Snuggle. "Yeah, sounds fine."

"So we can be the bearers of bad news. ...it's a long way to Dallas, we were going to cut it out on the private jets..."

"Yeah. We could take a bus? Be longer, but no one would stop us from snuggling all the way."

"Sounds lovely."

"Okay, we can do that. Love you."

"What happens if he reacts badly..."

"Depends on what kind of badly."

"If there was a prophecy I'd do something I'd be super tempted to dramatically make that impossible somehow, because fuck prophecies."

"Okay, well, maybe if that happens they all get to reincarnate again and we've bought some time."

"....seriously mixed feelings about repeatedly pushing a teenage Turambar to suicide to push back fate. If. You know. That happens, which I don't know how to evaluate -"

"I'm not suggesting we try for that outcome. But withholding the information because we don't trust him not to is patronizing in the worst way."

"Fair enough."

She hugs him a little tighter. She doesn't say anything, but the quiet background hum of fear that's been near-constantly present since she got the email gets stronger.

What's wrong?

I can't live like this.

Like what?

I've been thinking about what you said, about we just shouldn't have kids, and I can't--

I can't say never.

Not because I'm so completely not okay with never having kids--if you somehow had to swear never to procreate in order to kill Morgoth, but--

I can't just.

I can't--accept that I'm going to be afraid forever. That no matter what happens we're never going to be safe, we're never going to have the space to heal, we're never going to get our happily ever after. I can't. I'm so, so tired of being afraid and I can live with it as long as there's an end in sight, as long as I tell myself, 'if I just keep going there'll be an end to this, but--

I hate being afraid so much. It hurts. It feels like acid. I have to have hope because otherwise I don't think I can keep functioning.

World's supposed to be healed. If that happens, or if we get off it to somewhere safe, another star - then we can. Then we can be okay.

I'm so tired.

We knew the war was going to last a long time. Well, here we are, made it across the ice, and here's the Enemy, and we know it won't be easy.

Yeah. Yeah.

Love you.

I'm glad we got--a reprieve, where we thought we were okay, makes it hurt a little more now but at least I have the happy memories...

You are going to need to figure out how to be happy during a war. It's - possible even alone, it should be very doable together -

I will probably figure it out. I just--haven't adjusted, yet.

I don't know what this part of the war is going to be like. Probably not a siege.

We have more of an advantage this time. Modern weapons, and he hasn't dug in to something like Angband...

Yeah. But still.

You promised me a happy ending. I haven't forgotten. I'm going to hold you to that.