Well, it's better than another round of Gene blaming himself for something that's completely out of his control. A step in the right direction. The corners of her mouth curl up into a half-smile. If she wins battles before they get started, then there doesn't even have to be a fight.

"I hope you're not just noticing that now." Pepper squeezes his hand again. "Because otherwise your powers of observation may need some work." She takes a slow breath and weighs the wisdom of bringing up this invitation now versus later, when Gene may be more settled. "Will you come back to the city with me? Not to the Bridge - we've got a spare room in the townhouse and it's pretty quiet." Not middle-of-nowhere quiet, but definitely less busy than the Bridge. "You can take all the time you need, Gene; it just might be better to do it somewhere..." She glances around at the shack for a moment. "Not here. Not alone."