TOMMY - A WEEK AND A HALF LATER
I'm in my room packing for our trip to Earth since most of my clothes are still in here. I finally got the formula right to break down the Tyrannodrones without blowing something up or it taking forever - one good side of the temporary memory block, I guess. I sigh silently as I remember one downside. Ever since I got my memory back, Zedd's been getting grumpier and crankier and I have no idea why. I mean, we've been doing almost all the same stuff we were doing before - training with the powers, sparring, I've slipped in some language lessons where I could when it wouldn't interfere with our time, he's been working, mating. I've not blocked the bond so I can definitely tell how irritable he is.
I've asked him a few times what's wrong, but he won't tell me. I've wondered a few times if he's tired of me already, if this trip will be more to drop me off than for a visit for the holidays. I guess, if that's what it is, it'll be par for the course. After all, if my figures are right, we're nearing the two month mark - mating for about a month. So, yeah, that's about the right timeframe.
Sighing again, I pull my hoodie out of the closet - the white one with the picture of the falcon on the back. I smile at it briefly, remembering the day we ordered it and the day it arrived. Things have definitely moved fast between us - maybe too fast. I shove the hoodie in the bag and zip it shut. Grabbing the bag, I haul it down to the hangar since we're leaving in the morning.
As I get closer, I can hear Zedd snapping at someone, probably Goldar. "Well, check it again!"
"Zedd, until something happens that I can check it against, there's nothing else I can do. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Silence. "Nothing. Sorry, Dar. I've just been out of sorts lately. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"Well, if you're going to be this irritable while we're on Earth, maybe you shouldn't leave the ship. If we're getting on your nerves this badly, I can only imagine what'll happen with the children and Hayley and Jason and the others around." No, Dar, it's apparently just me getting on his nerves by being around.
"Maybe." Yep, that's about right because then he won't have to be around me either.
I walk into the hangar. "Where should I put this?"
"Just set it down, Thomas. I'll put it on the ship in a few minutes."
I set the bag down and leave, heading for the kitchen. Pina's in here watching dinner, which Dar tells me is similar to stew. I greet her and start to set the table. I've become almost as quick at it as they are now. Once I'm done, she pins me with a sharp look. "Boetie, what's going on with you lately?"
I look at her, startled. "What are you talking about? Zedd's the one that's been in a mood lately."
"But something's been, I don't know, off with you. I mean, we're going to Earth to see your friends and family and so that you can properly wrap up your affairs there so that you can finally settle in here and you don't seem to be the least bit affected by it."
I shrug. After all, as close as she and I are, I'm not about to tell her what I think is going on, have her reassure me that it's not and then I'm right in the end. I just can't do it. "Just because I'm not being all emotional about it, doesn't mean that I'm not affected, Isosisko."
Before the conversation can go any further, our mates come in and now both of them are in a great mood - not. Just as I'm about to say something, my communicator goes off. I haven't heard anything from Earth since I sent them the formula that I came up with. "This is Tommy - go ahead."
"Salutations, Tommy." Only one person talks like that.
"Hi, Billy. What's up?"
"We thought we'd let you know - that formula of yours - good news and bad news."
"Okay, well pick one and go for it."
"The good news is that it works wonderfully on the Tyrannodrones. We were also able to use it to separate Anton from Mesogog."
"That is good news" I agree. "So what's the bad news?"
Jason's voice enters the conversation. "It doesn't do much to Mesogog except piss him off."
I bite my lip as I think. Really, there's only one option now that Anton's been separated from the monster. "So just kill him. I can't see another way, can you?"
"It's not been quite that easy. Apparently, when Anton and Mesogog were one being, Anton kind of reined Mesogog in quite a bit, but now-" And I can already see where this is going.
"Jase, he's not a person the way that you and I are. He's a monster - no different than the ones we fought before. If Anton's not able to control him because they are not a part of each other any more, then it's a psychopathic, sociopath monster with no hope of redemption and needs to be put out of everyone's misery."
"We kind of figured that's what you'd say, but since you were their mentor first, we decided to check in."
"How are the kids doing?"
It's quiet so long that I'm starting to think that the connection's been lost somehow when Billy says, "They're survivors, Tommy, all of them. You'll be proud of them when they see you and catch you up. You chose well."
"The gems chose them, Billy. You know how it works. How's Hayley doing?"
"Narrowly missed having a nervous breakdown" Jason informs me. "Another day without adult help and I think she might have snapped. She shouldn't have waited so long to get help."
"But she's okay though, right?"
Before Jason or Billy can answer me, I hear someone get smacked in the head, followed by a protest - I'm guessing from the injured party. I hear Hayley say, "I though we agreed that we weren't going to tell him."
"No, you didn't want to tell him. I said that I'd think about it."
She sighs. "I'm okay, Tommy. Don't worry about me."
"Too late, sis. You all better still be alive and well when I come to Earth." A little more back and forth and I finally disconnect the call. "Well, at least they've made progress. That's something. One step closer to the kids being able to go back to being kids."
"They'll never really be able to go back, Tommy. You know that."
I look at Pina. "I know, but they'll be able to have somewhat normal lives at least."
"Like you?" Dar says. We all look at him. "Oh, come on. Three different colors and five sets of powers before you even got out of high school, race car driver, college graduate-"
"With a doctorate" adds Zedd.
Raising an eyebrow at this, Dar continues, "With a doctorate, worked on an island lab, blew it up, taught high school, picked up yet another color and set of powers and now living with your mate - a male of another species - on another planet and with an entirely different genetic makeup. Oh and lets not forget the moon mission in there too. Yeah, that's a somewhat normal life."
He's not serious, is he? "Apparently, I'm the exception to the rule, Dar. Most of the rest of the Rangers went on to have fairly normal lives. Not too many have been called back to service and nobody as much as I have. As far as your 'and now' goes, if it wasn't for that chance shot that nearly killed me, I wouldn't be here with you all and changed. There would have been absolutely no reason for any of you to have ever even thought of me again."
Pina smiles. "And, in spite of everything, it would have been our loss, Tommy."
Dar nods. "Even though we didn't get along at the beginning - which was my issue - you're tolerable now and have even helped us."
"Things certainly would be different" Zedd agrees. Wow, contain your enthusiasm there, Zedd. Pina and Dar both give him twin looks of amazement. "Excuse me, I just remembered that I have something that I have to attend to before we leave."
He heads out of the room quickly. Okay, time to get this over with. "I'll be back."
Quickly, I head out after him and shortly, catch up with him. "What do you need, Thomas?"
"I need to know what the hell is going on here" I answer.
"Yeah, well don't we all."
The snarky response confuses me. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." He turns away but I grab his arm and spin him back around to face me.
"No. I've had enough of this."
"That's obvious." I take a breath. I remind myself that I'm a warrior, not a coward, and I have to deal with this head-on. Before I can ask him about his intentions, I'm shocked into speechlessness by his next statement. "I'm not the one making you feel like - a common whore."
My mouth falls open. What? I'm doing what? How? When I can finally speak, my voice is strangled. "Excuse me?"
"All I ever asked for was for you to be honest with me, Thomas. If you don't want to be mates anymore, just say so." You're kidding, right?
"Where in all the hells did you ever get an idea like that?"
"You've been keeping your emotions shut down, Thomas, even when we're mating. The bond is there, I know it is, but I'm getting absolutely nothing from it, from you. It's like you're - using me and I don't like it."
I absorb this for a minute. Hesitantly, I ask, "So, you're not planning on just - dropping me off on Earth and leaving me there?"
Now he's the one that's shocked. "Of course not! Why would you even think such a thing?"
"Well, what was I supposed to think? Before you were cranky because you thought I was going back to stay and then because you thought I was going back without you. Now that it's been decided that I wasn't going to stay there and you all were going with me, you're still cranky and I thought that you - had gotten tired of me and were going to leave me there while you came back. I thought you didn't want to be together anymore."
"I've been getting irritable because you've been - emotionally detached. I thought you were done with me!"
"Not everything relates directly to you, Zedd. I get that your ego would make you think so, but you're wrong. This time it had nothing to do with you. It was just something I had to deal with in my own way and no, I'm not going to discuss it. As the saying goes, let sleeping dogs lie, okay? I have no doubt that you'll find out or figure it out soon enough and probably sooner than I'd like but for now, please let it go."
Cautiously, I release the stranglehold I've had on my emotions for the last week plus. He exhales in relief. "Thank you, Thomas."
"I'm so very sorry, kalleimat. I didn't realize that I was hurting you like that. I'd never use you that way." We reach for each other at the same time and in a moment we're in a tight embrace. "Zedd, why didn't you say anything sooner?"
"Because I was afraid that you were going to tell me that you didn't want to be with me anymore and I'm selfish enough that I wanted all the time I could get with you before you finally told me that you didn't want me anymore and that you were staying on Earth."
"First of all, I don't end my relationships, Zedd, as I told you before. Second, I thought that you were getting bored with me. I mean, I try not to let my past affect us, but we're in the right timeframe for me to be getting dumped again. Honestly, any time in the next few months would fit."
"Thomas, if it's left entirely up to me, we'll be together forever."
Ah, there's my closet romantic. I make sure that there's a teasing note in my voice. "Oh, I don't know. I hear that you get bored pretty easily and pick fights with random planets to get rid of your boredom."
"It's been known to happen" he admits. "Let's go have dinner."
