Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Actually, I found the other chapters. I just gave the files different names, so I didn't see them before. I'll send it to you if you want. You failed? I'm sorry. You can take it again, right? That was a much more interesting threat than usual. :P

Arwennicole: I'm so mean to them, aren't I? But it'll end happily, I promise. :P

the-power-of-love: Here's more. You'll see some more of her parents in the next chapter, too.

Melissa: I changed the part with the twins. You'll see in the next chapter. And just so you know: I'm ALWAYS going to almost kill either Andros, Ashley, or both. And if I get bored with that, there's always their children. Wow, I'm evil, aren't I:P

Chapter 4

Earth

"Hi, Mom, Dad," Ashley said without much enthusiasm, hugging both of her parents. "Hey, Jeff."

Her greeting to her brother was a little more genuine, and he gave her a small smile before embracing her.

"Ashley, why haven't you called us?" Mrs. Hammond demanded. "We've barely heard from you in the last three months."

"I know," Ashley said in what she hoped was an apologetic tone. "But I told you, I've been trying to find -"

"Andros," Mrs. Hammond finished. "We know, you've told us at least a dozen times. But you shouldn't feel like you have to avoid us just because your boyfriend ran off."

Ashley sighed. "He didn't run off, Mom."

"Then why isn't he here?" Mr. Hammond asked her sternly.

"Because he's gone," Ashley muttered, feeling tears press her eyes. She blinked them back furiously. If she started crying now, this was going to be a long day.

"I told you," Mrs. Hammond said to her husband, "we shouldn't have let her move to K... wherever with her boyfriend."

"Um," Ashley said guiltily, realizing that she'd never told them, "Mom, Dad, Andros and I are engaged."

"You're what?" her parents repeated together.

Ashley winced at the looks on their faces. This was going to be a long day.

"You are most certainly not engaged," her father said firmly. "Not to anyone, especially that alien boy."

"Dad," Ashley cried, frustrated. "I turned eighteen three months ago. I'm an adult, and you can't stop me from marrying him."

"That is true," Mr. Hammond said after a pause, "but seeing how he's run off, that doesn't seem to be much of a problem now, does it?"

"Dad," Jeff interrupted, seeing how Ashley was about to burst into tears, "maybe you should talk about this later. Ash is only going to be here for a few days and -"

"You're only going to be here for a few days?" Mrs. Hammond's eyes narrowed at her daughter. "Ashley-"

"I told you," Ashley said, exasperated. "I have to help Zhane and Karone search for Andros."

"Ashley," her mother said, her voice overly patient. "How long has he been gone?"

"Almost three months," Ashley admitted with a sigh. "But Andros-"

"Three months ago," Mrs. Hammond repeated. "Ashley, honey, you need to accept that he's not going to come back, and move on, and when you're ready, find someone else."

"You said the exact same thing to me when I was twelve and my dog ran away," Ashley said. "It worked then, but you can't just expect me to forget all about Andros."

"Why not?" she challenged. "He forgot about you."

Ashley sighed heavily. "Look, if this is all you're going to talk about, then maybe I should just go."

"No, sweetheart," Mr. Hammond said quickly, stepping in front of the door. "We can talk about it later. Stay, have some breakfast."

"All right," Ashley agreed half-heartedly. "But I mean it, I'm not talking about this anymore."

"Ash," Jeff said, catching her arm, and holding her back as their parents went into the kitchen. "I need to talk to you for a minute."

"Is this about Andros?" Ashley asked. "If it is, I'm not-"

"Ashley, I know he didn't run away," Jeff said. "I've seen how he looks at you. I just thought that you should know..."

"Know what?" Ashley demanded, as her brother hesitated. "Jeff, tell me!"

"I've heard Mom and Dad talking," Jeff said after a moment, "you know they never liked Andros much to begin with. They thought seventeen was too young to have a serious relationship, and then when they found out where he was from..."

"I know all this, Jeff," Ashley said. "What's the point?"

"Look, they let you move away from home because they thought they were humoring you and some silly romantic idea of yours," Jeff told her in a low voice, "but ever since you left, they've been thinking up plan after plan to get you to move back home, and now that Andros has disappeared, they're not going to stop trying to convince you that he got scared and bailed on you." He paused, and hesitated for a moment. "And they're going to tell you that if you don't move back home, then they'll never talk to you again."

"What?" Ashley asked, her eyes filling with tears. "They'd do that?"

Jeff nodded, and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "Don't worry, Ash," he said. "You'll be able to talk them out of it."

"I've got to go," Ashley said suddenly, turning towards the door.

"Wait, Ash," Jeff pleaded. "Don't go just yet. At least stay for breakfast."

"But - I -" Ashley sighed. "Fine. For you."

Elsewhere

Andros lay curled up on the floor, his body still aching from the previous day's torture. He didn't know exactly how much time had passed, but he guessed it was about twelve hours later.

He was stiff from lying almost motionlessly for so long, and slowly, cautiously, he tried to stretch out. His muscles protested, but slowly, he was able to roll over onto his other side.

It took him a long time to realize how cold he was; the numbness had already spread throughout most of his body. His fingertips were aching painfully, and had his toes not been covered by his boots, they would have as well.

Crawling over to the cot, he slowly raised himself to his knees, and lifted himself up onto it. He'd hoped it would be warmer than the concrete-like material that made up the floor of his cell. It was; slightly, and Andros curled up, making himself as small as he could, trying to keep some of his body heat inside his body.

With nothing else to do, he tried to think. Escape was probably out of the question now; it had taken him the better portion of an hour to get himself from the floor to the cot less than four feet away. Unless his guards were suddenly petrified, there was no way he could run from them.

That left him with only two possible ways out. He would either be rescued or he would die. He'd much rather be rescued, although death appealed to him more than torture. Sighing, Andros blocked the thought from his mind, and focued on getting himself rescued.

Yesterday, when they'd taken the ring off of his head, he'd sensed Ashley's telepathic presence in his mind. It was gone a split second later, but it had been there. The old man had said that he couldn't do the test properly with the ring on his head, leaving Andros to conclude that when they did it the next time, they would have to remove it yet again.

It would be off longer this time, he thought. If he started communicating with Ashley the second it came off, he'd be able to tell her where he was, and he would be rescued just as soon as she could get to him.

But where was he?

His hopes faded quickly as Andros was forced to admit to himself that he had no clue where he was. He'd been captured just outside of the house that he'd been sharing with Ashley, Zhane, and Karone. He could vaguely recall being on a ship, but it had made no stops. He'd been taken from theh ship directly from his cell. He hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of the planet he was on, either; he'd been blindfolded.

Still, his best plan was to get through to Ashley.

The door opened, and Andros groaned as the light hit his eyes, temporarily blinding him. He could already feel the pain coursing through him, and he tried to suppress the sudden fear that sprang up in him. It had been his fear that had prevented him from noticing that he could sense Ashley. It wouldn't happen again.

The ring was not removed until after he'd been securely strapped down, as if they feared he might run away somehow. As it was pulled off, Andros screamed out with his mind, "ASHLEY!"

Earth

Ashley stopped walking abruptly, halting in the doorway to the kitchen. She felt Jeff bump into her, and she heard him asking her something, and she waved her hand at him to shush him.

She'd heard him, she'd really heard him.

"Andros?" she shouted, closing her eyes. "Andros, where are you?"

Jeff started as his sister screamed wordlessly, her body dropping to the floor limply. "Ashley, what's wrong?" he shouted, kneeling down beside her. Ashley continued screaming, the expression on her face one of extreme torment.

The sound of her screaming went on for what seemed like forever, and Ashley's face was contorted with pain. Ashley thrashed around on the floor, her eyes closed, her face growing paler by the second.

Then abruptly, it stopped, and Ashley lay on the floor, motionless. Her eyes blinked a few times, and the world seemed to fade away. As it did so, the thought she could hear Andros shouting for her.

"Ashley!" he cried. "Please save me."