Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: You don't know for sure that Ashley's safe. Something could go wrong, or they could be shot at on the other side. Wait, that's the same as something going wrong... :P

Juzblue: Well, if you want Angel to be Andros's daughter, I can't leave her there any longer. :P

DizneeDol: Thanks. Relax, here's more. :P

Annie:I wasn't considering it all that seriously, don't worry, and since everyone seems to agree with you, it's probably safe to say that Angel is Andros's daughter. :P

JDPhoenix: You'll get the answer to one of your questions in this chapter. The others will have to wait. :P

the-power-of-love: Thanks, and another vote for Andros. :P

Jenny: Do I always rush the scenes where important stuff happens? I seriously can't tell! I don't want Subconscious to get his knives dirty. I'll be good, I swear. (And I already know I went smilie crazy again.) :P

Kaci: I agree with you, but no one else seems to, so I guess that it's Andros. But don't worry, I'll have another story where he's not. :P

Chapter 11

Ashley groaned as she hit the ground hard, sprawled on her stomach. She'd landed on what felt like soft sand, and the soft winds blew it into her eyes. Blinking dazedly, she struggled to sit up, her eyes scanning the dark night.

"Andros?"

"I'm right here, Ash," she heard him say from behind her, and a second later, she saw him appear out of the darkness, crouching by her side. "You're not hurt, are you?"

She shook her head, and he helped her up, holding her close to him as he searched for Blaze and Alana. Staring out over his shoulder, Ashley squinted, and saw someone headed their way.

"Andros," she whispered. "There's someone over there."

By the time Andros had turned, there was a second figure alongside the first... and then a third.

"It's not Blaze and Alana," Andros muttered. "Ash, can-"

"Andros? Ashley?"

"Zhane?" Andros exclaimed.

"Andros!" A morphed silver ranger appeared at their side a moment later. "We were just starting to get worried about you."

"What? How long were we gone?"

"You guys were down here for about an hour," Zhane said, "and then you completely vanished for another three or so."

"Three hours?" Ashley repeated weakly. "But..."

Her voice trailed off at the sound of an Astroblaster firing. "Wait," Andros shouted. "Stop!"

"What's going on here?" TJ's voice called from somewhere off to their right. "Who are these two?"

"They're rangers," Andros called back. "We'll explain once we get back to the Megaship."

"Deca, teleport nine," Zhane said quietly into his communicator.

The Megaship

"What happened to you?" Karone demanded as she laid eyes on her brother, who was dressed in black pants and what looked like a red tunic, the uniform also worn by Alana and Blaze, who had demorphed as they had fallen through the mirror. Karone's eyes widened as she saw Ashley, whose yellow and silver flight suit was filthy and torn.

"We..."

Ashley started to speak, but then the realization that she was safe and far away from Arrow and Killian sunk in. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. Andros wrapped his arms around her protectively, holding her close as she cried, her face buried in his shoulder.

"Ash, I love you," she heard Andros tell her silently, and she realized that he was crying too hard to speak aloud. "It's all right, you're safe now, and I'll die before I let anyone hurt you ever again."

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

Andros blinked back a fresh wave of tears and took several shaky breaths, pulling back to look into her eyes. "Let's get you out of here," he said softly. "I think you should go to the medical bay."

"Okay," Ashley whispered.

"Can I explain later?" Andros asked the others, who were doing a credible job acting as though they hadn't been staring. They nodded silently, their eyes flickering towards Blaze and Alana, who were standing together in the opposite corner of the room from the other Astro Rangers. "Um... you guys can talk to each other, you know."

"Hey, I'm Cassie." The pink Astro Ranger was the first to react, and crossed the room to introduce herself. Without looking back, Andros lifted Ashley up into his arms and carried her off of the bridge.

"Andros?" Ashley asked softly. He looked at her as best he could; her arms around his neck were nearly strangling him. "Can I go to my room first? I want to take a shower."

Andros nodded wordlessly, and looked away, but not before Ashley had seen the tears in his eyes, and knew that he understood. Before she did anything else, she had to wash the feel of him off of her... if she ever could.

Andros set her down gentlly in her room. "I'll wait right here for you, okay?"

"Okay," Ashley whispered, suddenly afraid to let go of him. She took a deep breath and stepped back, her gaze lingering on him.

"I'm not going anywhere," Andros assured her, settling down on her bed. "See?"

Ashley nodded shakily, and stepped into the bathroom. When she emerged an hour and a half later, Andros was still sitting on her bed, his eyes focused on his hands. His head snapped up when she came back into the room, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her wordlessly for a long time.

"Can't I just sleep?" Ashley whispered. "I don't want to go to the medical bay."

"Sleep," Andros said after a moment, releasing her as she climbed into bed.

"Stay with me," Ashley pleaded, as he turned to go. "Please don't leave."

Andros turned back, kneeling down by her side. "Ash, I'll be right back, I promise. I just want to go tell the others what happened so they'll be ready to fight again."

"All of what happened?"

"I won't tell them if you don't want me to," Andros said, squeezing her hand.

"You can tell them," Ashley said a moment later. "They'll figure it out anyway. You know that he'll try to... try to get me again."

"We'll never let him," Andros whispered, swallowing hard. "I'll be back in half an hour at the most, I promise. Will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine," Ashley told him. That part was true. She knew that, tired as she was, she wouldn't be able to sleep until he returned, and she would be fine until she slipped into nightmares.

"I'll be right back," Andros repeated. He hated to leave her, but he wanted to tell the others what had happened himself, and not have them told everything by Blaze and Alana.

He found the Astro Rangers and Karone sitting on the bridge, conversing in low tones. All conversation died away as he approached, and he was fixed with five curious looks. Andros sighed.

"Where are Alana and Blaze?"

"Guestrooms," Carlos said. "What's going on? They were a little vague on the details."

"We were ambushed," Andros said. "Do you guys remember Arrow?"

"He was that dark ranger, right?" TJ said after a pause.

Andros nodded, sinking down into one of the seats. "He was behind it. Ashley and I were captured, and he brought us to his dimension. Arrow ordered the captain of his guards to kill me, and then Ashley..." Karone laid a hand on his arm as he choked. He shook his head, managing to say, "I'm okay."

"We're back to being rangers now, right?" Zhane asked, giving Andros a few seconds to recover his voice. The red ranger nodded.

"Please," he said. "I can understand if you guys don't want to fight, but..."

"We never really wanted to fight in the first place," Cassie pointed out. "But we're a team, Andros. Always."

"What happened down there?" Zhane asked him. "I've never once heard you ask for help, whether you needed it or not."

"He - Arrow told Ashley that he'd let me live if she stayed with him," Andros said quietly, the expressions on their faces telling him that they understood too clearly what he hadn't said. When he continued, his voice was angry. "She said yes, and then... I didn't see her again until tonight. She was there for almost three weeks, because of me."

"He's a dead monster," TJ said gravely.

"Don't worry, man," Zhane added. "We'll show him that we take care of each other."

Cassie nodded her agreement. "You can go now. I know you want to be with her."

Andros looked at her gratefully and left quickly. When he got to Ashley's room, she was curled up on her bed, but her eyes shone at him through the darkness. She was crying, silently this time, and Andros pulled her into his arms, holding her wordlessly as she buried her face in his chest.

"I love you," Ashley whispered after a long time.

"I know you do," Andros whispered back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you so much, Ash."

"They tried to tell me that you didn't." Ashley's voice was slightly muffled with her face pressed against him, but Andros heard her clearly, and gently tilted her chin up towards him.

"I'll always love you, Ash," he promised her softly. "Always, no matter what."

"Always," he heard Ashley whisper.

"Sleep, Ash," Andros told her, tightening his grip on her slightly. "You need rest."

"I can't sleep," Ashley whispered.

"Why not?" he questioned her gently.

"He'll be there," she answered immediately.

"I won't leave you, Ash," Andros assured her. "I'll wake you up if you start having nightmares."

"Promise?"

"I promise," he said solemnly. "Sleep now, Ash, and I'll be here when you wake up."

Andros wasn't quite sure what compelled him to add the last part, but it must have been what Ashley needed to hear. He felt her body relax, and soon her breathing was even and slow, even if the expression on her face was uneasy.

"I love you, Ash," Andros whispered one last time before falling into a half-dozing state of his own.