Disclaimer: Not mine
Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: He does something stupid in this chapter. Andros and Ashley are not on the Megaship, they're in a house somewhere. Breeding. :P
C.C.C: If Andros says any more, he knows Ashley's not going to like it, and he doesn't want to do something stupid, like he does in this chapter. :P
Jenny: Ashley seems too perfect? I think it's too late to change that in this story, but don't worry, she'll be far from perfect in one I'll have out soon.
JDPhoenix: Thanks. Here's more.
RisingGundam2004: Arrow get what he deserves, but you've got to imagine it all. :P
Mz. Daydream: Thanks. Andros and Ashley are the perfect couple, and there can never be enough stories about them!
Chapter 21
Ashley moaned softly in her sleep, twisting away out of Andros's arms. His eyes opened slowly as she started whimpering, tossing back and forth as her breathing became labored.
"Ash," Andros whispered. He reached over and touched her shoulder. "Ashley!"
Her eyes flew open and widened slightly. "Wha... what happened?"
"You were having another nightmare," Andros said softly. He pushed the pillows up against the headboard and sat up, gathering Ashley back into his arms. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Ashley whispered, resting her head against his chest. "I don't remember what was happening, except that I was scared."
"It's all right," Andros soothed her, running his hand up and down her spine. Goosebumps had broken out over her bare skin, and he drew the blanket up to her chin, making sure it wrapped around her completely. "You're safe here, Ash."
"I know," Ashley whispered, pulling him closer to her as she warmed up, her hands searching for his. "I'm all right now."
Andros kissed the back of her neck gently before gently catching her hands in his. "You're cold," he said softly, rubbing her hands between his. "Do you want some clothes?"
"Don't get up," Ashley mumbled, her eyes starting to close again. "I'm all right."
"Go to sleep, Ash," Andros whispered, easing her down onto the mattress again. "I'll wake you up if you have any more nightmares."
"I love you," Ashley whispered as Andros shifted to lie down beside her.
"I love you, Ashley," Andros whispered back, wrapping his arms around her waist as Ashley curled up in his arms again. He watched the slight rising and falling of her chest, listening to the peaceful breathing that told him she was all right.
Deca's eye blinked at him suddenly, and Andros started in suprise. Deca had learned to respect the privacy of all the rangers onboard the Megaship, and normally had better things to do than watch them sleep.
"What happened?" Andros asked softly, hoping that Ashley wouldn't wake.
"Alana is approaching the containment cells with a variety of weapons at her disposal," Deca informed him, and Andros groaned. He should have seen that coming. He should have locked the outer doors more securely... or maybe he had seen it coming, and that was why he hadn't.
Slowly, careful not to disturb Ashley, he shifted her body off of his arm, and settled her gently back down on her side. He drew the covers up over her carefully before easing himself out of bed, searching through the clothing on the floor for his own.
"Alana has entered the containment cells," Deca reported, and Andros glared up at her eye.
"I'm going," he told her. "Stop telling me what Alana's doing. You'll wake Ashley. Now go away and let me get dressed."
Deca's eye blinked reprovingly at him, but she obeyed. With the absence of the faint red glow of her eye, the room was pitch black, and it took Andros even longer to sort his clothes from Ashley's in the complete darkness. When he was finally dressed enough to go wandering the halls, Andros slipped quietly out of the room before walking quickly down the corridor.
"Andros, the containment cells are in the opposite direction," Deca reminded him warily.
"I know," Andros assured her, smirking slightly. Deca didn't say any more.
Andros arrived at the containment cells just as Alana was leaving. She stopped when she saw him, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. "Don't worry, he was in pain."
"How-"
"You turned a two minute run into a half hour stroll," Alana informed him. "You wanted him to die."
"Yes," Andros admitted quietly. "I did."
"So why'd you go off on how you don't kill?" Alana asked. "You wanted him dead just as much as I did, probably more."
Andros shrugged, and looked at her helplessly. "I don't know... I wanted him to die, but I didnt' want to be the one that did it."
"Why not?" Alana looked at him curiously.
"If I had," Andros said slowly, knowing that she wouldn't understand, "I'd never have been able to look Ashley in the eye again. No matter how much she might want him gone, she doesn't have it in her to... execute someone like that, and if I had done it, I don't think she would have forgiven me."
"You don't have it in you either," Alana assured him. "Or you would have done it already."
"What did you do to him?" he asked, not sure he wanted to see, but wanting to know that Arrow was truly dead. Alana placed a hand on his arm as he started towards the cell.
"Unless you know just how much blood is in one human, I suggest you stay away," she said dryly. Andros swallowed and nodded.
"Good night, Alana."
The trip back to Ashley's room was much shorter than the one to the containment cells, and Andros undressed quickly, hoping to slip back into bed without waking Ashley, and to delay any explanations until the following morning, but as he wrapped his arms around her again, Ashley stirred slightly, yawning as her eyes fluttered open.
"Where'd you go?" she asked sleepily. Andros groaned inwardly, and sighed, stroking Ashley's soft brown hair with one hand as he debated over what to tell her.
"Ash," he said softly. "I need to tell you something."
"What's wrong?" Ashley asked, her eyes flooding with alarm as she sat up. The blankets tumbled down to her waist, and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. "Andros, what happened?"
"Arrow's dead," Andros told her quietly, sitting up as well. "Alana killed him."
"Dead?" Ashley repeated weakly, tears coming into her eyes as she started trembling. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Andros said softly, pulling her into his lap, rocking her back and forth in his arms as Ashley buried her face in his neck. "He'll never hurt you again, Ash, I promise... Are you going to be okay?"
"I'm all right," Ashley whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. Andros gently rubbed small circles on her back as she calmed down. Ashley suddenly shifted to face him, her arms around his neck as she kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you too, Ashley," Andros whispered, running his fingers through her hair as he kissed the scar on her cheek. "I love you so much."
Ashley rolled onto her back, pulling him with her as he continued to kiss her, his lips placing feather light kisses over every inch of her face. Ashley slipped her hands behind his head as she kissed him, just barely brushing her lips over his before she pulled back. She kissed him again, and pulled back again even more quickly, leaving Andros to keep recapturing her mouth every few seconds. It was driving him crazy, and she knew it, but she couldn't help it. Something didn't seem right, and she had to know what it was.
"Ash," he gasped hoarsely, pulling his head back as Ashley placed both of her hands on his shoulders, pushing him away enough to give her a good look at his eyes. "Stop doing that to me."
"Something's bothering you," Ashley said softly, running her fingers through his hair as it fell from his shoulders to tickle her cheeks.
"It's nothing," Andros muttered, his breathing slowing some. He looked away, and then it hit her.
"Andros, you didn't kill him, did you?"
"No," Andros assured her, running his thumb along her cheekbone. "Alana did."
"Then why do you feel guilty?"
"You've gotten good at telepathy," Andros remarked.
"Answer me," Ashley said softly. "Andros, what really happened?"
"Alana killed him," he said, not quite meeting her eye. "But I... I didn't do anything to stop her."
"So you just stood there and watched?" Ashley asked, her voice growing cooler.
"No," Andros muttered. "By the time I got there, he was already dead."
"Why didn't you stop her?"
"I didn't want to," he mumbled, his eyes anywhere but on her.
"Why not?" From the tone of Ashley's voice, Andros knew that she already knew, but she was going to make him say it anyway.
"Because every time I see him, I think of what he did to you," Andros admitted. "Every time I see you, some part of me keeps saying that it's my fault. I can't help it, Ash."
"Get off of me," Ashley cried suddenly, shoving him hard. Andros rolled off of her and sat up. "Just go away!"
"Ashley, I'm sorry," Andros whispered.
"Go away!" Ashley wailed. "You're just here because you feel guilty. You're not here because you want to be. You're not here because you love me."
"Ash, that's not true-"
"Yes, it is!" Ashley shouted. "If you didn't feel guilty, then you wouldn't think about it every time you saw me. You promised me you weren't staying with me because you felt guilty. You lied to me."
"Ashley, I'm not here because I feel guilty," he tried to say, but Ashley wasn't listening.
"Just go," she whispered, rolling onto her side, facing away from him. Andros dressed and left without another word, wondering how he could keep screwing up so badly when he loved her so much.