Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers.
Chapter 22
It was still early when Ashley crept down the stairs into the living room, but it was empty. Andros was gone, and the blanket was neatly folded and draped over the arm of the couch. She sighed as she picked it up, wishing that he hadn't gone so soon. She would have liked at least to see that he was okay before he locked himself up on the Megaship again.
But if he was okay, then he wouldn't be locking himself up on the Megaship. Ashley chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully as she stowed the blanket and pillow away in the closet, tempted to go find him. She decided against it a moment later, when she couldn't be entirely sure that he would be grateful to her for it.
Maybe all he needed was to be alone for awhile... which, she remembered, was what he'd been doing until she'd dragged him off. Biting her lip as guilt rushed through her, Ashley shut the closet door and leaned back against the wall. Her eyes fell on her communicator, and she sighed. If he was upset with her, she shouldn't bother him.
Except that she didn't know if he was, and that was the part that was driving her crazy. Ashley closed her eyes and shook her head hard, turning herself towards the kitchen. She wasn't really hungry, but it would give her something to do besides wondering if Andros was mad at her or not.
"He left about an hour ago," someone said from behind her, and Ashley whirled around with a shriek.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she snapped at her brother, throwing a towel at him. Her eyes narrowed. "And how do you know he was even here?"
Jeff caught the towel in one hand, smirking at her. "Let's just say the two of us had a little talk."
"You didn't!" Ashley glared at him, shaking her head. "If you've scared him off--"
"I think we got along pretty well, actually." Jeff paused. "He just nodded while I made threats."
"Jeff!"
"What?" Her brother offered her his most innocent smile. "I only lectured him a little, and he didn't seem to mind. He even agreed with most of it... well, all of it. We're just undecided about what counts as touching you."
"You're not serious." Ashley stared at him hard, shaking her head. "Please tell me you're not serious."
He grinned at her, and she let out her breath in relief. "Don't do that to me!"
"Sorry," he said, totally unapologetic. "Seriously? I like him."
"You should." Ashley couldn't help smiling as she pulled open the refrigerator. "He's just so... I love him."
"Love him?" Jeff raised an eyebrow, and she looked down.
"Yeah." She shrugged as best she could, staring down at her feet. "I haven't told him yet."
"Oh." Jeff didn't seem to know how to respond to that. "Well... I won't mess with him for awhile, then."
Ashley stuck her tongue out at him. "Good."
"I'll see you later, Ash," Jeff said, with a glance at his watch. "I've got to meet someone in half an hour."
"Have fun," she told his retreating back, and returned to her half-hearted attempt at making breakfast.
She dropped some bread into the toaster before it occurred to her to make hot chocolate. That was one thing that never failed to brighten her mood, and she felt a smile work its way across her face as she set to work. She'd check in on Andros after she was done, she decided, and leave him alone if that's what he wanted.
"I hope you're making me some," her mother said from behind her, and Ashley nearly dropped the spoon.
"Stop sneaking up on me!"
Yawning, Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a Power Ranger?"
"Aren't you up early?" Ashley grumbled with much more annoyance than she really felt. "How much do you want?"
"Just a little, I'll be getting back to bed in a few minutes." Lisa sat at the kitchen table, her eyes fixed on Ashley. "But it's morning now, and we're going to talk before you disappear again."
"I don't..." Ashley stared down at the pot for a moment. "I'll try to be here more often," she said guiltily. "I mean..."
"Oh, don't worry about that," her mom said, sighing in resignation. "You're here more than Jeff ever was. But about Andros."
Ashley mixed the hot chocolate and passed her mom one of the mugs before she even thought of how to answer. "It's a long story," she muttered finally. "And I can't tell you all of it."
"That's all right."
"I can't tell you most of it."
"Can you tell me why he spent the night on our couch?"
"Yeah." Ashley sipped her hot chocolate, and sighed. "I needed to get him off of the Megaship before he drove himself crazy."
Lisa considered that for a few moments. "I'm not sure that I understand."
Ashley hesitated. "I'm worried about him," she admitted. "And I don't know what to do."
"Okay." Her mom nodded slowly. "That I can understand. What's the problem?"
"Well..."
"You can be as vague as you need to be," Lisa said. "I don't need too many details. I'm assuming you want my help, of course..."
"Thanks," Ashley whispered gratefully. "He... he and his sister were... taken away from their family when they were little."
She paused, not wanting to spill any more of Andros's history than she absolutely had to. "They were separated then and he's been looking for her ever since. He found her a few weeks ago and then Dark Spectre took her back. I just wanted to distract him a little bit."
"I'm going to assume that that's the oversimplified version," Lisa remarked. "Well, did it work?"
"Huh?"
Ashley watched her mother roll her eyes good-naturedly. "Did you or did you not succeed in distracting him?"
"I hope so," she murmured. "I'm worried about him."
"It hurts to lose someone," Lisa said quietly. "He's grieving."
"Yeah." Ashley nodded with a sigh, staring down into her hot chocolate. "I just wish... I want to help him, somehow."
"You're not going to make the hurt go away." Her mother drained the last of her own hot chocolate and dumped the mug into the dishwasher. "Just give him some time."
"You're the second person to tell me that," she muttered thoughtfully. "Do I really come off that way?"
Her mom smiled faintly. "It's not necessarily a bad thing."
"But..." Ashley chewed on her lower lip, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I don't want to just take away what he's feeling. I want, I don't know... I want to help him through it."
Lisa nodded approvingly. "Good girl. It'll take some time, that's all."
"I know. It's just not fair," Ashley murmured, her fingers curling around her mug. "He's lost so many people already."
"In my experience, life is never fair." Lisa crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, shaking her head. "It never gets any easier to lose the people that you love."
Ashley bit her lip as she nodded. "Mom?" she ventured tentatively. "Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"What happened between you and Dad?" she blurted out, before she could think better of it. "Why don't we ever hear from Jonathan?"
As she'd expected, shadows clouded her mother's face. "It's... complicated," was the only answer Lisa offered. "You'll understand when you're older."
"But I am older! I'm as old as Jonathan was when he left, and I want to know why--"
"Because," Lisa said stiffly, "sometimes things happen, Ashley, and you can't change them. No matter how much you might want to."
"But can't I at least know why?" Ashley balled her fists as she stared down her mother, shaking her head. "Can't I know why I never hear from my father and brother?"
"Ashley... it's a very long story and I have a lot to do today." Lisa brushed her hair back from her forehead, and sighed. "I'll tell you some other time."
Ashley waited until her mother left the room before dashing her mug against the kitchen table. The remains of her drink spilled out but when the ceramic didn't break, she ground her teeth together in frustration. Not knowing what else to do, she headed back to the Megaship in hopes that Andros would let her in. She needed something to cheer her up.
Zhane had given up after an hour. Andros was ignoring him and he was doing a damn good job of it. Annoyed and just a little confused, the Silver Ranger retreated to the Simudeck to vent off his frustration through a good workout.
When he stepped onto the Simudeck, he paused in surprise at seeing it already occupied. It was early still; he wouldn't have expected anyone but Andros to be up.
"Ashley?" He ran a hand through his short hair when she turned towards him, recognizing her stormy expression for what he felt himself. "Andros brush you off, too?"
She shook her head, her shoulders too tense. "I haven't been to see him yet," she admitted. "I don't think I'm feeling patient enough yet."
Zhane suppressed a wry smile at her words, and simply nodded his head. "That about says it all," he sighed. "I've been trying to talk to him for an hour."
"That bad?" She grimaced, then shook her head. "That came out wrong," she muttered. "I meant..."
"I know." He paused for a moment before adding, "Yeah, that bad."
"He didn't seem so upset last night," she murmured. "I thought... He let me hold him."
"Last night?"
She spotted his confusion quickly and shrugged, a little sheepishly, he thought. "He was with me at my house. We sort of fell asleep on the couch."
"Oh?" Zhane arched an eyebrow in surprise. "How'd you talk your way into his room?"
"I didn't," she admitted. "Deca did it."
"She likes you better than me," he complained, and shook his head in mock disgust. "It's not fair!"
Ashley rolled her eyes at him, but he saw a small smile form on her lips. "Maybe I'll go see him, then... Oh," she said, "I sort of told him about you and Karone."
Zhane groaned, but clarity hit him then and he sighed. "That might explain why he's ignoring me."
"I'm sorry," she muttered, biting her lip. "I didn't want to cause trouble between you two."
"Don't worry about it," he said, though he was a bit ticked. But he knew that he should have said something when he'd had the chance, and that was his own fault that he hadn't. "He's probably just sulking.
"I hope," he added, frowning. "I'm going to talk to him again. I'll blast the door open if I have to."
He didn't have to. After spouting a few random threats, the door slid open to admit him, and Zhane had a clear view of Andros glaring daggers at the camera mounted on the wall before the door slid closed and cut off the light from the hall.
The lights brightened enough for Zhane to see Andros lying on his side, his left hand clenched around his locket. Sighing, the Silver Ranger crossed the room and sat himself near Andros's feet, arms crossed as he studied his friend.
"So Ashley told you."
"Why didn't you?"
Zhane blinked in surprise; he hadn't really expected Andros to answer. "Because, well... I didn't know she was your sister!"
"But you did later."
"And that's why I didn't tell you."
Andros didn't answer, and Zhane sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I knew all along that I should have said... something, but I... you thought she was your sister, she wasn't sure that you were her brother, and I didn't want to... I don't know."
"I'm not angry," Andros said quietly, even more unexpectedly. "I'm--I'm glad she had someone she could trust."
"But it would have been better if it had been you."
The hand that gripped his locket relaxed somewhat, and Andros closed his eyes, his face pained. "We never had the chance."
"Hey," Zhane said sharply, "you're going to get her back. You said it yourself, you'll find a way to get through to her, remember?"
"Don't," Andros whispered. "Please don't... It's all you and Ashley say to me, and I can't listen to it anymore."
"Just don't give up, all right?" Zhane pleaded, and then hurriedly changed the subject. "So, I hear you spent the night with Ashley."
"Not like that and you know it," Andros muttered, a defensive edge to his voice. "It's not like I planned it."
"But you did."
"We fell asleep on the couch," he admitted reluctantly. "She wasn't there when I woke up."
"And you just left?" Zhane demanded.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Andros opened his eyes only to shoot him a worried look. "Did I do something wrong?"
"You're hopeless," Zhane declared. "Really, Andros. You just left?"
"Yes," the Red Ranger snapped at him. "I left, and unless she's upset with me for it, I don't care what you're going to say."
"Sorry." Zhane eased up, shaking his head. "You know, you're probably a better person than I am."
"Why?" Andros looked at him warily. "What would you have done?"
"If you'd stayed long enough, she would have come to check on you," Zhane said, hiding a smile when Andros rolled his eyes. "You wasted a perfectly good opportunity."
He was pleased to see Andros flush bright red. Maybe not entirely hopeless, then... Zhane ran his fingers through his short hair and leaned back against the supporting post on the bunk, arms crossed. That made this easier.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?"
"I... I haven't told her."
"So, that's a yes, then?" Zhane said brightly. "Good."
"Zhane..." There was a warning note in Andros's voice as he sat up, avoiding eye contact. "What do you want?"
He shrugged. "What I really came here for was to make sure you weren't too upset with me for not telling you about Karone, and since you don't seem to be... you can kick me out any time you want to."
A reluctant smile tugged at Andros's lips, fading as their eyes met for a moment or two. "How and when I tell her is none of your business," he said firmly.
Unfortunately--for Zhane, at least--it was true. "Fine," he grumbled. "She's crazy about you, you know."
"Yeah." Andros stared down at his lap for a moment. "I know."
Zhane frowned. "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, happy about that?"
"But..." Andros looked up at him uncertainly, his fists balled on his lap. "It's not fair of me to keep asking her to be patient with me."
Zhane opened his mouth to reassure Andros that it was all in his head when he remembered what Ashley had said earlier on the Simudeck. "I don't think she minds," he said instead, as lightly as he could. "You're worth it to her."
"But why?" Andros uncurled his fists, forcing out a deep breath. "Whenever I'm around her, it's like I can never do anything wrong."
"Don't worry, you'll screw up sooner or later," Zhane said cheerfully, smirking. "Enjoy it while it lasts."
Andros frowned, shaking his head with a sigh. "It just... feels like I don't deserve her, sometimes."
"Of course you do," Zhane retorted immediately, relieved that he could be totally honest now. "No one deserves someone more than you do, and so much the better that it's Ashley."
"Thanks," Andros said awkwardly, rolling his shoulders back. His eyes were sad this time, and he looked down at his lap almost guiltily. "You love her, don't you."
"Ashley?" Zhane gaped at him for a moment. "Oh. You meant Karone."
Andros nodded.
There was a moment of tense silence before Zhane decided he might as well do this all the way. "Does it bother you that I do?"
"No."
"You never were a good liar," Zhane remarked, managing to draw a shaky laugh from his friend.
"I know." Andros stared at the wall, shaking his head. "If you love her... why did you let her go?"
"She wanted to," he replied slowly. "I think she even needed to... Maybe we should have made her stay, but it was something that she felt that she had to do."
"I keep--I keep trying to tell myself that," Andros muttered. "But it only makes it worse."
"Because you've already said goodbye." Zhane leaned forward again, not quite able to hold Andros's gaze. "I know she'll come back someday."
"How?" Andros demanded. "You can't know that."
"I can," Zhane argued. "I'll see Karone again, and I'll see my parents again, and I'll go home to KO-35 someday. It's not so hard to believe."
"Yeah, well," Andros muttered. "It is for me."
It was three hours before he finally kicked Zhane out of his room and another several before he felt like seeking out Ashley. It hadn't slipped by his notice that she hadn't come looking for him herself, and he wondered uncertainly if he'd upset her somehow.
He found her in her room, the door shut but unlocked. Andros knocked quietly before he stepped inside just a bit. "Ash?"
"Oh, hi." Her smile was a little strained, but she waved him all the way inside. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," he replied, almost automatically. Andros brushed away her concern for him as he saw tearstains on her cheek, frowning. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... yeah, it's nothing." She lifted one hand two swipe at her cheeks, sighing. "Just an argument with my mother, that's all."
"You don't look like you're okay," he insisted, seating himself on the edge of her mattress.
"We had a little bit of a fight this morning," she admitted. "I called her awhile ago and we ended up snapping at each other again... I'll be fine. It's nothing, really."
"But you're crying," he said softly. He almost didn't dare, but carefully he reached out to brush his thumb across her cheek, wiping away her tears.
She leaned against his hand, turning her face to press a kiss to his palm. Andros swallowed nervously and scooted closer to her, sliding first one arm and then the other around her in a loose hug.
He tightened his arms around her waist when she leaned against him, letting out a deep breath when she tucked her head beneath his chin. The flowery smell of her hair filled his nose and he almost pushed her away. He used to be able to hug her without being so acutely aware of how the shape of her body molded against his, without wondering what it would feel like if he was brave enough to ask for a little more.
"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, desperately needing a distraction from how wonderful her warm breath felt on his neck.
You're supposed to be comforting her, he snapped at himself. He was doing a poor job of it so far.
"Yeah." She turned her head until she was comfortable, hugging him a little closer. "I'll be fine."
"I wanted to thank you," he said abruptly, and she drew away to look him in the eye. "For what you did for me last night."
"Oh." Ashley smiled before she laid her head on his shoulder another time, squeezing his middle hard. "I was worried you were upset with me for that... I'm just glad you're all right."
"I wasn't angry with you," he told her, flushing guiltily. "With myself for letting her go, and with her for wanting to... not you."
"Still," she sighed, "if you ever need to be alone and I won't let you--"
"Don't worry about it," he said firmly. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on your couch, though," he added sheepishly. "Thanks for letting me stay."
She giggled softly at that. "That felt sort of nice, actually," she told him. "Falling asleep with you."
"It... did?" An odd feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach, a sort of tingling that he wasn't yet sure was a good thing.
"Yeah. You're warm," she said, with a little laugh. "It's nice."
"Oh." Andros let out a deep breath, smiling as he relaxed. "Yeah," he admitted, turning his head to kiss her cheek. "That--that felt nice."
She made a soft sound of agreement as she nuzzled closer to him, and Andros tensed before he could help it. When had he gone from hardly able to kiss her to letting her cuddle up against him? He didn't know and felt a sudden rush of vulnerability as he realized how far down his walls had come.
"Andros?" Ashley pulled away to frown at him, and he realized she'd felt him stiffen. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He let out a deep breath and smiled at her, twining the fingers of his left hand through hers. "Would you... want to take a walk with me or something?"
She beamed at him as she nodded, and he swallowed hard. His heart pounded furiously in his chest as he realized what he planned to do, but he couldn't bring himself not to. He had to tell her sometime and he might as well get it over with.
Except... No, he shouldn't do it this way. He should make it special for her somehow. Andros bit his lip nervously, knowing that he'd never have the nerve to be as romantic as she probably wanted him to be.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
He nodded his head slowly, taking her hand. "Where do you want to go?"
"Well... the park is really pretty at sunset," she said hopefully, and he felt himself smile for no reason at all.
"If that's where you want to go," he agreed, and took her other hand in his as they teleported down to Earth in a shimmery streak of reddish-gold light.
A/N: Well, at least it wasn't short this time... I figured I should update at least one story before I give real life some attention for a few days and enjoy spring break. (Yay, finally!) Hope you like, and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Please tell me what you think!
