Fear.

It was all around Ruby, invading her mind and pores and threatening to choke her, like a serpent wrapped around her mind.

"Liam, Liam it's me! It's Ruby!" Her voice screamed. His eyes bore into hers like a drill but there was nothing behind them. There was a glossy, empty look in Liam's eyes, all to alike those she's seen on other minds she's destroyed.

Surrounded by others, Chubs and Vida and Zu and everyone, they all wore the blank looks of absolute nothingness.

My fault, she told herself, I did this to them. Me.

Except this time, there was no fixing them. This was permanent. She would have to bear this burden for the rest of her life.

She screamed.

"Ruby wake up! It's nothing, it's just a nightmare. Ruby!"

Green eyes met blue, concerned cobalt boring into panicking emerald.

Ruby forced herself upright, wiping her sweating palms into the sheets of the bed. A headache threatened its way into the front of her brain, pushing through her defenses and blossoming into a full-out migraine.

A dream, she repeated over the throbbing of her head, just a dream. But that didn't stop her from looking into Liam's eyes (filling with concern with each passing moment) to ensure that his brain was working behind that sea of blue, with secrets and feelings and a story.

"Ruby," he asked (in that ever-so-attractive Southern drawl,) "you alright darlin'?"

She heard herself respond, but was really more interested in calm the shaking that overwhelmed her hands. "Yeah," she responded, "I'm fine."

But he knew better than to listen to her, and instead sat on the empty space next to Ruby. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I'm fine."

"Oh sweetheart, we both know I'm not that stupid."

"I just don't want to talk about it!" She snapped back at him. Liam simply wrapped his arm around the suddenly shy and tiny brunette.

"Darlin'-"

"I broke you. I broke you, I broke Chubs, I broke Vida, I broke Zu, Oh my God, Zu. I destroyed your minds, I tore them apart…I'm a monster. I-I…"

"Ruby. Ruby. Breathe, Ruby, damnit, you need to breathe..."

Nothing was heard over the flaring of pain in her head, the blackness flicking around the edges of her vision, and the mantra, the mantra of monster, my fault, all my fault-

All of a sudden Liam's strong arms were around her frame, his forehead pressed against her own, holding her tight and refusing to let her go, despite her weak struggles. "Sweetheart, I know for a fact that you would never hurt me, or Chubs, or Zu, or anyone else who you cared about. Just remember, you tried to get rid of me once, and I still found you. Or, you found me."

With shuddering breaths, the usually fearless girl lifted her tired eyes to meet determined ones shadowed by wisdom beyond his years.

"Go back to sleep darlin'."

She nodded slightly, lowering her head once again to the white cushions. Liam began to stand, making Ruby feel cold and tiny again.

"Liam…will you stay?"

"I was afraid you'd never ask."

He slid into the bed next to her, his arm wrapped around the girl's body, fitting together like a puzzle piece.

With thoughts of an off-key Liam belting out to the radio, and Chubs and Zu laughing next to her, Ruby slept.