Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are Disney's, not mine, but let me know when they're for sale.

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Yup, you've got funny hair now too. :P Hope this part is just as cute.

Chylea3784: I haven't quite decided what will happen to Terry yet. He's definitely going to prison, but I've been toying with an idea for a sequel, so we'll see what happens, but one way or another, he'll get what he deserves.

Jenny: I love Andros's hair... Anyway, here's more. :P

GreenDayfan1: I'm not quite sure where they went shopping, but I think it's safe to say Andros spent a whole lot of money. :P

Chapter 20

"Bedtime story?" Tawny asked hopefully, her brown eyes round and begging. "I not tired!"

"Of course you get a bedtime story," Ashley exclaimed with a smile. "You've been a good girl today."

"That's what you think," Andros muttered just loud enough to be heard. Ashley wrinkled her nose at him and he shot her an innocent smile, reaching past her to scoop Tawny up in his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead before plopping her down into her mother's arms.

"Night," Ashley said softly, shifting Tawny to one side in order to wrap on arm around Andros's neck for a few moments.

"Night, Ash." He kissed the tip of her nose before reaching out to ruffle Tawny's hair affectionately. "Night, Tawny."

"You not coming?" Tawny pouted.

"I..." Unsure of what to say, Andros let his voice trail off.

"Tawny, Andros has things he needs to do," Ashley said quickly, sensing his unease. "He'll still be here in the morning."

"He not coming?"

"I'll come," Andros said quickly as Tawny's lower lip quivered. "If it's all right with your mommy."

"Of course it is," Ashley said and Tawny's crestfallen face immediately brightened.

Ashley couldn't help but marvel at how easily Tawny had latched onto Andros, and how willing he had been to let her do so, once he'd gotten over the initial shyness that had appeared to strike him every time he was in the same room as the little girl.

Two months after Ashley had finally turned to the police, Andros was still at her side, and whatever hidden worries she had that he would one day leave were beginning to fade away. If he had any intentions of leaving her, would he spend nearly every waking moment with the two of them?

"Ash?"

She jumped visibly as Andros spoke, his voice startling her out of her thoughts. He gave her an amused smile and slipped an arm around her waist as they left the glider bay, the remains of their dinner still on the table.

"What story do you want to hear tonight?" Ashley asked, keying Tawny's door open. Setting her down onto the bed, she dug through the drawers until she came across some pajamas. Once Tawny was changed, Ashley repeated the question, not having gotten an answer the first time.

"Me thinking," Tawny said, scrunching up her nose in thought. A moment later, her face cleared, and she pointed to where Andros was hovering behind Ashley. "He tell story."

"You want me to tell you a story?"

Tawny nodded.

"I... don't know how?"

"You won't tell story?" Tawny looked about to cry again.

"I'm sorry," Andros mumbled, and Ashley realized suddenly that he truly looked it.

"Here," she said quietly, turning and plucking a book off of the dresser. "Would you read this to her?"

He gave her a shy smile but nodded instantly, glancing down at the book's cover as they somehow managed to squash the three of them together on the bed. He raised an eyebrow and gave Ashley a skeptical look.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?"

She laughed. "It's a fairy tale," she explained. "You'll see."

He shrugged, but opened the book and began to read. "Once upon a time..."

"... The end."

"Again!" Tawny cried. "More!"

"It's late, Tawny," Ashley said, gently shifting Tawny onto the mattress. "We'll see you in the morning."

"I want story!"

"Not now, Tawny," Ashley said patiently, but more firmly. "Tomorrow."

"Now!"

"No," Ashley said firmly as Tawny stifled a yawn. "You're falling asleep."

"I am not," she mumbled, her eyes drooping.

Andros hid a smile. "Night, Tawny."

Her eyes opened suddenly and she crawled over Ashley's lap to where Andros sat on the edge of the bed. He looked surprised at the hug he received, but returned it without hesitation, freezing as the words the girl whispered in his ear registered in his mind.

"Love you."

"I... love you too," Andros whispered back, his voice oddly choked. "Good night."

"Night," she mumbled, her eyes closing once again. "Love you, Mommy."

"I love you too," Ashley whispered. "I'll see you in the morning."

As soon as Tawny was tucked in for the night, Andros and Ashley slipped out of the room quietly, not wanting to soothe her back into sleep should they wake her. In the brighter lights of the hall, Ashley could see that Andros was smiling broadly, and she couldn't keep herself from flinging her arms around his neck.

"Ash," he whispered, his breath warm on her ear. "Did she really say that?"

"She did," Ashley assured him, smiling brightly though she knew he couldn't see her. "She loves you, Andros."

The only response she received was the tightening of his arms around her. Ashley began to suspect that he was much more emotional than he was letting on, and was ready to swear that there were tears gleaming in his eyes when he drew back. The smile he gave her was a wide grin, but it was the look in his eyes that caused her to suddenly understand.

"You're not used to hearing that, are you?"

He shook his head no. "I've only heard it from three people."

"Karone, Tawny, and me?" Ashley guessed, not at all shocked when he nodded. "Andros, you do know that there are more than three people who love you?"

"I know," he assured her, speaking to somewhere over her right ear as he pulled her back into his arms. "There's all the rest of the team."

"Yeah," she agreed. "And the half of the universe whose lives you've saved."

Andros laughed a little, but when he spoke, his tone was serious. "Ash? Is it... selfish of me to want them to not love me?"

"The half of the universe, you mean?" she asked, and he nodded. Ashley rolled her eyes, but said nothing for a long time. "I was just joking, Andros... but no, it's not. Why - "

"Because I could never love them all back," he explained, drawing away to gently cherish her cheek with one thumb. His hazel eyes were uncharacteristically intense as he continued with, "Ash... the people I love, they're the ones I'd die to protect. I couldn't die for someone I didn't know, not anymore, because I... I couldn't leave you behind."

"Andros..." At a complete loss for words, Ashley simply stared at him, nearly driven to tears. He shifted and she stepped back into his embrace, her eyes sliding shut as she clung to his neck.

"Ash?" he whispered.

"Mmm?" she mumbled lazily, perfectly content in his arms.

"Come with me?" he asked.

Ashley opened her eyes at that, and nodded, her eyes gleaming happily. "I'd love to. Where are we going?"

"Umm..." Andros thought for a moment and shrugged. "Anywhere you want."

"Observatory," she said instantly, threading her fingers through his as he slipped his hand into hers. He was still smiling as they made their way across the Megaship hand in hand, and Ashley realized for the first time just how much Andros had changed from the sullen red ranger that had discovered four tresspassers aboard his ship.

Andros settled himself down on the couch. She joined him, curling up at his side. He wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, securely but not too firmly, just in case she chose to pull back quickly.

"You're so sweet, Andros," she said aloud, pillowing her head on his shoulder.

"I am?" He sounded so uncertain. It broke her heart that he couldn't see all the good in himself and she hugged him a little closer, willing him to realize how much he meant to her.

"Yes," she said firmly. "You've changed so much since I first met you."

"You changed me," he told her, adding nervously, "I never thanked you for saving me, did I?"

"Andros..." she whispered, hiding her face against his shoulder as she blinked furiously. "Please stop talking."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Ashley exclaimed. "Of course you didn't."

"Then why can't I talk?"

"Because that's the third time tonight you've almost made me cry," she whispered almost in his ear. When he brushed his lips over her temple, she nearly lost the battle with herself and clung to him as she somehow swallowed down her unshed tears.

Ashley knew how badly Andros wanted their relationship to go back to the way it had been before she had told him her story. They had been so close, so comfortable around each other that it wouldn't have been long before they became lovers.

But things had changed in the last two months, and though they were on the couch, curled up in each other's arms, Andros was simply holding her, but he wanted to do much more. He was, so far, successful at hiding his desire, but Ashley didn't have to be told that it was there to know it existed, and the fact that he never pressured her for anything she wasn't ready to give just made her love him all the more.

I hate him, she thought bitterly, burrowing her face into Andros's chest. I hate that I feel his hands on me whenever Andros touches me. I hate that I can't kiss the man I love without remembering something I tried so hard to forget. He took everything from me, but somehow, Andros is still here, still wanting me, telling me that everything will be okay.

Ashley sighed, nuzzling her face deeper into Andros as she tried to relax, tried to forget. It had been becoming easier and easier to do so, but a trial date had been set for a month later, and Ashley was painfully aware of how quickly that day was approaching.

"It's all right," Andros murmured, briefly toying with the ends of her hair. "You don't need to worry, Ash."

Not bothering to ask just how he always seemed to know exactly what was on her mind, Ashley tightened her arms around his midsection, forcing a great deal of air out of his body. Andros shifted until she loosened her hold, but wrapped his own arms around her. He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled, the smile fading as she gathered the courage to ask a question that had been plaguing her for some time.

"Andros?"

His hazel eyes focused on hers intently. When she hesitated to go on, he carefully held her without a word, waiting patiently for her to complete the question.

"Are you a virgin?"

He nodded without looking at her. His body was beginning to tense up, and Ashley sighed, abandoning the conversation before she had the opportunity to make him more uneasy than she already had.

"I was just wondering," she said hastily. "Never mind."

"Ash, you were my first kiss," he told her quietly as she fell silent.

Ashley stared at him in surprise, suddenly wishing that she could say the same back to him. She couldn't even remember who she had shared her first kiss with, not because she'd had more boyfriends than she could keep track of, but because those relationships were completely meaningless compared to the bond she shared now with Andros.

"Did I... did I say something wrong?"

"What?" Andros's voice pulled her back to reality and she blinked a few times before answering. "No, of course not."

"Then what's the matter?" Andros gave her a knowing look.

"Andros..." She stopped and sighed. "Doesn't it bother you that I... that I'm not... not pure?"

"You're wrong," he said softly. Taking her hand, he twined their fingers together, running his thumb slowly over her own. "You are pure."

"How can I be?" Ashley sounded close to tears now. "How can you say that when you know what happened to me?"

"Because it's true," he said firmly, placing a tender kiss on the back of her hand.

Ashley's eyes chose that moment to overflow and she choked back a sob. Dropping her hand, Andros slipped both his arms back around her, pulling her close as she struggled to control herself.

"Don't cry," Andros pleaded, stroking her hair until she quieted. Caught in the warmth and safety of his arms, it didn't take long for Ashley to calm. Once she had, he continued, his voice still gentle, but too firm for her to doubt that he meant every word that he spoke to her. "Everything that's good is in you, Ash, and no one can ever take that away from you."

"That's not what I meant by pure," she whispered. "I meant - "

"I know what you meant," he interrupted, exhaling slowly. "That wasn't enough of an answer for you?"

She shook her head no, unable to stand the love she knew was shining in his eyes. "Andros, I..."

"Are you still afraid I don't want you?"

Somehow, his voice was still kind and gentle, but Ashley couldn't fathom why. He'd spent his every moment with her, and she still doubted his love for her. Suddenly too ashamed of herself to look him in the eye, she glanced down at her hands, only to find herself eye to eye with Andros as he tilted her face up to his.

"I'm sorry, Andros," she whispered, swallowing hard. "I love you, I really do, and I know you love me. I'm just..."

"Scared," Andros finished for her, holding her a little closer to him. "I know you are. It's all right."

"Why?" she whispered. "Why do you always understand?"

"Because it's you," he whispered back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it to believe it, Ash. I'll always love you. I'll always want you, and there's nothing that can change that."

"I love you," she breathed into his ear, clinging to his neck. Her hold on him loosened a little as he began rubbing her back and shoulders gently, letting her relax against him. "Andros?"

Her voice was suddenly small. Andros sighed softly, stroking her soft hair with one hand, silently waiting for her to go on, knowing that if he spoke now, he was likely to frighten away whatever she was struggling to tell him.

"Do you think... think that... think that I'm his?" she stammered.

"No!" Andros exclaimed forcefully. His eyes narrowed but his voice softened as he continued. "Is that what he told you?"

She nodded silently, wondering how he knew.

"What else did he tell you?"

"What?" Ashley looked at him in dismay. "You want to know - "

"No," he was quick to say. "Nothing that hurts too much for you to say. Just... anything that you still believe, if you can."

"He told me I deserved it," she admitted after a pause, trembling with rage, although Andros had a sneaking suspicion that it was with herself she was angry. "He told me that I was a horrible person... and I believed him."

"Do you still believe him?" he questioned her gently.

"I... don't know," she answered honestly. "Sometimes..."

Her voice trailed off into a heavy sigh, but Andros said nothing, sensing that there was more to come. Ashley stared at her hands, twirling the ends of her brown hair between her fingers, but very quietly, she added, "I thought I was being punished for something that I had done... but I didn't know what it was that I had done. I thought I must have done something awful... because it hurt so much..."

Her voice dissolved into tears, and she clung to him, the pain dredged up by the memories more agonizing than anything else she'd ever felt, but somehow, the hurt was dulled as Andros held her.

"But what hurts the most is that I believed him," she whispered shakily. "And when he didn't stop, I felt like... I had to punish myself too. I wouldn't let myself eat. I stopped doing everything that I loved. I wouldn't even let myself talk."

Andros clenched his teeth in an effort to keep the fury raging within him from breaking free and turning itself on Ashley by mistake. Swallowing hard, he kissed her cheek, silently vowing that if he ever came across Terry alone, he was going to see to it that the monster paid dearly for what he'd done to Ashley.

"Jeff told me that you used to sing," he said quietly, hesitantly. "You stopped because of him, didn't you?"

She nodded slowly. "I still can't sing," she whispered softly, her lower lip quivering. "It's just... gone. I don't think that it'll ever come back."

"Ash..." Andros stared at her sadly for a long moment, wishing that he could somehow give back to her everything that had been taken away. A few tears spilled out of her closed eyes. Wiping her cheeks dry with his fingers, Andros held her silently for a long time before speaking hesitantly, not at all sure that he wanted an answer.

"Was there anything else?"

"He said it every time..." she mumbled. "He said that I'd always be his... because I'd never been anyone else's."

"Ash, listen to me," Andros told her quietly, his voice concealing the sudden surge of anger that had welled up within him. "What he took from you has to be given freely. You are nobody's, and you will never belong to anyone who doesn't belong to you."

She stared at him, speechless, tears glistening in her eyes unshed. His fingers brushed her cheek gently, wiping away the few tears that escaped her eye. Suddenly freed from the enormous weight that had been slowly crushing her for so long, Ashley wrapped both her arms around his neck, squeezing him hard.

"Thank you," she whispered, clinging to him. Taking a deep breath, she murmured, "I'll never be anybody's but yours."

"And I'll never be anybody's but yours," he promised her quietly, trying to keep the longing he felt for her out of his tone and eyes. He knew Ashley was far from ready for anything more than the promise they had just made to each other, and he had several doubts about himself, but that didn't keep his mind and body from crying out for her.

Ashley hesitated. "Andros? What did we just... did we..."

"Don't worry, Ash," he said, burying his face in her soft, sweet-smelling hair. "I'm not asking for anything you can't give. I'm not sure that I could, either... But... but I'll wait as long as I have to. I'm never leaving you, Ashley. I can't live without you anymore. I think I'll need you for the rest of my life."

"I can't live without you either," she whispered, frowing slightly as she thought about his words. "Andros? You're not asking me to marry you, are you?"

"No," he said almost too softly to be heard, his voice growing even quieter as he added almost silently, "Not yet."

Ashley smiled, her face buried in his chest as she hugged him close. Andros had his arms around her, keeping her safe and warm, and for now, that was all that mattered.