Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers.

Chapter 14

She lay motionlessly where she had fallen, her morph gone and her face shielded by her hair. He didn't need to see her face to know that her eyes were closed. Against his will, his legs carried him forward, his sword arm raised and poised to come crashing down on her...

"NO!" Andros screamed out and bolted upright in bed. "Ash," he whispered, the lingering images of the nightmare plaguing him. "Ash."

"I'm right here," her voice soothed. He jumped, not able to see her in the darkness that was his room. "It's only a nightmare."

It wasn't. Andros saw the scene in the park unfolding before his eyes, felt himself reaching to kill her, and he knew it had all been very real.

"Andros?" Ashley's voice was soft as she laid a hand on his arm. "Hey, talk to me."

"Why are you here?" Andros couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Because I want to be," Ashley answered immediately, as though it were obvious. "I'll go if you want me to."

"No," he said quickly. That was the last thing he wanted. "I--I just thought that you'd want to stay as far away from me as possible after I almost... killed you," he finished uneasily, feeling compelled to add, "I'll understand if you do."

"Andros," Ashley sighed, feeling for his hand. "That wasn't you and I don't care how guilty you feel, you're not going to convince me otherwise."

"Ash--"

"Not going to work," Ashley said almost cheerfully, and he felt the bed dip as she settled herself next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"I think I'm okay." He hesitated briefly before venturing, "Everyone else?"

"We're all okay now," she assured him. "But Zhane was in pretty bad shape when Cassie and Karone brought him in, and they weren't doing so well, either. Same goes for TJ and Carlos."

Andros let that sink in for a few moments. With an effort, he unclenched his fists and let out a deep breath. "But we're all still alive?"

Ashley's giggle caught him by surprise. "I knew you could be optimistic. And yeah," she continued more seriously, "we are. But this isn't working."

"I know." Andros sighed, frowning. "Ash, what happened after I... What stopped me?"

"You don't remember?" she asked, and he shook his head before he realized that she couldn't see him.

"It's all running together," he said, frustrated by his inability to separate nightmare from reality. "Lyra was there." He knew that was important somehow.

"Yeah." Ashley's voice was troubled. "She did something to you--I think it was her magic--and then you just collapsed."

Andros nodded slowly. That made sense, given the little he remembered before passing out. The only thing that didn't make sense was why Lyra would help him. Killing Ashley would have destroyed him and the team would have fallen apart. Why would Lyra want to stop that?

Ashley squeezed his arm gently. "But there don't seem to be any negative effects from either whatever Lyra did or the Power," she said softly. "You'll be fine."

Physically, maybe, and he knew that's what Ashley had meant. Emotionally, on the other hand... He'd only been awake a few minutes and already that scene was replaying itself time and time again.

Ashley slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him hard. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this," she whispered fiercely. "It wasn't your fault."

"But--"

"Shut up," she snapped, and then kissed him. "Not your fault," she murmured against his lips. "Understood?"

"Yes," he muttered, and she kissed him again. Her mouth lingered against his this time, her breath warm on his skin. Andros relaxed slightly. "I understand."

"Good." Ashley kissed him a third time, and his arms slid around her now, holding her tight. "I love you, Andros. Always."

"Always," he echoed, and buried his face into her hair. "Please don't leave?" Andros didn't even care how desperate he sounded. He needed her there to convince himself that she was still alive.

"Wasn't going to," she whispered back. "But scoot over. I'm not sleeping on the floor."

Andros moved closer to the wall and she slid under the covers. He wasn't much larger than she was, and Ashley had to wiggle around a bit before she was comfortable, but finally she had her head tucked against his shoulder. Her arms ended up pressing against his chest, but Andros couldn't say that he minded.

"Feel better?" she murmured, a yawn stifling her words.

"Yeah," he admitted, hugging her close. "Thanks."

Ashley giggled. "You're welcome."

Andros smiled faintly, everything seeming all right just because she was there with him. "Good night, Ash."

She snuggled a little closer. "Night."

---

"I don't know why I did," Lyra said crossly. She propped up the pillows on the bed and then threw herself down across the mattress lengthwise. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"And that's what worries Ecliptor and the others," Cosmos tried to soothe her. "You're not impulsive. You think and you plan before you act."

"There wasn't time to think," she retorted. "Another few seconds and the Power probably wouldn't have let go at all."

"That's what I'm saying." Cosmos paused. "If you'd had the time to think about it, would you have done the same?"

"Yes," she answered slowly. "I think I would have."

"But why?"

"Well, if he kills her, that means I can't." Lyra laughed softly to herself and then added seriously, "And no one should have to kill their bondmate."

"What?" Cosmos glanced up, momentarily distracted.

Lyra nodded slowly. "They're bondmates."

"And do they know that?"

"It wouldn't surprise me if they never figured it out." Lyra rolled her eyes. "She's Terran and he's Andros."

"You're underestimating him," Cosmos warned. "Even he can't not notice that."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Lyra paused thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "So, how should we kill her?"

"What?" Cosmos looked at her in surprise. "I thought you just said that--"

"That no one should kill their bondmate," Lyra repeated. "Not that she shouldn't die."

"Then we kill him, too," Cosmos said firmly. "If you're right about this, he won't last long without her, anyway."

"Agreed." Lyra stretched her arms above her head before rolling over, craning her neck backwards to still see him as he leaned back against the wall. "You take her and I'll take him? Or would you rather kill him yourself?"

He hesitated. She watched him mull it over, his face thoughtful but otherwise expression. "You do it," he said finally. "I don't want to."

Lyra refrained from reminding him that he had killed both his parents without mercy. "Okay, then," she agreed. "I will."

---

Something was tickling his nose. Andros moaned softly and rolled over trying to escape completely back into the warmth of sleep. A loud yowl of annoyance disrupted his sleep completely and he jerked the rest of the way awake, bolting straight up in bed.

"You," he sighed, relaxing as he spotted Oddball curling up right where he had been laying a moment before, his fur a dark pool of gray against the light gray sheets.

His eyes strayed from Oddball to Ashley, still asleep and undisturbed. Andros touched her hair gently, resisting the temptation to do more than that. He didn't want her to wake up, knowing that he would have to face her then. Slowly, he untangled the sheet from his legs and climbed carefully over Ashley.

He pulled on his boots and jacket silently, practically tiptoeing out of the room. Andros wasn't sure what time it was, but it was early and the halls were empty still. The Simudeck doors slid open silently and he entered, not quite sure why he was there when he wasn't going to even try to morph.

"Deca, start the program," he ordered anyway, not caring that he wasn't really dressed for a workout. He'd fought under worse conditions after all, and he really needed the focus training demanded of him.

Except he couldn't focus. Each time that he found himself slipping into the familiar routines, something would inevitably jerk him out of concentration and he would miss a block or an attack. Andros grit his teeth and finished the sim through sheer determination, coming out of it far worse for the wear than he was used to.

Frustrated and annoyed and not about to take on the next level of training, Andros flopped back against the wall and slid slowly to the ground. He knew what was happening to him--after yesterday, he would have been surprised to find that he actually could focus. The total helplessness that had descended on him had been terrifying, being able only to watch as he moved to kill Ashley...

Andros shook his head hard in an effort to banish the thoughts. He couldn't let that fear take him over. He would have to fight it. And somehow, he had to keep fighting as a ranger as well. Andros had no idea how he would do this, deciding it was probably safe to assume that the other rangers wouldn't want him risking their lives, not to mention that he wouldn't dare do anything to put them in danger--but he could not and would not give up.

"Restart this level," he requested, climbing to his feet again. He didn't need a morpher.

Deca complied wordlessly, the Simudeck encasing itself in green gridlines before the Craterites appeared. Andros fell into a defensive stance and held it for a moment, then he attacked. His focus wasn't much better than it had been the first time around, but the familiarity of the routine made up for his lack of concentration--somewhat. By the times his arms had darkened with bruises, Andros knew it was time to stop.

Ashley was gone from his room when he returned, though Oddball was sound asleep on his pillow. Andros rolled his eyes and headed into the bathroom to shower, deciding that it was a good thing Ashley had left. While he had been unspeakably grateful for her presence the night before, he wasn't ready to face her just yet.

Whether she blamed him or not, it didn't change what had happened. He had nearly killed her, and Andros knew he wouldn't be able to look her in the eye the next time he saw her. It also wasn't something he was forgiving himself for either easily or soon.

Andros had just stepped out of the shower when the speaker mounted on the bathroom wall clicked on. "Andros, you are needed on the bridge."

"I'll be right there." Andros sighed and quickly dried off. He couldn't say that he was surprised; Ashley must have filled in the rest of the team about what had happened and of course they would want to talk to him.

What was surprising was that no one seemed to notice when he stepped onto the bridge. Ashley was nowhere to be seen, but the other five rangers were scattered across the bridge, all scanning for something so far as he could tell.

Andros waited a few moments, then spoke. "You wanted to see me?"

"Andros!" Cassie was the first to react. "When was the last time you saw Ashley?"

Maybe it was the worry that shone clearly in Cassie's dark eyes, but Andros did not want to know why she was asking that question. "I saw her this morning," he finally said. "Maybe an hour ago. Why?"

Cassie's voice was grim as she informed him, "Because she's gone."

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Tal for submitting review 200. Thank you everyone for reading. You're the greatest. :)