Emotion

by Seven


Disclaimer:  Earth: Final Conflict and its characters are copyrighted by Tribune Entertainment Company.  All rights reserved.



Note from Author:  This is a challenge from Fear, to write a Zo'or/Liam romance. This is my best shot, since romance is not my niche and I think I did a very bad job. Therefore, dedicated to Fear. (This is an AU fic. And keep in mind that Zo'or is not technically a "he". I just couldn't refer to him as "she," it means nothing). note from AG-site owner: I have no idea what Seven means by AU fic.



**********

It had been three days. Three days since the crash, two days since Liam and Zo'or had managed to escape from the Sunlight Basin, almost losing Zo'or's life in the process.

As the Taelon recovered, bathed in a constant energy stream, Liam occupied himself with work. Lots of it. Da'an didn't disturb him, apparently figuring that the experience had been traumatic, and Liam was grateful for it.

He didn't know why, but Zo'or seemed to be on his mind constantly. Lying motionless on a bed, rambling dreamily; gasping and groaning pitifully as the shuttle sucked his energy at blinding speed; and the horrible minutes in the town where Liam had thought he was dead.

Liam's pulse pounded in his ears as he set down a file folder. He had the nagging feeling that Zo'or wasn't all right, but there was no reason to believe otherwise.

And why did he care?

****

"Major?"

Liam waved away the mothership's datastream and looked over his shoulder at Sandoval. "Yes, Agent Sandoval?" he asked casually.

Sandoval's expression showed mingled confusion and amusement. "Zo'or is requesting to see you. He has recovered somewhat from his injuries, enough to return to consciousness for a while."

Liam put down the information-packed global uncomfortably. "Why would Zo'or want to talk to me?" he asked uneasily. "Until a few days ago, he barely knew I existed."

Sandoval cocked an eyebrow. "Maybe that's why he wants to see you," the FBI agent replied with an air of strained patience. "He's still in a rather fragile state, so if you plan to answer his request, you better do it now."

Liam slowly walked around Sandoval, and into the long blue corridors of the mothership. For some idiotic reason, his heart was thumping like a drum. He was terrified of seeing Zo'or—he admitted it freely. But why? In the past, he had felt animosity and sometimes a tinge of contempt.

As he approached the medical wing, the doors whizzed open.

Zo'or was lying on his back, encased in some kind of modified energy stream. Liam could see his unconscious face through the swirls of white. Then blue flashed through the white as the Taelon opened his eyes, and the mists surrounding him dissipated, melting into the air.

Now, he looked as helpless and weak as before. Liam tried not to stare at the purple-blue healing patches attached to Zo'or's torso, and focused instead on the Synod leader's face.

Zo'or looked straight at him with lucid eyes. "Major."

Liam straightened to attention. "Yes, Zo'or?"

The Taelon's eyes flickered for a moment. "I wished to express... gratitude... for your actions. It was a selfless act... one that, for your species... seems to be quite rare."

Liam desperately hoped he wasn't blushing. "Well, I'm just glad you're not dead." He winced inwardly at the bluntness of his statement.

But Zo'or didn't seem to notice. He simply stared at Liam with a rather odd look in his narrow blue eyes. "Are you?" he asked simply.

Now he was definitely blushing. And he wasn't even embarrassed.

Liam ignored the hot feeling creeping over his cheeks and looked Zo'or squarely in the eye. "Yes," he said quietly. "I am. I didn't want you to die."

The simple statement seemed to make no impact in Zo'or. His eerily unwavering gaze did not falter, just kept fixed on Liam's green eyes and flushed face. Just when Liam was about to scoot out of the room to avoid that gaze, Zo'or gasped. His eyes widened in pain, and the bandage on his torso began to pulse.

Liam took a step forward. "You'd better not try this anymore," he said urgently.

Zo'or did not reply, but closed his eyes and sank back into the energy-stream generator as the white mists swirled around him again.

Liam watched Zo'or's still form in the healing energy stream, then walked out hastily. His stomach had twisted up in a hard knot, and his heart was still hammering his ribs from the inside.

What in the name of heaven was wrong?

****

"Two days in the wilderness with Zo'or," Augur said with a wide, flashing grin. "Sounds like a generous slice of hell to me."

Liam picked up one of Augur's mountainous sandwiches and lifted the top piece of bread. "It actually wasn't that bad."

"Pray tell?"

Liam extracted a sweet pickle slice with thumb and forefinger and deposited it on the tabletop. "Can you pass me dill slices?" Augur plucked a green jar from behind the bar and held it behind his back. "First you talk, then you get the pickles." "It's a deal," Liam said, holding out his hand. Augur ignored it. "Zo'or was actually unconscious most of the time... and only partially there when he was awake."

"I imagine he's much more pleasant like that than he is normally," Augur said, dropping the jar into Liam's hand as the young man wiggled his fingers imploringly. Liam felt another lurch in his stomach at those words. He listlessly fished a pickle from the jar and stuck it into his sandwich. "Yeah. Yeah, he's more pleasant." He took a bite, chewed and swallowed. "He wasn't acting arrogant or annoying... he was kind of helpless. Not afraid, though..."

Liam jerked back to reality at an annoying buzz. Augur was staring at him, holding a plastic whistle. "Earth to Kincaid, come in, Kincaid," the hacker said with a grin. "Thinking too much about Zo'or is hazardous to your health."

"Then I'm terminal," Liam replied dryly. "I thought the trip wasn't hell."

"It wasn't... it's just..." Liam stopped short, toyed with his sandwich. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

****

As Liam stepped onto the bridge of the mothership, he saw two Taelon figures. Da'an, facing him, and a taller, thinner Taelon. Liam almost fell over—Zo'or?

"T'than," Da'an said quietly, gesturing in Liam's direction. "This is my protector, Liam Kincaid. The one who was stranded with Zo'or. T'than turned around, revealing a militaristic-looking sash wound across his chest and waist, that gave him a slightly more masculine look than most other Taelons. With the kind of personality that Liam saw in those cold eyes, he could see why T'than was described as Zo'or's bitterest enemy.

"So," T'than said. "How is Zo'or?"

Liam frowned a little, confused. "He's... uh, he's doing better, but he's not going to be able to return to duty for a few more days."

It might have been his imagination, but T'than looked disappointed.

"Why are you asking me?" Liam asked, turning his attention to Da'an. "Haven't you been to see Zo'or yourself?" "I was intending to," Da'an replied. "But Zo'or has barred himself off... until Agent Sandoval informed me that he spoke with you yesterday, I had thought him completely isolated."

Zo'or had only talked with him? Why had he singled Liam out? Liam's confusion was growing by leaps and bounds.

****

Liam felt like turning and sprinting as the doors to the medical wing of the mothership slid silently open. The swirling chamber was as it was before, with Zo'or still lying inside it. Liam tried to bite down on a sudden stab of memory...

The energy stream shut down suddenly, leaving Zo'or looking frail and slightly irritated, as if Liam had disturbed him in the middle of something important. The expression melted away, replaced by confusion. "Major Kincaid... why have you disturbed me?"

"I'm sorry," Liam said hastily. "I... didn't mean to disturb you."

"Do not go."

"If you say so."

Zo'or was still looking at Liam with a shadow of the expression he had had when they were talking in the cabin. "Major... I wish to speak with you."

Liam nodded, and seated himself in a nearby chair. "About what?"

"I am attracted to you."

Liam almost fell out of the chair. Zo'or was still staring at him with those inscrutable eyes, his face serene. Liam's pulse was racing again, with a sudden burst of mingled horror and fear. Zo'or was attracted... Zo'or didn't even have a gender, the word "he" was just a pleasant term for the androgynous aliens. How was it possible?

"What?" Liam asked hoarsely. Then at Zo'or's hard glare, he shook himself and asked, "I mean... how's that possible? I thought Taelons... they... I thought they didn't..." He groped madly for words.

Zo'or's tiny smile crept back to his lips as he closed his eyes. "Not animal passion, as you humans know 'attraction.' Not physical attraction. Rather... I find your mind and personality to be unusual. Positively so."

The pale blue eyes opened and bored into Liam's.

Liam felt as if someone had systematically drained the moisture from his mouth and throat. He licked his lips for a moment, staring at his lap. "I know the kind of attraction you're talking about. I... I think I've been feeling the same way." He frowned. "But, Zo'or... I'm a human."

"I am aware of that fact." Zo'or closed his eyes again, as if the strained conversation were tiring him. Liam's hands had locked in a deathgrip on his chair. His knuckles were turning white. "Zo'or... I... I can't."

Zo'or looked sideways at him, an expression of petulance crossing the fine-carved face. "Why not?"

Liam took a deep breath. "For several reasons. For one thing, any kind of... Zo'or, I'm a human. You said so yourself in the Enclave. And you're a Taelon—see a bit of a problem growing here? Any kind of relationship, even of the mind and personality, would still be too far."

He took a deep breath. "Also... your agenda and mine don't mesh. Our ways of thinking don't coincide. A relationship... even with attraction... couldn't end well. You know that..."

Zo'or simply stared at him. His blue eyes lowered thoughtfully. "Perhaps you are right," he said softly. "You are dismissed."

Liam's legs felt as if the muscles had transformed into jelly as he rose shakily. Suddenly Zo'or held up a hand, as if trying to catch Liam's attention between his fingers. "Keep in mind," he said in a weak tone. "My offer will remain open."

For a moment, Liam simply looked down at the Taelon. Then he slowly bent down and pressed his lips to Zo'or's forehead. Zo'or stared up at him mildly, then turned his face to the wall as Liam walked slowly out.

****

Two days later, Liam Kincaid stood by Da'an's side on the bridge of the mothership. Da'an had noticed some depressed, peculiar behavior from his protector, but had chosen not to ask.

Zo'or walked gracefully onto the bridge, back toward the dais where he usually sat. He moved more slowly than usual, his hands kept stiller to keep them from shivering a little.

He stopped and looked at Liam. There was no accusation in his bright eyes, no anger or disgust. Perhaps a little sadness. Liam smiled a little and walked away.