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eirenicalFuck. My. Life.
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nightsea -- I know I promised you a rant, but after today, I'm just too damned exhausted. Suffice it to say, my Worker's Comp trial was today and, boy oh boy, did that experience suck. And it's not even done! It's been continued to May 12. Bleh. Tired now, enough talking.
Fandom: Power Rangers
Pairing: Andros x Zhane, TJ x Ashley... and beyond that, I'm not telling. ^_~
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: Total -- 56,556; shortest part is 3866 words, longest is 6831, most fall somewhere in between. I tried to keep them uniform... it just didn't quite break down that way. :-P
Warnings: Slash. Not mine. Don't sue.
Summary: Andros and Zhane have fought many battles together, both with and against each other. And no one can cause you pain like the one you love, a lesson they have to learn the hard way. Add in three other Ranger teams and a long-lost sister and even that lesson won't be easy. Sequel to Taking Root and Forget Me Not.
April 14, 2010: I enjoy this chapter, mainly because we get to see Zhane from the point of few of a few "outsiders." ^_^ However... it's a short chapter, so I may post a second one later. :-P We'll see.
A Rose By Any Other Name
by Renée-chan
Zhane opened his eyes and slowly stretched. He couldn't even claim the small comfort that fuzzy memory would have given him. The partially sundered bond he shared with Andros, once a source of warmth and strength, had collapsed into a black hole. If it weren't for the knowledge that Andros was not dead, was not even remotely close to it, Zhane might have been tempted to let it suck him in. Finally he understood a little of why Andros had buried the memory of his existence when he'd thought the Silver Ranger had perished. How else would he have survived under a burden such as this?
He still had no idea what had gone wrong. He hadn't been trying to do anything permanent. He had just wanted Andros to see what he'd been doing. Zhane raised his hands and pressed his palms against his eyes. He would not start crying again. No matter how much it hurt... he wouldn't. For now he had more important worries -- for example, where the hell was he?
The Silver Ranger sat up to take in his surroundings. He was on a couch and someone had thoughtfully draped a blanket over him. The curtains had been drawn, leaving the room in near darkness, but he could just make out vague shapes that were most likely furniture -- armchairs, tables, a loveseat, a fireplace -- someone's living room... perhaps one of the two young men who had found him earlier. Well, he'd taken advantage of their hospitality long enough, whoever they were.
Zhane pulled the blanket off and swung his feet to the floor. The world tilted crazily for a moment, testimony to how very little rest and food he'd had the past few days. He froze, waiting for the room to stop moving. Gods... what a mess I am... It hadn't escaped him what a horrid time this was for a Ranger to be out of action, either. He once again cursed himself for being ten kinds of a fool. By the time he was finished mentally berating himself the world felt like it had stopped spinning, so he took a deep breath and stood up.
All right, genius. Now what? He didn't want to go traipsing around someone's home as if he owned it, but neither did he wish to leave without at least thanking his host. After a moment's deliberation he decided that not showing gratitude would be the worse transgression. Using the furniture as a guide in the dark, he slowly made his way towards the wall. He doubted that a person caring enough to shelter a stranger would leave said stranger completely alone. Even though this was Earth, not KO-35, he still felt that a fair assumption. So, it stood to reason that there would be at least one person in the house with him. He just had to figure out where.
Feeling along the wall led him to an exit. Now that his vision was adjusting to the dark, he could make out a table, chairs... ah. The dining room, and the room beyond -- if Earthlings were anything at all like his people -- would be the kitchen. He backed out of that doorway with a sigh. However hungry he might be, he wouldn't go plundering through his host's kitchen without permission. That just wasn't right, especially with all that this unknown person had done for him already.
He felt a little further along the wall until he found another exit, a hallway this time. He began walking down the hall looking for some sign of life. A soft glow off to his right drew him into another room. There was no one in here either, just more furniture, some bookshelves, one of those Earth vidscreens -- What had Cassie called them? Ah... TVs -- and there were pictures. A lot of them. All over the walls. Zhane couldn't restrain his curiosity any longer and began walking around the room examining each photograph. The majority of them seemed to be of a young woman, a young man, and someone that Zhane assumed to be their child -- one of the two who had found him in the park. He had suspected as much, but he hadn't suspected the other truth revealed in these pictures: the young man's mother was the very same woman that he'd found practicing martial arts that morning. Now there was an unlikely coincidence for you...
As Zhane's eye followed the photographs, he noticed that they were arranged in a progression of time, the young man getting older and older in each one until the very last one in which he matched almost exactly with Zhane's mental image of him from earlier that day. Zhane looked closer at that picture. The boy was outside in some sort of wooded area, his arm around the shoulders of the sandy-haired youth that had also been with him today. On the other side of the blond stood the young woman. All three were smiling. Zhane nearly found himself smiling in response. There was such warm, open affection between the three that it easily reached out of the paper to snare the unwary observer. It made Zhane want to know these people, to become friends with these people. He chuckled ruefully. It made him want to find these people. But first, the rest of the photographs.
He followed the progression of pictures back to the earliest one -- when the dark-haired boy was only a baby -- and as he did, he became aware of something out of place. While it could clearly be seen in the procession of photos that both men had aged, the woman looked the same in the first picture as she had this morning. Not a single wrinkle marred her smooth skin, though her husband's was beginning to show the track marks of the emotions he felt most frequently. Not a single strand of gray graced her mane of ebony hair, though it liberally spiced her husband's. Most humans showed at least some sign of advancing age over the course of 20 years, both here and everywhere else in the Universe. Naturally -- or unnaturally, as the case may be -- there were a hundred ways to explain the lack of them. Maybe she had really good skin. Perhaps she dyed her hair. But there was something else out of place, as well. Something other than the age discrepancy that was screaming that it was unusual. Something in that first photograph... His eyes widened in shock when he finally figured out what it was. It was her necklace. He had seen it somewhere before -- or one so like it that it could be its twin. The pendant was a stylized version of the seals of Triforia and Altiyar... and Prince Trey had one just like it. Perhaps he hadn't imagined it when he saw one of the Gold Ranger's spin kicks in the woman's kata this morning... But how was that possible? None of this made any sense...
And he had the oddest feeling that he had seen that necklace somewhere else... a very long time ago. It wasn't like him to be unable to put a finger on a memory. He lifted his hand, tracing the outline of the necklace, eyes gone unfocused in thought.
"Hey, he is awake! How're you feelin', man?"
So intent upon his failing memory had Zhane been that he'd failed to hear the footsteps approaching from further up the hall. He jumped, ashamed to have been caught poking around someone else's home by the someone else, and locked eyes with the young man from the photographs. Next to him were three others: the sandy-haired young man, a long-haired man that he didn't recognize, though he was the one who had spoken, and the woman he'd met this morning. Her eyes locked onto the spot on the photograph where his hand had been while her own hand slowly rose to rub at her collarbone... where the necklace would rest if she were wearing it...
...And the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. He didn't know how he'd missed it earlier, but with all four of these people together, it was impossible to miss it now. His eyes widened as all the little details formed up into a whole picture... "You're all Rangers!"
Oh shit... did I say that out loud? Zhane clapped his hands over his mouth, face doing a slow burn. Wonderful, Zhane. Way to make a good first impression...
Fortunately for all concerned, the dark-haired woman stepped into the sudden silence with a smile, "Well, that saves me quite a few explanations, Zhane. Thank you." She placed her hand in the crook of his left elbow as he slowly lowered his arms, "If I may introduce everyone?" At his nod, she continued, "I'll start with myself, then. My name is Aerin, and as you may or may not have guessed, I am the Green Darkstar Ranger."
The explanations actually took less time than Aerin had suspected they would. Zhane had been well-briefed on the current Earth situation. Likely once she had resurfaced the Council on Eltar had set their best people on her tail to figure out what she was up to. They didn't like surprises, and Aerin was usually full of them.
She lifted a spoonful of the sauce she was preparing and lightly tasted it. Nearly ready. She just had to add the last of the spices... Zhane surprised her by speaking up, his voice full of merriment in spite of the hardships he had endured that day. He was so like Randi it made her heart ache.
"Now, where have I smelled that smell before...?"
She turned to catch his gaze and found his eyes sparkling with mischief. She shook her head and wagged her wooden spoon at him, "If you dare tell me that it doesn't measure up..."
Zhane eyed the wooden spoon with not-entirely-faked fear in his eyes. Aerin snickered -- the wooden spoon wasn't her first choice of weapon, and she might not be as fast with it as her mother was, but she was no slouch with it, either. Clearly Zhane had had some experience with her mother's wooden spoon. He held his hands up in surrender, "Lady Aerin, I would never dream of implying any such thing!"
Aerin stifled a laugh in her free hand as she turned to stir the sauce. She caught three highly confused stares out of the corner of her eye and amusedly began to explain, "Most of the dishes that I make are actually variations on my mother's recipes. She's quite the chef, and she's always been a creative cook. The magic she can work in the kitchen..." Her eyes closed for a moment in pure wistfulness before she continued, "...she makes me look like the amateur that I truly am."
Billy and Jason both raised voices in protest, but she waved them silent, "No, boys, I'm serious. I'm no cretin in the kitchen, but compared to my mother, I have no skill at all."
Zhane spoke up, quiet awe in his voice, "I have never sampled the Lady Aerin's cooking, but I can certainly vouch for Lady Nanya's. She hasn't become universally-renowned for nothing, you know." He leaned back in his chair and rested his feet on the one across the table, "People come from light-years around to study with her and most count themselves lucky if they learn even a fraction of what she knows." He shared a proud smile with Aerin.
Jason shook his head, "I find it hard to believe, that someone's cooking could be so much better than yours, mom..."
Aerin chuckled, "Remind me to take you to Altiyar some day, Jason. I'm sure that Mom would love to meet you -- and what's more, I'm sure she'd love to feed you. Then you can pass your own judgment." Her son laughed and gave her a thumbs-up. She saluted him with the spoon.
Turning her attention back to the simmering sauce, Aerin kept one ear on the conversation going on behind her. Tommy was busy drilling Zhane with questions about the current status of his team, the fight with Dark Spectre, the search for Zordon, anything and everything that he could think of to ask. In spite of the distress that she, and likely Jason as well, could feel seething at the back of the Silver Ranger's mind, he answered truthfully, completely and succinctly. Somewhere along the line, in spite of his clearly unorthodox attitude, a soldier's skills had managed to creep their way into Zhane's make up. Aerin couldn't help the sudden surge of pride that swept through her. By the gods, she wished Randi had lived to see his son grow into the fine young man sitting with her today... While I'm at it, I may as well wish for Roland and Decka to have survived also -- then we wouldn't have lost Karone to that monster or Andros to the streets of KO-35 and he might not have grown up so screwed up... and he might not have hurt Zhane so badly. But that was just her overprotectiveness talking. Zhane was a big boy... he could take care of himself. She hoped.
A few final touches and dinner was ready to be served. She pushed Jason, Billy and Tommy out into the dining room to set the table and started getting the food ready to put on the serving dishes. Now that the other three boys were in the dining room, Zhane had fallen silent, brooding. Well that would never do. She sat down caddy-corner to him and reached out a hand to rest on one of his, "Want to talk?"
Zhane started slightly, clearly not having expected to be disturbed. He offered her a sheepish look and a smile. And oh, but that smile was painful to see. It was so cracked around the edges that he might as well not have bothered. Randi used to do exactly the same thing -- pull on a joker's mask to hide the pain underneath it. She hadn't let his father get away with it and she'd be damned if she let him. She ran her other hand gently through Zhane's hair and down his cheek as she shook her head sadly, "Uh-uh, Zhane. I know that trick, and you should know better than to try it on me. I know you're hurting. It'll help if you can talk about it."
He didn't even look surprised at her revelation, but he kept the mask up despite it. There was a melancholy edge to his voice, but the smile stayed stable. "I know. Gods... how many times have I said exactly that to Andros? But... I can't let it go. Not now. If I do..."
Aerin leaned back, understanding breaking over her in a wave, "You're afraid you'll never get it back."
"Got it in one..." was the slightly bitter reply. He sighed melodramatically, then recollected himself, "I've tried self-pity. It doesn't do much for me... never has."
There wasn't much that she could say to that, since she held much the same outlook herself. She rose to finish putting dinner into the serving dishes, wondering what else she could say that hadn't already been said. She wasn't all that surprised when Zhane filled in the silence that she couldn't bring herself to break, "Lady Aerin... That really does smell wonderful."
It was an obvious ploy for a change of topic, but Aerin allowed it for now. But oh how she wished she could make him stop calling her "Lady Aerin". It sounded so ridiculous... She knew what she wanted to hear him call her, but she just couldn't make herself admit to this one secret just yet. And if she wasn't willing to bear the responsibility, she also couldn't claim the reward. She painted a stern expression onto her face and shook the wooden spoon at him, "I don't take that 'Lady' crap from Trey, and I sure as hell won't take it from you, Zhane. I'd rather you just call me Aerin."
Zhane laughed, "Like mother, like daughter, I see." At Aerin's quirked brow he explained, "Nanya doesn't put up with being called 'Lady' either, but she doesn't even let me get away with calling her by name. For as long as I've known her she's accepted nothing less than 'Grandma' from me. It always confused the hell out of Andros..." His voice trailed off, nearly choking on that last word.
Aerin let him have his silence. It wouldn't help him any to keep probing the wound until they could do something about it, but at the same time it still hurt her that there was nothing that she could say that would ease his suffering. But what he'd said... Was it possible that her mother knew...? She wouldn't put it past the older woman. Nanya's intelligence and insight were formidable, especially as regarded the rather large clan that was her family. She was as protective as a she-lion and just as easily provoked when one of her cubs was threatened. So maybe...
The sound of the front door opening cut short her train of thought. She smiled a small smile at the thought of her poor husband. Before leaving for Phaedos, Aerin had taken him aside and, as once promised, explained the truth behind her and their son's identities. He'd been shocked, but he'd taken it in stride. Of course, compared to the next piece of news -- that his wife and son would be absent from his life for a year, possibly more -- it had been nothing. He'd been less than happy about it, but had recognized that there was nothing he could do that would change the situation. He was good at that -- choosing his battles. Not for the first time, Aerin felt that she was underestimating the man. Then again, if he hadn't been remarkable, he never would have attracted her attention in the first place. With a final smile for Zhane she gathered up the serving dishes and headed out into the dining room.
Everett was at the front door taking off his coat and putting away his briefcase. At her appearance, he offered her a bright smile. He was always happy to see her, even after all these years of marriage. It was so charming. She set the plate down and meandered over to claim her kiss, "Welcome home, dear."
He smiled down at her, pulling her into the circle of his arms for a warmer welcome. Aerin allowed herself to melt into the kiss, taking the rare opportunity to rest on someone's strength aside from her own. The four boys politely occupied themselves with arranging the rest of the serving dishes and bringing out drinks. Aerin nearly laughed at the light blush on her husband's face when he noticed what a large audience that they had. She patted his arm and went to show Zhane where he should sit. Normally, Jason and Billy took the seats to her immediate right and left with Everett at the other head of the table. This time they had expanded the table to make room for the additional guests. She put Zhane in Billy's normal seat, leaving him free to sit next to Jason, and placed Tommy next to Zhane. Once everyone was settled and ladling out food, the room promptly fell silent.
Aerin nearly groaned out loud. This would never do... But once again, before she even had a chance to think of something to say, Zhane broke the silence for her. He turned on his full charm and smiled down the table at her husband, "I must say, Mr. Scott, you are a lucky man."
Everett's look was only mildly surprised, "I happen to agree on many counts. To what, in particular, were you referring?"
Zhane only smiled wider and indicated the spread on the table, "Most people count themselves lucky to get fed like this once a year... I can only imagine what it must be like to eat at Nanya's daughter's table every night!"
The Englishman quirked an eyebrow, "You know Aerin's mother?"
The Silver Ranger nodded, "She's been a friend of my family for many years. Whenever I go to visit she sends me home with plenty of leftovers." His face took on a mournful expression as he grumped good-naturedly, "But they never seem to last quite long enough..."
"Then am I to understand that you are also...?" Everett couldn't quite finish the sentence. As well as he had accepted his wife and son and their quirks, he sometimes still found it difficult to truly understand that they were Power Rangers and all that that entailed.
Aerin intercepted this particular question, "He is." At Everett's look of curiosity, Aerin explained, "He is a Lightstar Ranger from KO-35. That's in the same area of the galaxy that I'm from." Before he could ask any further questions, Aerin lifted up the bread basket and smiled sweetly, "Would you like some bread, dear?" Jason nearly choked at her conspicuous change of topic. Everett, recognizing the cue for what it was, took the bread and fell silent.
For the rest of the meal, Aerin entertained everyone with stories of her mother. It was a safe enough topic and didn't allow Everett to feel that he was being left out. After that initial burst of chatting, Zhane fell uncharacteristically silent and in spite of the earlier fuss he'd made about how much he was looking forward to the excellent meal she'd prepared... he hardly touched any of it. Not that Aerin could blame him. In his shoes, she wouldn't have much of an appetite either. So, though her maternal instincts were screaming in protest, Aerin didn't encourage him to eat.
Once they were all finished with their food, Everett excused himself and retreated to his study. Aerin understood. Her poor husband always did get a little flustered when dealing with a situation so clearly outside of his control. Billy and Jason claimed the task of clearing the table and Tommy started cleaning the dishes. Aerin watched them with a guilty look. She really ought to call Will Cranston and apologize for monopolizing his son... but that could wait. Right now she had more pressing concerns. She took Zhane's hand lightly into her own and gave him a gentle smile, "Zhane, you know that you are always welcome in my home, correct?" At Zhane's nod, she continued, "If you wish to stay the night, I'm sure that we can find room for you." Unspoken was the reason -- that if he didn't think he could face Andros they could protect him for now. Also unspoken was that they couldn't do it forever.
Zhane lowered his eyes to the tablecloth, "I appreciate the offer, Aerin, and I truly wish I could take you up on it. But I think I need to head back. The others are probably worried sick by now."
Aerin smiled, though the smile was a melancholy one, "I suspected that would be your answer." She stood and held her arms open. When the Silver Ranger hesitantly allowed himself to move into them, she held him lightly, comfortingly, "If you need anything... anything at all, Zhane, you call me. Is that clear?"
Zhane nodded against her shoulder and brought his arms up to wrap gently around the older Ranger, "Crystal, Aerin. Thank you." With those last words, he pulled himself from her embrace and surreptitiously wiped his eyes. He cleared his throat and pulled out one of his more subdued smiles, "You'll say goodbye to everyone for me?" When Aerin nodded, his smile widened, "I'll see you again, I think. This..." he waved towards the kitchen to include the other Rangers, "...it feels right. I think we'd all benefit from working together." With one last smile for the Green Ranger, Zhane lifted his Astromorpher and teleported home in a flash of silver light.
Upon reaching the Megaship, Zhane was immediately assaulted by four severely loud, and -- from their words -- severely worried teammates. Even Carlos seemed shaken. Zhane held up his hands for silence, his pained expression calming them faster than any amount of begging would have done. Once they were all quiet, he passed them a wide smile and said, "Here now... what's all the fuss about? I'm fine, I'm in one piece, everything's OK. See? Nothing to worry about."
Cassie gave him a look that clearly stated that she didn't buy his story for a second. She crossed her arms over her chest as she replied, "Yeah. Like we believe that. You were gone all day! And now you came back... without Andros. You can't blame us for being worried. So why don't we just cut the chase and tree the prey... what the hell is going on?"
Zhane frowned at the Pink Ranger, "You mean Andros hasn't come back yet?"
This time it was Ashley's worried voice that answered, "You're sidestepping the issue, but no, he hasn't. He left a few minutes after you did, and he hasn't reported in since. Didn't you see him?"
With the sudden catch in his breathing from the pain induced by that simple question, Zhane almost couldn't answer. He coughed lightly, trying to cover his discomfiture, but he could tell that he wasn't fooling anyone. When he saw that he wasn't going to get off the hook that easily, he choked out a quiet reply, "Yes, I saw him. No, I don't know where he is. We... we sort of agreed to take it easy for a while."
Following that last statement was an immediate dead silence. The four Rangers stared at him, not quite understanding what he had said. It was TJ who finally broke the deadlock, "You... Zhane, are you saying that you broke up?"
Zhane couldn't quite meet the Blue Ranger's eyes as he shook his head in denial, "No... we... no. We didn't..." He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "We just need to take a short breather from each other, that's all. It'll work out. You'll see."
After another dead silence, Carlos was the only one who could find something to say, and as usual, it made everyone stop to think, "Who are you trying to convince, Zhane? Us... or yourself?"
Zhane shook his head. When he spoke, it was in the barest of whispers, "I wish I knew, Carlos... I wish I knew."
A/N:
:-P No chibi-silliness today. I'm too drained damned drained. *sigh*
Master Post and Chapter List
Questions, comments, pomegranates?
Coming Soon: Andros and Kim discover that they have more in common than either could imagine, each finding a kindred soul in the other. Meanwhile, Astronema reminisces on her lost brother and begins plotting a bloody revenge in honor of the anniversary of his death.
OK,
nightsea -- I know I promised you a rant, but after today, I'm just too damned exhausted. Suffice it to say, my Worker's Comp trial was today and, boy oh boy, did that experience suck. And it's not even done! It's been continued to May 12. Bleh. Tired now, enough talking.Fandom: Power Rangers
Pairing: Andros x Zhane, TJ x Ashley... and beyond that, I'm not telling. ^_~
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: Total -- 56,556; shortest part is 3866 words, longest is 6831, most fall somewhere in between. I tried to keep them uniform... it just didn't quite break down that way. :-P
Warnings: Slash. Not mine. Don't sue.
Summary: Andros and Zhane have fought many battles together, both with and against each other. And no one can cause you pain like the one you love, a lesson they have to learn the hard way. Add in three other Ranger teams and a long-lost sister and even that lesson won't be easy. Sequel to Taking Root and Forget Me Not.
April 14, 2010: I enjoy this chapter, mainly because we get to see Zhane from the point of few of a few "outsiders." ^_^ However... it's a short chapter, so I may post a second one later. :-P We'll see.
by Renée-chan
Zhane opened his eyes and slowly stretched. He couldn't even claim the small comfort that fuzzy memory would have given him. The partially sundered bond he shared with Andros, once a source of warmth and strength, had collapsed into a black hole. If it weren't for the knowledge that Andros was not dead, was not even remotely close to it, Zhane might have been tempted to let it suck him in. Finally he understood a little of why Andros had buried the memory of his existence when he'd thought the Silver Ranger had perished. How else would he have survived under a burden such as this?
He still had no idea what had gone wrong. He hadn't been trying to do anything permanent. He had just wanted Andros to see what he'd been doing. Zhane raised his hands and pressed his palms against his eyes. He would not start crying again. No matter how much it hurt... he wouldn't. For now he had more important worries -- for example, where the hell was he?
The Silver Ranger sat up to take in his surroundings. He was on a couch and someone had thoughtfully draped a blanket over him. The curtains had been drawn, leaving the room in near darkness, but he could just make out vague shapes that were most likely furniture -- armchairs, tables, a loveseat, a fireplace -- someone's living room... perhaps one of the two young men who had found him earlier. Well, he'd taken advantage of their hospitality long enough, whoever they were.
Zhane pulled the blanket off and swung his feet to the floor. The world tilted crazily for a moment, testimony to how very little rest and food he'd had the past few days. He froze, waiting for the room to stop moving. Gods... what a mess I am... It hadn't escaped him what a horrid time this was for a Ranger to be out of action, either. He once again cursed himself for being ten kinds of a fool. By the time he was finished mentally berating himself the world felt like it had stopped spinning, so he took a deep breath and stood up.
All right, genius. Now what? He didn't want to go traipsing around someone's home as if he owned it, but neither did he wish to leave without at least thanking his host. After a moment's deliberation he decided that not showing gratitude would be the worse transgression. Using the furniture as a guide in the dark, he slowly made his way towards the wall. He doubted that a person caring enough to shelter a stranger would leave said stranger completely alone. Even though this was Earth, not KO-35, he still felt that a fair assumption. So, it stood to reason that there would be at least one person in the house with him. He just had to figure out where.
Feeling along the wall led him to an exit. Now that his vision was adjusting to the dark, he could make out a table, chairs... ah. The dining room, and the room beyond -- if Earthlings were anything at all like his people -- would be the kitchen. He backed out of that doorway with a sigh. However hungry he might be, he wouldn't go plundering through his host's kitchen without permission. That just wasn't right, especially with all that this unknown person had done for him already.
He felt a little further along the wall until he found another exit, a hallway this time. He began walking down the hall looking for some sign of life. A soft glow off to his right drew him into another room. There was no one in here either, just more furniture, some bookshelves, one of those Earth vidscreens -- What had Cassie called them? Ah... TVs -- and there were pictures. A lot of them. All over the walls. Zhane couldn't restrain his curiosity any longer and began walking around the room examining each photograph. The majority of them seemed to be of a young woman, a young man, and someone that Zhane assumed to be their child -- one of the two who had found him in the park. He had suspected as much, but he hadn't suspected the other truth revealed in these pictures: the young man's mother was the very same woman that he'd found practicing martial arts that morning. Now there was an unlikely coincidence for you...
As Zhane's eye followed the photographs, he noticed that they were arranged in a progression of time, the young man getting older and older in each one until the very last one in which he matched almost exactly with Zhane's mental image of him from earlier that day. Zhane looked closer at that picture. The boy was outside in some sort of wooded area, his arm around the shoulders of the sandy-haired youth that had also been with him today. On the other side of the blond stood the young woman. All three were smiling. Zhane nearly found himself smiling in response. There was such warm, open affection between the three that it easily reached out of the paper to snare the unwary observer. It made Zhane want to know these people, to become friends with these people. He chuckled ruefully. It made him want to find these people. But first, the rest of the photographs.
He followed the progression of pictures back to the earliest one -- when the dark-haired boy was only a baby -- and as he did, he became aware of something out of place. While it could clearly be seen in the procession of photos that both men had aged, the woman looked the same in the first picture as she had this morning. Not a single wrinkle marred her smooth skin, though her husband's was beginning to show the track marks of the emotions he felt most frequently. Not a single strand of gray graced her mane of ebony hair, though it liberally spiced her husband's. Most humans showed at least some sign of advancing age over the course of 20 years, both here and everywhere else in the Universe. Naturally -- or unnaturally, as the case may be -- there were a hundred ways to explain the lack of them. Maybe she had really good skin. Perhaps she dyed her hair. But there was something else out of place, as well. Something other than the age discrepancy that was screaming that it was unusual. Something in that first photograph... His eyes widened in shock when he finally figured out what it was. It was her necklace. He had seen it somewhere before -- or one so like it that it could be its twin. The pendant was a stylized version of the seals of Triforia and Altiyar... and Prince Trey had one just like it. Perhaps he hadn't imagined it when he saw one of the Gold Ranger's spin kicks in the woman's kata this morning... But how was that possible? None of this made any sense...
And he had the oddest feeling that he had seen that necklace somewhere else... a very long time ago. It wasn't like him to be unable to put a finger on a memory. He lifted his hand, tracing the outline of the necklace, eyes gone unfocused in thought.
"Hey, he is awake! How're you feelin', man?"
So intent upon his failing memory had Zhane been that he'd failed to hear the footsteps approaching from further up the hall. He jumped, ashamed to have been caught poking around someone else's home by the someone else, and locked eyes with the young man from the photographs. Next to him were three others: the sandy-haired young man, a long-haired man that he didn't recognize, though he was the one who had spoken, and the woman he'd met this morning. Her eyes locked onto the spot on the photograph where his hand had been while her own hand slowly rose to rub at her collarbone... where the necklace would rest if she were wearing it...
...And the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. He didn't know how he'd missed it earlier, but with all four of these people together, it was impossible to miss it now. His eyes widened as all the little details formed up into a whole picture... "You're all Rangers!"
Oh shit... did I say that out loud? Zhane clapped his hands over his mouth, face doing a slow burn. Wonderful, Zhane. Way to make a good first impression...
Fortunately for all concerned, the dark-haired woman stepped into the sudden silence with a smile, "Well, that saves me quite a few explanations, Zhane. Thank you." She placed her hand in the crook of his left elbow as he slowly lowered his arms, "If I may introduce everyone?" At his nod, she continued, "I'll start with myself, then. My name is Aerin, and as you may or may not have guessed, I am the Green Darkstar Ranger."
The explanations actually took less time than Aerin had suspected they would. Zhane had been well-briefed on the current Earth situation. Likely once she had resurfaced the Council on Eltar had set their best people on her tail to figure out what she was up to. They didn't like surprises, and Aerin was usually full of them.
She lifted a spoonful of the sauce she was preparing and lightly tasted it. Nearly ready. She just had to add the last of the spices... Zhane surprised her by speaking up, his voice full of merriment in spite of the hardships he had endured that day. He was so like Randi it made her heart ache.
"Now, where have I smelled that smell before...?"
She turned to catch his gaze and found his eyes sparkling with mischief. She shook her head and wagged her wooden spoon at him, "If you dare tell me that it doesn't measure up..."
Zhane eyed the wooden spoon with not-entirely-faked fear in his eyes. Aerin snickered -- the wooden spoon wasn't her first choice of weapon, and she might not be as fast with it as her mother was, but she was no slouch with it, either. Clearly Zhane had had some experience with her mother's wooden spoon. He held his hands up in surrender, "Lady Aerin, I would never dream of implying any such thing!"
Aerin stifled a laugh in her free hand as she turned to stir the sauce. She caught three highly confused stares out of the corner of her eye and amusedly began to explain, "Most of the dishes that I make are actually variations on my mother's recipes. She's quite the chef, and she's always been a creative cook. The magic she can work in the kitchen..." Her eyes closed for a moment in pure wistfulness before she continued, "...she makes me look like the amateur that I truly am."
Billy and Jason both raised voices in protest, but she waved them silent, "No, boys, I'm serious. I'm no cretin in the kitchen, but compared to my mother, I have no skill at all."
Zhane spoke up, quiet awe in his voice, "I have never sampled the Lady Aerin's cooking, but I can certainly vouch for Lady Nanya's. She hasn't become universally-renowned for nothing, you know." He leaned back in his chair and rested his feet on the one across the table, "People come from light-years around to study with her and most count themselves lucky if they learn even a fraction of what she knows." He shared a proud smile with Aerin.
Jason shook his head, "I find it hard to believe, that someone's cooking could be so much better than yours, mom..."
Aerin chuckled, "Remind me to take you to Altiyar some day, Jason. I'm sure that Mom would love to meet you -- and what's more, I'm sure she'd love to feed you. Then you can pass your own judgment." Her son laughed and gave her a thumbs-up. She saluted him with the spoon.
Turning her attention back to the simmering sauce, Aerin kept one ear on the conversation going on behind her. Tommy was busy drilling Zhane with questions about the current status of his team, the fight with Dark Spectre, the search for Zordon, anything and everything that he could think of to ask. In spite of the distress that she, and likely Jason as well, could feel seething at the back of the Silver Ranger's mind, he answered truthfully, completely and succinctly. Somewhere along the line, in spite of his clearly unorthodox attitude, a soldier's skills had managed to creep their way into Zhane's make up. Aerin couldn't help the sudden surge of pride that swept through her. By the gods, she wished Randi had lived to see his son grow into the fine young man sitting with her today... While I'm at it, I may as well wish for Roland and Decka to have survived also -- then we wouldn't have lost Karone to that monster or Andros to the streets of KO-35 and he might not have grown up so screwed up... and he might not have hurt Zhane so badly. But that was just her overprotectiveness talking. Zhane was a big boy... he could take care of himself. She hoped.
A few final touches and dinner was ready to be served. She pushed Jason, Billy and Tommy out into the dining room to set the table and started getting the food ready to put on the serving dishes. Now that the other three boys were in the dining room, Zhane had fallen silent, brooding. Well that would never do. She sat down caddy-corner to him and reached out a hand to rest on one of his, "Want to talk?"
Zhane started slightly, clearly not having expected to be disturbed. He offered her a sheepish look and a smile. And oh, but that smile was painful to see. It was so cracked around the edges that he might as well not have bothered. Randi used to do exactly the same thing -- pull on a joker's mask to hide the pain underneath it. She hadn't let his father get away with it and she'd be damned if she let him. She ran her other hand gently through Zhane's hair and down his cheek as she shook her head sadly, "Uh-uh, Zhane. I know that trick, and you should know better than to try it on me. I know you're hurting. It'll help if you can talk about it."
He didn't even look surprised at her revelation, but he kept the mask up despite it. There was a melancholy edge to his voice, but the smile stayed stable. "I know. Gods... how many times have I said exactly that to Andros? But... I can't let it go. Not now. If I do..."
Aerin leaned back, understanding breaking over her in a wave, "You're afraid you'll never get it back."
"Got it in one..." was the slightly bitter reply. He sighed melodramatically, then recollected himself, "I've tried self-pity. It doesn't do much for me... never has."
There wasn't much that she could say to that, since she held much the same outlook herself. She rose to finish putting dinner into the serving dishes, wondering what else she could say that hadn't already been said. She wasn't all that surprised when Zhane filled in the silence that she couldn't bring herself to break, "Lady Aerin... That really does smell wonderful."
It was an obvious ploy for a change of topic, but Aerin allowed it for now. But oh how she wished she could make him stop calling her "Lady Aerin". It sounded so ridiculous... She knew what she wanted to hear him call her, but she just couldn't make herself admit to this one secret just yet. And if she wasn't willing to bear the responsibility, she also couldn't claim the reward. She painted a stern expression onto her face and shook the wooden spoon at him, "I don't take that 'Lady' crap from Trey, and I sure as hell won't take it from you, Zhane. I'd rather you just call me Aerin."
Zhane laughed, "Like mother, like daughter, I see." At Aerin's quirked brow he explained, "Nanya doesn't put up with being called 'Lady' either, but she doesn't even let me get away with calling her by name. For as long as I've known her she's accepted nothing less than 'Grandma' from me. It always confused the hell out of Andros..." His voice trailed off, nearly choking on that last word.
Aerin let him have his silence. It wouldn't help him any to keep probing the wound until they could do something about it, but at the same time it still hurt her that there was nothing that she could say that would ease his suffering. But what he'd said... Was it possible that her mother knew...? She wouldn't put it past the older woman. Nanya's intelligence and insight were formidable, especially as regarded the rather large clan that was her family. She was as protective as a she-lion and just as easily provoked when one of her cubs was threatened. So maybe...
The sound of the front door opening cut short her train of thought. She smiled a small smile at the thought of her poor husband. Before leaving for Phaedos, Aerin had taken him aside and, as once promised, explained the truth behind her and their son's identities. He'd been shocked, but he'd taken it in stride. Of course, compared to the next piece of news -- that his wife and son would be absent from his life for a year, possibly more -- it had been nothing. He'd been less than happy about it, but had recognized that there was nothing he could do that would change the situation. He was good at that -- choosing his battles. Not for the first time, Aerin felt that she was underestimating the man. Then again, if he hadn't been remarkable, he never would have attracted her attention in the first place. With a final smile for Zhane she gathered up the serving dishes and headed out into the dining room.
Everett was at the front door taking off his coat and putting away his briefcase. At her appearance, he offered her a bright smile. He was always happy to see her, even after all these years of marriage. It was so charming. She set the plate down and meandered over to claim her kiss, "Welcome home, dear."
He smiled down at her, pulling her into the circle of his arms for a warmer welcome. Aerin allowed herself to melt into the kiss, taking the rare opportunity to rest on someone's strength aside from her own. The four boys politely occupied themselves with arranging the rest of the serving dishes and bringing out drinks. Aerin nearly laughed at the light blush on her husband's face when he noticed what a large audience that they had. She patted his arm and went to show Zhane where he should sit. Normally, Jason and Billy took the seats to her immediate right and left with Everett at the other head of the table. This time they had expanded the table to make room for the additional guests. She put Zhane in Billy's normal seat, leaving him free to sit next to Jason, and placed Tommy next to Zhane. Once everyone was settled and ladling out food, the room promptly fell silent.
Aerin nearly groaned out loud. This would never do... But once again, before she even had a chance to think of something to say, Zhane broke the silence for her. He turned on his full charm and smiled down the table at her husband, "I must say, Mr. Scott, you are a lucky man."
Everett's look was only mildly surprised, "I happen to agree on many counts. To what, in particular, were you referring?"
Zhane only smiled wider and indicated the spread on the table, "Most people count themselves lucky to get fed like this once a year... I can only imagine what it must be like to eat at Nanya's daughter's table every night!"
The Englishman quirked an eyebrow, "You know Aerin's mother?"
The Silver Ranger nodded, "She's been a friend of my family for many years. Whenever I go to visit she sends me home with plenty of leftovers." His face took on a mournful expression as he grumped good-naturedly, "But they never seem to last quite long enough..."
"Then am I to understand that you are also...?" Everett couldn't quite finish the sentence. As well as he had accepted his wife and son and their quirks, he sometimes still found it difficult to truly understand that they were Power Rangers and all that that entailed.
Aerin intercepted this particular question, "He is." At Everett's look of curiosity, Aerin explained, "He is a Lightstar Ranger from KO-35. That's in the same area of the galaxy that I'm from." Before he could ask any further questions, Aerin lifted up the bread basket and smiled sweetly, "Would you like some bread, dear?" Jason nearly choked at her conspicuous change of topic. Everett, recognizing the cue for what it was, took the bread and fell silent.
For the rest of the meal, Aerin entertained everyone with stories of her mother. It was a safe enough topic and didn't allow Everett to feel that he was being left out. After that initial burst of chatting, Zhane fell uncharacteristically silent and in spite of the earlier fuss he'd made about how much he was looking forward to the excellent meal she'd prepared... he hardly touched any of it. Not that Aerin could blame him. In his shoes, she wouldn't have much of an appetite either. So, though her maternal instincts were screaming in protest, Aerin didn't encourage him to eat.
Once they were all finished with their food, Everett excused himself and retreated to his study. Aerin understood. Her poor husband always did get a little flustered when dealing with a situation so clearly outside of his control. Billy and Jason claimed the task of clearing the table and Tommy started cleaning the dishes. Aerin watched them with a guilty look. She really ought to call Will Cranston and apologize for monopolizing his son... but that could wait. Right now she had more pressing concerns. She took Zhane's hand lightly into her own and gave him a gentle smile, "Zhane, you know that you are always welcome in my home, correct?" At Zhane's nod, she continued, "If you wish to stay the night, I'm sure that we can find room for you." Unspoken was the reason -- that if he didn't think he could face Andros they could protect him for now. Also unspoken was that they couldn't do it forever.
Zhane lowered his eyes to the tablecloth, "I appreciate the offer, Aerin, and I truly wish I could take you up on it. But I think I need to head back. The others are probably worried sick by now."
Aerin smiled, though the smile was a melancholy one, "I suspected that would be your answer." She stood and held her arms open. When the Silver Ranger hesitantly allowed himself to move into them, she held him lightly, comfortingly, "If you need anything... anything at all, Zhane, you call me. Is that clear?"
Zhane nodded against her shoulder and brought his arms up to wrap gently around the older Ranger, "Crystal, Aerin. Thank you." With those last words, he pulled himself from her embrace and surreptitiously wiped his eyes. He cleared his throat and pulled out one of his more subdued smiles, "You'll say goodbye to everyone for me?" When Aerin nodded, his smile widened, "I'll see you again, I think. This..." he waved towards the kitchen to include the other Rangers, "...it feels right. I think we'd all benefit from working together." With one last smile for the Green Ranger, Zhane lifted his Astromorpher and teleported home in a flash of silver light.
Upon reaching the Megaship, Zhane was immediately assaulted by four severely loud, and -- from their words -- severely worried teammates. Even Carlos seemed shaken. Zhane held up his hands for silence, his pained expression calming them faster than any amount of begging would have done. Once they were all quiet, he passed them a wide smile and said, "Here now... what's all the fuss about? I'm fine, I'm in one piece, everything's OK. See? Nothing to worry about."
Cassie gave him a look that clearly stated that she didn't buy his story for a second. She crossed her arms over her chest as she replied, "Yeah. Like we believe that. You were gone all day! And now you came back... without Andros. You can't blame us for being worried. So why don't we just cut the chase and tree the prey... what the hell is going on?"
Zhane frowned at the Pink Ranger, "You mean Andros hasn't come back yet?"
This time it was Ashley's worried voice that answered, "You're sidestepping the issue, but no, he hasn't. He left a few minutes after you did, and he hasn't reported in since. Didn't you see him?"
With the sudden catch in his breathing from the pain induced by that simple question, Zhane almost couldn't answer. He coughed lightly, trying to cover his discomfiture, but he could tell that he wasn't fooling anyone. When he saw that he wasn't going to get off the hook that easily, he choked out a quiet reply, "Yes, I saw him. No, I don't know where he is. We... we sort of agreed to take it easy for a while."
Following that last statement was an immediate dead silence. The four Rangers stared at him, not quite understanding what he had said. It was TJ who finally broke the deadlock, "You... Zhane, are you saying that you broke up?"
Zhane couldn't quite meet the Blue Ranger's eyes as he shook his head in denial, "No... we... no. We didn't..." He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "We just need to take a short breather from each other, that's all. It'll work out. You'll see."
After another dead silence, Carlos was the only one who could find something to say, and as usual, it made everyone stop to think, "Who are you trying to convince, Zhane? Us... or yourself?"
Zhane shook his head. When he spoke, it was in the barest of whispers, "I wish I knew, Carlos... I wish I knew."
A/N:
:-P No chibi-silliness today. I'm too drained damned drained. *sigh*
Master Post and Chapter List
Questions, comments, pomegranates?
Coming Soon: Andros and Kim discover that they have more in common than either could imagine, each finding a kindred soul in the other. Meanwhile, Astronema reminisces on her lost brother and begins plotting a bloody revenge in honor of the anniversary of his death.
