Chapter 10: Recovering

Ashley was trying to get out of the bed when Cassie walked in. "Hey, whoa, what are you doing?" Cassie asked, grabbing her shoulders.

"I'm really done just lying in bed all day," Ashley replied.

Cassie helped her to her feet and Ashley let out a deep breath. "Where's Andros?" she asked.

"He's on the bridge," Cassie replied.

Ashley let out a deep breath as she started walking towards the bridge. She heard the familiar sounds of children laughing, frowning she looked inside to see her soul watching the security footage of the day his sister was taken. Walking over, she ran her hands over his shoulders, making Andros look up. "What are you doing up?" he asked.

"If I was in that bed another minute I was going to lose my mind," she replied, making him smirk a little.

She sat down beside him and Andros rubbed her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better," she replied.

She stared at the footage that was playing again. "Do you have any clues of who it is?" she asked.

"No," he replied, "They were able to keep themselves out of the cameras view."

Andros looked back at her as Ashley stared at the video.

Later, Ashley was eating in the mess hall when Zhane spotted her. "Hey," he greeted his sister.

"Hey," she answered as he sat across from her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Well, I don't feel like I just got hit by a galaxy glider," she replied.

Zhane smiled at her as she took a bite out of her breakfast. "Do we know where everyone went after the attack?" she asked.

"No the first beta site we went to after the attack was deserted," Zhane replied.

"Do you think dad's okay?" Ashley asked.

Zhane let out a sigh. "I'd like to think so," he replied. Zhane smiled at her. "I'm sure dad would be happy to know you're okay," he added.

"Both of us," she answered.

Ashley was in the courtyard playing with Andros, Zhane, and Andros's sister, Karone when Mekhi exited the house, he had short blond hair with white peppered through it, and deep brown eyes. "Zhane, Ashley," he called to his children.

"Daddy!" Ashley said excitedly, running over to him.

Zhane immediately ran to him. "You're home early!" he said excitedly.

"Oh I missed you so much," Mekhi told his children, hugging them tightly, "How was school?"

"Good," they chorused.

"Daddy, watch what I can do!" Ashley said excitedly.

She sat in Mekhi's lap and concentrated as the telekinesis ball slowly started to lift up from the ground. "Look at that!" Mekhi said smiling, kissing the side of her head as Ashley giggled.

Zhane and Ashley smiled at each other. "I'm sure dad's fine," Zhane added, "Nothing can take dad down. He was the first Silver Ranger you know." Ashley just smiled as she messed up her brother's hair.

"Why is it that no girl has gone through the binding with you yet?" she quipped.

"You know why," he replied honestly.

She gave him a sad smile before she walked over and hugged her big brother. Zhane smiled as he hugged her back, kissing her cheek. "I'm just glad to have my little sister back," he murmured.

"I'm glad to be back," she replied, kissing his cheek.

That afternoon, Andrea was awake and had her breakfast. "Momma, pawk?" Andrea asked.

"Why don't you go ask Uncle Zhane?" Ashley suggested.

Andrea looked at Zhane with wide eyes. "You want to go play in the park?" Zhane asked. Andrea nodded her head slowly, holding her stuffed rabbit tight to her chest. "I think we can go do that," he commented. Ashley smiled.

"Daddy?" Andrea asked, looking at Ashley.

"Daddy has a lot of work to do, sweetness, let's all go," Ashley replied.

Ashley picked Andrea up and they teleported down to Earth.

Andrea shrieked with excitement when she saw the park, running towards the swings. "Go push her on the swings, that's her favorite," Ashley stated quietly. Zhane walked over, helping Andrea up onto the swing.

"Now what?" Zhane asked.

"Push her," she replied.

Zhane looked at her curiously but he started pushing her on the swing and the toddler giggled. "Highaw," she insisted. Zhane started pushing her higher on the swing. Ashley sat down on the grass, watching with a smile on her face as she leaned back against the tree.

Ashley was sitting in her room, wiping her tears from her face when there was a knock on the door. "Can I come in?" Zhane asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

Zhane walked in the room, he sat beside her on the bed as she wiped her eyes again. "Who do I have to beat up?" he asked, making her laugh.

"If you want to beat up a girl, probably Celyn," she replied.

"What did she say?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, I saw her hanging on Andros all day," she replied. She looked at herself in the mirror. "She's already…mature," she told him, her cheeks turning beet red. Zhane pushed the hair from her face.

"Don't you worry about it, pretty girl," he told her, nudging her lightly.

Ashley sniffled softly. "You're better than her," he added.

"You have to say that, you're my brother," she muttered.

"No, my job is supposed to say how you're a pain in my ass," he replied, making her laugh before hugging him tightly.

Andrea was giggling up a storm as Zhane pushed her high and higher on the swing. Ashley watched with a smile when she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up she saw Andros standing above her. "I thought you were running some diagnostics?" she asked.

"I've been running diagnostics for the last two years, this is important," he replied.

Andros sat beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "All right let's see if Uncle Zhane can get the hang of this," Zhane commented, sitting in the swing next to Andrea.

"I think Zhane has a new best friend," Andros commented, making Ashley laugh.

"Our child?" she asked, laughing.

"Someone with the same sense of humor as him," he replied.

Ashley wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. Zhane picked Andrea up at one point and had her sit in his lap on the swing. "Hang on tight," Zhane told the little girl before he started to swing.

"She's so happy," Ashley commented.

"She smiles like you," Andros answered, rubbing her back.

Ashley kissed his jaw. He rested his head on top of hers as they watched Zhane and Andrea have the time of their lives on the swing set. "Anything about Karone?" she asked. Andros let out a deep breath.

"Nothing," he replied.

Ashley rubbed his chest and let out a sigh as he kissed the top of her head.

Ashley was running through the courtyard laughing as she started climbing a tree. "CHEATER!" a voice shouted. The person grabbed Ashley around the waist and they both fell out of the tree, landing in the flower bed laughing.

Ashley got up and was face to face with a girl with long, wavy blond hair tied in a braid and a headband around her head, she had chocolate brown eyes, and she had on black boots and a yellow jumpsuit. "You're too fast," the girl insisted. Ashley just giggled.

"One day, Karone, and you'll be able to beat me," she replied.

"Promise?" Karone asked, holding up her ring finger.

Ashley smiled as she wrapped her ring finger around Karone's. "Promise," she replied.

"Ashley, Karone, come on girls lunch is ready!" Karone's mother, Hecubca, called to the girls.

"Race you to the door!" Ashley called out.

Both girls jumped up and ran towards the door laughing as Hecuba waited for them smiling. "Come on, come on, let's go!" Hecubca encouraged both girls. She had elbow-length blond hair, hazel eyes, wearing black boots, black pants, and a purple flowy shirt. Ashley ran through the door and looked back as Hecuba picked Karone up and kissed the little girl's cheek as Karone wrapped her arms around her mother's neck with a smile.

Ashley let out a sigh. "Karone would've loved her," she murmured. Andros rubbed her back.

"She would've," he agreed.

"We'll find her," she assured him.

"I know," he answered, letting out a deep breath.