So he had walked her to her room, although he wished Ashley had been there too. But Karone didn't seem to want him around. And he knew that she was right. As much as he wanted to be with Ashley, it probably looked like he was avoiding her. He didn't want to avoid her. It was just that he had no idea how to say what he needed to say to her.

It seemed like he had known Ashley for so long, but only recently had either of them gotten up the nerve to make the first move. Their first date to see Haley's Comet had not been that long ago, but so much had happened since then. So many battles, too little time, no time at all for him to realize what was happening to him, to them.

And yet this is further than I've ever fell
You know me much too well
Funny it don't feel like we just met
It didn't take much time
Forever's more than crossed my mind
And we haven't even said "I love you" yet

He knew he didn't want to, heck, he couldn't live without Ashley. But the whole idea of forever was so new to him. He had been alone for so long, fighting and searching. He had never allowed himself to get close to anyone. He had been hurt too badly at too young an age. Karone's kidnapping and his parents' deaths taught him to keep his distance. Better never to get close to anyone and risk the hurt of loss again.

He had felt that familiar loss earlier that day, as he had watched the MegaShip's doors close with him on the outside. That's when he knew he had made the wrong choice. KO-35 wasn't his home. It hadn't been 'home' for years. It wasn't home for Karone or Zhane either. As the MegaShip's doors closed, he had looked in their direction and they had nodded their approval. They were willing to follow him in search of a new life. The three of them did not belong on KO-35 anymore. The planet they remembered from childhood was gone and there was nothing that could be done to bring it back.

His home was with Ashley, he had realized, with his new team. She had supported him through so much, and now she would need his support. The entire planet Earth knew the secret identities of the Rangers. Life would not be easy from here on out. He continued walking, searching her out, and knowing very well where he would find her: in the observatory, one of the few, non-functional, almost decorative rooms on the MegaShip. The long room had a high ceiling and one wall that was all window. There was a couch positioned accordingly, so viewers could enjoy the vast wonders of space.

Where did I surrender, can you tell me how and when
I'm the one who's always in control
Leading with my heart like there is nothing to defend
As I lay it all out on the line body and soul
I've never let another in so soon
I've never been caught talking to the man in the moon

She was sitting there, looking at the stars. He tried to approach silently so as not to disturb her, but she turned as he neared. She smiled warmly and patted the seat beside her on the couch, inviting him to join her. He sat down hesitantly, but she scooted over and snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He let his arm fall around her and pulled her closer. He smiled down at her and saw that she was looking at him as well.

He wondered, when had everything changed? When had he gone from being an independent, self-reliant warrior to being the leader of a team? How had he let his walls down so far that Ashley had been able to get this close this quickly? And why was it that he didn't mind? For the first time in years he wasn't lonely. He was dependent on someone, and he didn't mind. He depended on Ashley more than just as a team member, a fellow Ranger. He needed her as a friend, someone who wouldn't leave or desert him as so many others had in his life.

And yet this is further than I've ever fell
You know me much too well
Funny it don't feel like we just met
It didn't take much time
Forever's more than crossed my mind
And we haven't even said "I love you" yet

And yet he still had not told her how he felt. Neither of them had expressed their feelings, said those three words. He started to build his courage, but something in her face made him pause. He looked into her eyes, saw the questions there, and waited for her to ask them.

"Andros," she started, "are you okay, I mean with everything that happened..., how things ended today..., are you okay with it?"

Andros didn't know quite how to answer. He had been trying not to think about how things had unfolded, how the war had ended. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his sister's body falling slowly to the floor after he had dealt the killing blow. He saw Zordon's tube explode as the noble being passed on and his positive energy cleansed the universe. He didn't want to think about it, but he knew he would never forget. Even though Karone was alive and well now, he knew that without Zordon's sacrifice, he would have been responsible for her death as well as Zordon's. That would have been something he couldn't have dealt with, killing the person he had devoted his life to finding and saving. But then Ashley would have been there, just like she was now, looking at him with concerned eyes and waiting for his answer.

"I'm okay," was all he managed to say.

She continued to look into his eyes, disbelieving, "You can't hide things from me."

Her words made him smile. "I know." He looked down at her again and wondered why he had waited so long to tell her how he felt. "But you're here. That's all I need to be okay." That brought a smile to her face too, and she again rested her head on his shoulder, turning back to the darkness of space.

Yet this is further than I've ever fell
You know me much too well
Funny it don't feel like we just met
It didn't take much time
Forever's more than crossed my mind
And we haven't even said "I love you" yet

He knew that right there, by her side, was where he wanted to stay forever. He only had to tell her so. "Ashley," he began, "I want to tell you something."

No we haven't even said "I love you" yet

The End