Chapter 9: A change of plans
When Andros awoke the next morning he was relieved to see Ashley resting peacefully. He got out of bed and let her rest after the eventful day before. He placed on a kiss on her forehead and pulled the covers back over her. Andros left the room to go do some monitoring on the bridge.
Zhane was waiting for him on the bridge when he arrived. "What are you doing up this early?" Andros teased his best friend as he made his way to the computer.
"Andros, we need to talk." Zhane began seriously. This got Andros's attention. Sighing, as he knew what he wanted to talk about he sat down to indulge the silver ranger.
"I guess by talking you mean you're talking and I'm listening." Andros said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I just wanted to know how you're doing with this whole baby thing." He asked compassionately. Andros paused for a minute. "I'm okay, the shock has worn off and replaced with excitement. I'm so nervous, I don't want to leave Ash for a minute." He confessed.
"That's what I'm worried about Dros." Zhane admitted, using his old nickname. "Every time there's an attack what are you going to do? You can't be with Ash and the team at the same time." Though Ashley hadn't said anything yet, Zhane knew they would be looking for a new yellow ranger soon. It was inevitable. "She can't stay here Andros, it's not safe."
"Where is she going to be safer than with me?" HE demanded, questioning his friend's judgment and sanity. "Are you saying I should quit?" He asked incredulously, jumping out of his chair." you know I'm not like that Zhane, I don't quit." He somewhat shouted, feeling defensive.
"I'm just saying it's a decision you're going to have to make. Before it's made for you." Zhane advised his friend. Andros was silent, and Zhane took it to mean that the conversation was over. He only hoped his friend had heard what he said.
Ashley woke up two hours later, and left her room to grab some breakfast. She was entering the hungry stage of her pregnancy. Luckily, the nauseous stage was pretty much over. She was in the hallway when everything went black. Her first thought was what did Carlos do to provoke Deca this time. She waited a minute then continued, confident that she could navigate the ship in the dark. The team always joked that they could maneuver through the mega ship with their eyes closed. She laughed at that memory as she kept going on down the hallway.
She wasn't laughing a minute later when the ship rolled and Ashley was slammed into the wall. She braced herself but the next hit was too powerful. Horrified, she found herself falling towards the floor. She hit her knees first, absorbing the shock and threw her hands out to protect the baby. As she landed, she felt her wrist collapse under her weight painfully. She gingerly held her wrist closely to her body and lay on the floor waiting for the tossing and turning to stop.
"What the hell is going on?" Zhane yelled over all of Deca's alarms as he and Andros struggled to regain control over the mega ship.
"I think we hit a pocket of dead air. It's like an electrical field, wrecking havoc on all our computers. Hopefully we'll be out soon." Andros declared as they forcefully held onto the consoles to avoid being tossed about.
Just as suddenly as it started, the mega ship exited the vacuum. Deca's alarms went silent as Andros and Zhane caught their breaths.
"Deca, give me visuals of the whole ship." Andros commanded urgently. The first camera showed Carlos lifting weights as the lights came back on much to their amusement.
"Section one is clear." Alpha confirmed. "Scanning section 2." He informed the two Kerovians. The second camera showed Karone asleep at the table in the holding bay. Zhane chuckled and went to retrieve his girlfriend.
"Scanning section 3." The robot informed Andros. The third camera showed TJ & Cassie packing up their books. "Two more sections to go." Andros said a bit anxious, to make sure everything was okay.
"Section 4 is clear." Alpha chirped much to Andros's relief. All the engines and mechanical parts of the mega ship were unharmed.
Andros waited as the fifth camera scanned the living quarters. He was checking the data pads for vital information when the camera beeped in alarm to alert him that something was wrong.
His head shot up as the camera zeroed in on a figure lying on the floor. As the lights came up in the hallway, he clearly saw Ashley and jumped out of his chair, letting the data pad drop to the floor. He pushed past a surprised Zhane and Karone and raced to the fourth level. The couple followed him.
"Ashley!" Andros shouted as he saw her a few feet away. She was pushing herself up. He was at her side in a minute and helped her to stand up. Zhane and Karone arrived on the scene but kept quiet as they watched.
Andros put his hands on her upper arms and gazed at her in concern. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly. "Did you hurt anything?" She nodded as the tears filled her eyes. He moved his hands up to her face to brush away the tears.
"My wrist, I fell on it." She admitted slowly. He put his arm around her and escorted her to the medical bay.
"I'm really getting to hate this place." She murmured as she sat down. Alpha ran the bone scanner over her wrist. "Good news, it's only a sprain." He informed the duo and wrapped her wrist in an ace bandage. Andros kissed her in relief. Ashley let herself get swept away in the moment.
"I need to go check on the others and the ship. Will you be okay?" He questioned tenderly. She nodded yes and he headed out the door, unaware of the turmoil going through her head right now.
Ashley wondered up to the observation deck to think. She had been doing that a lot lately, ever since she discovered she was pregnant. She knew something had to change; she couldn't afford health wise to stay on the mega ship anymore. She was putting her baby at risk, especially today when they weren't even under attack.
Frustrated she knew what the right decision was. It didn't mean she had to like it. But how was she going to tell Andros and the others? 'This is not how I planned it.' She thought sadly as she put her head in her hands. Looking up she stared out into space (literally) and tried to forget about the impeding meeting she would have to have with the rest of the team. She was so entranced she didn't hear when Andros entered the room.
Zhane and Karone went back to the bridge where Cassie, TJ, and Carlos were gathered.
"Where's Ash and Andros?" Cassie questioned curiously as she looked around as if they would just appear.
"He took her to the med bay. Ash hurt her wrist when she fell when the ship was rocking." Zhane reported.
"Speaking of which, what happened by the way?" TJ inquired, hoping it wasn't an attack.
"Something about a pocket of dead air..." Zhane began to explain. A new voice continued the explanation. "We ran through a pocket of electric fields which caused us to lose control over the mega ship." Andros said, startling Cassie with his sudden appearance.
"Was there any damage?" Carlos asked worried. Deca chirped in, "No Carlos. Everything is running smoothly." They all sighed in relief.
"I got to get back to studying or I'm never getting out of high school." Cassie moaned dramatically. TJ rolled his eyes at her theatrics but nonetheless followed the pink ranger back to the rec room to study.
"I'm going to hit the shower." Carlos added in on his way out. "Good thing too." Zhane remarked from next to the black ranger, while making a face of utter disgust. Carlos ignored the joke and headed back to his quarters.
"If everything is okay here, I'm going to go find Ash." Andros decided among himself, Karone, and Zhane.
"She's up on the observation deck Andros." Deca announced helpfully when the red ranger didn't find her in her room. Nodding he left Ashley's room and boarded the lift to the sixth floor. He spotted her sitting and staring out the window.
"Hey Ash!" He greeted her. His enthusiastic greeting surprised her as she turned around to watch him. "Hey." She said not as enthusasistically, her shoulders slumped at the inevitability of her decision.
"What's wrong?" He asked, picking up on her sadness. Ashley took a deep breath. "Andros, we need to talk."
"That's twice today someone's told me that." He remarked as he tried to make a joke. The humor was lost on her though. He settled down into the chair next to her. He didn't say anything, but his silence encouraged her to speak.
"I can't be a ranger anymore Andros." She stated matter-of-factly. She was upset but she didn't really have a choice. "And I can't stay on the mega ship either." The last statement shocked him.
He supposed he should have seen this coming, but honestly the thought had never crossed his mind. He never thought about the consequences this child would bring. Ashley wouldn't be out there fighting by his side, or be here to greet him anymore.
"Alright." He conceded. "We could go live on KO-35." He suggested. She smiled at his effort. Ashley grabbed his hands in hers. "No Andros. I'm going back to Angel Grove with my brother." She informed him quietly. "I'll be safe there. The baby too."
"You'll be safe here too. I'll protect you." He protested, he didn't want her to go. Ashley shook her head sadly. "I'm not safe here Andros. You're the leader of the power rangers but you'll be gone a lot. And that's ok. That's a good thing. But I will not let them use the baby or me again to get to you. They'll never stop chasing after you." She declared forcefully.
"I'll quit Ash." He would say anything right now to get her to stay. "No!" She said loudly. Calming down, she continued. "That's sweet, and you say that now Andros, but I think you'll regret it. Besides, you've always been a ranger. I just don't want you to regret anything because of me. We just need some time to think about what we really want." She said realistically. "This isn't a decision to be made lightly."
Her words reminded him of what Zhane had said earlier. '"I'm just saying it's a decision you're going to have to make. Before it's made for you." Now he knew what the silver ranger meant. He might not have made the decision but Ashley had. He couldn't just let her get away that easily could he? He didn't know what to do.
The two sat in silence for a long time. "I guess we should go tell the others, huh?" Ashley asked rhetorically. Numbly he nodded, grabbing her hand they made their way down to the bridge. "Deca, have the other rangers meet us on the bridge in five minutes."
Outside the bridge, Andros paused. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he pleaded with her to change her mind. "I don't want to Andros. But I don't see any other options."
The other five rangers filed into the bridge laughing and carrying on as they usually did when they had a day off. They gathered around the strangely somber Ashley and Andros.
"What's up?" TJ wanted to know as he perched himself on a console.
"I guess it's no surprise that being pregnant and being a ranger don't exactly work well together." She sighed. "I hate to do this, but you're going to need to find another yellow ranger. Health wise I can't do it anymore." She announced tearfully.
The others weren't surprised by her announcement but they were sad. TJ, Cassie, Carlos, and Ashley had been teammates for almost two years now. Carlos couldn't imagine going on without her. Cassie started to sniffle as tears ran down her face. What was she going to do without her best friend? The yellow ranger looked like she had more to say so they focused on her and listened.
"I can't stay on the mega ship anymore either." She reluctantly admitted, not willing to look in their faces. They knew it was the right decision, but it didn't mean they had to like it.
"You know I'm happy for you right?" Cassie asked Ashley, who nodded and the two hugged. "I'm going to miss you like crazy." The pink ranger confessed. Ashley agreed silently.
"This totally sucks." Carlos complained, as he got angry. Angry at Ashley for leaving, and angry with Andros for getting her pregnant. Everyone stopped to look at the black ranger, including Ashley who pulled away from Cassie to address Carlos.
"You don't think I know that Carlos? Do you think I wanted to get pregnant? Or for this to happen? I didn't plan this! If I had we would have defeated Dark Spectre, and there wouldn't have been a need for us anymore. We could have gone back to earth and our normal lives, together. I don't want to do this but I have to."
Ashley's diatribe startled the others. They knew she was excited about the baby, but they hadn't realized how tough the decision was on her as well. They had been too caught up in their own emotions to notice. Zhane winced at her tone of voice. HE should have tried harder to spare her from this pain. He had known what this would come to.
Ashley couldn't take them all staring at her. "Excuse me." She said finally as she rushed from the room. Though she contained herself in front of them, as soon as she left the bridge they could hear her sobbing.
Andros ached to go to her, but Zhane restrained him. "She's right you know." The silver ranger spoke out into the silence. "We'll need a yellow ranger."
Reluctantly the others sat back down to discuss a plan of action. "So does anyone have any ideas?" TJ asked aloud. Nobody said anything; they felt like they were betraying Ashley.
"There's a girl in Park City." Deca announced subdued. "Her name is Jamie, she's a first year student at Jasper University. She was an all-state track star in high school." The computer read her profile aloud.
"How do you know about her?" Zhane questioned suspiciously. Deca answered back, "We have profiles for lots of people, we need to have back ups just in case something happens." She informed the rangers.
"So you have backups for all of us?" Karone asked rhetorically. Obviously Deca was more prepared than any of the rangers gave her credit for.
"Do you think she'll want to do this?" TJ asked skeptically. 'Who in their right mind would go off to space to fight evil villains?' he thought to himself. Deca set out to contact Jamie.
Ashley was in her room packing up the years of memories she had acquired while traveling through space. 'Am I making the right decision? How can I leave my friends? How can I leave my boyfriend who wants to marry me?' Shaking off her doubts she reluctantly continued to pack.
Cassie left the boys to figure out the details and went to comfort her best friend. She could tell how hurt she was by Carlos's careless words. True it sucked that Ashley was leaving, but in the long run it was more important that she was safe. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to be rangers forever. And if Cassie were honest with herself, she did feel a small amount of guilt into pressuring Ashley to sleep with Andros.
Zhane too felt a bit guilty about his role in pushing Andros to sleep with Ashley. But what's done is done; now they have to figure out what to do. Carlos, TJ, and Karone had left them alone to do other tasks, but Zhane couldn't recall what.
"I cant' believe she's going to leave." Andros murmured dejectedly. "I can't believe this is happening."
"Why?" Zhane asked in surprise. Andros glared at his best friend. "Listen Andros you would have given anything to protect Karone from being kidnapped right? Even if it meant Ecliptor had taken you. That's how Ashley feels about the baby. And you." Zhane explained patiently.
"But how can she think I won't protect her? I love her." He shouted angrily in confusion.
"She knows you'll try to protect her, but you can't guarantee that you'll be there all the time. Not when you're a ranger. It's a promise you can't make. And she loves you Andros, but she will not put your baby at risk to stay here." The silver ranger continued on. "And what happens when the alarm goes off? Who comes first Ashley or the team?" His question stumped the fiercely loyal red ranger.
"Why do you want me to quit?" Andros demanded in frustration. "I DON'T!" Zhane shouted back getting in the red ranger's face. "But maybe you do. Follow your heart for once Andros." He said before stalking out and leaving the red ranger alone.
The mood was somber that night as it was Ashley's last night on the mega ship. After dinner she would be leaving to go back to Angel Grove.
Ashley had Deca teleport her bags back to Jeff's apartment and set out to make her goodbyes. First off she hugged the lovable robot that had been a companion for the last two years. Alpha was choked up as he said goodbye to Ashley. "It won't be the same without you." He remarked sadly. "I'll miss you too Alpha." She replied. She continued on, looking around the mega ship at the place that was her second home. She would miss the times gathered around the holding bay for meals, playing basketball on the simu deck, or watching the stars from the observation deck.
Ashley remained fairly composed as she said goodbye to her teammates. TJ wished her well and gave her a hug. Ashley forgave Carlos for his comments and hugged her best friend goodbye. She didn't even break down when she hugged Cassie, Karone, or Zhane. The others let her and Andros have a few minutes.
"You know I love you, right?" Ashley said to her boyfriend. Andros nodded numbly. "I have to do what's best for the baby."
"And I love you too Ash. You were right, I don't know if I'm ready to stop being a ranger. Please if you need me, call me right away." He begged her.
"I promise." She whispered, feeling the tears start to fall. Andros grabbed her to him and hugged her hard. The two lovers stood there for what felt like an eternity. "I have to go." She said finally. Andros lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate and heated kiss. The others came in to say their final goodbyes.
Ashley took her communicator off and laid it on the console. Smiling to her teammates, "Good Luck." She wished them. "Deca, one to teleport." She commanded. She waved to her friends before she disappeared in a golden stream of light.
Her absence was felt right away as the others remained still in their places, still in shock. Nobody wanted to be alone right now, so they gathered in the holding bay to eat, even though nobody was really hungry. They just needed to be together. Andros begged off from watching movies and went to his quarters.
Andros piled on the blankets, as he could not get warm. He had gotten accustomed to Ashley being there to share her body heat with him. But her absence left him cold and his bed empty. Even though they had only been intimate for two months, he couldn't remember what it was like before that. He groaned, as he could not fall asleep, he was desperate to sleep because he would see her in his dreams and not face the reality that she wasn't there. He decided to play the video from the night long ago before he had left for the alliance.
Deca played the holographic image of the two of them dancing, he could hear the music in the background.
How do I get through one night without you
If I had to live without you what kind of life would that be
Oh, I need you in my arms need you to hold
You're my world my heart my soul
If you ever leave...
Baby you would take everything good in my life
And tell me now,
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
Andros knew he should regret that night. One night of pleasure was bringing them extended periods of pain and separation. But he couldn't muster any sense of regret, just longing for the only person who had changed his life.
Ashley arrived to find her brother's apartment empty. After an emotional day she moved her stuff into the guest room and started a bath. She turned on the radio to block out the silence. She remembered when she had first moved onto the mega ship, how weird it was to live with her friends. She loved them all dearly, but they were noisy and had strange habits, like Carlos running down the halls when he couldn't sleep. Or Cassie's loud music she played whenever she was in a bad mood. Ashley sighed. She listened to the song that had just come on. She sat down on the edge of the tub, her feet dangling in the warm water as she remembered that day, the night before Andros left for the alliance. The night that had changed everything.
Without you...there'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me, and I...
Baby I don't know what I would do
I would be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave...
Baby you would take everything real in my life
And tell me now,
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
If she had thought he didn't love her before that night, he certainly changed her mind after. He had been so open and gentle with her, and it had been the most amazing night of her life. She got to see a side of Andros that had never been seen before, and after that he was much more alive, even the others could see it.
The two lovers fell asleep in separate beds, separate worlds for the first time in months.
A/N: Please review! Thank you for all your comments.
When Andros awoke the next morning he was relieved to see Ashley resting peacefully. He got out of bed and let her rest after the eventful day before. He placed on a kiss on her forehead and pulled the covers back over her. Andros left the room to go do some monitoring on the bridge.
Zhane was waiting for him on the bridge when he arrived. "What are you doing up this early?" Andros teased his best friend as he made his way to the computer.
"Andros, we need to talk." Zhane began seriously. This got Andros's attention. Sighing, as he knew what he wanted to talk about he sat down to indulge the silver ranger.
"I guess by talking you mean you're talking and I'm listening." Andros said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I just wanted to know how you're doing with this whole baby thing." He asked compassionately. Andros paused for a minute. "I'm okay, the shock has worn off and replaced with excitement. I'm so nervous, I don't want to leave Ash for a minute." He confessed.
"That's what I'm worried about Dros." Zhane admitted, using his old nickname. "Every time there's an attack what are you going to do? You can't be with Ash and the team at the same time." Though Ashley hadn't said anything yet, Zhane knew they would be looking for a new yellow ranger soon. It was inevitable. "She can't stay here Andros, it's not safe."
"Where is she going to be safer than with me?" HE demanded, questioning his friend's judgment and sanity. "Are you saying I should quit?" He asked incredulously, jumping out of his chair." you know I'm not like that Zhane, I don't quit." He somewhat shouted, feeling defensive.
"I'm just saying it's a decision you're going to have to make. Before it's made for you." Zhane advised his friend. Andros was silent, and Zhane took it to mean that the conversation was over. He only hoped his friend had heard what he said.
Ashley woke up two hours later, and left her room to grab some breakfast. She was entering the hungry stage of her pregnancy. Luckily, the nauseous stage was pretty much over. She was in the hallway when everything went black. Her first thought was what did Carlos do to provoke Deca this time. She waited a minute then continued, confident that she could navigate the ship in the dark. The team always joked that they could maneuver through the mega ship with their eyes closed. She laughed at that memory as she kept going on down the hallway.
She wasn't laughing a minute later when the ship rolled and Ashley was slammed into the wall. She braced herself but the next hit was too powerful. Horrified, she found herself falling towards the floor. She hit her knees first, absorbing the shock and threw her hands out to protect the baby. As she landed, she felt her wrist collapse under her weight painfully. She gingerly held her wrist closely to her body and lay on the floor waiting for the tossing and turning to stop.
"What the hell is going on?" Zhane yelled over all of Deca's alarms as he and Andros struggled to regain control over the mega ship.
"I think we hit a pocket of dead air. It's like an electrical field, wrecking havoc on all our computers. Hopefully we'll be out soon." Andros declared as they forcefully held onto the consoles to avoid being tossed about.
Just as suddenly as it started, the mega ship exited the vacuum. Deca's alarms went silent as Andros and Zhane caught their breaths.
"Deca, give me visuals of the whole ship." Andros commanded urgently. The first camera showed Carlos lifting weights as the lights came back on much to their amusement.
"Section one is clear." Alpha confirmed. "Scanning section 2." He informed the two Kerovians. The second camera showed Karone asleep at the table in the holding bay. Zhane chuckled and went to retrieve his girlfriend.
"Scanning section 3." The robot informed Andros. The third camera showed TJ & Cassie packing up their books. "Two more sections to go." Andros said a bit anxious, to make sure everything was okay.
"Section 4 is clear." Alpha chirped much to Andros's relief. All the engines and mechanical parts of the mega ship were unharmed.
Andros waited as the fifth camera scanned the living quarters. He was checking the data pads for vital information when the camera beeped in alarm to alert him that something was wrong.
His head shot up as the camera zeroed in on a figure lying on the floor. As the lights came up in the hallway, he clearly saw Ashley and jumped out of his chair, letting the data pad drop to the floor. He pushed past a surprised Zhane and Karone and raced to the fourth level. The couple followed him.
"Ashley!" Andros shouted as he saw her a few feet away. She was pushing herself up. He was at her side in a minute and helped her to stand up. Zhane and Karone arrived on the scene but kept quiet as they watched.
Andros put his hands on her upper arms and gazed at her in concern. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly. "Did you hurt anything?" She nodded as the tears filled her eyes. He moved his hands up to her face to brush away the tears.
"My wrist, I fell on it." She admitted slowly. He put his arm around her and escorted her to the medical bay.
"I'm really getting to hate this place." She murmured as she sat down. Alpha ran the bone scanner over her wrist. "Good news, it's only a sprain." He informed the duo and wrapped her wrist in an ace bandage. Andros kissed her in relief. Ashley let herself get swept away in the moment.
"I need to go check on the others and the ship. Will you be okay?" He questioned tenderly. She nodded yes and he headed out the door, unaware of the turmoil going through her head right now.
Ashley wondered up to the observation deck to think. She had been doing that a lot lately, ever since she discovered she was pregnant. She knew something had to change; she couldn't afford health wise to stay on the mega ship anymore. She was putting her baby at risk, especially today when they weren't even under attack.
Frustrated she knew what the right decision was. It didn't mean she had to like it. But how was she going to tell Andros and the others? 'This is not how I planned it.' She thought sadly as she put her head in her hands. Looking up she stared out into space (literally) and tried to forget about the impeding meeting she would have to have with the rest of the team. She was so entranced she didn't hear when Andros entered the room.
Zhane and Karone went back to the bridge where Cassie, TJ, and Carlos were gathered.
"Where's Ash and Andros?" Cassie questioned curiously as she looked around as if they would just appear.
"He took her to the med bay. Ash hurt her wrist when she fell when the ship was rocking." Zhane reported.
"Speaking of which, what happened by the way?" TJ inquired, hoping it wasn't an attack.
"Something about a pocket of dead air..." Zhane began to explain. A new voice continued the explanation. "We ran through a pocket of electric fields which caused us to lose control over the mega ship." Andros said, startling Cassie with his sudden appearance.
"Was there any damage?" Carlos asked worried. Deca chirped in, "No Carlos. Everything is running smoothly." They all sighed in relief.
"I got to get back to studying or I'm never getting out of high school." Cassie moaned dramatically. TJ rolled his eyes at her theatrics but nonetheless followed the pink ranger back to the rec room to study.
"I'm going to hit the shower." Carlos added in on his way out. "Good thing too." Zhane remarked from next to the black ranger, while making a face of utter disgust. Carlos ignored the joke and headed back to his quarters.
"If everything is okay here, I'm going to go find Ash." Andros decided among himself, Karone, and Zhane.
"She's up on the observation deck Andros." Deca announced helpfully when the red ranger didn't find her in her room. Nodding he left Ashley's room and boarded the lift to the sixth floor. He spotted her sitting and staring out the window.
"Hey Ash!" He greeted her. His enthusiastic greeting surprised her as she turned around to watch him. "Hey." She said not as enthusasistically, her shoulders slumped at the inevitability of her decision.
"What's wrong?" He asked, picking up on her sadness. Ashley took a deep breath. "Andros, we need to talk."
"That's twice today someone's told me that." He remarked as he tried to make a joke. The humor was lost on her though. He settled down into the chair next to her. He didn't say anything, but his silence encouraged her to speak.
"I can't be a ranger anymore Andros." She stated matter-of-factly. She was upset but she didn't really have a choice. "And I can't stay on the mega ship either." The last statement shocked him.
He supposed he should have seen this coming, but honestly the thought had never crossed his mind. He never thought about the consequences this child would bring. Ashley wouldn't be out there fighting by his side, or be here to greet him anymore.
"Alright." He conceded. "We could go live on KO-35." He suggested. She smiled at his effort. Ashley grabbed his hands in hers. "No Andros. I'm going back to Angel Grove with my brother." She informed him quietly. "I'll be safe there. The baby too."
"You'll be safe here too. I'll protect you." He protested, he didn't want her to go. Ashley shook her head sadly. "I'm not safe here Andros. You're the leader of the power rangers but you'll be gone a lot. And that's ok. That's a good thing. But I will not let them use the baby or me again to get to you. They'll never stop chasing after you." She declared forcefully.
"I'll quit Ash." He would say anything right now to get her to stay. "No!" She said loudly. Calming down, she continued. "That's sweet, and you say that now Andros, but I think you'll regret it. Besides, you've always been a ranger. I just don't want you to regret anything because of me. We just need some time to think about what we really want." She said realistically. "This isn't a decision to be made lightly."
Her words reminded him of what Zhane had said earlier. '"I'm just saying it's a decision you're going to have to make. Before it's made for you." Now he knew what the silver ranger meant. He might not have made the decision but Ashley had. He couldn't just let her get away that easily could he? He didn't know what to do.
The two sat in silence for a long time. "I guess we should go tell the others, huh?" Ashley asked rhetorically. Numbly he nodded, grabbing her hand they made their way down to the bridge. "Deca, have the other rangers meet us on the bridge in five minutes."
Outside the bridge, Andros paused. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he pleaded with her to change her mind. "I don't want to Andros. But I don't see any other options."
The other five rangers filed into the bridge laughing and carrying on as they usually did when they had a day off. They gathered around the strangely somber Ashley and Andros.
"What's up?" TJ wanted to know as he perched himself on a console.
"I guess it's no surprise that being pregnant and being a ranger don't exactly work well together." She sighed. "I hate to do this, but you're going to need to find another yellow ranger. Health wise I can't do it anymore." She announced tearfully.
The others weren't surprised by her announcement but they were sad. TJ, Cassie, Carlos, and Ashley had been teammates for almost two years now. Carlos couldn't imagine going on without her. Cassie started to sniffle as tears ran down her face. What was she going to do without her best friend? The yellow ranger looked like she had more to say so they focused on her and listened.
"I can't stay on the mega ship anymore either." She reluctantly admitted, not willing to look in their faces. They knew it was the right decision, but it didn't mean they had to like it.
"You know I'm happy for you right?" Cassie asked Ashley, who nodded and the two hugged. "I'm going to miss you like crazy." The pink ranger confessed. Ashley agreed silently.
"This totally sucks." Carlos complained, as he got angry. Angry at Ashley for leaving, and angry with Andros for getting her pregnant. Everyone stopped to look at the black ranger, including Ashley who pulled away from Cassie to address Carlos.
"You don't think I know that Carlos? Do you think I wanted to get pregnant? Or for this to happen? I didn't plan this! If I had we would have defeated Dark Spectre, and there wouldn't have been a need for us anymore. We could have gone back to earth and our normal lives, together. I don't want to do this but I have to."
Ashley's diatribe startled the others. They knew she was excited about the baby, but they hadn't realized how tough the decision was on her as well. They had been too caught up in their own emotions to notice. Zhane winced at her tone of voice. HE should have tried harder to spare her from this pain. He had known what this would come to.
Ashley couldn't take them all staring at her. "Excuse me." She said finally as she rushed from the room. Though she contained herself in front of them, as soon as she left the bridge they could hear her sobbing.
Andros ached to go to her, but Zhane restrained him. "She's right you know." The silver ranger spoke out into the silence. "We'll need a yellow ranger."
Reluctantly the others sat back down to discuss a plan of action. "So does anyone have any ideas?" TJ asked aloud. Nobody said anything; they felt like they were betraying Ashley.
"There's a girl in Park City." Deca announced subdued. "Her name is Jamie, she's a first year student at Jasper University. She was an all-state track star in high school." The computer read her profile aloud.
"How do you know about her?" Zhane questioned suspiciously. Deca answered back, "We have profiles for lots of people, we need to have back ups just in case something happens." She informed the rangers.
"So you have backups for all of us?" Karone asked rhetorically. Obviously Deca was more prepared than any of the rangers gave her credit for.
"Do you think she'll want to do this?" TJ asked skeptically. 'Who in their right mind would go off to space to fight evil villains?' he thought to himself. Deca set out to contact Jamie.
Ashley was in her room packing up the years of memories she had acquired while traveling through space. 'Am I making the right decision? How can I leave my friends? How can I leave my boyfriend who wants to marry me?' Shaking off her doubts she reluctantly continued to pack.
Cassie left the boys to figure out the details and went to comfort her best friend. She could tell how hurt she was by Carlos's careless words. True it sucked that Ashley was leaving, but in the long run it was more important that she was safe. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to be rangers forever. And if Cassie were honest with herself, she did feel a small amount of guilt into pressuring Ashley to sleep with Andros.
Zhane too felt a bit guilty about his role in pushing Andros to sleep with Ashley. But what's done is done; now they have to figure out what to do. Carlos, TJ, and Karone had left them alone to do other tasks, but Zhane couldn't recall what.
"I cant' believe she's going to leave." Andros murmured dejectedly. "I can't believe this is happening."
"Why?" Zhane asked in surprise. Andros glared at his best friend. "Listen Andros you would have given anything to protect Karone from being kidnapped right? Even if it meant Ecliptor had taken you. That's how Ashley feels about the baby. And you." Zhane explained patiently.
"But how can she think I won't protect her? I love her." He shouted angrily in confusion.
"She knows you'll try to protect her, but you can't guarantee that you'll be there all the time. Not when you're a ranger. It's a promise you can't make. And she loves you Andros, but she will not put your baby at risk to stay here." The silver ranger continued on. "And what happens when the alarm goes off? Who comes first Ashley or the team?" His question stumped the fiercely loyal red ranger.
"Why do you want me to quit?" Andros demanded in frustration. "I DON'T!" Zhane shouted back getting in the red ranger's face. "But maybe you do. Follow your heart for once Andros." He said before stalking out and leaving the red ranger alone.
The mood was somber that night as it was Ashley's last night on the mega ship. After dinner she would be leaving to go back to Angel Grove.
Ashley had Deca teleport her bags back to Jeff's apartment and set out to make her goodbyes. First off she hugged the lovable robot that had been a companion for the last two years. Alpha was choked up as he said goodbye to Ashley. "It won't be the same without you." He remarked sadly. "I'll miss you too Alpha." She replied. She continued on, looking around the mega ship at the place that was her second home. She would miss the times gathered around the holding bay for meals, playing basketball on the simu deck, or watching the stars from the observation deck.
Ashley remained fairly composed as she said goodbye to her teammates. TJ wished her well and gave her a hug. Ashley forgave Carlos for his comments and hugged her best friend goodbye. She didn't even break down when she hugged Cassie, Karone, or Zhane. The others let her and Andros have a few minutes.
"You know I love you, right?" Ashley said to her boyfriend. Andros nodded numbly. "I have to do what's best for the baby."
"And I love you too Ash. You were right, I don't know if I'm ready to stop being a ranger. Please if you need me, call me right away." He begged her.
"I promise." She whispered, feeling the tears start to fall. Andros grabbed her to him and hugged her hard. The two lovers stood there for what felt like an eternity. "I have to go." She said finally. Andros lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate and heated kiss. The others came in to say their final goodbyes.
Ashley took her communicator off and laid it on the console. Smiling to her teammates, "Good Luck." She wished them. "Deca, one to teleport." She commanded. She waved to her friends before she disappeared in a golden stream of light.
Her absence was felt right away as the others remained still in their places, still in shock. Nobody wanted to be alone right now, so they gathered in the holding bay to eat, even though nobody was really hungry. They just needed to be together. Andros begged off from watching movies and went to his quarters.
Andros piled on the blankets, as he could not get warm. He had gotten accustomed to Ashley being there to share her body heat with him. But her absence left him cold and his bed empty. Even though they had only been intimate for two months, he couldn't remember what it was like before that. He groaned, as he could not fall asleep, he was desperate to sleep because he would see her in his dreams and not face the reality that she wasn't there. He decided to play the video from the night long ago before he had left for the alliance.
Deca played the holographic image of the two of them dancing, he could hear the music in the background.
How do I get through one night without you
If I had to live without you what kind of life would that be
Oh, I need you in my arms need you to hold
You're my world my heart my soul
If you ever leave...
Baby you would take everything good in my life
And tell me now,
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
Andros knew he should regret that night. One night of pleasure was bringing them extended periods of pain and separation. But he couldn't muster any sense of regret, just longing for the only person who had changed his life.
Ashley arrived to find her brother's apartment empty. After an emotional day she moved her stuff into the guest room and started a bath. She turned on the radio to block out the silence. She remembered when she had first moved onto the mega ship, how weird it was to live with her friends. She loved them all dearly, but they were noisy and had strange habits, like Carlos running down the halls when he couldn't sleep. Or Cassie's loud music she played whenever she was in a bad mood. Ashley sighed. She listened to the song that had just come on. She sat down on the edge of the tub, her feet dangling in the warm water as she remembered that day, the night before Andros left for the alliance. The night that had changed everything.
Without you...there'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me, and I...
Baby I don't know what I would do
I would be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave...
Baby you would take everything real in my life
And tell me now,
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
If she had thought he didn't love her before that night, he certainly changed her mind after. He had been so open and gentle with her, and it had been the most amazing night of her life. She got to see a side of Andros that had never been seen before, and after that he was much more alive, even the others could see it.
The two lovers fell asleep in separate beds, separate worlds for the first time in months.
A/N: Please review! Thank you for all your comments.