ZEDD - FIVE MONTHS LATER

I heave a sigh as I land the ship. Fortunately, it was a short trip - only two days. The housing situation got on my nerves and we rented a house to get by so that we weren't all living on top of each other. I leave the ship and head around the house to get my car to go home. It's inconvenient, but there's no way that I can land the ship around the place we're renting. Hayley pokes her head out of the house as I'm about to climb in the car.

"Tell Tommy to call Jason, would you?"

I raise an eyebrow at this. "Why can't Jason call him?"

"He's tried. He'll call and get Tommy's voicemail and then Tommy texts him saying that he's busy and he'll call him later."

"All right. How many times has he tried to call?"

"About a dozen times since you left two days ago." What now?

"And he hasn't had time to call in two days?"

"Trust me, if you hadn't come home today, I was driving over there tomorrow. I'm not sure, but I think he's moping about something."

"I'll take care of it. You'll hear from him or me no later than tomorrow." She disappears into the house as I get in the car and start it quickly. I get home as fast as I can without drawing undue attention. The last thing I need is to be delayed by law enforcement.

I'm barely out of the car before Mara Jane flies out of the house and into my arms. "Papa, you're home!" she cries happily.

"It sure seems like it" I tease lightly. "I almost think you missed me."

"I always miss you or Daddy when you go away." Speaking of…

"Were you a good girl while I was gone?"

She nods, sobering quickly. "But Daddy's been unhappy. He cries sometimes when he thinks I don't see."

More concerned than ever now, I pick her up and head for the house. Just before we go in, I say, "Be quiet unless he calls you, okay? I want to surprise Daddy."

She nods and I open the door in time to hear Thomas call out, "Mara Jane, go wash up for dinner, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy" she calls back. I set her down and she heads for the bathroom. I slip through to the kitchen and peek around the doorframe. I look at my mate in dismay. His eyes are red and he's sniffling slightly as he wipes his eyes and then blows his nose. I haven't seen him look this miserable in years. Hopefully, I can make him feel better.

"Well, now. There's my handsome husband." Thomas jumps in surprise and spins around. In the blink of an eye, I find myself with my arms full of mate and unborn child. "Miss me?"

"Of course I missed you!" He kisses me firmly. When he leans back to look at me, there is no trace of the misery I'd observed one short minute ago. Did he really just need for me to be home or is he hiding something? "Welcome home."

"How are you, love? Really."

His smile slips a bit. "Moody as hell. Ready to have this baby."

"I know the feeling." Gently, I coast my thumbs under his eyes. "You've been crying. Why? Just the moodiness?"

"Not tonight, Zedd. We can deal with what went wrong while you were gone tomorrow."

"Why haven't you called Jason back?"

"That's the moodiness. I just haven't felt like talking to him - or anybody else really."

He steps back out of my arms and turns to set dinner on the table along with a place setting for me. "Love, what's wrong?"

"You're home now. Everything will be fine."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

He shrugs. "Both?"

I don't get to question him further due to the arrival of our daughter. We sit down to eat and Thomas mentions, "By the way, Zedd, I've been making meals for the two of you and freezing them for when I'm gone."

Confused, I ask, "Gone? Where are you going?"

"Back home? To have the baby? Remember?" He looks at me oddly, but now I'm even more confused.

"I thought that we were all going back for that, Thomas."

"Mate, as much as I'd like that, we can't. We're talking a week there and a week back never mind if the baby doesn't come when we expect. If we're enrolling Mara Jane in school, she won't even have been there a month before we'd have to go."

"Well we certainly can't leave her behind." She'd be devastated if we did that. For one thing, she's not been away from us both for more than a night or two since she was born, not to mention that she's so excited about the baby she kisses Thomas' belly every night before bed and tells her brother good night.

"What other choice is there?"

"Daddy? Papa?"

"What is it, angel?"

"Why do you have to go home to have the baby?"

"Aunt Pina has to help Daddy just like she had to help me have you" I tell her.

"Why can't she come here?"

"Because, sweetheart, Aunt Pina already has everything she needs at home and she can't move it all."

She thinks this over for a minute. Just as I'm about to turn back to Thomas, she says hesitantly, "I can wait to go to school. I want to be there when the baby comes."

Silence falls for a minute before I look at my mate. "Can she just start late? Maybe not cost her the entire year?"

"I really don't know. They have limited spots for new students. We might have to pay the tuition in advance to make sure that they hold her spot."

"That's not an issue, Thomas, you know that. See what you can find out in the next few days and then we'll decide."

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

I wake abruptly but I'm not sure why - until I hear the faint (even to my ears) sob from the edge of the bed. Did I somehow hurt Thomas when we mated earlier? I tried to make sure that I was gentle and that he enjoyed it as much as I did. "Thomas, love, are you all right? Did I hurt you?"

There's a brief moment of silence before he sniffs. "No, Zedd, you didn't hurt me."

"Please tell me what's wrong."

"You know I cry at the drop of a hat these days, Zedd."

I sigh silently at his attempt to dodge. "All right, then who dropped what hat this time?"

"It's just a figure of speech."

"I know that, Thomas. Stop dodging me."

"It's just the hormones, mate. Everything makes me cry these days. Remember when you caught me crying in the living room last week? I had been - watching a game show" he admits, embarrassment clear in his tone. Even so, I feel like he's not quite being truthful with me and I don't really know why.

"Come here, love." He curls up into my side and I rub his back soothingly. "I love you, Thomas. If something - anything - else is bothering you, please tell me. I don't want you upset or worrying unnecessarily."

"We'll talk tomorrow, kalleimat. Unfortunately, Mara Jane may have picked up one or two new words."

Sighing heavily now, I agree, "Tomorrow." Maybe by then I can get him to tell me what's really upsetting him.