TOMMY - NEXT FRIDAY

I still have a ton of baking to do, presents to buy and wrap, I have to remember to make our reservations at the hotel for the Ranger reunion, not to mention the regular day to day stuff that needs to get done. At least business stuff has been going much more smoothly lately. Our last few trips neither Zedd nor I have come back all that badly hurt.

I sigh when my phone rings, but raise an eyebrow when I see who it is. I answer quickly. "Hi, Gina."

She sounds subdued and on the edge of tears. "Are you busy?"

I glance around at my partially destroyed kitchen. "Not really. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you and Zedd."

A bad feeling creeps up my spine. "Did you need to cancel the zoo trip tomorrow? If that's all it is, we'll talk to Mara Jane."

"No, this goes beyond the zoo trip."

"Should I ask how far beyond?"

"Probably about the distance to Zedd's world beyond." Shit.

"Come on over. Bring the kids if you want. It'll help keep ours out of the way." She agrees and I quickly abandon what I'm doing to go find Zedd. Fortunately, he's just finishing a call. Once I'm sure the line is clear, I tell him, "Gina's coming over to talk to us. Something's wrong."

"Do we need to get Jason or Hayley to come get the kids?"

"No. She's bringing hers so they can keep each other occupied. Come help me blitz clean the kitchen."

"I saw the kitchen a half an hour ago, can't we just seal it off and talk to her in here?"

"Tempting, but no."

Sighing and reluctantly following me, his expression upon seeing what I did to the room in half an hour says it all. "I get to be excused from going to the store for a week for this."

"Deal."

Once that's done, I hurry upstairs. Fortunately, Jacob is in his sister's room so I can make this quick. "Mara Jane, Miss Gina is coming over to talk to Papa and me and she's bringing Megan and Dylan."

I can see the gears turning in her head. "Okay. Grown up discussion?"

I nod. "Please, you two keep the other kids up here so we can talk without being interrupted."

My far too intelligent children exchange looks and nod at each other. "No problem, Daddy" Jacob says. "Dylan and I can play games in my room."

Mara Jane nods. "Megan and I can talk in here."

I fix them both with a look. "And that means no sneaking downstairs to listen."

My daughter shakes her head. "We won't. Megan told me that her mom was embarrassed that I'd mentioned to you that they were having problems even though she was grateful that Papa bought their groceries. She said that her mom was able to pay another bill because he did and she was really relieved. I didn't mean to embarrass her and I don't want to do it again."

"Good girl. Thank you both." I've just reached the bottom of the stairs when the doorbell rings. I open the door to find three unhappy people on my front porch. "Come on in. Kids, you know the way upstairs. Gina, come on in the kitchen."

In a few minutes, the kids are upstairs and the adults are settled in the kitchen with coffee. Studying Gina, I realize that she's been crying and judging by the dark circles under her eyes, not sleeping much either. Quietly, Zedd says, "What do you need, Gina?"

She hesitates. "Start at the beginning" I coax her.

She takes a deep breath. "When Mike and I got divorced, the kids and I got to stay in the house and he was going to keep making the payments. With the long hours at his job, him having custody just wasn't going to work. I just found out that they downsized the company a few months ago and he lost his job. For a while, he was making the payments out of his savings. I got a letter a few days ago that the payments haven't been made in three months and they're going to take the house if it isn't caught up by the end of the month."

Zedd looks at me, shocked. "Can they do that?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"But it's their dwelling. What good would it be to anyone else if she didn't let them onto her land?"

At Gina's confused look I explain in a way that's for both of their benefits. "It's not like on Eltar, mate. She doesn't own the land like your parents do, and she didn't purchase the house outright like we did when building this one. Think of it kind of like when we first moved here, and we were renting that house on the other side of town. Technically if we decided to stop paying the rent on it, even though we were living there and had a lease, the actual owners would have had every legal right to throw us out."

Frowning but at least seeming to understand now, Zedd still however shakes his head unhappily. "Still think it should be different since they weren't just renting, but in an ongoing process of owning it."

"I'm not disagreeing with that, however for the moment there's little we can do about the legal side of it." I look back at Gina. "However there is plenty we can do about the financial side. "

"Agreed" Zedd states with a nod.

"We do still need to know what kind of help you're looking for though."

"I-I don't know."

"Well you must at least have an idea of what you need from us. A place to stay? Money to make the payments? Buy the house so you can stay there?"

"Mike wants to just sell the house, but there's no way to take care of all the paperwork and legal stuff by the end of the month. I'd really rather not uproot the kids if I don't have to either."

"Well of course not" Zedd agrees.

"And let me guess - without him working, you can't refinance the house either."

"Not on what I make, no."

"So again, as Thomas asked, what would you like us to do? We can easily catch you back up on payments, if you want we could actually pay off what ever you have left to pay, you're welcome to stay here for a time, but the only concern with that option is the trouble Thomas and I have been dealing with recently concerning old ene-business acquaintances."

Smiling slightly at Zedd's failed save, I pat his arm reassuringly. "Smooth."

"It's been a long day. You said you don't want to move the kids, so how much do you need?" Zedd asks.

She pulls a folded piece of paper out of her purse. "I don't want to be a charity case."

"You're not."

Gina ignores Zedd's protest. "I figured out what my expenses are each month, what I make and what I need and figured out a payment plan to pay you back if you can afford to help me."

I take the sheet and give it a cursory look. "So does Mike have a job now so that he can start making the house payments again? And if he can't do that, what about the child support?"

"He's kept up with the child support, but no, he doesn't have a job yet. According to him, there are very few jobs available in his field and taking something less wouldn't make a dent in what he needs for his own expenses, never mind the house payment."

"So him not working at all is clearly the better option" Zedd mutters to himself more than either of us, however I can't say that I disagree with his sarcasm.

"I tried to explain that to him."

"And?" I question, honestly curious myself now.

"And his response would have very likely lead to divorce if we weren't already there."

"Well let us know what his response is when he can't make child support payments in another few months either due to his over inflated ego."

Letting Zedd's remark go without reprimand as I myself can't see the logic in sitting on ones ass as their children suffer I return my focus to the immediate problem at hand. "Gina" I start gently "you haven't included the house payments in your figures."

She bites her lip. "I haven't figured out that part yet."

I pass the sheet to Zedd and give him a minute to look it over before I ask Gina, "How much is the house payment, Gina?"

As she's about to answer, Zedd interrupts with a frown. "Thomas, did you actually look at these figures?"

He hands me the sheet back and I give them a more thorough inspection. Instantly I see his concern. "Seriously, Gina? Fifty dollars a week for groceries? You have a teenager and an almost teenager, not to mention yourself. This won't get you through half a week."

"Any more and I can't pay you back. Besides, there's the food pantry. I can get some stuff there."

Sighing heavily, I grab a pencil and start to make changes on the sheet. "Your figures also don't account for any possible emergencies."

She sighs heavily. "I know, but-"

"Paying us back is not a primary concern" Zedd says firmly. "If you want, we can call this a retainer for future services if you're going to watch the house for us."

Joking weakly, she asks, "And what if we decide to leave the planet with you?"

My mate shrugs and responds with something that leaves her stunned. "Then if you go to Eltar with us, you'll need a job. Due to my position on that planet, I'll need staff. I'll just put you in charge of the staff."

I look up from what I'm doing. "What?"

"What?" he questions back, looking confused.

"Zedd what staff? The only others that reside with us are Dar, Pina, and on occasion Kira. However since she started seeing your sister and with the kids not needing a nanny anymore-"

"You're thinking of the palace, love. And you're right we don't have staff there because we don't really require it with Dar and Pina living there and helping maintain everything, nor do I honestly want staff nosing around there given the layout."

"Okay, and agreed, but then what-"

"I was referring to our home on Eltar. As despite how much I know we would both love to return to our actual, original home with our chosen family, given Mara Jane's Eltarian schooling and then Jacob still needing interaction with children his own age it's not really the best choice right now."

"Okay, and again, agreed. However I'm still not seeing where staff comes into play as our home on Eltar isn't quite as large as the palace."

"Thomas, as a high ranking lord, it's expected that I'll have staff to care for the house and grounds. Right now, I - we have a couple of people that keep it maintained in our absence but if we go there to live, we'll need a few more."

Not yet agreeing or disagreeing with him yet, I however pose what I feel is the most obvious question. "So we're using your title rather than reputation this time around?"

"I don't want a repeat of what happened when Mara Jane was seven." Sighing unhappily, Zedd continues, "I don't want her and Jacob excluded or feared by their peers because of who I am."

"Who you were" I correct firmly.

"No love, who I am. We both know we're not going to escape what's coming completely unscathed and chances are I will end up having to use more than just my reputation to keep us and the kids safe. I don't want that to reflect on them anymore than can be helped."

"We'll talk about it later, kalleimat. However, back to the staff situation. Your plan if she comes with us is to put her in control of them."

"She has experience with managing people. Why not put her in charge?"

"Because she's a human?" Holding up my hand as I already see her mouth opening, I'm quick to explain. "No offense, Gina, but some Eltarians look down on humans."

Zedd waves this away. "Marked as mine, nobody will question it."

"Marked? Yours?" Now the woman sounds offended and I can't say I blame her given Zedd's choice of wording.

"Certainly" he agrees. "In your case, as the head of staff, something simple like a pendant or a headband or armband would suffice - the same with your children. It shows that you're acting with my authority and are under my protection."

She sags slightly. "I thought you were talking about a tattoo or a brand."

"Brand?" I quickly explain the concept and he curls his lip in distaste. "There are some that do that, but it has fallen out of use since trading help for different services and uses quickly left them a mess and unable to work properly. We don't even do that with livestock anymore for the same reason. Tattoos are occasionally used for indentured servants, or permanent pe-prisoners of a high ranking estate, but again, not so much. Gina, you would be an employee, not a slave or property, just as you would be here if you were to maintain the house while we're gone."

"Who would do it if we go with you?"

He shrugs again. "I have plenty of contacts on this planet as does Thomas that would be able to handle such a thing were it assigned to them."

Shaking my head, I pass the adjusted sheet back to Zedd as I address Gina. "Sounds like you've actually been considering it. Leaving the planet, I mean."

"It would be an interesting opportunity" she agrees. "The problem would be Mike."

"I'm sure he wouldn't be thrilled about his children being so far away - and with a couple of faggots" I remark dryly, remembering his comment about us years ago when we took Mara Jane to the dance the first time.

"He does still have a huge issue with gay people" she admits. "You two not quite as much, but still his intolerance was one of the reasons we got divorced. I didn't want him teaching the kids that behavior - toward anyone really. But he would still have visitation that would have to be dealt with."

Knowing what Zedd and I know, I have no doubt I could persuade him that getting the children off planet would be the best option. Before I can really think it through, I speak. "If you decide you want to go, let me know and I'll talk to him if he decides to be a problem." Handled carefully, he might be turned into a useful contact for us while we're gone too.

Zedd hands the sheet back to me with a nod. "I'll be right back."

He leaves the room and Gina inquires, "Where's he going?"

"To write you a check, of course. More coffee?" She nods and I fill all the cups. "If you decide to go with us, we'll pay off the house and Mike can have it back so that the kids can stay with him when they come to visit. You can stay here since I'm sure you'll have some visiting of your own you'll want to do. It'll also keep you close by."

"But-"

I fix her with a serious look. "Gina - I don't want your decisions to be tainted by money worries. If you stay here, we'll pay you to take care of the house. If you go, we'll make sure that everything is all right here too. Think about it. Talk to the kids and to Mike. Figure out what you - and they - really want to do. Okay?"

"I'd be easier if I knew what I was getting into."

"Meaning?"

Looking uncertain, but finally seeming to make a decision in her mind, her next words aren't a complete surprise. "Zedd isn't as harmless as he acts, is he?"

"Why do you ask?"

Smiling slightly she shakes her head. "Like your daughter has a tendency to pick up on certain innocently made comments by me, the same holds true for the reverse." Grand.

"Dare I ask?"

"Just little things, like your business trips, she mentioned a few weeks ago that Zedd wasn't happy her uncle Dar had broken one of his better swords while on said trip with him."

"He really wasn't" I agree.

"She also got slightly upset when the girls were watching a documentary about the Power Rangers and Megan made a passing comment of how funny it would if her father was actually the real Lord Zedd." Shit.

"What did Megan say?"

"Just that it would be cool if her father really was the real Lord Zedd as then she could ask him to destroy their algebra teacher."

"What did Mara Jane say?"

"She said even if he was that Lord Zedd he wouldn't do such a thing as it would be in bad taste and a frivolous use of power." Not to mention he'd be sleeping on the couch for a month.

"I suppose that's a logical response. As for who Zedd is or isn't, and how harmless he is or not, he's had a rough past, one that, unless you do come to live with us isn't really something that would concern you or you'd need to know about. However it is part of why we will be targeted in the future as certain people see him as too useful to their cause to leave him alone." Realizing if she and the children do come to Eltar we will have to show them just who we all are so they will - like our own children when younger - understand not to run from him or the others when in their true forms and trying to protect them. I heave a silent sigh. One more thing to deal with, well possibly.

"I'm not sure how the kids would handle living on another planet."

"It's honestly not that different from Earth, though again certain Eltarians can be rather snotty about other species."

"And some are extremely tolerant" Zedd adds as he returns. He hands Gina a folded check. "If you hurry, you should still be able to get that in the bank today. If you need more, let us know."

"I don't know how to thank you."

Zedd waves this away. "Not necessary. Would you like to leave the children here for a bit while you run to the bank?"

"It would be quicker" she agrees. "I'll be back in a little bit."

She hurries out and I turn to my husband once she's gone. "You gave her enough?"

"And then some" he answers, sounding satisfied. "However, I'm concerned that Mike may not bother to find a job once he discovers that we're more than willing to help Gina and the children."

"I thought about that too. Maybe we should do some checking - without them knowing."

"I'll make a few calls later."

I can't help but frown. "Still, something seems off here. I mean, aside from his intense dislike of us and others like us, everything else I've ever heard about him says that he's a good worker and provider."

"We'll figure it out, Thomas" Zedd assures me with a kiss. "In the meantime, let it go."

I nod. "After Gina leaves with the kids, we can go back to what we were doing."