TOMMY - TWO YEARS LATER

"Daddy, come on!" Mara Jane tugs at my hand, trying to get me to hurry. I can't help but laugh.

"Go ahead. Just stay where I can see you." She takes off toward the playground full of Eltarian children. "Remember, we only have until Papa comes for us" I call after her.

"Okay!" she calls back. I settle on a nearby bench, hands folded over my slightly swollen belly. My thoughts wander as I watch my daughter.

Zedd and I had finally decided to go ahead with trying to have another child. Pina, much more cautious this time around, tested and scanned the hell out of me, not to mention months of research and consultations with Alundra. To everyone's surprise, my half breed state allowed my body to be much more receptive to carrying a child than Zedd's - to the point that I didn't need the pouch that he'd needed. Granted, I'll still need surgery when it's time to have the baby taken out, but still…

Pina still had to adjust my chemistry, much as she had Zedd's to give us the best chance of the pregnancy taking. I can't really help but smirk as I remember how freaked out Dar had gotten when he'd teased me about it being my turn to be the female and I'd burst into tears and accused him of thinking like Annwyl - that I was too weak to be a proper mate for Zedd. He'd scrambled to try and fix things, but every time he opened his mouth he only made it worse. And I wasn't even pregnant yet!

As it turned out, the right time to try the implant was while Zedd was gone on a business trip. I'd decided to go ahead without him, hoping to surprise him a week or so later. I smile as I remember how I broke the news to him.

I knew that he was home, as I'd programmed my cuff to let me know when his ship was in the atmosphere. I'd already arranged for Kira to take care of Mara Jane for almost the entire night and Dar helped me make Zedd's favorite meal with whisky for him, juice for me. I dressed nicely and put on his favorite cologne. I knew, too, that he would seek out Mara Jane first, especially since it was getting close to her bedtime and he'd want to tell her good night.

I waited impatiently for him to come to me. When he came into our room, he immediately pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply before nuzzling my neck. His voice had a low growl when he'd said, "Are you trying to break my control, Thomas?"

"Maybe" I'd said teasingly.

"Maybe" he growled back "I should just bend you over the end of the bed and take you. It's been too long and you know what that scent does to me."

I'd kind of expected that my announcement would have to wait, but that was fine with me. One hard fast mating and clean up later, we were finally at the table for our meal. He filled me in on the details of his trip, with me saying very little, but still very attentive. Once he wound down, he said, "So anything interesting or important happen here while I was gone?"

I try and keep my voice casual as I answer him. "Mara Jane's ready for her next belt test, Kira's going next week to record some new songs, Pina's thinking about redoing the garden again, I'm pregnant and Dar's been playing with some new software for the business."

He nods and goes to wipe his mouth, freezing suddenly. "Wait, what?"

"New software for the business - so I don't have to translate all the contracts. I'll still have to do all the person to person contact, but-"

"Not that" he interrupts.

"Mara Jane's ready for her test?"

"Thomas." There's a warning tone that says he's not playing at the moment. I move over and sit on his lap, taking his hand and pressing it to my stomach.

Softly, I say, "You're going to be a papa again." He stares at me so long, I'm starting to think I broke him. "Zedd?"

"You- I- what?"

"I'm pregnant." It's taking so long for him to react that I'm starting to get a little nervous. I can tell the minute that it sinks in, however, when his expression changes from stunned to awed.

I turn my thoughts away from the rest of the night, otherwise I'm going to want to go find Zedd right now. Oddly, while Zedd was pregnant, he seemed slightly less inclined to want to mate, but it seems to take very little for me to want to.

We'd also decided that, since Mara and Kerch enjoyed spending time with Mara Jane so much and would no doubt want to spend time with the new baby as well, we needed a 'vacation home' on Eltar. We bought a 'small' chunk of land near their estate and built a house there. It has four wings with the center being the central living areas - one wing for Pina and Dar, one for us, one for Kira and one for any guests that might want to stay with us. Each wing can function independently, with its own kitchenette and such, but the central area houses a massive kitchen as well as living room and dining room.

"Daddy, look!" I smile at my daughter, watching as she spins over a bar, reminding me of Kim working on the bars many years ago. Suddenly, I see someone that doesn't belong anywhere near my baby.

I stand quickly. "Mara Jane! Come here! Now!"

Fortunately, we've trained her for this. Don't ask questions, don't argue, just move. She drops off the bar and runs over to me. I take her hand and we walk quickly across the park toward the street where Zedd dropped us off. A quick glance over my shoulder tells me we're being followed - and my staff is out of range.

Quietly, Mara Jane asks, "Is that a bad man, Daddy?"

I don't want to scare her, but better scared than lied to in this case. "Yes." I know he's gaining on us without even looking, simply because of Mara Jane's shorter stride, in spite of her almost running to keep up with me. "Do you remember that move we practiced?"

"To get on your back? Yes."

"Do it. Now." I barely have to slow my stride for a couple of steps. She watches carefully and sets her foot on my knee as it comes up and uses that to push up as I take her hands and swing her around onto my back. In a moment, she has her legs and arms locked around me even as I lock my arms around her. Quickly, I trigger the alert on my cuff as I start moving faster than before.

Even so, I know he's closer than I'd care for when I hear him call out, "Where are you going, human?"

I can feel my child's heart pounding against my back. I have to keep her safe! Eyes searching for familiar, preferably helpful faces, I ask, "How close is he, baby?"

She twists to look, her soft gasp telling me he's far too close. "I think he's going to catch us, Daddy."

I curse softly in a language she doesn't know. I turn and face our pursuer as Mara Jane slides down my back to the ground. "Leave us alone, Calan."

"You ruined me, pet. Now I'm going to take something you hold precious."

"You got what you deserved - less than you deserved, really."

He doesn't respond other than to launch at me, striking out in anger. I fight back. Suddenly, he turns away, toward Mara Jane. I launch after him, determined that he'll not touch her. I realize too late, however, that she's not his goal as he spins and kicks me in the stomach. I drop to the ground, curled up in a tight ball, now unable to protect my daughter as my focus is now on trying to protect my son. Calan continues to kick and stomp on me, getting in as many shots on my stomach as he can.

"Daddy!" I look up, through my tears of pain to see my darling seven year old daughter, looking more like her papa than ever as she launches at Calan, snarling as she does.

"Tommy!" Pina.

"Mara Jane!" Dar.

"Thomas! Mara Jane!" Zedd. Oh god, he's never going to trust me to take care of the children again. Pain wracks my lower body even as Pina slides to a stop next to me, dropping to her knees.

"Hang on, Tommy."

"Pina, the baby. He kicked me in the stomach." The pain and fear for the baby is too much and I pass out, praying as I do that the baby will be spared - even if I'm not.

SOMETIME LATER

I open my eyes, momentarily confused. I'm in our bed at home - well, the house on Eltar anyway. Did I dream it all? I move to sit up and suck in a breath as pain once more runs across my belly. Oh god is the baby okay? Before I can wonder where Zedd is, he's at my side. "Easy, Thomas."

"Zedd?"

I know he can feel my panic and fear ramping up and he soothes me quickly. "It's all right, love. The baby is fine."

"Are you sure? How?"

He helps me sit up as he answers me. "Yes, Thomas, he's fine. You have some nasty bruising, but the baby is okay. I don't know how, but all of Pina's and Alundra's scans say that he is." Before I can say anything else, there's a knock at the door. "Come in."

Much to my surprise - and Zedd's by the look on his face - Zordon comes in. "Hello, Zedd, Tommy."

I'm more than a little proud of my husband when his question is merely curious instead of a challenge. "What are you doing here?"

"Scorpina called me and asked me to contact Dulcea with a few questions. She would have done it herself, but she was busy running some tests at the time." He smiles at us. "I hear that your daughter is quite the fighter when she's trying to protect her daddy. Although I would do something about her language if I were you. The words she's using to refer to Calan aren't really appropriate for an adult and certainly aren't for a child her age."

I can almost feel Zedd's blush. "Yeah, she might have picked those up from me. Today."

"We'll deal with that later. What did Dulcea have to say, Zordon?"

"Apparently, since you have an active power, much like it protects and heals you as much as it can, so too will it protect the child you're currently carrying. In this case, acting almost like a shield or cushion between the baby and the attacks."

I exhale in relief. "I didn't want to morph since I had no idea what effect it would have on the baby, but it never occurred to me that it might still protect him."

"Dulcea did say that morphing shouldn't hurt the baby, but she still recommends against it. As the baby is a mixed breed with the potential for mixed powers, nobody can say for sure what might happen. Of course, if it's necessary to do so to save your lives, then do so and we'll figure it out later."

"What are we going to do about Calan?" I ask anxiously. "If he's still free-"

"He's as good as dead" Zedd snarls. "Don't worry about it, love."

I open my mouth to protest my mate killing someone, but Zordon speaks first. "Actually, he is dead."

Wait, what? I remember Mara Jane attacking him before the others arrived. "Mara Jane didn't-"

"Oh no! She didn't do it, nor did Dar, Pina or Zedd. Apparently once he was in custody, he had a small 'accident'. Law enforcement wasn't pleased that he attacked a power holder again. Even the others that were jailed weren't happy that he was stupid enough to attack Lord Zedd's mate - again. In spite of the fact that Zedd has been rather 'calm' over the last several years, our memories are long and to deliberately poke at the sleeping beast is considered beyond stupid."

Belatedly, I realize that I hadn't asked something extremely important. "Is Mara Jane all right?"

There's a long pause which is making me nervous. Finally, Zedd says reluctantly, "She has some bruises from her fight with Calan, Thomas, but she's okay."

"I want to see her. I need to see her."

Zordon turns for the door. "I'll get her."

Once he leaves the room and I really think about it, I start to get pretty depressed. "What's the matter, love?"

"I'm useless, Zedd. I couldn't even protect our children when they needed it. Our seven year old daughter had to protect me and the baby."

"And it was a hell of a fight from what I saw when I got there and I was only ten or fifteen feet behind Goldar and Scorpina." He laughs lightly, apparently now that everything is all right, the memory strikes him as funny.

"Excuse me?"

"Her fighting style may be all you, love, since you're the one mostly training her, but the rage she was showing - that was all me." If I'm not mistaken, he sounds proud of her. At my curious look, he elaborates. "When I got there, Pina was already at your side. I looked over to see Goldar pulling our little angel off of Calan where she'd put him on the ground. Dar had to literally pick her up bodily and drag her off him and she was hissing and spitting and kicking and clawing at the air and struggling still trying to get to him even from ten feet away. She didn't calm down until I knocked him unconscious and went to talk to her. Dar's got a few nasty scrapes and bites - from her. In fact, I'd bet a pile of credits that he's hurt worse than she is."

Before I can respond, the door opens and Zordon herds our daughter in. She's walking with her head down and shoulders hunched, like she's in trouble. I exchange a fast look with my mate. "Mara Jane? Baby, what's wrong?"

She sniffles, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"For what, sweetie? You didn't do anything wrong."

She breaks out into tears. "Yes, I did! I broke the rules! You told me to keep it a secret that I can fight and I didn't, I talked to a stranger without permission and I hurt Uncle Dar and didn't mind him."

"Come here, sweetheart." Reluctantly, she climbs up on the bed. "Let me see how bad you're hurt."

She raises her face and I suck in a breath at the black eye and bruised and swollen cheekbone on my baby girl. Odds are, as large as Calan is by comparison, this was only one solid hit. I refocus on her as she apologizes again. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

I kiss her gently. "My darling baby girl, you have nothing to apologize for. This is the reason that we wanted you to keep your fighting a secret - so that when you needed it, the bad guys wouldn't be ready for it. You were so busy trying to protect Daddy and your brother that you didn't listen to Uncle Dar. You're right, it's not a good thing but not your fault. Papa will have to work with you on learning to focus when you're that angry. And what do you mean, you talked to a stranger without permission?"

Next to me, I can feel Zedd trying very hard not to laugh out loud and I'm more than a little surprised to see Zordon doing the same as she answers me. "I talked to the bad man."

Apparently, that's the last straw for both the other adults in the room as they both start laughing very loudly. Zedd gasps out, "She wasn't talking to him. She was threatening him. Told him she'd gut him!"

Zordon nods. "I heard that she said she was going to hang him with his own intestines."

Zedd continues, "And you don't want to know what she said she was going to do with his kidneys and lungs."

She starts sobbing loudly again. I pull her into my arms as the other two are fast to get themselves under control at my glare. "Mara Jane, that's not exactly what we meant when we said that you weren't supposed to talk to strangers. Those weren't nice things to say, even though I'm sure you meant them at the time. Where did you learn things like that?" Although I have a fairly good guess…

"I heard Papa say some of it and some of it was from a movie I think. Please don't be mad, Daddy" she pleads.

"I'm not mad. I promise. Just remember that some of the things that you hear grown ups say are not okay for a little girl to say, okay? Like we talked about? Some words are only for adults." Granted that little conversation took place a few years ago after she'd picked up some choice words from the rest of us. We were all guilty of that one as she'd sworn in both English and Eltarian. I cuddle her closer. "You're my hero, baby girl. You protected me and the baby until help got there. I'm proud of you."

She looks up at me, eyes still shimmering as she sniffs again. "Really?"

"Really." I hug her tightly, wincing slightly at the pressure it puts on one of my bruises, but she needs this right now. "Did you tell Uncle Dar that you're sorry?"

She nods against my chest. "Yeah, but I think he's still mad."

"I doubt that he's mad at you, sweetheart. He's probably still mad about what happened." I look up at Zordon. "Zordon-"

He nods. "I'll take care of it. Come on, little one. Your daddy needs to rest so that he'll feel better."

I give her one more quick kiss before I let her go. "I love you, baby."

"Love you too, Daddy."

"I'll come for you in a while" Zedd tells her. "If Uncle Dar is still mad and Zordon can't fix it, Papa will."

She nods and Zordon takes her out of the room. Once the door closes behind them, I bury my face in my hands, crying myself. Quickly, Zedd takes me in his arms, but I push him back. "How can you stand to even look at me? I can't protect our children! Calan could have grabbed her and taken off with her once I was down and I couldn't have done anything about it!"

"Love, I suspect that if he'd done that, she would have made him regret it very much."

Is he serious? "Zedd, she thought that she'd broken the rules by fighting and talking to him. That's halfway to her becoming a pet of some kind - and as crazy as Calan is, god only knows what kind of pet he'd have made her. Do you realize what he could have done to her? We don't have a bond with her like we do each other! We might never have found her if he'd taken her and he could have-"

"Thomas, stop!" He pulls me into his arms again and I'm practically hyperventilating in fear and panic as I cling to him tightly. His voice softens. "Thomas, love - none of that happened. She's here, safe and sound. She wouldn't have let him take her because she knows that's wrong and she would have fought him - in trouble or not - just like standing by and letting him hurt her family would have been wrong. We've taught her to be cautious, not passive. There's a difference." He takes a deep breath. "And, quite frankly, we might have a bigger problem."

"Bigger than that?"

He pulls back slightly, biting his lip and taking my hands as he does. "Thomas, before I was able to calm her down, while she was still struggling with Dar - her eyes were black."

And I'm fairly certain that my heart just stopped. "What?!"

"Once she calmed down enough, they returned to their normal purple color."

"Once she calmed down enough, they returned to their normal purple color" he assures me.

"Well, obviously! I think I'd have noticed if my daughter's eyes were black, Zedd! What do we do now?"

"I don't know yet" he admits. "We'll think of something. In the meantime, love, you need to calm down. This stress isn't good for you or the baby."

"I know that! I'm a horrible parent! I can't protect our daughter and I'm endangering our son and-"

"Thomas, stop it! If any of us had thought for one minute that you weren't capable of taking Mara Jane to the park, we'd have said something. But we all thought that - with as quiet as things have been - that it would be all right. Honestly, I would have thought Calan would have learned his lesson and, believe me, I'm going to let his family know that they are lucky that we aren't applying for restitution again or demanding a life in exchange for the one they almost cost us."

"That won't help anything!"

"I know that, love, but if I don't, people will think that we're easy targets now. And you are not a horrible parent. You handle Mara Jane better than I do."

I'm calming down slightly. "That's because all you want to do is spoil her."

He shrugs. "I can't help it. She's just so damn cute."