Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers; I do own Andrew (he's mine!), the plot, the feelings and everything else you don't recognize!
A/N: here's chapter seven! Next one is the Epilogue that will be posted along with the Prologue of the third and last part. I decided to leave the bday thingy for the Epilogue :D
I warn you, strong emotions ahead! Don't read if you're pregnant! Or have asthma! Or…..have heart problems!
Star Fata: I can't help it sometimes, how do you think he got all the inner-rage and helplessness feeling? It's all me… anyway, thanks and hope to see you around;)
Phantom Rogue: well, you know how I feel about Andrew (and especially how many times I wanted to bang his head on the wall :D)
Frog1: take a few tissues, yet the whiny part is to end sometime in the near future right after Andrew …….. and then when he ……………. And eventually, it's being solved and the proof is that ……………………………Andros. ;)
Slytherin-Angel44: I can't believe you're not angry on Andros! he's just soooooooooo dense! And about Andrew, he will heal. Eventually. :D
SweetSas: darn, it got deleted T.T stupid fanfiction, but there you go! ;hands chapter to you; love ya:) oh, and I wanted to know when is your birthday:D
PernDragonrider: hey, thanks mate:) Andrew is being Andros-y :P well, that's the irony: how can Andros act so insensitively when he and the kid are so much alike? You'd expect him to figure that out because they do have a lot in common!
zeopurple: here's another one? Well…you wanted to know why Andros is acting stupid... and there ya go. I do believe it's something only Andros can say, because he's just so stupidly cute :D ;hands tissues; thanks for your review!
DizneeDol: thanks a bunch! ;D
BlackHalliwell: THANKS:) (you're coolie. I love you too!)
Quest into Space II: Father and Son
by DarkHonda aka Tal
Chapter 7
I walked to the bridge, the dark corridors matched my dark mood; it seemed all I could feel was pain, all I could do it hurt and even though I really wanted to, I could make it go away. My pace was slow and my body stiff with numbness, I couldn't even understand how could I feel so hurt and so numb in the same time, I was helpless and lonely; a feeling I grew to know, a feeling I could understand…
I entered the bridge, it was deserted; its bright lights dazzled me and for a minute I covered my face that was dry now, only the course of tears was still marked on my face. I took a long breath, scanning the room, the silence soothed me. I watched one of the screens curiously; we were heading somewhere- but where? And why? Frowning I turned to the only source of answers on the megaship.
"DECA, where are we heading?" I asked quietly.
"We are heading Sol-system, to Earth," she answered almost as quietly as I asked. I couldn't conceal my surprise, 'Earth!' I wondered, wanting to laugh so hard, 'are they nuts? Dad totally squashed any hope for me to join SPD Academy and now we're heading to Earth? It's like he's inviting me to run away!' I thought happily, yet another thought crept into my mind, 'what if he really wants me to go?' I swallowed a lump in my throat.
"When will we arrive Earth?" I asked shakily, still trying to force down that lump in my throat.
"Arriving Earth in fifteen minutes, hyperrush nine," she said and I was already half smiling half crying. It was too ironic, dad taking me to Earth where he didn't want me to join SPD Academy? Why? Yet I was determined to find out why, I quickly turned around a left the Bridge toward the Simudeck, muttering a thank you to DECA.
I quickly went to the Simudeck, almost bursting into the room, when I heard their talk and stopped dead on my tracks; I stood in the doorstep of the room, both of them too busy talking than to notice me.
Mum and dad were hugging, trying to comfort each other; dad was holding mum close to him, the closest her large abdomen could let them, yet he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were stuck on one of my posters, he seemed to be in awe, maybe even a little scared; maybe it was then that he actually understood my whole being. He understood who I really was and what I had to become. And I guess that…he could understand that, or at least that's what I thought, because when he opened his mouth again I could see he didn't, once again he failed me. At that moment I knew he would never figure me out, because he was so different from me. Because he was million of light years away from who I was; my thoughts, my emotions, the complexion that was me. I knew I'd forever hold grudge against him for that, for being a stranger to me, for being that dense and narrow minded. For being heartless.
"Ash, is this… his room? What he has at home?" he asked hesitated, and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down; 'how can he not remember?' I wondered.
On my last month on earth, we used to spend hours in my old room, playing tons of video games, he used to watch me when I was doing my homework and sometimes we were talking for hours… it was then that he promised me a better future; as a part of a family, as a part of him.
My eyes were instantly filled with tears, 'how could you expect him to remember!' a voice screamed in my mind, 'how could you trust him to remember? He doesn't even know your name, how can you expect him to remember something he promised four years ago?' it hurt. It really hurt. Even those little glimpses of happiness, of treasured happiness with him, he took away now, what was I supposed to think? These little memories, those I used to cling to in my toughest moments, those I put my hopes on… these glimpses of a happiness I was forever denied of didn't matter to him! I closed my eyes painfully, just to hear mum's reply.
"It used to be his room in out house at Earth," she explained softly, sniffling a little, then I opened my eyes, trying to hold back the tears again as I watched him reaching for one of my Power Rangers action figures, by coincidence it was a red Astro battalized ranger. My favorite doll of them all. Mum smiled behind her tears as dad's long fingers were circling the doll slightly.
"He sure loved Power Rangers," dad said, his long fingers still stroking the little armored doll fondly, and from the teary look on mum's face, I knew what she was about to say. I wanted her to stop, I didn't want him to know; he didn't deserve to know… he didn't deserve to know how much I adored the red space ranger, how much I worshiped him, my own father…
Mum wiped her tears away and took the doll from my father's hands, "It used to be his favorite, you know," she said with a teary smile, and her eyes shone with…hope? 'How can she feel so hopeful!' I wondered, 'how can she be all happy when everything is so dark and disappointing?' It angered me to see that endless hope and optimism that were starting to burst through her wet face. He was the last person in the galaxy that deserved my hope, or any hope for that matter, he hurt me so much… 'How can she forgive him for what he did to me? How can she betray me like this? Hasn't she understood what he had put me through?'
"It-it did?" dad asked, unsure, his fear and silent joy were itching, he was feeling happy and that alone made me feel miserable; so suddenly I was gone from the world? Suddenly they didn't care about me? I frowned.
"Yeah," mum smiled and I knew she was about to tell him about…
'Oh shit...' I thought and put my hand on my face desperately, 'someone please stop her,' I begged, but my pleas were nod hided, and I pouted as I heard her.
"He used to sleep with it every night until he was ten," she giggled and a little smile was visible on dad's face. I grumbled silently, mum was so…mum sometimes!
Suddenly a deadly silence spread in the room as dad's endless fear started to flood my stomach, 'what is he so afraid of?' I wondered anxious, 'what is it that makes him scared?' I mean, her is the red Astro ranger, what could possibly scare him?
"Ash?" he asked and mum raised her gaze which laid on a framed photo of me riding my first bicycle, Uncle Justin was the one behind me, securing so I wouldn't fall. I could feel the slight sadness, the sour taste of loss and my heart cried with hers.
Yes, I wished my dad was the one to be with me on that slightly grey afternoon, I wished he was the one to be there at any given moment; I wished he was the one to take care of me in all of the long nights when I was a baby and mum couldn't sleep, I wished he was the one to stay at home with me when I was sick and not Uncle Adam, I wished he was the one to be waiting in the waiting room comforting my mum as I suffered from a highly unusual fever and not my Aunt Cassie, but he wasn't.
"Ashley, I… it has been four years Ash, but…" he stuttered, I almost gaped, it was the first time I ever saw him failing to speak, he always seemed unbreakable but now… he seemed gentle, so fragile, I never seen him like this, never that broken. And to tell the truth, it scared me, it scared me because I didn't want to hurt him, I just wanted him to care. I used to be hopeful that one day he would care, but as long I was thinking about it, was as long I realized our relationship would never be mended. Now guilt flooded my senses, stinging my heart mercilessly. My guilt. It took me forever to convince myself again that this situation was his entire fault… not mine.
"I don't… I am.." he closed his eyes painfully? As he took a deep breath before blurting out, "What's his favorite color?" he finally asked.
"Red," mum answered correctly. Ironic as it was I always loved red… now I felt slightly guilty I actually did love that color. It was a thing we shared, yet he never bothered to ask.
"What's his favorite food?" he asked again, it was just a random question. Too random, what was his point?
"That Karovan goo you like," mum answered with a slight smile that lit her eyes, I sighed miserably, yet another thing we shared but he never even tried to inquire.
"What's his favorite day of the week?" another random question, now it was pretty weird, 'what is he trying to say?' I wondered, secretly thinking on the answer. Tuesday.
"Tuesday," mum answered correctly, "why are you asking all this?" I guess I wasn't the only one confused; I waited as curiosity was starting to get the best of me. It took him a while to answer, an unbearable silence spreading in the room, I was almost one with the wall I hid behind, as it took my every effort to listen and sometimes peek in.
"Because I don't know the answers, Ash," he answered slowly, a stone crushing my heart as he said the truth, "I don't know my own son," he said almost silently, yet the words echoed in my mind, and as the truth burns the most, I felt myself burning, tearing apart. Out of nowhere came the tears again, just when I have started to believe I've finally tamed them, they reappeared on my face.
It was true, he didn't know me because he never tried to; he never talked to me, only if he had to and he never took interest in me, unless I was getting into trouble in school but other than that...
Crying silently while nodding furiously, I waited for mum's reaction; her eyes glittered with realization while I felt my heart tear apart again and again to the tiniest of shreds. Mum looked stunned for a moment, as if she couldn't believe it, but eventually, she had to, eventually she was the one to understand, and when she did she pushed my dad away from her;
"Andros, this is... he has been moody and lonely and it's my fault for not noticing," She said and I wanted her to stop, because it wasn't her fault, not anymore, not after I forgiven her and she forgiven me, "But he has been sad and angry practically furious because… Andros," she paused and looked into his eyes with teary eyes, "It's because of you."
"What?" Dad said obviously surprised, 'can he be even denser?' I wondered briefly before turning my attention to the conversation again. Dad obviously misunderstood mum- "Ashley, I swear I haven't done anything to him, if you're even thinking that I..—" but mum silenced him with a finger on his lips, almost softly she explained, and gratitude was rising in me. Maybe she did know me that good, maybe even better than Aunt Karone..
"He reached to high levels of frustration because of you," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "Andros, in the last year, when did you two talk? I mean actual talk, not about the weather or school." Dad was quiet, guilty, and I knew the answer- never.
"Andros?" she asked, unsure of his reaction, her fear paralyzing my stomach and his guilt freezing my legs.
"Never, Ashley, I didn't... know him, I …" he stuttered and I knew what he was about to say were just excuses. He didn't love me and I knew it, so why was he bothering so hard to hide it? It's not like it really mattered, I was about to leave anyway. Wasn't it what he wanted? I thought bitterly, "He is such an amazing kid and I was scared to change him, when I learnt he is my son I was scared to death, I didn't know what to do with him." He confessed unsteadily.
"What about Scout? Don't you talk and play with Scout?" she asked, pain plainly visible in her eyes.
"You know I love Scout to death, and that I would never ev—" he tried to use another excuse but mum cut him in, clear panic in her voice, "-What about Andrew!" she almost screamed, her eyes filling with tears, "Don't you love my Andrew? Isn't he your son? Your first son, the one that should be the family's pride?" she cried and he hugged her, she tried to push him away but he wouldn't let her.
She was so hurt now, so offended, so bitter all of a sudden, it made my head dizzy and my stomach twirl but deep down, in my heart, I felt relieved, because at that moment of bitterness and sadness, I found a comfort, I found understanding. Because now I wasn't alone, never alone, now she knew what I was feeling and she fought for me and it was more than I could ever hope for. I got my mum back, the one that used to tuck me in every night, the one that every morning baked my favorite vanilla cookies… for a second I felt like good old Andrew, the little boy whose whole future was waiting for him; the one that always wanted to make a difference in the world.
"I love Andrew, but I didn't know how to reach him. He was so smart and carefree that I was afraid to break him…" he muttered and I raised a furious gaze at him, trying to restrain myself, trying to burst into the room and yell any more accusations. How could he tell her that? How could he explain abandoning me for years with a lousy "I was afraid to break him"? How dared he?
"But you're not like this to Scout! How is Scout any different!" she whimpered on his shoulder. I wanted to comfort her, I wanted to tell her everything would be alright, but I knew it wouldn't be alright; I knew it would never be alright. Because we would never be able to make up for the lost time, I would never be able to heal from all emotional wounds, because he is my father yet he hurt me in every possible way and I swore to never love again.
"I… Scout had me since the first time I held him in my arms… I play with him and I'm getting to know him everyday, Ashley; I want to be a father to Scout like I was never to Andrew." He said softly and I entered the room shakily yet furious, it was the last straw as far as I was concerned; I was crying, but now I grew accustomed to the tears, they didn't bother me, the slight burning of my eyes couldn't hurt anymore than they already have, yet I couldn't stop the tears.
They looked at me surprised, and I was just standing there, looking at them, opening my mouth to speak but nothing came out. I was speechless, I just gaped there, trying to say something but nothing could pass my awe struck brain. There was nothing more horrible than knowing I was right.
"Andrew…" mum called, releasing herself from my father's hug, wanting to hug me but I stepped back, I was broken, broken for these words, broken because I was right all along. I wanted to be wrong, oh I wanted to; but I was right, and there was nothing more hurtful than that, it slashed my soul so hard that I could almost feel the betrayal and hurt on my skin.
Every vessel in my body screamed for revenge, screamed for me to do something, to not stand there like an idiot, but I couldn't; they were my parents and I respected them although and through it all, if not him then at least her. She didn't deserve any less than perfect in my eyes and I couldn't hurt her anymore. I just turned around and ran to the bridge, fast as a lightning, but I wasn't alone when I got there; dad was running after me.
"DECA!" I screamed "for the sake of you, you better teleport me out of here!" I shouted and in seconds I was shimmering in red light to Angel Grove Park…
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A/N: I hope you like it, because I don't! Will I see you guys on the sequel?
