There was a deep breath and a long exhale to go with the heartbeat, and fingers gliding in her unruly hair to smooth it back. That was easy and familiar and comforting and he held onto her as if his life depended on it...which it sort of did, if the last few weeks were anything to go by.

"I am now," Glitch replied, voice breaking just a little. "When...it was so-- DG, I didn't know what to do."

It had been the worst sort of helplessness, like he hadn't felt since he'd been lost in the O.Z. for all those annuals.