TOMMY

I follow Zedd's father to his office, the trip made in rather tense silence. Once inside, he moves behind an enormous desk - the large piece of furniture meant to be intimidating I suppose. Oddly enough though, since my being with Zedd doesn't hinge on this man's opinion, I'm not all that intimidated or impressed as I think he believes I should be. Add in the fact that Dar informed me in no uncertain terms that Kerch tends to be a jerk to those he feels are beneath him, I'm braced for whatever he's going to say. "If you want to sit, you may. On the floor." Except that.

Raising a brow at this, I however keep my cool for the moment and reply as politely as I can. "I'll stand, thank you sir." But you keep treating me like dirt and I'll be launching over your desk instead.

He shrugs. "Whatever. So, you're a power holder."

"That's correct."

"Under Zordon."

"Technically under Dulcea if you wish to go by who is the guardian of the current powers I hold."

"I'm surprised Dulcea allowed you to hold any power given your bond with my son."

"Actually she seems to hold a rather grudging respect for Zedd. The only time I've heard her speak harshly to him was when he thought too little of himself. Your son is an extraordinary man, even Dulcea and several of my fellow Rangers will agree to that."

"My son is a wanted felon. One that has told me a story that has far too many discrepancies, holes, and timelines that don't match up by the way."

"Oh?"

"Apparently he feels that they aren't important or none of my business."

"And they may not seem so to him, sir. I'm fairly certain that Zedd's version of events that he's currently relating to his mother greatly differs from the one that I told her, as while similar, we both tend to view things in different ways at times. Something that's of great importance to him might be something I'd dismiss as insignificant and vice versa."

He leans back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of him. "Well then, boy, perhaps you'd like to give me your version of things."

"As you wish, my lord." I relate the sequence of the events to him, but nowhere with the same details that I gave Mara. She was much easier to talk to. The formal, almost court like feel here is not nearly as comfortable as the stroll in the garden with her and I'm almost certain that he's purposely doing his best to keep all emotion at bay for whatever reason. When I tell him about the three warriors getting the Earth flu from Jason, it seems like it's all he can do to hold back a laugh and maintain his stoic behavior.

After talking for a long time, I'm finished. Unlike Mara, he didn't seem inclined to ask any questions, just made some notes on the pad in front of him - something I've seen Zedd and the others do when meeting about something business related. I'm getting tired of standing, but I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of sitting on the floor or chance incurring his wrath by sitting in a chair.

He presses a button in his desk, I'm guessing to summon someone. Things are going to get really ugly around here if he's intending to throw me in the dungeon. Mentally, I snap to attention when he speaks. "I'm going to have to think about what you and Zeddic have told me. Talic will take you back to your room."

The servant in question opens the door and beckons me to follow him once more. I bow to Zedd's father and leave the room. I'm a little downhearted. I don't think I did a good enough job to make Kerch accept me as Zedd's mate. Just before I go in our room, Talic speaks in halting English. "Don't worry. Lady Mara likes you and she can help you."

"Thanks, Talic." I head in the room, suddenly realizing that there's every chance that he understood Zedd's proposal before we went to our respective first meetings. "Oh hell."

My back aches so I lie down on the bed, thinking. I've done what I can. Now we just have to wait. If his father doesn't like me, he doesn't like me. Dar, Pina, and Zedd even warned me of as much, all insisting that I understand it would be through no fault of my own before agreeing to bring me here. Still, I can't help but feel like if I'd just done or said something different things might have gone better. Still worrying over the matter I doze off and on while I wait for Zedd.

I wake with a jerk when the door opens. I can't help the hiss of discomfort when the jerk pulls against my stiff and sore back muscles. "Are you all right, love?"

"Back's a little stiff from standing in one place for so long, Talic can apparently speak a bit of English, and I think your father hates me, but other than that I'm fine."

Shaking his head he moves to sit with me on the bed. "Your back I can fix, my father, not so much. Here, roll over so I can rub it for you."

"Do we have time before dinner?" I give Zedd a sleepy smile. "After all, it'll either put me to sleep again or we'll end up mating, you know."

He grins back. "There's time." He helps me roll over and pull my shirt off. He starts rubbing my back as he says, "So why were you standing that long?"

"Because I have more pride and dignity than to sit on the floor."

"What?" His hand tightens and I hiss in pain. "Oh, sorry, Thomas. But why would you have to sit on the floor?"

"Because that's what your father offered me. Instead I chose to stand."

"You should have sat in a chair just to show him that you have the right."

"No, that just shows him that I'm defiant of authority. He'd have been so focused on my little rebellion, I think, that he wouldn't have listened to a word I said otherwise."

He growls deep in his throat. "I don't care, next time sit in a chair, or better yet take his. I warned him not to pull this shit on you."

"You warned him not to make me sit on the floor?"

"No, that was actually rather unexpected to be honest, however I warned him not to upset you or else he'd pay, and not by your hand either."

"In fairness Zedd, he didn't really upset me, he just didn't seem to like me."

"Well, you seem to have charmed my mother, at least."

"She certainly was easier to talk to than he was." I sigh in relief as a knot finally gives way under his hands. "Much better, kalleimat." I groan as his questing fingers discover another one. "That's not so much better."

We're both startled by a knock at the door. Before either of us can respond, Mara calls out in amusement, "You have about ten seconds to get decent or you'll have to finish mating in front of your mother!"

And that's just creepy - openly discussed subject here or not. Zedd calls out, "Come in, Mother. We aren't mating." As she enters, he explains, "Thomas has a sore back. Apparently, Father offered to let him sit on the floor and Thomas opted to stand the entire time instead."

I look at her just in time to see the extremely displeased look on her face. "Oh did he now? Well, I'll have to ask him about that later." And if her expression means anything I'd say he's going to end up standing when they go to bed tonight.

"Mara, if it helps at all, there might have actually been a purpose to it" I offer, even though I doubt as much.

Both mother and son turn to me curiously. "What do you mean, Thomas?"

I blush slightly. "I don't know. There was something about the way he watched me after he told me that I could sit on the floor." I shrug slightly, wincing as I do. "Maybe it was nothing. I mean, I'm only guessing. I could be wrong."

"Be still and let Zeddic fix your back" Mara scolds lightly. The motherly tone makes me miss my own mother fiercely for a moment before I push it away. Focus, Tommy. She continues, "And as for my husband even if he did have some reason for making such a suggestion it would hardly be a valid excuse for showing such poor manners."

"Maybe. Either way I don't think he likes me all that much anyways."

"Well considering he hasn't threatened to throw you off the roof I'd say he likes you better then Annwyl…he didn't threaten to throw you off the roof did he?"

Knowing if I say yes Mara will very likely throw him from the roof, I shake my head slightly. "Not yet."

"Good then. Now I was thinking, if you're still here tomorrow, perhaps we could all go out to dinner together?"

"All who?" my mate demands quickly.

"You two, myself, and Scorpina and Goldar if they've forgiven me. I was a bit overbearing while you were recovering, Zeddic."

"From what I've heard, you're understating it, Mother" Zedd says flatly.

She sighs. "Zeddic, while I've not been pleased with the choices you've made, you are still my son, my first born child and I've always cared for you. Plus you needed a bath, you smelled worse than horse stalls, fever or not. As for dinner, your father can come if he can behave himself and perhaps I'll invite your siblings."

"Then I'll stay home" Zedd says. "I've really no desire to see your perfect children, Mother."

"Zeddic" she scolds lightly. "I have no perfect children, as you well know. The rest of them just aren't as - headstrong as you are. Besides Serena misses her big brother greatly. I think she was rather proud of your success, in spite of the field you chose to be successful in."

"What about Jax?"

She sighs slightly as apparently this isn't anything new. "Jax is your father's son, my dear. It's just who he is and who he seems content to be. He's not you and you are by no means him, and the sooner you both accept that the better you both will get along." Sounds almost like me and David when we first met.

I can feel his doubt. "Mother-"

I decide to interrupt. "Zedd - shut up. Quit looking for a fight when there doesn't have to be one."

Mara laughs lightly. "Oh, he is good for you, Zeddic. Not to mention that he can be just as deceptive as you can when necessary." I turn a bit to look at her more fully. She shakes her head. "Pretending that you don't know Eltarian, shame on you." Oh hell.

Recovering quickly, I offer her my most charming smile. "Actually, nobody said one way or the other if I understood Eltarian or not. When Zedd called you, he said that my primary language was English and said that I spoke Iotian. He never said that I didn't speak Eltarian and he certainly didn't say anything to indicate that I only spoke those two languages."

"But when we were talking-"

"You were cursing up a storm" I remind her, amused. I ignore Zedd's shocked look. "And I said that cursing sounds the same in almost every language."

"Yes, but you said that you'd heard Zeddic use them enough to figure out what they meant."

"Oh that's true. Before I started learning Eltarian, the three of them swore in front of me often enough that it wasn't all that hard to figure out." I turn my attention to Zedd. "I'd like to meet your siblings, mate. Even if you don't want to go out to eat, I'd still like to at least meet them." Deciding to push a bit more I let just a bit of longing slip into my tone at what I say next. "Though it has in truth been a while since we went out. The last time was right around when we arrived on Earth and even that was just a quick bite at Hayley's café."

He sighs heavily. "Thomas if you want to go out to eat, I will gladly take you, however dining with my siblings is not something that would make the experience any better, I assure you."

"Maybe, but if you recall that's how I felt about you being around my brother at first and look how well that turned out, right?"

Looking unhappy that he has to reluctantly concede to that point, he shakes his head slowly. "I really don't think it's a good idea, love, but if you really want to go…"

I can't help but smile, knowing I've won. "I do really want to."

"Fine, but don't be surprised if you find you wish to leave before the main course even arrives." I know he's not thrilled with the idea, but from what I'm seeing of his parents, he's been reading them wrong for a long time now and I want to see if I'm right.

"I'll even talk to Pina and Dar and see if they'll go" I offer.

"Good luck" he grumbles. "Now hold still and let me deal with these knots."

Mara laughs again. "I'll leave you to it then, Zeddic. I have some calls to make."

She leaves the room quickly with a promise to see us at dinner. My thoughts return to his parents. His mother certainly isn't a problem. I'm not so sure that his father isn't. I'm not real sure, not being from this planet, but I get the feeling that he's secretly proud of Zedd. Almost like Zedd had the courage to buck the system, so to speak, where Kerch didn't. I'd almost be willing to bet every penny I own that Kerch was a 'good boy' growing up - so much so that he's a little afraid to make waves in society now.

I turn my attention to how to convince our other companions to join us. It'll be tricky and there might be a bit of begging and bullying involved, but I think I can do it.