Disclaimer: Marieke: Yes… hello? Abortion clinic? … Yes? Good, I want to make an appointment for a 'friend' of mine? … What do you mean no room? … Okay, I understand, when? … IN TWO YEARS! THAT'S TOO LATE!
Maura: I win!
Marieke: Have you forgotten Chris already?
Maura: -groans-
Summary: The return of Andros's parents changes all future plans of Andros and Ashley. It's doubtful they'll ever see each other again. But there's a secret Ashley's carrying around just dying to come out.
Arwennicole: Um, I'm REALLY, REALLY sorry… but I had to do this.
Phantom Rogue: He's not really happy about his son being forced into things. There's just nothing anyone can do about it.
Lady Kimiko: Yes, but then he would never get back to Ashley and he'd also would never know about the two children he DOES want. Yay, my skin is safe for now. If it wasn't fast... I wouldn't reach the end EVER! I'm already anticipating over 45 chapters.
Slytherin-Angel44: I really hated having to write this one. I swear.
Megarider: I wish you had anything to do with it and that Maura had died at the beginning of the story, but those are idle wishes.
Tal: Go on, I'll help you on your killing spree.
Mita427: I can imagine Maura turning into a demon at any time. The problem is… I know she's a normal human.
SSL: I… it just happened that way. –cries- This soon enough?
Star Fata: Welcome back! How was your vacation? Yes, you're in the 'Kill Maura Squad', send your Ash after her? Go on hating Maura, it's only getting worse now.
C.C.C.: I just wrote the sweetest A/A chapter ever for the future of this story, so yeah, you really don't want to kill me. Yes, borrow all the Zords you can get your hands on! And do you really want to make Andros sleep with Maura several times to conceive that baby? He hates it! I'm not THAT cruel you know. Glad I managed to make you at least love a little with the chapter.
Mz. Daydream: Yeah, we're both horrible right now. –sighs- Andros agrees with you. Yeah, Zhane and Karone just keep reproducing… think they're rabbits?
Dragoneyes5000: Me too, trust me, I had a hard time writing that chapter.
Jessica01: Tell me something I don't know.
Tay: In a long, LONG time… when Elia is about to turn 16.
PhoenixGuardianEmaku: Lynette will clear up… eventually… someday… I hope.
DizneeDol: Sorry, it's getting a little darker.
Jenny: You promised to keep the review short. I told you to and what do you do? You babble anyway. I told you to shoot your brains before writing it… but did you listen? NO… I'll never get myself a new beta-reader, no one is as perfect a match in writing as we are! Somehow… my chapters mysteriously finish… sorry. Go on… hate everyone! You can do it! I know you can! Well, only the horrible people of course.
Enigmaforum: Nope, or I would have killed Andrea from 'Born To Fly' ages ago.
The-power-of-love: Exactly? Who would? At least someone understands!
JDPhoenix: Um… I think that if I were to explain that in the story… Ashley ordered Deca to make every single file about her and her children classified information for only them three to see. So, yeah, Deca isn't even allowed to reveal Ashley's location when she's demanded to search for her.
Secrets Untold
Chapter 16: The Bad Good-News
Andros didn't at all like it when Zhane had come into his office, telling him Karone had called and he was to come home with him. He didn't mind at all that his brother-in-law would join him there; he was slightly relieved not to be alone in the house with Maura. The last two weeks she had been coming on to him more then in the whole time they had been married and he had barely been able to escape her since the night after Zhane and Karone had announced their second child.
Now they were silently walking to his house, both were dreading what they would find once they'd arrive there.
Andros felt a boulder drop in the pit of his stomach when he opened the front door and his mother hugged him with a large smile threatening to split her face.
"Congratulations." She told him gleefully.
The implication registered immediately and Zhane placed a hand on his friend's shoulder the moment his mother had released him. Andros felt sick to his stomach. Maura was pregnant. She was pregnant with his baby. The only one allowed to be pregnant with his baby was Ashley and now Maura was pregnant in her place. Maura would give him his first child and not Ashley.
He felt something tug at his pants and he looked down, smiling when he found Elia at his feet, staring up at her uncle with wide innocent eyes. He quickly scooped the girl up to avoid any other congratulatory hugs, holding the girl as tightly as he dared to create the illusion of having some sort of grip on the situation.
Elia nuzzled close into his arms, her fists holding on tightly to his shirt. She was pouting slightly and obviously didn't like her grandmother's exuberance, rather settling on the more depressed mood her mother held, though she hid it rather nicely hidden.
"Isn't this great." Maura beamed, placing a hand on her stomach. "Our very own baby. I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl. They said it was too early to tell."
Andros dropped down on the couch stunned. He hadn't thought Maura would get pregnant so soon. He had hoped to keep their encounters between the sheets as minimal as possible, but this was almost too good to be true, yet bad all together. He was going to have a child… a child he didn't even want.
The world around him kept moving, but his mind was too sluggish and stunned to keep up with it. No one really paid much attention to him, probably thinking he was too shocked and needed to let the news sink in, though Zhane and Karone knew better. Elia stayed curled up in his arms though, while his mother ranted on and on about how wonderful it would be if Maura was having a boy and his morpher would have an heir.
He didn't snap out of it until Karone nudged him gently.
"It's past someone's bedtime." She murmured softly, pointing at her sleeping daughter curled up against his chest.
Andros looked around the living room questioningly and Karone shook her head.
"Maura is at the front door saying goodbye to her and our parents." She informed him.
"And unfortunately, we have to go home too." Zhane sighed. "Hang in there, bro."
Andros sighed silently and nodded, carefully placing his niece into Karone's arms without waking the girl. Karone shifted her daughter so her head was pillowed against her shoulder. Then she leaned down and placed a kiss on Andros's cheek.
"We'll be right here." She promised. "Always."
Andros nodded again and smiled at them painfully.
"I guess it's better now then later." He muttered. "Less time to build up reluctance."
"For you, I hope it's a boy." Zhane told him, giving him a quick hug before leaving with a sad wave.
Three months later
"Andros!" Zhane exclaimed when he walked into this friend's office.
His friend lay on the couch, sweating like crazy and as white as a sheet. He was shivering uncontrollably and his eyes had rolled back into his head. A quick look immediately told him his friend was suffering from colour-withdrawal. Silently he cursed Andros and fished the red shirt from the floor, forcing Andros up into a sitting position and worked him back into the shirt.
Slowly Andros stopped shivering and his eyes returned to focus.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Zhane demanded when his friend had recovered enough to respond.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Andros retorted, obviously very ticked off.
"Um… saving your life. Andros, colour-withdrawal is dangerous!"
"Like I don't know that!" Andros shot back, leaping to his feet.
"Apparently not." Zhane replied coolly.
"I had it under control." Andros spat.
"Andros… colour-withdrawal isn't something you can have control over, not alone anyway. You may think you have it under control and things may go fine the first few times, but you'll go further and further and one day… you go too far and can't return!" Zhane yelled. "Do you really want to die that badly? What do I tell my children when they ask about you then? 'Oh your uncle was just so miserable he made himself suffer colour-withdrawal and it ended up killing him'? Is that what you want?"
"No." Andros bit back.
"Well, that's what you're doing, Andros!" Zhane fumed before taking a deep breath to pull himself together and continued more calmly. "Please, don't do this to yourself, not in this way at least, not alone. I know things are far from ideal, but please don't make me lose my brother. Have you even thought about how Karone would react if you slipped too far and ended up killing yourself?"
Andros hung his head silently.
"I'm not going to forbid you to do it or tell anyone, you know." Zhane sighed and Andros looked up at that surprised. "But only if you promise me not to do it without me around. You can't think clearly during colour-withdrawal, but I can do that for you. Just… please just don't shut us out like this."
"Why?" Andros asked softly. "Why would you do that when you know colour-withdrawal is dangerous?"
"Because if I forbid you, you'd find some other way, another place to do it where I can't find you. I would be signing your death sentence." Zhane sighed.
Andros nodded quietly, not looking at Zhane.
"So… why are you doing it?" Zhane inquired.
"It's a boy." Andros sighed, looking down. "Maura is having a boy… my heir. She found out yesterday during her check-up."
"That's good, right? That means you're off the hook." Zhane replied with mild surprise.
"She shouldn't be mothering my heir." Andros whispered softly, tears springing into his eyes.
Without a word, Zhane walked over and wrapped his arms around his friend, letting him cry on his shoulder.
"And I just wanted to see if you wanted to go out for lunch." Zhane sighed. "That's the last time I try to get you out."
A/N: Hope you liked it… KILL MAURA! and review.