TOMMY

Sighing in contentment, I settle against Zedd's shoulder. Maybe I can do this. Maybe there can be an us. I mean if even Goldar seems to think it's possible there must be something to at least giving it a shot. I relax even more as his hand starts stroking across my back. I know that he's going to want to talk soon, but hopefully not too soon. I just want to enjoy this for a few more minutes.

A few minutes later, the soft, "Thomas?" isn't all that unexpected.

"Hmm?"

"Why?" I know what he's asking and I'm not the least surprised he is asking really, as I know I would if the situation was reversed.

"Because I wanted to." I can all but feel him lift his head and look at me as if I've lost what bit of a mind I have.

"Would you like to clarify that statement just a bit?"

Heaving a sigh and tightening my hold on him I give a shrug. "You said that I'd have control and that's the way I wanted to do it. It made it easier for me a bit because that way I knew you wouldn't be overly worried about me panicking or anything." I'm sure he can feel the grin that's spreading across my face. "It was a bonus that it messed with their heads, too. Are you mad?"

I can feel rather than hear his sigh. "No, I'm not mad, I knew what you were doing before I got back here, it was just trying to understand why that was bothering me. Also you didn't exactly fool all of the others. I don't know what you talked to Dar about this morning, but whatever it was helped him figure out what you were doing. And no, he didn't tell me."

Suddenly, I realize that even if he's not mad about it I might have scared or worried him a little. "I'm sorry if it upset you. I didn't think about that before I did it."

"As long as you're actually all right, I think I can let this one slide." His arm tightens around me briefly before he returns to rubbing my back lightly. "Just next time you wish to role-play like that give me a bit of warning, all right?"

"Okay," I frown briefly as I remember something that Dar had said. "Why does it matter that we mated? Dar said something about it making a difference between us."

"Mating strengthens the bond."

"Oh." I think about this for a minute. "So, in a way, I made things harder on you by forcing you when I was evil."

"You didn't force me. I could have stopped you if I'd decided to. That aside however you had no way of knowing, Thomas. Really, there's a lot about bonding that relates to our species that you don't know. Well, a lot about our species in general."

"Yeah. I think Pina will have to teach me about some of that too. I mean, you can teach me some of it, but Pina will have to deal with the more scientific aspects." I can almost feel his curious look. "On Earth, I am - was - a scientist. I earned my degree and everything."

"What degree?"

I sigh. "Doctorate. My thesis was 'Dinosaur DNA and Bio-Mechanics in the Modern Day'. That's what lead to the whole mess that's currently going on back on Earth."

Silence falls for a long minute. "So then you're actually Dr. Thomas Oliver."

I sigh again. "I was."

"And you will be again. Anything you've lost, Thomas, if it pertains to that, you can relearn."

I shrug. "It doesn't really matter anyway."

"Why not?"

"It's not like I was using it anymore anyway. I was teaching, not researching. Teaching high school, no less." Which wasn't my original goal, but after what happened on the island lab… "Let's just say I have no business doing research anymore."

"But-"

I cut him off. "I don't want to talk about that anymore. It doesn't matter right now anyway." I can tell that he wants to pursue it, but I'm thankful when he lets it drop.

He changes the subject too, thank god. "So after Jason and Andros leave, we'll be able to get your lessons going properly."

"Good." I'm about to say something else, but my stomach rumbles. "In the meantime, I think I'm going to need some fuel."

"You did miss lunch," he agrees. "And I didn't have much either."

"Too comfortable to get up right now though," I admit quietly. Not to mention too embarrassed to face the others just yet. I mean, yeah, it was kind of funny to mess with their minds at the time, but now, having to face them - particularly Jason - after that. I have no idea how he'll react. He seemed okay with it when we talked in the garden, when it was just a maybe and he's okay with other people acting like that - well, kind of. He's often voiced the belief that public displays of affection should be - what's the phrase I want? - toned down to keep from offending other people. I mean, I just kissed Zedd in front of them, but how I kissed him…

Zedd's voice startles me out of my thoughts. "You're worrying again."

He can read me way too well sometimes. "Just not sure how Jason's going to take this - us - never mind what I did in the infirmary."

"He's not going to stop being your friend and caring about you, if that's what you're worried about, Thomas. You two have been too close for too long for that." His tones are firm and sure. I just wish that I was.

"Maybe."

Sitting up a bit, but keeping his hold on me, he frowns slightly at my unenthused response. "Thomas, from what I've seen of him in the past and during his current time here I don't feel he's that kind of person. If he were, I doubt that he could have ever forgiven you for some of the things you did - spell or not." Gee thanks Zedd, that's helpful.

And no, I really don't want to go there right now. "Maybe we should just take a nap and deal with it later."

"Why do you do that?" Do what now? "Why do you either put things off or take them on yourself or expect the worst?"

Moving to give him a look as I'm pretty sure that question makes him one of the biggest hypocrites ever, I can't help the slight bite in my own response. "You have got to be kidding me. Like you don't?"

"We aren't talking about me." Oh of course not. At my stern look he amends his statement just a bit. "Fine you want to talk about me, let's talk about my past concerns over the bond. When I was first explaining to you about the bond, weren't you the one who said that you didn't always have to look for the worst to happen?" Cheap shot.

"I didn't know what I was talking about. Remember, I still had those damn drugs in my system. It was messing with how I thought and what I knew."

"Thomas, stop. You're borrowing trouble, to use an Earth phrase. Wait and see what happens before you worry about it. Because, quite frankly, if he does have a problem with it, it's his problem and it doesn't have to be ours. I seriously doubt that it'll be a problem anyway as I'm certain Andros, Dar, and Pina have probably helped explain what being bonded means and why us being mates is a logical situation because of it. Besides he knew what I was doing every time I came back from mating with you and - while displeased about the bruises I was sporting - he didn't seem highly concerned about the other aspects of it."

"Or he was just more focused on me going on a killing spree" I point out seriously.

Head in hand, he mutters something softly in his native tongue again before heaving a sigh. "Fine, but I find it hard to believe he couldn't focus on you becoming an evil overlord as well as bedding me at the same time as he seems fairly capable of multitasking and multiple thoughts. Either way though let's get dressed, go to the kitchen, and find out and then you can quit worrying about it because then you'll know."

I sigh again. "All right." He hugs me one last time and we get up, get dressed and head for the kitchen. As we reach the door, I can hear Jason laugh at something. I steel myself for this, hoping I'm not about to lose my best friend - my brother.