And the next part. One or two people were wondering when I was going to get to the 'time part'. I'm hoping that will be soon, but as I said in the Author's Notes (Prologue), the first few chapters were going to mostly be back story, which I know most people find kind of boring. I'm hoping to get through that in the next couple of chapters, and finally be able to jump right into the plot I had planned. Unfortunately, I have a problem with detail…I use too much of it!

See Prologue for disclaimer.

Chapter 3

Half an hour later found them outside Renee's apartment, hand in hand. Letting go so she could disarm her security system, Renee turned back towards him, inadvertently causing them to be less than a foot apart.

"Renee, I wanted to thank you. I had a really nice time," Liam said, once again taking her hand.

"Thank me?" she said, surprised. "I should be the one thanking you, you're the one who set this up."

Smiling, he asked, " Does that mean you enjoyed yourself?"

"What do you think?" Before he had a chance to answer, she leaned towards him, planting her lips on his.

The kiss was short and sweet. When they pulled apart Liam, flustered and trying to cover it up, replied, "So, that's a yes?"

Laughing, sighing, and shaking her head all at once, she pulled him back down to her and kissed him again, slightly longer this time. Pulling apart only by a few inches, she stated simply, "Yes."

They stared intently at each other for a few moments. Not sure who leaned in first, they met each other halfway, holding this one longer. Gently, not frantically, they reached out, arms sliding around the other, deepening the kiss. They heard the sound of the elevator door opening and attempted to ignore it, only to pull apart when hearing the sound of laughter and pounding feet.

They watched as a young boy ran out, chased by a girl of about the same age, each carrying a large duffel bag. A couple seconds later a man and woman exited, carrying similar bags, the man trailing after the children, saying, "Scott, Ali, slow down!"

The woman turned to face Liam and Renee. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically. Turning, she headed in the direction of the man and children, towards the opposite end of the hallway.

"Interesting," Liam said, turning back to Renee.

"New neighbours," she said by way of explanation. "Guess they just got here, the movers were in and out of there earlier. I saw them a few weeks ago checking out the place but never met them; seemed okay, but the kids were kinda wild." She emphasised her last statement by gesturing between them.

"It's probably for the best." Watching as something akin to regret crossed her face, Liam quickly cleared up his meaning. "Your meeting?"

Grinning, slightly embarrassed, she replied, "Right, that."

"Well, I'd better go." He began walking toward the elevator while still looking in Renee's direction, only letting go of her hand when the distance between them was to great for their arms to reach. From the elevator, Liam watched as she opened her door and slipped inside. "See you tomorrow? I should be there about noon."

Nodding, she said, "Goodnight," before closing her door.

Getting into the elevator, Liam headed on his way home.

o0o

Breathing in the cool night air of the deserted park, Liam Kincaid walked along the tree-lined path, passing a swing set, stopping near a vacant vendor's booth when he heard the sound of shuffling. Scanning the area behind him, Liam could almost sense the eyes watching him, yet none revealed themselves. Shaking his head, blaming his unease on the paranoia that plagued his life, he turned back to his original direction, startled to find a dark figure standing fifteen feet in front of him.

Calming himself, Liam took a step towards the figure, a young man in a dark sweatshirt, hood masking part of his face, the darkness covering the rest. "Are you okay?"

The young man simply stood there. In a cautious tone, asking, "Are you Liam Kincaid?"

A little unnerved, Liam nodded. "Yes."

Now sounding a little frightened, however slightly relieved, he stated, "I need your help."

As compassion overpowered his suspicions, Liam took several steps forward. "What can I help you with?" From his new position, Liam could dimly make out the outlines of the other's face, twisted into an evil smirk. Alarmed by the sudden change in the young man's demeanour, suspicion returned to overpower compassion, and it's friend fear tagging along.

"I need some information."

Hearing before seeing them, Liam turned, watching as six men walked out from the trees, forming a circle around him. The ring-leader stepped up to complete the circle, grinning as Liam reached for his sidearm, only to find it missing. Searching frantically for a way out, he charged the person nearest to him.

The men, not realizing what he would do, had no time to react, allowing Liam the time he needed to ram the person, blessed momentum propelling them to the ground. Rolling and quickly recovering into a crouching position, Liam watched, bewildered, as the men, who had started towards him, were now backing up, staring with genuine fear in their eyes. Feeling the heat generating from his hands and noticing the way his attackers were acting, Liam chanced a look down, knowing he was taking a risk.

Gasping at the sight of glowing white light emanating from the palms of his hands, Liam's expression turned to one of shock and fear, resulting in a fatal error. His attackers, upon seeing his surprised, took the proffered opportunity.

The sound of pounding feet shook Liam from his reverie, allowing him to realize the dangerous position he was in. He quickly looked up, only to be knocked back to the ground as the men converged on him, ready to strike.

o0o

Bolting upright and breathing heavily, it took Liam a few moments to realize he was sitting in his bed and not on the ground of the park. Just a dream, he thought as he lay back, his chest heaving. Aloud he said, "Not again," bringing a hand to rub his face.

He'd been having this dream nearly every night for the past two weeks. Usually the setting would change, the previous night had been at the-then deserted D.C. shuttle garage, but the rest was always the same: the leader would ask for help and the next thing he knew, Liam was being jumped by the whole group. But he never saw the ending, never knew how it played out. He always woke up as they charged him, and this time had been no different.

He lay there, pondering why the dream never progressed, why every time it ended the same. Suddenly, remembering this latest one, realizing there was a new element, he bolted up again. Reaching frantically for the switch beside his bed, turning the small lamp on, he quickly brought his hands to his field of vision, closely scanning his palms in the dim light. He let out a sigh of relief when he noticed the complete absence of the small, dark-red marks that had once announced the presence of his shaqarava.

Having never gained anything near complete control over his shaqarava, Liam had always feared them. Not only was he afraid that he'd accidentally hurt someone during one of the emotional outbursts experienced in his earlier days, there was the chance that someone other than Da'an or the select few resistance who knew about him would catch a glimpse of them in action. He had some idea of what the military might do to him if they ever got their hands on him. As for the Taelons…well, he'd be lucky if they just killed him outright; not all were as believing and trusting as Da'an. He had certainly not felt any great sadness when he realized they had either disappeared or become dormant; only the very rare occasion when they would have been a good defensive measure did he feel a very small sense of regret.

When he still had his shaqarava, they would be a constant theme in his dreams. However, they hadn't had an appearance since the last time he used them, over a year ago. A year ago, that is, until just now. He prayed this was not a sign they were coming back.

Realizing the late, or rather the early, time, Liam slumped back down and tried to get some more sleep.