Author's Note: Yes!  I have managed to do a fic completely, one hundred percent original without taking exact scenes from an episode. *grin*  Be warn, this is a T.J./Cassie fic.  This is in no way to smite the Cassie/Phantom believers.  Actually, if Cassie ended up with Phantom, I would have been happy.  If she chose T.J., I would have been no less or more happier. :)  I'm a firm believer of both of them. :)  The only reason I wrote this was to give T.J. some happiness that Saban wouldn't.  I believe T.J. could of had a good story of his own if given one.

Author's Thanks: Special thanks to T.J., no, not the character, a friend who goes by that alias, for helping me with ideas such as the monster name and plot. :)  Special thanks to Red for doing the first stage of proofing and editing and coming up with the great title for this fic.  Big thanks goes out to Adri-chan for giving me confidence and giving some great advice about fic writing.  And last, but not least, Starhawk for the final editing stages and ideas. :)  Thanks you guys, it's great appreciated.

The moonlight shone down on the city of Angel Grove.  Went past the downtown district area, extended past Angel Grove High, and continued through Angel Grove Park.  The lake was lit up  as it reflected the moonlight.  T.J. sat down leaning against a tree.  His eyes were on the Pink Ranger who was laying in the cool crisp grass looking up at the clear sky before her.  Somehow, T.J. could tell what she was thinking of.  He realized after a while that he had formed a special bond with the Pink Ranger.  Although she would never admit, T.J. knew every time Cassie would go and look at the clear night skies, she was thinking of her current love, the Phantom.  T.J. always wanted to say or do something to put her mind at ease, but knew he couldn't.  The only thing he could do was be her friend and continue to support her in anyway he could.  At times, T.J. felt like hugging Cassie, sheltering her from the world's evils and disappointments, and never letting go.  T.J. wanted to be the person who she could hold close to her heart.... and she be the one he held close to his.

The sun had almost gone down below the horizon that was the Angel Grove Mountains.  Cassie suggested that they should sit for a while and see the sunset.  T.J., of course, happily agreed to it.  He went to sit under a tree that was a few feet away and Cassie laid in the cool grass.  T.J. hadn't noticed after a while that the stars appeared in the sky and the moon was shining down on Cassie until he woke from his trance of admiring her gorgeous looks, her generous nature, and curvaceous body.

T.J. sat up, and walked over to Cassie and sat next to her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" T.J. asked.

"Yeah, it is," Cassie responded.  "I've always liked the stars.  They appear every night and just light up the world.  It's not the same looking at them from Earth as when we are in the Megaship."

T.J. smiled sweetly at Cassie and noticed she was shivering a bit.

"You cold," T.J. asked her with a small concerned look.

"Yeah, just a little bit," Cassie responded rubbing her arms to warm them up.

"Here, you can use my long sleeve shirt," T.J. said untying the sleeves from around his waist.

"Thanks, T.J.," she thanked as he helped her into it.  Afterwards, she gave the Blue Ranger a small hug and then looked up at the sky again.

T.J. and Cassie fell silent for a moment.  Perhaps looking at the Saturday night clear sky with awe made them quiet.

T.J. turned his head to look at Cassie who still remained looking up at the sky.

"What'cha thinking about," T.J. asked.

"Nothing really," Cassie said. "Just.. stuff."

T.J. gave her a small charming smile and looked up again as well.

"This is the perfect opportunity to tell her," T.J. thought to himself.  "We're alone, so nobody could walk in and interrupt."

However, doubtful thoughts began to grow in his mind.

"But what would she think if I told her?  Would our friendship be in jeopardy?  I better not risk it."

"You know, Cassie?  This is rather nice.  Thanks for letting me join you.  It's a good change from fighting the forces of evil.  You know, punching a Quantron here and there, and destroying a few monsters in the middle gets a bit tiresome after a while," T.J. spoke to Cassie.

"Well, Teej, you're my good friend.  I feel comfortable around you.  I mean, you were the first person I met here in Angel Grove, and I've grown a grand trust in you," Cassie said.

T.J. smiled at her, "Same here.  It's funny how things turned out after a simple bus trip."

T.J. and Cassie sat there for about another fifteen minutes.  T.J. found it rather odd that what felt like only a few minutes, turned into a couple of hours.  He picked up his wrist and looked at his communicator.

"We better get back, Cassie," T.J. suggested.  "The others might be worried about us."

Cassie yawned.  "Yeah, we should get back.  It's rather late and I'm sort of tired."

T.J. helped Cassie up to her feet and she brushed off the loose grass that was stuck to her.

"Alpha, we're teleporting back to the ship now," T.J. said to his communicator to warn them of their return.

They both pressed the teleportation button and landed in the work bay in flashes of blue and pink.

T.J. and Cassie walked to the Bridge to find the others in their normal suits and pressing buttons on the control panels.

"Hey, where have you two been," Ashley asked.

"Nowhere, just in the park checking out the view.  What are you guys up to?" Cassie said.

"We're still tracking Dark Specter's ship.  We came close to finding it, but lost the signal," Andros said still pressing buttons and not making eye contact with anyone.

"It's weird," Carlos said.  "Why would Dark Specter slip up like this and Astronema not do anything in defense?  She hasn't attacked in over two days."

"We better be on our guard then," T.J. said. "She might be preparing for a huge battle against us."

"Her attacks have become more fierce since her reprogramming," Carlos said.

T.J. looked at Andros after Carlos had said that.  Andros closed his eyes for a few seconds and continued to press buttons on the control panel as though the comment had no effect on him, even though it did.

"Hey, I'm going to go to sleep now.  I'm beat," Cassie said, yawning a bit.

"You okay, Cassie?" Ashley asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I don't know.  Today has drained me, and I didn't even do much.  Maybe a good night's rest will make me feel as good as new tomorrow," Cassie said.

"How about if I walk you to your room," T.J. offered.

"Okay," Cassie said.

"Night guys," Cassie said in her sweet voice and gave a cute wave at the others.

"Night," the other Rangers said after one another.

T.J. and Cassie both walked to the doors and they lifted up with a hum.  Cassie's room wasn't too far and they reached it in about 10 seconds.

"Here's your shirt, T.J.  Thanks for letting me use it," Cassie said.

"You're, as always, welcome," T.J. spoke in a high class gentleman way.

"Take it easy, Cassie.  Get some rest, we don't want our pink ranger sluggish tomorrow," he teased.

Cassie sort of laughed a bit giving T.J. a slight glare, "Funny. Night Teej."

"Yeah, you too," T.J. responded slowly stepping away from her door smiling at her.

Cassie went in her room and the door fell shut.

The thoughts of telling Cassie how he felt once again clouded T.J.'s mind.  Something in his heart wanted to tell her how he truly felt, but his mind was hesitant.  All he could think about was them sitting there alone in the park admiring the stars.  For some awkward reason, T.J. began to feel awfully weak and drowsy.  He thought that all that thinking might have caused it.  He figured he would head to bed as well. He made his way to the Bridge and entered and found Andros and Ashley.  He stopped in his tracks and noticed that Carlos was not present.  T.J. could hear Ashley and Andros laughing a bit and having a good time.  He didn't think they heard him approach, so T.J. didn't disturb them.  Instead, he left and headed to his room.  The door opened from bottom to top and he walked in, the lights turning on automatically.

"Thanks DECA," T.J. said in gratitude.

"My pleasure, T.J.," the super computer responded.

T.J. changed into his normal space jump suit.  He sat on his bed and leaned forward with his head looking down at the ground.  His mind still couldn't stop thinking of the day.  It seemed the more T.J. thought about it, the more sleepy he got until his head fell on his pillow.

Meanwhile on the Dark Fortress, Astronema was coming up with a new plan to attack the Rangers.  Ever since she became her new evil self, she's had nothing on her mind but destruction.

"We need to come up with a plan to finally destroy those Rangers," Astronema said with an evil intent pacing back and forth as her loyal protector, Ecliptor, stood ready to assist her in anyway.

"Perhaps we should take them out a little at a time, my Princess," Ecliptor suggested.

"Hmm...," Astronema said to herself. She smiled evilly and slowly walked to the main window of the Dark Fortress.

"Good idea, Ecliptor," Astronema said.  "Who should we begin with?"

"How about the Blue and Pink Rangers," Ecliptor asked.

"Yes...., those two... they seem to have some sort of special bond.  I've seen them in battle.  Always helping each other, defending, attacking together.  Yes, this could go very well," Astronema said.

"Call upon Sting Raider, Ecliptor. Now!" Astronema ordered.

"As you wish, Princess," Ecliptor responded and began to press buttons on the main computer of the Dark Fortress.

A huge flash of light and electricity lit up the room and there appeared a monster with massive power.  An ugly somewhat wrinkled face, long sharp nails, and an overall Sting Ray look.

"Sting Raider, at your service, Astronema, Princess of Darkness," the monster said with respects.  "How may I assist you?"

"You're going to attack the Blue and Pink Rangers and destroy them," Astronema said.

"It would be my pleasure, Princess," the monster responded.

"Failure is not an option.  If you do, I'll destroy you before you destroy them," Astronema threatened approaching Sting Raider while pointing her staff.

"I will not fail you, Astronema," Sting Raider said with a bow to Astronema.

"Now.. get out.  I'll call you when we're ready," Astronema ordered.

Sting Raider quickly exited the Bridge of the Dark Fortress as Astronema stood there, smiling evilly of her new plan.

"It's time to get up, T.J.," DECA said as her red scope lit up with each word.

T.J. slowly opened his eyes trying to enter back into reality from sleep.

"Thank you, DECA," T.J. said to her.

"You're welcome," she responded.

DECA and T.J. never really talked.  It was a normal basis thing for her to assist with certain things and T.J. thank her.  Other than that, no real communication was involved.

T.J. slipped on his space jacket, groomed himself properly, and headed to the work bay on Mega Deck 1.  He found Carlos, Cassie, Ashley, and Andros already eating their breakfast.

"Good morning, T.J.," Andros said.

Although T.J. was still a tad bit tired, he did feel ten times better than he did the previous night.  He approached the Synthetron letting out a small yawn and pressing the buttons to make bacon and eggs.  The Synthetron beeped and he slowly opened the door and the aroma of his breakfast did waken him a bit more. It wasn't the best bacon and eggs in the galaxy, but it was still good.  T.J. took a seat on his normal stool and began to eat.  The other Rangers were talking about random things.  Overall, they were being funny and joking around.  T.J. paid no particular attention though, acting as if he was in his own world within his mind.  However, he couldn't over help hearing them coming to the subject of who would clear the table after breakfast.  T.J. then noticed his fellow Rangers turned their attention on him.  He raised his head and looked at them slowly swallowing his food.

"Oh, I guess it's my turn," T.J. asked knowing they would make him do it whether it was his turn or not.

The other Rangers nodded with sly grins on their faces and smiling innocently.

"All right, I get the idea," T.J. said to them with a small smile.  "I'll clean up here as soon as you finish.  Besides, a little work never hurt anyone."

After a while, all the Rangers were finished eating and headed towards the Bridge.  T.J. was left alone in the work bay.  T.J. sat there for a while in the quiet area and slid out of his seat and began to stack each metal plate one on top of the other.  Some metal clanking began to approach and Alpha entered the work bay.

"Do you need some help, T.J.," Alpha offered in his high pitched voice.

"Nah, that's okay Alpha, I got it," T.J. declined.

"All right, T.J.," the robot responded and left to the Bridge.

T.J. picked up all the plates and placed them inside the Synthetron and shut the door.  As he headed towards the Bridge, the feeling he was missing something ran through his body.  He stood there for a second and realized he didn't have his morpher.

"Astro Morpher...  Man, I need to get on track today," T.J. said to himself and ran to his room to retrieve his ranger accouterment.  He slipped it on his left wrist and then looked up at the mirror that stood in front of him and saw himself reflected in it.  T.J., again, began to think about the previous night alone with Cassie.  To be honest with himself, that had to be the closest he had ever been with her.  The regrets of not telling her how he truly felt seemed to make him feel a little sad for a moment.  If there was a time to tell her, that was it, and he didn't do it.  Fear had consumed him.

"Eh.... maybe I shouldn't worry about it.  I mean, why would she be interested in me anyway?  I can tell she loves the Phantom.  Sorry, T.J., you can't help not being the one she love," T.J. said to himself in his mind and sighed.

A small knock and a voice came from the doorway.

"T.J.," Cassie asked poking her head into the room and looking at T.J. standing in front of his drawer.

T.J. was broken from his train of thought and turned his attention to the Pink Ranger he admired standing at the doorway.

"You all right," she asked in a sweet caring voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  Just thinking of... things," T.J. said to her.

Cassie cocked her head a bit and smiled.

"Come on, the others are wondering where you are," she said putting her hand on his
shoulder.

"All right," T.J. said as Cassie began to exit the room.  T.J. headed for the door as well to head back to the Bridge, but not before looking at the picture inside held within a metal frame sitting on the table next to the exit.  It was of T.J. and Cassie at the Angel Grove Fair about a month ago.  One of the greatest nights he had for a long time.  T.J. smiled a bit at the picture and left to join his fellow Rangers.

"Hey, there you are," Carlos said as Cassie and T.J. entered the Bridge.

"Yup, I'm still here," T.J. responded with a small smile.  "I forgot my morpher and went back to get it after cleaning up."

"Well, we're going to head down to Earth," Ashley said.  "My mom is throwing some get together with friends and family and wanted me to come help with the preparations.  Of course, I told her I would only go if you guys came too,"  Ashley smiled nervously waiting for an answer hoping her fellow Rangers would help out.

"Hmm... sounds fun.  I'm in.  How about you, guys," T.J. asked.

"Yeah, things seem pretty calm.  I say we go have a good time," Carlos said.

Andros stood there thinking and had a preoccupied expression on his face.

"Andros, what's wrong?" Cassie asked.

"Um, what's a get together?" he questioned.

Everyone sort of smiled and looked at Andros.

"It's like a party.  You know,  people talking and getting to know each other and stuff.  Catching up on old times," T.J. said in response to Andros' question about the Earth custom.

"Oh, okay," Andros replied with a nervous grin.  "Okay, let's head down to Earth then."

"Thanks, you guys," Ashley said with a smile.

"Should we get ready?" Cassie asked.

"Good idea," Carlos said.  "People would begin to wonder if we went to Earth wearing this."

Everyone chuckled at Carlos's comment and they went to their personal quarters.  T.J. chose to wear a nice blue long sleeved shirt, black jeans with brown shoes, and as soon as he was ready, he headed to the work bay to wait for the others.  From a distance, T.J. could hear Ashley and Cassie laughing and carrying on.

"Well, how do we look?", Ashley asked as her and Cassie did a fashion runway act entering the dining area.

T.J. smiled at them, "You two look great.  Of course, you always do."

Ashley and Cassie dropped their shoulders and looked at him with a smile.

"You're such a charmer," Cassie said with grin.

T.J. smiled a bit and looked down at the ground for a second and then at Cassie again.  A few moments later, Carlos and Andros entered the work bay as well.

"Ready?", Andros asked everyone.

"Yup, I think we're ready to head out," Ashley said, giving each ranger a short glance.

"All right," Andros said with a smile and took his place in front of the red jump tube.

Ashley, Carlos, Cassie, and T.J. then took their places in front of their designated color, did the hand motion simultaneously, and jumped inside the tubes.

Within seconds, they had arrived on Earth and landed behind The Surf Spot that people rarely went to.

The Rangers all walked to the front of the building and stood looking around at everything that surrounded them; trees, cars, people.

"Okay, let's see here...," Ashley said as she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket.

"A cake, punch mix, balloons, hamburger and hot dog supplies.... and the list goes on like this....", she said with a sigh.

"How about we divide the list up and pick up the stuff?", Carlos suggested.

"Good idea, Carlos," Ashley said and began to divide the list into three different parts.

"Um, can you get the party supplies?", she asked Carlos handing him that part of the list.

"Yeah, sure, no problem, Ash," Carlos responded, briefly looking over the list.

"Teej....., Cassie..," Ashley said stopping for a second to look over the two remaining lists.  "Can you get the food?"

"Uh, yeah, sure thing," T.J. responded, getting the list from Ashley.

Cassie responded with a nod and smile.

"Great," she said with a laughing smile.  "Andros and I will get the cake and the rest of the stuff on this list."

"All right," T.J. replied.  "Oh, where should we meet?"

"Oh..., we can meet at my house.  My mom would be very happy to know that you guys helped out with this," Ashley said in a sense of relief from having the list divided.

"All right, then, Ashley.  So, I guess we'll see you in a couple of hours," T.J. asked, looking at Cassie and then his other three ranger friends.

"Yeah," Carlos responded.  "Well, I'm going to go pick up this stuff.  I'll see you guys in a bit."

Carlos then slipped past the Rangers and headed down the sidewalk and down the street.

"Well, Cassie and I are going to go pick up the food," T.J. said to Ashley and Andros.

"All right, Teej.  See you later, Cassie," Ashley said giving us both a smile and then looking at Andros and signaling him to go.

T.J. and Cassie headed down the sidewalk to downtown Angel Grove while Ashley and Andros headed in the opposite direction.

"Man, there are tons of items on this list," Cassie said looking at it and sighing.  "You think we'll find all this?"

"Yeah, we should be able to," T.J. said with a slight nod to Cassie.

T.J. and Cassie continued down the sidewalk.  T.J. made short glances at Cassie, smiling a bit at the young lady walking with him.  Cassie looked up and met his eyes, and T.J. quickly directed his attention forward a bit embarrassed.

"T.J., um, I don't meant to pry, but is everything okay with you?  You seemed very preoccupied earlier when I saw you in your room," Cassie said.

"Yeah, everything is cool.  I was just thinking about a lot of things," T.J. replied in a low voice.

"Well, like what?" she asked curiously.

T.J. fell silent and became awfully nervous.  He couldn't possibly tell her what he was really thinking about.  He couldn't admit his feeling for her.  The damage it could cause to their friendship.

"Well...," Cassie said.  "Come on, Teej, you can tell me anything."

T.J. stopped in his tracks and looked at Cassie straight in her beautiful brown eyes.  Cassie smiled at him with a reassurance that he could tell her anything that was on his mind.  That was probably the best thing about Cassie; the ability to open up and put trust in her.

"Well, you see, the thing is... I've known you for quite some time now.  I think you're a great friend.  We do a lot of stuff together like hanging out and things like that.  I enjoy being around you.  The truth is..., well, it's that I...," T.J. said sort of trembling from nervousness.

"Yeah...?", Cassie said in a deep curious voice.

"I... li..", T.J. said nervously, stuttering a bit.

"T.J.! Look!" Cassie said pointing behind my shoulder.

Quantrons were attacking and terrorizing innocent people and destroying anything in their path.  T.J.'s eyes widened up and was frozen in place for a moment.

"Come on," T.J. said to Cassie and they both ran to a place where nobody was around.

"Let's Rocket!" T.J. yelled out and they both opened their Astro Morphers and morphed into their designated Ranger colors.  They both ran jumping in the air, kicking Quantrons on the way back to the ground, sending them towards their comrades.

The other remaining Quantrons looked down at their fallen soldiers, directed their attention to the Pink and Blue Ranger, and began to charge them with their blades lifted in the air.  One charged T.J. trying to knock him to the ground with the Q-Blade, but he ducked and kicked the Quantron in the back.  Cassie was doing punch and kick combinations on the ones coming from all directions at her.  T.J. ran up to Cassie and punched a Quantron in the stomach sneaking up behind her, grabbed it by the shoulder and sent it flying in the air.  T.J. stood next to Cassie in a stance ready to intercept another attack.

"What say we finish these guys," T.J. said boldly.

"You got it, T.J. Satellite Stunner!" Cassie commanded as her weapon suddenly appeared in a pink flash.

"Astro Axe!" T.J. called out as his weapon appeared in his hand in a blue flash.

Cassie fired her Satellite Stunner shooting circular rays at the Quantrons freezing them in place, and T.J. initiated his Astro Axe Spin attack hitting each of them.  Sparks flew everywhere as each Quantron collapsed to the ground in pain.

"All right.  We got 'em," Cassie rejoiced.

"Yeah, great job, Cass," T.J. replied with confidence putting his arm up for a cross wrist high five and she met her wrist with his.

"You too, Teej.  You were awesome," she replied in praise.

"Don't you think you Rangers are celebrating a little prematurely?" a mysterious voice bellowed through the smoky area.

"Who are you," T.J. asked demandingly to the monster approaching.

T.J. and Cassie retreated a bit, getting a look at the huge Sting Ray slowly making his way towards them.

"I am Sting Raider.  I've been sent to destroy you pathetic Rangers once and for all!" he said and shot bolts of lightning from his fingers at Cassie and T.J. who jumped to the side in opposite directions.

Cassie charged the monster dodging the hard punch he threw, and kicked it, but Sting Raider slashed her with his sharp claws sending her to the ground.

T.J. ran up to Sting Raider, gripping and running with it a bit, and punched him in the stomach, but didn't phase him at all.  Sting Raider grabbed T.J. by the arm and sent him flying in the air hitting the ground back first.

"You Rangers aren't so tough.  I expected a much tougher battle from you," Sting Raider said standing over T.J. laughing and mocking the two fallen Rangers.  Cassie managed to pick herself up back to her feet, but didn't last when Sting Raider sent another lightning bolt at her sending her back to the pavement.

"All right, time to finish this ranger once and for all," Sting Raider declared, charging up an attack from his red ears.

T.J. laid there in pain and tried to regather himself to his feet with every last bit of strength in his body.  He was able to get to his feet stumbling a bit, raised his arm, and leaped in the air and shielding Cassie from the monster's attack.

"Noooo!!" Cassie yelled, as the multiple shots kept striking T.J. in the chest.

Sting Raider's attack ceased and T.J. fell to his knees with the rest of his body collapsing to the ground.

Cassie who was still on the ground, crawled her way to T.J., slightly sniffling and agonizing in a bit of pain.

"Teej, talk to me, are you all right?  Answer me!  Come on...", Cassie repeatedly asked.  However, T.J. was too badly hurt to respond.  His whole body seemed paralyzed and all he could do was lay there.  T.J. felt Cassie's hand on his shoulder.

"T.J.....," Cassie said in a mourning tone.  "Andros, Carlos, Ashley, we need your help over here.  Hurry!"

Cassie put her wrist down as she ended the transmission on the communicator.

"Awww... how sweet of you pinky, comforting your fallen comrade.  Too bad you won't be able to for long.  You're coming with  me," Sting Raider declared slowly approaching Cassie.

Cassie slowly retreated a few steps back.  Sting Raider came up next to T.J. and gave him one good stomp on the back and T.J. grunted as if someone pierced him in the back badly.

Cassie quickly stood up and jumped to attack the monster, but he quickly dodged the attack, grabbed Cassie's arms, and crossed them behind her back.

"Astronema will be very pleased to have a captured ranger," Sting Raider commented with a laugh.

From the distance, Andros, Ashley, and Carlos morphed and all were running up to the carnage that had just taken place.

"You're too late, Rangers.  Until we meet again," Sting Raider said and vanished in a bolt of lightning along with Cassie.

Carlos slowly approached T.J. kneeling in front of him.  "Teej, are you all right?"

As with Cassie, T.J. still didn't reply.  The blows from Sting Raider immobilized him and any attempt to speak or move made the pain worse.

"Quickly, we better get him back to the ship," Andros said.

"Right," Carlos responded.  "Galaxy Gliders, hang ten."

The yellow, black, and red Galaxy Glider flew in and landed in front of the other three Rangers.  Carlos slowly and carefully picked up T.J. and set him on his galaxy glider.  T.J. began to lose his vision until everything went black.

"I didn't say capture a ranger.  I said destroy them," Astronema said furiously aiming her staff at Sting Raider who knelt in front of Astronema pleading for mercy.

"My apologies, Astronema.  Please forgive me, my Queen...," Sting Raider begged bowing in respect.

Astronema slowly backed away from Sting Raider and set her staff down and looked at Ecliptor then shot a quick stare at the Pink Ranger being held prisoner by two Quantrons.

"Perhaps this could work after all," Astronema said slowly approaching the captive Pink Ranger.  "Your blue friend will soon meet his demise."

"His name is T.J.," Cassie snapped in retaliation at Astronema.

"No matter, he will be destroyed one way or another.  And you, you will be his downfall," Astronema declared to Cassie with a malicious smile.

"Lock her up!" she ordered the Quantrons.

"As you command," the Quantrons replied and took Cassie to the Dungeon area of the Dark Fortress.

The Quantrons threw her in the cell and activated the electric light bars to keep her from escaping.  Cassie sighed, looking around the musty old cell and sat on the cold, metal bench and stared blindly outside of the cell.  The images of the battle on Earth with her and T.J. haunted her mind and seeing the pain that T.J. endured made her even sadder until a tear slid down her soft cheek.  In the mist of that terrible ordeal, another thought preoccupied her;  what T.J. was trying to tell her.  She didn't quite understand what he was telling her, but of course, the attack ordered by Astronema had made her more confused because T.J. was in the middle of telling her what was on his mind.  Cassie began to look back on the past few weeks.  Most of it was spent with T.J.  Whether it was at the mall, the park, or helping out in the Megaship, T.J. was always at her side.  Last night, T.J. sitting with her alone, she sensed he was tense and nervous.  Cassie seemed to sense this every so often when T.J. was with her.  As though he wanted to tell her something, but couldn't.  A feeling of shock ran through Cassie's body as she began to fit the pieces together.  The time they spent, the generosity T.J. showed to her, the caring and support; these were signs of a true friendship.  However, T.J. showed this more strongly with Cassie than the other Rangers.

"Could T.J. have feelings for me?" Cassie asked to herself looking up.

"The truth Cassie, well, after we met and became Power Rangers, I found you to be a true friend.  Growing up, I never had friends who would be there for me like you have.  But getting to know you and you to know me, I found something very special about you.  Not just your gorgeous looks, and passion for life, but your general nature.  Cassie..... I like you.  I like you.. a lot," T.J. said, standing in front of Cassie looking down at her colored eyes.

"T.J..., I don't know what to say," Cassie replied, turning her back towards T.J.

"You don't have to say anything.  Just tell me if you feel the same way or not," T.J. said placing his hands on Cassie's shoulders.

Cassie stood still for a moment while T.J. waited  for Cassie to answer.  The expression on T.J.'s face without a doubt defined his love for Cassie.  He stood there until Cassie faced him once again.  A few strands of hair fell in front of her eyes, and T.J.
gently moved them with his fingers to the side looking straight into Cassie's eyes.

"I....," Cassie stopped in her sentence.  T.J.'s eyes widened a bit and then closed them waiting for her to finish.

"I like you too, T.J.," Cassie finished with a sad smile on her face.

T.J. opened his eyes slowly.  He stood there for a second looking straight at Cassie.  The sentence he had just heard was still being savored in T.J's mind.  His eyes lit up and began to laugh a bit and hugged Cassie.  T.J.'s true moment of happiness had been fulfilled as he embraced Cassie in his gentle hug.  Cassie was laughing a bit too.  T.J. finally felt that heaviness lifted from his heart.  T.J. shut his eyes once again savoring the moment and then he felt a small jerk.  T.J. quickly opened his eyes and saw Sting Raider attempting to pull Cassie and then the hug was broken as Sting Raider had full grip of Cassie and laughed maniacally..

"Cassie!" T.J. yelled grunting and straining to move his feet, but with no avail.  They were somehow frozen in place.

"T.J., help me!" Cassie cried out as she was being pulled back.

T.J. began going into tears still trying to move with all of his strength.  However, it did no good and all he could do was see the woman he loved being taken away from him. Cassie and Sting Raider had both disappeared in the far distance and the force that held T.J. in place released him and he fell to the ground on his knees.

"Cassie.....!!" T.J. yelled out, looking up, and mourning his loss.

T.J. slowly opened his eyes escaping the horrible dream he just endured.  As he blinked, he felt the tears build up that came from his dream and wiped them away with his hand.  Staring at the ceiling for a brief moment, he inspected the area around him.  T.J. was laid across the infirmary bed with a monitoring bracelet connected to his upper left arm.  A white piece of cloth was wrapped around his chest and a blanket laid below his waist.  T.J. checked the monitoring machine next to him and the readings proved to be normal.  He slipped the bracelet off his arm and headed for the Bridge.  As he entered, he found Andros, Ashley, and Carlos working at the consoles.

"Hey, what are you doing up?  You're hurt," Ashley said quickly running up to T.J.

"Yeah, T.J., you shouldn't be up and walking around right now.  You took a pretty bad hit," Carlos said approaching T.J. slowly with Andros next to him.

"I don't care about my condition right now," T.J. said abruptly. "Have you located Cassie yet?"

"We're working on that, but you, you need to recuperate, T.J.  You are not in good shape; you need to rest," Andros said sternly.

T.J. glared at Andros for a few seconds who returned a stare back.  T.J. was almost compelled to say that the one he cherished was not captured.  That the one he truly liked was not taken prisoner by Astronema.  However, T.J. held in the anger and frustration and didn't say anything.

"Come on, T.J.," Ashley said putting her hand on his shoulder.  T.J. glared at Ashley for a split second and then sighed and got his emotions under control.

"All right," he said and nodded.  He looked somberly at Andros and Carlos as he backed up and exited the Bridge.

T.J. slowly entered the Infirmary as Ashley followed.  He took a seat on the medical bed as Ashley took a seat on the chair about seven feet across from him.

"This whole thing has you worked up, doesn't it?" Ashley asked, cocking her head a bit and putting her hands together looking at T.J. who was looking down at the ground.

"What do you mean," T.J. replied, lift his head and looking at Ashley with curiosity.

"Well, it's pretty obvious that you're upset about this.  I don't know what happened exactly, but you seemed pretty... aggravated back at the Bridge," Ashley said looking at T.J.

Ashley stood up and took a seat next to T.J. and put her arm around him.

"What's up, T.J.?  Lately, you haven't been that great charismatic person.  Anything you want to talk about?" she asked sweetly.

T.J. shook his head and let out a big sigh.  "I just wish I could have done something.  I can't believe I just let her be kidnapped like that."

"T.J..., look, you did what you could.  You did your best against the monster.  He just had more power.  What matters is that you gave it everything you had.  You can't blame yourself for something you have no control over," Ashley said, giving him a pep talk and attempting to make him feel better.  "If there is one thing I know well about you, it's that you care for others.  You are willing to put yourself on the line for others.  That is a very definite attribute, T.J.  Not many people would do what you do."

"Yeah, but...," T.J. responded and stopped not knowing what to say next.

"But what?" Ashley asked.

"T.J., I've known you for quite a bit.  Please tell me if I'm overstepping boundaries here, but... I have a feeling that you care about Cassie more than a normal friend would.  You like her don't you?" she asked.

T.J.'s eyes widened and looked at Ashley feverishly.  He couldn't say anything; he didn't know how to respond to that.  The cat was out of the bag and as much as he would deny it, Ashley wouldn't believe him.  He couldn't believe it was that obvious.  T.J. still didn't know what to say.

"Look, Teej, it's okay.  I won't say anything," she said and gave T.J. a comforting smile.

"Yeah.. I do like her... a lot," T.J. answered feeling flustered.

Ashley smiled putting one of her hands on T.J.'s.  "Hey, it's all right.  I think it's great that you care for her deeply.  You're a great person and I don't see why she would feel awkward about you liking her," Ashley said with much confidence.

"Yeah, but what if she doesn't feel the same way?  I don't want to ruin the friendship we do have.  Cassie was the first person I met in Angel Grove.  After getting to know her, I found this special quirk about her.  Under that rebel attitude is a sweet, beautiful young lady who enjoys life and the people around her," T.J. told Ashley of his infatuation with Cassie.

"Yeah, she seems to be a very unique young lady.  One of a kind," Ashley responded.

"It's just that... all I want is for to be happy.  Even if it means sacrificing mine.  That's how much I care for her," T.J. explained looking at Ashley in her light brown eyes.

"I'm sure she would appreciate everything you would do for her," Ashley responded.

The alarms began to blare and Carlos ran to the Infirmary.

"Teej, you need to come to the Bridge, and fast," he said catching his breath.

"Let's go," T.J. said to Ashley, setting his feet to the ground and running to the Bridge with the Yellow and Black Rangers.

All three of them entered the Bridge slowly.  Andros was next to the door as Ashley and Carlos stood next to him and T.J. confronted Sting Raider, who was on the main viewing screen.

"Aaah, Blue Ranger, I'm glad to see you're still alive and well," he said in a cackling voice.

"Cut the sarcasm and get to your point," T.J. said scrupulously.

"Now, now, that's no way to talk to the monster that has your friend captive," he said laughing evilly.

"If you've harmed her, I swear, I will...," T.J. said threateningly.

"You're in no position to make threats, ranger.  As long as I have your friend, you will show some respect," he replied.  T.J. gave the monster a nasty glare with hatred indescribable.

"Let her go," T.J. said demandingly.

"No so fast, ranger. If you want her back, you have to meet me in one on one combat.  You win, she is released; I win, I get to destroy you and her," Sting Raider proposed.

T.J.'s anger suddenly changed to anxiety.  He stared down at the ground for a moment thinking of what to choose.  But what was there to think about?  Of course he would have to enter battle.  Cassie was on the line and somebody had to save her.  He had to save her.

"You got it," T.J. said with confidence.

"What?!  Are you crazy, T.J.?" Carlos ran up behind him grabbing his shoulder and forcing T.J. to face him.

"Look, somebody has to rescue Cassie and I'm the only one who can," T.J. replied to Carlos with a hand gesture of letting him know he meant business.

"But..," Ashley said.

"No buts.  I'm going to fight him, and none of you are going to make me change my mind," T.J. declared, glaring at Andros, Carlos, and Ashley and facing Sting Raider again.

"All right, Sting Raider, where do we meet?" T.J. asked lifting his head up a bit.

"Meet me on the planet Tyrus, it's in the Ryler Galaxy," Sting Raider informed.  T.J. gave him another hard stare letting him know he understood very well.

"So long ranger, I'll be waiting for you...," he said and laughed maniacally as the transmission was cut.

"Andros, can you set a course for the Ryler Galaxy?" T.J. asked him.

"Yeah, sure." Andros replied with a bit of hesitation.  "We'll be there in no time."

"Good," T.J. replied.  "I have a few things I need to take care of before this battle."

He began to exit the Bridge until Carlos called out.

"Teej, you need some help?" he asked willing to help his best friend for this battle.

"No, I got it, thanks anyway," T.J. responded, making eye contact.

"All right.  Just remember the Power Ranger will always be there to back you up, no matter what," Carlos reassured T.J.

T.J. grinned and looked at Ashley and gave her a big smile.  He figured she would know what it was for;  thanking her for listening and being there.  She returned the smile and then went to help Andros.

"I'll see you guys in a bit," T.J. said and exited the Bridge.

"The battle is set, my Queen," Sting Raider said walking up to Astronema and doing a respectful bow to her.

"Excellent," Astronema replied with an evil smile.  "Now, remember,  don't fail me."

"Don't worry, I will finish what I started with this ranger.  I will not fail you," Sting Raider declared to Astronema giving her his word.

"Now, go, get the Pink Ranger and head down to the planet to prepare," Astronema ordered.  "Quantrons, go with him."

"As you wish, my Queen," Sting Raider said.  He exited the Bridge of the Dark Fortress with several Quantrons and entered the Dungeon Area.

They all stood outside of Cassie's cell.  Sting Raider laughed a bit.

"You're coming with us, ranger.  I want you to be there when I destroy your friend and then you afterwards," he said as one of the Quantron deactivated the electric light bars.

Sting Raider grabbed her by the arm.  Cassie didn't like how she was being man handled and kicked him in the stomach trying to escape, but the Quantrons intervened and outnumbered her as they captured her.

"My, my, you are tough ranger.  I can see why they chose you to hold this great power," Sting Raider said looking down at her.  Cassie gave him a nasty look and didn't say anything.

"Let's get going, we need to prepare.. now," Sting Raider said, and the Quantrons followed.

"Good, I'm glad I was able to get a connection to you," T.J. said in the headphone speaker.

"T.J., how may I be of service?" the voice replied back.

"I need you to meet me at the following coordinates I'm sending you now," T.J. said.

"Aah, yes, the Ryler Galaxy.  But.. why there?" the voice asked.

"You'll find out soon enough.  How long do you think it'll be before you arrive?" T.J. asked, hoping it would be very soon.

"It'll take some time, but I think I can get there fairly quickly," the voice responded.  "Don't worry, I'll be there as fast as I can."

"All right, I'll be waiting then," T.J. said.  "Ending communication line."

T.J. cut the communication and set the headphones on the console and got up from the seat.  He rubbed his face for a moment trying to relax and get focused at the task at hand.  T.J. exited the Bridge and sat on his normal stool where he ate at in the work bay.  A few moments later, Andros entered the work bay and took a seat across from T.J.

"Hey," Andros greeted with that innocent smile he does every time he says hello to anyone.

"Hey," T.J. responded, with no real emotion.

"Look, I just want to say.. I think you're doing the right thing.  At first, I thought a battle like this, well, one on one with Astronema's monsters is pretty unpredictable.  But we have no choice..... you have no choice.  It's Cassie's life on the line, and it can't be let go that easily.  If I were you, I'd probably be feeling the same way.  If Karone was on the line, I would have probably done exactly what you did," Andros said to T.J., giving him some empathy.

T.J. sat still with his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands.  He didn't respond.

"T.J., you're a true Power Ranger.  I can see why you were chosen to lead the Rangers on Earth.  You're willing to do whatever it takes for victory.  I commend you for taking this huge risk," Andros said.  "Here, I want you to take this with you."

Andros pulled out his Battlizer which he had always used in certain battles to devastate his foes.

"Just in case things get rough down there.  I programmed it to allow you to do the Flying Punch I do in battle with it.  All you do is activate it by pressing '01'," Andros explained, showing him the buttons on the Battlizer.

T.J. looked down at the Battlizer that laid in his hands for a brief moment.  A valuable weapon was now placed in his hands and he intended to use it.  T.J. lifted his head to look at Andros.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," he said with gratitude to Andros.

"Rangers, we are over the planet Tyrus," DECA informed us.

Ashley and Carlos entered the work bay after hearing the news from DECA and stood next to Andros.

"Well...," T.J. said with a small sigh.  "It's show time.  Thanks for all your help guys."

"Yeah, it was no problem, Teej," Carlos said.

"We'll be monitoring the fight here on the Megaship," Andros said.

"All right," T.J. responded going up the two steps onto the platform where the jump tubes were.

The four Rangers fell silent.  It had come down to the final show down, and none of the Rangers, not even T.J. knew what to say or think.  All they could do was hope for the best in the end.

"T.J....," Ashley called out as he turned around to face her.  "Good luck."

"Thanks... I'm going to need it," T.J. responded facing the other Rangers in front of his blue jump tube.

T.J. shut his eyes for a moment focusing at the battle at hand.  He quickly opened them again, pointed his left arm forward, quickly turned grabbing the railing above the tube, jumped inside and landed on his Galaxy Glider, morphed and all.  He flew down to the planet and came upon a huge opened area.  It was practically deserted, but seemed to serve well as an arena.  He walked to the middle of the area and electric ropes appeared around him in a circle.  A light from outside the ring appeared and Cassie was visible inside a force field.  T.J.'s eyes met with Cassie as she stood there fearlessly.  She didn't seem too worried, for she had faith her in friend.

"Cassie?" T.J. called out to her.

"Yes, T.J., I'm here.  I'm all right," Cassie responded.

"Not for long....," a voice called out from the side and Sting Raider appeared.

"Welcome, Blue Ranger.  I'm glad you could make it," he said as his voice echoed within the area.

"Come on, let's finish this," T.J. said, pointing his finger towards him.

"My, you sound very confident right now, but I assure you, I'm not going to make it easy for you," Sting Raider said.  As he nodded and a sword electrically appearing in his hands.

Sting Raider began the fight waving his sword in the air and running towards T.J.  Brandishing it, he slashed T.J. across the chest sending him twirling through the air and landing on the ground.  T.J. got back up to his feet, jumped in the air and attempted to do an air kick, but Sting Raider grabbed his foot and forced T.J. to fall on his back.  He continuously stomped on his stomach until T.J. was able to roll away and positioned himself on his knees.

"Astro Blaster!" T.J. commanded.  He drew it from the holster and fired it on Sting Raider, but miraculously, he vanished.

T.J. ran to the spot where Sting Raider stood and looked in all directions for him.

"He's gone.  Come on, Sting Raider, quit pulling the vanishing act and fight me," T.J. yelled out, knowing that Sting Raider heard him.

"Be careful what you ask for, ranger," Sting Raider said and struck T.J. in the back with a lightning bolt.

"Ugh...," T.J. groaned stumbling forward and hitting the ground.  Sting Raider extended his arm forward forming a lightning rope around T.J. throwing him in different directions until he released him and T.J. rolled on the ground.

"Come on, ranger.  I know you can do better than this," Sting Raider said with sarcasm.

T.J. regathered himself and stood up.

"Astro Axe!" T.J. commanded and his Axe appeared in his hand.  He stood ready to attack.  "You got it."

T.J. stood up tall, positioned his Astro Axe, initiated his spinning attack and flew towards Sting Raider striking him continuously until he fell back holding his chest and stomach.

"Grrr... you're going to pay for that ranger," Sting Raider threatened and threw his hand forward.   His claws detached and flew towards T.J., only slightly harming him.  Sting Raider growled, running towards T.J. with all of his power and struck him hard on the chest with his knifelike claws sending T.J. to the ground once again.  Sting Raider laughed and mocked the fallen Blue Ranger as he retreated back a bit on the ground.

"Some ranger you are.  Somehow, I thought you would be more formidable.  Oh well, time to finish you off," Sting Raider said chortling, raising his sword high in the air.  T.J. shot one glance at Cassie before he would face the ultimate blow.

"T.J., don't give up.  You can do it.  I know you can," Cassie said looking straight at the Blue Ranger.  T.J. turned his attention back at Sting Raider who was about to end the battle, looked down at his Astro Axe, clenching his right fist, lifted his left hand with the Astro Axe and caught Sting Raider's sword as it was about to strike.

"I don't think so," T.J. shot at Sting Raider, looking at him face to face holding his sword trapped within his Astro Axe.  "There is one thing you forgot about Power Rangers;  we never give up as long as we support and have each other."

T.J. punched Sting Raider in the stomach and released his Astro Axe from his sword, and struck Sting Raider across the chest with it and fumbled back a few steps.

"You Rangers are truly pathetic.  I'm going to finish all of you one by one, starting with you, Blue Ranger," Sting Raider declared, pointing his sword towards T.J.

Sting Raider stepped up to his feet and attempted to do a running attack.  T.J pointed his Astro Axe forward, leaped in the air and slashed Sting Raider across his face and sending him flying back.

"You're going down for the count, Sting Raider.  Battlizer online," T.J. commanded and the weapon appeared on his left wrist.  He opened it up and pressed the '01' button and his entire fist glowed vibrantly.  Sting Raider climbed to his feet, smoking badly from the damage endured from T.J.

"Curse you, ranger!" Sting Raider yelled out.

T.J. leaped in the air, his fist fully charged and struck Sting Raider with the final blow of the battle.  Sting Raider flew back and landed on the ground back first.  Sting Raider stood up with one final comment.

"You.. will never.. defeat... Astronema," Sting Raider finally said, fell back and exploded with debris spread across the arena and a small fire where he fell.

"Those Rangers have beaten me again!" Astronema yelled out pacing back and forth furiously.

"Obviously that monster was not powerful enough to defeat them," Ecliptor said watching her.

"Not to worry though.  Every victory they have will only bring them closer to their ultimate doom," Astronema said calming herself.

"Soon, the Rangers will bow down to me, and then I will destroy them, once and for all," Astronema declared, smiling at her loyal protector.

T.J. stood in the middle of the arena breathing in hard from exhaustion from the battle and looking down at his Astro Axe and Battlizer.  He lifted his head and directed his attention to Cassie, who was standing where the force field imprisoned her, motionless.  T.J. called off his weapons and went towards Cassie, slowly removing his helmet.

"Are you all right," T.J. asked, looking at her straight in the eyes.

Cassie gave T.J. a hug.  "Yes, I'm fine.  Thanks.. for coming to save me and all."

T.J. nodded.  "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"T.J...," a voice behind him called out.  T.J. quickly turned around and saw the Phantom Ranger had arrived on schedule.  He lowered his head, avoiding to look at Cassie as he walked up to the Phantom.

"Hey," T.J. greeted with a small smile.

"It's nice to see you again, T.J.," the Phantom responded with a nod.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice," T.J. said.

"No problem," Phantom replied.  Both Space Rangers and the mysterious Phantom fell silent for a brief moment.

"Well, there she is.. go; talk to her," T.J. suggested to the mysterious knight.  Phantom looked at Cassie and then at T.J. one last time through his shiny black helmet and slowly walked towards Cassie.

T.J. left the two warriors by themselves and went to his Galaxy Glider.  He made one final glance at the two Rangers, placed his helmet on his head and rode his Galaxy Glider back to the ship.  T.J. teleported into the work bay, standing on the platform in front of the jump tubes.  Ashley, Andros, and Carlos were already there standing next to the table in the middle of the room.

"So, what happened?" Carlos asked.

"Where's Cassie?" Andros asked immediately after Carlos.

"Everything went okay Cassie's fine.  She's on the planet talking with somebody," T.J. answering both questions and looking at Ashley.  Ashley made no emotional expressions, but just looked back at T.J.  He stepped down from the platform and prepared to exit the work bay.

"T.J..?  Are you all right?" Carlos asked.

T.J. stopped in his tracks, but made no effort to face them directly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," T.J. said with a tear rolling down his face.  "I just need some rest."

With those final words, he completely exited the work bay and went to his personal quarters.

T.J. smiled at Ashley as she talked with her mom and her friends about what she was like as a child.  Apparently, she was quite troublesome.  He then saw Carlos and Andros having a good time talking about different things and enjoying the food and punch on the huge picnic tables across the patio.  Cassie, however, looked emotionless holding her refreshment cup.  She just stood there, lifeless, as though a million thoughts were running through her mind.  Of course, T.J. couldn't blame her since he was responsible for it.  T.J. stared at her for a few seconds and sighed a bit.  He turned back around sitting correctly in the picnic table and looked up at the sky.  It was filled with stars again, much like the night two days ago.  Cassie walked up to the side of T.J.  She was dressed in nice white jeans, black shoes and a nice, thick pink vest.  She cocked her head a bit at T.J. trying to get his attention.

"Hey," she greeted in a slight distant way.  "You mind if I sit here?"

"No, not at all," T.J. responded, scooting over a bit to give her room to join him.

Cassie inhaled a little.  "Lovely, isn't it," she queried as she gently exhaled.

"Yeah, it's nice.  Really nice," T.J. responded with a nod and a small wry face.

"Uh... T.J...?" Cassie said softly.

He slowly turned his head to face her.  "Yeah?"

"I thought it was sweet what you did for me yesterday.  Saving me, and...," she said stopping in the middle of her sentence.

"Well, you know, contacting the Phantom," Cassie said eventually completing her sentence.

"Yeah...," T.J. said emotionless and sort of trailing off.

"But...," Cassie said, "why did you ask him to come?"

"Well..." T.J. said, softly not facing her.  Cassie turned her body to completely face T.J. and hear what he had to say.

"Come on, Teej, tell me.  I need to know why you did that," she asked with deep curiosity.

"All right, Cassie," T.J. said and sighed.  "The reason I did it was because... I just wanted you to be happy, that's all."

"I don't understand, T.J.," she replied with confusion.

T.J. looked at her straight in the eyes and held her left, soft hand.

"Cassie, I've known you for the past year.  I've always considered you one of my best friends and I enjoy being around you.  Lately, something in my heart, it wants to be more than just friends.  What I'm trying to say is..., I like you... a lot," T.J. uttered confessing everything.

Cassie made no movements and just stared at T.J.  A sudden feeling of embarrassment and dread ran through his body and he released her hand from his.

"Um... sorry... I shouldn't have said that..... I shouldn't have called the Phantom," T.J. said becoming extremely unhappy and nervous.

"Basically, I'm sorry for all this," T.J. said and exited through the side gate, heading towards the front driveway.  Cassie continued to sit there blindly staring at the ground.

"T.J...," she said softly as she got up and followed him.

T.J. was in the front pacing back and forth, wondering why he just said what he said, and becoming very frustrated with himself.

"Once again, T.J., you kidded yourself," he thought to himself.

"T.J.?" Cassie called out to him.  He quickly turned around and saw Cassie standing there.

T.J. looked at her for a second and then sat on the curb, thinking.

"Are you all right," she asked, standing over him and then taking a seat next to him.

"No.. not really," T.J. responded sadly.

"T.J., I'm sorry for what happened back there.  I didn't mean to upset or offend you like that," she said putting her right hand on his left shoulder.

"No, you didn't do anything," T.J. reassured her.  "I just..."

"I was just a little embarrassed telling you all that and seeing that expression on your face," T.J. finished his sentence.

"Why would you be?" Cassie asked.

"Well, for one, I might have ruined the friendship we do have, and two...," T.J. said, stopping for a moment. "you might not feel the same way I do."

"T.J., to be honest; I do feel the same way," she said to him.

T.J. blinked at her in shock and stared at her with disbelief.  Cassie stood on her feet and walked a bit.

"Yesterday, when I was talking with the Phantom.... we came to the realization that any relationship we might have wouldn't work.  We're from totally different worlds.  Although we fight evil, he is a lone traveler, going where he is needed, helping in anyway he can.  With both of us constantly traveling around the galaxy, it's nearly impossible to hold any relationship together..," Cassie explained.

T.J. stood to his feet and looked at her, still not sure how to react.

"You, T.J..., we've known each other for quite some time now.  You've always been there for me, in the bad and good times.  You've lifted my spirits up when I needed it and you're overall a great friend to me.  When I was being held on the Dark Fortress and remembering what happened to you during that battle, it brought upon a heavy load on my heart.  To see you hurt like that hurt me.. a lot.  I think being captured helped me realize who I was deeply infatuated with.  Now, I realize, that person was you the whole time," Cassie said, finally looking at T.J. again.

T.J. slowly walked up to Cassie and stood in front of her, still with no idea of how to react.  He didn't know what to say.  The thought of Cassie feeling the same way was still juggling his mind and was curious to know if she really did or not.

"So..," T.J. said with a half smile.  "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes, I do feel exactly the same about you, T.J.," she said with a smile.

T.J.'s half smile became a full smile while standing there looking at Cassie.  His mind became so full of happiness, that he couldn't think of anything to say, but rather embraced her in a hug.  A part of him was now complete.

He broke the hug and looked at Cassie for a moment.  Slowly they drifted closer and closer until their lips met in a gentle kiss.  After the kiss, T.J. slowly drew his head back giving Cassie another smile and Cassie returning it with a sweet one from her.

"You want to take a little walk around the neighborhood?" T.J. asked Cassie.

"I would love to," Cassie replied.

The Pink and Blue Ranger walked down the quiet street as the stars danced in the sky and the moon shining down like a spotlight on the couple.  T.J. held Cassie close to him as they continued the walk.  For the first time, he could express his true loving actions towards Cassie.