Disclaimer: Not mine

Melissa: It worked this time, yay! Ashley's not going to die, at least not from being sick. I did almost kill her a lot in Follow the Stars, didn't I? Oops. It wasn't intentional, really. :)

Jenny: Thank you. A and C might not even be a part of this story, so don't worry if you don't know who they are. Writer's block sucks. Kill someone. Or make someone pregnant. Two ways around writers block that work every time. I do like the idea of having them meet TJ, Cassie, and Carlos. For awhile, I was toying with the idea of having their powers given to them by them, but obviously, I didn't. I don't like rice cakes, but have fun hitting AH/AY with a frying pan. :P

DizneeDol: This actually is soon! It was only a day! I think. :)

Arwennicole: Yeah, it would have been awful if Andros had killed Ashley. :backs away nervously: It would have been very bad. :P

the-power-of-love: Thanks, and I did update soon! :)

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: You made Jenny cry? That's not very nice of you... :grins: ... Yay, I get to see some of the story. For some reason, I'm suddenly glad I live an ocean away from you. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that cars sink... The Zodiac Rangers? Just start with Gwyn going to the house, and if you don't like starting there, work backwards. Do you have a warning yet? I don't know how much wood a wood chuck could chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood. Seriously, I don't remember, which is really pathetic. And I'm not going to kill A and C, but technically, I already did. :looks innocently over at Jenny: P.S. ignored. I always have fun writing.

Chapter 12: Dreams of the Future

Zhane's room

"What do you think about this one?" Karone asked Zhane. She was sprawled on her stomach on his bed, which she had covered with dozens of wedding magazines.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to see the dress," he said from where he was sitting on the floor, trying to formulate a response other than "I am not paying for that hideous thing."

"You're not supposed to see me in it," Karone said. She tucked a few strands of her blond hair behind her ear. "There's a difference. Come on, tell me what you think of it."

"I think you'd look beautiful in it," Zhane said.

"Good answer," Karone told him. "But I think I'll keep looking."

"Good idea," he said, relieved.

Karone set the magazine aside, and rummaged around for another one. "I can't decide what I want," she wailed. Then with a bright smile on her face, she added, "So I'll decide what the bridesmaids get."

"Is there anything I'm allowed to decide on?"

"Well..." Karone paused and looked over at him. "Andros is best man, right?"

"Of course he is," Zhane said.

"Then no, not really," Karone said, somewhat apologetically.

"You know," Zhane commented, "Maybe we should think past the wedding."

"But thinking about the wedding is fun," Karone protested.

"But once the wedding is over, what are we going to do?" Zhane asked. "You're back from Terra Venture, and after this, I'm done rangering."

Karone laughed. "Rangering?"

"It's a word," Zhane said defensively. "I'm serious, though. What kinds of jobs are we going to get? Where are we going to live?"

"Um..." Karone thought for a moment, then suggested, "What about NASADA? If they hired Andros, they'll hire anyone."

"You'd want to work at NASADA?" Zhane asked skeptically.

"No," Karone admitted. "But you would."

"Okay," Zhane said. "That's one possibility. Where are we going to live?"

"The Megaship?"

Zhane gave her a Look. She shrugged. "I'll take that as a no... Angel Grove? Or do you want to go back to KO-35?"

"Andros and Ashley are staying on Earth permanently, I think," Zhane said slowly. "You want to be near your family, right?"

Karone nodded. "Are you okay with it?"

"Yeah," Zhane said. He grinned. "On Earth I get the attention I deserve."

"Maybe we should reconsider KO-35," Karone said wryly. "Hey, we're really planning our future."

"You catch on quickly," Zhane remarked. Karone glared at him, and he laughed nervously, ready to dodge whatever magic spells she happened to throw his way. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"You never learn," she commented just before zapping him.

Andros and Ashley's room

"Ash?" Andros asked hesitantly. He was sitting cross-legged on their bed with Wyatt in his lap, one small fist full of red T-shirt, the other clutching the corner of the book he'd been reading to him. Andros doubted that he'd understood any of it, but he loved hearing his son laugh when he saw the pictures.

Ashley looked over at him. She was sitting on the floor playing with Zoe, who was now yawning sleepily. Ashley gave him a questioning glance as she lifted the baby carefully into her arms and stood up, depositing Zoe into the crib. She sat down on the bed facing him, and pulled Wyatt into her arms. Andros was still hesitating.

"Did you do something?" she asked suspiciously.

"What?" Andros repeated. "Oh, no, I didn't. I just wanted to talk to you, that's all."

Ashley rocked Wyatt in her arms, and waited patiently, but Andros didn't say anything until several minutes later, after she'd put Wyatt to bed and down across from him again.

"NASADA pays me a lot of money," he said finally, not quite looking at her. "Enough to support my beautiful wife and two kids -."

"You didn't get fired, did you?" Ashley interrupted. She cringed at the look he gave her. "Sorry."

"I can't tell you that you're beautiful without you assuming that I've done something?" Andros did his best to look wounded. Ashley shrugged sheepishly at him, but his expression must have lost most of it's effectiveness when he laughed.

"Like I was saying," he said, "NASADA pays me enough money to support my beautiful wife - " Andros shot Ashley a look, and she blushed. He smiled innocently at her, and continued, "But it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life."

"I thought you loved working there," Ashley said.

"I do."

"Then why-"

"I don't like being away from you," Andros said softly, finally meeting her eyes. "Whenever I go on off on a mission for them, I miss you and the twins too much." He leaned back against the pillows and sighed. "I guess I've just don't have it in me anymore."

"Andros, that's ridiculous," Ashley said, crawling over to sit next to him. "Don't just quit because you get homesick."

Andros looked at her and shrugged. "I'll stay if you want me to."

"No, that's not what I meant," Ashley said quickly. "Andros... you should do whatever makes you happy, and not let us influence your decision." She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. "I just don't want you to do something and regret it later."

"I won't," Andros said softly.

"You think you won't," Ashley said. "You can't know that."

"I do know, Ash," Andros said. He pulled her into his arms and held her close for a long time. "You know, it hurts me just as much as it hurts you when we're apart."

"I know," Ashley whispered, leaning into his arms. "It's just not fair to you."

"Don't feel guilty," he pleaded, his arms tightening around her. "There's got to be a reason why we're bonded so closely."

"You really think so?" Ashley tilted her head back to look up at him.

"Yeah," Andros said, smiling down at her. "I think it's there to remind me how close I came to not feeling anything at all."

"Andros," Ashley said softly. "I love you."

"And I love you, Ashley," Andros said just as softly, tilting her face up towards his. Their lips met gently the first time, but the next was much more intense. The kisses grew deeper and deeper as Andros shifted, turning his body to face her. Ashley closed her eyes as Andros captured her mouth yet again, laying back against the pillows, her arms securely around his neck.

A loud wail forced them to pull apart, and Andros gave her a rueful smile before glancing over at the crib. Ashley sat up, and moved to get up, but he beat her to it, climbing over her to get to the crib.

"Hey, Zoe," whispered, stroking his daughter's hand gently. "It's okay, Daddy's here. What's wrong?"

Her cries turned into whimpering. Andros lifted her into his arms and rocked her back and forth, trying to soothe her, but she continued fussing.

"You know," he commented to Ashley, "I'll be glad to get home again, where they have their own room."

Ashley grinned at him. "Check her diaper."

There was a loud knock on the door before he could do so. Rolling her eyes at the ceiling, Ashley stood up and crossed the room to let Zhane poke his head in.

"Do you have scissors?" he asked. "Karone needs to cut up some magazines."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Ashley said. She rummaged through one of their drawers and managed to turn up a pair. Zoe let out another loud wail.

"Aw, what's wrong, little girl?" Zhane asked, sticking her tongue out at his neice. Zoe's face brightened instantly, and she mimicked the gesture. Andros groaned, and Ashley laughed.

"She likes you," Ashley commented, taking Zoe from Ashley.

"Who doesn't?" Zhane's goofy grin only served to make Zoe squeal with laughter. "Everyone loves Uncle Zhane!"

Zoe reached out for Zhane, straining against Andros' arms. Andros shrugged and handed his daughter to his future brother-in-law.

"Fine, he can have you, you little monster," he said, pouting at her. Zoe looked at him quizzically, then turned to Zhane, gurguling happily.

"All right, I've got a kid!" Zhane said, lifting Zoe up above his head. "Hmm... Karone's going to want an explanation for this one."

"Well, there's one for her, too," Andros said, gesturing at the crib where his son was sitting up, wide awake.

"Karone and I can take them for awhile, if you two want to be alone," Zhane offered. "For the entire night, if you want," he added, giving them a mischeivous grin.

"Just don't corrupt them too much," Andros warned, tossing a few extra diapers into the crib and rolling it over to Zhane. Wyatt shrieked with delight at going for a ride.

"Damn, that ruins all my plans," Zhane said, swinging Zoe down into the crib to sit next to her twin. "Come on, let's go for a ride," he said enthusiastically, taking off down the hall, pushing the crib in front of him.

The instant that the door slid shut, Andros had turned to Ashley, his mouth pressed firmly against hers again, and his arms curving around her in a strong grip. Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up off of her feet and set her down carefully on the bed, his lips leaving her mouth to move down her neck.

When they finally went to sleep, Andros fell asleep almost instantly, his arms wrapped securely around her waist, but Ashley lay awake for several hours, completely content to lie there in his arms. His bare chest was warm pressed against her back, and the warmth brough with it a sense of complete safety that she had never known before him.

Her thoughts drifted as she grew drowsy, and memories passed slowly through her mind. She smiled sleepily as she thought of the time that Andros had asked her to marry him. She'd been so scared that she was going to lose him, either because KO-35 was his home, or because she was pregnant with the twins. But she hadn't lost him, and now they had the rest of their lives to spend with each other, and Zoe and Wyatt, and someday, maybe more children...

Something occurred to her then, and she tried to hold the thought, and figure out what was wrong with it. In her half-conscious state, she lacked the capacity to do so, and whatever her concern had been, it vanished, and the thought passed on, bringing forth another memory. Ashley's closed eyelids fluttered as memory became dream, and slowly, she drifted off to sleep, her head filled with enough dreams to last the rest of her life.