Dylan caught her as she fell, holding her close to him.

"Ash! Ash, what happened to you?", he shouted

"Can.. can we please leave..", she whispered

"Of course, dear, we're heading straight home"

He scooped her in his arms an carried her to the car. He laid her in the front seat and fastened her seat belt. He then got into the driver's seat and started the car.

As he drove, he kept looking towards her, making sure she was alright. At some point she started closing her eyes, and Dylan was quick to react.

"Ash, no, stay awake please", he called.

She tried. She fought against herself and managed to keep her eyes open the whole ride. The two then quickly got home, and he took her inside.

"Let's get you cleaned up, alright?", he suggested, affectionately.

He helped her get to the bathroom, where he started filling the tub with hot water. He left a soft towel on the radiator, as well as some fluffy clothes, for later.

When the tub was eventually full, Dylan helped Ashley get her dirty dress off of her. But as he helped her slip the top off her shoulders, he noticed them. New scars. Deep, wide cuts. Someone had carved two words in the middle of her back:

Ad Astra

As Dylan read it, his eyes widened with horror. Ad Astra, they were the ones responsible for what had happened. They had been holding her hostage, waving her life in front of him. And he hadn't told anyone, except Owens, who was to keep everything confidential.. does this mean they were back?

He quickly shook the thought of Ad Astra. He had an immediately problem, right next to him. Ashley was sitting on the mat next to the tub, looking at the water with dread.

"Ash? What's wrong?", he asked.

"I.. don't know.. but going in the water scares me..", she whispered.

Of course it does, after what they did

"It's alright. I know, it might look a little scary, but we need to get you cleaned up. Do you think you can get in?"

"No, please, I don't want to, I'm scared"

"I know, I know you're scared, but we need to get all that dirt off of you. It'll be fast, I promise. Come on, let's try this"

Ashley slowly stood up. Dylan helped her in so she wouldn't slip, holding her hand and holding his other arm out to catch her if she fell. Taking deep breaths, she slowly sat down in the hot water.

"There you go, you're alright", Dylan whispered.

She sat silently, staring down. She shook up with small sobs again, tears dripping from her eyes

"It's alright, you're safe", he reassured her. "What happened?"

"I don't.. I don't know", she replied. "A man came and asked for a word with me. I followed him. But then, someone attacked me from behind! I didn't.. I didn't even see them.."

"Hey, it's okay. You're with me now. What happened after?"

"I.. I passed out. When I woke up, I was.. I wasn't wearing anything, I was laying in some alley, there was blood on the ground, and everything hurt. So I quickly pulled my dress on and came to look for you"

Dylan looked down at her, horrified. But he didn't dare say anything. After another brief silence, Ashley spoke again

"While I was out, I.. I had another nightmare", she mumbled.

"What nightmare?", Dylan questioned.

"I was in this bright room, I was tied to a wall, and.. there was a man, but I didn't see his face.. anyway, he stood in front of me... with a hot knife..."

Dylan stroked her on the side of her arm, in an attempt to comfort her.

"Was.. was that real?", Ashley questioned.

"No, of course not", Dylan lied. "It was just a nightmare, dear"

No, no, not that. I can't let her remember that...

Another short moment of silence. Dylan reached for a shampoo bottle on the edge of the tub.

"Come on, let me help you-", he offered.

Ashley didn't fight back. She looked down at her thighs, letting Dylan rub the soap into her hair.

"Here", he mumbled. "We've got to let it sit for a few minutes"

Another few seconds of silence

"When are you going to tell me the truth? When are you going to tell me what happened?", she demanded

"Tomorrow morning, alright?", Dylan quickly excused

"Fine"

A few more seconds went by

"Tilt your head back", Dylan guided.

Ashley looked straight up at the ceiling. Dylan held the shower head over her hair, rinsing out the soap and the dirt. He quickly stopped when Ashley hissed in pain.

"What's wrong?", Dylan asked her.

"I don't know... the soap burns", Ash explained

"Sorry, I'm so sorry. There are just a few cuts on your back... but we're almost done"

And as he said, a few seconds later he turned off the water. He helped her get up and then quickly wrapped the warm towel around her chest

"There we go, isn't that better?", Dylan whispered.

He helped Ashley dry her hair, and brought her her pajamas.

After she had gotten the fluffy clothes on, he helped her get into her bed. She laid down in her usual spot, under the heavy blanket.

"Are you going to be alright?", he asked.

"I.. I think so", she whispered.

"Alright then. Goodnight, Ash"

"Goodnight"

He then left the room. He first went to the bathroom and put Ashley's muddy dress in the laundry machine. Thankfully it was black, so maybe the stains would come fully out.

He then went to the kitchen and made a quick ham and cheese sandwich. He sat down at the table and ate it, pulling out his phone. He was just looking for a distraction from the inevitable thought of the words that had been cut into Ashley's back.

Ad Astra... but they can't be back, right? How would they have found us? And how would they have recognized us? Me, I was up on stage, I was an easy target. But Ash... what about Ash? She was in the audience, in a crowd. Unless... unless-

And then he realized

The brand! Oh my Lord, it makes perfect sense... her burn showed, that's how they recognized her! That's how they knew who she was! I can't let this happen again, we need to cover them.

Anya! She has one too! I need to call her, she needs to know what happened.

He quickly dialled in Anya's number and brought the phone up to his ear. The dial tone rang for a few moments, before the call was picked up.

"Julia Mercia, ¿digame?", Julia picked up.

"Mrs. Mercia, it's Dylan. Is Anya there? I need to talk to her"

"Dylan? Ah, it's you. No, Anya is.. eh.. sleeping"

"Could you tell her to call me back when she wakes up? It's important"

"Yes, of course"

"Alright. Have a good one, Mrs. Mercia"

"Good night"

Dylan hung up the phone and looked down at the table. He held his trembling hands together, in an attempt to calm them. Of course, unsuccessful.

Stay grounded, stay...

No matter how hard he tried to think of something else, the thought of Ad Astra kept coming back.

They've found us... I can't do this again, I can't put Ashley through that again. God, Ash, I'm so sorry...

He could feel himself hyperventilating, as if his ribs were compressing his lungs. He could hear the heavy racing of his heart. The shaking didn't restrict to his hands. It soon moved to his legs. And then the rest of his body. He tried to move his legs up, but he couldn't. His mind was slowly blanking, as if a dark aura had sorrounded it and was now closing in. Everything was going dark...

He suddenly came to again when he heard a shriek coming from Ashley's room. He darted up and ran, stopping outside her door. Ashley was sitting upright in her bed, arms wrapped around herself.

"Ash, what happened!?", Dylan called out.

"Just... just a nightmare", she whimpered.

Dylan swept her up and held her tightly, in a comforting hug. Even he wasn't sure if it was to calm her or himself.

"Are you alright?", he whispered

"I'm fine", she replied.

Only then did he notice her temperature. She was warm, so much warmer than normal. What if...

"Hey, Ash, just give me a second, alright? I'll be right back", Dylan quickly excused himself and left for the bathroom.

He came back quickly, holding a thermometer.

"Are you.. am I sick?", Ashley asked, nervously

"That's what we're going to figure out" he replied.

Ashley parted her lips, allowing Dylan to slip the thermometer under her tongue.

"Give it a minute", he replied.

And a minute later, he pulled out the thermometer and read the small display. Thirty-eight

"So? Am I sick?", Ashley insisted

"Just a little. But do you feel alright?"

"I.. I think so.."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to make some tea, or something like that?"

"No, no, I'm alright.."

"Do you think you can get back to sleep?"

She nodded a little

"Alright then"

He stood up, ready to leave, but Ashley grabbed his hand with both of hers.

"Wait!", she called.

He stopped and turned to her again. She stayed silent for a little before speaking again.

"Will... will you stay with me?", she whispered

"Of course", Dylan agreed. "Here's what we're going to do, okay? I'm going to quickly go to the bathroom, I'll come back, and then I'll sleep here tonight. Sound good?"

Ash nodded. Dylan left and headed back into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, he walked back into Ashley's room, now wearing an old shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He sat down in the bed, next to her.

"You alright?", he asked. She nodded.

He laid down, under the covers. She scooted up close to him, and rested her head next to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her closely, her body very warm compared to his.

"Get some rest now", Dylan whispered. "You're safe. You're home, with me"

"Mhm..", Ashley mumbled, sleepily.

A few seconds went by.

"Dylan?", Ashley called.

"Yeah?", he replied.

"Can.. can you tell me something?"

"Of course, what?"

"I don't know, anything.. something about us"

"Something about us"

Dylan thought for a moment before he spoke.

"Do you still remember that time with the trampoline?", he asked.

Ash shook her head.

"Oh, that was a good one. You used to talk about that one all the time. So, me and you, we were on the neighbor's trampoline together. I was fifteen, you were eight, I think. So anyway, we were on this old trampoline, and we were jumping. And at some point, we jumped so high, that we broke a hole in it!"

"Really?"

"Really. And then we made a run for it, because we were scared of the neighbor"

"Who was the neighbor?"

"Some old man. A war veteran, I think. I don't know why we were so scared of him as kids, he was very kind. I think he had the trampoline for his grandkids, they came often"

"Were we friends?"

"No, no, ages didn't line up. One was too young, and the other was awkwardly between us"

"Did the neighbor find out it was you?"

"Oh, yes. I got into a lot of trouble for that"

Dylan chuckled slightly. Recalling the past was always such a scary thing, but when it was to events like this... things that seemed terrifying then, but were now just funny childhood stories.

How I hope Ad Astra will be one of these memories too, he thought. It's unlikely but maybe.. nothing but a story from my youth.

"Thanks..", Ashley whispered. "I.. I need to hear some nicer stories about my past. All I have are these horrible nightmares that wake me up at night, and then I need to decide which I think are real and which aren't. Not to mention all these.. these horrible marks I have on me. I.. I don't know if I can keep doing this"

"Shh, it's alright. Real or not, it's all in the past, it's all over", Dylan reassured her. "Isn't it better to not know?"

"No, it's not. I can't trust my own memory. People offer condolences for a crew I don't remember. They compliment me for surviving a crash I have no memory of. I want to know what happened to me"

"And I'll tell you. But for now, rest"

And she did. She closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep, comforted by his presence. Dylan felt the comfort too, knowing she was there and she was safe. Knowing that it was all past, and that they'd be safe now.

The next morning, when he woke up, Ashley was still asleep. She laid where she had fallen asleep, curled up against him. He petted her hair for a few seconds, smiling. It's only when he accidentally rested his hand on her face that he noticed something was wrong. She was burning up. Even more than last night.

Being careful not to wake her up, he leant over to the nightstand and picked up the thermometer again. Once again, he carefully slipped it under her tongue and held it in place for a minute. When he read the display this time, his eyes went round with shock. Thirty-nine and a half

How.. how did it go up so fast? Almost two degrees, overnight, like that... oh, dear lord, what's happening..

He quickly got up and dashed to the kitchen. He checked the time. Nine thirty-seven.

A little late.. just means she's probably awake

Dylan picked up his phone and dialed Anya's number again. He waited a few seconds, and she picked up

"Hello?", she greeted

"Anya, I need help!", he quickly started off

"Ugh- cool it down, Dylan, I've got a hellish hangover. What's up?"

"It's about Ashley"

"Did you find her?"

"Of course. No, that's not the problem"

"What is it then?"

"She's running a high fever. Seriously high. I thought, you know, you're a medical expert, you could give me some tips"

"Fine. How high we taking?"

"Thirty-nine and a half, it's bad"

"Did she have it last night, too?"

"It was lower then, it went up almost two degrees overnight!"

"Alright, sounds like you just need to keep it down for now. Things like Tylenol, obviously. Rest a cold cloth on her face, all of that. And make sure she stays in her bed, she needs to stay rested"

"Got it"

"And this should be obvious, but if it gets worse, take her to the hospital, alright?

"I will. What else can I do?"

"Keep water handy, she'll be getting thirsty a lot"

"Water, I go-"

"Dylan?"

Ashley had turned the corner, peeking into the kitchen

"Ash?", Dylan called out. He then quickly returned to the phone. "Thanks, I'll call you if I need anything else, alright? Alright, cool, see you", he mumbled into it before he hung up. 

"What's.. what's happening to me..", Ashley mumbled, holding onto the wall

Dylan dashed towards her

"Ash, come on, let's get you back in bed", he whispered, lovingly

"What's happening?", she muttered

"You're.. you're just a little sick, dear, you're fine"

He picked her up, cradling her close to him, and laid her back down in the bed. He pulled the sheets over her chest.

"Just stay down", he mumbled. "You're safe, don't worry. I'll take care of you. Give me one moment, I'll be right back"

He headed into the bathroom, and grabbed a towel and a pack of Tylenol. He turned on the cold water and soaked the towel in it. He then headed to the kitchen and filled up a water bottle. Afterwards, he brought all three things in to Ashley's room. She was laying in bed, staring blankly up.

"Hey, you awake?". Dylan nudged her weakly

"Mhm", she mumbled

"Come on, you've got to take some of this.."

He helped her sit up again, leaning against the wall. He then popped a Tylenol pill out of its container, and held it close to Ashley so she could grab it. But instead of grabbing it, she turned her head to the side, closing her eyes.

"No, Ashley, stay awake", he stammered. "I promise, as soon as you've taken this I'll let you sleep for the rest of the day, but you need to take this"

She looked ahead again, tilting her head upwards slightly. Dylan carefully dropped the pill into her open mouth, then brought the water up to her lips. She slowly gripped the bottle and helped guide him, slowly pouring water into her mouth to swallow down the pill. When she looked back down again, Dylan quickly got the message and put the bottle back

"There you go. Give it a few minutes to work now", he reassured her.

He helped her lay down again, then rested the cold towel on her face. She gasped slightly with shock, as the cold fabric made contact with her hot skin.

"You're alright, but you've got a real high fever, so I need you to stay down", he whispered. "You're going to be alright"

Throughout the day, he kept caring for her. Monitoring her fever, making sure it didn't get too high, and making sure she didn't leave the bed.

That evening, when he walked in to go to sleep, he immediately noticed something was wrong. When he had walked in, Ashley had quickly propped herself up to her elbows, staring at him with glassy eyes. She quickly started hyperventilating, and pressing herself against the wall.

"No, no, please..", she'd mumble

Dylan dashed in towards her, which only scared her more. Her breathing grew louder, faster, and she had a look of pure terror on her face.

"Get away from me!", she shrieked.

"Ashley, snap out of it!", he yelled back.

"No, no, get away, please.. please don't do this..."

"Ash, it's me, Dylan. What's going..."

He quickly realized, of course. The way she looked at him, the way she scooted away from him..

She's hallucinating, she thinks I'm Wright...

Unsure of what to do from there, he stood, awkwardly, next to the bed. She kept backing away, terrified.

"Ash..", he tried again, reaching towards her. "Ash, it's me, please.. it's Dylan, you're home, you're safe. You're not in that awful place anymore"

This time something happened. His words seemed to resonate with her slightly. She lowered her guard, and sighed.

"What.. I don't know what's happening to me..." she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Dylan"

"No, no, dear, you're alright. Come here", he whispered back.

He held his arms out and let her crawl into them, then wrapped around her. She stayed there, face pressed into his chest, sobbing quietly.

"I don't even know what's going on...", she cried. "Why are you being so nice?"

"What? Ash, you know I love you, and I care about you", Dylan replied, staggered. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you"

"I don't deserve this..."

"What?"

"You should've left me in that alley where you found me"

"No, no, never. You deserve the best, Ashley. You deserve a perfect life. And I'll do my best to give it to you"

Ashley didn't say anything. She kept crying quietly, until her body stopped shaking. Worried, Dylan looked at her face, but then quickly realized she had fallen asleep.

Realizing this, he quickly kissed her forehead, feeling her warm skin against his.

"God, I'm so sorry, Ashley...", he whispered. "When you remember, you'll never be able to forgive me for what I've done"

He rested her head onto her pillow, and tucked the blanket around her. He then carefully pulled off her eyepatch and rested it on her nightstand. She looked so defenseless in her sleep, so innocent.

Like a baby deer, almost.

After he mentally made this comparison, he smiled, amused by how accurate it was. He carefully laid down next to her, and pulled her in. It almost felt like hugging a heated blanket, because of her fever. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep as well, still holding her close.