Here's the next part, and it comes with a:

WARNING: This part deals with death and a small mention of rape, but nothing graphic or detailed. For this, I'm keeping the same rating, as I don't believe it's enough to up the rating.

Also, I'm not completely satisfied with my character portrayal here, but I don't feel like messing around with it anymore, so here it is.

I also want to point out that this may be the last part for awhile…I'm into the last month of school, which is always hectic, and I'm also testing for my 1st Dan black in tae kwon do in a few weeks, so I'll be training in most of my spare time. Sorry.

Chapter 6

Renee didn't speak for a couple of minutes, she was bringing up the painful memories she had buried and trying to figure out how exactly to describe the events of her past. When she finally did speak, she was amazed at how strong her voice was - a great contrast to how she felt inside. However, years of being a corporate executive and Resistance fighter had paid off.

"When I was a teenager I was wild. And I mean really wild. I was my parents' good little girl by day, somehow managed to become one of the stop students in school, but by night I was a completely different person. Every night I'd tell my parents I was going to my friends' to study, but we'd really go out partying, drinking, that sort of thing. Event though he was only a year younger, Richard always came with me. We had a deal, each time we went out, we took turns who was going to stay sober and come up with a plan to sneak the other into the house." Renee smiled a bit at that, lost in her memory, her voice lighter. "It was weird, no one else I knew got along with their siblings, but Richard and I were inseparable."

"One night, when I was seventeen, Richard got the flu and couldn't go out. I went anyway since we were only going to meet up at a friend's house. After I got there we had a call about a party; it wasn't in the best part of town but we went nonetheless. Worst mistake of my life."

Liam had been staring off into space, listening, when her final sentences were spoken. He looked down at her, surprised by the change in her voice - from light-hearted to icy calm. Feeling she need his support, he squeezed her hand and then gently rubbed the back of her palm.

Renee got her voice under control before continuing. "I must have caught something from Richard because I started to feel sick just after we arrived. I had got a ride there and no one wanted to leave, so I decided to take a bus since the stop was only a block or so away. I was waiting, and…and a man came up, grabbed me, and dragged me into an alley. I was screaming and fighting, but…." Her voice trailed off as she began to sob silently. Mustering her courage, she continued. "It wasn't enough. And I was raped."

Liam closed his eyes and let out his breath slowly, conflict emotions whirling inside his head: sympathy and sorrow for Renee and blinding fury at whomever had done this to her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her as best he could against his chest given their awkward position. He bent kissed her hair softly before resting his head on top of hers. Renee's shuddering breath and slight spasms were Liam's only indication of her silent sobbing. "Shh," he murmured. "It's okay…. It's okay."

It was a long time before either spoke. Then, suddenly, Renee broke the silence. "A few weeks later I found out I was pregnant." Liam's expression was that of surprise, but it quickly turned to understanding as the pieces fell into place. "A couple months after my eighteenth birthday I had a daughter. I was seriously considering adoption; I didn't want any reminders of what happened. But when I saw her…." Renee trailed off, her voice become light-hearted again. "She was so innocent…I realized then it wasn't her fault, and she shouldn't be punished for it. My parents and brother understood, they were really helpful and supportive, so I kept her."

Renee's voice lightened and took on a tone of nostalgia. Smiling, she continued, "I named her Talia. She was like a mirror image of me when I was a baby. Like I said, my parents were really helpful so I was able to make up the school I missed quickly." Her next words were spoken with slight grin. "I used basketball as a way to get back in shape, and found out I wasn't half bad. I made the team my senior year, and was accepted into Harvard when I was nineteen on a basketball scholarship. My parents moved with me to Boston so they could help take care of Talia when I was at school. God Liam, she was the sweetest little girl you'd ever meet. I loved her so much…she was my world." Renee paused.

Liam wasn't sure if this was heading in a good direction. He thought he had some idea of where Renee was going with her story based on her continued referral to Talia in the past sense, and he could also feel her tensing again. "It's alright," he whispered. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to."

"No," she replied, touched by his concern yet determined to finish. "I need to."

"Okay," he said, understanding.

"I was in the first semester of my second year; Talia was three. I was right in the middle of mid-terms so my parents decided to take Talia up to the family cabin to give me a study break. I followed them up the night after my last mid-term, but I didn't get there until about 3 in the morning, so I slept in the next day. When I woke up the next morning I was called down to the hospital in the nearest town; there'd been a car accident.

"My mother told me later that they'd gone out to get me breakfast from my favorite restaurant in the town when someone clipped a stop sign and ran into them," Renee was now fighting for control on her composure. "My mother only had minor injuries, she was driving and the car was hit on the passenger side. My father died a few hours later from internal injuries. And Talia…." She sucked in a large breath of air as the tears slowly made their way down her face. Liam was just about to tell her not to go on when she did. "Talia died on impact. Where she was sitting…it was a direct hit." She swallowed hard; the bombshell now dropped, she was finally able to get a handle on her emotions.

Liam sighed deeply and leaned his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyes. He'd been afraid she'd say something like that. He knew well enough the pain of losing a parent, but to lose a parent and a child in one day was beyond him. He now thought he had some idea of why she always seemed distant or unapproachable…she didn't want to expose her pain-filled emotions. The only problem with keeping them bottled, however, was that when they did break through the surface it was hard reigning them in, as he'd just seen. Liam himself had that problem.

Silence descended. Liam knew Renee well enough to know that she would only resent sympathy, and she seemed to be gaining the upper hand on her emotional struggle; her breathing was back to normal and she relaxed a bit.

After a few more minutes of silence Renee spoke again. "I'm sorry."

Liam lifted his head, slightly confused. "For what?"

Her short laugh held a hint of disgust. "For laying my sorry past on you."

Liam narrowed his eyes. Awkwardly getting up from under Renee, he turned around and kneeled on the floor so he could look her in the eyes. "Don't be." He took her hand. "I'm glad you did. I want to know about your past…I want to know about you." He brushed a lock of hair off her face, noticing that, other than a small tinge of red around her eyes, all evidence of her crying was gone.

Renee looked at him and gave a slight smile. She sat up and pulled Liam back to sit beside her. They leaned back, Liam's arm draped across the back of the couch. "I know," Renee's voice was fairly quiet and soft, and at that point Liam knew her unemotional façade was finally back in place. "I'm sorry about crying and everything, but you're the first person I've told, other than my parents and brother, about the…details…concerning my…Talia. Everyone else just assumed I was an irresponsible teenager…those I told about her, of course. By law my name couldn't be released, so no one ever found I was…. Not that I really wished them to know the truth," she added, with a slightly icy tone.

Liam was at a loss for words; Renee had just essentially told him that he's the only one she's ever trusted enough to share her darkest, most painful secret with. Nothing he could think of could adequately describe how that felt. He'd never felt he'd been trusted that much in his entire short life, not even Da'an had trusted him that much….

"Liam?"

Realizing he'd gone off into his own little world, Liam brought his attention back to their conversation. "Sorry, just thinking."

"So…what are you going to do?" her voice had an almost playful note and he realized she was trying to hide behind humor…his response wasn't exactly what she was expecting.

Liam turned his body so he was sitting facing her. Smiling, he said, "Well, I'm not going to 'judge' you, if that's what you mean," using her earlier concern to try and calm her. "None of it was your fault…the fact that you were strong enough to go through all you did and get accepted into Harvard, on a scholarship no less, is remarkable," he added, trying to lighten the mood.

She obviously wasn't amused. "I'm serious."

Liam sighed. "What did you think I was going to do? Run away screaming?" He smiled, attempting humor again. "If anyone was gonna do that, I thought it would be you." He was glad when he saw an exasperated but true grin appear on Renee's face.

"You are wise beyond your years, Kincaid," she said, leaning in to kiss him. Liam knew by now that her unemotional façade was completely back in place, and although he didn't feel it was good for her mental health to just bottle her feelings back up, he didn't want to upset her more by broaching that subject again.

He grinned. "Don't I know it." He kissed her softly, then pulled back, sighing. "I'd love to stay a little longer, but it's getting late, and I think you should get some sleep."

Renee was about to protest, believing he'd thought her weak and unable to take care of herself. Then realizing he just cared about her, she gave. "Alright. See you tomorrow?"

"You bet," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. He stood up, gathered up his files, and opened her door. "Bye."

"Bye," she replied, watching as he closed the door behind him. Renee got up and went to her kitchen to get a drink. Filling a glass with water, she stood at her sink, thinking. She hadn't really realized how much she cared for Liam until she finished telling him her story…and his reaction was more than she had hoped for.

Maybe my gut feeling was right, she thought while taking a sip of water, referring to her previous desire to share something more with Liam than friendship. I just hope I'm not reading more into this situation or his frame of mind than is true. With that, she poured the rest of the water down the drain and headed up the stairs to her bedroom.

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This officially ends the round of back-story! Meaning, I can finally get to the real plot, which will hopefully entice me to write faster. But, like I said, may take me a bit longer to post the next part.