Disclaimer:

I don't own Earth: Final Conflict, or any of it's characters. A so please no suing. I don't have enough money to make any executive-types happy, just a buck or two, and believe me you wouldn't want the cat...

Title: Redemption's Tears

Author: RedRaven

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A very upset Liam swept into Resistance Headquarters. Without a pause his eyes found Doors. Liam came down and stood in front of him giving Doors no option other than to acknowledge him.

"Just thought you'd like to know. Beckett is dead. Just one less Companion Protector to worry about." Doors open his mouth to reply. Liam didn't give him a chance. "I don't want to hear anything from you right now. Not a word. I'll be out a reach for a few days. I have a funeral to go to." Then without acknowledging anyone else in the room a very irate Liam stalked out.

* * *

Lili Marquette was getting annoyed. After his apperance at Resistance HQ, Liam had seemingly vanished. He had mentioned going to the funeral but that wasn't until tomorrow. Da'an hadn't seen him, he hadn't answered any messages, and frankly Lili was a bit concerned. There was no telling what he'd do. Grief could make a person reckless. If Liam did something stupid...

Just as she was passing a small park not far from the embassy she saw him. He was sitting on a bench watching the children play. As she came nearer she spoke to get his attention. "Liam?" The kimera hybrid didn't react. Lili came around and looked at him. Liam had a total impassive look on his face, she remembered seeing the same look on Sandoval when he was displeased with something. "Liam?" The man she was trying to talk to met her gaze with a hostile look.

"What do you want?"

"To see if you were alright."

"Why?" Liam's indifferent tone startled Lili.

"I did promise your mother I'd watch out for you, you know."

Liam looked at her for a moment then, "Not much you can do to help, she's dead."

"Liam..." The look on his face stopped her from saying more.

"She accepted me completely." He raised a hand to stop her from saying anything. "She cried when I found her. She told me her tears were for the children she'd never have. So I..." For a moment he totally lost his ability to speak. Lili put a hand on his arm to encourage him to continue. "I channeled some of my kimera energy through her so she'd remember my birth. Damn CVI was still working enough that it killed her to remember me. I helped her die just a little faster."

"Liam it wasn't your fault."

"No, it was the resistance who reprogrammed her CVI. They stole my mother from me." He made a vague gesture at the children in the park. "Most of them are older than I am, do you realize that? They'll have years before they might have to really worry about anything. Less than a year old and I'm a Companion Protector, Ha'gel died the same day I was born, just the other day I held my mother in my arms as she died, and to top it off; Sandoval, who is technically my father, is wondering exactly what my connection to Beckett was I'm just hoping he won't ask questions. What would I tell him?"

"Oh Liam. I'm sorry I didn't know. But please look at it from our point of view. We had to do something about Beckett. Reprogramming her CVI was the best course we could think of. It was either that or we'd have had to kill her. We couldn't really hold her prisoner forever that just wasn't practical. What do you think we could have done?"

"I don't know Lili. I just know that I didn't get nearly enough time with her."

"You were born with your parent's memories weren't you?" At Liam's nod she continued. "Why not do something your mother liked to do, visit a favorite spot, read something, maybe that'll help you deal with her death a bit."

Liam gave her a wan smile. "Thanks for the suggestion Lili. I just think I need some time. Da'an is giving me a few days... I just can't handle being in the middle right now okay?"

"Sure I'll spread the word."

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