A\N: Well, this oughta be better. My brain doesn't like me lately...


"Go to hell!"

Ah, the latest fight. Can't a girl meditate around here?

I get up, heading into the backyard. Tommy's storming away from Zedd, who looks ready to commit murder, and Kim's already vanished.

"Three." Trini says.

"Beg pardon?" I ask.

"The number of times this has happened today. I have twenty dollars on five."

I snort. "This one stays." I turn on my brother. "Zedd. You. Are. Training. Them. Not scaring them to death!"

"I said nothing."

"Like the first two times." I sigh. "For the Gods' sake, stay away from Kim!" I hiss in Tallian. "Is it really so freakin' hard?"

"She had an incorrect stance. All I did was try to show her that she would fall."

"Zedd?" I ask sweetly.

He waits paitantly.

"Don't show them anything."

I turn and walk into the house. Tommy's radiating anger and worry. He doesn't turn when I walk over to him and sit on a chair arm.

"Want to talk?"

"No."

Great. He's been stonewalling me for the past twenty-four hours. This has gotta stop.

I call on my power, easily proving myself the alpha. "Tommy, do you know what I named you?"

He shakes his head, nearly crying. Okay. So that's the problem.

I can deal.

"Orion. It means Light. You are Light, and no matter who your parents are, Light does not brood when he could be helping lead his freinds and teammates. Especially not when he could put the whole team in danger."

He hesitates.

"Rita turned me into a monster." He says quietly. Tearfully. "Zedd kept trying. And...and those monsters, the ones I've had nightmares about for years, they're related to me? They're training me? Training us? And everyone just accepts it..." He whirls to me, calm and panicked at the same time. "You're my mom. That's...that's almost cool, even if my dad's an asshole. But...but I'm not related to him! I'm not either of theirs, and if they wanted to they could mess with me now, and I can't fight them."

Oh, Gods. Why my family?

I stand and envelop Tommy in a hug. "Shh, Orion." I whisper gently. "Shh, little one. Shh." I feel a thrill of joy at holding my baby again, a pang of pain at his pain. "Hey. Listen. They can't hurt you anymore. No one can. Not just because you're training, but because I'm your mom." I tug his chin up, and his eyes reluctantly look into mine. "No Tallian would ever hurt a child on purpose." I tell him. "And never, ever would anyone hurt a Tallian child." Besides Eltarians, but I'm not going there. "Zedd and Rita did what they had to do. They don't need to prove how dangerous they are anymore. I know it's hard. I know you've been hurt, you and Kim both. But you're safe here. I promise. And I'm telling Kim the same thing when she gets back." Zordon's the biggest moron I've ever met. Sending someone into battle knowing full well they'll almost end up with PTSD from it is the kind of thing I'd expect from a retarded moron.

"I heard."

I sigh. Kim reaches for Tommy and I snuggle her into my arms too. "Guys, you're safe now. I promise." I tell them, trying not to accedientally squish Kim. "Gods, girl, do you eat?"

She laughs. Tommy mutters, "Told her that already."

"Come on, guys." I say, herding them outside. "Let's go train, hmm?"

After leaving them in Zedd's oh-so-idiotic hands, I take about twenty deep breaths and count to ten twice.

It doesn't help.

So I charge into the Command Center and punch through a control panel. That wakes Zordon up real fast.

"TO WHAT DO I OWE THE HONOR OF THIS VISIT?"

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I BEG YOUR PARDON?"

I sigh. Okay. Lecture For Morons it is. "After I threatened your life, you sent children--children!--into battle. One of them practically has PTSD from battles alone, and the other was turned because Rita decided to mimick you!" Which makes me wonder where my sister-in-law is so I can go kick her ass next. "And now I have to keep them from either killing my brother or killing themselves! What, are you trying to break some sort of record? How Many Crimes Are Inscribed In The Tablet Of Criminals? Because you've gotten that!"

Zordon pauses.

"PERHAPS WE SHOULD DISCUSS THIS FURTHER WHEN YOU ARE NOT HAVING PREMENSTRUAL MOOD SWINGS."

That's it.

I leap up, punching straight through the glass tube. Zordon falls out, gasping as the Earth air hits him for the first time. Disadvantages of sticking yourself in a time warp, Zordon.

"I challenge you." I say calmly. "To a death duel."

"For what?" Zordon demands, struggling to regain his feet.

"For two counts of child endangerment and abuse, for the murder of Timothy, for the betrayal of a warrior under your command, for the torture of said warrior, for consorting with the Dark Court to betray the warrior again, for kidnapping my son, and for allowing warriors to remain active while traumatized."

"Oh." Zordon says.

I smirk.

Time for justice.