Here comes the last part of the story.

I hope you had fun reading, and of course - comments and reviews are always welcome! :)

Merry Christmas everyone!


Liam walked out of the bathroom pulling the T-shirt over his head and slipping his arms into the sleeves. He was upset with himself for having lost his temper in front of Da'an. The fact was he had lashed out at him… her… many times in the past, but somehow in each case he had had serious reasons for doing so: lies, betrayal and manipulations resulting in deaths of human beings. This time, however, he had simply given vent to his frustration for a reason that had nothing to do with the Synod's agenda. Da'an had done things that for a human would seem thoughtless, but in all likelihood did have a deeper meaning on closer inspection, and well – she had not intended to hurt anyone. Nobody had suffered serious trauma or died, and a TV and a car were… well… just things.

She had a hard time being a human, it seemed, and his own behaviour was not particularly helpful.

He shouldn't have openly accused her of Ha'gel's death; it was one of those things that could not be averted and caused him needless pain whenever it was mentioned. He knew that at the time Da'an had done what she had been required to do since the Synod had been terrorized by the very possibility of the Kimera's revenge. She could have done nothing to stop this madness. If it hadn't been William Boone, someone else would have done the job; and Ha'gel had known he would die on Earth all along.

With a sigh, Liam rubbed his forehead. All in all, it seemed that he was the one who was supposed to apologize this time. With the intention of explaining the whole affair, he headed into the hallway and… felt his blood run cold.

The doors leading to the stairway were open.

'Da'an?' he called, but there was no answer. He quickly checked every room in the apartment only to find that it was empty. Da'an's coat was still hanging on the peg above her shoes, which made Liam realize she had left his apartment completely unprepared for the cold outside. Determined not to lose any more time, he quickly put on his boots and jacket, grabbed her outerwear and sprinted down the stairway.

In the middle of the night the neighbourhood was empty, which in a sense proved to be an unexpected advantage. Without the usual crowd of people travelling the streets, Da'an's footprints were clearly distinguishable in the fine layer of snow, enabling the young hybrid to trace her without much difficulty. Following the trace, he soon found himself by an old, creaking gate which led to a half-frozen park. His perfect sight – one of the advantages of his Kimera legacy – allowed him to spot a dark figure seated on a wooden bench just opposite a giant marble fountain.

'Da'an!' he called out to her, but she neither answered nor moved.

The moment he reached the spot, he instantly draped the coat over her shoulders, but she simply turned her head away.

'You okay?' he asked, quite unsuccessfully trying to catch a glimpse of her face.

'Please, go away,' she said. 'I wish to be alone.'

'I can assure you, you'll freeze if you stay here,' he took both her hands in his own, hoping to provide her with warmth. 'Human body consists of sixty percent water. If water around you freezes, you can be pretty sure you should be looking for shelter from the cold.'

The scientific approach seemed to do the trick and the diplomat finally looked at him. Liam frowned at her red, puffy eyes.

'Have you been… crying?'

'No,' her voice gained a dark undertone. 'Taelons do not cry.'

'Technically, now you're a – ' Liam began, but instantaneously fell silent when she glanced at him with her typical, Taelon cold dignity. 'Right, how could I forget?' he mustered a small smile, which disappeared almost instantly when he realized that Da'an was beginning to shiver. 'We really need to get going,' he urged, not failing to register that her body was gradually losing its battle with the low temperature.

Instead of listening to him, however, she leaned her head against an old tree growing right next to the bench. 'I am fatigued, Liam,' she whispered. 'My human form requires rest.'

Liam frowned. 'Your human form is entering hypothermia, not rest,' he concluded and before she could protest, he lifted her up, placing one hand under her back and one under her knees.

Although the fear of falling to the ground drove her to instinctively wrap her arms around his neck, her displeased gaze did not escape his notice.

'Yeah,' he said with a smile. 'I promise we can discuss the details of my execution later.'


In the warm glow of a simple ceiling lighting, Liam carefully placed a mug filled with hot tea on the table before he took a discreet glance at his guest barely visible from under a bundle of blankets. Ever since he had brought Da'an back to his apartment, she had not uttered a single word. Her silence only added to his worries. She was in a clearly deplorable mental and physical condition, and the fact that he was partially responsible for it, did not make him feel particularly good about his skills as a Companion Protector. At least, that was the official part of it he was desperately clinging to. Deep at heart, he was worried about her – something that should never occur, considering his current position as the leader of the human Resistance.

He cleared his throat to get her attention, but she refused to even look at him. 'Well, just in case…' he began, trying to draw her into a conversation, 'you know we can bring this experiment to an end right now and everything will get back to normal?'

'No,' sounded the shortest answer he had ever heard from her.

The man helplessly looked at the ceiling as if expecting to discover a miraculous solution right above his head. 'All I'm asking you to do is to try to at least consider…'

'That is not possible,' Da'an closed her eyes wearily. 'This experiment will not end before Christmas.'

'Why? What's in it for you?' Liam seemed at a loss. 'Taelons don't celebrate Christmas.'

'Obviously,' she said, then hesitated. 'Yet you do.'

Liam raised an eyebrow. 'I still don't get it.'

'Did you for a split second believe that remaining in a human form brings me comfort?'

Her Protector blinked at her questioningly.

'The transition from an energy form into the physical world has proved… extremely confusing,' she confessed, her fatigued voice carrying a hint of shame. 'These… unusual…. circumstances forced me to spend the first hour of my existential experience in a human form… crawling on the floor. I found myself unable to walk, even less keep my balance. When I finally made my first few steps, I collided with the bioslurry.'

The detailed graphic description she had provided was too tempting for Liam's imagination and he could hardly prevent himself from smiling. Still, he had not suspected that being a human could be that hard.

'I feel… confined in a form which, in a sense, constraints my consciousness. In my true form, my mental capabilities are unlimited. Being a human, however, I must succumb to the limitations of the human brain, which in itself is a truly startling experience.'

Her Protector took the time to consider her confession. The discourse seemed logical, but somehow he had never actually taken into account the effect that a human brain might have on Taelon consciousness. It did, on many levels, explain why Da'an had so thoroughly failed as a human.

'You have taught me to portion my nourishment,' she continued, 'yet each time I swallow, I am terrified by the very possibility that it may block my airways, and I will...' Da'an's voice trailed off as she closed her eyes.

'Yeah, I guess I'm dealing with identical thoughts each time I see you eat,' Liam scratched his head, but now that he had finally said it, he felt relieved to know that Da'an perfectly understood the risk she was taking. 'Then why bother?'

This time it was the diplomat who took a moment to gather her thoughts. 'From the day you were born, you have been forced to experience the deaths of people you held dear, some of which… I am personally responsible for.' A dark shadow fell across her features. 'You no longer seem to believe that strengthening our relationship has... merit… and you are equally reluctant to trust other human beings. Since Christmas is a communal festival, I feared that you may feel… desolate.'

'Wait …' the hybrid's green eyes narrowed, 'you transferred your consciousness into a human form, because you thought I was… lonely?'

'It was the only form that could enable me to truly celebrate Christmas the way humans celebrate it,' she explained. 'I do not believe I would have been able to explain the purpose of a Christmas tree in the audience chamber to the Synod, and especially to Zo'or.'

'You can't tell me you're a human now, because you feared Sandoval would skrill your Christmas tree on Zo'or's order,' Liam could not help a grin.

'That was certainly not the case,' her lips curved in a small smile as well. 'My Taelon form has certain… limitations. I cannot absorb human nourishment or feel its taste. Yet most of all, I am unable to feel; experience and express emotions the way humans do,' she paused, lowering her gaze. 'A trait that has many times misled you to believe… your friendship means nothing to me.'

Overcome by fatigue, she sagged back against the pillow under the watchful gaze of her human Protector. Truth be told, Liam felt like a doofus. Da'an might have completely failed in being a human, but hell, he WAS a human and still thoroughly failed in seeing things that should have been obvious to a human being. Slowly, he rose from his chair and took the mug from the table.

'You should have some tea,' he offered, lifting it to enable her to safely take a sip.

Although she accepted his offer, Liam could still see the sorrow in her eyes. 'I failed,' she said simply, turning her gaze towards the window overlooking the sleeping city. 'I wished to offer you my company, yet became a nuisance instead.'

'You did the best you could,' her Protector countered. 'And truth is, I honestly suck at celebrating Christmas. The decorations, food, and all… I was invited to Renee's family house for tomorrow, but whenever I recall her screaming nephews, I get a migraine.'

Da'an tilted her head. 'What shall we do then?'

Liam rubbed his chin. Yeah, what shall we do?


«You know, this was supposed to be my weekend off, but noooo! You got me out here dragging your heavy ass through the burning desert with your dreadlocks sticking out of the back of my parachute. I could have been at a barbecue!»

With the corner of his eye, Liam saw Da'an smile as she continued observing the American soldier dragging an alien corpse over the sand. He threw a piece of popcorn into the air and caught it between his teeth.

'I must admit I admire human procurement services, Liam,' she waved her hand. 'You were provided with a new TV receiver within thirty minutes.'

'Super fast Christmas delivery for additional twenty bucks,' the young hybrid winked. 'And don't forget you owe me eight hundred dollars for that TV bomb you discharged on Peter's car.'

Da'an's eyes narrowed as she observed his popcorn tricks.

'Just between us,' he continued, having leisurely crossed his legs on the table, 'it was hilarious. That kind of thing would have gone viral on the –,' he bit his tongue, suddenly realizing that the diplomat might take his opinion all too seriously. 'Don't do that again. EVER.'

The Taelon could not help sending him a challenging smile as she mimicked her Protector's behaviour and stretched out her legs on the table.

Liam eyed her critically. I created a monster.

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-THE END-
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