Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.
JasonLeeScottFan: I thought about having him lay down in the same bunk but I thought that might be moving a little fast. Although in the next couple of chapters things do speed up.
Ch. 25 Birthday Surprise
Two months passed quickly for the rangers and they grew closer and closer as a team. Today was Ashley's birthday and Andros was still struggling to find the perfect present. Karone and Zhane had tried to help but Andros had refused saying that he needed to do this himself. Brytan had drawn Ashley a picture of her, Andros, and him with "Happy Birthday" written across the top. Brytan had been so proud when he had managed, with Karone's help, to write the message that he had immediately shown it to everyone except Ashley.
"How 'bout this Daddy?" Brytan asked, as they searched the room for the millionth time for a present. Andros looked at the box his son was holding as smiled. He had originally gotten the present for his mother but it was perfect for Ashley.
"That's prefer, Bry!" he exclaimed. His excitement died down when he remembered that Karone had helped him pick out the present and he felt the need to make sure it was okay with her before he gave it to Ashley. "Hey, would you go get Aunt Karone to come here for a minute?" Brytan nodded and hurried off to find his aunt.
"You wanted to see me?" Karone asked as she walked into the room. "Still need help with that perfect present?"
"Actually," Andros began, "I found that absolute most perfect present but I need you to tell me you're okay with me giving it to Ashley."
"Why would it matter what I think?" she questioned. Andros handed the box to her and she gasped when she saw what it was. "This is the necklace you were going to give mom." Andros nodded and Karone saw the turmoil of emotions in his eyes. "I think you should give it to her."
"Are you sure?" he whispered and she nodded.
"Just tell her how important it is to you," Karone suggested. "It will mean more to her if she knows how much it means to you." Andros nodded and headed to the bathroom to get ready.
"Daddy?" Brytan questioned an hour later. "You sure I look nice?" Andros couldn't help but smile as he looked at his son in the mirror. He had demanded to put on his nicest clothes for Ashley's party and to have his hair pulled back in a ponytail, just like his Daddy's.
"Yes, Brytan," Andros answered. "You look very nice. I think Ashley will be very happy when she sees you." He looked at the digital clock T.J. had given him and saw that it was almost time to go. "Are you ready? Got your present?" Brytan nodded and held up the drawing in his hand. "Alright, let's go."
When they arrived at the park they saw that the decorations had all been hung and everything was ready, they were just waiting for the birthday girl, who had been kidnapped by Cassie to keep her from snooping around for presents.
It wasn't long before they saw Cassie approaching and heard Ashley complaining, "Come on, Cassie, I just want to go back to the ship. Why are we in the park any…" She trailed off as she saw them all standing there and then she ran over. "A surprise party? This is the best birthday ever." Her eyes were immediately drawn to the two most nervous looking people there. "Why are you two so nervous?" she asked Andros and Brytan. Andros shrugged but Brytan blushed and pulled out her present. "Is that for me?" He nodded and handed it to her before running to hide behind his father.
"You don't like it?" He questioned when he saw her crying.
"No," she answered quickly, "I love it. I think this will be my favorite present ever." She smiled when Brytan began rubbing in the fact that his gift was the best. "Hey!" she yelled when she noticed Carlos trying to get an early start on the cake. "I haven't even made my wish yet." They all gathered around the cake, except for Andros, who wondered off to another table. Ashley just shook her head, deciding she would handle that problem after she had made her wish.
"What'd you wish for?" T.J. questioned as he attempted to steal some icing from the cake.
She smacked his hand and replied, "You know I can't tell you. If I do it won't come true."
"I bet I can guess," Cassie whispered in her ear, her gaze fixed on Andros. Ashley just rolled her eyes and stole a piece of cake to take to Andros.
"Cake?" she offered when she had made it to him.
"Thanks," he stated. "Listen, I have been searching for a present for the past three weeks and…"
"Hey," she interrupted, "you didn't have to get me anything. I'm just happy you and Brytan are here."
"Actually," he began, "I finally found you a present about an hour before we came here." He pulled out the box and handed it to her. "Happy Birthday, Ashley." He heard her gasp as she pulled the necklace from the box. "It was suppose to be a present for my mom but I think it suits you better."
"Thank you," she whispered. "Will you help me put it on?" He nodded and took the necklace from her. He fastened it and was surprised when she hugged him. "This is my favorite present, but don't you dare tell your son that." She grabbed his hand and drug him back over to the group.
Thirty minutes later after everyone had left Ashley was walking with Cassie and explaining, "Sometimes I think he might like me but then he'll go back to where he doesn't want anything to do with me."
"Don't worry," Cassie told her but she didn't notice that her best friend had fallen behind and she also didn't see Ashley being grabbed by Quantrons and drug into the bushed. "I'm sure that he'll come around." It was then that she noticed that Ashley was no longer beside her. "Ashley?"
"Sorry," 'Ashley' stated, catching Cassie's arm before she could turn all the way around, "my shoe was untied." Dahana smiled inwardly when Cassie nodded and they continued walking. It wasn't long before she had captured her first ranger.
Meanwhile, on the Dark Fortress, Ashley was being guarded by a monster, who had introduced himself as Body Switcher. He was busy trying to impress her by changing himself into every evil being he could think of and Ashley was trying to figure out a way to escape.
Suddenly, an idea hit her and she said, "That wasn't so impressive. You know what would really impress me? If you could turn me into Dahana." The Body Switcher, without thinking the challenge through, immediately changed Ashley into Dahana.
"Dahana?" Elgar asked, coming into the room. "What are you doing chained up?"
"Elgar!" she yelled. "Get me down from here and chain him up!"
"Right away, boss," he replied, releasing her and grabbing Body Switcher. He noticed 'Dahana' run out of the room but just figured she had some important things to do.
"You idiot!" Body Switcher screamed. "That was the Yellow Ranger!" Both he and Elgar rushed to try to stop Ashley from leaving.
On the Megaship, Brytan saw 'Ashley' coming out of one of the empty rooms and asked, "What you doing?"
"None of your business, brat," she hissed at him. Brytan started crying and rushed back down the hall. "Great, now the brat's going to ruin my disguise unless…" Using her magic, she made the alarms on the Megaship go off.
She ran to the Bridge just as Brytan told Andros, "That not Ashley."
"Sorry," she apologized through gritted teeth, "he just frightened me. Now, let's go take on whatever monster is waiting on us."
"But DECA's sensors aren't picking anything up," he explained. "Plus, I can't find any of the others."
"Maybe the sensors are down," she argued. "We don't have time to wait." Andros had to agree and they rushed to the jumptubes.
"I don't see anything," Andros stated when they landed, not knowing that he had an Astroblaster aimed at him.
"Andros! Watch out!" 'Dahana' yelled. He turned just in time to dodge the blast fired at him.
"Ashley?" he questioned, beginning to think his son was right. "What's going on?"
"It's just another of her tricks," she argued weakly. "Don't fall for it."
"She's lying and I can prove it," 'Dahana' began. "If you're Ashley what did Andros get you for your birthday?"
"Ashley?" Andros asked as he watched the Yellow Ranger struggling to come up with an answer.
"I'm tired of this," she stated and attacked 'Dahana'. Soon a stray blast caused the fake Ashley to turn back into Dahana. He saw the Yellow Astromorpher and lunged for it. When he stood he stood he found himself surrounded be his friends.
'How?' he asked his sister.
'Alpha found us,' she replied. 'What's this?'
"One of those two is Ashley," he explained out loud. "We just have to figure out a way to know who's who." He thought for a moment and yelled, "Ashley, let's rocket!" He watched as one of the Dahana's looked on confused and the other went into their morphing stance. "That's Ashley." She rejoined her team and they began fighting Body Switcher.
When they returned to the Megaship everyone was walking on egg shells as they watched Ashley remove her helmet. Andros was silently praying that she was back to normal.
"Ashley," Cassie sighed, "you're you again."
"What?" she questioned, feeling her face. "Oh, I'm me again." She couldn't help the smile that came across her face. It faded when she noticed that Andros had disappeared when he had seen she was okay and that Brytan hadn't been here to greet them. "Well, this has officially been the weirdest day of my life. I think I'm going to go rest for a little while." The others nodded, although she suspected they all knew exactly where she was going.
"But she mean," she heard Brytan whisper as she got close to Andros' room.
"That wasn't the real Ashley, Bry," Andros tried to explain. "It was the bad people trying to trick us." Ashley peeked through the door, her heart breaking when she saw the tears streaming down Brytan's face.
"You sure?" Brytan questioned and Andros nodded. "She like me?"
"I do like you Brytan," she answered from the doorway. "I'm sorry that the bad people hurt your feelings but I promise it wasn't me."
"You not mean?" he asked.
"No," Ashley replied, knowing that Brytan was having a hard time understanding what had happened. "Listen, how about we play a game and see if you believe me, okay?" Brytan nodded and before long they were all three playing and laughing, the memories of the day fading into the darkness.
A/N: Please Review!