"It's okay," I said, reaching up to hold onto Eddie's elbows. Not only could I see it in his eyes now, but I could hear it in his voice, too; it was so obvious that this was Eddie and it took a lot of my self control to not just hug him again. To let myself take comfort in someone familiar, even when he was different, too. I couldn't explain it, but it was all I wanted and so I compromised and reached up to take one of his hands from my shoulder, holding it tightly between my own.

"Even if he comes, we're all together now. He can't do anything to all of us. He's..." I paused, realizing something was true now that never had been before. "He's alone."

I still had to keep Eddie from him. If Peter knew how much I loved him, he would be in so much danger.