Steve knew all the right things to say and do to keep her from completely losing control of her fragile emotions. Holding onto her the way he did was possibly the best thing he could have done, anchoring her here in the present and her world of hope so she didn't slide down into the abyss of grief and pain. Even after so many years, she could still remember the feeling of Remy in her arms, his blood soaking through her uniform as she said goodbye and granted his dying wish - absorbing him completely so he could always be with her, protecting her in the only way left to him. He'd known that it would just be a matter of time, they both had, until she was captured, and having him with her through it all was one of the reasons she was still a semblance of a person.

"Partners," she echoed with a ghost of a smile, loosening her grip on him just a little but not letting go. She didn't want to ever let go.

"Lord, sugar, what did ever do to deserve you?" The exhaustion she felt down to her bones was starting to come through in her voice, a weariness not just from her late night or the emotional roller-coaster they were riding, but from the strain of having kept that secret to herself for so many months. Just having one other person know it had lifted a huge weight off her chest and she finally felt like she could breathe again.

"This probably isn't how you thought this would go, huh?" she asked with a hint of laughter. "I know having a girl cry all over them probably isn't every guy's dream." She turned her head to press a light kiss to the side of his neck, then leaned up just a little to set another on his jaw. It felt like natural and easy to kiss him, and she wanted to do it forever.