His caress was reassuring and she leaned into the warmth of his hand. It would all be alright, she told herself. Faustus was still here, he understood, he still wanted her. Together they would move forward and make new memories, soothing the wounds of the past. She wanted that with her very soul. A life twined with his, new memories to surround them.

Malou listened as he explained his past, his own shadows, for the first time, her gray eyes meeting his blue ones. Mrs. Bagshot had shared some of Faustus's history with her, but he himself had never explained it. It reassured her to know he was by her side. She no longer felt anger or resentment toward her uncle, but instead she felt an ache of knowledge that it felt her with no family and no home. The money had never really mattered to Malou, so lost in her grief and her grand plans of life, but she had never truly accepted the disapperance of the last thread of her past.

At his final words, Malou's heart swelled. She loved this man. This new family of her's. The one who wanted to bind himself to her despite everything. Her eyes never wavered, her voice quiet and strong as she replied, "And I you." As she clasped his hand and gently squeezed it.