Summary: The return of an old love changes the rules of the game.
Phantom Rogue: Yeah, I love that scene too, back-stabbing-Ash… in a good way hehe.
Johnny: Hey! I object! I didn't break fanfiction!
SweetSas: -ponders that- nah, I keep him. Carlos most definitely an ass!
Challon86: Yeah, but is was the best place to end it!
Titanium Ranger: That's okay, that's why I didn't update either.
PurpleLeopard: Thanks.
Slytherin-Angel44: Yeah, he's back! Yay! Let the fun begin :D
Tay: She won't find out.
PRISFAN: Got a spaceship?
Alexandra KHAYMAN: -drools- -huggles- Don't worry about it!
Forbidden Love
Chapter 3
"Carlos, we're going to be late!" Ashley called to the closed bathroom door.
"They won't mind." Carlos replied.
"Yeah, but I don't want to miss any of it." Ashley sighed quietly, glancing at a clock.
The door opened and Carlos stepped out, looking at her with questioning eyes.
"Why are you still so into space, Ash?" He asked. "Is it because…?"
Ashley didn't let him finished as she pressed her lips to his. He easily melted into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I chose you." She murmured as they slowly moved towards the bedroom. "And that's not the direction to NASADA."
"We've got time." Carlos muttered.
NASADA
"I told you we were going to be late." Ashley complained as they quickly hurried to join the commander, Cassie and TJ.
The first looked rather annoyed, while the latter two looked highly amused. No one said a word about them being late though and they quickly started the tour of the new project NASADA was working on with various other planets in The League.
Ashley smiled and looked around in amazement as she walked along, her arm linked with Carlos's. Earth had come a long way in the two and a half years since the Countdown.
She was so lost in thoughts, she didn't notice who else was in the room – frankly, none of them did, too amazed by the project.
"Ah, General Andros. So what do you think? Does it live up to Karovan standards?" The commander asked and four heads shot in his direction.
"I believe KO-35 will be amazed by the quality. In all honesty they weren't expecting much, definitely not this, I'm sure." The Karovan replied formally.
"And in your personal opinion?" The commander pressed.
"I expected nothing less of you." Andros nodded. "I actually have faith in the qualities of this planet, unlike many others."
The four retired Terran rangers looked at him surprised. He was wearing black pants and a telltale red formal tunic. Ribbons and medals decorated his chest, a blazon of his accomplishments. It was obvious from the diversity of the tokens of honour that he'd been all over The League during the past years.
Ashley bit her lip as she couldn't help but notice that the years had been good to him. His well-toned muscles could easily be seen in his restricting tight tunic. Having seen him naked, his clothes left nothing to her imagination.
"I'm surprised though." The commander continued. "They told us Colonel Zhane would be coming."
"I was assigned this at the last minute together with leave for personal reasons." Andros replied, his eyes flashing and his jaw clenching. "That and Colonel Zhane had to decline on personal reason."
"Lots of personal reasons." Carlos whispered softly, and Ashley glanced at him briefly.
If Andros heard, he didn't show it and just kept his conversation with the commander going. His eyes did keeping flashing their way and he looked slightly somber. At one point Ashley caught his eyes and a shudder ran down her spine. Something in them seemed off, they looked more haunted than she'd ever seen them before. Even when they met him he hadn't had such a look of hopelessness in his eyes.
They turned back to the project. 'Terra Venture' they were calling it, and this was just a small piece of it. The rest of the construction would be in space, where the pieces would be pulled together. It really looked wondrous.
"Looks great, doesn't it?" A voice behind them asked.
Ashley spun around and found herself staring at Andros. None of them seemed to have noticed him coming towards them. He seemed tired, Ashley noted, her heart restricting with confused sympathy.
She felt an arm being draped over her shoulder and a quick glance to her right confirmed it was Carlos's. His hand was dangling down and she thoughtlessly reached up and laced their fingers together, the gesture familiar and comforting after a year of marriage. The soft sound of metal hitting metal floated through the air as their identical rings tapped against each other. She noticed Andros glancing at them and his lips thinning slightly.
"So Andros…" Cassie said tensely, breaking the rather uncomfortable silence that had settled over them. "Long time no see. How are things on KO-35?"
If seeing her and Carlos's rings had darkened his mood, it held nothing compared to what the question did to it. His face darkened considerably and Ashley couldn't suppress the shudder running up her spine. They were now dealing with an Andros at his worst.
"We have our ups and downs." He replied cryptically.
Ashley couldn't help but feeling things on KO-35 were in the down position right now – very down, and somehow, all those personal reasons Andros had been talking about were connected to it. She knew her friends were oblivious to these simple facts, they never could read Andros the way she had learned to.
"How are Zhane and Karone doing?" TJ asked tentatively, almost flinching away at the Karovan's reaction.
Andros's face seemed to transform into a thundercloud, but he kept his cool somehow.
"Working through some trouble in their relationship, but I don't see how they couldn't get through it together." Andros shrugged darkly, obviously not wanting to explain.
"Well we should really be going, we've got to be up early tomorrow." Carlos commented. "Later guys."
They turned to leave when Andros's voice caught them all by surprise.
"Ash… can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked, almost uncertainly.
"I'll be fine." Ashley sighed slightly annoyed when Carlos looked at her protectively. "Go, I'll be right there."
"I'll wait in the car." Carlos told her before pulling her in for a long, slow kiss, tingling with a promise of passion.
When he broke away Ashley rolled her eyes at the display of male possessiveness. She could feel Carlos's eyes burning in her back when she followed Andros a small distance away from the others so they couldn't be overheard.
"What do you want?" She asked coolly.
"I wondered if I could talk to you…" When she opened her mouth to retort he quickly added. "Somewhere more private. I just…" He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I just really need to talk to someone."
"Can't you talk to Zhane and Karone?" She bit back, highly annoyed with him.
What was he playing at? They were over and it was obvious that she was taken.
"They aren't really in a position to listen to me right now. They've got their own problems to deal with." Andros told her softly, looking away.
"Fine, meet me tomorrow at noon at Heaven on Earth. That's a little café close to AGU. You get my lunch break to talk." She gave in, then turned around and left, aware of his eyes on her until she left the room.
Ashley sighed as she slid into the car next to Carlos. She was glad he'd be leaving for a soccer game the next morning, otherwise he'd demand to be there when she met Andros and she had a feeling that whatever he wanted to talk about, he could only tell her when they were alone. Somehow, she didn't think it had to do with them either, at least, not directly. Something was troubling him, and right now he seemed to be looking for just a friend. Someone who would listen and understand.
She just hoped that when he was done, he'd leave her be so she could live a quiet life with Carlos.
A/N: SOMEONE KICK HER! Hope you liked it. Review.
