ZEDD

I heave yet another sigh. Somehow, I'm sure that Thomas is going to refuse to consider my idea, which would not only benefit my building hormone levels, but also work us toward being proper mates. As I toy with my staff, I wonder why he decided to hide it in the first place. After all, the Lord Zedd he knew wouldn't have needed it for much of what he'd have expected me to do. I usually only needed it for large or long distance magic - like the things I did to Earth. Fortunately, he never thought to try and use it. Being that he was controlled by dark magic at the time, it's very possible that he'd have been able to access the magic that the staff channels - and then he'd have definitely been lost.

The uncertainty of all this, I think, is what's bothering me the most. In my business, I deal in certainties - whether I can or cannot acquire the requested items based on a set amount of risk. Fortunately, again, I haven't had any requests lately that require me, Pina and Dar to leave the planet to attain the necessary items, but I know that time is coming as well and I need to be sure that Thomas' head is on straight for it. Not that I'd take him with on most of the jobs that we do, but I have to know that he's not going to do something self-destructive in our absence as well.

Never mind making sure that he's - for lack of a better word - sane enough for Jason and Andros to leave. While they have been a great help while they've been here, I'd still like it very much if they'd leave us all in peace.

Suddenly, my head snaps up. Something's wrong. I can't sense Thomas again. True I'd been momentarily worried by a sudden spike of pain and then confused upset earlier that I assume must have been from his treatment followed by something that put him off, almost at me it seemed, but that had passed. This, this is not the same, nor is it him blocking me. Swiftly, I stand and hurry from the room. Okay, think logically, Zedd. Given how long he's been gone, he probably went to the kitchen after he saw Pina. Turning my steps in that direction, I head for the stairs. I'm about halfway down when I see Thomas in a heap at the bottom. "Thomas!"

I fly the rest of the way down the stairs, leaping over the last few and his unmoving form. He's lying there, staring blankly and I can see the lump swelling on his forehead from where he must have struck it on the way down. Unsure how far he's fallen or how badly he might be hurt otherwise, I'm afraid to move him and afraid to leave him to get help.

"Zedd? What happened?"

I have never - well, almost never - been so grateful to hear Dar's voice. "I don't know. I found him like this and I don't know how far he might have fallen."

"I'll get Pina." Already moving as he speaks, between one heartbeat and the next, he's gone.

"Hang on, Thomas. Dar's gone to get Pina," I murmur to him, hoping he can hear me like the last time. "Everything will be all right."

I hear Pina curse in Eltarian as she comes around the corner and sees us. Reluctantly, I move away from the former Ranger so that she can scan him. Finally, she says, "A few bumps and scrapes, but otherwise he'll be fine." She sighs. "I had hoped that he wouldn't have any more of these episodes." You're not the only one. "But, again, on the plus side, it means that he's getting better." Great he gets better just in time to almost break his neck. Wonderful. "Let's get him to the infirmary, Zedd."

Once there, she sets up her monitors. "I'll let Jason and Andros know what's happened," Dar informs me, heading for the door.

I don't even have time to acknowledge his statement before he's gone. Well, it seems that the confrontation in the garden has made an impact on someone. Pina addresses me. "Once he's out of this, while he's still on the table, you'll need to do the magical scan to make sure the spell is gone."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Pina."

She sighs. "As much as I hate to say it, Zedd, it's for the best. If it's not gone, we can restrain him to the table if we have to. With all they did to him in that place, they've only restrained him to a bed so it should help lessen the chance of any flashbacks."

I can't help it. "As far as we know, anyway." She inclines her head in agreement. As usual, we can only wait now. I find myself pacing as I wait too agitated at the moment to sit still beside him. "How long was he in this state last time?"

"About an hour and a half." I groan, knowing it's going to seem like a thousand lifetimes before it breaks. "I find it interesting, though, that - given the two episodes that he has had - the first was only several minutes and the second one was an hour and a half. The first time, he still had some of the other drugs in his system and the second time they were gone. If the spell is gone, I wonder how that's going to affect the duration."

Something in her voice tells me she knows - or at least suspects - something. "What are you getting at?"

"What if the first time the new medication was fighting the drugs in his system but the second time it was trying to do something about the spell that was slowing his recovery?"

"Dulcea did say that with the spell gone he would make great strides," I muse. I continue pacing for several minutes. On one pass, I glance at Thomas and stop dead in my tracks. His lips are moving, as if he's having a conversation with someone, but I can't make out any sound. He's still staring blankly at the ceiling. "Pina, come here and look at this."

She hurries over and watches with me. His lips move for a minute and then stop and then starts again - exactly as if he were talking to someone else and the pauses are for the other person to respond. Pina and I exchange puzzled glances. "According to the monitors, he's still in the same state. So who is he talking to?"

I shrug but then an idea occurs to me. "The spirit of the Falcon maybe?"

She shrugs in return. "Possibly, but I have no idea. I don't know if that was something he did when he held the powers then or not. Truthfully, when they were children, they never tapped into the full potential of their powers. Only what they absolutely needed and nothing more as Dulcea never did have time to properly train and guide them in it."

"I know that I talked to him the last time, but this time I'm loathe to do it. I really don't want to take a chance on interrupting something that may very well help him."

She nods in understanding. "Just keep an eye on him. If at some point the conversation seems to end, try then." I nod and she returns to her desk as I return to pacing.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

We're all becoming anxious as the clock nears the six hour mark that Pina claimed was the limit before it was a problem. By now, everyone has come to the infirmary and Jason is pacing as much as I am. Some hours ago, Dar brought down sandwiches for everyone. Normally, I have a good appetite, but right now, it was all I could do to choke down one - no offense to Dar.

A soft sigh from the table snaps my head around, as well as everyone else's it seems. As quick as thought, I am at his side. "Thomas?"

"I'm okay, Zedd," he answers quietly. I can't help my sigh of relief and it's echoed throughout the room. "What happened? I remember going upstairs to find you and then…well I'm here now."

"The best I can guess is you were struck by another episode on the steps and didn't have a chance to either reach the next floor or go back down before you succumbed to it."

"So basically I had a blackout and fell down the stairs."

"More or less" I agree with a nod. "Thankfully you only seemed to have scuffed yourself up a bit and banged your head. You're lucky it wasn't worse."

"You didn't come with." Frowning at his statement, I look to the others who seem equally lost.

"I came as soon as I couldn't feel you through the bond anymore," I explain still a little lost.

Heaving a sigh he shakes his head slowly. "No, with me to see Pina you didn't come with. I said let's go see her and I thought you'd followed, but you didn't."

"No, she said she didn't need me when I asked her at breakfast" I explain, uncertain what this has to do with his current situation.

"Yeah, but you always come with. Even when I tell you not to follow me you do, so why did you stay back the one time I invite you along?" Looking rather displeased by this, he takes me back enough to make me have to think over the question he's posing.

"Because you didn't need me to come with. As I said Pina stated I wasn't needed, and as you just pointed out you generally do tell me in not so many words that you need your space. So given that you are getting better I figured you didn't need me to watch over you as closely." Though given what occurred so shortly after his trip to infirmary, I'm now starting to rethink that decision. "I'm sorry if I upset you by staying behind, if you wanted me to come with to hold you while she gave you your treatment I would have, but if it was just for the fact you were worried about something occurring with Pina or what occurred during the spell I really wasn't needed."

"Well no offence Zedd, but I need you to move so I can see just how much he does or doesn't need your help right now." In spite of the monitors, Pina quickly does a scan for new data.

When she's done, she says, "As we discussed before, Zedd, I think you should do the magical scan now."

I nod still thinking on his slight upset at me staying behind, but shoving it aside for the moment. "Thomas, close your eyes, please and keep them closed until I tell you."

"Déjà vu," he mutters. "You know I'm not going to panic or anything if I see you like you used to look. I mean I remember what you look like from when I was under that stupid spell. I know it's not really who you are."

"Still, if you won't do as I ask for your sake, do it for mine, please." Once he's done as I've asked, though not without another mutter of exasperation, I summon my staff and shift into my other form. Knowing what I'm looking for now, I abandon the scan of the rest of his body and concentrate on his head. It seems the spell is gone, but it seems to have almost tainted his mind somehow. It's not as - clean, I guess - as it was before. Unsure about what to do about this, I end the scan for the time being and return to my natural form.

"It appears to be gone," I tell the others before I address Thomas. "You can open your eyes now."

When he does he sits up and turns toward me with a speed I didn't anticipate. His hand shoots out, grabs the front of my shirt and he yanks me closer. I'm about to force him to release me, instead I'm stunned when he kisses me. He pulls back just enough to speak, his lips still brushing mine. "Very nice, my lord," he half growls, half purrs at me. What in all the hells is going on here?

"Why did you call me that?" I can't help the question, plus it'll give me an idea where his head is at right now.

He leans in close to my ear and whispers, "Because you only told me to call you by your name in your bed when we're - busy." The husky tone sends shivers down my spine. "However, if you're - uninspired at this time, you do have a drawer full of inspiration, my lord. Well, a drawer or two."

I feel my mouth fall open. There was no trace of the spell, I'm sure of it! What do I do now? Judging by the hostile looks I can see I'm getting from the corner of my eye, I better think of something and fast. Making sure that I have control of my voice and self, I tell him, "Go to the room and wait for me."

"As you wish, my lord." He hops off the table and quickly heads out of the room. I wait until I hear his footsteps fade in the distance before I turn to the others.

"I'm telling you - the spell wasn't there."

Jason doesn't look happy. "Zedd, even if the spell wasn't there, something's making him act this way. This isn't how he normally behaves." You don't have to convince me of that.

"I'm well aware of that, Jason, but I am telling you it's not the result of me scanning him or any magic that I can locate."

Before I can continue, Pina interrupts. "The scan showed that the spell was gone. Did it show anything at all?"

I frown. "His mind doesn't seem the same as before - almost as if the spell tainted or dirtied it somehow. However that has no bearing that I can tell on him suddenly acting like this again after the scan."

Frowns all around, Dar finally speaks. "If the spell is gone, then that's not what's causing his behavior. It could have, however, unlocked or opened a part of him that he's never given free rein to before. It's just odd that he could suddenly flip from being depressed and concerned about...wait." He looks thoughtful for a minute. Suddenly, his eyes widen, as if something has occurred to him. Dar looks at me. "Either way, you need to go deal with your mate." Wait, what just happened? And what does he mean depressed? When was he depressed and over what?

"But-"

"Later, Zedd. "

"What if he attacks Zedd or comes after one of us again?" Pina questions, giving her mate a rather annoyed look.

"He won't, that's not his agenda right now." What?! Looking back at me he continues calmly. "Seriously, you need to go deal with him. Just trust me on this, all right? I'm going to get dinner started." He leaves the room quickly and less than a minute later, I hear his laughter ringing in the hallway. I exchange confused looks with the others and then shake my head.

"I guess I'll go deal with Thomas. See you at dinner." I leave the room and head toward my own, pondering Thomas' strange behavior - and Dar's. I go back over what's happened and I find myself repeatedly going back to what Dar had said. I find it hard to believe that Thomas is suddenly so in control of himself that- Abruptly, I come to the same realization that Dar probably came to. Thomas is faking it. I'm torn between finding it terribly endearing, funny as hell, and tragically painful. Is this honestly how he thought he'd help the situation we're in? Really? I offer him up complete control over the situation, my full understanding and patience, and this is what he thinks is a better way?

I don't want him forcing himself into doing something he isn't ready for, but at the same time, I'm curious just how far he'll take this before he realizes that it isn't necessary. Plus, this could be another tactic to avoid talking to me about the things that need to be discussed. I really don't know how to handle this so I finally decide to follow his lead. For now.