Cataclysm (Tsukino Akume, Drama/Friendship)
lunaria_kitty: Woo! Page and a half! I is awesome.
rosabelle: You is!
Akume: You is!
Akume: I have ... just under half a page.
Akume: Then I was distracted by greeting cards and kittens. -_-;;
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #70. Scare
Author's Notes/: For anyone who has no idea WTF I'm talking about, this is a rubber plant, which is the flowerless plant on Carlos' side table. And this is a Beta fish. And this is the dragon, but in black and green. Same eyes, though.
Love to rosabelle for her amusing attempts at beta. ♥
"Hey!" she greeted as she came in, only to stop and stare. "Wow."
"Yeah." Carlos looked faintly amused. "That's been pretty much everyone's reaction."
She looked around the room slowly, torn between awe and disgust. "I didn't even know this many black flowers *existed*."
There were *everywhere*. On every surface, even the floor. All of them were black. There only seemed to be six varieties, and most of them were black roses. It was like standing in a florist shop.
Or a funeral parlor.
"Don't worry, they're not all real," he assured her, still watching her expression with a faint, almost smirk.
Her eyes caught on something on the table directly beside him, and her eyebrows went up. "Is that a fish?" Another pause, and she had to stop herself from gaping. "Is that a *live* fish?"
He nodded, glancing at the small fishbowl. Inside a small red and blue fish with long, feathery-looking fins continued to swim in circles. "Appeared this morning."
She frowned. "Appeared?" she echoed, moving to sit in the chair beside the bed.
"Card came with him." He nodded to the card on the bedside table. She eyed him, but he continued to stare at her, so she picked it up.
A black cloud was displayed on the front, raining on a blue background. In white text, the cloud read 'Caroline, I hate to think of you being sick.'
Caroline? she wondered, even as she opened it to read the inside. Who's Caroline?
'So, instead I think of you riding a unicorn across a sky full of stars', the card continued. The word unicorn had been crossed out, with 'space surfboard' written next to it in blue ink. 'Get well soon!' it finished. There were two signatures: 'The Amazing Rocko' in blue ink, and a simple 'Adam' in black. On the opposite side, someone had taped a folded up child's drawing of what she guessed was supposed to be the team on their Galaxy Gliders. Either that, or jelly beans on rainbow colored sticks. She wasn't entirely sure.
"They were teleported in," Carlos went on as she looked up. "I'm not sure who actually did it, but." He shrugged slightly, looking at the fish again. The corner of his mouth quirked. "At least it's not another bouquet of flowers."
"I guess that's something," she agreed slowly, shaking her head as she put the card back down. She tilted her head as she noticed the plant sitting beside the fishbowl. "That one doesn't have flowers," she noted, eyeing the broad, waxy green leaves.
"T.J.," he said simply.
She nodded once, reaching down into the bag she'd brought him. "Well, I don't know if my gift is as exciting as a fish or anything, but - "
"Books!" Carlos looked positively gleeful as he snatched them from her hands. "You're a *saint*, Cass. I've been bored out of my mind."
"What about TV?" she asked, amused at his genuine excitement. "They don't charge your room extra for that, do they?"
He eyed her from over the top of one of his books, already in the process of reading the back. "It's one o'clock in the afternoon. On Thursday. The only things on right now are daytime talk shows, soaps, and court TV."
She made a face. "Good point."
She let him continue to study what she'd brought him for another minute before poking him gently in the side. "So how much longer until you can escape?"
He rolled his eyes as he set the books down beside the fishbowl. "They wanna be sure I'm 'cleansed' first. I tried explaining about the Power so they'd get that I'm fine now, but - "
"But the Power's the reason you're in here in the first place," she protested, frowning. "Zhane said it flipped out over - " She stopped, swallowing hard. "Over the - "
It's over now, she reminded herself. Carlos is gonna be fine. There's no reason to -
"Why can't I even say it?" she burst out, blinking rapidly as her eyes burned. She shut them tightly, reaching up to rub at her face after a moment as she sniffled. "This is ridiculous!"
A hand reached out to take hers, tugging her gently toward the bed. She was sitting before she was really aware of what was going on, only to find her head resting on Carlos' shoulder. "This is stupid," she muttered finally, reaching up to hug him tightly. "*You're* the one who got hurt, not me."
"But you had to watch," he pointed out. "You think you're the first person to cry on my shoulder?"
She snorted wetly. "Ashley has an excuse. She's known you since you were kids."
There was a pause, and Carlos cleared his throat awkwardly. "Actually, I was talking about T.J."
She blinked, pulling back enough to stare at him. "*T.J.* cried?"
Carlos shrugged a little, looking uncomfortable. "He said he felt guilty for not taking those letters seriously."
That made her eyes burn again. "I guess we all do," she admitted quietly. "If we'd paid more attention - "
"What, and I did?" he countered. His annoyed expression faded after a moment, turning solemn. "None of us have been taking any of this seriously. We all kept pretending we could just go back to the way things were before. But we can't. Everything's changed now. We can never go back."
She bit her lip, sniffling slightly. "That's what Zhane said."
He made another face. "Don't tell him I said he was right," he warned. "We'll never hear the end of it."
"Don't tell who he was right?"
The both looked up as Zhane peered through the door. "Andros? Andros is never right," he informed them. "And even when he is, he's still not."
Cassie and Carlos exchanged looks. He shook his head as she fought a smile, trying not to laugh. "Just like everything is always his fault?" she offered.
"Only in the world of Andros," he returned cheerfully, claiming the chair beside the bed. "And we wonder why people think he's mentally unstable."
Something in Carlos' face darkened at that, and she gave him a wary look. "Carlos? What's wrong?"
He started to shake his head, then hesitated and sighed, still scowling. "Dr. Walsh thinks I need therapy. Said it would help me deal with the 'trauma' of the kidnapping."
There was an awkward pause.
"That might not be such a bad idea," Cassie offered carefully, trying not to shudder at the memory of what Carlos had looked like when they found him.
He gave her a black look. "I don't need therapy," he informed her flatly. "And I am *not* traumatized. I'm fine."
She glanced at Zhane, but there was a strangely blank look on his face. "Are you sure?" she pressed gently, turning her attention back to Carlos. "I mean ... no one could blame you if - "
"I was tied to a chair in a basement for three days," he interrupted, narrowing his eyes further. "It's not a big deal. We've dealt with worse."
"I dunno, I'd say kidnapping was one of the worst things I've been through," Zhane said abruptly, looking thoughtful now as he leaned back in the chair.
It took a moment for her to realize what he'd actually said. She blinked. "You were ... ?"
He gave her an easy half-grin, and for the first time she noticed it didn't actually reach his eyes. "Ranger kids? Of course we were kidnapped. There's no better way of getting a Ranger's attention than taking their kids."
She swallowed. "Oh." How much do we actually know about Zhane? she wondered suddenly. He woke up from cryo sleep, and then just sort of started ... appearing, whenever we needed him. But ... do we really *know* him? "How old were - "
"Twelve. Cayden was six." Zhane shrugged lightly, as if it wasn't a big deal, which only made her all the more suspicious of how much of a deal it was. "Spent about a week in a cell with her attached to me."
"... Cayden?" Carlos asked warily, eyeing Zhane.
He could see it too, Cassie realized. Zhane was more bothered by this than he was letting on.
"My little sister," Zhane informed him. "She's thirteen now. If she's still alive," he added, almost as an afterthought, and his eyes darkened just long enough to be noticeable.
Then he shook his head. "But our family finally rescued us, tore through the kidnappers, and we spent a few months in therapy trying to deal with it. Sprite refused to sleep alone for about a year after that."
She frowned slightly. "You were in therapy?"
"Sure." Zhane blinked at her, seeming surprised. "With all the stuff Rangers go through? Of course we have therapists."
Carlos looked suspicious. "We do?"
Zhane nodded, giving him an odd look. "You didn't really think the rebels were the only reason I stayed on KO-35, did you?"
Cassie started slightly. "You mean you - "
"There was a Ranger Therapist in one of the camps." He shrugged a little. "I woke up after a battle to everyone I know gone, missing, or ... different. I remember being sixteen, but Andros says I'm nineteen now. I wasn't ready to deal with everything, and I needed someone to talk to." He glanced at Carlos out of the corner of his eye. "I can give you his name, if you want. I'd recommend a Ranger Therapist over one from Earth, anyway. Ranger Therapists are used to hearing about the sort of things we deal with every day."
Carlos started to say something, and she pinched his leg in warning, shooting him a look of her own. He glared slightly, stopped, and sighed. "Yeah," he said finally. "I guess ... I guess it couldn't hurt."
Zhane smiled at him. This time, Cassie noted, it reached his eyes.
Then he blinked, jumping slightly. "Oh! I got you something."
Carlos glanced at Cassie warily as Zhane took a moment to dig into his jacket pocket. She shrugged slightly, shaking her head silently. Whatever it was, Zhane hadn't told her about it.
"Ta da!"
She barely had a moment to wonder when Zhane had picked up the phrase 'ta da' before he was depositing something into Carlos' hands. She started as she saw what it was. Why would Zhane have gotten Carlos a -
And then it moved.
It was covered in black scales, excluding the tiny bat-like wings, and dark green scales over its neck and stomach. It looked about four inches from nose to the tip of its tail, and two and a half inches high. Each wing was slightly longer than its body. It was quite possibly the most frighteningly adorable thing she had ever seen.
The tiny creature looked around, stretched its wings, and yawned. Turning in a circle, it looked up at Carlos, cocking its head. Carlos froze, staring at it with wide eyes.
An odd choked noise escaped Cassie's throat before she could stop it. " ... Is that ... a *dragon*?" she forced out.
Zhane glanced at her, blinking. "Mini-dragon," he corrected. "What? Should I have gotten a stuffed one? I mean, I heard they're lucky, but I don't know why you'd want a dead animal to carry around." He made a face.
She stared back at him. "Zhane - " She stopped herself, shaking her head. This was Zhane she was talking to. Maybe he'd just gotten the idea and ran with it instead of thinking it through all the way. He was just trying to cheer Carlos up, same as the rest of them. "We don't know anything about taking care of a dragon," she tried again. "I mean, what does it even eat? Where are we gonna put it when it gets bigger?" She paused, but she had to ask. "Where did you even *get* a dragon?"
"Hey, just because dragons are extinct on Earth doesn't mean they don't exist anywhere else," Zhane argued, frowning at her. "I bought him at an intergalactic market. Karone wanted to look for some things, and we ended up finding him while we were there. He eats meat, same as any other dragon. And he's a mini, not a full-grown dragon. They only get to be about this big." He held out his hands, making a box about the size of a cat.
She hesitated, biting her lip. "But ... " She glanced at Carlos.
Carlos was still staring at the dragon in his hands. His shock was beginning to border on an expression of panic. It would have been funny if she didn't feel the same.
The tiny dragon sneezed. Sparks shot out of its nose, making them all jump. Then it yawned, turning in a circle before laying down in Carlos' cupped hands and closing its eyes.
"Aw look, he's already bonded with you," Zhane cooed.
Carlos looked up at him, slightly alarmed. "He has?"
Zhane nodded, beaming. "Dragons only sleep around people they're comfortable with. They're really great judges of character, too. And *really* protective."
Carlos glanced down at the little creature again. The panic was beginning to fade from his expression. "Most people just get a dog," he commented weakly.
"Dogs are boring," Zhane dismissed.
Cassie stared at them. Was Carlos actually okay with this? " ... Hey!" she protested belatedly.
"Jetson doesn't count," Zhane assured her. "He's the first dog I've ever seen enjoy being on the megaship. That automatically makes him not boring."
She mock-scowled at him, fighting a smile. "I have another dog at home," she informed him. "And Sandy isn't boring, either."
They both gave her an odd look at that, and it took her a moment to understand why. I haven't thought of it as home in months, she realized. The megaship has always been home.
They all looked up at the knock on the door. An middle-aged man poked his head into the room, nodding calmly at all of them. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's time for another check," he informed them apologetically.
Cassie glanced at Carlos, raising her eyebrows in silent question. Dr. Walsh had been a definite improvement over Dr. Marsden, as he seemed to be understanding of the rest of the team coming in and out without being as star-struck as the other doctor had been, but that didn't necessarily mean they trusted him completely. It was hard to trust anyone right now.
He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. He smiled when she looked skeptical, nodding in assurance.
She looked at Zhane to see what he thought about it, but Zhane was watching the dragon intently. The dragon was still carefully cupped in Carlos' hands, curled up into a ball. But one golden eye had opened, regarding the doctor as he came into the room. It stared at him for a minute, yawned, and closed the eye again.
Zhane beamed, bouncing to his feet and tugging Cassie up off the bed. "We'll get out of your way then, Doctor. Call if you need anything, Carlos."
"Real food?"
Cassie grinned as Dr. Walsh gave him a stern look. "And is there something wrong with what we've been giving you?"
Carlos shrugged. "Sorry Doc, but I've been craving a burger for two days now."
They were almost out the door when she saw Dr. Walsh frown. "What is *that*?"
She and Zhane looked at each other, and bolted.
They were halfway down the hall, laughing at each other, before she stopped to look at him. "Why a dragon?" she asked, tilting her head with a frown.
"Mini-dragon," Zhane corrected again. He shrugged lightly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
She narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms. "Nice try. Why'd you really get it?"
For a moment he didn't think he was going to tell her. Then he sighed, reaching up to run a hand over his hair. "I wasn't kidding before," he said finally. "Dragons are fantastic judges of character, and really protective of the people they bond with. If there's anyone around Carlos that isn't trustworthy, he'll know. And he's a lot more dangerous than he looks. They have long lifespans, too."
She blinked as Zhane shrugged again. "Plus he's small enough to fit in a pocket, so Carlos can carry him around anywhere."
"I dunno, I'd say kidnapping was one of the worst things I've been through."
"You don't think he's as okay as he says he is, do you?" she asked softly.
There was a pause, and at last Zhane looked at her with serious eyes. "No," he said bluntly. "I think he's absolutely terrified, but he's afraid to admit it." He gave another shrug. "I was."
She bit her lip, blinking hard.
"That doesn't mean I don't think he'll *ever* be okay," he added abruptly. "But I think he needs some kind of reassurance that it won't happen again."
"Like the dragon," she whispered, closing her eyes.
Arms came around her, pulling her into a hug as Zhane rested his chin on her head. "Mini-dragon," he reminded her quietly. "Someday I'll have to take you to the market so you can see the difference." He paused, and a hand came up to run over her hair. "We didn't fail him, Cassie," he said quietly. "It may feel like we did, but we really didn't."
A sob escaped before she could stop it. "Are - are you sure?" she sniffled.
"He's still here, isn't he? Yeah, he's a little roughed up, but we didn't lose him."
She let out a shaky sigh, at last opening her eyes. "I'm so tired of being scared all the time," she whispered.
"You weren't scared of Astronema's monsters?"
"That was different." She swallowed, because she didn't really want to admit this, but somehow she figured Zhane would understand. "It's normal to be scared of monsters. Being scared of the people you're supposed to be protecting ... "
He was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he said eventually. "It is."
She closed her eyes again, leaning into him, and took a few moments just to breathe. Carlos is alive. He's safe now. We're all still here, and we're all still together. Everything will be okay.
It took awhile for her to figure out that Zhane was whispering the words in her ear.
rosabelle: You is!
Akume: You is!
Akume: I have ... just under half a page.
Akume: Then I was distracted by greeting cards and kittens. -_-;;
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #70. Scare
Author's Notes/: For anyone who has no idea WTF I'm talking about, this is a rubber plant, which is the flowerless plant on Carlos' side table. And this is a Beta fish. And this is the dragon, but in black and green. Same eyes, though.
Love to rosabelle for her amusing attempts at beta. ♥
"Hey!" she greeted as she came in, only to stop and stare. "Wow."
"Yeah." Carlos looked faintly amused. "That's been pretty much everyone's reaction."
She looked around the room slowly, torn between awe and disgust. "I didn't even know this many black flowers *existed*."
There were *everywhere*. On every surface, even the floor. All of them were black. There only seemed to be six varieties, and most of them were black roses. It was like standing in a florist shop.
Or a funeral parlor.
"Don't worry, they're not all real," he assured her, still watching her expression with a faint, almost smirk.
Her eyes caught on something on the table directly beside him, and her eyebrows went up. "Is that a fish?" Another pause, and she had to stop herself from gaping. "Is that a *live* fish?"
He nodded, glancing at the small fishbowl. Inside a small red and blue fish with long, feathery-looking fins continued to swim in circles. "Appeared this morning."
She frowned. "Appeared?" she echoed, moving to sit in the chair beside the bed.
"Card came with him." He nodded to the card on the bedside table. She eyed him, but he continued to stare at her, so she picked it up.
A black cloud was displayed on the front, raining on a blue background. In white text, the cloud read 'Caroline, I hate to think of you being sick.'
Caroline? she wondered, even as she opened it to read the inside. Who's Caroline?
'So, instead I think of you riding a unicorn across a sky full of stars', the card continued. The word unicorn had been crossed out, with 'space surfboard' written next to it in blue ink. 'Get well soon!' it finished. There were two signatures: 'The Amazing Rocko' in blue ink, and a simple 'Adam' in black. On the opposite side, someone had taped a folded up child's drawing of what she guessed was supposed to be the team on their Galaxy Gliders. Either that, or jelly beans on rainbow colored sticks. She wasn't entirely sure.
"They were teleported in," Carlos went on as she looked up. "I'm not sure who actually did it, but." He shrugged slightly, looking at the fish again. The corner of his mouth quirked. "At least it's not another bouquet of flowers."
"I guess that's something," she agreed slowly, shaking her head as she put the card back down. She tilted her head as she noticed the plant sitting beside the fishbowl. "That one doesn't have flowers," she noted, eyeing the broad, waxy green leaves.
"T.J.," he said simply.
She nodded once, reaching down into the bag she'd brought him. "Well, I don't know if my gift is as exciting as a fish or anything, but - "
"Books!" Carlos looked positively gleeful as he snatched them from her hands. "You're a *saint*, Cass. I've been bored out of my mind."
"What about TV?" she asked, amused at his genuine excitement. "They don't charge your room extra for that, do they?"
He eyed her from over the top of one of his books, already in the process of reading the back. "It's one o'clock in the afternoon. On Thursday. The only things on right now are daytime talk shows, soaps, and court TV."
She made a face. "Good point."
She let him continue to study what she'd brought him for another minute before poking him gently in the side. "So how much longer until you can escape?"
He rolled his eyes as he set the books down beside the fishbowl. "They wanna be sure I'm 'cleansed' first. I tried explaining about the Power so they'd get that I'm fine now, but - "
"But the Power's the reason you're in here in the first place," she protested, frowning. "Zhane said it flipped out over - " She stopped, swallowing hard. "Over the - "
It's over now, she reminded herself. Carlos is gonna be fine. There's no reason to -
"Why can't I even say it?" she burst out, blinking rapidly as her eyes burned. She shut them tightly, reaching up to rub at her face after a moment as she sniffled. "This is ridiculous!"
A hand reached out to take hers, tugging her gently toward the bed. She was sitting before she was really aware of what was going on, only to find her head resting on Carlos' shoulder. "This is stupid," she muttered finally, reaching up to hug him tightly. "*You're* the one who got hurt, not me."
"But you had to watch," he pointed out. "You think you're the first person to cry on my shoulder?"
She snorted wetly. "Ashley has an excuse. She's known you since you were kids."
There was a pause, and Carlos cleared his throat awkwardly. "Actually, I was talking about T.J."
She blinked, pulling back enough to stare at him. "*T.J.* cried?"
Carlos shrugged a little, looking uncomfortable. "He said he felt guilty for not taking those letters seriously."
That made her eyes burn again. "I guess we all do," she admitted quietly. "If we'd paid more attention - "
"What, and I did?" he countered. His annoyed expression faded after a moment, turning solemn. "None of us have been taking any of this seriously. We all kept pretending we could just go back to the way things were before. But we can't. Everything's changed now. We can never go back."
She bit her lip, sniffling slightly. "That's what Zhane said."
He made another face. "Don't tell him I said he was right," he warned. "We'll never hear the end of it."
"Don't tell who he was right?"
The both looked up as Zhane peered through the door. "Andros? Andros is never right," he informed them. "And even when he is, he's still not."
Cassie and Carlos exchanged looks. He shook his head as she fought a smile, trying not to laugh. "Just like everything is always his fault?" she offered.
"Only in the world of Andros," he returned cheerfully, claiming the chair beside the bed. "And we wonder why people think he's mentally unstable."
Something in Carlos' face darkened at that, and she gave him a wary look. "Carlos? What's wrong?"
He started to shake his head, then hesitated and sighed, still scowling. "Dr. Walsh thinks I need therapy. Said it would help me deal with the 'trauma' of the kidnapping."
There was an awkward pause.
"That might not be such a bad idea," Cassie offered carefully, trying not to shudder at the memory of what Carlos had looked like when they found him.
He gave her a black look. "I don't need therapy," he informed her flatly. "And I am *not* traumatized. I'm fine."
She glanced at Zhane, but there was a strangely blank look on his face. "Are you sure?" she pressed gently, turning her attention back to Carlos. "I mean ... no one could blame you if - "
"I was tied to a chair in a basement for three days," he interrupted, narrowing his eyes further. "It's not a big deal. We've dealt with worse."
"I dunno, I'd say kidnapping was one of the worst things I've been through," Zhane said abruptly, looking thoughtful now as he leaned back in the chair.
It took a moment for her to realize what he'd actually said. She blinked. "You were ... ?"
He gave her an easy half-grin, and for the first time she noticed it didn't actually reach his eyes. "Ranger kids? Of course we were kidnapped. There's no better way of getting a Ranger's attention than taking their kids."
She swallowed. "Oh." How much do we actually know about Zhane? she wondered suddenly. He woke up from cryo sleep, and then just sort of started ... appearing, whenever we needed him. But ... do we really *know* him? "How old were - "
"Twelve. Cayden was six." Zhane shrugged lightly, as if it wasn't a big deal, which only made her all the more suspicious of how much of a deal it was. "Spent about a week in a cell with her attached to me."
"... Cayden?" Carlos asked warily, eyeing Zhane.
He could see it too, Cassie realized. Zhane was more bothered by this than he was letting on.
"My little sister," Zhane informed him. "She's thirteen now. If she's still alive," he added, almost as an afterthought, and his eyes darkened just long enough to be noticeable.
Then he shook his head. "But our family finally rescued us, tore through the kidnappers, and we spent a few months in therapy trying to deal with it. Sprite refused to sleep alone for about a year after that."
She frowned slightly. "You were in therapy?"
"Sure." Zhane blinked at her, seeming surprised. "With all the stuff Rangers go through? Of course we have therapists."
Carlos looked suspicious. "We do?"
Zhane nodded, giving him an odd look. "You didn't really think the rebels were the only reason I stayed on KO-35, did you?"
Cassie started slightly. "You mean you - "
"There was a Ranger Therapist in one of the camps." He shrugged a little. "I woke up after a battle to everyone I know gone, missing, or ... different. I remember being sixteen, but Andros says I'm nineteen now. I wasn't ready to deal with everything, and I needed someone to talk to." He glanced at Carlos out of the corner of his eye. "I can give you his name, if you want. I'd recommend a Ranger Therapist over one from Earth, anyway. Ranger Therapists are used to hearing about the sort of things we deal with every day."
Carlos started to say something, and she pinched his leg in warning, shooting him a look of her own. He glared slightly, stopped, and sighed. "Yeah," he said finally. "I guess ... I guess it couldn't hurt."
Zhane smiled at him. This time, Cassie noted, it reached his eyes.
Then he blinked, jumping slightly. "Oh! I got you something."
Carlos glanced at Cassie warily as Zhane took a moment to dig into his jacket pocket. She shrugged slightly, shaking her head silently. Whatever it was, Zhane hadn't told her about it.
"Ta da!"
She barely had a moment to wonder when Zhane had picked up the phrase 'ta da' before he was depositing something into Carlos' hands. She started as she saw what it was. Why would Zhane have gotten Carlos a -
And then it moved.
It was covered in black scales, excluding the tiny bat-like wings, and dark green scales over its neck and stomach. It looked about four inches from nose to the tip of its tail, and two and a half inches high. Each wing was slightly longer than its body. It was quite possibly the most frighteningly adorable thing she had ever seen.
The tiny creature looked around, stretched its wings, and yawned. Turning in a circle, it looked up at Carlos, cocking its head. Carlos froze, staring at it with wide eyes.
An odd choked noise escaped Cassie's throat before she could stop it. " ... Is that ... a *dragon*?" she forced out.
Zhane glanced at her, blinking. "Mini-dragon," he corrected. "What? Should I have gotten a stuffed one? I mean, I heard they're lucky, but I don't know why you'd want a dead animal to carry around." He made a face.
She stared back at him. "Zhane - " She stopped herself, shaking her head. This was Zhane she was talking to. Maybe he'd just gotten the idea and ran with it instead of thinking it through all the way. He was just trying to cheer Carlos up, same as the rest of them. "We don't know anything about taking care of a dragon," she tried again. "I mean, what does it even eat? Where are we gonna put it when it gets bigger?" She paused, but she had to ask. "Where did you even *get* a dragon?"
"Hey, just because dragons are extinct on Earth doesn't mean they don't exist anywhere else," Zhane argued, frowning at her. "I bought him at an intergalactic market. Karone wanted to look for some things, and we ended up finding him while we were there. He eats meat, same as any other dragon. And he's a mini, not a full-grown dragon. They only get to be about this big." He held out his hands, making a box about the size of a cat.
She hesitated, biting her lip. "But ... " She glanced at Carlos.
Carlos was still staring at the dragon in his hands. His shock was beginning to border on an expression of panic. It would have been funny if she didn't feel the same.
The tiny dragon sneezed. Sparks shot out of its nose, making them all jump. Then it yawned, turning in a circle before laying down in Carlos' cupped hands and closing its eyes.
"Aw look, he's already bonded with you," Zhane cooed.
Carlos looked up at him, slightly alarmed. "He has?"
Zhane nodded, beaming. "Dragons only sleep around people they're comfortable with. They're really great judges of character, too. And *really* protective."
Carlos glanced down at the little creature again. The panic was beginning to fade from his expression. "Most people just get a dog," he commented weakly.
"Dogs are boring," Zhane dismissed.
Cassie stared at them. Was Carlos actually okay with this? " ... Hey!" she protested belatedly.
"Jetson doesn't count," Zhane assured her. "He's the first dog I've ever seen enjoy being on the megaship. That automatically makes him not boring."
She mock-scowled at him, fighting a smile. "I have another dog at home," she informed him. "And Sandy isn't boring, either."
They both gave her an odd look at that, and it took her a moment to understand why. I haven't thought of it as home in months, she realized. The megaship has always been home.
They all looked up at the knock on the door. An middle-aged man poked his head into the room, nodding calmly at all of them. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's time for another check," he informed them apologetically.
Cassie glanced at Carlos, raising her eyebrows in silent question. Dr. Walsh had been a definite improvement over Dr. Marsden, as he seemed to be understanding of the rest of the team coming in and out without being as star-struck as the other doctor had been, but that didn't necessarily mean they trusted him completely. It was hard to trust anyone right now.
He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. He smiled when she looked skeptical, nodding in assurance.
She looked at Zhane to see what he thought about it, but Zhane was watching the dragon intently. The dragon was still carefully cupped in Carlos' hands, curled up into a ball. But one golden eye had opened, regarding the doctor as he came into the room. It stared at him for a minute, yawned, and closed the eye again.
Zhane beamed, bouncing to his feet and tugging Cassie up off the bed. "We'll get out of your way then, Doctor. Call if you need anything, Carlos."
"Real food?"
Cassie grinned as Dr. Walsh gave him a stern look. "And is there something wrong with what we've been giving you?"
Carlos shrugged. "Sorry Doc, but I've been craving a burger for two days now."
They were almost out the door when she saw Dr. Walsh frown. "What is *that*?"
She and Zhane looked at each other, and bolted.
They were halfway down the hall, laughing at each other, before she stopped to look at him. "Why a dragon?" she asked, tilting her head with a frown.
"Mini-dragon," Zhane corrected again. He shrugged lightly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
She narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms. "Nice try. Why'd you really get it?"
For a moment he didn't think he was going to tell her. Then he sighed, reaching up to run a hand over his hair. "I wasn't kidding before," he said finally. "Dragons are fantastic judges of character, and really protective of the people they bond with. If there's anyone around Carlos that isn't trustworthy, he'll know. And he's a lot more dangerous than he looks. They have long lifespans, too."
She blinked as Zhane shrugged again. "Plus he's small enough to fit in a pocket, so Carlos can carry him around anywhere."
"I dunno, I'd say kidnapping was one of the worst things I've been through."
"You don't think he's as okay as he says he is, do you?" she asked softly.
There was a pause, and at last Zhane looked at her with serious eyes. "No," he said bluntly. "I think he's absolutely terrified, but he's afraid to admit it." He gave another shrug. "I was."
She bit her lip, blinking hard.
"That doesn't mean I don't think he'll *ever* be okay," he added abruptly. "But I think he needs some kind of reassurance that it won't happen again."
"Like the dragon," she whispered, closing her eyes.
Arms came around her, pulling her into a hug as Zhane rested his chin on her head. "Mini-dragon," he reminded her quietly. "Someday I'll have to take you to the market so you can see the difference." He paused, and a hand came up to run over her hair. "We didn't fail him, Cassie," he said quietly. "It may feel like we did, but we really didn't."
A sob escaped before she could stop it. "Are - are you sure?" she sniffled.
"He's still here, isn't he? Yeah, he's a little roughed up, but we didn't lose him."
She let out a shaky sigh, at last opening her eyes. "I'm so tired of being scared all the time," she whispered.
"You weren't scared of Astronema's monsters?"
"That was different." She swallowed, because she didn't really want to admit this, but somehow she figured Zhane would understand. "It's normal to be scared of monsters. Being scared of the people you're supposed to be protecting ... "
He was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he said eventually. "It is."
She closed her eyes again, leaning into him, and took a few moments just to breathe. Carlos is alive. He's safe now. We're all still here, and we're all still together. Everything will be okay.
It took awhile for her to figure out that Zhane was whispering the words in her ear.