Disclaimer: Saban owns the Power Rangers. "Dreams" is by Dean Miller from his album, Dean Miller. Whatever happened to him?

Author's Note: 1) it's amazing how obsessions can come back to haunt you - 3 years later! 2) it's a songfic! runaway! 3) Zhane and the girl don't have any stories in RISC! 4) it was really, *really* cold at the Liberty Bowl; I would have loved to have had a campfire there. 5) skiing isn't nearly as hard as it looks - and neither is falling. 6) "Drowning Sorrows" is an *awesome* story, Red. don't let TJ keep you from it. 7) thanks Starhawk. :) 8) "Switchman" airs Thursday!

Warm hands on his shoulders, soft lips against his. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw her beautiful face framed by pale hair.

"Hey, Babe."

"Babe?" he frowned. "You don't usually talk like that."

"I know," she confirmed, moving in for another kiss. "Maybe you should wake up."

Obediently Zhane blinked and Karone disappeared. She was gone, as she had been for months.

Instead of her, he found himself once again looking into his small campfire. Staring into the brightly dancing flames he contemplated closing his eyes again to see if she would reappear.

But he kept his eyes open, willing himself to stay awake. His fire did little to light the small clearing where he had set up camp - their clearing, the clearing where they had first spoken as something more than just enemies.

He hadn't known where he would end up when he had left the Rangers' base. He had just known he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Away from the others, away from those who would unintentionally remind him of her, remind him that she had left him alone. Just to go someplace where he could dream of what was and what might have been.

Warm hands on his shoulders, soft lips against his. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw her beautiful face framed by pale hair.

He wasn't alone anymore.

"Good-bye, Zhane."

"Good-bye? But you just got here?" he reached for her as she moved away.

"It's over between us," she said, avoiding his touch.

"But why?"

"I met someone else. You knew I would."

"Karone! Wait!" he called after her as she walked away without a backward glance.

He opened his eyes and he was alone again. Another dream, another trip from reality. He would have much rather gone back to sleep, if he could rejoin her there. But he had found that sometimes his pain followed him into his dreams.

The night was cold, colder than it should have been. But he turned away from the fire and its welcomed warmth, rolling onto his back to stare at the stars above.

The last they had heard she had gone to save the Pink Galaxy Sabre. And looking into the flames all he had been able to see was a dark-haired boy with an easy smile. Andros had told him of the Red Galaxy Ranger, and Zhane could not help but feel jealous that this Leo might see Karone before he did.

If he ever saw her again, that is.

So he had turned away from the red of the flames, the red that reminded him of his imagined competition, preferring instead to look at the view of the stars afforded to him in the sky above Angel Grove.

When she had left she hadn't said where she was going or when she would be back. And he hadn't tried to stop her. He could never deny her what she wanted, and she had wanted to leave.

He loved her more than he could say, but he had let her go, hoping something would change her mind and knowing nothing would.

Warm hands on his shoulders, soft lips against his. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw her beautiful face framed by pale hair.

"Are you real?" he whispered, almost fearing the answer.

"I'm as real as you want me to be."

"That doesn't answer my question."

She shrugged noncommittally. "Then ask a different question."

A blink of an eye and stars twinkled once again. Reality was back and she was gone.

In his dreams, she was there. In his dreams, if he wanted them to, things would be okay. In his dreams, they could be together. And after all those lonely months he was starting to admit to himself the truth - that dreams were all he had.

Warm hands on his shoulders, soft lips against his… but this time he did not open his eyes.

"Zhane?" he heard her ask.

"What?"

"Are you going to open your eyes?"

"No."

"Why?" came her confused response.

"Because you're not real."

"Zhane," she said with an exasperated sigh, "look at me."

Unable to resist, slowly he opened his eyes and saw her beautiful face framed by pale hair.

"Now," she continued when she saw she had his attention, "why do you say I'm not real?"

"Because you never are," he replied stubbornly. "You always disappear."

"I'm not going anywhere, Zhane," she shifted her arms around his neck. "Not if you don't want me to."

He looked down as her movement caused a flash of light. The jewel in the morpher on her wrist caught the firelight and shone in the darkness. She followed his gaze and moved back, breaking contact with him for the first time. He sat up, wishing she hadn't.

"They're short a Ranger now. Kendrix asked me to stay," she offered as an explanation. "I could do a lot of good there, you know? To make up for a few things," she added softly, looking down.

You never had to make up for anything to me, he wanted to say. But he found himself saying, "So you're going back." Not a question, though part of him wished she would say no.

"I have to, for a little while at least. But I was hoping you would come with me this time," she looked up at him hopefully.

He moved closer, wanting to kiss her loneliness away.

Warm hands on his shoulders, soft lips against his. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw her beautiful face framed by pale hair.

He closed his eyes and kissed her again, hoping that this was reality, because this was better than any dream he had had.