Disclaimer: Not mine. Never said it was.

Mz. Daydream: You might not be so crazy about this story when you see what I do to them this time. :P

Mimi2: You'll see what Andros was going to say later. Andros and Ashley are adorable!

Melissa: Here's more. I mean that there's going to be a sequel that starts exactly where this story ends.

Jenny: Chapter 2 will have substance, I promise. And I know I write too quickly, but I really have no life. :P

can5442: Here's some more.

C.C.C: You'll see what Andros was going to say later. The timeline is about a month after the Countdown, and the prologue was the morning after Ashley's eighteenth birthday. :P

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Yay, a sister! Wonder where the name came from... :P Yeah, you know this one. Hehe... And you left two minutes before I signed on!

Chapter 1

"Hey, Andros," Ashley said.

"Hi, Ash."

The mere sound of her voice was enough to cause a smile to spring up on his face and send warmth coursing throughout his entire body, but Andros didn't so much as glance up from the star charts he was having Deca upload into the navigational systems. Every now and then the console he was at beeped slightly, and he punched in a few keys, frowning.

"How long have you been here?" Ashley demanded, not missing the fact that Andros's shoulders were slumped forward over the console, and his voice was dulled with boredom.

"An hour?" Andros guessed, still not looking up.

"Deca?" Ashley glanced at the blinking red eye mounted over the doorway.

"Six hours," Deca corrected him.

Ashley sighed, slipping her arms around his neck as she stood behind him, resting her chin on the top of his head. "You need a break."

"I've got too much work to do," Andros protested.

Ashley rolled her eyes and moved to sit on his lap, dangling her legs over the arm of the chair. "You need a break," she repeated, kissing his lips lightly.

"Oh." Andros grinned at her sheepishly. "You meant this kind of break."

Ashley grinned right back at him, nuzzling her face into his neck, sighing happily as she felt his arms go around her. "Actually, I didn't... I need to talk to you."

"Is something wrong?" Andros asked anxiously, his smile slipping away as he turned his head to gaze into her brown eyes.

"Of course not, silly," Ashley said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I was just wondering what you were doing tomorrow night."

"The Megaship definitely needs some upgrades," Andros said, sighing heavily. "I'll be working on that all week."

"No, you won't," Ashley said firmly, toying with the ends of his hair. "Not during the mornings or nights. It's not important, and you need more than three hours of sleep."

"Ashley..." Andros started to protest, and sighed. His head was starting to pound, and his vision was beginning to blur from six hours of staring mindlessly at the same console. The prospect of spending several more hours with Ashley while Deca did most of the necessary work suddenly appealed to him. "All right."

"That was easy," Ashley remarked, giving in to temptation and placing several kisses along the side of his neck. "You must really be bored."

"Not really," Andros said, his skin tingling as she continued to kiss him. "You've just been a horrible influence on me."

"I have not!" Ashley exclaimed indignantly, pulling back abruptly to glare at him half-heartedly.

"You have," Andros insisted, his affection for her evident in his voice. He paused and added softly, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Ashley replied with a grin, looking rather pleased with herself. "So you're not busy tomorrow night?"

"Where are we going?" Andros asked, giving her a knowing look.

Ashley only grinned at him. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I won't make you go dancing."

Andros gave her a sheepish look. It wasn't the dancing he minded; he loved any excuse to have Ashley close, as she knew well enough by now. It was the dancing in front of other people that made him painfully shy.

"So where?" he asked. "The movies?"

"Nope," Ashley said. "Dinner at my parents house."

"What?" Andros asked. It seemed to be the only safe response, although maybe not safe enough.

"I just thought that they should get to know you," Ashley said, her smile slipping for an instant. "They think I'm too young to be in a serious relationship, and I know that if they get to know you, they'll lighten up."

"Ash..." Andros said uncertainly. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Very sure," Ashley said firmly, although her voice sounded much more certain than she felt. "Don't worry, they'll love you. They have to."

"Why?"

"'Cause I love you," Ashley said, completely relaxed as he cradled her in his arms. Andros smiled and kissed her temple.

"I love you too, Ashley," he whispered.

The console beeped loudly, and Ashley jumped. Andros sighed, and reached forward with his left arm, his right one still wrapped firmly around her waist. He punched in a few codes and settled back in his seat as Deca continued her work.

"You'll keep me company, won't you?" Andros begged. "I won't be here very much longer."

Ashley pretended to consider. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Several planetoids were obliterated in the war," Andros explained. "Deca's updating all the star charts using the most current data."

"You work too hard," Ashley told him, rolling her eyes. "How important is this, really?"

"Not very," Andros admitted. "But it has to be done."

"So what are you here for?" Ashley asked. "It doesn't sound like Deca needs any help."

"The navigational systems are vital to the Megaship," Andros said. "Deca needs my password before making any permanent changes. It prevents someone from hacking."

"Someone like Zhane?" Ashley asked with a grin.

"How'd you know?" Andros asked, slightly startled.

"You're not the hacking type," Ashley said after a moment. Andros thought she was trying hard not to laugh. "Deca, how much longer should this take?"

"Approximately another five hours," Deca replied, and Andros groaned. Ashley sighed.

"That's enough for one day," she said firmly. "Come on, get up."

"I can't," he protested. "Not unless you move."

"I don't want to," Ashley said, nuzzling closer to him. "I'm perfectly comfortable here."

"Ashley!"

She grinned, and climbed out of his lap, allowing Andros to stand up. He hadn't changed position in over six hours, and the blood rushed back through his body, leaving him lightheaded and more than a little dizzy.

"You work too hard," Ashley said again, steadying him with one arm as his head cleared. "Did you know you missed dinner?"

"I did?" Andros looked startled. "How late is it?"

"It's past ten," Ashley said, slipping her hand into his. "Come on. You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry," he said, stifling a yawn. "I think I'll just go to bed."

Several remarks popped into Ashley's head at that, and it was only reluctantly that she swallowed them. Smothering a grin, she reached for his hand, letting him lead her to his bedroom. She followed him in without a second thought, her mind drifting back to the night before as a smile that she couldn't suppress slowly took over her face.