A Taste Of Motherhood

by Seven


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



Author's Note:  Here it is, the third "premonition" story!



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One year after the arrival of the Taelons

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Siobhan Beckett petted her skrill with slow, graceful strokes. It purred at her, enjoying the attention.

She glanced up at the group of kindergarteners being escorted around the UK Companion's embassy. Admonished not to touch anything, they simply stared around in awe at the otherworldly sculptures and delicate blue walls and floors. Every now and then, a small hand would extend to touch the organic walls, then draw back in surprise at the texture.

Beckett smiled warmly. Then her smile faded as she saw one boy staring at her. He had wavy dark hair and intense green eyes. Suddenly the boy broke away from the group and came towards her. For a long moment, he only looked at her with the eyes of an adult transplanted into a child. Beckett smiled, a little uncertain. "Hi," she said.

The boy did not smile back, but only asked, "What's your name?" Strange. "Lieutenant Beckett. What's yours?"

"Liam."

"Liam," Beckett said, nodding a little. "I like that name. Can I call you that?"

The boy nodded solemnly, then dropped his eyes to her skrill. "What's that thing?" he asked with a faint hint of revulsion. Beckett smiled and rolled back her sleeve. "It's a skrill, honey. See? It's a living thing that can be used to keep the peace. You wanna touch it?"  The boy nodded and gingerly rubbed his fingertips across the skrill's bumpy top. He drew back as it hissed a little. "It's warm," he said uncertainly.

Beckett rolled down her sleeve. She a growing liking for this odd little boy, with the strange wise eyes. "Would you like to see the Companion's office?" she asked quietly. "He's not there right now, but I could sneak you in for a peek."

The boy nodded enthusiastically and took Beckett's hand.

She led him down a back corridor into the spacious office. In the middle was a majestic thronelike chair, and the huge windows overlooked London and Big Ben. "So, what do you think?" Beckett asked, looking down at Liam.   Liam looked around. "It's all really pretty," he said.  Beckett smiled, then turned around. "Now, Liam, we'd best get you back to your school group, or your teacher will worry."

"I don't belong to that group," Liam replied, not moving but only looking at her.

Beckett stared at him in surprise. "Then... where's your mother? Did she bring you here?"

Liam's green eyes locked on hers. "You are my mother," he said quietly. And the boy vanished into thin air.

Beckett blinked, confused, staring around. Quickly, she sprinted into the corridor and saw no one. Liam had simply vanished. Confusedly, she stared out at London and wondered what the child's cryptic message had meant...