Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.
Star Fata: Yeah, poor Andros. Don't worry it gets better for him soon.
Jessica01: I don't know. When I put it up it wasn't and didn't even know anything about it until you mentioned it.
TAY: I'm not sure if Ashley will follow through on that goal quiet yet. I haven't written that far into the story yet.
AH/AY: Glad you like it. It's always poor Andros.
Phantom Rogue: I don't know why anyone would want to hurt him. It really doesn't make much sense, but we all seem to write someone hurting him at least a little bit.
DinzeeDol:Soon enough for you?
Ch. 7 Helping Hands
Neither Ashley nor Zhane got much sleep that night, not because they weren't exhausted but because every few hours Andros would wake up from the same nightmare, crying and swearing that it couldn't be the truth. They had both tried to comfort him but he kept pushing them away.
"Andros," Ashley coaxed gently, "we're here to help you, but we can't help if you won't let us in." She and Zhane had been taking turns pressuring Andros. Neither knew if it was the right thing to do but they needed to do something. Ashley slowly approached the bed, knowing that the last thing she needed to do was scare Andros more. She sat down and pulled him into a fierce hug. When he started to resist she held him tighter, feeling him shudder in her embrace. "Let it out, Andros. It's only hurting you more by keeping it all inside." He finally broke, letting go of several years' worth of hurt and betrayal. She held him as he cried; silently praying that some of his pain would disappear.
As he began to regain his composure she released her hold on him and he whispered, "Thank you." He wiped his eyes several times trying to stop the tears that continued to make their way down his face. They sat in silence for several more minutes before his stomach growled.
"Do you want something to eat?" Ashley asked, glad to see him attempting to let his life return to normal. At his nod she went over to the Synthetron and ordered his favorite meal from when they were little, ravioli. He smiled at the reminder and ate quickly.
"Can you get everyone to meet on the Bridge in about five minutes?" he asked once he was finished.
"Sure," she replied a little surprised that he wanted to see the other rangers so soon.
Once she had gathered the others she went to help Andros since he was still injured. When they arrived Andros took his seat with Ashley and Zhane on each side. Just as the others were about to begin throwing questions at him Andros held up his hand, effectively silencing them.
"I know you have a lot of questions," he began, staring down at his hands. "I will try to answer them but right now I want to tell you a story." He took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves, and Ashley squeezed his hand. "First, we never did get around to how Ashley and I knew each other. When we were younger, a lot younger, Ashley and her family lived on KO-35 and our parents were best friends. They all came to stay with us for a while and then their parents were called away on a mission." He stopped not knowing how much Ashley wanted him to tell.
"While they were gone they were captured and my father was killed," Ashley filled in. "My mom started dating Jonathan and we moved to Earth."
"We stayed in touch through letters," Andros took over again. "At least until my sister was kidnapped. My parents blamed me and my father beat me. I didn't know until last night that my mom watched. I always thought she would stop him but now I know the truth. A few years later I got the Red Astro Morpher and it didn't take long for the older rangers to figure out what had happened." He paused again, daring to look up from his hands. The pity on everyone's face angered him but he knew it was how they would react. "After that, Ashley and I stayed in contact as much as possible and then you guys showed up here."
"All I can say," Cassie began, stepping forward to stand in front of him, "is we'll always be here for you no matter what."
He smiled and although it didn't seem like enough whispered, "Thank you."
Later that evening Andros and Ashley were enjoying a quiet dinner on the Simu-Deck. Ashley watched Andros intently, making sure that they had really gotten through to him. Zhane had told her what he had been like the years after Karone's kidnapping and she hadn't liked it at all. Now, she was trying to figure out how she was going to get him to go see her family. She knew they would be ecstatic to see him again but there was a secret there too. She knew he had a right to know and after he had shared everything with her, she felt bad keeping this from him. She felt the memory coming on but she was unable to push it away before it became her mind's soul focus.
Ashley was sitting in her room doing some homework when she heard a knock on her door. Before she could answer her stepfather came through the door, a cruel smile on his face.
"What's going on?" she questioned as he shut and locked the door behind him. She knew that her mother and brothers were gone to a football game so she and her stepfather were alone. It had seemed odd to her when he had offered to stay home with her when she had said she didn't feel well but she had put the thought aside. At the age of fifteen she had heard a little about sexual predators and knew that something was definitely wrong here. She screamed as Jonathan threw her onto her bed and tore away her clothes. He quickly ripped off his pants and penetrated her. She cried and closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain.
"You better not tell anyone about this," he whispered roughly in her ear. "If you do you will pay dearly." Ashley waited until she heard her door slam shut before she opened her eyes. She curled into a little ball and cried herself to sleep. She was still there when her mother arrived home and Donna gently shook her awake.
"Ashley, what happened?" her mother asked frantically. Ashley broke down again but managed to tell her story. "Don't worry he won't touch you again. Stay here for a minute, okay?" Ashley only nodded, knowing now that if she couldn't trust her mother there was no one she could trust. In a few minutes her mother was back, getting her into some clothes and then into their vehicle.
"Mom, where are we going?" Marcus asked once his sister was in the car. He could tell something was wrong but he didn't want to make it any worse so he kept his mouth shut.
"I told you, we have to go to the hospital for a little while," Donna replied as she hurried out of the driveway. When she had found Jonathan asleep in their room she knew she had just enough time to get away before he ever woke up. That night had led to their divorce and Jonathan's sentence of twenty years in prison with no chance of parole.
Ashley stiffened when she felt a hand on her arm but quickly relaxed when she realized it was Andros.
"Are you alright?" he questioned, pulling her closer instinctively.
"Yeah," she answered, hoping that he could tell that she didn't want to talk about it. He deserved to know but she wasn't ready to tell him that, she wasn't ready to tell anyone.
A/N: Please Review!
