It was the most perfect kiss she'd ever experienced, and not just for the fact that it was the longest that didn't end with her partner in a coma. Steve was perfect, from the way he held her to the very taste of him, which was indescribable beyond being everything she'd never known she wanted. Her hand slid up his jaw to comb her fingers through short strands of hair, while her other hand clutched at his shirt at his side.

The added intimacy of having his forehead pressed against her made her heart ache even more, her stuttered breath meeting the apology he gave that she didn't quite understand but still readily accepted and adored him for. It was relieving to have him know at least this much about her, even if it was only the tip of the iceberg even where the war was concerned.

But then he made that promise and the entire world seemed to fall apart around her. Her eyes widened at the words and by the time they were finished, she was just shaking her head, expression crumpling like a piece of paper. "Don't say that," she whispered brokenly, adjusting her position just enough so she could wrap her arms around him and hide her face against his shoulder. "Please don't say that."

Remy had made that promise to her, when they'd first found out that she was on the list of mutants they wanted for special research. He had made that promise every time they'd had a close call, and he had kept it every time until the one time he couldn't. Until he was injured so badly that they couldn't do anything for him there in the middle of a battle, and he'd asked her to make her own promise.