Disclaimer: Not mine... yet.

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Tawny can say whatever she wants. :P

Chylea3784: Thanks, here's more.

Jenny: I like them on Earth too, but what's wrong with KO-35?

Chapter 27

"Night, Tawny," Ashley whispered, still smiling as she tucked her little daughter into bed that night. "When you wake up, we'll be home."

"Night, Mommy," Tawny mumbled, rolling onto her side. She pillowed her cheek on one small hand and added, "Night, Daddy."

"Night, angel," Andros whispered, a startled look of wonder on his face. "I'll see you in the morning."

With a soft smile playing on her lips, Ashley took Andros by the hand, entwining her fingers with his as she led him out of the room. The bright lights of the hall let her see clearly what the darkness of Tawny's room had not, and the expression of nearly uncontainable joy on his face was more than enough to cause any lingering doubts that Andros wasn't interested in being a father to vanish once and for all.

"She called you 'Daddy,' " Ashley murmured, leaning into his embrace eagerly the moment he reached out for her. "You really love her, don't you?"

Andros nodded his head slowly. "I really do, Ash."

"Why?" The question slipped out before she thought better of it, and she winced as Andros pulled back, staring at her with a slight look of confusion upon his face.

"Why do I love her?" he asked slowly, his eyes clouding over for a moment as he contemplated the question. "I don't think I have an answer for that, Ash."

"No, that's not what I meant," Ashley said, shaking her head. "It's just... I'm not doubting you, Andros, it's just that... you're only eighteen and you could be anywhere in the universe, with anyone you wanted, but you're here, with me and Tawny and you want to spend the rest of your life with us... I guess what I want to know is how I got so lucky."

"You saved me," he said simply.

Ashley watched him for a moment, studying his face carefully before she attempted speech. "That's so sweet," she managed to say around the lump in her throat.

"It's true."

Ashley buried her face in his neck before the expression on his face could drive her to tears, sighing contentedly as he kissed the top of her head, stifling a yawn that he couldn't see but somehow sensed.

"You should get some sleep," he murmured, not making the slightest move to release her from the warmth and safety of his arms. "I'll still be here in the morning."

She giggled softly and pulled back, smiling up at him fondly. "You'd better be."

"Come on," he said softly, sliding one arm around her waist and pulling her close. "I'll walk you to your room."

Ashley giggled again, but smiled warmly. "Andros, my room is three feet to the right."

"I'll walk you there anyway," he said sheepishly, blushing slightly. She laughed, resting her head against his shoulder as they walked over to her room slowly, dragging out the short stroll as long as they possibly could.

"Good night, Ash," he whispered, grasping her by the chin and drawing her into a deep kiss. She responded instantly, leaning into him with an eagerness that made it a near impossibility for him to pull away again.

"Come in?" she asked suddenly. She'd fallen asleep in his arms every night for the past two months, but he had always asked to remain with her, and she couldn't help wondering how much between them would change now that they were engaged.

Andros hesitated, briefly but visibly. "To sleep, you mean?" he asked, just needing to be sure.

Ashley nodded, saying softly, "I'm not sure I can sleep without you anymore."

"I know I can't sleep without you," he admitted a moment later, following her into the room without another thought. His warm-up sweatsuit, which now served as his pajamas, was laying crumpled on the floor of Ashley's bathroom where he had tossed it that morning before he showered. He went to retrieve it, but the tone of Ashley's voice stopped him.

"Andros?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"Nothing," she said, apparently thinking better of what she'd been about to say. "Never mind."

He shrugged and stepped into the bathroom, picking his sweatsuit up off the tiled floor and changing quickly. By the time he returned to the room, Ashley was settled cross-legged on her bed, a smile of uncontainable joy on her face as she slowly ran the fingers of her right hand over the red and yellow gems of her engagement ring.

He stood silently and watched her for several moments, feeling it would be somehow wrong to pull her away from whatever was running through her mind. Several minutes later, Ashley finally looked up and scooted over to make room for him in bed.

"Sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly up at him. "How long were you standing there?"

He shrugged and smiled, sitting back against the pillows. "You just looked so happy."

"That's 'cause I am happy," she said, snuggling up close to him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ash," he muttered in her ear, pressing a warm kiss to her temple.

"Andros?" She spoke tentatively, wanting an answer to her question, but not wanting to make him uncomfortable. "How long have you had this ring?"

The startled look on Andros's face was nearly comical, and she would have laughed if she hadn't been serious. "How did you know?"

"The yellow stone," she said. "It's the same as the one on my necklace. This ring is from KO-35, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Andros admitted, his face flushing slightly pink. "It is."

"You've been planning this for awhile, haven't you?" she accused him.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"How long?" she pressed gently. "Tell me? Please?"

Andros sighed but met her gaze and held it steadily. "You really want to know?"

"I really want to know," Ashley confirmed, nodding her head instantly.

"I've had the ring since I left KO-35," he confessed almost shyly, not quite meeting her gaze. "I was going to ask you on your last birthday, but..."

He wisely decided to let the sentence go unfinished, and Ashley sighed softly, hugging him a little harder. His arms curved around her, crushing the air out of her lungs, and he rested his face against her hair, breathing in the familiar vanilla scent.

"So all the time I was doubting you, you were planning on marrying me?" she asked slowly, her voice now tinged with guilt. Squeezing him a little harder, she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Ash, don't," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "That's not how it happened, and you... you were right to doubt me."

He felt Ashley draw back and he looked away, sighing, granting her silent request for an explanation. "That day in your room, I... I almost walked away."

"I know that," she whispered. "But you didn't."

"I couldn't," he corrected her softly. "I couldn't walk away from you, Ash."

Her eyes bored into his for a long minute before her face relaxed into a smile. Murmuring, "I love you," she buried her face in his chest, comforted by his warmth.

"I love you too, Ash," he whispered, kissing the top of her head and inhaling deeply from the sweet vanilla scent of her shampoo. A muffled giggle reached his ear and he blushed, quickly drawing back as Ashley raised her head up off of his chest, an amused smile lighting her face.

For the longest time, she did nothing but gaze up into his eyes with a smile on her face, but her lips were suddenly pressed against his insistently. There was nothing in Andros strong enough to pull away and he returned the kiss hungrily. His arms snaked around her as he lay back down, pulling her down on top of him.

Ashley's eyes widenened slightly at the sudden wanting she saw spring into Andros's face. If she didn't pull away now, she knew where this was likely to take them, but somehow, she knew that no matter what happened between them this night, she would never regret it.

Sinking deeper into his embrace, she worked her arms underneath him, surrounding his body completely with her own. As she did so, whatever control Andros happened to still be in possession of deserted him and the hold he had her in grew ever stronger as he ran his tongue over her lips, his eyes silently begging her. Without hesitation, Ashley opened her mouth and leaned into him, suddenly needing him with every fiber of her being.

Ashley toyed with the hem of his shirt, slipping her fingers underneath the red fabric to brush lightly against his stomach. He shuddered and she started in surprise, amazed that such a relatively small touch affected him so strongly. Carefully, she slid her hands across his stomach and chest, pushing his shirt upward, feeling his heart thudding furiously beneath her fingers.

Then his shirt was gone and he was laying on her, his kisses becoming as demanding as they had ever been. The instant she felt his hands slide under her shirt to rest briefly on her waist, Ashley suddenly understood his earlier reaction. His touch was soft and feather light, yet somehow she couldn't think past the feel of his hands carefully exploring her bare skin, and when he pulled back abruptly, it was nearly enough to drive her completely crazy.

"Ash," he whispered hoarsely, trying to catch his breath. "Do you - "

"No," she said breathlessly, shaking her head before he had a chance to finish his question. "I don't want you to stop."

That was more than enough for Andros, and slowly, he tugged the T-shirt Ashley used as a pajama top up over her head, throwing it carelessly aside without once taking his eyes from hers. He settled himself over her again, both of them gasping at the sensation of skin against skin.

"You're beautiful," he murmured between kisses, his lips trailing slowly down her neck. Andros was vaguely aware that his pants seemed to be growing smaller and smaller and he kissed her hard, just needing her, just wanting her.

Ashley was feeling much the same way, but when Andros's hands moved to her waist, his fingers tugging at the tie to her pajama pants, she froze, her mind beginning to function again.

"Andros..."

Ashley's fingers pressed against his lips lightly, gently pushing him away as she turned her face from his. Andros closed his eyes and rolled off of her, taking care to face the wall in place of her.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice still low and breathless.

"I'm not," Ashley said quietly a moment later, her breathing as labored as his. She reached out to lay a hand timidly on his shoulder, and she felt him stiffen, but a few seconds later, he'd raised one hand to rest over hers.

"Then why - "

"I'm scared," she said simply, shifting onto her side as she tried to explain. "Not just because of anything that's happened, but... because it's us, I guess, and I don't know... it felt right, but if we... it'll change so much..."

Exhaling slowly, Andros rolled over to face her, somehow managing to keep his eyes on her face instead of letting them wander elsewhere. "What, exactly, are you scared of?" he asked, as gently as he could.

Ashley sighed and shrugged, now looking completely miserable. "I don't know," she exclaimed, clearly frustrated with herself. "I guess... it's just too new."

"So you're scared because... because you've never done this before?"

"Yeah," Ashley muttered, nodding her head. "Something like that."

"Then... I'm scared too," Andros admitted quietly.

"What do you have to be scared of?" she asked, half jokingly, but with genuine curiosity in her voice. "I mean..."

Andros sighed and shrugged. "Hurting you somehow, or..."

"Or what?" she prompted gently when he let his voice trail off and made no move to speak again. "Andros..."

"I don't know," he cried, the sudden intensity of his voice startling her. He exhaled slowly, waiting until he had calmed down to go on."It doesn't make any sense, Ash, not with the way we were just... If you hadn't stopped me, I wouldn't have stopped myself, but now, I'm glad that you did. I - "

He stopped and shrugged, staring at her almost desperately, willing her to understand. "I love you Ash, but there's something in me that doesn't want to let go, no matter how much I want it to."

"That makes sense," she insisted. After a moment of brief hesitation, she added, "That's what always stopped me before... Maybe it'll be what stops me next time."

"But there was a reason for that," Andros protested. "Someone hurt you. Nothing's ever happened to me that should keep me - "

"Andros," Ashley interrupted before he had a chance to go on. "Hurt is hurt. It doesn't matter if it was rape or if it was something else. Once you've been hurt, you have to protect yourself however you can."

"But I don't need to protect myself from you," he muttered. "I love you, Ash, but I..."

"It's all right," she whispered when he let his voice trail off. "I... I'm not ready for this, either... and we have forever, Andros. There's no reason to rush anything."

He nodded his agreement, unable to help feeling a twinge of disappointment, and wondering if he hadn't heard the same in her voice. No matter what words had just passed between them, he still wanted her more than words could say, and their current positions weren't helping him to regain the control he had lost earlier.

"I should go," Andros announced abruptly, his eyes refusing to remain fixated on her face for any longer. "Good night, Ash."

"Wait," she pleaded, catching ahold of his arm as he sat up. "Don't go."

"Ash..."

"Stay," she insisted. "Just for tonight?"

"I can't," he said, gently prying her hands off of his arm. "I shouldn't."

"You shouldn't," she agreed, but her hands fastened themselves onto his wrist again. "But if you go, I know that the first thing you'll do in the morning is apologize for this, and.. and I don't want you to."

It was, at best, a flimsy excuse, however true it might be, but Andros didn't want to leave any more than she wanted him to, and he gave in, laying back down beside her, stopping just short of taking her into his arms.

Ashley suddenly realizing that they were lying side by side in a bed designed for one person, both of them completely naked from the waist up. Noticing also that Andros wasn't staring at her face any longer, she rolled over quickly, snatching their shirts up from the ground.

"Thanks," Andros muttered, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them as he reached out to take his shirt from her. Pulling it back over his head, he fell back onto the mattress, staring carefully up at the bottom of the top bunk until he felt Ashley lay down beside him.

"Andros? Do you... do you think about me... like this?"

Color flooded his face and he looked away, wondering just why she'd chosen to ask that particular question. He was just about to assure her that he didn't think of her in ways that he probably shouldn't when he saw the intent look in her wide brown eyes and settled for answering truthfully.

"Does it bother you that I do?"

"No," she said slowly, to his surprise. "I trust you, Andros, and I... I think about you."

Andros swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry. He had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that, but he felt that he should. "Ash, I - "

His voice died away as Ashley laughed softly. It was a sound he treasured and hadn't heard often enough, so he fell silent, relaxing almost against his will.

"I'm sorry," Ashley apologized softly, twining her fingers around his. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. Just forget about it, all right?"

Relieved, Andros let out his breath and pulled her closer, trying very hard to forget the feel her her skin against his. Ashley seemed to be having the same difficultly, for she kept shifting around in his arms, seemingly unable to relax.

"Andros?"

Her voice floated to him through the darkness. Andros smiled as she snuggled a bit closer to him, already knowing what she was going to say.

"I love you."