Disclaimer: Not mine
GreenDayfan1:Does Andros really hate Ashley? I can't tell you yet or it would ruin my story, but just look at how happy Ash and Dros were. : P
Juzblue: Don't worry, you'll find out what happened, but not until later.
Jenny: Damn, you're good at guessing. :pouts: I mean . . . no that's not what happens at all. : P anyway, moving on . . . yeah, Andros isn't being very nice right now.
Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: I was thinking about having them stay longer, but I decided to just use it as an intro. :pause to make face at jenny:
Chapter 5
"We need to talk," were the first words that Andros heard the next morning. And, surprise, surprise, they were coming from Ashley's mouth.
Andros said nothing, deliberately ignoring her. He stared down at his food, hoping that she would give up and go away.
"Andros," Ashley tried again. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me."
"Then you'll be here for awhile," Andros said evenly, staring straight ahead and not at her.
"Andros!" Ashley snapped. "Shut up."
"Then how can we talk?" He knew he was being a jerk, but he didn't care right now.
Ashley looked like she was about to cry with frustration, and Andros gave in. He didn't really care if she cried, but everyone else on the team loved Ashley. They would care.
"Fine, talk," he said reluctantly.
"Hey, what are you guys doing up so early?" Cassie asked sleepily.
"Not tired," Andros and Ashley said together. Ashley felt her face grow warm, and Andros stared at the floor.
Cassie shrugged. "Whatever you say."
Andros took the opportunity to stand up and storm out. Ashley followed him.
"Andros!"
He stopped and groaned. "What?"
"We still need to talk," Ashley said, grabbing his arm so that he couldn't run away again.
"Why?" Andros demanded. "What's there to talk about? That was a different dimension. You don't love me. I don't love you. I could never love you. In fact, I hate you."
Ashley looked like she'd just been slapped, and Andros tried not to feel guilty. He hadn't meant to say the last two sentences, and if he had, he hadn't meant to say it so cruelly. It had just slipped out, and now that he'd said it, he regretted it, and he wasn't so sure that it was true, but he couldn't take it back, and he wouldn't apologize.
Ashley gave him a wounded look and fled.
Andros did his best not to notice that he knew exactly how much he had just hurt her. I'm only feeling guilty, he told himself, sitting down on the floor and leaning back against the wall. I'm not feeling what she's feeling. I'm only feeling guilty. . . What did I just do?
She had to get off of the Megaship. It was a good place to hide, but it was Andros' ship. She needed to go somewhere that was hers.
"Deca, teleport me to my room at home," Ashley said, managing to keep back her tears.
As soon as she'd landed in her own bedroom, she threw herself onto her bed, and buried her face in her pillow, sobbing her heart out. She'd always known that Andros didn't like her, but she'd never though that he'd be so heartless to tell her so.
Ever since the beginning, something had drawn her to the stubborn, brooding red ranger, just as something had made him hate her. She'd never thrown herself at him, but she'd tried to get him to talk a few times, but every time she walked into a room, he'd found a reason to leave. It wasn't fair, she could feel how much hurt he was always carrying around with him, but he wouldn't let her get close enough to help him.
"Ash?"
She looked up as he brother's concerned face appeared in her doorway. Jeff came in, and knelt down by her bed, looking her in the eye.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly, and Ashley started sobbing again. When she could speak again, she told him everything. Jeff stared at her when she'd finished, not able to absorb it all.
"So in another dimension, you and Andros are married?"
Ashley nodded, and tears started pouring again. "He told me that he hated me."
Jeff wrapped an arm around her comfortingly. "Do you think he meant it?"
"How could he not?" Ashley said. "He's never been mean to me before. He just ignored me. I don't think he says anything he doesn't mean."
"Maybe he didn't mean to say it," Jeff said. He didn't believe it, but he hated seeing his sister so heartbroken.
"Then why would he?" Ashley's eyes were still wet, but now she looked angry instead of sad. "You don't tell someone you hate them as a joke."
Jeff sighed. "I don't know, but you should talk to Andros. You know you won't feel better until you do. And tell him that if he hurts you again, I don't care if he's a ranger, I will kill him."
Ashley laughed a little. "You're not supposed to know," she reminded him.
"Oh yeah," Jeff said. "I forgot."
"How did you figure it out, anyway?" Ashley asked, trying to keep her mind off of Andros.
Jeff thought about it for a moment. "Those things that looked like watches never told time, you always disappeared whenever the rangers were around, and you and your friends always dressed in the same colors."
"It was that obvious?" Ashley asked, a little shocked. "How come no one else has figured it out?"
Jeff shrugged. "I'm sure it's because if you put all of them together, they'd only be half as smart as I am."
Ashley giggled. "Thanks, Jeff. I needed that."
Jeff stuck his tongue out at her. "Feel better?"
"A little," Ashley admitted. "Thanks."
"No problem, sis," Jeff said. "At least I'm good for something."
He paused. "You want to go see a movie or something? It'll get your mind off of everything."
Ashley nodded. "Sure."
Jeff grinned. "But I'm choosing the movie."
"You are not," Ashley protested. "I hate the movies you see. I want to pick the movie."
"I'm not going to see a chick flick," Jeff said, looking insulted. "Do I look like a girl to you?"
Ashley grinned at him.
"Don't answer that," Jeff said hastily. "Come on."
"Fine, you can pick the movie," Ashley said, snatching up his keys from the table where he had left them. "But I'm driviing."
"Aw, no fair," Jeff said, pouting. "Yeah, okay."
Ashley slipped behind the wheel of his car feeling much better. Five minutes later, the feeling vanished.
They were stopped at a red light. The light switched to green, and Ashley started moving again.
"Look ou!" Jeff shouted.
Ashley didn't have time for his words to register in her mind. The car was slammed from the side, and Ashley's mind froze. Her seatbelt caught her, but the other car had hit them from Jeff's side. When Ashley glanced over at her brother, he wasn't moving.
