He ducked under the metallic letters in the store-bought banner, dodging a balloon as someone batted it in his direction. It hit his brother instead, and the teen slapped it hard enough to send it drifting back the way it came. "Balloon wars!" he heard his brother declare, and he grinned to himself as he paused by the window.

The sky was darkening outside as the sun slowly withdrew from the horizon, marking the end of his eighteenth birthday. Or at least, the day's end--he had no doubt the party would continue for some time yet. Tomorrow was a school day, so he expected most of his friends to disappear early, but they hadn't even cut the cake yet and no one would leave without food.

He scanned the horizon, picking out Venus even in the bright glow of sunset. When he looked, he could see Jupiter sparkling faintly in the oncoming twilight as well. He stared at the planets for a long moment, aware that most people in the room behind him wouldn't know them from stars. But after that all too brief time on Aquitar last fall, it had seemed strange to know more about another solar system's planets than his own.

It wasn't just a matter of pride, either. Learning what he could about Earth's sky made him feel closer to the stars--closer, somehow, to what he had known during those few short months offplanet. *I'll find a way to get back up there,* he promised the sky, as he had almost every night since returning to Earth.

He heard the stereo start up behind him, and he turned away from the window before his musing could turn melancholy. He was supposed to be celebrating, after all--not just his birthday, but their approaching graduation. The AGHS senior class of '99 could count on one hand the number of weeks left before they were free.

"Fix your hat, man," Terrence advised, slapping a paper cone on top of Carlos' head. "You're it."

Carlos rolled his eyes, grabbing the party hat before it could fall. He should have been paying more attention. Scanning the room, he couldn't help but notice how studiously everyone was pretending not to ignore him without actually meeting his gaze. He wandered toward the stereo, his eye lighting on the Twister game that seemed to have started while he stared out the window.

"Uh-uh, no fair!" Jhoudar protested, as Carlos slapped the hat on his head. The boy in charge of the Twister spinner shook his head vehemently, tossing the hat to the floor and glaring up at his friend from under his untrimmed bangs. "No multi-gaming!"

"You're not playing, you're just spinning," Carlos informed him with a grin. "Sorry man."

Jhoudar sighed dramatically, glancing back at the game. "Hey, Karen," he said, his tone changing from petulant to smug in the space of a few seconds. "Come here for a second."

"Nice try, Spinner Boy," she retorted, blowing out a puff of air as a balloon drifted in her direction. The balloon bobbed slightly but didn't change course, and she reached up to bat it away. "Just put the hat on and call the colors."

He chuckled, watching Jhoudar tilt the spinner toward him so Karen wouldn't see him move it. "Red," he announced a smirk on his face.

TJ moved his right hand just as Karen shifted her weight to her left, and the stretch put her offbalance enough that his movement made her slip. "You're out!" Jhoudar crowed.

She rolled her eyes as she extracted herself from the group, stalking in his direction. "I'm spinning. Give me that."

"Why certainly," Jhoudar said pleasantly, springing to his feet as she approached. He offered her the spinner with one hand and reached out to place the hat on her head with the other. Karen ducked, grabbing the spinner and dancing back out of reach.

The sound of a noisemaker in his ear made Carlos jump, and he turned to see his brother grinning at him. "Music request?"

"Anything but this," he answered, and his brother laughed.

"Done. Hey, want to prove that it isn't the soccer ball that matters?"

Carlos gave him a suspicious look. "What are you talking about?"

Apparently the question meant "yes", for he found himself being dragged across the room toward the kitchen. "The doorway is the goal, see," his brother was explaining. "Liz says she keeps losing because crumpled wrapping paper isn't the same as a soccer ball, but I think Tessa's just a really good goalie. We need you to prove it for us."

"Either you suck or Aura's an incredible goalie!" Yarrow's remembered shout was an echo in his mind, and he shook it off as he sized up the "opposition". Tessa was a petite blonde girl, smaller than Aura and with more laughter than determination in her eyes. He grinned at her, tossing the ball of crumpled wrapping paper onto the ground and feinting to her left.

His brother cheered as the impromptu "ball" tumbled through the doorway to Tessa's right, and Carlos shrugged innocently. "It worked on--it always works," he amended, giving her as charming a look as he could manage.

"Hey, Carlos." He glanced over his shoulder in time to see TJ wink at Tessa before turning his attention back to him. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Carlos gave Tessa a mock salute and turned to follow his friend.

TJ led the way toward the front door, and Carlos raised an eyebrow, wondering what the other could possibly have to say that was that private. But TJ stopped short of the door, next to the table where everyone had dropped their presents when they came in. TJ pointed, asking, "That look weird to you?"

"Not really," Carlos said, trying to figure out what the other could be up to. This had to be one of his practical jokes. "It is a birthday party, after all," he added, waiting patiently for the punchline.

"No, I mean that one." TJ pushed a festive bag out of his line of sight, revealing a small, dark box with an odd symbol on it.

Carlos felt his heart skip a beat. It was the Canthris design--the symbol of Aura's zord--underlined with crew markings. "That isn't funny, TJ," he said, narrowing his eyes and glaring at his friend. With the cloud of secrecy that had surrounded his return from Aquitar, TJ was the only one outside of his family who knew the real reason he had left the crew early.

"It wasn't me, man!" Even with his protest, TJ was careful to keep his voice low. "I just saw it there a few minutes ago."

Which left only one other person who would pull such an awful prank. "I don't care if he's my brother," Carlos muttered bitterly. "I'm going to kill him."

Standing so close to the door, he heard the plaintive meow despite the volume of the stereo, and he reached out absently to open the screen door and let Goof in. The solid black cat raised its tail in greeting, but refused to step through the door. "Come on, Goof," he said impatiently, tearing his eyes away from the small box and gesturing to the cat. "Come in here."

The cat turned in place, front feet dancing carefully over hind, but didn't come any closer. Carlos rolled his eyes, propping the door further open with the intent of picking Goof up and carrying him inside. But another shadow moved on the front porch as he stepped out, and he paused, surprised. He hadn't noticed anyone leave.

The dark-haired girl moved back as he looked up, her too-long jeans rolled up so that they didn't quite brush the ground. Her oversized blue t-shirt hung loose over her small frame, and for a half-second she looked breathtakingly familiar. Then her silver eyes caught his, and instant recognition made him gasp.

"Aura?!" It was the only thing he could get out as he stood there drinking in the sight of a woman he hadn't seen in far, far too long. His one coherent thought was that she looked eerily human there in the shadows, dressed in old clothes that she must have borrowed from her one human teammate.

"Happy birthday, Carlos," she whispered, staring up at him as he stepped closer.

He heard the screen door slam behind him as he let it go, but all he cared about was the breathless look of hope on her face. "Aura..." He reached up to stroke her cheek, running his fingers reverently across her temple and burying them in her hair. Night was the only time he had ever seen her wear it loose...

He could feel her breath on his face before he even realized how close they were, and when she closed her eyes he gave in to the almost overwhelming urge to kiss her. He pressed his lips to hers softly, knowing it wasn't just in fun anymore, and he fumbled for her hand as she slowly returned the kiss.

Her fingers slid through his and she squeezed his hand hard, leaning into him as he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. He broke their kiss in favor of hugging her closer, as though by holding on he could keep her from ever leaving. He ran his thumb over the inside of her wrist and he heard her whisper, "I missed you," in his ear.

"I missed you so much more," he whispered back, unable to believe that she was actually here. "I thought of you every night."

"So did I," she admitted. "It seems that Seidon's plan for me was less effective than he might have hoped."

He frowned, trying to make sense of that but not willing to let her go long enough to search her expression for answers. "What do you mean?"

"You remember the Aquitian liaison," she murmured, not making any effort to pull away either.

"Yeah..." He turned to kiss her hair, taking a deep breath of the cool, slightly humid scent that seemed to cling to her. She snuggled against him, and it was a feeling he thought he could have waited forever to experience even just once more.

"It seems he wanted me," she said frankly, quietly. "I did not recognize that until it was too late--he must have seen more of my feelings than I saw of his, for he took the first opportunity to eliminate the one person he considered a competitor for my affections."

He sensed more than she was saying in those words, and he wondered if the aftermath of his departure had been more complicated than he had suspected at the time. "What happened?" he asked, not sure he really cared if she was here with him again.

"Seidon was relieved of his position for misuse of authority," she replied, her soft tone sounding extremely satisfied. "And your good standing with the crew and with Aquitar was re-established."

"Even with..." He trailed off, remembering that morning after with vivid detail.

"That was never public knowledge," she whispered. "As far as the government is concerned, you were the victim of Seidon's manipulation, nothing more. Unfortunately, due to... underlying circumstances, it was not deemed acceptable to invite you back right away."

"Right away?" He finally drew back, leaving his hand in hers and his arm draped over her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

She lifted her face to his, gazing intently up at him. "As your name was cleared and your good standing as part of the crew is no longer in question, the same offer we extend to all exchange students has also been granted to you. That of employ and citizenship on Aquitar," she added, as though he might have forgotten the terms of the exchange. "Should you so choose."

He stared at her, disbelieving. His ticket back into space--back to her--had appeared like magic in front of him after all this time.

He swallowed, glancing down at their entwined fingers. He wanted to believe in this so much it hurt, but he couldn't without hearing her say what he had asked Cestria to tell her before he left last fall. "And... the underlying circumstances?" he asked, a little uncertainly. "How much have they changed?"

She looked down too, but she didn't answer immediately.

His heart sank. "I have to know, Aura," he whispered, brushing her hair over her shoulder gently. "I still love you. But as much as I miss you, I don't think I can follow you back if you don't feel the same way."

He was watching her when she looked up, and the tears glittering in her eyes took his breath away. "I love you more now than I did then," she said, almost inaudibly. "Please don't make me choose between you and my team. Not yet."

He stared at her, for the briefest moment startled beyond words. Then he shook his head, pulling her into a fierce embrace and trying not to take too much delight in her implication. "No," he murmured. "I would never do that, Aura. Never."

She hugged him back, and he wondered suddenly if he was about to wake up. His world had just been restored in less time than it had take Seidon to destroy it the year before, and for the first time he knew exactly what she had meant when she told him to have faith.

He heard someone clear their throat, and he turned his head slightly. TJ was watching them from the other side of the screen door, arms folded and his expression amused. The rest of Carlos' friends were gathered around the door too, good-naturedly jostling for a better view. Even as he looked in their direction, he heard someone whisper loudly, "What's going on now?"

He felt Aura giggle, and he soaked up the sound even as she buried her head against his shoulder. He grinned, waving at the screen door. "Hi, everyone. This is Aura. She'd say hello, but she's too busy laughing at you all right now."

She shoved him half-heartedly, and he laughed himself. He took a step back, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he steered her toward the door. TJ made no move to open it for them, instead catching his eye and asking, straight-faced, "Are you sure you want to come in? You seem to be having a pretty good time out there."

Carlos rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop grinning as he held the door for Aura. "These are my sometimes-friends," he informed her, as she stepped tentatively into the house. "TJ, Tessa, Karen, Liz, Jhoudar..."

He named them all, then introduced her again, leaving off her Ranger title and referring to her only as "someone I met on the crew". She didn't correct him, confirming his suspicion that she had come out of uniform for a reason, and his friends welcomed her into their midst as thoroughly as he could have hoped.

He watched her smile gain strength as she realized that they were sincere, and he laughed when Jhoudar volunteered to explain the point of Twister to her. *Hey, Aura?* he thought, suddenly curious.

*Yes?* she replied immediately. That she had been listening for him suffused him with warmth, and he smiled contentedly to himself.

*Just checking,* he told her, knowing she would understand. When she glanced over her shoulder he saw that warmth reflected back at him in her eyes.

When they gathered around the table later, TJ had to explain to her the tradition of singing and candles. She waited with a tolerant expression while the others sang, and Carlos braced his hands on either side of the cake. He took a deep breath, winked at her, and determinedly blew out all of the candles.

When the others cheered, she cocked her head at him and inquired, "What was your wish?"

He tapped her on the nose reprovingly as he reached for the stack of plates. "Can't tell you," he told her. "Or it won't come true!"

He served the others buffet style, letting Aura have some of his in case she didn't like it. She tried one bite of birthday cake before shaking her head vehemently, and her expression of distaste was so exaggerated that he couldn't help but laugh. He insisted that she try the ice cream too, and he grinned when her eyes lit up at the first spoonful.

He allowed himself to be prodded into opening presents then, though he would much rather have sat and watched Aura eat her ice cream. She watched him tear off wrapping paper with as much interest as anyone else, despite the fact that she didn't know what half the gifts actually were. The small box with the zord symbol on it was the only one he missed, but when he looked curiously in her direction she just shook her head and he let it go. He couldn't ask more than getting back the life he had been committed to ever since he met her.

She was still there when the last of the guests left, and his brother shooed the two of them out onto the porch while he cleaned up. Carlos knew he was going to owe him for that, but he was undeniably grateful for the gesture.

As they stood in the dim glow of the porch light, beneath the starlit heavens, Aura tilted her head up and smiled. "It is beautiful to see them so clearly from the surface."

Carlos followed her gaze. "I think I've stared up at those stars every night since I came back," he said quietly. "Wondering about you... how you were, what you were doing..."

"Wondering about you," she answered, still looking up. "I wondered if you would really wait, despite what you told Cestria."

He smiled a little, looking over at her. "What happened to your faith?" he teased gently.

She lowered her gaze to meet his, and she smiled in return. "It has been restored," she replied. They stared at each other a moment longer, and then she held out her hand. "Whatever you decide about Aquitar, I would like you to have this."

The small box was in her hand, and he wondered when she had had the opportunity to palm it from the table. "Aura," he said slowly. "I've already decided." He looked up, right into her worried expression. "I'm coming to Aquitar. Not right away, not when I'm this close to graduating, but we made it this long..."

"I never expected you to leave tomorrow," she whispered. "As you have waited, I will also wait."

"Thank you," he murmured, reaching for her hand.

She pushed the box into his hand instead, turning her face away. "Open your present," she said softly.

He smiled and did as he was told. He pulled the cover off, not sure what to expect, and could only stare as he recognized the object inside. He glanced at the communicator on her wrist and then back at the one in the box before him. Lifting his gaze at last, he found her watching him again. "Aura..."

"A symbol of my team's approval," she said quietly, searching his face. "Do you--do you understand?"

He didn't entirely, but he did have some grasp of the fact that this wasn't the sort of thing that happened every day. "I'm honored," he told her, putting as much sincerity as he could into his tone and willing her to know that he meant it.

"I am pleased," she replied, her eyes sparkling happily at him. "Thank you... for waiting."

"I love you," he answered simply. "How could I not?"

This time when he reached for her hand she let him take it, and they twined their fingers together as the stars spun lazily across the sky overhead.