Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are not mine.
Chapter 28
"You didn't have to bring me breakfast," Cassie protested. "I could have walked." Touched by the gesture, though, she gladly accepted the tray TJ offered her.
"You okay?"
"Hey, it was only a twisted ankle," she reminded him. "You know it heals--" She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Like that."
"You sure?"
Laughing, she shook her head. "I'm fine." She paused. "But thanks for asking," she added quietly, and he nodded.
"Really, how've you been?" He frowned at her. "You seemed pretty upset after he left."
"I was." She pushed her hair back with a sigh. "But I needed the time."
"Oh." TJ nodded towards her wrist. "What's the story with that thing?"
"In case I want to talk to him."
"Oh," he said again, and sighed. "Look, Cass. Can I say something?"
Whether she wanted him to or not, he would. Cassie nodded slowly, suspecting that she knew already everything he would say. She was mostly right.
"We've been friends since that day on the bus," he said, and she nodded. "I love you, and I don't want to see you get hurt. So--really, is he who you want?"
She was tempted just to say yes and be done with it, but she couldn't. "I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "I hardly know who he is."
"But you still like him."
"Yeah." Cassie fiddled with her communicator awkwardly, and blew out her breath in a quiet sigh. She wanted him to leave as much as she wanted him to stay; whenever he was around, everything she thought she wanted suddenly wasn't so certain anymore.
"Okay." He certainly didn't look happy as he said the word, but his smile was warm when he turned it on her a moment later. "Do what makes you happy, Cass."
"I will," she promised him. She'd do just that--as soon as she had any idea of what that was.
The warm water only brought him wide awake. Andros flexed his shoulders once, then twice, and turned off the shower, heaving a sigh as he grabbed for his towel. It had been months since his nightmares had faded, and he hated to think that they were returning. He was lucky, really, that he hadn't woken screaming and thrashing around.
He quickly dressed in a clean uniform, leaving the one he had slept in with his towel in a heap on the floor. His bare feel padded quietly on the floor as he crept back into his room with a silence that wasn't necessary; Ashley was sitting up in bed, her hair tangled but her eyes not at all sleepy.
"Morning," she greeted him with a quiet smile. "How's your head?"
"Everything's healed," he said, an answering smile on his lips. "I'm fine."
She scooted towards the wall and he sat beside her, a quick jerk of his head bringing his brush from his dresser into his hand. He turned his head to regard Ashley in surprise when she pulled it from his grasp, frowning when she grinned at him mischievously.
"What?"
"I want to ask you something," she said, and giggled softly.
Wary at her tone, he looked at her suspiciously. "What is it?"
She brushed damp hair out of his eyes, her lips lightly touching his as she smiled. "Why's your hair two different colors?"
Startled by her question, he laughed out loud. "Why isn't yours?" He grinned when Ashley wrinkled her nose at him, and shook his head. "It's been this way since I was born. I don't know if there's a reason for it."
"You've got beautiful hair," Ashley declared, reaching to toy with it. "I like it."
He was oddly pleased as he watched her twirl his hair around her finger. It wasn't as though he had any control over how he'd been born--but it still brought a smile to his face.
Andros rolled his eyes when she waved the brush at him. He sat still, though, and let her run it through his hair. She ended up on her knees behind him, brush forgotten as her hands rubbed his shoulders in a gentle massage, and he decided he had no reason to complain.
"You were up early," she remarked. "I thought you'd be sleeping in after I woke you up every half hour."
"Wasn't tired," he said. "That's all."
"You're tensing up," she accused him. "Something's bothering you."
He briefly contemplated lying, then decided he didn't have the energy. "Bad dreams," he muttered, drawing away from her. "That's all."
"Oh." She gave his shoulder a sympathetic rub, and he heard her sigh. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." He let out a deep breath, and turned to smile at her. "I'm fine."
Her fingers brushed his cheek in a soft caress, brushing hair out of his eyes. "I'm glad," she said softly, and leaned forward to kiss him.
His eyes closed as he let her kiss him, her hands on his shoulders as she slid closer. Andros wrapped his arms around her as slow, gentle kisses deepened, still tender but more passionate now. Her tongue nudged his lower lip and his mouth opened, one of his hands running up to press against the back of her neck.
Then her lips were trailing fire across his neck and he couldn't breathe, his head falling back as his heart started pounding furiously. Ashley nipped at skin and he swallowed hard, warm all over as she slowly made her way back to his mouth.
He drew away just an inch, his hands clenched tight on her shoulders. "Ash," he breathed.
"Hmm?" Her kiss was light, and he hesitated.
"Nothing," he murmured, and kissed her again. That was all they were doing, he reasoned with himself. They were just kissing...
Except that then they weren't, and he still didn't care. The pillow was soft beneath his head and Ashley was warmth on top of him, and all he could think to do was to keep holding her while she kissed him senseless. Her tongue slid around the inside of his mouth and he made some small sound in response, clutching her shoulders.
She shifted within his embrace, and one of her hands slid down. Andros closed his eyes as his skin tingled at her touch, his breath catching when he felt her fingers untuck his shirt. He swallowed and her touch brushed over his stomach, across his ribs, back up towards his chest.
Ashley slid back, her hands balled around handfuls of his shirt. He followed when she sat up, reaching to help her push his jacket past his shoulders. His shirt followed, forgotten as Ashley kissed his collarbone from his neck to his shoulder and back again.
His fingers itched to touch her, but he couldn't quite seem to make his arms obey. He could do nothing but just sit there with her in his lap and feel. His heart thudded furiously in his chest as her fingers wandered over his body, exploring.
She shifted, and her knee rubbed against him, hard. Andros groaned aloud, his head falling forward as he gasped for breath. He felt Ashley freeze and shook his head, his cheeks flaming as he forced himself to meet her eyes.
"Andros?" she murmured uncertainly. She brushed hair out of his eyes, and then she slid off of his lap with a sigh to sit beside him. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I shouldn't have..."
"It wasn't you," he muttered. His voice came out breathless and he passed a hand over his face, realizing suddenly how sweaty he was. Sweaty and panting for breath, and so totally out of control. Unnerved, he swallowed hard and shook his head. "I wasn't thinking."
"It's okay," she said quietly. She must have seen something in his expression; worry passed over her face as she laid her hand on his arm. "Andros?"
"I'm all right." Sighing, he closed his eyes. All the want he'd been feeling just a moment ago was gone now, leaving him more relieved than anything else. "If you hadn't stopped," he told her, resting his elbows on his knees, "I wouldn't have thought to."
Ashley studied her fingernails for a few moments, but she met his eyes steadily when she spoke. "I told you yesterday that I wasn't sure," she said slowly. "I told you I didn't know if I'd regret it."
He nodded, and she continued. "I wouldn't," she told him, staring straight into his eyes. "And I--I'm sure."
Andros lowered his eyes. "I'm not," he muttered. It didn't make any sense, not when she was what he wanted. But he knew that this too much. "Ash, I--I just can't."
"Okay," she said, and laid her hand on his. "That's okay." She squeezed his fingers gently, smiling at him when he raised his head. "Why not?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. I want to, but--" He closed his eyes with a sigh. "I'm scared," he admitted quietly. "And I don't know why."
"That's all right." Her thumb stroked the back of his hand, her other hand resting lightly on his knee. "I'm scared too," she offered, her fingers tightening on his. "Or nervous, I guess. It's--it's the good kind of scared."
Ashley paused, and sighed. "But it's not for you, is it."
"No," he said, staring steadily down at his knees. "It's not."
Ashley didn't say anything right away, rubbing his knee in silence for a few moments. "I don't want if if you don't," she said finally, and smiled a little at him. "Do you just need some time?"
"I don't know." He pushed his hair out of his face, and sighed. "It's been five months, Ash, but..."
"That's awfully fast when you've never had a relationship before," she said, and he nodded.
"Yeah," he murmured. "That's probably it."
"You've got all the time in the world," she promised him, and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "You're worth waiting for."
His lips quirked up into a tiny smile as he nodded. Andros turned his head and kissed her, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. "I love you," he whispered, and touched another soft kiss to her mouth.
"I know you do." She turned, her hair tickling his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder. "And Andros?" she added quietly, sliding her fingers through his. "You're gorgeous."
Andros lowered his eyes as his face flushed, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. He didn't see it, but in the end it only really mattered that she did. Her free hand lightly patted the back of his hand, soothing him as he finally relaxed completely.
He closed his eyes when she caressed his chest; it was a gesture of comfort this time, and a welcome one. Her finger traced an unpredictable pattern across his skin and he glanced down at himself, sighing quietly as he saw that it was his scars she ran her finger along.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, and quickly drew her hand away. "I wasn't thinking."
"I don't mind," he said softly. "That felt... nice."
"Then what was bothering you?" she wanted to know. "Andros?"
He shook his head, frowning as he lifted a hand to trace where her fingers had been a few moments before. Ashley touched his shoulder. "I'm not lying when I say gorgeous, you know," she said softly. "You are."
A small smile formed at her words. "I just hate that they're there sometimes," he muttered, and she nodded in understanding.
"Does it hurt?" she asked tentatively. "To remember where they came from, I mean."
She didn't press him when he didn't answer right away, and he sighed. "I don't remember how I got most of them," Andros said finally. "I can guess what made them, but I don't remember what I did."
"Do you ever wish that you did?"
"I remember the last few weeks before I escaped," he said. "That's more than enough."
Her arm wound around his shoulders, and he reached up to grasp her fingers. "Six years," he muttered, his eyes fixed on his lap. "I used to wonder if there was a reason I couldn't remember."
Ashley opened her mouth, hesitating before she spoke. Andros sighed. "Deca told me that I would remember when I was ready," he said. "It's been another six years, and I think I've only forgotten more."
She hugged him tight and he let her, returning the embrace just as fiercely. Eyes closed, Andros rested his head on her shoulder, sighing quietly into her neck as she caressed the scars on his back. "That feels nice..."
"It's supposed to." Ashley sounded pleased with herself, and he smiled when rubbed his shoulder gently. "Backrub?" she offered with a grin. "It'll help you relax."
"Uh, Andros?" Zhane studied the screen in front of him with a frown. "I think we have a problem."
"How important of a problem?" His friend's voice was breathless as it floated through the communicator, and Zhane raised an eyebrow.
"Well," he said, "you can't be wandering around Angel Grove if you're also doing whatever it is you're doing with Ashley."
A pause. "We'll be there in a minute."
He decided to cut them some slack when they were the first ones on the Bridge. Zhane allowed himself one instant to study them critically, and while Andros's ponytail appeared sloppier than it usually did, there was nothing else. Besides, they really did have more important worries.
"That." He pointed towards the viewing screen. "Any of them look familiar?"
"That's not..." Ashley stopped, shaking her head. "Of course it's possible," she muttered, and Andros's mouth quirked.
The hint of a smile was gone a split second later. "Who are they, and what do we do about them?"
"It is likely that they are fully functioning cyborgs," Deca informed them. "I first detected them when they teleported into Angel Grove from an unknown location, though I presume their point of origin to have been the Dark Fortress."
"Makes sense to me," Carlos agreed from the doorway. His stared grimly at the screen. "So do we fight them or what?"
"We confront them, yes," Andros decided. He caught Zhane's eye. "You stay here."
"But--"
"It could be a trap," Andros silenced his protest. "We might need some backup."
Reluctantly, he nodded. He was generally opposed to sending his friends off to battle without him, but he agreed that it was likely some sort of setup. And if it was, he'd like for them to have some sort of backup plan.
Alone on the Bridge, he settled himself comfortably in the center seat. "Hey, how come Andros gets the fluffy chair?" he complained, feet on the consoles as he stretched out. "It's not fair, Deca."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He looked at her suspiciously. The red light only blinked at him, and he sighed. His feet back on the floor, Zhane turned his attention to the viewscreen again. His friends were in the picture now and he leaned forward to pay closer attention, wondering idly how he was supposed to tell them all apart.
He winced when one Andros was suddenly sprawled out on the ground. Zhane supposed it was too much to hope for that that one wasn't the real Red Ranger, and reached for his morpher automatically.
"Zhane," Deca said. "Wait a few minutes."
"And just watch them get beaten up?" he demanded, as he watched battle erupt. "They aren't winning!"
"No," she agreed. "They are not."
"Then why am I still here?"
"Because," she said smugly, "I had not yet finished upgrading your Silver Cycle."
"Oh." He paused, then grinned up at her sheepishly. "Well, in that case..."
"Your lasers are twice as powerful now," she informed him. "I believe you will find them useful."
So did he. Zhane reached for his Digimorpher. "Let's rocket!" The adrenaline rush of morphing had hardly faded when Deca teleported him out without his asking, and he found himself in Angel Grove a split second later.
His bike on autopilot, he let her guide him to the battle. Or what was left of it. There wasn't a sign of the copycat Rangers when he arrived; all he found was his teammates beaten to a pulp. Andros's morph faded as Zhane approached, pain on his face as he tried to push himself up.
"What happened?" he demanded, slipping an arm beneath Andros's shoulders.
"We've never been up against anything that strong before." Andros groaned softly as Zhane helped him to his feet, but he shook his head. "I'm fine; help them."
"My head," Carlos muttered, hands pressed to his temples. "Man. What were they?"
Ashley shook her head, one arm around Cassie. Zhane wasn't sure who was supporting who. "You guys, what do we do?"
"We'll think of something," TJ said, with a confidence Zhane doubted he truly felt right now. "Somehow."
Andros only shook his head. "Let's get back to the ship."
Author's Note: Finally got this one done. This will be the last update until sometime in August; I'll be leaving early Saturday morning for a week-long vacation. Between this next Saturday and the one after that, expect no updates, reviews from me, etc. I will try to update StL before I go, but no promises.
Anywhoo, I think I'm about three-fifths of the way through this mess. I think that's good news... Please review. :)
