Chapter 9: Welcome Home

Ashley came into their quarters and found Andros fast asleep. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out and traced the scars on his eye and his face. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Still the same, still the same," she whispered. A tear fell down her face and she felt the tears falling down her face as she looked at him. "Still the most handsome man I have ever known and the man I will always love," she whispered. She ran her fingers through his long hair, the age showing as it had showed in her, but to him, he still seemed to be the seventeen-year-old man that she fell in love with twenty-nine years ago. Andros opened his eyes and looked over at Ashley.

"Ashley," he whispered.

Ashley nodded her head. "It's me," she answered. Andros reached up and touched her face.

"Still beautiful, the same beautiful Ashley," he whispered.

Ashley lifted his hand up and kissed the top of it. "I'm so sorry," he murmured. Ashley shook her head with the tears falling down her face still.

"It wasn't your fault, Andros. It was never your fault and it never will be. You did your best," she assured him.

"But…I…hurt you…I hurt…our kids…and I almost…killed our daughter," he babbled.

"It wasn't you, it wasn't you. It was Dorjan, he did it. Artemis and Selena know it wasn't your fault."

Andros looked at Ashley. "Dorjan tortured Selena. I had to watch him torture her. Bring up a past that I didn't know," he stated. Ashley bit her lip. "Dorjan read her mind, Ash. I could see what happened to her. I wasn't…I wasn't there to protect my little girl from that monster," he added. Ashley touched the scars on his face and shook her head.

"Andreas took care of Pallaton. The man's never allowed to come hear our daughter ever again," she assured him.

"But I wasn't there to help. My daughter was attacked in our own house."

Ashley hushed him. "It's okay, Andros. Selena never blamed you because the kids understand. They never blamed you for anything," she assured him. A tear fell his face and she wiped it away. "Andros, I have something to tell you," she added. He looked over at her. Ashley took a deep breath and held his hand. "Two months after your disappearance I found out I was pregnant. The first month I thought it was because of stress since you were gone and everything. By the second month, I knew that something was up. That's when I found out that I was pregnant," she explained. Andros sat up slowly.

"Pregnant?" Andros asked.

"Yes," she replied.

Ashley smiled and kissed his forehead. "Yes, I had another set of twins," she informed. Andros's eyes widened in shock.

"Twins?" He asked.

She nodded her head slowly. "A son that I named Apollo and a daughter that I named Solana," she informed. Andros sat back in disbelief.

"Wow…" he whispered.

Ashley nodded. "They've been wanting to meet you for so long and I promised them that one day, one day they were going to see you," she whispered. She stroked Andros's face. "But now you'll be able to see them. At long last you'll be able to see them," she stated. She pressed her forehead against Andros's and a smile came across her face. Andros held onto her and let out a sigh.

"I can't wait to meet them," he murmured.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Andros answered. Selena came in with a smile.

"Mom, dad, we've arrived at KO-35," she informed.

"On our way," Andros answered.

"Um, dad, before you leave the ship, might I suggest changing?" Selena asked gesturing the clothes he still wore as Dorjan.

Andros nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be getting out of these things real quick," he assured her. Selena nodded and smiled.

"It's good to have you home, dad," she stated.

Andros sat up and had Selena come over to him. He hugged his daughter tight with a sigh. "I've missed you so much," he whispered.

"I missed you too," she answered.

Andros pulled back and held his daughter's face in his hands with a smile. "I'll see you on the bridge," he informed. Selena nodded and left the room. Andros got up and changed out of the clothes that he despised and into a familiar Space Uniform. He reached over to get the brush to brush out his hair when Ashley grabbed it for him and started doing it. "You don't have to, Ash," he told her. Ashley shook her head.

"No…I want to," she answered.

She finished brushing out his hair with a smile and she pulled it back in a ponytail. "There," she murmured. She set the brush down and looked over his shoulder into the mirror. "You look just as handsome as you did when we were seventeen," she commented.

"I'm getting old," he answered.

"Don't say that then that means I'm getting old," she laughed.

Andros laughed and turned around to look at her. Ashley reached up and traced the scar on his face. Andros closed his eyes and grabbed her hand. "Don't," he murmured. Ashley looked at him quizzically. Andros looked up when Artemis came in.

"We're home," he informed.

Andros nodded and left the room. Ashley stood there for a second before following him.

(KO-35)

Ashley led Andros to their house and saw Karone sitting outside with the twins. She looked up and she gasped to see them. "Andros?" She murmured. She stood up and tears welled up in her eyes when she saw that it was her brother. "ANDROS!" She shouted. Andros smiled as he took his sister into his arms and spun her around once. Karone buried her head in his shoulder with a smile on her face. "Welcome home," she whispered. Andros kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you," he answered.

Leo then came out of the house. "Hey, Andros," he greeted cheerfully. Andros grinned as he shook Leo's hand. "Welcome back, Andros," he added.

"It's good to be back," Andros answered.

Andros then saw the twins stop playing their game and stare at him.

Apollo had chin-length lightly blonde streaked hair, brown eyes, he wore black boots, silver pants, a red t-shirt, and he had his hair pulled back in a half-ponytail.

Solana had shoulder-length blonde streaked hair, the streaks were more visible than her brothers, brown eyes, she was wearing black boots, silver pants, a yellow t-shirt, and her hair was pulled back in a braid.

"MOMMY!" They shouted. Ashley smiled as she embraced the twins. She looked over at Andros and stood up from the ground.

"Andros, this is Apollo and this is Solana. Kids, this is your father," she informed.

The twins stared but then Solana stepped forward. Andros kneeled down in front of her and just watched her. Solana reached out and traced the scar that went from his temple to his chin before she traced the scar on his eye. A smile came across her face as she looked at him. Ashley felt tears in her eyes when she saw her daughter wrap her arms around Andros's neck and hug him tight. "Hi, daddy," she whispered. Andros stood up from the ground holding his ten-year-old daughter close. Apollo walked over and wrapped is arms around Andros's waist. Andros smiled as he used his free arm and hugged Apollo.

Artemis and Selena were standing back a bit watching them with smiles on their faces. "We should get back to the base and keep an eye on where Dorjan will attack next," Artemis commented. Selena nodded. Even though they freed Andros from Dorjan, the evil sorcerer was still out there and they had to keep track just incase he would come after their family again.