"She's gone," X says again, and then one more time for good measure, because Devin can't and it's important: "She's gone. She's finally --"

That strangled noise breaks X's heart and his hands slide down into a sideways hug, his head almost on Devin's shoulder, his arms wrapped around him. "I know how you feel," he says. His heart's pounding with it, with the relief and the fear and the dread and the memories, and it doubles when he remembers that it's only over for him -- not for Devin. A cliched phrase it may be, but if there's anyone who can say it and mean it completely, it's X. "I know how you feel. You don't have to say anything. I know, I understand. She's gone from here, but she's not gone over there, this was just a warm-up, and no one can be that strong for this long, you can't protect everyone, you --"

It's getting hard for X to speak now too, so he stops, and swallows furiously through the tears. "You're not alone," he insists. "Not here, not now. You're not alone."