"Okay, I can get you the information you need but it's gonna take forty-eight hours," said J Street as she gazed up into the green-eyed gaze of Major Liam Kincaid. Damn, but it was a crime that such a gorgeous man didn't kick back and have fun more often.
She watched as Kincaid frowned. "Is there no way that you can make it sooner, Street?"
Liam watched, as the girl remained silent for a moment, her fingers twisting absently in the fringe of the multi-coloured vest that she was wearing, a speculative gleam in her eye. Manfully, he restrained the urge to flinch. This could get ugly... but he needed the damn information as soon as possible.
"Well..." drawled the teenager with a grin.
"Well, what?" he asked warily.
"I could put a few other projects on hold and maybe shave the timeframe to twenty-four hours, but it's gonna cost ya', Kincaid," she said with a sweet smile, devilment in her eyes.
"Cost me what?" asked Liam, resigned to the worst.
"There's a funfair in Amberson Park this week. I haven't been to the fair since I was little. I want to go and I want you to come with me."
"You want me to go where?"
She almost choked on the gum she was chewing as she heard the stunned tone in the Protector's voice but; she banished the urge to laugh, saying, "That's the deal. Take it or leave it."
In a martyred tone, Kincaid said, "When do you want me to pick you up?"
Grinning in delight, Street said, "I'll meet you at the Flat Planet at four p.m. We can walk from there."
She watched as the Protector nodded his agreement and walked away. When she was sure that he was gone, she gave in to her impulses and jumped and down, saying, "Yes, yes, yes! This is going to be so much fun."
She quickly headed off to one of her secure terminals; she had to get the search running for Kincaid. She wouldn't let him down.
Then, she had much more important things to deal with. What was she going to wear?!
Street bounced into the Flat Planet Café with a flourish. The patrons that were there in the early afternoon eyed the young woman with expressions that ranged from disinterested to amused to disbelieving - nobody should be that effervescent on a Monday afternoon.
Street ignored the gazes being directed at her, she was too busy doing some looking of her own. Where was he? He hadn't chickened out on her, had he? Just as she was beginning to think the worst, a tall figure emerged from one of the far tables; it was Kincaid. One of her eyebrows rose slightly as she realised that he'd 'dressed' for the occasion; black jeans, an iridescent green shirt that would match his eyes - if you could see them behind his funky designer shades - and, amazingly enough, obviously well-worn and comfortable sneakers on his feet. Major Liam Kincaid could apparently 'do' fun if the spirit moved him. Damn, he looked good.
He walked towards her and she saw a quick flash of relief cross his face as took in her appearance. She had shown slightly more restraint than normal when choosing her ensemble; she didn't want to freak him out too much. Patchwork jeans, a purple T-shirt, sneakers and her favourite, hand embroidered denim jacket.
"Ms. Str-
She held up a hand and gave Kincaid a glare. "No Ms's, Kincaid, and if you try and call me Juliette, I swear I'll make you pay for it for the next month. Either Street or J... take your pick."
Liam Kincaid fought a sigh; this was going to be the afternoon from hell. Knowing that she would make good on her threat, Liam grinned and held up his hands in an apologetic and appeasing gesture. "Be nice. I'll call you Street if you call me Liam. Deal?"
She smiled, nodded and tugged at his arm, saying, "Come on, let's go!"
Funfair at Amberson Park.
Street bounced impatiently as Liam paid the entrance fee for them both, she couldn't wait to get started. She wanted an afternoon of fun, one where she didn't have to think of anything that existed beyond the environs of the fairground.
They made their way through towards the first of the stalls and rides, Street let her eyes roamed over everything and she felt a grin tug at the corner of her mouth. She hadn't been to a fair since she was seven - she fully intended to make up for lost time.
Since she had more or less dragged the man into this, she turned to give Liam the first choice on what they should do and paused, silent, as she gazed at the expression in his eyes. It was a mixture of amazement and... was that wistfulness that she could see there? She decided to lighten the mood a bit and said, "Come on, Liam. You'd think that you'd never been to a fair before!"
Her jaw dropped as he shrugged and mumbled, "I haven't." She'd been joking! She looked at him in disbelief. "You've never been to a funfair?"
"Nope."
She tugged at his arm again, and began heading towards the heart of the fairground, determination in her step. "Well then, in that case, we're going to do everything.
She dragged him over to her first choice and he stared at it in frank astonishment, saying, "You're not serious?"
She gave him a grin and said, "Oh, I'm very serious. Get your butt up there, Liam. I'll break you in gradually to the other rides but we're starting with this one. Call it tradition."
"Street, I'm too old to go on that!"
She clambered on to the ride with a helpful boost from the guy running it and said, "Nobody is too old for a fair. Get up here, Liam. You'll like it. Trust me."
Liam gave her a look that told her he wasn't going to forget this in a hurry but did indeed clamber aboard the ride. She could have sworn she heard him muttering, "Trust you? About as far as I can throw you!"
Feeling ridiculous, he took a perch on one of the seats... The ride began and Street let out a whoop of delight that was echoed by most of the other people sharing the 'adventure'. The music started and the ride began to whirl round. Against his better judgment, Liam began to smile. This wasn't so bad.
Street glanced over at her companion and saw the soft grin of delight appearing on his face.
Gotcha! She sent a quick glance at the other people on the ride and thought, 'if only they knew'. The Protector to the North American Companion and the leader of the Resistance was currently sitting amongst them and having his first ride on a carousel...
Just you wait, Liam Kincaid. You ain't seen nothin' yet!
Street stood waiting for Liam to leave the carousel and did her best not to roll her eyes in exasperation. He was exhibiting his usual behaviour, she'd only known him a couple of months, but even she'd figured out that he was hopeless. She watched in exasperation as he chivalrously aided any female that asked for assistance in climbing down from the carousel - whether they were six, sixteen or in their twenties - and as per usual, he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the older females were flirting with him. For goodness sake, Kincaid, get a clue!
Eventually, he walked towards her, and she was pleased to see a gentle smile touching his face. She looked up into his green eyes, her own playfully challenging as she said, "Well, did you or did you not have fun?"
Her heart gave a little flutter in her chest as he inclined his head in acknowledgement of her gentle rebuke before giving her a heart-stopping smile and saying, "I stand corrected, Street. I am yours to command. What are we doing next?"
Ooh, if I were a few years older, you wouldn't know what was about to hit you, Liam Kincaid. That smile should be registered as dangerous... How the hell does Renee manage to work with him and not pounce on him and kiss him senseless?
While she may be thinking things like that, she sure as hell wasn't going to tell Kincaid! She looked at him with an assessing gaze, saying, "Are you ready for a little more adrenaline, Liam?"
Kincaid made an expansive gesture as he waved at her to lead the way and said, "Like I said, I am yours to command."
Street grinned, this fair had a roller coaster and a water ride; she'd seen them advertised. She'd start with the roller coaster, and let Liam get a little more comfortable before she got him drenched. They made their way over to the line up for the roller coaster. It was one of the most popular attractions at the fair and the queue was fairly long.
Inevitably, there was a bit of jostling going on, it was unavoidable really. The queue contained a lot of rowdy and excitable kids and teenagers, accompanied by increasingly exasperated adults. The front of the queue snaked through barriers but the end, including Liam and Street, was just tailing off into available space round the side of the attraction. That meant people occasionally pushed through as they made their way from one attraction to another, going through the queue blocking their way rather than going around it.
Street passed the time gossiping with Liam, telling him a couple of stories about her early acquaintanceship with Augur that had him fighting guffaws of laughter. She was like most of the other teenagers in the queue and practically bounced in place, she was that eager to get on the roller coaster. Out of nowhere, a group of about three young men in their early twenties started to barge through the queue trying to get to the ride next to the roller coaster. They made no requests to be allowed to pass, they just roughly pushed through, uncaring if they were shoving anybody out of the way.
Liam saw them coming and his eyes narrowed, he saw the largest of the three approaching, heading straight towards Street's slight frame. He maneuvered Street round to stand at his other side and placed an arm round her as a protective barrier. The youth continued on but found his path impeded by an impenetrable barrier in the form of Liam's strong arm that was shielding Street. He looked up into the green eyes of the older man and realised suddenly that the man in front of him was not the typical adult or parent accompanying a child to the fair; this guy was dangerous... and he was not happy. Swallowing nervously, he said, "Excuse me, sir. May I please pass by?"
The disapproving and dangerous gleam left the man's eyes. He and the teenager he was accompanying stepped back to allow him to pass and the youth quickly continued on his way. He could feel the cool gaze of the older man on his retreating back and he resolved to be a lot better behaved for the remainder of his visit to the fair... just to be on the safe side.
Liam watched the youths till they had gone and then dropped his gaze down to Street. "Are you OK?"
Street looked up at him, eyes wide. She hadn't expected anything like that 'almost confrontation' to happen when she had suggested this excursion. "I'm fine, Liam. Thank you." Liam lowered his arm and she felt a minute pang of loss. It had made her feel protected, safe. The last time she remembered that feeling was when her Dad had hugged her when she was little...
Fifteen minutes later, they were at the front of the queue. Street motioned one of the people that operated the ride over and whispered the fact that it was the first time the guy with her had ever been on a roller coaster and could they please sit at the front? Grinning, the lady agreed.
Liam eyed Street in askance as he saw the contraption that she wanted him to ride in but decided that he may as well go with the flow. Flow was not exactly what happened though! Crazy speed, dips, turns, revolutions, ascents and descents were what followed!! It was amazing!!!!!
He was grinning in delight as they staggered off the roller coaster at the end. That had been fun! Exhilarating. "What next?" he demanded eagerly.
Street looked at him, thinking, Ye Gods! I think I've created a monster! What she said, was, "Food. It's time you were introduced to fairground junk food."
She dragged him over to a vendor and three minutes later he was staring doubtfully at the fluffy concoction on a stick that Street handed to him.
"It's candy floss, Liam. It's good. Just try it!"
Tentatively, Liam took a bite, his eyes widening in delight as the taste of the candy registered on his unprepared taste buds. It was melt in the mouth... sugary... decadent... delicious. Street fought and lost the urge to giggle at the look of rapture that crossed his face before he started wolfing the candy floss down. He ate like a kid, not an adult, and just wired in. In tandem, they wandered off, munching happily, as they headed for their next destination.
Liam wandered around the fair, entranced by the sights and sounds that were bombarding him from all directions. It wasn't often that he thought about his heritage and rapid ageing, his usual attitude was that it was over and done with and that there was nothing he could do to change it; why think about might have beens? Today he couldn't help but think about it. This was one of the myriad experiences that he had been robbed of, but, thanks to Street's mischievous streak, he was getting the chance to experience at least one of the aspects of the childhood he had been denied.
Street stopped suddenly and he waited, intrigued, to see what she was going to insist he try next. It wasn't mischief that was on her face, though; it was a... wheedling... hopeful expression. Warily, he said, "What is it?"
She pointed out the contents of the stall they had stopped beside. It was one of those 'try your luck and win a prize' stalls, cuddly toys of every description were stacked on the shelves. Street pointed to one of the larger toys, a huge, fluffy white polar bear and said, "I never, ever won a toy at one of these when I was little. I want the polar bear. Please?"
Liam felt himself turn to mush as she turned a pair of big, pleading eyes on him; he sighed and nodded, handing over some money to the vendor. As the man handed him the first of five baseballs that he would be using to knock down stacks of wooden pins, one wry thought ran through Liam's mind, I wonder if those pleading eyes are instinctive or if girls are taken aside by their mothers and taught how to use them. Renee does it too, it's not fair, there's no defense against them!
The first baseball knocked the pins down - it was also thrown at such a pace that it warped one of the solid wooden pins - Liam winced inwardly... tone it down, Liam... not so hard... remember, you're not supposed to have an arm like a Major League pitcher, you're just a regular guy.
The next four throws were not quite as spectacular but they had the desired effect. He was told to pick his prize, he motioned Street over and the young woman smiled happily at the guy behind the stall and said, "That one, please," pointing at the polar bear.
The bear was about half the size of her and she hugged it to her body with one arm while standing on tiptoe to place an impulsive kiss on Liam's cheek as she murmured her thanks. Liam gave a gentle smile when she blushed furiously as she realised what she had just done. To ease her embarrassment he shifted the topic back on to the bear and said, "What are you going to call him?"
He watched as Street held the bear out in front of her and looked at it with a critical eye. He almost choked on his laughter when she grinned and said, "Augur. I'll call him Augur."
They wandered off to the next ride, Street grinned and looked at Liam with a raised eyebrow, but this time he shook his head. He was too big for this ride... it wouldn't be fair on anybody else. He said, "I'll sit this one out and baby-sit Augur. Go play!"
Feeling slightly ridiculous, he stood there holding the white bear as Street displayed kamikaze tendencies behind the controls of her bumper car. On several occasions his eyes opened wide and he winced in disbelief at the stunts she pulled.
His attention was so focused on Street that he missed the lingering gazes being shot at him as female visitors to the fair wandered past. He had no idea of the image he presented as he stood there; a lithely muscled body, casually elegant clothes, handsome face, gorgeous smile and clearly not self-conscious about hugging a teddy bear. Boyfriends and husbands tugged irritably at arms to regain the attention of the women that accompanied them and thought dark thoughts about the jerk that was stealing all the attention away from them, mere mortals that they were.
Street bounced back to his side and just laughed at his muttered comment that 'if he piloted a shuttle like she drove, he'd be permanently grounded'. They decided to head off to get some hot dogs before embarking on their next circuit of the rides but had only gone a few steps before Liam stopped, there was a gentle tugging on his leg. He looked down to see a little boy of about five that was tugging insistently on the leg of his jeans.
Gently, so as not to frighten the child, he crouched down and said, "Hello there, nice to meet you. My name is Liam. Is something wrong?"
The little boy was clearly fighting tears as he said, "I can't find my mommy..."
Liam smiled at the little boy. "That's OK. We'll help you find her. This is my friend Street, what's your name?"
"J- Jamie."
"What a cool name!" Liam looked at Street and indicated with a nod of his head that she should go to the nearest stall and talk to one of the fairground personnel. She gave an imperceptible nod and headed over to the stall as Liam continued to chat quietly to the little boy, calming him down.
Listening to her explanation, the vendor was immediately on his radio, calling the security tent for an announcement to be put out. Street said that she and Liam would head over to the security area with the boy, so he wasn't too scared by any more strangers.
They wandered off, Liam carrying the bear, Jamie holding Street's hand, happier now that his new friends said they'd help him find his mommy. Street smiled softly. Kids, puppies and damsels in distress. Kincaid attracts them wherever he goes.
The personnel who manned the security/first-aid tent were a little bit surprised when, following standard procedure, they asked for the identities of the people that had reported finding a missing child. Paperwork nowadays might be 'electronic' but that did not mean that there was not still red tape and bureaucracy by the bucket load. More than one eyebrow was raised when Liam handed over his ID, it was not every day that a Companion Protector wandered into the tent with a young woman, a large, white fluffy polar bear and a little boy that had latched on to him because he was lost.
One of the female security personnel cheered Jamie up no end when she appeared with a glass of milk and a cookie. The little boy slurped happily on the milk, clearly oblivious to the cute picture he presented with a melting chocolate-chip cookie being waved about in one hand and a milk-moustache on his upper lip.
He smiled at the lady as she told him he had been very clever to find a grown-up and tell them that his mommy had got lost. In a gentle voice she asked him why he had talked to 'Wium' and not to one of the people that worked for the fair. Jamie's little brow furrowed in confusion; he tried to figure out how the lady couldn't understand what seemed to be perfectly obvious to him.
"I'd lost my mommy and I was a bit scared... I heard Wium laugh and I turnded round to see what he looked like. He was smiling an' the lady with him looked nice... and he had a bear! I decidedded that he must be good so I talkded to him."
The lady bit her lip to keep from laughing at that impeccable childish logic, Street showed no such restraint. She looked at Liam, fluttered her eyelashes and sighed dreamily, saying, "You hear that, Wium? You've got to be nice... You've got a polar bear!"
Street started to giggle but stopped abruptly as she realised that Liam was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. When he started to approach her she felt her mouth suddenly go dry... Had she pushed him too far? Liam's eyes remained blank, there was no indication about what he was going to do, and that was why it came as such a shock when he did what he did...
He pulled her into his arms and began to tickle her! His hold on her was never too crushing but it was unbreakable, his strength was such that she would be released on his whim, not hers. Not that she could have escaped, even is she wanted to, she had practically collapsed in his arms she was laughing that hard... It was only the strength in Liam's arms that kept her on her feet. She felt his lips brush against her neck and she tensed. The feeling of him whispering something in her ear caused a shiver to run down her spine as he murmured, "...Teach you to call me Wium..."
He set her down gently in a nearby chair and turned back to go crouch beside Jamie and hold his hand out for a 'high five' which the boy solemnly did, eyes twinkling in merriment. The staff in the security tent stifled their snickers and got back to work.
Twenty minutes later, Jamie's mom came racing into the tent, clearly distraught, until she caught sight of her son sitting on a chair, feet swinging, as he giggled at whatever the man talking to him was saying.
The man turned out to be one of the two that had found her son and reported him missing to the fairground's security personnel. They decried any need for thanks, saying that they'd done what anybody else would have done under the circumstances. Both the man and his young female companion shook Jamie's hand and gave him a gentle admonishment 'not to lose his mommy again' and headed back out into the fair... It wasn't till after they were gone that she found out exactly whom her son had chosen to go to for aid. It came as something of a surprise but in the end, she just chalked it up to Jamie... He had a knack for getting himself into unusual mischief.
After that unexpected situation had been dealt with, Street decided it was time for some more fun and headed for the log ride. Innocently trusting, Liam followed along with her choice. By the time they got off the ride, drenched, and retrieved Augur from the corner he had been stowed in 'pre-ride', Liam was not quite as trusting and a little bit wiser.
The evening was warm, so it didn't take too long for them to start drying off. They wandered round a few more stalls before deciding that it was time to think about leaving. Surprising Street, Liam asked her if she wanted to come back to the Flat Planet for some snacks. She agreed, it had been such a good day that she didn't want it to end.
They passed one 'ride' that Street momentarily considered but quietly told herself to think again. She would not have the composure to keep from blushing. She averted her eyes from the 'Tunnel of Love' and hefted Augur to a more secure position in her arms and kept walking, thinking, Please, please, please... don't say-- Naturally enough, Liam ignored her silent pleadings and asked her if she wanted to go through the 'Tunnel of Love'.
Almost inaudibly, Street mumbled something about 'wouldn't he prefer to do that ride with Renee?' Her heart skipped a beat when he replied with, "Why?"
They were the recipients of several curious stares when they wandered into the Flat Planet Café. Liam's face was known, so was Street's to a lesser extent, but both of them together, with her carrying a fluffy polar bear that was not so common.
Renee was there, chatting to Dr. Belman when they came in. She stopped what she was talking about and just stared... so did Julianne Belman, smiling slightly as she saw Renee's eyes narrow dangerously. The blonde-haired woman was not impressed when the pair didn't approach them at the bar, instead heading off to one of the side booths.
Liam and Street spent the next two hours chatting like old friends, drinking soft drinks and munching on sandwiches - when they were not dancing, that is. Renee and Julianne knew this because they had been unable to keep their concentration on anything else but watching the pair. Renee practically choked when Liam placed a quick, friendly kiss on the edge of Street's lips while they were in the middle of the dance floor.
They eventually left, Liam was probably seeing Street home, it was the type of thing he did automatically. Chivalry was not dead; it was alive in the form of a two-year old alien hybrid. Distracted, Renee mumbled goodbye to Julianne, unaware of the gleam of amusement in the older woman's eyes.
Julianne Belman was a little surprised about the fact that Liam and Street had been 'hanging out' together but she did not disapprove. Whether anything would come of it other than a strong friendship she was not sure. It had given Renee Palmer a jolt that she had needed for a long while now. You'd better make up your mind about your feelings Renee. Is Liam a friend or do you want more? Street is young and free enough to appeal to Liam's lighter side. He's still young for all that he looks like he has your maturity. You push him away enough and he'll stay away.
What do you want? Professional, personal or both? You've just discovered that you are not the only fish in the sea. Liam'll never deliberately hurt you, but you're not the only female that's attracted to him, not by a long shot.
If all you can offer is second best, he doesn't have to settle for that. You'll need to act, Renee. Sooner rather than later.
Overriding Street's protests that she'd be fine, Liam did indeed see her home. Before leaving, he hugged her close and thanked her for her insistence on making him 'live life on the edge and have some fun'.
Tentatively, she suggested that they might hang out again some time soon. Her heart started to race when he gave her one of his mega-watt smiles and said, "That'd be great! Get your thinking cap on and let me know what you come up with."
Inside her home, Street set about turning in, after situating Augur on one of the chairs. When her head eventually hit the pillow she was smiling. Today had been the most enjoyable day she had had since her parents had died and it was all down to Kincaid's willingness to play.
I like him.
That was her last thought before sleep claimed her.