You Can't Always Go Home, episode 01-01

The sound of a key unlatching ran through the small Angel Grove apartment. With a turn of the knob the front door of the building opened and its owner took a look around the place. Andros of KO-35 was home.
The only home he had now, he somberly thought to himself. Sure he had not lived in the Astro Megaship for almost two years and had given the ship away voluntarily without question. Still hearing of the megaship’s destruction hit him harder than expected. What was the Earth adage; you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

But Andros still had this apartment, and he still had Earth to call home. He’d been gone for almost two weeks traveling through space on the galaxy glider. Andros had made a quick visit back to KO-35 to check on the rebuilding there. It almost seemed as if the planet had never been abandoned. The people there were happy and peacefully living their lives once again. After the brief stop Andros made the planed journey to the planet Mirinoi. There he caught up with the now former Lost Galaxy rangers. He was happy to see for himself that Kendrix’s miraculous return from beyond the grave was really true.

Of course for Andros the real pleasure of the trip was getting to leave with the girl who had nobly taken Kendrix’s place. His twin sister Karone was ready to come back to Earth now that her mission with the Galaxy rangers was over. She had been gone for almost a year now and Andros couldn’t be happier to have his sister back again.

Walking into the apartment Andros put his bag down near the couch in the living room. He was going to have to call the others and let them know the good news. He wondered how his friends were doing at the moment. He had not heard from Cassie or TJ in a while both presumable busy with their lives. He had not seen nearly as much of Ashley as he’d have liked either since she enrolled in college and started her job. At least now he had an excuse to try to get a hold of all of them.

“Just make yourself at home Karone; we’ll get you settled in soon.” Andros called over his shoulder as he picked up the cordless phone off its stand.

Friday Afternoon 4PM

Carlos walked across the campus of Angel Grove Community College with his backpack in tow as he headed to the parking lot. He was still wearing his soccer uniform having just finished soccer practice. He was tired and wished that he'd parked by the fields today instead. However, Carlos had chosen to park on the opposite side of the campus since it was closer to the science building where he had his morning biology class and lab. All of his classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday were in that direction so it had just made sense to do it that way this morning.

Note to self, make the long walk in the morning so you can get out of here quicker, he thought. Right now the only thing on his mind was getting home and taking a hot shower and getting out of the sweaty clothes. As he cut through the campus, he decided to pause and get a cold drink at the snack bar.

Setting his backpack on a nearby table, Carlos entered the snack area and selected a lemon sports drink and moved to the cash register to pay for it. After handing the cashier some money he decided to plop down at the table where he'd left his backpack for a moment to consume his drink.

It was good to finally have things returning to normal. Carlos had had his fill of people wanting his autograph or being followed by the media everywhere he went. It made him realize that being a celebrity was not for him. Years before becoming a power ranger, it had been Carlos' dream to be a professional soccer player. However, having been given a taste of the limelight the former black ranger decided that career path was definitely not for him.

His thoughts then turned to Andros. He wondered if the former red ranger had gotten Karone yet and when he might be returning to Earth. His friend had been gone for several weeks now. In fact, it seemed he hadn't seen much of the others either. Carlos decided he should make a few calls once he got back home and got a shower and got changed just to check in with his friends.

Standing in the middle of her new home, an apartment located on the south side of Angel Grove, Ashley had taken account of the remaining towers of labeled moving boxes yet to unpack. It was only a few weeks moving out of her parents’ home and into her very own. The location of the apartments had an amazing view of the beach, but was with reasonable transportation range of the University. With only starting attending classes at the University and working at the florists few blocks down settling into the apartment had taken one day at a time.

The bedroom, bathroom and kitchen were finished as of yesterday, which left only the family/living room. The young woman respectively decline her family’s offer to help unpack wanting to feel a sense of accomplishment doing it herself. Tapping her fingers mindlessly on the answering machine empty box, Ashley walked over to the stand next to the kitchen counter where the cordless phone was perched.

“Hi, you’ve reached Ashley Hammond’s residency.” starting to record her message on the machine, “I am very sorry, but at the moment I am unavailable. If you leave your name and a brief message, I shall contact you soon as I get home.” Pleased with the recorded message turn her attention unpacking the boxes for the family/living room. Even though her body was moving through the motion of unpacking, Ashley was feeling rather downhearted. She could not stop thinking about her friends or Andros. Not even the purring of her new kitten, Princess at her ankles helped.

It was the afternoon, and Zhane went back into his apartment, tired as hell. His clothes stunk of grease and sweat and his face looked like he had been hit by a truck. He straight away headed to the bathroom and began running the shower. He took off his uniform and went in.

Ever since he had taken permanent residency in Angel Grove after the Countdown, Zhane had been striving to find his place in this world. He was pretty sure that working at the Angel Grove Beefy Burger probably wasn't it, but it was a start. He was just thankful at the moment he didn't get stuck on nightshift.

After the Countdown, Zhane had spent most of his time in the Megaship, since it was the only place he truly felt comfortable in this vast world; however, as soon as that was made into a museum, he had to make himself comfortable.

Zhane got out of the shower and dried himself. He then got changed into some normal clothes and quickly surveyed his apartment. He had some dishes to clean and soe clothes that needed washing, but right now they would have to wait. Zhane began heading out the door. Andros had gotten back from his space travels today, and he had not seen his friend for a very long time. He was also quite anxious to find out if and when Karone would be coming back from Mirinoi.

He walked down the apartment hallway and saw a door slightly opened. It was the vacant apartment, that was now obviously taken. He decided that he would also have to make time to greet himself somehow to whoever lived there. He began to walk away when suddenly heard a familiar voice.

Ashley?

Zhane turned back to the door and knocked and slowly pushed it open. There he saw Ashley busily unpacking boxes. Zhane was suddenly consumed with joy; he had not seen many of his friends for a very long time.
"Ashley?" he said. "Oh my God! It's so good to see you! I had no idea you were the one moving into this apartment!"

4:20 PM
If she left now, she could make it just in time to be fifteen minutes late.
Equipment, stage make up, wig, everything was packed up, in place and ready to go.

Everything except the singer.

Cassie stared at herself in the mirror, at first it was to ensure that even her mother wouldn’t be able to recognize her in this get up. That was a half an hour ago. Now, sweat beading on her forehead, fighting back tremors, she knew apart of herself wasn’t in her apartment.

She was back on the battlefield.

Cassie shut her eyes, only she remembered too late that that only ever made it worse. Her hands tightened around the basin and allowed herself a few quick harsh breaths. There was not time for this right now. She had to go. Had to get to work.

There would be time for this later.

Cassie opened her eyes and looked herself in the eyes, narrowing her gaze till it was hard and angry. ‘Not if I can help it.’

She whirled, shutting the door behind her, yucking the keys from her wall and headed out.

She ignored the sound of her beeper going off as she raced down the stairs.

Whoever it was would have to wait…

5:30 pm
“I already told you, ‘Yasmine’-No.”

Cassie- or Yasmine Wong, depending on whether you were looking at the fake ID that Max had acquired for her or the real one-rolled her eyes and turned her back to the bartender, spreading her arms out over the surface of the counter, then looked back at him over a shoulder. “Since when’re you such a damn boy scout? I bring in the vast majority of your customers, Max.” She looked out, surveying the crowd gathering already to hear her perform, and she smiled prettily at the guy across the room that winked at her, the wheels in her head already turning. “You’d think you could show a little appreciation.”

She could hear the frown in his voice. “Funny how showing you ‘a little appreciation’ always ends up with me doing something illegal.”

“Ch-yeah right, like you don’t love it.” Cassie scoffed, then turned back to face him, leaning her arms on the counter and giving him a nice view of her figure. “What’s life without a little risk, right?”

Max smiled humorlessly and Cassie smiled right back. “Ever wonder what ‘they’ would think about your little extra curricular activities, hm?”

Max shifted his gaze back to the glass he was cleaning, but he lowered his voice. “Probably the same thing your ‘fans’ would think if they heard that Cassie Chan was taking Yasmine Wong’s spot for the evening.”

Cassie grit her teeth, she knew she wasn’t going to get anywhere. Pushing off the counter, she flipped the hair of her neon-green wig over her shoulder and turned away from him. “Play it safe then, have it your way.”

And with a sway to her walk, Cassie walked from the bar to the stage, picked up her guitar and greeted the crowd, who were more than eager to cheer her on. She had built up quite a nice following over the last few months, and she had done it on her own, without the fame of being a hero-a failed one at that. So she couldn’t use her real name, so what?

Nobody had ever told her life was fair.

She looked across the room, eying the guy who had winked at her earlier. Tall young and naïve was about to become her date for the evening, after this song. And a good date always paid for a lady’s drinks…

Moving onto the next labeled family/living room box it had not occurred to Ashley that she had left the door slightly ajar. Hearing her name being called out by a familiar voice not forgotten, sent the young woman looking around the frantically until drawing her attention to the front door. Sure enough, there standing right in the threshold of the room was the one matching the voice, Zhane. “Zhane?!” Ashley replied surprisingly. In the excitement of the discovery she nearly lost a grip on the box marked fragile nearly having it land on the small kitten. Catching the box in the nick-of-time, Ashley place it on the nook and scoop Princess up in both hands returning the feline into its’ small resting box.

Unconvinced at first that Zhane was actually there in the flesh dropped everything and embraced him in a friendly. When she was convinced with the tightening squeeze, Ashley release her friend and held onto his arms smiling, “I could say the very same about you too!” shaking her head, “Yeah,…It is rather a long story, but after some consideration decided that it was time for me to be on my own.” hearing the small kitten mew behind them. “Almost completely on my own” Taking a small breath, Ashley let go of him feeling better compared to earlier.

“How have you been?”

Although she had been ready to leave Mirinoi, and return to Earth, it didn't exactly mean that she was ready to face what she had left behind when she left Earth almost a year ago. Mainly Zhane. Despite the fact that she didn't exactly admit it, she had missed him greatly and when he hadn't been with the other Space Rangers during the brief team up with the Galaxy Rangers, she had taken it as either he didn't want to see her or he couldn't forgive her for leaving, and if either one of those things were true. Karone wasn't exactly sure if she was ready to face that. Besides, she had avoided asking her brother if Zhane even knew that she was returning to Earth.

As she heard what her brother said, Karone closed her eyes and fingered the bracelet that she had removed since she had decided to go on her mission. Although her brother had told her to make herself at home, she still found herself worried about what she was going to do now that she had returned here. But, she already knew that she probably wasn't ready to face the slim chance that Zhane might actually hate her now.

But, still she had decided that with her mission with the Galaxy Rangers had ended that it was time for her return to Earth, and after saying goodbye to her newfound friends, that is exactly what she did when her brother arrived on Mirinoi. The one thing she wasn't aware of was if Zhane was aware that she had returned. She opened her eyes and sat down on the couch in front of her. She was about to close her eyes again, when she wondered if she should tell her brother not to tell Zhane about her return. The truth of the matter was that she had known that Zhane wasn't exactly okay with her going off on her own, or pretending to once again be Astronema. But, she had done so anyway. She opened her mouth, and was about to call out to him asking him not to tell Zhane about her return, but stopped herself.

Even if I’m afraid of what his reaction will be to my return. I can’t run from it.

“Does Zhane even know that I’m back?” She called out.

While Karone settled in Andros looked through the drawer of the end table the cordless phone had been sitting on before he picked it up. Digging inside he soon found the small data pad he had kept inside. Tucking the phone under his arm he used both his hands to work the pad and look up the phone numbers of his friends.

He had all five of his former teammates listed in the pad, with the last addresses he had for them, phone numbers and emergency contact number in case they were needed immediately. The list was ordered alphabetically by their first name so of course the first on the list was Ashley.

“Does Zhane even know that I’m back?”
Karone asked which drew Andros’s attention from his data pad to his sitting sister.
“Not unless he has developed psychic abilities since I last saw him. He knew I was bringing you back but I didn’t tell him exactly when cause I was not sure how long it would take.” He answered her simply as he looked up Ashley’s information.
Andros stopped for a moment and looked back at his sister trying to remember the tone in her voice she just had. The way she had asked that question, her choice of words and the infliction of her voice, and asking about Zhane specifically it all seemed odd. Now that he thought about it Zhane had sounded rather odd whenever the subject of Karone came up in conversation. There was definitely something going on here between his sister and his best friend, but what? He knew about the date or attempt at one they had had back when Karone was Astronima, but that was all he’s ever heard about going on between the two.

As he tried to think over what was going on between those two he called Ashley’s number. “Hello? Hi Mrs. Hammond this is Andros, is Ashley there?....Oh really she did? Do you have her number?...No….ok I understand….Thank you Mrs. Hammond….Yes….Thank you, Good bye.”
Andros hung up the phone and taped the antenna to his head in thought.”Huh well that was unexpected…” He said speaking more out loud than anything else. Andros took a seat on the couch next to his sister.
“Ashley’s mom said she’d moved out on her own. She’d been talking about doing it for a while but I had no idea she…I guess I was gone a little longer then I thought…”

Andros sat there a surprising sense of worry hitting him about the current status of his relationship with Ashley. He bit his lower lip and tried to shake off those feelings. Quickly he turned his mind back to the subject that was on it before he had made that call. Turning his head he gave Karone his full attention.
“So is there something going on between you and Zhane I should know about?”

The former black space ranger finished his sports drink and deposited it in the nearby garbage can. That shower was sounding better the more he thought about it. Since it was the weekend, homework and studying were not urgent. The question was what to do next. It had been too long since Carlos had seen the former space rangers and he decided he was going to make some calls when he got in. He wondered if Andros had returned yet with Karone. He was due in about this time so it was worth a shot.

Carlos continued across the campus and finally got to his car. I definitely need to park closer to the soccer fields on Friday, he scolded himself again. A few minutes later he was on his way back to his small apartment. Once there, he deposited his backpack on a nearby chair and headed straight to the shower.

A half hour or so later, Carlos was now dressed in a fresh t-shirt and blue jeans. He picked through the freezer deciding if he wanted to have an early dinner but quickly abandoned the idea. The other space rangers were on his mind.

Carlos reached for the phone debating on if he should try Ashley or Andros first. It then hit him that she had recently moved and he might not have her new number but then he reminded himself of her cell phone. He started to dial the former yellow ranger but instead punched in Andros' number. If he failed to reach him, his next move would be to check in with Ashley.

Carlos placed the phone to his ear as it began to ring. He'd either get Andros or his voice mail.

*Tag Red Ranger*

The moment that the question had left her mouth, Karone wished that she hadn't asked. She had forgotten that there was a slight chance that Zhane hadn't told Andros that they had tried dating for a short time before she left. It had also been a mutual agreement not to tell anyone about it. Yet, when she heard her brother's answer, Karone let out a sigh of relief. At least she knew that Zhane didn't actually know when she was due to return to Earth, and to her that was a good thing. But, now she was worried that her brother was getting somewhat suspicious about why she even asked that question.

When her brother came and sat on the couch next to her, Karone frowned as she heard what he said. Because she knew that it was partially her fault that her brother had been gone as long as he had. After all, he was the one who had brought her back to Earth. But, as she heard his question regarding Zhane, Karone looked at her brother before directing her gaze to the floor. There was a small part of her that didn't want her brother to know everything just yet. Besides, with her luck, Andros would overreact. Plus, there was no reason to tell her brother the truth if Zhane had forgotten about her. Maybe, she could convince her brother to hold off on telling Zhane for a while longer.

As she heard her brother ask if there was something that was going on between her and Zhane, Karone truly didn't know if she wanted to tell him. However, before she got the chance to reply to his question, the phone rang, and she inwardly sighed. "Shouldn't you answer that?" She asked him. She would have to thank whoever called at that moment for giving her the opportunity to think of what she was going to tell her brother.

As the song faded, a wave of applause erupted in the small dance room and Cassie soaked it all in as she stepped down from the stage. When her boot-claded foot hit the floor, she did a few bows and waved as she thanked the crowd, playing the part of a grateful showman.

And she was grateful. A paying job, people who appreciated her for her talents and not because she was a hero. Although, even that was better than being resented for the same reason, she supposed, but still wasn’t willing to risk it.

Besides, Compartmentalization always made everything so much easier to deal with.

She gave a quick look to Max, and seeing that he was preoccupied with a customer, made her way over to the cutie in the back who had been eyeing her earlier. He didn’t seem intimidating, and while that put her more at ease, in the back of her mind she knew better than to take people as they ‘seem’.

He smiled when she walked up to him, It was boyish. Adorable even. “Nice song,” he said.

Cassie smiled back. “Thanks,” she looked down, surveying his table. “What’s your poison?” She asked as she looked back up at him, nodding towards his drink.

“Rum and cola, you strike me more as a Tequila girl.”

She grinned, showing teeth. “Hah! Whiskey Sours, actually. Nice try though.”

“Can’t win ‘em all.” He shrugged. “Can I get you one?”

Cassie slipped into the seat across from him, probably the least well-lit corner in the club and away from the prying eyes of noisy boy-scout bartenders. “You sure can.”

Andros watched his sister waiting for her response. She seemed a bit apprehensive, hesitant to speak. It was a trait he’d come to recognize from her when she did not want to share information. Was there something going on between his sister and his best friend that Andros was unaware of? What could make her so reluctant to speak with him? Ever since they had learned each other’s identity Andros and Karone had been able to talk about anything openly even when they were still not sure how well they could trust each other. So what was it about Zhane that Karone had to take so long to tell him about?

Just as his sister seemed about to speak up the phone in Andros’s hand went off. The ring in his hand had startled him from his focus on his sister.
"Shouldn't you answer that?"
Karone asked him seeming a bit too relieved for the change in topic. Andros gave her a cryptic look for her obvious question and for her attempt to pass off the conversation at hand.
“To be continued.”
Shaking his hand Andros looked to his phone checking the caller ID on it. The number showing up looked familiar and with only a brief glance Andros confirmed the identity of the caller by finding the number listed on the address screen of the data pad in his other hand. Now this was almost too much of a coincidence to believe as the number he had just been setting to call was not lit up on his phone calling him.

On the fourth ring Andros pushed the talk button on his phone and placed it up to the side of his face. “Hello? Carlos?”

In her excitement Ashley felt embarrassed having their conversation at the threshold leading into her apartment instead of inviting him inside. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder found the kitten trying to get out of its resting box, a perfect cover-up the embarrassment, “Actually, would you mind if we take this inside? Last time I had the door open slightly this…” jerking her thumb behind indicating the kitten attempting to claw out of the box, “little stinker had me running up and down the halls. Grateful that nobody open the front or back doors at that point. You’ll have to excuse the….progress at work.”

((OOC: Again, I am INCREDIBLY sorry for not getting this in sooner. My work load has taken a huge upheavel and I've been slightly struggling to cope with it, but for now I am caught up and ready to do something else))

Zhane laughed as he was welcomed into Ashley's apartment.
"You've done a great job so far," he said to her, smiling. It had been an incredibly long time since Zhane and Ashley had caught up like this. He missed it.

Then remembering Ashley's question, he turned to her.
"By the way, to answer your question, I've been..." Zhane started but then stopped. He wasn't entirely sure how to finish the question. He wished he could just immeadiately tell Ashley all the anxious feelings he had been happening lately: not being sure if he fits in, trying to change to fit in, and most importantly the fact he had not talked Karone ever since she left for space to pretend to be Astronema. Finally, he gave the answer, "I've been better, but otherwise good."

He gave a quick smile to Ashley and then asked her, "What about you? What have you been up to? I mean, apart from the obvious move."