DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, not even the words. Only the order in which they were placed.

Well, I said I would post again eventually! And here it is…sorry for the delay. Happy holidays, and to the LiRay group…enjoy your present!

CHAPTER 13

As Liam looked into her eyes, he could tell that this young teen was scared of what she was implying. And he felt the need to state that fact. "Because of this," he began gently, understanding, "You're not sure where you belong. And this frightens you."

"You're damned right it frightens me," she mocked, her sarcasm returning in full force. Dropping her head back, she turned her face skyward and stated, "It scares the hell out of me!"

Pausing to collect herself, Jay took a few deep breaths and turned back to face Liam. In a quieter voice, she said, "I was completely unprepared for everything. If I had been full-blooded, no matter how my father felt, someone would have been there to teach me. My grandmother would have insisted she at least be able to guide me, or someone else would have after she died. But because I was only half-Khayana, no one expected I'd need it. And for the first half of my life they were right.

"When I was younger I exhibited the expected intuitive abilities like my father had, albeit they were a little more developed. I was good at games - video games, board games, basically anything strategic," Liam nodded unconsciously, remembering a similar comment he'd made to Da'an nearly three years ago. Tuning back into her explanation, he heard her say, "--what I was doing when I first realized there was something wrong? I was sitting in class, listening to the teacher drone on about long-division, of all things!

"I was sitting there, staring at the board like a good little student, when I received my first vision." Jay shook her head and resumed her pacing. She hated dredging up these old memories, but once she started she couldn't stop. "Imaging me, nine years old, being bombarded with mental images and information of things I didn't understand, knowing it wasn't a memory because I'd never seen anything like it before. I remember falling back in my chair, screaming out, as I tried to make sense of what was going on in my head."

Jay's eyes went hard. "I remember the stares of the other children - of the teacher - looking at me like I was a freak when I tried to explain that I had just watched my mother's car get T-boned by a van going over 80km/h, and how she was thrown from the vehicle."

Liam could only look at her in sympathy. "I'm sorry…."

Jay just nodded, knowing he meant what he said. "When my father heard about it, he was mad. At the time I thought he was mad at me, even thought I know better now - he was mad at his heritage, mad at whatever had caused me to inherit abilities I should never have had. He told me it was nothing, not wanting my mother to know about that aspect of his ancestors, and he kept denying it until, three weeks later, it actually happened. My mother was in the hospital for over a month, and during that time my father could barely stand to be in the same room as me. I was a reminder of an ancestry he didn't want to acknowledge…I was a reminder that if he had just listened to me, we might have been able to avoid the accident." She gave a sad upturn of her lips. "Suffice it to say I learned early on to keep my mouth shut, and eventually things got back to normal - at least in the eyes of my father…as far as he knows, it was an isolated incident."

Liam thought for a moment. "So, you father…he doesn't know? You've kept it a secret from him?"

She nodded. "Hasn't been easy. Like I said, I was given texts, notes, and diaries of my grandmother by my friend's mother, Shanna, once she realized I was in fact 'gifted', as she put it. They're locked away in my room so my parents won't find them."

"Jay, I understand," Liam began, "I know what you're going through."

She looked up at him, frowning. "How could you possibly?" It wasn't an accusation, more of a question that needed answering…like she believed him, but wanted to be sure.

That stopped Liam for a moment. How could he possibly explain? For some reason he felt compelled to earn her trust, and she would probably know if he lied. He decided to tell her the most he could without giving much away - she would have to be content with that.

"I've had to hide my true nature from almost everyone around me, including my own parents. It's not the exact same, but it's close enough, at least from what you've told me."

He saw she was about to respond when suddenly her head fell forward slightly, and she brought her hand up to the bridge of her nose, as if she had a headache. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

She brought her hand away and he saw her looking at the road, but not seeing it; there was a look of concentration on her face, and she squinted as if trying to see something that was alluding her. After a moment her expression changed to one of acceptance (of what, Liam had no answer) and she looked up at him, her face set. "If that's so," she began, nodding to herself and sighing in what could only be unconscious relief, "Then you'll do."

This was followed by a moment of silence, and Liam's face wore a frown of confusion. But before he could ask what she meant by that cryptic statement, the sound of a car caused them to turn - a small, dark red vehicle was making its way towards them at a good clip.

"Neighbor?"

"No." He looked over to her and noticed a small grin playing at the corners of her mouth, indicating to him that she recognized the owner of the vehicle, and for some reason she wasn't concerned with Liam's presence.

The car reached them quickly and slowed to a halt; the driver turned off the engine and stepped out onto the road. To Liam he seemed no more than a teenager, approximately the same age as Jay, with short, dark brown hair. "Hey Jade," he called, walking towards the two, "What are you doing out here?" As he got closer Liam noticed the unusual gray hue to the kid's eyes.

She grinned at him and then turned to Liam. "Liam Kincaid, this is Chadden DeLuca. You know the woman, Shanna, I told you about? This is her son, my, uh, my best friend. Chad, this is Liam." She hesitated slightly before adding, for the benefit of the newcomer, "He's the one from last week's episode."

Chadden nodded in understanding. "Ah, right. The one from the future."

At the expression of surprise and concern that crossed the older man's face, the younger turned to him and said, jovially, "Jade tells me everything when it comes to her bizarreness, as the men call it." Jay gave an exasperated sigh and elbowed him, while he suppressed a grin. "So I guess she's pulled you into the realm of the weird," he added, holding out his hand to Liam.

The Companion Protector took it, grinning - he liked this kid. "Well, I guess it was more of us dropping in, to put it literally." The kid chuckled at that.

After a moment Jay turned to her friend. "So, what brings you to the middle of nowhere this time?" she mocked.

Chadden's face sobered as he turned to her. "Actually, there's something I have to talk to you about…."

Liam took the hint. "Don't mind me, it's about time I checked in with the others."

"I'll be there in a bit take you guys back to the house, if you need it," Jay told him. Liam nodded and turned to walk back the way they had come.

After Liam had walked a good distance away from them, Jay turned to her companion. At the serious expression on her face she asked, somewhat hesitantly, "What's up?"

Chadden took a deep breath. "I just got back from Crawford's office."

"And?" she prodded him, "What'd he say?"

"It looks, uh…" he worried at his bottom lip for a moment, taking her hand in both of his. "It looks like we might have to consider my mom's suggestion."

~

Several dozen yards away, Liam Kincaid strained his advanced hybrid hearing to the max. While he had reservations about essentially spying on her, being that he wanted to trust Jay as much as she seemed to want to trust him, something was holding him back, and he suspected it was something that had to do not just with Jay, but with this Chadden as well, and, more specifically, the two of them together. And so as he walked to where he and Jay had emerged from the tree line earlier, he listened.

~

Jay turned away and looked at the ground, slightly shocked and blinking rapidly, trying to process all that was going though her head. Taking a few deep breaths, she composed herself enough to look back at him. "You're sure? There's nothing…." He was shaking his head, no. She nodded slowly, she had been prepared for this…but that still didn't make it any easier. "How long do we have?"

Chadden shook his head again. "I don't know, but my mother thinks we should do this as soon as possible, just in case something goes wrong." She nodded and turned into him, and he embraced her. After a minute he thought he heard a sniffle, and pulled back…she hadn't begun to cry, but she looked as thought she were fighting back tears. "You'll be alright," he said softly.

She closed her eyes and nodded. Looking back at him, she confessed, "I don't…I don't know if I can do this…I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry," he began in a soothing voice, "My mom will take care of it." Lightly he added, as an afterthought, "Well, I guess it's actually Kallie who'll end up taking care of it."

Jay gave him a sad grin. "Yeah, I guess she will." Chadden pulled her against him once more, and she willingly submitted herself to the embrace.

~

Liam had walked as far as the limits of his Kimera-enhanced hearing would allow. The only way he could possibly listen more would be for him to stop and double-back, a move that would certainly be noticed - either they would see him or, if he moved beyond the tree line and tried to go back that way, they would hear him.

But he didn't want to, not after what he'd heard. It sounded to him like an extremely personal matter, one which did not concern him. And while he still didn't not completely trust his host, as much as he felt he needed to, he did not want to spy on her any longer, at least when it did not help them. He imagined Sandoval wouldn't agree, believing it better to know everything about their situation, but Liam had long ago stopped caring what his father approved of - for the most part.

And with that, he stepped further into the forest and back in the direction he had left the others, leaving the teens to their conversation.

~

The rustling of the trees in the wind and the small birds flitting around and calling to each other had served to calm them some. Finally breaking the silence, Chadden asked, "When do your parents get back?"

She pulled back. "Four days, I think…they're going to phone later. But I don't know when my guests will be leaving. If they're gone before that time, we can do it this week."

He nodded. "And, if they're not…."

"If they're not, then we'll have to find another time. I can't reveal that much to them, and I won't do it when my parents are around."

"I guess if we have to wait, then you could stay with Kallie for a weekend."

She nodded in agreement. "I'll call Shanna as soon as I know when I can do it."

He watched as she looked off to the ground and frowned, like she was concentrating. "Jade, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, still looking at the ground. "Nothing…but I've been trying to remember. It's hard, there was so much this time…. I want to know how it fits in to them."

"Liam?"

"Yeah, and the others with him."

A curious frown crossed his features. "Did you see something that…had to do with…" he gestured between the two of them. She nodded. "Can you tell me?"

Jay looked up at him with a mixture of sadness, apology, and conviction written on her face. "Ah," he answered his own question, understanding, "I guess it doesn't make a difference if I know."

"Chad, I'm sorry, but--" she began.

"It's okay," he interrupted. "I know…what you've seen shouldn't be discussed unless it's necessary. And as much as I'd like to feel that I'm 'need-to-know', I guess we both know that you telling me cannot make a difference, in the long run."

"I'm sorry…." she said, remembering the reason why he didn't need to know.

"It's okay," he assured. "But, if you need to, you can tell me, you know that." She nodded and gave him a gratuitous smile.

A moment of awkward silence followed, and Chadden looked at his watch. "I'd better get going." She nodded and followed him the short distance to his car.

Suddenly, without warning, he stumbled into to the side of the hood, using his hands to brace himself so he wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Chad! Are you all right?" Jay asked, concern written all over her face.

He turned around, leaning back against the car, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine…just a little dizzy, you know the drill."

She wrapped an arm around his middle to help him regain his balance. "Maybe you shouldn't be driving if--"

"Jaden, I'm fine," he cut her off. He tested his footing and pulled away from her, all indications that he had experienced distress - save for his slightly labored breathing - were gone. "See? Nothing to worry about, I'm used to it, and I know my limits."

She looked at him for a long moment before acquiescing. "Fine…but call me, okay? I don't want anything to happen."

"Don't worry. I can't endanger the project now, can I?" he joked. Seeing the look she gave him, he sobered. "I will, I promise."

Jay leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss. "Be careful." Chadden gave a gentle smile and nodded before pulling away and turning back to the car, climbing into the driver's seat. She watched as he turned the car around and drove off, her brain already working on the meaning of his visit and the people in the nearby forest she now had to see to.

And how it would all fit together.

~~~

TBC

~~~

I admit, it does seem like I went a little overboard with my original characters. However, this was very necessary to the development of the story, and will play a major part in things to come….