Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 23
"Ash?" Andros's voice was soft in her ear as he stroked her hair with one hand, slowly and gently. "Are you still awake?"
"Mmm... yeah." She forced her eyes open, hit by a wave of drowsiness as she lifted her head up off of his shoulder. "Sorry about that..."
"I don't mind." He caught her eye and smiled, catching her hand in his. "But you wanted to see the sunset."
She smiled at him as she stretched, her back arching before she pillowed her head on his shoulder another time. It was late autumn now and chilly, even moreso because they sat in the shade of a tree. Andros draped his arm loosely over her shoulders, warming her as he hugged her to his side.
"Look at all the colors," she murmured, her eyes sweeping the horizon. From deep pink to brilliant orange, the sky all around them was splashed in warm colors that she could just stare at forever.
"It's beautiful," Andros agreed, but he might just have been saying that. She decided that he probably wasn't when he sighed softly and added, "It reminds me of home."
"Really?" She tilted her head back to look at him, pleased to see the hint of a smile on his face.
"Yeah." He closed his eyes for a second, letting out another deep breath. "There was more orange and sometimes there was purple... but this is close enough."
"We have purple here too," she murmured, her eyes sliding shut as she savored the warmth and quiet that wrapped around her. "Sometimes... Mostly orange and pink."
She smiled to herself suddenly, squeezing his fingers hard. "Look at all the the orange," she said with a soft giggle, craning her head back to look at the sky.
Andros did the same, a frown of confusion on his face. "I don't understand."
"Silly," she said, gently poking his shoulder. "Red and yellow make orange."
His frown deepened, a startled look crossing his face. "They do?"
"You... didn't know that?" She stared at him blankly, unable to comprehend how he wouldn't know something so simple.
"No..." He cocked his head at her, shrugging his shoulders once. "Should I have?"
"I--I guess not," she said slowly, oddly bothered. "It's just that colors is one of the first things I remember learning in preschool."
"Oh." He paused for a moment, looking like he didn't quite know what to say. "Preschool?"
"It's like... school before school, I guess," she explained, trailing her fingers through the grass. "We go there when we're like three or four, and then there's kindergarten and then in first grade we start learning to read and write and do math."
"Oh." Andros nodded in understanding. "We start school when we're four," he told her. "From the first day, we learned reading, writing, and mathematics. Science and history were added the next year."
"Wow..." It made her head hurt just to imagine all that. "So you're all born smart?"
"No."
"But you're learning all that when you're four."
"Yes.""So you're all born smart."
"No," he repeated, faintly amused. "We only have different standards than your world."
"Obviously." Ashley picked at the grass, sliding the blade back and forth between her fingers. "It doesn't sound like you had much time to just be a kid."
"I wouldn't know," he said quietly. "I can't remember before so well, and after..."
"Oh." She frowned, laying her hand on his elbow. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." He smiled slightly and stretched his shoulders before leaning back against the rough bark of the tree trunk. "You know that we graduate when we're fifteen, sometimes sixteen?"
"Zhane told me."
"I was twelve when I came back to KO-35," he reminded her, "and I'd been gone for six years. You can imagine how far behind the rest of my class I was."
She nodded slowly, wondering at the expression on his face. "How hard was it for you to catch up?"
He looked down, and she could tell he was biting back a smile. "I graduated early."
"How early?" she demanded suspiciously. "How old were you?"
"Half a year," he said with a shrug, and her mouth dropped open as he added, "I was almost fifteen."
"So... fourteen?"
"Yes." He smiled smugly while she gaped at him in astonishment, straightening out one of his legs. "To be fair, though, I wouldn't have passed if there had been a history exam. Literature, science, and math were mandatory, and I had a choice of two between political science, language, and modern intergalactic history. I chose the other two.""I don't think I even knew what political science was when I was fourteen," Ashley muttered, shaking her head. "That's... amazing that you could do that."
"It came naturally to me," he said, brushing off her amazement with a frown. "I don't see it as anything spectacular.""Of course you wouldn't," she murmured, trying not to smile too widely. "But it is."
"It kept me from having to interact with other people," he said softly, staring off into the distance. "It was practically all I did for two years, even more than training. Deca was my private tutor, I didn't go to school with Zhane. While I was studying, I should have been paying closer attention to the fact that the Karovan Rangers were falling apart."
"That doesn't make you any less incredible," she told him, her smile fading slowly when he looked away.
"To me it does," he said, his voice still quiet.
Ashley sighed, then hugged him hard. "You're not going to let me convince you that you're a genius, are you?"
"Because I'm not."
"I don't care." She buried her face into his shoulder, eyes closed as she breathed in the warm smell of his skin. Ashley wasn't quite sure how he smelled warm, exactly, but it was the first thing that came to mind and it made her feel safe. "I like you anyway."
He touched her hair, gathering it into a ponytail before he released it all and let it spill over her shoulders again. She smiled when he kissed the top of her head, hugging him a little closer. It felt so nice to hold onto him, she thought with a quiet sigh, resting her cheek comfortably on his shoulder. He was soft but hard beneath it; she could feel his strength as he wrapped an arm around her.
Ashley opened her mouth, closing it slowly. She wouldn't say anything now that would ruin this moment, and so she squeezed him a little closer and shut her eyes, content just to sit there with him for awhile longer.
Andros let out a deep breath as Ashley led him through the park back towards the streets, her hand clasped in his. He wasn't quite sure how long exactly they had sat there in the grass, but the sunset had faded into twilight and darkness was rapidly approaching now. The chilly air made him shiver, and he wondered idly how Ashley could wear a tank top and not be cold.
"So..." She broke the silence hesitantly, giving his hand a squeeze. "Want to get something to eat?"
He let out a sigh, glancing down at the sidewalk before he looked over at her. He didn't really, not when he'd finally regained some measure of peace. He knew it would be gone the instant he was dragged into a room crowded with people.
"If you want to."
"We can go somewhere quiet." She smiled at him knowingly and dropped his hand in order to wrap her arm around his waist. "It'll be fun, I promise."
He felt his lips twitch into a smile before he could help himself, nodding. "Okay."
"This way," she said, her arm still around him as she headed for downtown. "This place has the best food, but it's always empty."
He let out a soft breath of relief, relaxing some. Empty was good. Andros doubted he'd ever feel completely at ease anywhere but the safety of the Megaship, but he couldn't very well spend his every moment there. As long as he didn't panic in crowds, though, he saw no point in forcing himself to be around them.
"You're quiet again," Ashley noticed, tilting her head against his shoulder for an instant. "Are you okay?"
"Just thinking," he murmured. "I'm fine."
"Are you?"
"Yeah," he said. "I am."
"Okay." She hugged him a little closer as they walked, her head on his shoulder again.
He felt a rush of relief that she didn't ask what he was thinking about; not because he didn't want to tell her, exactly, but because he preferred just walking down the street with her silently. The arm she had around him was more of a comfort than any words she could have spoken.
They strolled past the Chinese restaurant where they had gone their first date, and Andros felt himself blush at the memory. Ashley giggled softly when she caught the look on his face, squeezing him hard.
"We could go there again," she suggested, tilting her head on his shoulder. "I'll teach you how to use chopsticks."
"Maybe next time," he muttered, as they cut across the alley that cut their walk in half.
Ashley only hugged him harder. "You're cute," she informed him.
He felt his lips twitching into a reluctant smile and closed his eyes, for an instant aware of only her and the way she made him feel like anything he did was okay. The moment was shattered when someone landed on his back, and he snapped back to the here and now with an unpleasant rush of adrenaline as his survival instincts kicked in.
"Andros!" Ashley shouted his name in alarm as he stumbled forward and nearly fell, her arm still halfway around him.
"Darkonda said I'd find you here."
His ears were suddenly ringing loudly, his heart thudding furiously. Andros squeezed his eyes shut in horror even as his training kicked in and he pitched his attacker forward off of his body with Ashley's help, straightening up to stand side by side with her.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want?"
"The first is unimportant. As for the second..." The alien climbed to his feet slowly, blank eyes meeting Andros's. "You must know there is a price on your head, Red Ranger. A small fortune, you might call it."
"I see," Andros said calmly, his body taut with controlled fury. "It's a shame you'll never collect it, then--but what made you think Darkonda would pay up in the first place?"
"He always has before." Grotesque orange lips curled into a sneer. "Your luck won't last you forever, Red Ranger. As long as you live, you'll never be free."
"I'll take my chances," Andros muttered.
He slid back defensively as the alien drew his sword, in the same motion raising his fists to fight. Ashley sprang forward past him then and he almost jumped; he'd nearly forgotten for a moment that she was there. She kicked their attacker across the chest and Andros followed her move with one of his own, this time carefully keeping himself from fighting recklessly. He wouldn't have them captured again because of his own stupidity.
He flipped open his morpher and out of the corner of his eye saw Ashley do the same. His morph formed around him, a comforting sensation in its familiarity. The Power helped him to clear his head and focus on the fight at hand, blocking for now the heaviness in the pit of his stomach.
No sooner had he summoned his Spiral Saber than the alien vanished without a word. Andros lowered his weapon cautiously, his eyes scanning the area before he allowed himself to breathe.
"Andros?" Ashley turned towards him, laying one of her hands on his arm. "What was that about?"
He didn't answer, his shoulders slumping as he willed away his saber. "Let's get back to the ship," he said brusquely, and teleported away without waiting for her to follow.
She caught up with him before he could vanish into his room, her hand grabbing his halfway up the corridor. Andros jerked away from her but he did stop walking, though he wouldn't look at her.
"Andros," she started.
He cut her off with an angry shake of his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"But--"
"No," he said harshly. "Leave me alone."
She hesitated, torn between doing as he asked and insisting that he explain to her who had attacked them and why. "I... is that what you want?" she asked softly. "Me to leave you alone?""Yes." He answered instantly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Please."
"All right, then," she agreed, biting down on her lip as she watched him walk away.
He turned into his room without giving her a backwards glance, and she stared after him for some time. Her eyes burned with suppressed tears when she finally locked herself in her own room, rolling into her bunk with a heavy heart.
Andros wasn't angry with her. She was mostly certain that he wasn't. He was only upset with what had happened earlier, and she hadn't helped any by pushing him. He'll talk to you when he's ready to.
Ashley opened her eyes with a soft sigh. Hadn't she told him that she'd back off when he told her to? That she didn't expect more than he was willing to give? It had been easy to say when he had been willing to share with her. Now that he wasn't... she couldn't help but feel stung that he wouldn't talk to her.She turned over onto her side and hugged her old stuffed bear to her chest, chewing absently on her bottom lip. She knew that it wasn't her right to know anything Andros didn't want her to, no matter how curious she was. That didn't make her any less hurt that he didn't want to talk to her, but if she'd been through even the little that she knew of his past, Ashley had a suspicion that she wouldn't be too keen on sharing, either.
There was nothing she could do about it but wait until he was ready to talk, she told herself firmly and climbed out of bed. A long, hot shower did wonders towards making her feel better, but it still gnawed at her as she pulled on her pajamas and slid back into bed.
Her head lifted hopefully when there was a soft knock at her door. "Who's there?"
"Me," Andros's soft voice called back to her. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," she said, loudly enough that he would hear her on the other side of the door.
She sat up as the door slid open, blinking as the light from the hall spilled into her room. Ashley leaned over to flick on her bedside lamp, surprised to see Andros in his warm-up suit.
"Do you sleep in that?"
He shot her a startled look. "No."
"Oh." Ashley looked down as she felt herself blush, fiddling with her hands. "That was a stupid question... sorry."
"I..." Andros looked up at the ceiling, then down at the floor, his eyes flickering from side to side before he looked at her. "I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier."
"You didn't really," she said softly, trying hard to smile at him. "I should have left you alone when you said you didn't want to talk."
He didn't answer right away, his eyes dropping down again. "I've never... talked about it much with anyone that I didn't have to."
"Do you want to?"
"Not really."
"I won't ask, then," Ashley said quietly. He looked so relieved that she didn't feel half as badly as she had before about promising not to press him, a tiny smile forming on her lips. "But can I know one thing?"
His look turned wary. "What?"
"Why were we attacked tonight?"
"We weren't," he muttered. "I was. It's... complicated."
He didn't want to talk about it. Ashley tried not to sigh as she nodded, patting the bed beside her. "Sit down for awhile?"Andros hesitated. "I don't want to talk about this."
"We don't have to," she promised, just the tiniest bit reluctant. "We don't have to talk about anything."
Somewhat to her surprise, he relented and sat himself on the edge of her mattress, his body turned to face her. "Ashley..." He seemed to change his mind as he let his voice trail off, instead looking down at his hands.
"Thank you," he said softly. "For fighting with me tonight."
"I hardly did anything," she protested.
He shook his head, the hint of a smile on his face. "It was enough."
She smiled back and extended a hand towards him, freezing cold when he recoiled. "Sorry," she whispered, slowly drawing her hand back. "I didn't mean to--"
"I know." He reached out and squeezed her fingers hard, his smile forced. "I'm just... a little jumpy."
"It's all right." Ashley held onto his hand a moment longer, not sure quite what to say. "Are you all right?"
"Yes." He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "I will be."
"You sure?" she couldn't help asking, not missing the flatness of his tone.
"I'm just remembering... it'll fade," he muttered. "I don't want to talk about it."
That was the third time he'd said that in five minutes, she realized guiltily. He didn't want to talk about it, and she wasn't getting it.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, glancing away. "We can talk about something else."
"I think that would be a good idea." Andros nodded slowly, his arms hugged to his chest. "I..."
When his voice trailed off, she knew that he had no more idea what to say next than she did. Ashley stared down at her lap uncertainly, raising her head again when Andros stood.
"You're going to bed?" she asked, disappointed and relieved all at once.
"I'll be right back," he promised her. "I just remembered something."
"All right..." She smiled at him as he left her room, leaning back against her pillow with a sigh.
True to his word, Andros reappeared only minutes later, something in his hand. He sat closer to her this time, hesitating as he met her eye.
"I... got this awhile ago," he told her nervously. "I forgot I had it after Karone... but here."
Her eyes widened when he reached out and took her hand, gently dropping the bracelet into her open palm. It looked vaguely familiar; pearls and topaz on a silver band, but she couldn't quite remember where she'd seen it before.
"I--I hope you like it," Andros said softly. "I couldn't remember if this was the one that you were looking at, but it--it made me think of you."
It clicked then, and she remembered staring at this bracelet through the store window as she and Andros had wandered through Angel Grove after that date at the Chinese restaurant. She'd meant to go back and buy it for herself later, but she hadn't gotten around to it and then she had forgotten... Smiling to herself, Ashley closed her fist around the bracelet and leaned forward to hug him.
"I love it," she said softly, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Andros."
"You really like it?" he said hopefully, and she had to smile.
"Of course I do." She giggled suddenly and hugged him harder, her chin resting on his shoulder. "It's orange."
"Yeah." He laughed quietly, pulling away to smile at her. "It is."
Ashley tried hard not to grin. She failed miserably, but didn't much care--he was laughing again and smiling, and she knew somehow that he would be okay.
"You're cute," she murmured, with one hand reaching out to push his hair away from his face. "And you're so sweet... I don't think I've ever liked anyone as much as I like you."
She managed not to giggle again when he blushed and looked away, his lips twitching as he suppressed a smile. Carefully setting the bracelet down next to her lamp, she leaned over to kiss him quickly.
"Do you mean that?" he asked suddenly, and it took her a minute to remember what she'd just said.
"Of course I did." She squeezed his hands between her own, not understanding the troubled look creeping across his face. "Andros? What's wrong?"
"I..." he muttered, staring down at their clasped hands. "I can't do this."
"What?" She stared at him uncertainly, not quite sure what was happening. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't know why I trust you." He wouldn't look at her, his hands still gripping hers. "I just do and I believe that you don't tell me things that you don't mean, but I--if I show you and you change your mind, I..."
"Hey." She waited, hoping he would look at her. He didn't, but she continued anyway. "Whatever it is, you mean too much to me. I won't just walk away from you without a reason."
"I could give you reasons," he muttered under his breath, and sighed. "Ash... if you ever tell anyone, you put my life in danger."
That did not sound promising. Ashley tried to ignore the knots in her stomach and reassure him somehow, but she didn't have the faintest clue of what to say.
"I'd never do anything to hurt you," she finally managed to tell him, and felt his fingers tighten on hers. "But you don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to."
"I do have to." He loosened his grip on her hands, his thumb gently stroking her fingers. "We can't go any farther if I don't."
"All right." Ashley wasn't sure what it was he was talking about, but she couldn't bear to see that uncertainty and doubt on his face a moment longer. And hadn't she wanted to know? she demanded of herself. She was getting what she wanted.
Trying hard to smile at him reassuringly, Ashley gave his hands another squeeze. "Show me."
A/N: Yay! I've been nominated! Corporal Scarlett is running the It's a Ranger Thing Awards (link is in my profile page) and All I Am is nominated for Best PRiS Story. Voting is now open, and there's some awesome stories over there. Go check it out! As always, any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated. Thanks for reading!
