Bonus Scene.

Summary: My God, I just can't seem to stop writing these 'Bonus Scenes'.

Just...here. Here. Have more angst. Have it all.

Better yet, have stream-of-consciousness-angst. Yep. That's pretty much what inspired this chapter.

I /think/ this is set in the very early morning of the day 'Echoes from the Past' actually starts...so maybe it could have technically been the prologue...but with pacing of this story, it seemed to fit best here, at the end, as yet another bonus scene.

Also, honestly, I'm just starting to lose track of these things. So, here you are. Please tell me what you thought. This particular perspective was really hard to write (in a variety of ways), and I'd love to get your feedback on it. See note at the end of the chapter for more details. :-)

Fair warning: Jenick's a bastard, and it really shows at the beginning of this chapter. You might want to skip to the second _ you see if you don't want to read that.

Jenick sighed and looked down at the boy. His arms - now broken - had fallen back down into place against his side, and he seemed to be trying to focus on breathing. He'd screamed, of course, when Jenick had broken his arms - who wouldn't have - but most people would still be screaming at this point. Instead, the boy seemed to be trying to keep from screaming on purpose, either out of pride…or something else.

That might be important.

The boy might be trying to keep the girl from hearing what was going on…which would mean Rayzor's niece was close by - or at least, close enough where the stupid half-Galra didn't want to chance her hearing this.

All Jenick had to do was get a direction, a clue, something from him, and this plan could still work.

"Impressive," he said, and then he kicked the half-Galra in the ribs, hard enough to knock him down onto the floor, and he nodded to his men, giving the signal. They joined in, each of them kicking in turn, harsh, sharp blows that snapped bone and bruised flesh.

"North?"

Ah, that was definitely a rib that had just broken. Good.

"South?"

Another kick, followed by a half-stifled scream, harsh and short and cut off by the next kick.

"East?"

Oh, now he was spitting blood. Excellent.

"West?"

A half-snarl, a defiant sound that Jenick immediately rewarded with a harsh kick to the kidneys.

The kicks went on for awhile longer, but the brat didn't say anything, anything at all. He just closed his eyes and clenched his jaw and refused to tell them where the girl was hiding.

After a few more moments, Jenick lost his temper.

Damn it all, why wouldn't the boy just say something?

He struck out harder then he meant to with his boot, and it connected with the left side of the boy's face. Jenick cursed when he saw the Red Paladin's body go limp.

"Did you just kill him?" asked one of the other conspirators, and Jenick shot him a glare as he reached down to feel the side of the boy's neck for a pulse.

"He's still breathing," Jenick said, and he looked around the tunnels. "But we can't stay here."

"What do we do, then?" his friend asked, and Jenick smiled a very nasty smile.

"I know where we should go. Two of you carry him. Try not to let him die on the way."

One of the four conspirators grabbed hold of Keith's ankles and started to drag him down the corridor.

"I said carry him!" Jenick snapped, and then a second conspirator grabbed hold of Keith's shoulders and helped his companion start carrying the Red Paladin down the corridor towards the Cave of Ice.

Keith's face was still white as a sheet, and his eyes were still closed, and he didn't seem to be fully aware of what was going on, but he had let out a cry when they started moving him,

It wasn't supposed to be possible, to be unconscious and still feel pain…but then again, the Red Paladin hadn't been completely unconscious. The drug Jenick had used had prevented even that small mercy.

Redrin dug his claws into the Council table as the footage continued to run. He'd felt it was necessary to watch the footage of this event again, to remind himself of the dangers of arrogance and a cold, absolutely 'justified' sense of righteousness. The rest of the Council had been absolutely horrified when they'd seen what Jenick had done, but Redrin thought that it was vital for this dark moment in their history to be remembered forever.

So, he intended to go through the entire reel, just once more, on his own, to be absolutely certain this event stayed with him, and through him, the rest of the Council.

Now the security footage showed the conspirators arriving at the Cave of Ice. They'd just thrown Keith onto the ground. Redrin winced, digging his claws into the table once more, feeling his teeth grind together.

The main reason he'd wanted to see this footage again was that he wanted to put words to why Keith had done what he'd done, to see if he could come to understand the Red Paladin better, but he damn well wasn't about to ask the Red Paladin how all of this had made him feel.

In all honestly, Redrin genuinely hoped the boy would never have to think about this day again.

He hoped that when the Red Paladin woke up from his healing cycle, most of these memories of Jenick would be faint, and hazy, or better yet, lost forever.

Redrin knew he planned to never watch this footage again after this. It was too painful, too real, too…ugly.

Hate was terrifying to witness, but someone had to remember what it looked it.

It was the only way to keep it from happening again.

So Redrin watched, and observed, and was - finally - able to understand.

When Jenick had demanded to know where the girl was, Keith had been scared. He'd been scared out of his mind, and he'd wanted to throw up, or pass out, but most of all, he had wanted someone to come and help him before Jenick could hurt him anymore - but no one had. So he'd just…endured.

He'd endured because when it came down to either himself or someone that he could protect, Keith didn't have to think twice about it. He didn't even have to think about it once.

It was instinct to him.

Instinct, but something else, too, something deeper, something much, much stronger than simple impulse.

Keith had endured because he cared.

He cared deeply about Beyris.

He had only met her the day before, but he cared enough about her to buy time for her to get to safety, even to the point of withstanding torture.

It wasn't just stubbornness.

It wasn't just loyalty.

it was….something more.

Keith hid it most of the time, and he would have said something biting and sarcastic if he'd ever been asked about it straight out, but he cared deeply for those close to him, for those he felt affection or responsibility for, and once he had given you his loyalty, it was nearly impossible to lose it.

Then something flickered and skipped, and Aurelis realized that somehow, the footage showing now was from the infirmary, directly after the three remaining Paladins had rescued Keith and brought him there for medical treatment.

He hadn't seen this part with the Council. It hadn't been deemed necessary to convict Jenick and the other conspirators. Rayzor had told them - very briefly - a summary of what had occurred - but…

Redrin tried to end the reel, but it kept playing. Maybe it was automatically set to play through to the end?

Whatever the reason, Redrin really didn't want to see this next part. He thought about leaving the room, maybe coming back after a period of time had elapsed, but he dismissed that idea almost immediately. Leaving the footage just playing like that…like it was some kind of movie or recording that just anyone could see - it felt wrong.

Redrin decided that he would stay until it finished running, and then return the security footage to its designated space in the secure storage.

Within the next few moments, he wished he had found a way to turn it off, or at least to mute it.

The Red Paladin had been so scared when he saw Rayzor in the infirmary. No wonder Rayzor had said as little as possible about it.

Oh, gods. This was horrible.

Without realizing he was doing it, Redrin slammed a fist down onto the table in a blaze of white-hot rage as the events in the infirmary continued to unfold.

Damn Jenick for doing this to Keith, for hurting him so badly that he couldn't tell friend from foe.

This was cruelty on a completely different level from what had come before.

What made it worse was that there had been nothing anyone could do to help.

When Keith had seen Rayzor in the infirmary, he'd been hurt and confused, and in his confusion, he'd thought that his team had joined forces with the same race that had tried to kill him just moments before. The result had been a heart-rending series of attempts to help resulting in more fear and pain.

Redrin had always had a talent for sensing what people felt, for what they were thinking. He wasn't always right, and he didn't always see the entirety of the situation, but he knew enough to guess at what had been going through the Red Paladin's mind.

When Keith had seen Rayzor in the infirmary, working with the Alteans, with the team, his team, he thought they had betrayed him.

Keith had just wanted to get away from the people who had tried to kill him - so why would his team be working with them -

Allura was telling him he was safe - but Shiro wasn't there - how could he be safe if Shiro wasn't there, but Rayzor was - and then Coran was putting a patch on his neck -

The Alteans were working with Rayzor - Rayzor had hurt Keith before - so he wasn't safe - no matter what they said, he wasn't safe - he had to find Shiro - and he needed his team - but they weren't coming over to help him - why weren't they trying to help him -

Hunk - Katie - Lance - please - get me out of here -

Then, the restraints had been activated - why would they do that - was it - was it because they hated him too? Or had - had Katie been scared of him?

He - he hadn't meant to scare her - he would never hurt her - he'd rather die than hurt her -

- please - I'm sorry - I'm sorry-

Although Keith had felt scared and trapped and dizzy and sick with fear and pain, he'd tried to explain, he'd tried to tell Katie he would never hurt her - he wasn't like that - he wasn't - he wasn't like Sendak - he would take a bullet to the head for any of them - for each of them -

But then his team had held him down and placed a mask on his face as he desperately tried to get away, as he looked up at them and begged them not to do this -

- please- I didn't lie - I swear- I didn't - I'm not a spy - I'm not-

Then he couldn't say anything - because it hurt too much to talk - but he tried to make them understand anyway, with the way he looked at them.

- help me - please -

But no one did - they just watched, they just watched as Keith began to cry, seemingly indifferent to his tears.

- please - I'm sorry - I'm sorry- please-

Keith felt betrayed, and hurt, and sad, and sick, and the anger he normally relied on when he was in fear or in pain…the anger just seemed weak and small and confused.

Redrin could only guess at how badly Keith's lungs had throbbed, and how his head must have hurt, but to the Council Member, it was clear that Keith's heart hurt worst of all.

Keith thought he was all alone, and he couldn't understand why his team had betrayed him like this. He'd thought they were his friends, that they were his family, but they were just going to stand there and watch him hurt like this - how could they do that - how could they just abandon him like this -

Shiro would have believed him - Shiro would have helped him get away from here - away from these horrible caves and tunnels and the dark and the cold -

But - Shiro was gone - Shiro was gone-

The sedative was beginning to take effect, and Keith must not have realized that he was saying what he was thinking now.

I - I can't - be alone again - please-

Everything must have hurt - his head - his arms - his chest - everything must have hurt -

- Shiro - please - I need you -

Redrin had to look away for a moment, and only then realized he had braced his shoulders as if expecting a punch. Seeing other people in pain always did this to him. He wanted to help, he wanted to do something, but in this case, there was very little he could do, save watch and remember and never let this happen again.

All the same, he wasn't sure he could have kept watching this if he hadn't known that soon, the Red Paladin would realize his friends hadn't betrayed him at all, that they were only trying to help him.

Redrin looked down at his hands, realizing that they'd soon have to replace his section of the Council table as well as Rayzor's. His claws had dug furrows into the surface.

"You'd think we would have just started with a stone table in the first place," he muttered to himself, and then youngest Council Member sighed in relief because the footage reached the point where Keith had been able to understand - right before he went under - that he was safe, and among people who cared for him.

It was with a feeling of great relief that Redrin took the security footage back to its secure storage. He never intended to view it again.

Later that evening, in his personal quarters, Redrin thought about what he'd seen, and what he'd come to realize as a result.

When Keith seen Rayzor in the infirmary, working with the Alteans, with the team, his team, he thought that they had allied themselves with the people who hated him.

He hadn't known what to do or what to say, and he'd been hurt and scared and terrified, but despite all that, he had still deeply cared for them.

That was the main reason why it had been so painful to Redrin to watch.

Keith had still cared for the people who had seemingly turned their backs on him.

It was a simple fact that the people you loved either helped you the most, or hurt you the worst. Redrin let out a quiet sigh and felt glad that in the end, the Red Paladin had realized that his team did still care for him and did only want to help him. It was good to know that situation had ended well.

Sometimes, life wasn't so kind. Redrin knew from exquisitely painful personal experience that it was a horrible feeling to care for someone who did, in fact, dismiss you as unworthy, or worse, as unimportant. The cruelest wounds often came from the people closest to you, and most often, through no fault of your own.

The Council Member tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair in a distracted manner, wishing he could fully turn his back on the distant memory of someone who had looked him in the eyes and said they valued his friendship, that they always would…and then, years later, had stabbed him right in the heart while smiling a satisfied smile.

Got you.

That 'friend' hadn't literally stabbed him in the heart, of course - Redrin smiled grimly to himself at that small attempt at a joke - but for all intents and purposes, the effect had been the same.

'Loyalty clearly doesn't come with brains. You should know by now that I only tolerate your company because you agree with everything I say.'

Those words had torn something deep inside Redrin, particularly because they had come from a person he would have - at the time - died for without thought or question. Several years later, the echo of those words was still something he had to make an effort to tune out.

Thankfully, time had dulled most of the pain. That, and a great deal of interaction with more…emotionally stable individuals who actually cared about others. It really did make a difference, being around people who valued you as a person instead of a seemingly mindless, parroting follower.

It made a marvelous difference.

"Though I suppose I did learn what not to be like from that experience," Redrin muttered to himself as he got up and started to walk down the corridors. Sometimes walking helped clear his head, but despite his best efforts, another echo went through his mind then, and he remembered - again - how very much the words had hurt at the time, cold and mocking and meant to shatter.

'I never truly liked you as a person - but damn, I musthave been good at pretending.'

Redrin snorted under his breath and decided it was high time to drown out that vitriolic voice's echo with noise - chattering, babbling, wryly humorous, I'm-not-taking-this-nonsense-anymore-so-shut-up-oh-haughty-and-toxic-ghost-from-my-past noise.

And it just so happened that was exactly the kind of thing Redrin was very good at, and he had only grown better at it with years of consistent practice. Despite the pain he still felt at those memories, he found himself genuinely chuckling as he headed towards the common area.

If it came to either laughing at his own pain or dwelling upon it, Redrin knew which option he'd always choose.

Other people's pain? That he couldn't - and wouldn't - laugh at. Ever. He would make an effort to help them through it, but gods above, other people's pain was so much harder to see, because he often felt so powerless to help them. He did his best, but all the same. That was so much harder to bear.

His own pain, he could joke about - at least in time. In this case, he was already doing so.

"My, my, Geltorix, you really did know how to verbally eviserate someone," Redrin muttered to himself as he walked. Strangely enough, talking out loud to himself whenever these thoughts surfaced was helpful. That, and seeing if someone happened to be up for a friendly game of - what did the Paladins call it again?

Ah, yes - cards. A fascinating idea, a single game with countless applications. Quite fun, actually, but more so when played with others. Especially if particularly disheartening echoes persisted in haunting him.

"-and so efficiently too," he continued, making an effort to fill the silence of the empty corridor with his own voice. "I mean, six years of friendship undone by two sentences? Well, perhaps, technically, three? Still - that has to be a record - well done, Geltorix, you get a medal - the 'stars-above-thank-the-gods-you're-out-of-my-life medal- Eeep!"

"Ack!"

Distracted by talking to himself, Redrin had bumped into someone, and found that it was Aurelis, intent on reading as he walked. As the healer regained his balance, he glanced sheepishly up at the Council Member.

"Oh. Hello, Redrin. Sorry. That was my fault - I was on a fascinating chapter - I just couldn't stop reading -"

The healer pointed to his book. The bookmark in it was only a few pages away from the end.

"Ah," Redrin said in understanding, seeing that it was the fourth book of a series in Aurelis' claws. "On to fetch the next volume from the library, are you?"

Aurelis had that vibrant energy about him that came from just completing part of a series that ended on a cliffhanger. He readjusted his grip on the book and nodded. "I suppose it would be more efficient just to bring the entire rest of the series back with me…but that's an awful lot of books to carry - "

Redrin shrugged. "I'm not doing anything at the moment. I can help, if you like - "

Aurelis brightened. "Well, yes, that would be - very helpful - oh, have you read this series? It's incredible-"

As they started down the corridor together, Redrin shook his head. "It's a curse of being a Council Member, I'm afraid - I don't really have much time to sit down and read - but if it was something I could listen to - "

Aurelis waved the book enthusiastically, barely remembering to catch the bookmark before it flew out from between the pages.

"Oh! I think there is an audio recording of this series as well - and it was marvelously done! I believe I saw that the first one was still available last time I was there - "

Redrin looked over at the healer, interested. "Really? What's the series about?"

Aurelis began speaking animatedly about how very interesting and intricate the plot was, and Redrin found himself smiling as they kept walking.

It wasn't healthy, to dwell too long on the past, and it was long since time to start building new friendships.

Maybe he would try this book Aurelis recommended.

Who knew? Maybe it would be something he'd enjoy.

In any case, it would certainly be better than dwelling on what was long since over and done.

And if it was time for a new chapter, he might as well start now.

Author's Note: I decided that since I'd given most of the other OCs in this series character development, why not Redrin?!

But actually, I did have a 'friend' who pulled this exact thing on me. Yeah...that was like getting a hole ripped through my chest. I can honestly say that was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced.

Me being me, I now must make a humorous reference after talking about something painful like that. Not only is it how I deal with pain, but it's 'make a reference or lose my mind'...and I've already done one of the two. ;-)

"Oh, look, check it out, it's like I'm an Espada now. That's...actually, nope, that sucks, guys. I refuse. I flat out refuse to be an Espada. Ain't got time for that shit. Gimme that Hollow mask, it's time to pull a comeback. I'm just too stubborn to stay down.

(That's a reference to the show 'Bleach', btw).

But anyway, I decided to channel the energy from that experience here - so here ya go. It's angst central, people. Aren't I nice. :-)

Please let me know what you thought! After writing this chapter, I'll be honest, I would love hugs and really glowing reviews always make my day brighter. ;-)