John Carter leaned against the door, waiting to hear the beep of a taxi. One last time…and then I'll have enough money to get her a home she deserves…her and the bebé. He glanced around the small one-bedroom home that he shared with his fiancée, Hannah Shepard. His lips formed a soft, half-smile at the thought of her. If it weren't for that woman's kind spirit, his life would be so different. He'd always been a mercenary; guns, blood, and money were not strangers to him. The company was rough, but her…she'd changed it all with one smile. John closed his eyes, looking back into his memories. His crew's target had been just outside of Dublin, the place of his birth. He snorted and rolled his eyes beneath their lids. The little bastard had practically played cat and mouse with them, but couldn't hide forever. It'd taken someone threatening the man's family for him to finally come out into the open. At the time, John hadn't understood why any man would keep such a weakness so close to his side. No dame he'd met had been worth the trouble really…not then.

The pub was full of energy that evening. Patrons' voice rang louder as they drank away the sorrows of their weeks. He stood, leaning with his back to the bar and elbows resting along its top.

"John, did you see that group of broads that just walked in? One of them was a sniper's worst nightmare?"

He raised an eyebrow at Adam, one of his teammates, before glancing toward the door. "Aye, I did, lad. She's a carpenter's dream; flat as a board and never been nailed by the looks of it." He turned as he heard the bartender slap down the shot of Four Roses Whiskey he'd ordered and picked up the glass. He swirled the liquid slightly. Throwing his head back, he downed the shot. "Gods, I've missed that stuff."

"Aye…Four Roses is good, but it makes for a nasty spin the next morning."

He raised his eyebrow and glanced to the young woman who had just sat beside him. Her hair fell down her back in strawberry blonde waves. Her pale skin was dotted lightly with freckles. Her lips and bosom were full and distracting to say the least…enough so that he stared and was caught.

"Enjoying the view, lad?" She smirked knowingly and winked.

"More than you know." He winked back. "Name's John."

"How vague…My name's Hannah." She signaled the bartender. "Four Roses."

"Make that two."

"You trying to keep up with me, amor?" Her eyes twinkled as she smiled at him.

John's breath nearly caught in his throat. Women didn't cause his insides to feel like they were quaking…but this woman…she did. "Aye, I feel up for the challenge."

Two years later, they were engaged, with a baby on the way. His emerald green eyes popped open, sparking at the thought. I'm going to be a Papa. He straightened up, hearing a car pull up outside. "Hannah, my ride's here," he called through the living room. He smiled, watching her walk slowly toward the living room, with a wince on her face.

She looked up, realizing he was watching her. "Don't look at me like that, John. I'm not some wounded animal. Your bebé seems to think my bladder is a playground, so I'm just moving a little slowly."

He smiled and raised his arms, wrapping them around her growing form. He murmured happily as he felt her arms wrap around his back and her head softly nuzzle his chest. "Hannah, I promise I'll be back in two months…before the bebé is here." John withdrew slightly, leaving one arm around her and placing the other hand on her distended stomach. "This is my last job. It's supposed to be a large payout. Then I'm retiring, coming home to you, and settling down with our new family."

"I know. I just don't like you to be gone that long. I worry. You know you have the worst luck; if something can go wrong it will." Hannah Shepard replied sweetly as she looked to the man in front of her. Déithe, he has the brightest green eyes. She loved it when he placed his large calloused hand on her stomach to feel their bebé move inside of her. In just three more months, they'd have a whole new life; no more mercenary work for John, and they'd both be here in Vancouver with their child.

"Maybe you should go stay with your parents until I return, just in case. I don't like you staying here alone in your current condition."

Hannah's eyes narrowed as she looked at him, all playfulness replaced by a determined angry look on her face. "Non! I will not go to my pais after the way they treated you! I was told that if I left with you not to bother coming back…and I don't plan to! É por iso que está no Vancouver en Canadá, a súa casa non é miña!" She paused, taking a deep breath to calm down, the way her parents treated John when they met him and found out what he did for a living still made her angry. "I'll be fine, dear. It's just two months, right? Besides, I want to be here when you return. I'll be in no condition to travel in two months."

"You're right. You'll be fine. You always were too stubborn and strong-willed for your own good." John added with a smirk. He kissed her on top of her wavy strawberry blonde hair and turned toward the door. "Stay safe. I'll be back before you know it." He grabbed his bag from the floor and headed out the door to the taxi waiting to take him to the spaceport.

Hannah hurried to the door and called out after his retreating form. "Eu te amo!"

Turning to look out the taxi window, the brightest smile lit his face. "I know, and I love you, too, lass!" He waved as the taxi took off.

3 YEARS LATER

"Lilith, go wash your hands before dinner. Don't make me tell you again, neno." Hannah frowned at her high-spirited little one.

Pouting, Lilith stomped into the other room and climbed on the stool that her mother had sat up for her. Turning the water on, she looked into the mirror at herself. A little girl with strawberry blonde ringlets down to her shoulders and bright green eyes smiled back at her. Her face was marred with smudges of dirt on her cheeks from playing outside. She grinned broadly, flashing her teeth at the mirror. My eyes aren't the same color as Mama's. I know! Maybe they look like my dad's. Haphazardly, she splashed water on her face to remove the dirt. Wiping her face on the towel by the sink, she hopped down and ran back into the kitchen to her mother, with her hands still dripping wet. "Mama, do I have my daddy's eyes? Who is my daddy? Can I see him?"

Startled, Hannah turned toward her daughter. She inhaled slowly, hoping to calm herself before speaking. "Why do you ask, filla?" Caution rang in her voice.

Nonchalantly, Lilith shrugged and pursed her lips slightly. "Jimmy said everyone has a daddy. I told him I didn't, and he said I had to have one somewhere. Do I Mama? Do I have a daddy? Where is he?"

Frowning, Hannah picked up her small child and sat her in her lap. Trying to busy herself, she took a small dishtowel and began drying off her daughter's hands. She breathed evenly, trying to hold back the tears. "Si, Lilith. You had a Papa, and he loved us very much. He left for work one day and never came back…but he would be so proud of you."

Lilith reached up and wiped the tears that escaped her mother's eyes away curiously. "Mama, why are you crying?"

"I just miss your Papa, bebe."

oooOOOooo

Lying in bed that night, Lilith woke up to a pounding at the door. She heard her mother get up quietly trying not to wake her and speak to someone urgently. "Please, John is dead. Let me live out the rest of my life without him in peace. I don't know what happened on your mission, so it's not like I can tell anyone." She heard a loud smack as her mother grunted and crumbled to the floor. Scared, she climbed out of bed and crawled under its corner furthest from her door. Her ears were filled with the sounds of men stomping through her house. Frightened, she curled up in a little ball, in hopes of trying to make herself invisible.

"I thought she had a kid?" one of the men grumbled.

"She does, that's all John talked about before Adam shot him. I think everyone was tired of him rambling on about retiring to take care of his girl and kid. He should've known better; no one in our business retires. I have to give it to him though…he sure did catch a looker. Maybe we'll have some fun with her before we finish her off. See if you can find what we're looking for. If you find the kid, get rid of her. She shouldn't be that much of a problem anyhow. She ain't that old...probably doesn't even know who her pops is." He smirked at the thought.

Lilith sat there curled up for what felt like days. She shook at hearing her mama's screams of pain. Hannah had begged them to stop and leave her be because she didn't know what they were looking for. For hours, her tiny frame stayed huddled under the bed, crying silent tears and unsure of what else to do. Finally after hours of silence, she crawled out of her room to see her mother's hand sticking around the corner. "Mama?" She slowly crawled up to her, looking around the room to make sure there was no one else there. "Mama, get up." She reached out and touched her mother's cold cheek; her body felt stiff and cold beside her. Her chest ached as she curled up next to her mother's broken body. Lilith bit her lip, tasting copper, as she held back the wail building within her. Thunder clapped outside, shaking their tiny home, as her tears began to fall, mirroring the rain on their windows.

oooOOOooo

Carrie's brow furrowed as she looked over at June. "She hasn't spoken for days. I'm really worried; she hasn't even tried to play with the other kids. Do you think we should call in help with her case?"

"Nah, she'll come around. She went through a pretty traumatic ordeal. The cops said it might take a while for her to warm up to anyone. I mean it's not like they lived in the best neighborhood to begin with. I'm sure she's heard all kinds of nasty things; guns shots, screams, yelling…there's no telling. Give her some time. She'll be fine. I think she's a tough one." June nodded toward little Lilith, huddled up in the corner.

One week ago, Lilith had been brought to this orphanage. June and Carrie were surrogate caretakers for the group of small children. She hadn't really caught more than their names so far, but it was of her own accord. She hadn't said a word to anyone, well, except for her name when they asked…but then they asked if she knew what happened. The memories were too fresh and scary for her to process. She just wanted her Mama. She didn't care about the other kids, nor did she want to play with any of their toys. Her tiny fist slammed down on the ground, causing a small burst of pain to shoot up through her arm. She looked down at it, realizing that she'd somehow gotten her hands dirty. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered her Mama telling her to go wash up for supper. She closed her eyes, trying to hold onto the memory of Mama's face. Without warning, a pair of warm arms wrapped around her. Frightened, she flinched and looked up to see a girl smiling at her. She was a little older than Lili. Her caramel skin stood out in contrast against Lili's paleness. Straight black hair framed her oval face, housing chocolate eyes rimmed with sadness.

"You look like you needed a hug."

Lilith tilted her head slightly. Her teeth lightly graze the corner of her lip as she nervously nodded her head. The older girl sat beside her and reached out her arms toward her. Shocked, Lilith tensed momentarily as she allowed Britnee to wrap her arms around her. She smiled softy; it felt good to be close to someone again. She hadn't let anyone close enough to touch her since she was brought here.

Finally at peace, Lilith fell asleep with Britnee's arms around her. For the first time since she was brought here, she slept without nightmares. Instead, she dreamt of a man with curly blonde hair and bright green loving eyes picking her up, swinging her around and smiling at her. Her Mama walked up behind them, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Lilith, this is your Papa."

oooOOOooo

Lilith and Britnee became inseparable; she was the only person Lilith had any more. They went everywhere together, even though Britnee was two years older than Lilith. To them, they were sisters. It was as if she had been given a second chance at life. Unfortunately, her past had an eerie way of following her. When Lilith was thirteen, she had her first real scare in decades. She had been dreaming of the night when her mother was attacked again. Britnee had been asleep in the bed beside her, but awoke due to a bright light in the room. Lilith's body was bathed in a brilliant blue glow. Britnee grabbed Lilith's arm and shook her repeatedly, trying to wake her up. Her voice was full of urgency "Lilith, Lilith, wake up. You're glowing!" She heard about kids that could do this, and they usually got sent away. She didn't want her little sister to go.

Lilith's body kept growing brighter as she mumbling incoherently in her sleep. When her eyes finally opened, all the dark energy that had been flowing around was released. A shockwave went out from her young body, throwing Britnee into the wall across the room. Terrified, Lilith jumped up from her bed and tried to make her way to Britnee, but could feel her knees growing weaker by the second. Her body was not used to being so depleted of energy. She collapsed right next to Britnee, only moments before Carrie and June rushed into the room.

oooOOOooo

Lilith woke up in a bright white room with beeping all around her. She blinked rapidly as the onslaught of brilliant light. A small cough beside her caught her attention. Lilith glanced off to the side and saw Britnee lying on the bed next to her. A white bandage wrapped around her head, and her arm was encased in plaster, waiting for a break to heal. A single tear escaped her eye, realizing she had done this to her best friend…her sister. She started as a gentle hand placed on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw June sitting beside her, watching them carefully. "She's going to be fine Lilith; just a minor concussion and a broken arm…but Carrie and I would like to know what happened."

Scared, Lilith swallowed hard. "I'm not sure. I was dreaming, and I remember her shaking me, calling my name…something about glowing. When I open my eyes, she flew across the room. I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to happen!" Her voice quaked as she finished.

"I know, and it's going to be okay. It looks like you have a touch of biotics in you. I always knew you were a special one." June said with a smirk.

oooOOOooo

That night Lilith lay in bed thinking. I could have killed her, or at the very least, I could have seriously hurt her! I don't think I can live through losing Britnee. In the dark, a tear slid down her cheek. I'm dangerous; I heard a nurse say so…but, would they really allow me to come back here if I was a danger to the other kids? What about the younger ones? What would have happened if it were one of them and not Britnee? She sighed exasperatedly. There was only one option to keep them safe, but it was going to be lonely. I have to leave. I can't stay here anymore. Determined to see her plan through, Lilith grabbed what she needed and crawled through the window, in her and Britnee's room, to the fire escape outside. Leaving was the only way to protect the one person she remembered loving after her mama…and to be honest with herself, she couldn't remember much of her mama anymore either. She shuddered slightly and forced herself to conjure up the image of both their faces. I won't forget you…either of you.

Translations:

Mama Mom

Papa Dad

Amor Love

Déithe Gods

Filla Daughter

Neno Child

Non No

Si Yes

Pais Parents

Eu te amo! I love you!

É por iso que está no Vancouver, Canadá; a súa casa non é miña! That is why we are in Vancouver, Canada; your home not mine!