Chapter 12: Having no Meaning

Ashley sighed when she searched the ship for Andros. "DECA, could you tell me where Andros is?" She asked. DECA was silent and she knew that Andros told DECA not to say where he was. She let out a sigh and went to find her husband. She went to their quarters and saw that it was locked. "Andros, open up," she instructed. She rubbed her forehead when he didn't answer. "Andros, please don't do this," she insisted. Zhane walked up to her.

"Hey," he greeted sadly.

"Hey, Zhane," she answered.

She knocked on the doors. "Andros, please open up," she persisted.

"Hiding again?" Zhane asked.

"Yes," she replied.

She leaned against the wall and played with her ring. "I hate it when he's like this. He just totally shuts me out and it takes me forever to get back in," she answered. Zhane stood across from her and started to play with his own ring. It was almost like theirs, but his ring was just a silver band. Ashley then slid to the floor in tears. "Karone was my best friend, Zhane. I know what he's going through. I hated to hear what Dark Specter did to her. I want Karone back just as much as he does," she added with tears falling down her face. Zhane walked over and sat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a friendly embrace. "I don't want Andros to shut me out. I hate it when he shuts me out," she told him.

"I know…I know," he answered.

After a few minutes, she calmed herself down and she stood up. "I have to get in that room," she told Zhane. She walked over to the keypad Andros had hidden in the wall. She overrode his order to DECA and the doors unlocked. "Here goes nothing," she murmured.

"Good luck," Zhane told her.

Ashley walked into the room and saw that it was pitch black. No lights were on, but she knew Andros was in there. "Andros, I know you're in here answer me," she instructed. She looked at Zhane before looking at DECA's light. "DECA, close and lock the doors," she instructed.

"Acknowledged," DECA answered.

Ashley looked at Zhane before the doors closed. "Don't let anyone else come near here," she instructed.

"You got it," Zhane answered.

The doors closed and locked. Ashley stood in the middle of her and Andros's room, wishing she knew where he was. Sure the room was small, but when the lights were out, it seemed to be big. Ashley crossed her arms over her chest. "Andros, please. I know that you blame yourself for what's happened to Karone, but don't. It wasn't your fault. She wanted to help us. She didn't want anything to happen to us or the Earth so she went into the Dark Fortress to help us," she explained. She was answered with more silence. Tears pressed against her eyes. "Andros, please. Please don't shut me out again. When we were kids, you did this all the time. You would shut me out and it took me months to get back in. Don't do that again, I don't want you to shut me out of your life again," she insisted. Ashley walked over to the dresser to find the picture of Karone gone. She then knew that Andros had it with him. She would go around and feel around the room to find him, but she wanted him to talk to her so she could find him.

After what seemed like forever, Ashley let out a frustrated sigh. "Andros, listen to me. I love you so much and I hate to see you waste away like this. Because when you start to waste away, you're taking me with you. My heart and soul are attached to you and when you're wasting away like this, you're taking my heart and soul with you," she explained. Ashley let out a sigh. "For better and for worse, Andros, remember that. For better for worse. You promised me forever after our wedding remember that? You promised me nothing but happiness. How can I be happy when you're miserable?" She asked.

"Then leave me," he replied.

Ashley jumped when she heard him speak. "Then end this marriage if I'm making you miserable. I deserve to be alone," Andros told her. Ashley heard his voice in the corner. She walked over and she could make out his figure in the corner of the room. She walked over and stood in front of him.

"I'm not giving up on our marriage," she answered.

"Why not? I'm causing you nothing but pain."

Ashley took the picture from his hands and set it aside. She kneeled down in front of him and held his hands. "I'm not going to give up on this marriage and I'm not going to let you give up. I love you so much, Andros. Please don't give up on your life, because without you, my life doesn't have meaning in it. My life didn't have meaning in it until I remembered who I was and that I had vowed to spend the rest of my life with you," she explained. She let out a small sob and the tears fell down her face again. "I just don't want to lose you again, please don't make me lose you. I know feel awful about what has happened to your sister. I do too, because I love Karone just as much as you do. She was my best friend. The sister I never had. I lost Karone…but please…don't make me lose you too. If I lose you, everything I have ever wanted will be gone. Because my life, my dreams, they mean nothing without you," she explained. She felt the tears fall down her face in streams as she continued to hold his hands trying to get through to him. She could tell he had the stone cold look on his face, she felt like she hadn't gotten through to him.

"You lived two years without me," he told her.

Ashley felt her heart break at those words. He might as well took his Spiral Saber and plunge it into her chest. "I was empty during those two years, Andros. Don't you see? You keep me alive," she told him. She placed her hands on his face. "I see you. You're the man I married two years ago," she whispered. The tears were still falling down her face. She wiped her tears away and stood up. "I'll be over there on the bed when you need me," she informed. She walked over and sat on the bed.

After awhile, Ashley heard Andros get up and felt the weight on the bed. He placed his head in her lap and she stroked his hair while he started to cry. Something he hadn't done to help him ever since this happened. "It's my fault she's gone," he sobbed. Ashley shook her head.

"No…no it's not. Karone would never blame you for it, because she was trying to help us," she assured him.

"What have we done to deserve this, Ash? What did I do to deserve to lose my planet, my parents, and my sister. What did I do to lose everything?" He asked.

Ashley sighed while she continued to stroke his hair to calm him. "I don't know, Andros. These things just happen," she answered. Andros shook his head while more tears fell down his face.

"I lost everything," he told her.

"You have me yet. You thought you had lost me forever, but I'm here. I'm right here and I'm not leaving you anytime soon," she murmured.

She wiped his tears away and kissed his cheek. "I love you, I love you so much," she whispered. Andros started to calm down a bit and he held her hand. "We will get Karone back, I promise," she assured him. After awhile, she felt his steady breathing, letting her know that he was asleep. She heard a knock on the door. "DECA unlock the doors," she whispered. DECA unlocked the doors and Zhane stood there.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, took my awhile. How long have I been in here?"

"About two hours."

"Two hours!"

"Yeah."

"It took me forever, but he's asleep now. Tell the others that Andros is okay, he's sleeping now that that I'm staying here with him."

"You've got it."

Ashley watched Zhane leave and she just sat on the bed holding her husband close to her and watched him sleep.