"Liam, what do you think of Zo’or?" asked Da’an, just a few seconds after that his young protector had entered his offce.

Liam turned around and finished to take off his coat, looking at Da’an strangly. "Well…" he started hesitantly, "I consider him as I consider any other Taelon that is against the idea of a joining with humanity. Why this question?"

Da’an looked thoughtful at his feet for a moment. Obviously he had not received the answer he hoped he would. "Let me change my words then. Has your opinion of Zo’or changed since you crashed together in the woods?"

Liam’s eyes widened. So that was where the Taelon wanted to lead this talking. He had avoided carefully the subject with Da’an or with anyone that asked questions about this. He hesitated and finally spoke, "I… saw him as I had never done before…" He stopped when he saw Da’an’s big blue eyes fixed on him. "Da’an. If you have something to ask then do it!" he exclamed, feeling his patience disapear.

The Companion lowered the head and blushed blue. "Do you have… feelings for Zo’or?" he asked very carefully, choosing his words.

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Ahhh… There we are." He frowned. "Just two things Da’an. I’m the Leader of the Resistance and Zo'or the Leader of the Synod. You start to see a little problem there?" he replied sarcastically.

Da’an sighed. "Liam, please, I am very serious. In the past days, I have remarked that he prefered you to be his pilot or personal protector than Sandoval-…"

"Da’an," he said just cutting the the Taelon in the middle of his sentence. "Zo’or is just not trusting Sandoval anymore, that’s all."

Da’an sighed again. "Yes. But it is to a point that it is rare I can have you for protect myself Liam."

"The next time, he asks me, I’ll tell him you’re jealous so that I cannot go with him. Is that okay?" asked Liam, looking bored by the turn of the conversation.

Da’an’s fingers were moving nervously in front of him. "Liam, please listen to me, this is very serious." Liam turned toward him sighing. "I know that you have no Human mate…" he said, insisting on the word ‘human’.

Liam’s mouth fell from some inches. "You… think I’m Zo’or’s lover?!?" he asked fixing the Taelon.

"Yes," Da’an finally admitted. "Please tell me, if it is the case."

"Oh my god…" he sighed. "Lord, save us from too curious Taelon," he said jokingly. "No, I’m not Zo’or’s lover Da’an," he said looking seriousful again. At this moment Liam’s global beeped. This one read the message on it and then said, "Duty’s call. I’m needed on the mothership. Bye my jealous one," he said with a small grin. He had left before Da’an had had the occasion to reprimend him.

?

He knocked softly on the door of Zo’or’s personal chamber.

A Taelon word came from inside. He knew not what it was but he supposed that it meant what or something like that. "It’s Liam. Liam Kincaid. May I enter?"

Zo’or muttered something in Eunoia once again and finally said, "Yes."

The young Human waved his arm and entered inside. The lights were turned off and Zo’or’s vague shape was visible in front of the bay window. "What do you want?" asked the Synod Leader sharply.

"Um… I don’t really know how say it…" whispered Liam rubbing his hands together.

Zo’or turned toward him, his eyes looking like ice. Liam could have almost hear him saying, ‘I almost wait’.

"Okay then, let’s go for it." He took a good breath and fixed his eyes on his shoes. "Da’an thinks we’re lovers."

He could almost feel Zo’or’s eyes going through him, like little sword, as he said that. He felt just more relieved after it but the hardest was still to come. The Taelon smirked. "Explain," he asked, sitting in his chair.

"Well…" Liam started to pace in front of his taelon boss. "I had a discussion this morning with him. He asked me what I think of you and blah blah blah… But he seemed, or he acted, like jaelous. Like I was his only property."

"So Da’an…" said Zo’or. "And you came here for announce me that?" Zo’or began to look impatient, well, more impatient than usually.

"Not… exactly," whispered Liam, again finding his shoes to be the most interesting thing in the world.

"Then clarify your thought, or I will require that you leave me to my rest Major," snapped Zo’or.

Liam rolled his eyes. "Okay if you ask for it. I thought that, with a little practice, we could make Da’an jump out of his boots," suggested Liam, raising his eyebrows.

Zo’or climbed down from his chair and walked toward the virtual glass, turning his back to Liam. He smirked and turned partly for look at the young man from the corner of his eyes, "What is your idea?" he asked.

Liam mirrored perfectly Zo’or’s smirk on his own lips.

?

All was going to be well, thought Liam. Even then he was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. But if it worked, Da’an was going to kill them both. He did not believe that Zo’or had agreed. After many ideas, that he had quickly dismissed, he had finally decided that the Synod Leader just wanted to have fun for one time in his so serious-like life…

He took a good long breath and entered on the bridge. Da’an was already there. Just for be sure, he searched for Zo’or’s gaze and this one gave with a slight nod. His Companion was working on a computer with another Volunteer. He advanced toward Zo’or’s chair. His ‘illicit lover/mate for the moment because of the joke’ was staring out in the space.

He could feel Da’an’s eyes fixing on his back. As understood between them, Zo’or made the look on his face looking more tender. Liam arrrived before his chair and extended his hand toward him. A hand that Zo’or gracefully accepted for jump down. Liam smiled lightly when he saw Da’an’s eyes widden a couple of meters away.

"Zo’or," he, as tenderly as he could do adressing Zo’or, whispered.

"Liam," saluted the Taelon on the same tone. They were still holding hands.

Eyes locked, Liam almost found himself trapped in his own game, mesmerized by the bluer-than-blue eyes of Zo’or. He saw Da’an approach them from the side, curious.

He blinked of one eye, and leaned forward, kissing Zo’or. They had concluded that it would be just a formal chaste kiss. Zo’or was a taelon, and the Synod Leader plus, after all. But once that the contact was done, Liam could just not stop. Zo’or neither, remarked Liam as he sensed the Synod Leader slip his arms around his waist. They broke the embrace just when they heard all the Volunteers burst in laughs around them. They had previously warned them of what would happen.

Liam turned to Da’an, a wide smile on his lips. Liam passed his arms around Zo’or’s shoulders and pulled the Taelon closer, smiling charmingly to his boss. Da’an’s mouth fell from several inches and he momentarily lost his Human appearance, when he realized that Liam and Zo’or were joking.

"Da’an… If you could have seen this look on your face," said Liam, trying to not laugh.

Da’an turned on his heels and left the bridge ­ muttering some words that Zo’or did not translated in Eunoia. Liam turned to Zo’or, whom he was still circling with his arms, "Well, honey, I think I’m gonna work far away from Da’an during a couple of days!"

?

Three days after the ‘incident’…

Liam sighed as he sat in his chair in front of his desk, in Da’an’s audience chamber. The Taelon had not spoke to him nor requested his service in protecting, or flying the shuttle during the past few days. The usually cool voice rang in the room, deserted by any volunteers in the moment.

"Liam, I wish to speak with you about the past actions you exchanged with Zo’or," the Companion said from his chair.

Kincaid raised and advanced toward the armchair Da’an was sitting in. "Please Da’an, it was just a joke. Nothing more, ask Zo’or if you don’t believe me!" he exclamed, maybe a little louder that what he wanted it to be.

Da’an lifted one of his white, graceful ­ personnally, Liam had always found that taelons hand were quite feminine ­ hands and stopped him as he spoke. "It is not the subject that I wish to discuss with you Liam." This said, Da’an motioned to Liam to follow him in the directions of his private quarters. The young hybrid frowned, each times the taelon had wanted to speak with him in his private chamber, it was about his kimera linkage, or about resistance buisness. And with all the troubles between him and Da’an now he doubted that it was about resistance that Da’an wanted to speak.

His alien boss closed the wall after they had both entered, and then turned to face the view that offered the translucent virtual glass. Liam stepped beside him. "Look Da’an, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking badly doing this, I just wanted to-…"

"Have a little fun, I know Liam," said Da’an, still looking outside. "How much do you know about ka’atham Liam?" asked Da’an, finally turning to him so that the Human could see the concerned look filling his eyes.

He nervously rubbed his palm together, where his tingling shakarava was always sleeping. "Taelon reproducing time. Kimera’s also," he started, like a child recitating a lesson to his teacher. "It’s a biological imperative that push the one experiencing it to reproduce, even if it must induce a kind of craziness in his mind. I do not know much more about it. But why are you speaking about this?"

Da’an lowered the head, thoughtful, and moved his fingers in an agitated manner. "Their are fluctions in our ka’atham period. Sometime the effects are so calm that they are almost non-perceptible, but sometime, when a crisis is induced, for example…" Da’an let his statement unfinished, the meaning in it despite all very clear by the look in his eyes. "I recently sensed strange feelings in the Comonality, feelings that are usually caused by ka’atham." He locked eyes with Liam. "Coming from Zo’or."

The hybrid’s eyes widened. "You are telling me that… I… induced ka’atham crisis in Zo’or?" asked Liam, pacing the chamber, looking fixingly at his palms, completly confused.

"It appears to be the case indeed," whispered Da’an. Liam stopped, his back turned to the Companion, bitting his lower lips. He sensed the Taelon’s hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn.

"Okay, I maybe made a little mistake there," he admitted.

"I easily forgive you since you knew not of the situation that such an aciton of your could provocate in Zo’or," said Da’an, sliding his hand down Liam’s arm toward the young man’s left hand. He turned Liam’s palm up and slowly ran his fingers in the middle of it, activating the calm alien organ, that was always there for remind to Liam how alien he was compared to the other humans. He felt the familiar tingling warm up as soft energy tendrils entered in his skin.

"Despite your adult form Liam and your many responsabilities, you are only a child. And I am not sure if your body could stand the ka’atham fury. All what I wish is your well-being Liam," said Da’an softly, finally letting go of his grip on liam.

Liam nodded. "Thanks for the warning. But what should I do now? I’m not sure if Zo’or would take it very well, if I went and just told him ‘No thank you but I’m not interested’," he said raising his eyebrows.

"I doubt that such a strategy would work indeed," added Da’an. "But I think the best for you now is to stay away from Zo’or during a certain time. I fear that he could commit dangerous actions that would reveal your… genetical paticularities."

Liam nodded acknowledging the statement. "I’ll do as best as I can, but I’m still under his orders, if he asks me on the bridge, I would not sound very loyal if I said that I cannot come," replied Liam, putting his hands into his jeans pocket.

"I will try to convince him that it is for his own good to stay away form you as well. It will be hard though," said Da’an. "Do you have affection for Zo’or?" he suddenly asked, totally out subject.

Liam was somewhat stunned by the surprise question and managed to say a understandable response after many tries, "Not… as much as I have had for you… at first… but I must say… I have, yes," he whispered hesitantly.

Da’an circled Liam for a time, then said, "This will make it harder."

"I didn’t say I was in love with him, I admitted that I had little affection for him," exclamed Liam, turning his head on the side so that he could look at Da’an from the corner of his eyes.

Da’an completed his turn and stopped right in front of the hybrid. "Liam, even if you live among Humans, even if you live as a completly normal Human, you must not forget that a third of your DNA has been provided by a Kimera parent. Your body, basing on the advance of Zo’or’s ka’atham, and on your affection for him, could enter in ka’atham itself," murmured Da’an gently.

"You think I could?"

Da’an nodded, "If I refer to the speed you have grown up to a Human adult form, then yes, your first ka’atham would begin soon."

"Soon?" asked Liam, his voice sounding curious as well as a little scared.

"By the end of this year," answered Da’an, raising the eyes for look at Liam.

Liam nodded again and they stayed in silence during a long time until Liam said that he had work to do for the evening, then he turned for depart. Just before exiting he turned to Da’an, "I wanted to… thank you for your help. I know that we have been, well… not friendly at each other since a while, but… I just wanted to thank you for all your help, since the very first day."

Da’an stepped closer to his young protector. "Since the first minute I touched you, I have ever thought to you as I would my own child Liam. We met at the funeral of my protector, I do not want to go to yours Liam. Please, be extremely careful…" the Taelon said quietly, slightly brushing his fingers to Liam’s wrist.

"I will," retorted Liam, sending Da’an a small smile, the first true smile they had shared since a lot of time. He left the chamber, his thought wandering. As if his life was not enough complex like it was now…

To Be Continued