[for boom_kaboom and superfluity.]

[smokingtomb]

"Give Papa kiss for me," are Beth's last words to her father before he heads out the door, finally convinced that the stress of looking after his daughter won't make Smith's head explode or something. Beth thinks that's very silly; Uncle Smith feels more normal than he has for a long long time. Can't Daddy tell?

Beth runs to a window to watch her father walk down the sidewalk and waves down at him. He only looks up and waves back once, but she keeps waving until he's out of sight. Once he is, she turns to look up at Smith.

"You have ice cream?"

Comments

[superfluity]

Little Beth beams at the praise, turning to look up at her Uncle Smith when he scoots closer. "See Uncle Smith? I told you I be the fairest when I grow up!"

The woman on the other side of the mirror smiles, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth that are nothing if not bigger versions of the ones in little Beth's mouth. "That's right honey, we're the prettiest goddesses ever."

The older Beth looks back up at Smith, her expression turning distinctly wistful. She chuckles and waves at him, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Hi hi, Uncle Smith. Do you need a few minutes?"

[boom_kaboom]

"Yeah... yes, you did." He's still blinking like whoa. But he gets it now. He totally saw it in her eyes. And that smile, he'd recognize it anywhere.

"Hi," he says again, then laughs, wrapping his arms around little Beth in front of him. "Mirror lady. It all makes so much sense now. Oh my god... hi!" He waves back. "How are you doing this? A portal or something?"

[superfluity]

"I be prettiest and strongest and animals love me!"

"There's always someone stronger than you, Bethie," the older Beth corrects the little girl with her name and face. "But if you listen and practice, you'll grow up to be very strong."

The little girl nods and sits down on Smith's lap, laying back against his chest. The young woman sitting across from them both laughs softly, almost giggling. "Something like that. I wouldn't try to reach through the mirror; you might come through and I don't know what that would do to the space-time continuum. I like existing, I don't want to vanish."

[boom_kaboom]

"She's right, you know. Or... you're right," he chuckles. "Oh man, this is wild. I don't even know how to put it. It's very cool, though." He snuggles Beth in his lap.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't wanna cause any paradoxes or anything." He pauses, then adds. "I wanted to make sure she was safe, you know? Especially since she asked me not to tell your dad."

[superfluity]

"If it helps, you can call me something other than Beth," she offers, leaning her chin in her palm. "I've gone by almost every variation of Erzsébet there is over the years, and a lot of other names too."

She nods, leaning forward slightly. "I remember. I'm sorry I scared you, but I couldn't take the chance that Dad would find a way to shut me out. There are things she--we--had to learn as a child that Dad and Papa can't teach us."

[boom_kaboom]

"Well, I can call you Beth and this little one Bethie. I usually do anyway," he smiles. She knows.

He nods, because that all makes sense to him now. He feels a lot better about this whole situation, and about what little Beth has been learning. "You really think he would shut you out?" He thinks about how worried Richard is about sending Beth off to school and having her go through life. "How.. um... old are you?"

[superfluity]

The smile that crosses her face implies that she remembers, and quite well.

Beth glances down at her younger self who's been watching the interactions like a hawk. "He might. Neither of you have any reason to trust me, and I can't do anything to prove it without putting myself at risk." There's a faint note of chastisement to her voice, a little like a kindergarten teacher really.

"Uncle Smith! I thought you knew better than to ask a lady her age."

[boom_kaboom]

"Oh...well... yeah, you're probably right." He didn't really think about that. He just got excited. He supposes that's why he gets shit from other people, too. "But I could see it in your eyes. You have the same eyes." He tilts his head to look at little Beth, then back up at her older self. "Wonder if I can do telepathy through mirrors."

He chuckles, covering his mouth. "Sorry! Just.... you know! Extenuating circumstances?"

[superfluity]

"Eyes can be faked." She leans forward, her voice taking on an urgent tone underneath the softness (which is mostly an attempt to keep her younger self from freaking out.) "Mirrors have so much more in them then your reflection, and most of them will try to trick you. You should never trust anything that tries to convince you through a mirror, no matter who it looks like or says it is."

She pauses, then flashes a smile that's as much sheepish as hopefully reassuring. "Sorry, I'm used to lecturing little Beth. She wants to come through and visit me. You probably won't ever have to know that."

[boom_kaboom]

He twists his lip and nods. It's strange getting lectured by Beth. Older Beth. But he knows she's right. He's far too trusting. "So are you telling me not to trust you, then? Cause that kinda doesn't work out for anyone."

Smith does trust her. He can't imagine anyone wanting to make something like this up. "Well, Bethie is a good listener, then. Cause if it was me I probably would have had restraint at her age."

[superfluity]

She grins, shaking her head. "I'm not trying to get you through the mirror. I can prove to you that I'm who I say I am, but only if you can promise not to act on anything. You never told me what you saw, so I can't promise that you won't see things that you want to change."

She glances down and side-eyes her younger self, who is all of a sudden very interested in the wall. "She tried, and she's very lucky I caught her."

[boom_kaboom]

"I wont act on anything, I promise. I don't want anyone to get hurt or be in danger." That's the last thing he wants and he'll do anything to prevent it. "Okay, I got it."

He pats her little head. "It's always good to listen to your older self, kiddo."

[superfluity]

The younger Beth pouts, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I strong, I kick ass."

"I said no, Bethie. Not until you're old enough to understand what you see."

The little girl hrmphs, muttering very bad words in a language older than the country they're in. The other Beth snickers, shaking her head as she looks back at Smith.

"Or worse. I don't know what would happen if you changed anything; maybe nothing. Maybe everything. I'm already changing the past, as close to what I remember my mirror lady doing."

She bites her lower lip, as though to tug at a lip ring she's never had. Then she shrugs, and raises both hands to press them against her side of the mirror. It ripples, just as it did when the little Beth called her.