Thank you so much for your constant reviews! I really felt that your comments helped me improve. Thank you! This is the last chapter, but there's a really really short epilogue after this! I'm not really good at writing action stuff so there isn't much of it here. I feel that this is rather jumbled up but I'm not sure how to improve it. Hopefully you are not disappointed. And ignore my grammatical mistakes. Thank you! Please review!

Dedicationsin alphabetical order: a reader, Byron Lancaster, CagsZala, Dhevz, Hakumeyen, Sakurayamato1, UnderProtection

Previously on chapter 7…

Meyrin was laughing. She was laughing so creepily that it sent chills down the spines of Ashley and Cagalli. Pointing at Ashley, she accused, "How could you not have known? For crying out loud, she has your hair and his eyes!"

At first, confusion covered Cagalli's face. However it wasn't long before realisation dawned on her. It hit her like a tsunami; it was quick and powerful. She was rendered speechless for five minutes; her eyes wide open in shock. Looking at the figure beside her, she saw the guilt-ridden face of Ashley.

Chapter 8

Outside …

Athrun and Kira were taking cover in the vast forest just beside the warehouse when Shinn came back with information, "There are no other cars apart from Cagalli's and there's no one guarding the area too."

"Meaning only one or two did this." Kira said.

"He or they must be highly skilled too if they managed to capture them without the notice of the others," Athrun added.

The three then quietly inched their way closer to the warehouse. Placing their ears on the thin metal wall that separated them from the girls, they listened to pick up any clues that might help.

Inside…

Cagalli softened her expression on Ashley and asked, "So it's true?"

Ashley merely nodded her head in confirmation. She felt ashamed from keeping the truth from Cagalli but she had no choice. She already let it slip once, she couldn't risk it again.

Pulling Ashley into an embrace with one arm, though it was an awkward one due to their positions, Cagalli stroked Ashley's long silky golden hair, "Its alright dear, I'm sure you had your reasons."

Ashley stared in surprise. She had not expected this reaction. Unable to return the hug due to her chained hands, she just rested her head on Cagalli's shoulders and let herself be soothed by her mother. She had been stuck in the past for more than a year now and she missed her mother's warm embrace terribly.

"Aww, what a sweet reunion, you better cherish this moment now because it'll be your last!" Meyrin smiled evilly as she raised her gun at them.

Cagalli wrapped her free arm around Ashley protectively and held her tighter as Meyrin approached them.

Bending forward, she pinched Ashley on the cheek. Meyrin said amused, "My my, you really are quite a beauty. A pity your life is going to end here."

"Keep your filthy paws of her!" Cagalli growled as she slapped Meyrin's hand of Ashley.

"Ooo, very protective aren't you considering that you just found out today that she's your daughter." Meyrin laughed.

"You won't get away with this you know," Cagalli warned.

"You are wrong, because I will. After I kill you both, I will go back and pretend that I was lucky enough to escape. They will believe me," Meyrin retorted.

Outside…

"No, it can't be! Meyrin! Why?" The three boys said aloud in unison.

Inside…

The voices of the boys were clearly heard inside. Meyrin knew it was too late for her. Athrun had found out about what she had done and she knew that she wouldn't be forgiven. She quickly released Ashley from the cuffs. She pointed the gun to Ashley's head and wounding her arm around Ashley's neck, she dragged Ashley out of the warehouse.

"I know you guys are out there. Come out now and don't you dare do anything funny. Otherwise, I will kill Ashley! I have a gun at her head now!" Meyrin called out.

Having no choice and not willing to take any risks, the three boys showed total obedience as they appeared and did what she said.

"Drop your weapons!" she commanded.

Meyrin heard the sound of the metallic guns as they clattered onto the ground defeated. She then walked out to meet them with Ashley at her mercy.

Athrun was the first to speak. He sounded desperate. "Meyrin please, let them go!"

"Why her? Why can't it be me?" Meyrin screamed as her tears started to drop. Her grip on Ashley's neck was getting tighter. And Ashley knew she had to do something.

Athrun tried to stay calm. He was screaming inside his head and thinking desperately what to do to save his family. He watched his daughter choke to Meyrin's suffocating grasp. "Please let Ashley go, you are choking her," Athrun pleaded again.

"No! You are going to know how it feels like to be hurt!" Meyrin cried.

All of a sudden, Ashley brought her left leg upwards and kicked the gun out of Meyrin's hand. Stunned at what happened, Meyrin's grip on Ashley loosened momentarily and Ashley made use of that opportunity to slip out of her captor's fingers. Taking a few steps away from Meyrin, Ashley spun back like a ballerina and landed a critical kick which knocked Meyrin onto the ground. Ashley then leaped up into the air and landed gracefully as she retrieved the gun.

"Unfortunately for you witch, you picked the wrong hostage!" Ashley said smugly as she pointed the gun at Meyrin who raised her hands up to surrender.

Mean while, the jaws of the boys were dropped in surprise. They didn't know what Ashley was capable of.

Right after Ashley took hold of Meyrin, Athrun ran bullet speed to Cagalli, with Kira following behind him. Both young men were beyond impatient.

Athrun's heart sank as he saw Cagalli chained up like prisoner. He did not like the way she was treated. Anger rose up as he snatched the keys from Meyrin. It took all of his self control not to kill her then and there. His hands were all over Cagalli as soon as he freed her. He checked to see if she was injured. After he was certain she was alright, he pulled her into his arms and their lips met.

"Ahem!" Kira faked a coughed.

The couple turned to him as he pointed to Meyrin, "Umm, what are we going to do with her?"

"Well, the kidnapping and the attempted murder of the Head Representative and the Princess of Orb is an extremely grave offence that calls for a death penalty..." Ashley stated.

"I don't care what happens to her but if she comes near my family again, I will kill her myself," Athrun said coldly. He now felt nothing but hatred and anger towards Meyrin. He could not forgive her for what she had done.

"Wait, what about Luna? This will be a big blow to her!" Shinn suddenly spoke up.

"But we can't just leave her! She tried to harm my sister and my niece!" Kira replied.

"I agree," Ashley supported.

And they all started to argue what to do with Meyrin.

"Guys… hey guys…GUYS!" Everyone turned their heads to Cagalli as she raised her voice.

"I think my water bag's burst," Cagalli panicked as she winced in pain.

"What?"

"Are you sure?"

"Oh my gosh!"

"What do we do now?"

"Oh no!"

"It's the end of the world!"

All hell broke loose the moment Cagalli announced that she was going into labour. All of the boys were panicking, they couldn't think straight.

"EVERYONE CALM YOUR FREAKING SELVES RIGHT NOW!" Ashley commanded with a ring of authority in her voice. "We have to get our acts together. So here's what we're going to do. Daddy, YOU take mom to the hospital NOW. The rest of us will stay here and clean up this mess. Now go!"

Athrun lifted Cagalli into his arms, much to her protest of her able to walk by herself, and dashed off to the car.

They watched the nerve-wrecked couple make their leave.

"So what now?" Shinn asked.

"We should hand her over to the authorities. I can't just let this pass no matter how she helped us in the past," Kira replied. "Hold on, where is she?"

"Uncle Kira! Watch out!" Ashley screamed as she lunged forward and took the bullet. Immediately, Shinn jumped in and shot Meyrin and she thudded onto the ground, a pool of blood forming around her lifeless body.

Trudging backwards, Ashley fell into the arms of her uncle. The ground was now covered in that same crimson that covered her chest. She was bleeding profusely.

"Ashley, stay with me ok, stay with me! Don't give in! Please!" Kira said as tears steamed down his face.

As the seconds passed, Ashley found it harder and harder to breath. Her vision was now failing her; everything now was in a blur. Turning her pale face to look at her uncle, she smiled as she tried to speak, "T…take c...care of mom a…and d…dad for me o...ok?"

Kira could only nod his head; he was unable to find his voice.

Coughing out blood, Ashley breathed her last and then, she faded…

There were no traces of Ashley left. Her blood which once covered Kira's arms were now gone. There was no evidence of her existence anymore.

Kira cried really hard which was something he had not done in a long time. Shinn quietly stood by his side, tears dropping down his ruby eyes.

At the same time in the hospital…

A baby girl cried as she entered the world. The baby immediately stopped crying once she was handed over to her mother. As he wound his arms around his wife, Athrun whispered affectionately to his new-born daughter, "Welcome into the world, Ashley."

… …

"Hey you guys are finally here! Where's Ashley? She would probably want to see her baby self," Athrun said excitedly as the whole gang came into Cagalli's hospital ward.

Athrun and Cagalli were so happy that they didn't notice Kira's red and puffy eyes.

"She's gone. She took a bullet for me." Kira continued, "I wasn't careful. Meyrin took advantage of that and…"

At this moment, the whole room was still. Everyone stared at Athrun and Cagalli to see their reactions.

Cagalli's face was unreadable, it was blank. Athrun on the other hand was a mixture of grief and anger.

"Where is she," his voice seething with pain and anger.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Athrun yelled this time when no one answered.

"Who are you referring to? Ashley or Meyrin?" Kira asked.

"Both."

"Ashley, she… her body just disappeared. As for Meyrin, she…"

"She's dead. I shot her." Shinn cut Kira off.

"Enough!" Lacus said. "Meyrin's gone. We shouldn't talk bad about the dead. As for Ashley…"

"She's not gone," Cagalli suddenly said as she gazed down on the baby cradled in her arms. "She has never left us…"

The end…

Ok, some of you may wonder how Ashley was born so fast when it seemed like it was just a moment ago that Athrun and Cagalli left for the hospital. So you can just ignore that tiny little detail there. And I know Athrun is probably OOC here but this is the way I wanted it to be. This is the last chapter though there is a very short epilogue after this! I hope I didn't drag the story too much! I hope the ending wasn't abrupt, I realised that I'm not really good with the endings. Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you!