Disclaimer: Aidan, the twins, and the seven mystery people are mine. The rest belongs to Saban or Disney.

Chapter 1

The house was quiet as he entered, much as he'd expected it to be; it was past midnight, and Ashley and their three children would be fast asleep by now. Andros exhaled deeply as he closed the door behind him, never more glad to be home. Serpenterra was gone, and there was nothing in the world that could make him want to pick up a morpher again.

He moved silently up the stairs, not wanting to wake his children, although he stopped in their rooms long enough to get a good look at them. He'd missed Aidan's eighth birthday by just days, and his son had grown during the four months he'd been away, he could tell just by looking at his sleeping form, sprawled out across his bed. Aidan's hazel eyes were temporarily closed to the world, but his brown hair had grown as well, now nearly chin length. The boy didn't stir once in the ten minutes that his father stood watching him, lost somewhere in dreamland.

His twin daughters were asleep in the same bed, surrounded by several nightlights and a mountain of fierce-looking stuffed animals. They had turned four a week before he'd left, and Ashley swore to him that they were only plagued by nightmares when he was away. Andros decided against waking them up to reassure them; they looked peaceful enough, and he had no intentions of ever leaving them again.

Andros broke into a wide smile as he entered his own bedroom and saw Ashley curled up under the covers, sleeping in one of his red T-shirts, the sleeves falling to her elbows. He touched her cheek gently before heading into their bathroom, eager to wash the feel of the Megaship off of him. It was a comfortable enough place to live, but after nearly eight years away from it, he'd been left feeling like he'd been dumped in a hospital, or somewhere equally clean.

He showered quickly and pulled on his pajamas, tossing his flight suit carelessly into the laundry basket. Walking back into the bedroom where Ashley still slept, he knelt down by the bed, fully intent on kissing her awake. Andros brushed her lips gently with his own several times before Ashley even stirred. Slowly, she opened one sleepy eye, mumbling something unintelligible.

Andros laughed softly, sat back, and waited. A moment later, Ashley's eyes shot open again, and she threw herself out of the bed and into his arms, crying, "Andros!"

"Ash," he murmured, squeezing her hard. Ashley's arms had his neck nearly in a stranglehold, but he didn't mind. He'd missed her terribly in the last four months.

He kissed her and stood, easing her back into bed, wrapping his arms snugly around her waist.

"So how's everyone on Earth?" Ashley asked, leaning back against him, tilting her head to look at him.

"Fine," Andros answered, grinning as he captured her mouth with his own. "Can it wait until morning?"

"Oh?" Ashley smirked at him. "Did you have something else in mind?"

Andros smirked back at her, covering her lips with his own again. "Yes, you could say that."

"Do you... remember... the night... before you left?" Ashley asked him between kisses. Andros smiled innocently at her, and shook his head.

"Remind me?" he asked with a grin.

"Of course." The smile that was permanently fixated on Ashley's face grew even wider as she gave herself up to his touch, laughing with delight as he froze, his hands glued to her stomach.

"Ash?"

"Yes?" Ashley asked innocently, watching his shock melt into joy. "Is something wrong?"

"You little..." Andros couldn't think of anything with which to complete his sentence and instead asked, "How long have you known?"

"Months," Ashley said airily. "I wanted to surprise you... You're not mad, are you?"

Andros burst out laughing, leaning down to kiss her. "Are you just asking out of habit, or do you seriously think I'd even consider leaving you?"

"Of course I don't, silly." Ashley laughed softly, and touched his face lovingly, brushing a few strands of his blond-streaked brown hair out of the way, leaving her a good look at his hazel eyes. "I meant, are you mad that I didn't tell you?"

"Don't I look angry?" Andros demanded, lowering his head to place several soft kisses on her stomach. His damp hair fell forward, brushing against her skin. Ashley squirmed.

"That tickles."

"Oh, really?" Andros asked her, pinning her down, running his hands up and down her sides. Ashley shrieked with laughter and rolled away, but Andros moved more quickly, and Ashley found herself lying on top of him, his arms securely around her waist. She sighed happily and slipped her arms around his neck.

"I've missed you," she whispered, nuzzling her face into his neck. She felt Andros tighten his grip on her, echoing her words emphatically.

"Don't worry, Ash," he said softly. "It's done now, and there's nothing left out there that a normal team can't handle, and nothing that can make me leave you ever again."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Andros said solemnly, his hazel eyes shining at her as she rested her forehead on his. "Now... where were we?"

Ashley kissed him and grinned, completely losing herself in him as he rolled over on top of her, his arms still wrapped firmly around her. An hour later, when she finally fell asleep, it was with Andros's skin warm against hers, and his arms wrapped around her, but what she was most conscious of was the feeling of complete peace and security that she'd never once felt when he was away.

Fast asleep and content, neither Andros nor Ashley saw the seven figures that appeared at the end of the block and paced up and down before their house for hours until the sun slowly made it's way across the sky. As dawn broke, they scattered, knowing that they would soon return.

A/N: This story wants a name! You don't really know enough about it to name it, but start giving me random titles anyway! Oh, and does anyone have a completely ridiculous name? Or just a long string of letters that's semi pronouncable? Please review.