Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Don't worry, I somehow think I ended my writer's block with that last chapter. And she didn't break up with him. At least I hope not. But the story isn't over yet. :P

Juzblue: It's okay, my writer's block went away when I had them fight. :P

Mz. Daydream: They'll be fine, I just needed something to happen.

Mandy: He will, don't worry.

JDPhoenix: Well, Andros will get a grip in this chapter. I'm not sure about the rest.

C.C.C: Yeah, Andros learned something. I'd never break them up, though. Well, not permanently.

Jenny: Yes, declaring your undying love for this story does help. :P

Chapter 16

"You did what?" Zhane exclaimed. "We need you!"

"Relax," Ashley said, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "I was trying to snap him out of it."

"You broke up with him?" Carlos asked. Ashley glared at him.

"No, Carlos, I didn't," she said cooly. "I love him."

"What happens if he doesn't snap out of it?" Cassie asked. "We'd die down there without you."

"Cassie's right, Ash," TJ agreed with a sigh. "Andros is an idiot sometimes. He might go in the opposite direction."

"He won't," Ashley said firmly.

"Ashley?"

She took her sweet time swiveling around in her seat to face him, letting the other rangers glare at him for a minute or so. When she finally turned around to face him, Ashley saw Andros staring at her, shaken.

"What?" she asked, her voice coming out stronger than she'd meant. Ashley started to wonder how much of her earlier words had been an act.

"Can I... Can I talk to you?" Andros asked nervously.

"Fine," Ashley agreed. "Talk."

"Alone?" Andros asked. "Please?"

Ashley relented and followed him off the bridge. "Where do you want to go?"

"I don't care," Andros said. "As long as we're alone."

"Come on," Ashley said. "Let's go for a walk."

They wandered through the Megaship for several minutes before Andros stopped, turning her to face him. His right hand was clenched around her morpher, and he handed it to her.

"I'm sorry, Ash," he muttered, staring at the ground as opposed to her.

"What, exactly, are you sorry for?" Ashley asked, her tone concealing whatever she was feeling. She barely glanced at the morpher she now held as she fixed her eyes on Andros's.

"I'm sorry I was an idiot," Andros blurted out, and Ashley stared at him in surprise. "I know you can fight your own battles, and it's selfish of me not to want you to. No one deserves the chance to fight Arrow more than you do, Ash, and I shouldn't want to take that away from you. But I do, and I'm sorry for that."

"Andros..." Ashley said slowly, toying with her morpher. "It's fine that you want to protect me. I want to protect you. But when you try to keep me safe by trying to keep me from fighting, do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

Andros shook his head. "The last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you, Ash," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

"Then stop doing it," Ashley pleaded. "When you tell me to run and let you do the fighting, it's like you're telling me that I'm not good enough to fight with you, and I already feel that way."

"What?" Andros said. "Why?"

"Because of Arrow," Ashley muttered.

"Ash..."

"Don't talk." Ashley's eyes were wet with tears that didn't fall, but she swallowed hard and tried to keep talking. "Just listen to me, okay?"

Andros nodded. "Okay."

"I need to fight Arrow," Ashley said, now shaking with unshed tears. "If I don't, I'll feel like he's won, and I won't be able to stand that. I would have fought him, if he wasn't about to kill you, and now I need to prove to myself that I can do it. You know that you can fight him, Andros, and I want to know if I can."

"Can I say something now?" Andros asked when Ashley stopped, her eyes overflowing. She nodded, swiping angrily at her tears. "Ash, I love you, and I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to protect you, but you don't need me to, and I'm sorry I made you feel like you couldn't fight."

"Andros, I do need you to protect me," Ashley whispered. "Just not in the middle of a fight."

"Then when?" he asked gently, pulling her into his arms. "I promise, I'll protect you, whenever you'll let me."

"You already do," Ashley said, her voice almost directly in his ear. "Andros, I'm so scared, but I can hide it when I'm awake. I can distract myself, and not think about it, but when I'm asleep, I can't hide anymore. When I wake up, I think it was real, and then I feel your arms around me, and somehow, that's enough to let me fall asleep again."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Andros asked, rubbing her back soothingly as she tried to calm down.

"I didn't want you to think less of me," Ashley mumbled. "I didn't want to ask you to protect me from something that's not even real."

"Ash, I wouldn't think less of you for having nightmares," Andros exclaimed. "If I ever did anything to make you think that, then I'm so sorry."

"You didn't do anything," Ashley said, burying her face in his neck. "But I think less of myself."

"Why?" Andros questioned her softly, hating himself for hurting her.

"You said I saved your life," Ashley said. "But I wasn't strong enough to do it by fighting Arrow, so I had to sleep with him instead!"

Andros stared at her, stricken, at a complete loss for words, but he had to say something. "Ashley..."

"He hurt me so much," Ashley whispered. "I could have fought him, and he knew it, but I didn't do anything to stop him. I didn't even move. I'd just lie there with my eyes closed and wait for him to leave."

"Ashley, I'm so sorry," Andros whispered, wiping her tears away, trying hard not to cry himself.

"It wasn't your fault," Ashley choked out, hiding her face in his shoulder as he held her. "Don't think that."

"I'll try not to," Andros promised her, kissing the top of her head. "And I promise I'll never try and keep you from fighting Arrow, or anyone else, as long as you promise me something."

"What?" Ashley pulled her head back to look up into his hazel eyes.

"Promise me that you won't doubt your strength," he said softly, raising one hand to her face, his thumb lightly running along the now healed wound that scarred her left cheek. "You're stronger than I am."

"I promise," Ashley whispered. "But I think you're wrong."

"I'm not," Andros said firmly. "You're so much stronger, Ash, and I know that you can fight him."

"Thank you," Ashley whispered. "Andros, I love you."

"I love you, Ash," Andros whispered back. "Don't worry, it's almost over. Everything's going to be okay."

Ashley nodded, reassured for now by his words. Andros doubted that whatever comfort he gave her would be enough to make her truly believe what he was saying to her. He held her close, wishing that there was some magic way to make everything all right again.