Echo in Her Mind

Forty.

Bethany's head ached so bad as she came to, that she didn't even want to open her eyes. It seemed that she was now in a bed, as opposed to the hard ground that she originally fell on.

She peaked open one of her eyes to get a glimpse of her surroundings, and she discovered what appeared to be another hotel room. Confused, she opened her other eye to get a better view.

Ruben was nowhere to be found, and she could only imagine how angry he must be that they had to stop somewhere because of her. Bethany wanted to curl up in a ball, and never wake again, as opposed to dealing with an angry Ruben at this time. That was the last thing she could handle right now.

A click at the door signaled Ruben's arrival, which caused Bethany to quickly roll over, so that her back was facing the entrance. She hoped to avoid the confrontation for a little while longer.

As she lay there, she felt her eyes begin to grow heavy again. That was, until she felt the other side of the bed dip, signaling Ruben's presence next to her.

Bethany thought he was going to force her to wake up, and she had to stop herself from stiffening as she felt him come closer to her. She awaited whatever it was that Ruben was going to do, but nothing ever came.

Instead, Ruben's hand began to gently stroke her hair on the back of her head. It took everything in Bethany not to speak up about his actions, but it was slightly comforting, in a strange way, after everything they had been through. It was clear that he wasn't aware that she was awake, seeing as he started to speak to her.

"I hope that one day you can understand why I am the way I am, Beth. It's getting close to the end, and I know it's not going to be easy, but I want you to choose happiness."

Bethany had no idea what Ruben was referring to. She assumed that happiness was one of the remaining few emotions that she needed; she just didn't know when she would be coming across it. Why would Ruben make it seem like she had a choice in the matter?

And what could possibly be more important to her than being happy, even if she did have a choice? Nothing that she could think of at that moment.

She yearned to feel happiness over anything she was already able to feel again. So, she hoped that nothing was going to stand in the way of that.

Ruben had stopped playing with her hair, so Bethany decided that she should stop pretending to sleep. She rolled over to face Ruben.

"Hi," was all she could think of to say.

If he thought she was awake the whole time, he didn't' seem to show it. His expression was solemn, but Bethany could tell that something was bothering him.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"New York."

Bethany wondered how long she had been unconscious.

"I had to portal us; I could only carry you so far."

Guilt instantly hit her as she realized how much of an inconvenience she must have been, but she couldn't stop the thought of Ruben carrying her form entering her mind. It was a pleasant thought. She wished that things hadn't become so complicated with him.

"So, you had to disobey The Watcher?" Won't he be mad?" She had to ask.

"It would not be the first time I disobeyed him. I had no choice, and whatever consequences come from it, I will not regret my decision to make sure you were okay."

Bethany's eyes widened for a moment as she took in Ruben's words. She expected a remark about how it would be her fault if The Watcher punished him, but she got the complete opposite. He did not regret saving her.

"Well, thank you, Ruben." She didn't look at him as she spoke, but she knew he was looking at her.

"It's what I'm here for."

Granted, she figured that was just another way of saying it was his job, but she had a gut feeling there was more to it this time. There was always more to him than he would lead on; some things she would probably never find out. But that was Ruben, and she wouldn't have him any other way.

"We should get a move on," Bethany spoke, unsure of what time it was, but she assumed they were much behind schedule. She didn't want to give The Watcher another reason to be angry.

"Yes, we should. We have an hour before we have to get to the theater."

Bethany had never been to a Broadway show before, and she found it ironic that at her first one she would be killing off the star of it.

Ruben moved off the bed, and she followed in suit.

"I don't think I have anything appropriate to wear to this show." Bethany suddenly realized. Half of her items that she had were splattered in blood, or something she would wear out to the movies or such. Nothing fancy for where they were about to head to.

"Already taken care of; it's in the bathroom waiting for you," Ruben said, and for a spilt second she caught a glimpse of the Ruben she had become familiar with, and comfortable around. Bethany couldn't help but wonder if he was here to stay this time. "It's not a big deal, so go get ready." He rolled his eyes, but a grin accompanied it, which indicated he was just joking around with her.

Bethany had not seen him grin like that in days; it wasn't one that was backed by hate, or spite, or whatever it was that he had been going through those days that he was so cruel to her. No, this grin, he meant; it was compassionate, and she hadn't realized how much she missed seeing it every day until it was gone.

Without another word, Bethany marched into the bathroom in search of the clothes that Ruben had retrieved from her place back in New Jersey. As soon as she saw the article, she froze on the spot. Memories of home immediately started flooding her brain.

Bethany slowly walked up to the dress, and held it up in front of her. It was one that her mother had bought for her before she had moved across the country. She still remembered that day as lividly as ever.

The tears that her mother shed as she boarded her plane, carry on by her side. Her mother was heartbroken, and probably still was. Bethany wouldn't know, however, since she hadn't been in contact with her for over two years. Not that her mother didn't attempt to, but Bethany assumed her lack of responses led her mother to eventually give up.

Now that she was able to feel again, she suddenly realized how much, in fact, she missed her. And as the tears flowed silently from her eyes, she promised herself that she would make it a point to reconnect with her after all this chaos was over.

"Everything okay?" Ruben appeared in the doorway of the bathroom after realizing that Bethany had made no attempts at getting ready.

She turned to face him.

"This was from my mother," she spoke quietly, and brought her hand up to her face to wipe away the excess tears. "I haven't spoke to her in ages."

Bethany couldn't help but notice the way Ruben's posture seemed to change at the mention of her mother.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. It was the only proper article of clothing I could find," he said.

Bethany shook her head, disregarding his unnecessary apology.

"No need to apologize. It just made me realize how much I miss her."

The look on Ruben's face held pity, and something else that she couldn't quite decipher. It was a face that she had seen of his in the past, as if he knew something, but he couldn't tell her. She had seen that face many times, and it frightened her as to what he could be keeping from her. Bethany wasn't sure she could handle any more surprises; she had had enough of them to last her for the rest of her life.

"I will leave you to get ready." With a nod of his head, Ruben left Bethany alone in the bathroom, with nothing but an ache in her chest, and the sad thoughts of her mother.

If anything, this now gave Bethany more of a motive to successfully finish this mission, and get her life back. She wanted to see her mother again, and nothing, not even The Watcher, could stop her from doing so.

If she only knew...