She thought he’d pull away, break their embrace, but he stayed; even further, she felt him rest his chin on the top of her head. She enjoyed the rumble of his chest once more as he spoke. And in that moment she felt something so complete there was no other option than for it to be real: that Dory genuinely cared for her, just as she did for him. It wasn’t a new revelation, but one that had to be questioned over the past few years as her thoughts had always inevitably drifted towards him. And when they’d renewed their friendship, it was easy for her to have doubts; what if he’d done this just to try and make up for their break?

But in the end, Mabel realized, years of friendship couldn’t have been thrown away so easily. Certainly not for her, but it was also unfair of her to think that Dory would have done so.

She stood there in his arms, a soft smile on her lips. “I promise.” She said, and though she didn’t want to draw away, even though she wanted to stay like this for eternity, she took a step back. It cost her something to do so, she thought; it felt as if she was breaking away a piece of herself. She still smiled up at him. “They haven’t succeeded yet. And now they have you to get through.” She chuckled. “You and Rowan, Tilda too…I know I’m in good hands.”