ZEDD
Once he's figured out this Mesogog nonsense, I think we'll make that trip to Earth. After all, it's been a good long time since Pina, Dar and I have had a vacation. Not that Earth is my ideal vacation spot, but still it will make Thomas happy and I would in truth like to see what interests him about it. Not to mention that - with the way things have been going - I'd like some time for Thomas and I to be able to focus on us pretty exclusively. I mean, he can't possibly have that much to do, can he? My full attention returns to my mate as he lets out a soft moan as he slowly regains consciousness.
Finally. Moving to him and gently stroking his hair back, I heave a sigh of relief as he begins to open his eyes. "I swear you're going to take years off my life from worry" I scold him gently as I press a kiss to his forehead.
"What?"
"Nothing, love." Knowing really he doesn't put me through any more panic inducing moments then I do I him, I move back a bit, helping him sit up. "Easy, now, let me help you."
As he finally manages to sit up, holding his head, I can feel my worry mount a bit as I watch him wince in pain. "Oh hell. What happened?"
As I open my mouth to answer, he looks around. "Where the hell am I?" I'm stunned into silence. He catches sight of us and quickly moves off the table, backing away and taking up a defensive stance. "Who the hell are you?"
"Thomas-"
Eyes narrowing, he snaps back, "Nobody calls me that. I hate it and if Mercer told you to he's obviously trying to get you killed." Mercer? Oh yes, the human turned lizard. Right.
"First of all we have nothing to do with Anton Mercer, nor do we plan to aside stopping him from killing you. Second as far a calling you Thomas is concerned, as I've already told you at least fifty times since you've been here I have always called you Thomas and to me Thomas you shall remain."
Looking less pleased by the moment, his next question again takes me by surprise. "Who are you?"
I exchange puzzled glances with Dar and Pina before I return my attention to the man before me, who is quickly growing agitated at the lack of response from us. "Thomas, you're my mate."
"Mate?"
"Yes, mate. You know companion, consort, lover, soon to be husband once we get some time to actually settle down from work and discuss the details of a bonding ceremony. Mate."
He lets out a short, sharp bark of laughter. "Yeah, right, okay so what did Smitty put you up to this? Listen, man, no offence or anything, but I'm straight, thanks." Ouch.
"That may be true as far as the rest of the males in the universe are concerned, but we are mates. You - don't remember me?"
"No. None of you."
"What's the last thing you remember?"
He thinks for a minute, not relaxing his stance. "Um, there was a windstorm at the dig site. There was a table flying at me. Did it knock me out? Am I dreaming right now?" He frowns. "That would make a hell of a lot of sense... well all except the gay thing." Really? This is really what we're doing here.
"Except you're not dreaming, Thomas, and again, I don't know if you're what you humans refer to as gay or not, but you and I are bonded and mated. As for what occurred with the windstorm at the location you were working at, that was, I'm guessing, some years ago. You were doing some research in your lab here and there was an incident. You inhaled some of the fumes and passed out, hitting your head on the floor."
His confusion is obvious, even without the aid of the bond. "What would I be researching in a lab? My research is done out in the field."
"Do you remember your teen years?"
His look is wary. "Yeah, so?"
"Do you remember being a Ranger?"
"How do you know about that?" he demands. "I've never told anyone about that."
"I'll get there. Thomas, some of your research was misused by another and created a new evil on Earth. You were mentoring the new Rangers before you took up powers again. That evil, Mesogog, tried to kill you. He obviously failed, but you were badly hurt. I came and got you from Earth and the three of us have helped you get better. You still wanted to help the Ranger children, so you've been researching ways to accomplish that goal. I can't really tell you more about how or what you've been doing to accomplish that goal however since you refuse to explain it to me, mostly putting me off with sex until I'm too tired to remember to ask you."
He absorbs this for a minute. "Even if that's true, and I'm not even getting into the whole sex part of it, you still haven't told me who you are." When I open my mouth to respond he quickly holds up his hand, "And if you say my mate again I will kill you. I want a name."
And this is where things could get ugly. Reluctantly, I tell him. "I'm Lord Zedd."
Looking doubtful, he answers, "Sure you are."
"I am" I insist. "And this is Goldar and Scorpina in their true forms."
His eyes narrow once more. "Okay, Scorpina I can kind of see since she's not that much different, but that's Goldar and you're Zedd? Really?" We all nod and he continues. "Well, if you are who you say you are, then you're all my enemies." Here we go again.
"No, we're not. Do you remember the moon mission with Andros? When Andros destroyed Zordon's tube?" At his nod, I go on. "That's when most of the evil was removed from me and it was removed entirely from Scorpina, Goldar and Rita."
Hopefully, he can feel I'm being honest with him through the bond - even if he can't remember that we're bonded and exactly what to feel for. "Most of the evil?"
"Well, I'm no saint, as one might say, but I do my best to keep what trouble I cause to people who mainly deserve it. Plus you being here has helped curb my wicked ways a bit as you don't seem to like it when I get short tempered or physically violent with people who don't pose a threat to us and I'd rather see you happy then scowling and giving me lectures about my impulsive nature."
"Right. So fine, you're not kill entire worlds evil. Okay, I'll bite. Why would you save me?"
"At the time, I felt that I owed you for all that I'd done to you in your youth. So I saved you from a hospital that was doing you more harm than good, Scorpina helped heal you and get you back to your physical and mental potential, and aside the occasional nightmares that you have, though not often since you sleep with me, you're doing fine now."
"I…I'm not even going there, but fine, okay, fine, say you saved me because you felt you owed me. Obviously I'm not injured anymore, nor do I feel I couldn't fight off any danger some stupid healthcare workers pose. So why am I still here instead of helping the Rangers as you said I was originally doing?"
"Because you live here?" I state not really seeing what he's looking for here in way of explanation now. "Since you recovered, we've discovered that you and I are bonded and a short time after that we became mates. Plus it would be a bit difficult to have a regular mating schedule with you on Earth and me here."
His face reddens, but from what, I'm not entirely sure. "Stop saying that! We're not mates! I'm not into guys!"
In spite of himself, his gaze flickers away from my face and over my body. Sure you're not. "Thomas, again, I'm not saying that you are 'into guys' in general. From what you've said, I'm the exception to the rule, as it were, though you did mention how none of your past relationships with females has ever worked out. That aside though, we've not only had oral sex in nearly every room in the damn castle-"
"I knew you were going at it in the kitchen the other morning!" Goldar declares triumphantly. "Ha, tell me I'm imagining things, think I can't smell the pheromones lingering even over the smell of bacon."
"I am so not having this conversation" Thomas mutters looking torn between killing all of us or simply ending his own life.
"Why the hell else would I have been bothering to make breakfast?" I point out before returning my attention to the Ranger before me. "We've also mated many times and most of them you've taken me as you've been somewhat nervous about being the one not in control of the situation until just recently. Thankfully you've gotten over that though in past few days and I've had you a handful of times now. You're still fairly new at it."
"I don't believe you."
Dar speaks finally. "Perhaps we need to talk to Jason. Maybe he can reassure Tommy that what you've said is the truth."
"Yes, Jason. Get Jason." Thomas insists, looking rather close to losing his grip on his sanity.
An hour and a half later, we're all sitting in the kitchen lost in our thoughts. Fortunately, we were able to reach the former Red Ranger quickly. After Thomas quizzed him for ten minutes to be sure that it was truly him, Jason confirmed that what we'd told him was the truth. He wasn't happy, of course, that something else had gone wrong with his bro - and Jason still doesn't know the half of what's happened since he left concerning myself or my mate, but that can of course wait for now as he's already displeased enough I believe.
I have the feeling that I'm going to be in for the third degree when we do go visit Earth, but I push that aside for now as well, as I have more pressing issues to deal with. Namely my rather unhappy mate, who now believes, at least somewhat, that he is my mate as Jason also confirmed that, much to the former Ranger's denial and horror. Unsure where his memory loss will leave us, I'm uneasy about approaching the subject but know I can't let it go too long as he will need to eventually sleep and as we've all seen him attempting to do so alone does not result in anything good.
The silence is broken when Dar heaves a sigh and gets up to start the evening meal. As he works, he says, "Well, first things first, I guess. We'll have dinner and then it might be a good idea to properly show Tommy around. He's already seen the infirmary so his lab, Zedd's office, living quarters and so on would be the most reasonable places to take him for now. Perhaps seeing things that are more recently familiar to him might help bring his memory back."
"On the other hand," Pina says "it might be something as simple as the powers healing him once he sleeps."
"What powers?" Thomas interrupts. "I haven't held powers in some time now."
"As we told you, you took up a new set of powers when mentoring the batch of Rangers" I remind him calmly.
"It doesn't feel like I have any new powers."
"Well there's a reason for that. You don't actually hold them anymore." At his curious look I continue with a sigh. "Because with how injured you were they found you an unfit holder at the time and went to a companion of yours. However you still hold the Ninjetti powers" I inform him. "In fact, they've recently reawakened. Your morphing call isn't quite the same, but you can access them nonetheless. The powers have also altered you so that you can hold the powers fully without long term damage."
"Altered me how?" he demands.
"Essentially, you're a half breed now - half human and half Phaedosian" Pina replies. "It's also entirely possible that the new genetic configuration is what allowed the chemicals to inhibit your memory."
He thinks about this for a minute. "Since I'm not really sure about the specifics of Phaedosian physiology, that's not an impossible theory" he admits, before turning his attention to me. "Not that I want to get into this again, but you said something about us being bonded. What the hell is that?"
"It's a connection between us. We can feel each other's emotions which can sometimes affect our own. It's also how I knew you were hurt before I actually knew about it. Like right now, I can feel how agitated and scared you are, but I can't unfortunately do much about it aside verbal reassurance since you won't let me touch you." Becoming rather agitated myself as he keeps making sure to keep a bit of distance between us, I can only hope he gets over that by bed time.
"I'm not scared, but good guess." The comment given in a strong tone, I can nevertheless feel his increased fear at what I've just said along with him apparently not recalling there being a way to block me now.
"Either way, the bond became stronger when we became mates."
"That still makes no sense. I'm telling you - I'm not into guys - no matter what Jason said!"
Dar responds, "Yeah? Well you were sure as hell into Zedd last night going by your yells, or maybe it was the other way around given your echoing shout for more." It was both actually.
Thomas immediately turns a brilliant shade of red as Pina scolds him. "Dar, stop it."
"Oh, come on," he protests. "It's not like I've never given him a hard time before as loud as they both are. I swear at times you'd think this place was a brothel with all the howling they do."
Suddenly, Thomas' head snaps up as a thought occurs to him. "Wait a minute. That's not right."
"What's not, Thomas?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I've never been loud when I've been intimate with someone. So you guys tricked Jason somehow into thinking that we're sleeping together." His voice is triumphant, thinking he's caught us in a lie and it hurts more than I can say.
"And why would we do that Thomas?"
He gives me a look. "I have no idea," he admits "but it's the only thing that makes any kind of sense to me."
Pina sets her hand lightly on his wrist. "Um, Tommy, I know you said that it's none of our business - and you don't have to answer this, just think about it - when you've been intimate with your girlfriends before, was it necessary to be quiet to avoid detection or disturbing others? Was it maybe not all that, well, satisfying? Perhaps those things contributed to your - restraint at the time."
He jerks his hand away from her. "Even if any of that was true, I'm not going to tell you!"
"You don't have to, as I said. Just think about it."
"Besides we didn't have to trick Jason, given during his visit you basically pounced on Zedd right in front of him" Goldar states again getting a strangled protest from my mate.
"All right enough, let's just get dinner going," Pina instructs with a sigh.
Silence falls again as Dar continues working. Pina and I retrieve cutlery and dishes and begin to lay them out. Thomas is the one who breaks the silence next. "You said that you came and got me after I was hurt. So, do I have my own room or what?"
"You do have your own room, Thomas, but you don't sleep in it. You had nightmares when you first came and tried to sleep alone. We've been sharing a bed almost from the start, however we haven't been mates all that long, as I mentioned before."
"Yeah and that's not going to be happening. I'd rather suffer through the nightmares" he responds flatly and much to my growing aggravation.
I sigh. "I'd be more than happy to let you, Thomas, except your nightmares affect me as well." Seeing his confused look, I elaborate. "The bond, Thomas. When you have a nightmare and you aren't blocking me, I can feel your terror and panic." And I did not just mention blocking. Tell me I am not that stupid that I-
"How do I block you then?" The rapid fire question makes my heart sink and anger spike.
I'm hurt and for once I hope like hell that he can feel it. "You figured it out on your own before. You can damn well do it again."
"Zedd" Pina's soft voice chides me.
I can't help it - I snap at her on instinct, my aggravation and hurt just too much right now to hold back. "I'm sorry but this is stupid! His own brother in arms has told him we're together! I know he can feel me through the bond even if he doesn't know what he's feeling-"
"I know that you're hurt, but he's confused and not the man we've been dealing with for the last few months" Pina reminds me gently. "It'll be all right. Once he recalls who you are to him, you know he'll feel badly for hurting your feelings. Try and focus logically right now."
I sigh again. "I know. I'm sorry, Thomas, I didn't mean to snap. You did figure out the block on your own though and since I didn't teach you how, I don't know how you've been doing it."
Dar speaks up. "Once we were talking about it, Tommy and I, and he told me that he figured out how to use the bond and that it was - at first - like meditation. Once he got familiar with it, it became second nature to read it, use it and even block it." Thanks so much for that help there. Idiot.
"Considering his species doesn't bond like that, it's pretty impressive. With the ease that he learned to do it, it's all the more proof that we're meant to be together" I say more to reassure myself than anything else at the moment.
Apparently not taking it that way I'm taken back though as he stands suddenly, knocking over the stool he's been sitting on. "Stop saying that!"
"Actually, Thomas, you said it first" I state firmly.
"Oh really. And when was that?"
I frown as I think back. "Let's see. Jason had been here for a while and was getting ready to go back. The two of you had gone to retrieve some things that he'd brought you from Andros' ship. Apparently, he'd brought you some of your - what did he call them? - keepsakes and one of them was a letter from the first Pink Ranger. It upset you to a degree and you needed a little space. When I went to find you, you mentioned that you'd never had a relationship with a female that had worked out. You suggested that perhaps they didn't work out because we were meant to be together - that we'd always been meant to be together."
He pales. "I said that?"
"You did. Why?"
Instead of answering, he changes the subject. "What are my nightmares about?"
I hesitate. "I can't help but wonder, Thomas, if you'll even have them if you don't know. After all, most of the things you have nightmares about haven't happened yet from your current perspective."
"On the other hand, they might not affect me the same since - as you put it - they haven't happened yet. Maybe whatever caused them is suppressed like the rest of my memories."
"For your sake, I hope so since you're apparently so determined to sleep alone." I barely avoid choking on the words. Deliberately, I close my side of the bond. At his puzzled look, I know he's noticed the difference and I can't help feel a bit justified.
"What's wrong?" Noticing his look of confusion as well, Pina of course has to butt in.
"I don't know, feel weird all of the sudden, like kind of... Numb?"
As Goldar and Pina turn to give me looks, I give a shrug. "He wanted me blocked, I blocked him."
"Really Zeddic?" Shut up, like you never got mad at Dar.
"That's a tad childish even for you, isn't it?" You too?
"When your mate wants nothing to do with you, then you can talk" I snap heading to the dining room to cool off before the meal.
Dinner is mostly a silent affair and afterward we take the tour that Goldar suggested. Unfortunately, nothing seems familiar to him. Nothing, that is, until he finds his boxes in his room. He digs through them, ignoring our presence and losing himself in familiar things. Pina and Dar exchange looks with me and leave the room.
I allow him some time to paw through his belongings before I speak. "Thomas?"
"Thanks for showing me around. Could you close the door on your way out?"
Stung at the dismissal, I rise from the bed where I was seated. "As you wish, Thomas. My room is next door if you need anything. Good night."
Heartbroken, I leave and go to my room. Shortly, I'm in bed but it just feels wrong. I lie awake for a long time, missing the feel of my mate next to me and I'm sorry to admit actually hopeful he will have a nightmare just so I'll have an excuse to be with him for the night.
