TOMMY - A WEEK LATER

For the first time in days, I wake slowly and well after sunrise. Grateful that it's not the middle of the night and I'm not terrified, I reach for my mate, only to find the bed empty and the sheets stone cold. Where is he and why is he up and not here with me? After all you'd think he'd take advantage of me not waking him up with a nightmare for the first time this week. Lazily tracing the bond, and trying to determine if something's wrong, I in the end let it be as he seems to be downstairs and for the most part content. I'll get up and follow him in a few minutes.

In the meantime, I allow my thoughts to wander to my most recent problem - Christmas, which is the day after tomorrow. Surprisingly, out of my new little family, Dar was the easiest to figure out a present for. Annoyingly, my new sister and my mate are proving much more difficult. After all, what the hell do you get the man who can buy himself anything he wants? I do have a few ideas, but they're much better suited to his birthday or Valentine's Day - and most certainly in private.

I know I'll have to get up soon when nature calls, but for now I roll over and get comfortable still trying to figure out what to do about things. A couple of days after Christmas, Zedd and I are supposed to go and see Sam and David for a day. Scorpina and Goldar might go with us. A couple of days after that - we're leaving the planet. We'll make a quick visit to Eltar so that I can meet Zedd's parents before we head home and I can get officially moved in.

I sigh. It'll be nice to have my things there, to make it more my home, but for now, being in my current home like it is, is a tad depressing. We've gotten rid of a good bit of stuff in the house - stuff that I wasn't going to take with me and Hayley didn't want. The house hasn't looked this empty since I moved in. It's again depressing and exciting at the same time. The only thing we haven't been able to figure out is what to do with the raptors. It's not fair to expect Jason or Hayley to keep taking care of them. The kids can't keep them. It's certainly not practical to try and move them to Zedd's planet, as even if we could manage to get them to handle the trip, I highly doubt Zedd is going to want them wreaking havoc in his home for God knows how long. It wouldn't be so bad if I knew more about their life span, but as it stands I have no idea how long they'll live. When I hatched them, I never could have foreseen that I was going to be moving off the planet in less than a year.

Seeing no other real option, I realize that - unless something comes up pretty quickly - I'm going to have to put them down. Merry Christmas to me and the kids. And once more I've managed to turn a pretty good morning into a depressing one. "Damn it."

I jump slightly at Zedd's voice since I didn't hear the door open. "What's wrong, love?"

I sigh. "You know me, Zedd. Always worrying about something."

Shortly, he's in the bed holding me. "Talk to me."

"I still don't know what to do with the raptors, I can't figure out Christmas presents for you and Pina and I'm a little nervous about meeting your parents. Oh and I won't be here to see the kids graduate."

"All right, first things first. Perhaps you should contact some of the other Rangers and see if they have an idea about the raptors."

"Most of the other current or past Rangers aren't in a living situation that they would be able to take on four biomechanical dinosaur hybrids, Zedd. I can't pawn them off on Hayley and Jason for much longer. I know you don't want them running around the palace tearing things up any more then Pina probably wants them upsetting the wildlife back home. Odds are, I'll have to put them down."

Frowning, he shakes his head. "Put them down? Down where?"

I sigh again at the misunderstanding. "Put them to sleep, you know, humanely let them go…" At his continued look of confusion, I curse softly before just coming out with it. "Kill them, Zedd."

Looking surprised now, he is quick to protest this idea, much to my surprise. "Try the other Rangers first, Thomas. However if none can take them and we have to, we'll take them home, but you shouldn't have to kill your pets."

"Zedd they're not really pets. They're more or less hybrid versions of what our Zords were or like the Tyrannodrones, you know?"

Not looking as if he's buying it, Zedd shakes his head sternly. "They're your pets, I know it, you know it, and in some weird way, mechanical or not, they know it. I know you technically created them, but I've seen how you interact with them and I know it's not how you'd ever interact with a Zord." I'm about to argue with him about it when he calmly holds up a hand to stop me. "Stop, Thomas. I will figure something out if it comes to that, but I won't let you kill them just because you think they will be too much of a bother to me and the others. Now, what was next?"

"Christmas presents."

"Right, Christmas." Looking thoughtful for a moment, he continues slowly. "With the tree and reindeer and pedophile in a red fur suit."

"What?!" Certain I've misheard him, I shake my head in disbelief. "Where on Earth did you get that from?"

"I've been watching the movies they've been playing on TV, as has Dar, and we agree that you perhaps should have let us kill this Santa person when we had the chance several years back."

I know I'm going to regret this but- "Why?"

"Because he spends all year spying on children, watching them throughout the day and recording their behaviors, the ones he likes he gives gifts to, and the ones he does not are punished. Also I don't understand the point of why these children have to sit on his lap in order to receive said presents. I may be rather open about mating and such, however I find it highly inappropriate and incredibly distasteful that this is an encouraged situation during the month of December every year."

Head in hand, I count slowly to ten, before even attempting to try and fix his views of the entire Santa Claus situation. "Zedd it's not what you think. Okay look, yes when you say it like that, it does sound bad, I won't disagree there, but you're kind of misunderstanding the actual purpose of everything. See typically the whole kids misbehaving thing is what parents use to get kids to behave around this time of the year. It's kind of like an empty threat, you know, you better be good or Santa won't bring you any presents? Also, the whole lap sitting thing, well….okay remember your grandmother of sorts that you told me about? The one that defended you and that thought the world of you no matter what trouble you got into?"

"Yes."

"Okay, when you were young, like really young, didn't she ever hold you, or tuck you in to bed at night, or sit you on her lap so she could read to you or something?" At his nod, I continue. "Okay so did you like sitting on her lap and having her hold you?"

"Yes, but that's not the same thing."

"Why did you like sitting on her lap and having her hold you?"

"I don't know, because I wanted her attention and usually I'd run to her when I got in trouble for doing something bad and she wouldn't let my father yell at me if she was holding me." Wow, manipulative while still drinking out of a sippy cup, what a shock.

"Okay, getting you out of trouble aside, you liked sitting on her lap and having her hold you because then her whole focus was on you, correct?" Again a nod. "Well that's why kids like to sit on Santa's lap here, they want all his focus. Kids are jealous, spiteful, manipulative creatures that definitely don't want to share the spotlight with their peers when it comes to gaining the attention of a magical creature that brings them presents. Understand?"

Thinking on it for a minute, he eventually does give me a reluctant nod of agreeance, though still seems rather doubtful. "I suppose, but I still find it rather unprofessional."

"It is what it is, mate."

"Hmm, either way though, you said something about presents. I'm assuming you don't mean ones from Santa, as I really will have to kill the creature if you attempt to sit on his lap, regardless of what he offers you in return." Oh brother.

"No Zedd, not from Santa. I was talking about finding presents for you guys, but I'm not having much luck."

"Honestly, as we're unfamiliar with the details of your holidays, we wouldn't expect gifts. Were you-"

I shake my head. "No, I wasn't expecting gifts from you guys. I just - I don't know - wanted to do something a little special for my new family. I mean you guys seemed to like helping decorate the tree and all that. I thought it'd be nice to share some holidays and stuff with you all."

"We did like decorating the tree, and despite some of the still unsettling implications in them, we have so far liked most of the Christmas related movies we've watched… I was especially fond of the Grinch one, though I think it could have ended better." What a shock that would be his pick. "As for presents though, you said that you couldn't figure out anything for me or Pina. Does that mean you already have something for Dar?"

"Yeah. He was surprisingly easy. But it's not right to give him something and not the two of you - my sister and my mate."

"As I said, love, we wouldn't take offence as again we're not very familiar with the holiday. However if you insist, well, perhaps for Pina, something nature related. A plant that's indigenous to Earth, perhaps?"

"Maybe." I flip through my mental catalogue, trying to come up with something that she'd like or be fascinated with. "But I still wouldn't have anything for you."

"Oh, I can think of a few things."

Lightly, I smack his leg. "Stop it. I mean something that I can give you in public."

"Well-"

"Zedd!" I can't help but laugh though. Insatiable ass.

"Honestly love I won't be upset if you can't think of something and if you like I'll try and help you find something for Pina."

"What about the other stuff?"

"There's not much I can offer there. We'll skip over the parent problem for now since neither of us knows how that will go - although I can guess, and again ask you to please not take anything they say to heart. Which leaves the graduation for the children. You and I could come back for a short visit at that time, Thomas. As I've told you before, there's no reason that I can't leave Pina and Dar in charge of the business for a while."

"Let's see how things are going then. It's not for a few months anyway."

"So you're worrying about this now, why?"

"Again, you know how I am. I start worrying about one thing and then it just snowballs." Feeling his confusion, I clarify, "It just gets bigger and bigger."

"I've warned you about this over thinking thing you do, love."

"I know, I know. It'll be the death of me…" My voice trails off as the part of my mind that was thinking about presents clicks with what I've just said. "I think I've come up with something for Pina's present. Though again that just leaves you."

"I'm just happy to have you in my life, Thomas."

I roll my eyes. "So easy to please."

"You have no idea" he purrs at me.

I turn over and kiss him. "Perhaps we could have a quick one before I have to go out and get Pina's gift."

"Only if I get a longer one later" he bargains.

I laugh again. "Deal." For the last few nights, I've actually been dressing for bed, uncomfortable with my usual near naked or naked state. I feel a bit bad knowing it's been concerning Zedd for more reasons than just lack of intimacy, however ever since I read that stupid file it's like I've backslid a bit with my sleeping and us, two things I definitely need to make right before my mate goes from concerned to all out panicked and paranoid.

Zedd helps me out of my nightwear, even as I help him get rid of his own clothes. He lets me take the dominant position this time, although I have no doubt that he'll take it the next.

I still can't believe how good he feels around me. I remember something I haven't done for him in a long time. Why not do it again? I rise up over him, making sure I stay deep in him before I bend and take him in my mouth. "Oh hells Thomas! Yes! More!"

Smirking to myself now, I know that he probably won't last very long - especially if I do - this. My sharp thrust hitting that spot just so has him at a loss for words, reducing my usually wordy mate to cries of pleasure. Keeping up my ministrations, it really isn't all that long before his body locks as he succumbs to the sensations, volume increasing to a roar. I ease my mouth off of him and smile down at him, taking in the view while he recovers somewhat. My own body is screaming for release but I force myself to wait and stay still as he pants under me.

He's not quite caught his breath when I start to move again, knowing that the sensitive nerves will have him wound up again in no time. Hoping to pull another one from my mate, I focus my attention on making sure that I'm interacting with the nerves deep in him every time. "Come on, Zedd. One more." With another shout, he offers up all he has left and I'm right behind him.