eirenical | Calm (Reply)

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*cracks knuckles* Finally got a chance to sit down and write this. Sorry it took me so long! It's been a crazy couple of days. ^_^ In compensation for it taking so long... I wrote you something nice and long? Almost 1700 words of Andros character dissection via Ashley and Zhane. I have no idea. *unsure but game smile* I hope you enjoy it! ^_^

"No."

Ashley opened her mouth to put forth another argument, but Andros simply raised his hand and said, "Ashley. This is not a matter that is open for discussion. The answer is 'No' and that's all there is to say about it." He then turned back to the front console and resumed entering the newest data into the computer banks.

Fist clenching at her side, Ashley prepared herself to reach out and spin Andros back around to face her, ready to give him a good, solid piece of her mind, when a hand caught that fist and gave it a gentle tug. When she spun to see who had snuck up behind her, Zhane lifted a finger to his lips in the universal gesture for quiet, then motioned her to follow.

By the time Zhane led Ashley off the bridge and down to the rec lounge, she had nearly worked herself up into a true state of temper, so when Zhane closed the door behind him and waved a hand in her direction, she all but exploded, "What is wrong with him? Can't he see that we need a break? We've been running ourselves to the bone these last few months, it's not that far of a detour off of our present course, none of us have seen our families in almost a year and it's TJ's 21st birthday. Is it so much to ask that we take a short leave on Earth to celebrate? I mean… for goodness' sake, Zhane, I love the man as much as any of us, but sometimes I wonder if he has any heart to speak of or if Karone got his share in the womb!"

When she'd run out of words, Ashley stood in the center of the room, hands both now clenched into fists and feet half-shifted into a fighting stance. She'd flown past 'irritated' sometime yesterday when the subject first came up, woken up halfway towards 'mad' this morning, worked herself up to 'truly angry' up on the bridge and was heading straight towards 'spitting nails furious' if this kept up. Ashley liked to think she was a pretty easy-going person, but Andros just got under her skin sometimes. No one else affected her like he did. It was probably a good thing that their initial flirtation had never had a chance to develop into a true relationship. They'd have destroyed each other in moments like this. And that was a real shame, because Ashley really did love him… most of the time.

And Zhane, that insufferable jerk, was leaning against the back of one of the couches, arms crossed over his chest, an expression of polite interest on his face. When Ashley finished talking, he raised an eyebrow and simply said, "You done?"

The bland look on Zhane's face nearly set her off, again, but she reined in the impulse, crossed her own arms firmly over her chest and grumped out, "Yes."

Zhane took a deep breath, let it slowly out, and unfolded himself from his position, "Good. It doesn't do to bottle that stuff up, you know. And, speaking from experience, I can tell you that spewing it at Andros only serves to add fuel to whatever fired you up to begin with."

Ashley threw her hands in the air and yelled back, "But what good does it do? He won't listen! How do I get him to cooperate when whenever I try to talk to him about it, to explain why we need to go back home sometimes, he just gets this blank look on his face like he doesn't get it?"

Zhane shrugged, "Ashley… I know you all mean well, and I'm grateful that you're here with us, but there are just some things about Andros that none of you understand. Just now, you said that 'it's like he doesn't get it' when you speak about home and family. Ashley… he doesn't." When Ashley opened her mouth to speak, Zhane waved her silent, again, "I mean that. Ashley, except for a very brief time in his childhood, the Astro Megaship is the only home he's ever known and except for a long distant memory of a sister he barely remembered, I'm the only family he's ever known. So, when you speak of 'going home' and 'missing your family' he really doesn't have any basis for comparison. For him, this ship…" Zhane waved a hand over his head, then lowered it to motion between the two of them at his next words, "…and us are the only home and family he's ever had."

And for once, Ashley had no idea how to respond. After trying and failing to start about four sentences, she finally said, "I never realized."

"None of you do, Ashley," Zhane said. "And that's the problem. There is way too much that you take for granted, coming from such similar backgrounds -- hell, from the same town -- as you do. Andros and I… we're not like you." At Ashley's token protest, Zhane waved a hand in front of him, "Yes, we're enough like you that we can work together, even play together, sometimes, but that's not what I mean. You… you had a childhood. It might have been cut a little short by your tenure as Rangers, but you had it. Andros never had a childhood -- not one he remembers anyway -- and as for me… I didn't have as much of one as I should have, either. My father -- the only family I ever had -- raised me on the Astro Megaship. Ashley… he died when I was eleven." Zhane smiled a sad, melancholy smile as he reached out, laid a hand on the wall beside him, "So, in a way, this ship is the only home and family I've had for a long time, too." His voice dropped, become as sad as his smile for a moment, "For far too long, all Andros and I had was this ship, the war… and each other. It's harder than you can imagine to widen that circle to include other people, other places… other thoughts but those of a soldier."

"I suppose then that it's just that much more imperative that we try, isn't it?"

Having been so wrapped up in Zhane's words, Ashley hadn't even noticed the quiet 'snick' of the door opening, much less the third person who'd walked into the room to rest his hands on Zhane's shoulders through the last of that speech. Zhane, however, looked anything but surprised. He smiled softly, tilted his head back a little to catch a glance at Andros out of the corner of his eye, "Why the change of tune?"

Andros gave Zhane's shoulders a brief squeeze before letting one hand drift down Zhane's arm to catch hold of one of his hands, "Because you interfered. And you don't do that unless you know I'm wrong and you know you won't talk me out of it. So, that got me thinking about why I didn't think we could take the time… which made me realize that we certainly could and I just didn't want to. And that's no reason to refuse a more than reasonable request for a vacation… for a trip home."

Zhane lifted Andros' hand and placed a gentle kiss on the knuckles, a soft smirk playing around his lips, "You're learning. I'm impressed. I was starting to think you couldn't be taught."

Andros rolled his eyes, but squeezed Zhane's hand a little tighter in his as he turned back towards Ashley, "I apologize. You were in the right when you requested this leave and I should have listened. I've changed our course and we should be in Earth's orbit in another six hours." One corner of his lips lifted in a half-smile, "Do you want to be the one to tell the others?"

Zhane's smile widened into a smirk, "Don't forget to tell them how you brow-beat and berated our noble leader with argument after argument until he finally fell at your feet, caving to your wisdom. Feel free to embellish."

Andros' retaliation was swift and to the point, and when he was done delivering that elbow to the ribs, he turned to Ashley and asked, "Will a week suffice? I think we can spare that long if you'd like."

Letting out a joyous laugh, Ashley said, "Oh, I don't know… only a week to celebrate the last of us finally being legal on Earth? It'll be a crunch, but we'll give it a shot." She lifted a hand to point a finger at Andros, "And I'm counting on you to get good and sloshed with the rest of us, so don't try to chicken out of it!"

Andros eyes widened at the lifted finger and he shook his head, "No."

Ashley opened her mouth to put forth an argument, but Andros raised his hand and said, "Ashley. This is definitely not a matter that is open for discussion. The answer is 'No' and that's all there is to say about it."

Ashley turned to Zhane and lifted an eyebrow, "Do you need to drag me off to another room or can we just pretend he's not here while you calmly explain this to me and he figures out on his own that he's wrong, again?"

To Ashley's amusement, however, Zhane let go of Andros' hand and backed up a pace, both of his hands up in front of him, "Oh, no. No, no, no. You are not dragging me into this one, Ashley." At her raised eyebrow, Zhane added, "Let's just say that, again, speaking from experience, getting a powerful telekinetic drunk is not a good idea and leave it at that."

Lifting an eyebrow at the panicked look on Zhane's face and the now smug one on Andros', Ashley said, "Oh, there has got to be a story here. And one of you is going to share it."

This time, both men shook there heads and said emphatically, "No."

And as both Andros and Zhane beat as hasty a retreat as they could, Ashley doubled over in laughter. Maybe they weren't so different, after all.