Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are not mine. I never said they were, so don't sue me for using them.

Chylea3784: Thanks. I'm not used to writing anything this dark, so I'm glad you're liking it so far.

Chapter 7

Andros lay back on his bunk, staring up at the bottom of the bunk above him, not truly seeing it, not truly seeing much of anything but Ashley's face that morning as she'd told him everything. Ashley had been weak with relief that he hadn't hated her, but now Andros was starting to wish that he hadn't taken everything in so well.

He loved Ashley, but Andros wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. He loved her, needed her, and wanted to be with her, but the relationship that he thought he'd had with Ashley had changed dramatically in the last few hours, if there still was any relationship between him and Ashley.

Tawny's presence bothered him much more than Andros had let on, but he wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't the little girl herself as much as the fact that she existed, he thought slowly, not at all sure that he was going to like himself much when he was done thinking. He didn't want Tawny to bother him, but he couldn't help feeling resentment towards her.

"Deca, is Ashley still in her room?"

"Affirmative," the AI replied without hesitation. "Do you wish to speak with her?"

"No, it's okay," Andros said, although he would very much like to speak with her. He'd spent two hours keeping himself a safe distance from Ashley, helping her pack up any possessions she felt like bringing with her to the Megaship, and then bring them to her room. Ashley had taken little more than her clothes, and from that Andros had gathered that she wanted no reminders of her life in that house. Once her room was cluttered with the duffel bags and suitcases that Ashley had hurriedly shoved clothes into, she'd barricaded herself and Tawny in her room, saying that she wanted to be alone. Andros had left her there, and spent the next several hours trying to sort out how he felt.

He loved Ashley, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but he didn't know if he could accept this child that wasn't his. As much as he hated himself for even thinking it, it also made him extremely uneasy that Ashley had been raped. He still loved her, and he still wanted to be with her, but he wasn't sure how to act around her any longer.

But if I love her, then nothing else should matter. Isn't love supposed to be unconditional?

Andros sighed heavily and sat up, the blood rushing to his head, causing the world to spin for several seconds. He wished that someone - anyone - would appear out of thin air, and tell him what he was thinking and what he should be feeling, magically making everything okay again.

"Deca, is anyone here besides Ashley?"

"Cassie, TJ, and Karone are currently onboard the Megaship," Deca replied.

He couldn't stand to stay here in his room any longer. Without anything or anyone to distract him, his thoughts were a whirlwind of confused and jumbled emotions that were beginning to slowly drive him crazy. Besides, if he stayed in his room for too long, Zhane and Karone would come looking for them, and he didn't want to have to think up a story to tell them.

"Where are they?"

"They are all currently eating their dinner."

Andros blinked in surprise. He'd been in his room longer than he'd thought. He stood up and walked out of the room, his legs automatically carrying him in the direction of the holding bay while his mind wandered elsewhere. He cast a troubled glance at Ashley's closed door as he passed by her room, considering trying to talk to her, and deciding against it. He didn't want to push her.

"Hey, Andros," TJ said, glancing up from his mountain of pizza. "Where've you been all day, man?"

"I've been busy," was the only reply Andros could think of in a hurry. He sat down between Cassie and Karone. "What did you guys do?"

"Well..." TJ glanced at Cassie, who grinned, and nodded him on. "I got a job."

"That's great," Andros said without much enthusiasm. "Where?"

"Well, it's not exactly a job," the former blue ranger admitted with a rueful grin. "Yet. I got accepted at the Angel Grove Police Academy."

"Police?" Andros repeated, thinking of his words to Ashley earlier that day. "You're going to be a police officer?"

"If he can survive the training," Cassie teased. "I don't know, it might be too much for someone who saved the world."

"I thought I saved the world," Karone broke in, her face perfectly straight. "I was the one who stopped that asteroid, remember?"

"And you were also the one who invaded it," TJ retorted. "I think the two deeds cancel each other out."

Karone stuck her tongue out at him, laughing at TJ's outraged look as his dinner slowly levitated toward the blond girl sitting across from him. Cassie laughed, and even TJ himself grinned as Karone helped herself to several slices of pepperoni pizza.

"If you're going to be a police officer, you should eat healthy," she smirked.

TJ made a grab for his dinner, and found the rest of it in Karone's hands as well. "Give that back!"

"Want one?" Karone turned and offered one to her brother. He shook his head, his eyes slightly glazed, not the least bit hungy, not even truly registering what she'd said. "Aw, come on. It's... protein?"

Andros shook his head again, the expression on his face bringing the laughter of his three friends to an abrupt halt.

"Is something wrong?" Cassie asked him.

"I'm fine," Andros muttered, not looking at them. "I think I'll go now."

Cassie and TJ rolled their eyes at each other as Karone reached out and dragged Andros back into his seat. "Sit."

"I don't want to talk about it," Andros mumbled.

"Did you and Ashley have a fight?" TJ questioned him. Andros shook his head. "Where is Ashley, by the way?"

"Her room," Andros muttered, staring at his hands. "She... wasn't feeling too good."

"Andros," Cassie said slowly, "you don't have to talk to us, but you're out of practice at hiding what you're really feeling. Look in a mirror."

"Is it that obvious?" Andros sighed, looking away. "I can't talk about it, you guys. I'm sorry."

"Are you going to be okay?" Karone asked him.

"Yeah," Andros said distantly. "I'll be fine... I'll see you guys later."

Leaving Cassie, TJ, and Karone staring after him, Andros walked away, wandering aimlessly through the Megaship, circling the Megadeck Four several times, and yet inexplicably ending up outside of Ashley's door on Megadeck Three. He turned, intending to walk away and give Ashley her space, and then stopped, hesitating. He really did want to talk to her, even if it was just for a few seconds.

Checking to be sure the hallway was clear of any of their former teammates, Andros rapped quickly on Ashley's door. "Ash?"

There was a long silence, and Andros thought she wasn't going to answer. He was about to walk away again when he heard her answer faintly. "What?"

"Can I come in for just a minute?" he asked, adding, "I won't come near you, I promise."

Several minutes ticked by with no reply. Andros stood there, catching himself before asking again. He didn't want to pressure her, but he wasn't going to leave until she either let him in or told him to go away.

Finally, the door opened, and Andros stepped inside just enough for the door to close, careful not to move too close to Ashley. The bedrooms on the Megaship were considerably smaller than the the one in Ashley's large home, meaning that Andros was several feet closer to Ashley than he had been that morning, and despite the care he was taking not to scare Ashley, he knew that he already had.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. "I just came to see if you were all right."

"I'm fine," Ashley answered him cooly, equally uncomfortable. She sighed, and swallowed hard. "Andros..."

"Hi!"

Tawny really does look like Ashley, he thought, watching the little girl as she ran over to greet him, smiling her mother's smile.

"Hi," he said, feeling himself tense.

"Play with me and Mommy?"

"Honey, Andros didn't come here to play," Ashley said, retrieving her daughter, and quickly returning to her bed, which was littered with Tawny's stuffed animals, arranged in a lopsided circle, several of them holding paper cups.

"Your mommy's more fun than I am, anyway," Andros said despite himself, seeing the disappointment on Tawny's face. She was so small, and so innocent. Andros wondered what hell Ashley had gone through to protect her daughter.

"Andros," Ashley started to say, and stopped. She really didn't want to do this to him, but she couldn't expect him to just hang around and wait for her forever, either. Still, she chickened out, and what came out of her mouth was, "This morning at my house... thanks for not leaving before I could explain."

Andros only nodded, not having a reply. "Ash, we need to talk. Not right now, if you're not ready, but..."

Might as well get it over with, Ashley thought glumly. "You're here to break up with me."

Andros didn't reply for a long time. "Not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "You're not here to ask me out on a date, are you?"

"Ash," Andros said softly. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

Ashley stared at him, stunned. She hadn't expected him to say that... but then again, she hadn't expected him to listen to her whole story, either. She hadn't meant to tell him as much as she had, but when he'd stayed in the doorway of her room for so long, when he obviously didn't want to be there, listening to her, it had made her want to tell him everything, something she hoped wasn't a mistake.

"What?"

"Tell me what you want me to do," Andros repeated patiently, although his face was heavy with sadness. "I'll leave if you want me to."

"I don't want you to," Ashley admitted after a long and awkward pause. "But Andros, I... I can't..."

"I know," Andros said when she stopped talking. He took a deep breath before saying any more. "Ash, I don't know how to say this. I don't want to break up with you, but I know that you don't want me around right now, so I..."

He trailed off, fixing his eyes on the ground as Ashley stared at him, not feeling the tears that stained her cheeks.

"Are you saying that you'd wait for me?" she asked finally.

Andros nodded silently, feeling a small spark of hope in his heart. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Ashley, and he prayed that he wouldn't have to find out. Ashley stared at him almost motionlessly for several minutes, and then slowly shook her head.

She loved Andros, but she could never be with him now. She knew that he would do anything she asked, but for how long? How many weeks, how many months would he wait around for her before he found someone else? Not only that, she'd told him too much. When she'd bared her soul to him earlier that day, she'd handed him a part of herself that she didn't want him to own. On top of all that, Ashley wasn't willing to take a chance and find out later that he thought her tainted.

"I don't want you to," Ashley said finally. She swallowed, trying not to look at his face. "I'm sorry, Andros, but that's the way it has to be."

"If that's what you want, Ash," Andros whispererd, his eyes filling with tears. He blinked a few times, letting them fall as he stared at Ashley for a long time. His mouth opened, and for a second, Ashley thought he was going to say something else, but then he turned slowly and left, his shoulders slumped forward.

"I'm so sorry, Andros," Ashley whispered. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and turned to Tawny, who was engrossing herself with her stuffed animals and their tea party. "Move over, sweetie."

She could cry later.