Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: I was reading your review, and you said that Aingeal sounded kinda like Angel, so I just named the little girl Angel. Thanks. As for her mother . . . well, read down about five lines.

Jenny: Yes, this is AU, but there will be a few recognizable events. Not for awhile, though. I promise, I'll be nice to the little girl. I didn't name her something weird. I kinda like weird names, though.

Juzblue: Andros isn't going to be happy in this dimension. He finds out a lot of stuff that he doesn't like. Ha ha.

Chapter 2

"Um, Andros?" Ashley said. "I think we're in the future."

"How can you tell?" Andros snapped, still looking the other way for anything that might tell him where or when he was.

"Turn around."

Ashley's voice was odd, not her usual cheerful tone, and he sighed. This might actually be important. He turned around slowly, making it clear how annoyed he was with her.

"What?" he demanded.

"Oh," he said in surprise, following Ashley's gaze.

She was watching another, older version of herself.

Another Ashley.

"I think we're in the future, Ashley," Andros said, as if she hadn't just said it.

"So glad we agree on something," Ashley said sarcastically under her breath. To her other self, she said, "I know that this seems impossible, but we went through a space mirror and landed in the future."

"Talk to yourself later," Andros snapped. "I'm going to find a way out of here."

The other Ashley glanced down at her daughter. "Honey, go find Daddy, okay? Tell him to call me, and to take you home."

The little girl scampered off, and both Ashley's watched her go, her mother in anxious worry, and the younger Ashley in curiosity. If they were simply in the future, and not in a completely different dimension, then someday, this little girl would be hers. More importantly, who was her father? This other Ashley barely looked twenty. Who could she have fallen in love with in that short a time?

Ashley looked closely at her future self, wondering how hard the next few years would be. The other Ashley had a thin scar running straight across her left cheek, from her ear to her chin. When do I get that? Ashley wondered, resisting the urge to touch her own cheek. On the third finger of her left hand, she was wearing a wedding ring, so Ashley supposed that it couldn't be too bad.

A cell phone rang, and the other Ashley jumped in relief.

"Hello," she said immediately. "Yeah, I did . . . I'm talking to a younger version of myself who came through a space mirror . . . "

"No, don't come," she said emphatically. "Trust me on this, okay?"

A pause. Ashley guessed that her husband must be asking why she didn't want him to come. "There's someone with her."

She paused again, and lowered her voice, muttering something that Ashley couldn't hear.

"Meet me there. Take Angel for ice cream really quick. Just let me get there first, okay?" she said, raising her voice again. "This will be easier to sort out when we're all together."

She paused, and listened for a moment. "They're not here to kill me . . . I just know. . . I can take care of myself. You can't still doubt that . . . I love you too. Bye."

The other Ashley hesitated after she hung up her phone. "Would you like to come to my house? You can rest there, and figure out how to get back."

Ashley nodded gratefully, and grabbed Andros by the arm. Despite his threat to leave her, he had only wandered a few feet away.

"Come on," she said decisively. "We're going."

Andros glared at her, but went along, not about to admit that he didn't have a better idea.

"What should I call you?" Ashley asked. "I mean, you're me, but not really . . . "

"Call me Ash," she said. "Unless you'd rather be called that."

"No, I'm Ashley," she said, glancing sideways at Andros.

"Andros doesn't use anyone's nickname," she added truthfully. Carlos didn't have one, but he'd never called Cassie 'Cass' or TJ 'Teej.' And of course, he'd never call her 'Ash.'

Ash nodded, looking between the two of them, and Andros got the distinct impression that she was trying hard not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" he snapped at her. "I'm stuck with two of you? Is that it?"

Ash shook her head. "You'll see, but you probably won't laugh."

Ash lived only a few blocks away, in a house that Ashley had always dreamed of buying. It was a small mansion. The exterior walls were red bricks, and there was a small tower off to the side.

"You live here?" Ashley squealed excitedly.

Ash nodded, smiling, as she unlocked the door. "When I told my husband that I'd always dreamed of living here, he promised me that if it ever went on sale, we'd buy it."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Ashley said. "Who's your husband?"

"You'll see," Ash grinned mischievously. She led them into the living room, and motioned for them to sit on the couch. Ashley did, and after a moment, Andros joined her, sitting as far away from her as possible. Ash watched them, still smiling secretivly to herself.

"What's your daughter's name?" Ashley asked. "She's so beautiful."

"Angelica," Ash said. "Angel."

The door opened again, and Ash jumped up.

"Wait here," she said, running out of the room to intercept her husband before he got to the living room.

Ashley and Andros waited, and after awhile, they saw Angel run past them. She disappeared up the stairs, probably going to her room. Ashley smiled, knowing that her room was the one with the tower.

After several minutes, Ash reappeared, leading her husband by the hand.

"Um, this is probably a bit of a surprise, but-"

Ashley glanced up and her mouth dropped open in shock for the second time that day. Andros said nothing, and stared down at his hands. He was was too stunned to do anything else. This was not possible.

The four people in the room all shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to do now.