ZEDD - A FEW MINUTES AGO
Why would Thomas want to talk to Dar? Pina's brow furrows as she focuses on her link with her mate, hoping that his emotions will give us all a clue. Especially since Thomas still has me blocked out. Suddenly, Jason speaks up. "How well do Tommy and Dar get along? I mean, I know that Dar said that they weren't friends, but-"
I sigh. "Dar tolerates him. Thomas has tried, but Dar's been having to get past some - old issues he has with Thomas. I really think that they'd get along quite well if Dar could make peace with it. Why?"
He frowns. "If I know Tommy," and I've no doubt you know him better than we do "he's probably going to try to get Dar to - well, punish him for what he did."
I turn to Pina. She shrugs, still concentrating. "It's not like I can hear his thoughts or their conversation, Zedd. I'm having to guess based on what I know of both of them and Dar's emotions."
"Even if he did try to push Dar into doing something, I doubt he'd actually go along with it." At least I hope not.
"Why is that?" Looking at me curiously Jason suddenly has a rather odd look in his eyes.
"Because he knows it would upset me." Heaving a sigh as this only gets me another odd look, I continue seriously. "Dar may not like Thomas, but he knows that I do, and as my, what do you humans call it, best friend of sorts, he wouldn't purposely upset me by injuring him."
Looking thoughtful for a moment, Jason very slowly shakes his head before responding. "Zedd let me propose to you a little hypothetical question. Say for instance that this situation were reversed and that you were once again evil and that you just beat the living hell out of Tommy. Now say like him you felt the need to pay for it and knowing Tommy wouldn't hurt you, you instead come to his best friend, me. Now I'm not claiming that Goldar and I are exactly alike, but if you and Goldar have a similar relationship to what Tommy and I do-"
"Hell." My head finding the table once more, I can only hope Goldar manages to talk Thomas out of whatever he has planned rather than Thomas talk him into it.
"It might be all right." Hand finding my back, Pina rubs my tense shoulders soothingly for a moment. "I mean Dar might actually help talk some reason into him." Maybe. Suddenly, she rises and moves for the door. "I think that we need to go - now." Or maybe not.
I'm right behind her and we head out to the gardens, the two Rangers following as well. We're a good ways into the garden when two things happen - I can feel my staff's magic once more and we all hear Dar snap, "That's enough!"
All of us pick up the pace, but not quickly enough it seems as just before we turn a corner we hear flesh striking flesh - and more than once. Once around said corner, we see Thomas on the ground with Dar kneeling above him, fist raised to strike again. Pina and I hurry toward our mates as Pina calls out, "Dar, stop!"
Truthfully, I'm more than a little surprised when he does, pausing and cursing in our native language before quickly backing off my mate just before we reach them. "You selfish little brat," Dar says to Thomas, his voice a mixture of irritation, anger and - grudging respect? "You tricked me." He did what now?
As I kneel next to Thomas, he groans and replies, "You didn't leave me much choice."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him pull Pina close protectively as he speaks again. "Was any of that even true?"
As I help him into a sitting position to better see his injuries, he answers, "Does it matter?" He raises his rapidly bruising face to look up at me. "I'm fine, Zedd." Sure you are, we'll just pretend that we weren't talking of suicide a half hour ago, and you didn't just follow it up by trying to get Goldar to kill you.
Dar snorts in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"
Feeling my anger resurface and not at my friend, I can't help letting it leak through in my tone as I address my now wounded mate. "You tricked Goldar into beating the hell out of you and you say you're fine? Have you lost what sense you have?"
"I had to."
"No you didn't have to. What the hell is wrong with you? I swear I'm about five seconds away from killing you myself right now." Looking at my friend, I shake my head as I continue. "Dar I'm sorry, I should have dealt with this myself instead of wallowing and have him push it on you."
"Yes, well, I'll give him credit he knew just what to say." He states looking at Tommy with some annoyance but still a bit of respect. He turns to the rest of us. "It's good you all did show up though as not only did he want me to punish him for what he did to Pina and Zedd, he wanted me to help him make sure that it never happened again."
"How?" I demand, my gaze flickering between the two men.
"That's what I asked him," Dar responds. "He suggested locking him in the dungeon and throwing away the key, sending him back to Earth and-" He stops suddenly, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
I can't stop the growl when it happens. "And what?"
"Dar-" there is a note of warning in my mate's voice and the two lock gazes in a battle of wills. The rest of us wait impatiently. To my surprise, Dar looks away first.
"And nothing," he says flatly. He turns to head back to the castle, taking Pina's hand as he does. "Zedd, your staff is in the tool shed. Pina, let him hurt for tonight. Maybe he'll get over it - and himself."
Dar draws Pina with him and she glances back at me for confirmation. I nod and return my attention to Thomas. I speak softly despite my still present anger at his self-destructive behavior. "Thomas, please stop doing this."
He looks away. "It had to be done and you weren't going to do it."
"No, it didn't. I wish I could make you understand. We know what you're going through right now, me more than anyone. Pina and Dar were just doing what they were told. I was the boss, the leader, the one giving the orders and making the decisions and for much longer than you were."
"You have no idea what I was planning, Zedd." You again would be very surprised.
"Planning isn't doing, Thomas," I inform him. "You can plan, wish, dream and plot all you want. It's whether or not you act on it that makes the difference." Running my hands through my hair in aggravation I try the only thing I can think of that I have left. "Thomas, if you want to punish yourself for planning, than you might as well punish me as well. Goldar and I admitted before how interested I was in you when you were younger. Well that interest wasn't solely based on making you my heir. There were several times that I considered doing to you exactly what you did to me over the past few days only not as nicely."
He shrugs indifferently. "Whatever." I need a drink.
I sigh heavily and stand, holding out a hand to him. "Come on. Let's go in and talk. And you really should eat something, even if you aren't hungry."
He allows me to pull him to his feet and he follows me back to the castle. On the way, I summon my staff, grateful to have it in hand once more. I can't help but ask the question. "How did you know that I wouldn't be able to summon my staff from there?"
"I wasn't sure, but you seem to keep it within a certain range. When we went for the walk in the woods and had to deal with the snake, you didn't summon it then so I assumed that it was too far." Or I was just too panicked to think of it at the time, whichever. "I actually considered destroying it for a minute."
Grateful that he hadn't, I still want to know something. "Why didn't you?"
He doesn't look at me when he answers. "Because I thought that once I was in charge and had you under control, I might need you to have it."
I ignore the snicker from one of the Rangers behind us as we go into the kitchen. I see that Dar has set a plate for him next to mine, but otherwise there is no sign of Dar or Pina. I sit down to finish eating as he sits beside me. Jason speaks up. "Guys, I'm going to go back to the ship. I want to check and see how things are going back on Earth. I'll see you in the morning."
The two Rangers leave quickly as I frown in puzzlement. There seemed to be more to it than that, but what? Have things taken a turn for the worse? Deciding to address it in the morning, I turn my attention to Thomas. I don't think I've ever seen him look this miserable and as long as he's closing himself off like this, I can't help him. In many ways, it feels like we're almost back to square one. "Once you're done, we'll go back to my room."
"Zedd I don't-"
"No." Cutting him off firmly before he can protest I fix him with a look. "We're not doing this Thomas, you don't like me behaving as if I'm afraid of you and quite frankly I don't like me being afraid to tell you what needs to be said and bowing down to you so you can just go off and hurt yourself. Now finish eating so we can go back upstairs and get some sleep or talk or something."
His head snaps up. "No 'or something' Zedd."
"I only meant we could watch a movie or relax."
He looks at me like I've lost my mind. "Considering I've seen your movie collection, no."
I can't help but roll my eyes. Honestly, does he really think I have nothing but porn? "I do have some action movies and that sort of thing, Thomas. It's hardly my fault that your snooping only turned up the one drawer that I had my more adult films in."
He relaxes slightly. "Maybe."
