Sorrow

by Seven


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



Note from Author:  Ah, what food for fanfic...



**********



She huddled at the front of the shuttle, her slim body curled inward, shaking a little. Dark hair fell across her twisted features as she fought to keep the tears back.

Ree'dak just watched her, his hands hanging at his sides. He didn't know what to say to her.

She was hurt. Of course she was hurt. She had gone through a storm of emotion in the last few hours, only to find that the lies within the lies, were also lies.

He felt an odd, hollow ache begin to form in his chest, as she uttered a muffled squeak and pressed a hand to her cheek. She would never trust him now, and for some reason it seemed terribly important. He desperately wanted her to trust him.

"Li-li," he said awkwardly, the word coming strangely off his tongue, despite the fact that he had said it smoothly for the past few days. Humans talked in a very slurred manner, hard to mimic.

She shook her head.

He held out a hand, paused to consider, then gently stroked a lock of her dark hair away from her water-filled eyes. It felt strangely fine in his fingers, unused to anything but the rough, pebbled skin of other Jaridians. He wasn't certain if he was allowed to touch her, but she wasn't moving.

"I'm sorry," he said haltingly, kneeling beside her.

She shook her head. "You just wanted information from me," she said waveringly.

"I wanted information, yes," Ree'dak admitted, feeling like a child caught stealing some trinket. "But I never wanted to lie."

"Then why didn't you tell me the truth?" Lili rasped, her face still pressed to the purple Taelon wall. "You saw my memories... you know I'm Resistance. I hate the Taelons..." Her voice rose to a shout, making Ree'dak sit back abruptly. "Why didn't you just ask me?"

"Because we could not take the chance that you would refuse," Ree'dak said quietly, folding his hands.

That seemed to faze Lili for a moment, but not for long. Slowly, she drew herself up, her back to the wall, knees drawn up to her chest. Her smooth face seemed to have aged in the wash of tears. Without thinking, Ree'dak reached out to brush one away. The salty liquid stung his fingertip in a most unpleasant manner...

She looked shocked, and he quickly pulled his hand back. "What's wrong?" he rumbled, glancing from her startled eyes to his stinging hand.

For a moment, he thought she would reply. But instead, she stumbled to her feet and deactivated the virtual glass field, tottering down. She was shocked and tired, devastated by the emotional turmoil she had been wrung through...

Ree'dak only watched her, wishing that his sorrow were enough.