[He knows part of this story. She knows he does. Some place inside her, she doesn't want to fill in the blanks now, because it makes everything feel too final. Why let it all come out when she could control the pace, let bits and pieces slip in during the years they're all going to spend together when he takes all of them home with him?

Because, if she is being honest with herself, she can't say she's convinced that everything will end so cleanly. It's what she wants, what she's striving for, but - if she never sees him again, if this is all in vain...]

Before I was born, my brother died.

[That is where it started, where everything stems from, a point from which nothing could have been the same.]

My parents... It killed them. They didn't know what to do, so they rushed to have another kid. But that kind of thing - it never works. You can't replace something like that, but they didn't know how to deal with what happened, so they didn't deal with it. Not dealing with it meant they always wanted him, though. It was always like I never even registered to them. Once, my mom told me that she loves me as much as she can, whatever that means. I've spent my entire life feeling invisible.

[A breath in, a breath out. Her hand tenses on his.]

But you and Jason and Xion - you saw me. You never made me feel like I didn't matter, you never left me behind or forgot about me or anything that I'm used to. I've... had something sort of similar, but it didn't end well, but I think this will, when everything is over.

[And if tomorrow comes and the world has shaken apart, she thinks, at least she had something to hold onto for this long.]

So... Thank you. That's all.

[She's had enough regrets, too, to leave that unsaid.]