ZEDD
I enter the kitchen and nod at the questioning glances I get from the pair. "He'll be here." Good, Zedd, sound more confident than you feel. Neither of them needs to know just how worried you really are. Just how uncertain and insecure one little human has made you feel in the past few days.
Looking unsure, Pina takes her seat sending a worried look at the doorway. "You're certain about that?"
Nodding and banking on his species' streak of curiosity to bring him to the kitchen, well that and his sense of fair play, which has been all too evident since he's been here, I take my own chair doing my best to keep up my calm façade.
Not a minute after I've sat down, Thomas thankfully enters the kitchen though not too surprisingly he stays near the door. "Okay I'm here, so you can explain now."
Knowing how uncertain he is despite his bold words I begin to explain myself to all of them as Dar and Pina begin to eat. "Many years ago, when I first saw you, Thomas, I knew then that you were special. I don't really know why, or how, but I did know it and was almost instantly drawn to it and you."
Snorting in a way that I can't quite figure out Dar continues to eat, despite the glare I send at him before continuing.
"I was evil then and my whole goal towards you was to make you my heir. Obviously, that never worked out since you and your little friends defeated me at every turn, I don't really know how much of that you remember but as we all have told you, you were and still are a very skillful fighter."
"I remember you all being monsters." Ouch. "Though I'm not really sure how that makes you my enemies." Uncertain what to tell him as we still have yet to help him reawaken his dormant powers I in the end settle for overlooking it for now.
"It's a complicated matter. One I'd rather tell you about later if you don't mind very much." Looking as if he in fact minds a great deal, he however gives a nod in the end and gesture for me to go on with my current story. "As I said plans for you to become my heir did not work out so well and I finally had to give up all together when a bigger and badder evil showed up - the Machine Empire. I couldn't fight them and had to abandon my pursuits. Several years later, evil was destroyed - not entirely, just in a certain area and any thoughts of my work or you were quickly pushed to the back burner."
"Why?"
"Do you remember I told you that I had been badly hurt once and Dar and Pina took care of me?" Ignoring the stares from the other two, I wait for his nod. "That was completely true. When the evil was destroyed, I nearly died."
For a moment I divert my attention to the others. "By the way, thank you for that. After all I put you through, you had no reason to save me."
Dar shrugs, embarrassed as Pina shakes her head. "When we were evil, you were our leader. Our loyalty held even though we were finally free. You would have never let us die in battle and we weren't about to let you die out of it. Go on."
Touched by her heartfelt honesty, I turn my attention back to Thomas, making a note to talk to Pina more fully about all she and Dar did for me back then when I have more time. "Once I recovered, we came to this planet and recreated this castle. After that, we started working as - I guess you could call us suppliers. People want things and we find them for a price. For the last several years we have been building our business, just the three of us, living and working together."
Suddenly, his brow furrows. "Rita. Rita was your wife."
Frowning, I admit it. "Yes, she was. After we all became good, Rita went to start her life in the role she should have had - as a goddess of light." Though that hardly makes her any less annoying.
"And that's why you divorced." Not a question, I notice.
"Yes. We did not get along well when we were both evil and it certainly didn't get any better after she became good. Plus she snored." Making a dismissive gesture as Rita is hardly my favorite subject, I smile at the boy's snort and head shake.
"She did. You may take all of the bedcovers and curl up on me in your sleep, but at least you're silent about it. Intimate contact and the night chill I can deal with, snorting nasal sounds in my ear all night, not so much."
"Wait, he's sleeping with you?" Apparently not with the program, Dar raises a brow at this, looking far too disapproving for my taste.
"Don't make it sound like that." Hitting her mate in the arm with the back of her hand, Pina shakes her head. "All they're doing is resting, there's no mating being done."
"He sleeps naked and the boy rests against him if his words hold true." This is not where this conversation was supposed to go.
"He's not sleeping naked right now, at least I don't think he is. Are you?" Looking at me curiously and if I'm interpreting right, a bit protectively over Thomas, Pina is apparently waiting for an answer and by her gaze it had better be the right one.
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes I'm dressing for bed now that I have him in it with me." Not that it's not a bit annoying after being in the habit of sleeping nude, but still I'm well aware it's for the boy's best interest right now.
Suddenly turning a rather interesting shade of red, Thomas looks away in what I'll guess is embarrassment though I'm not really certain why, before muttering something about his life being a trip to a hellish wonderland. Whatever that means.
Deciding to not question him as he doesn't look too happy, I continue back on the original topic calmly, grabbing a few bites of food as I do. "Anyway, sleeping arrangements aside, things here were going well for us and our business when about two or three weeks ago, I was getting dressed and I was suddenly struck by this feeling that something was horribly wrong. I couldn't figure out why so I got Dar and Pina to try and help me figure it out. Dar found out from some of his contacts that you had been hurt. I didn't know why it was important - hell, I still don't know why - but I knew that I had to get to you. We contacted Rita and she agreed to try and help us. I went to see her - that was a waste of a trip - and then I headed for Earth. Shortly after I left Rita's I got sick for the first time. According to Pina's timeline, that would have been the first time - um-"
My words falter and I don't know what to say. Unfortunately, he knows where I was going with my story. "The first time they - he - hurt me." He holds his throat, the memory still too fresh for his or my liking.
Not wanting him to dwell on that I nod and move on quickly, hoping to distract him. "Yes. It happened a few other times during my trip to Earth. When I finally got there I found your friend and the children and convinced them to tell me where you were. I got you out of that place and you know the rest from there."
"I don't understand. Why are we enemies? You say it's complicated, but other than you wanting to make me your heir and being evil, why did we fight?"
"Well…" Thinking it over and trying to decide how to explain this without dragging in all of the technicality of being a Ranger, I in the end go for as basic a description as I can. "I suppose because I was trying to enslave the planet you were living on and in doing that you and your friends were chosen to stop me. Oh and also I tried to kill your girlfriend a few times." Making a dismissive gesture as truly that first Pink Ranger ground on my nerves nearly as much as Rita, I take another bite of my dinner not really seeing the big deal in trying to eliminate her.
Looking as if he's about to say something, but changes his mind at the end, he closes his mouth before turning away from me with a shake of his head and redirecting his focus on Pina, much to my surprise. "I see why he and I were enemies. Why were we?"
Pina looks a little ashamed but responds anyway. "Tommy, try to understand. He was my master and my boss. I followed every command I was given without question. If I had been told that a tree was our enemy in disguise, I would have destroyed it. I never actually hated you - I was doing what I was told. Nothing more."
I watch as he thinks through what she has said and am not too surprised this time when he turns to Dar. "What about you?"
Dar calmly clears the dishes as he answers the boy. "I hated you then and I hate you now."
I'm ready to kill him for his insolence when the Ranger surprises me yet again with a calm "Why?"
Dar gives a harsh bark of laughter. "I have my reasons." He sees the look on my face and shakes his head. "No, Zedd. Punish me if you think you must - and can, but just because the two of you are going to play Twenty Questions and Bare The Soul with the human, doesn't mean that I will. I tolerate his presence and you're lucky you get that much."
In the stunned silence that follows, Pina and I stare at each other as Dar leaves the room through the outside door, slamming it behind him. It takes me a moment but I finally find my voice. "What in all the hells was that about?"
Looking after her mate, Pina shakes her head slowly, clearly as lost as I am. "I have no idea."
Suddenly, rich baritone laughter fills the kitchen. Simultaneously, Pina and I turn to stare at the human as the sound warms my insides and confuses the hell out of me all at the same time. He's laughing? Goldar practically delivers a crushing blow to his emotions and self esteem and he's laughing? Truly I do not understand humans.
"Thomas what is so funny?"
Taking a minute to calm himself, his response leaves both Pina and myself more confused than ever. "Well, you can't be more honest than that."
"What?" Completely puzzled and now a bit concerned that he's had a mental break down, I barely hold in the urge to move to him, reminding myself that he's most likely not forgiven me fully just yet.
Clarifying his remark after another smaller round of laughter, he really is something else. "I asked for the truth and he definitely gave it to me. He didn't try to protect me from it or make it easier to take. He said what he needed to say and it was the truth. Not all truth is pretty."
Apparently disliking his answer as much as me, Pina shakes her head in argument. "Truth is one thing, but there's no reason to actually be nasty about either, Tommy."
"But he wasn't," the boy points out. "All he really said was that he hated me then and still does. If that's how he feels, then that's how he feels."
Shaking my head, I can't understand his reaction. Come to think of it, I can't understand Dar's either. Coming from Dar, his statement was practically a challenge and a stupid one at that. I know he realizes I could destroy him if I wanted to, so why risk his life like that? Why try to push me by pushing the boy?
Still pondering this matter, Pina distracts me briefly with another question to Thomas. "So, what do you think? Are you going to stay?" An interesting question to pose considering I would not let him leave even if he wanted to. No offence to him, but sending a defenseless Ranger back to Earth unguarded? A defenseless, well known, well hated Ranger who happens to be my bond mate? Not going to happen.
Sighing and perhaps already knowing this himself, he thankfully doesn't mention it just yet, instead going for a much more peaceful and exasperated response. "I know that you still haven't told me everything."
Mimicking his sigh, Pina does her best to keep him content while not spreading anymore half truths. "Please understand, Tommy, we're not doing it to be mean. There are just some parts of the story that would be difficult to explain even if you were completely well. However if you'll stay, I'll make you a promise."
He cocks his head, reminding me far too much of the ninja spirit to which he's connected. "What?"
"The medicine will require some time to fix all that it can. If you stay, let me treat you, and let us retrain you, then when you're well enough, I'll tell you the whole story from the beginning."
He considers this briefly before a rather interesting question is posed in response. "What do I get if you break your promise?"
She doesn't even hesitate. "Whatever you want. If you want to go back to Earth, I'll take you. If you want to kill me, I'll let you. Whatever you feel is fair." My my she is desperate to help him isn't she. I haven't heard her offer up her throat in a good long while.
Pondering this, he's silent so long, I'm afraid he's going to refuse entirely before finally, he speaks. "I doubt I'll kill you. That just doesn't seem very - me. But I will stay. Mostly because I honestly don't think certain people would let me leave even if I wanted to." Casting a knowing look at me, he honestly has no idea how right he is. Still though him agreeing to remain here on his own accord, is far better than me having to force him to - for all involved.
I exhale in relief before another problem rises to the front of my mind. "And where will you sleep?"
Frowning and hopefully not misunderstanding the reason for my question, he answers slowly and a bit unhappily it would seem. "I don't seem to have much of a choice in that. It's either my room or yours if you'll still let me, but I know if I sleep alone, I have nightmares."
"It's your decision, but you are welcome in my bed if it helps you sleep better." Not to mention that I'll sleep better knowing that he's sleeping well. Again, my relief knows no bounds as he nods in agreement.
"I guess for right now that'd be best."
Seeing as how we've momentarily won him over, Pina stands before clearing her place and moving towards the door. "Well now that everything seems to be mostly back to normal I'm going to go check on Dar. I'll see you two in the morning. Tommy, we'll start the new medicine then, all right?" He nods and she leaves the room, giving me a look I can't quite decipher.
Turning back to Thomas I look him over wondering what to do with him now that I have him back safe and sound. "So you had quite a night it seems."
"I guess."
"You know we never really did get to talk about what you told me today."
Looking away from me he gives a telling shrug and head shake. "Not in the mood." All right then.
Knowing better then to push him much more right now, I instead settle for finishing the last few bites on my plate, contemplating what to do next. I'm completely exhausted and, if his body language is any indication, his little nap did him little if any good. "Perhaps we should go to bed then and save any more talking for the morning, yes?"
He shrugs. "I guess so. I can't think of anything else to say."
The look on his face says clearly that he thinks that something else needs to be said, but apparently he isn't going to tell me what that something is. Knowing when I'm beat I rise and put my dishes in the sink, trying to figure out what he wants. I make my way to the bedroom, Thomas following.
"I'm just going to go change into something more comfortable. Why don't you take those boots off and get settled and I'll be right back." Moving to my closet and seeing he's been through it I grab a change of clothes and head to the bathroom deciding not to comment on the slight mess he's made of my wardrobe.
Moving to the bathroom, still not certain how he'd react to me undressing in front of him, I quickly change into some lighter and cleaner clothing, unable to stop the irrational fear that when I return to the room he'll be gone.
Grabbing my worn clothes from the floor after I finish brushing my teeth I step back into the room, relieved that he's stretched out on what I've come to think of as his side of the bed, his - or rather my - boots off and head laid easily on his arm.
Just watching him for a moment, taking in the sight and so very happy to have him back safe and sound I without much thought drop my clothes in the hamper and climb into my side of the bed. As I reach to turn out the light, it hits me. I know what he wants and really how could I have not seen it before.
I turn the light off to make it easier. "Thomas?"
"Hm?"
I take a deep breath. "I'm sorry I lied to you. It seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. I thought it would be easier to tell you the truth when you could understand me better. I thought that if I told you what you could understand, you wouldn't let us help you. And the more we found out about your condition, the more I was afraid to say something that could hurt your recovery." I can only hope that he can hear the truth in the apology.
After a long pause, I feel him moving and the covers shifting. I realize that he's getting in the bed rather than lying on top of it. Quietly, he says, "Thank you, Zedd."
He keeps his distance, but for some reason, I'm satisfied. I wait until I know that he's asleep before I allow myself to relax and sleep as well.
