[ Maybe that's half of Alan's issue with this whole thing. He can fight off Taken, and he can write things to fix other things that he may or may not have made happen himself, but he can't fix or heal the lingering damage that Jesse's still dealing with. What good am I if I can't do that? Am I even helping her at all? ]

I bet it looks good on you. [ He smiles at her in return as his gaze travels briefly to admire her red hair. ] I bet most things look good on you.

[ He allows himself another minute or two of just looking at her, taking her in and trying to memorize all the details he sees. Maybe it won't do any good, with how easily his memories get pulled from him, but he does it anyway. ]

Do you think you can do that? [ Can I do that? Will the story let me? ] That would be a great welcome home memory. But as far as memories go? This one is already great.

[ He's awake, and she's with him. Kissing him. Touching him. He feels safe, even if safety is never a guarantee. It's more of an illusion, in his mind. But right here in this moment, he feels like it's real.

Even if all she's doing is touching his hair, and then his shoulders as she wraps her arms around him, he can't stop the low contented moan that escapes him and the breathless way he whispers her name against her lips. She draws reactions from him that he'd forgotten he knew he was capable of, and he's not complaining about it one bit.

I wish that this could just be forever, instead of something temporary. I don't want this to end.

But Alan can't shake the feeling that this will end, sooner or later, and all the wishing in the world won't keep that from happening. It makes him want to hold onto her tighter, kiss her deeper, and not let her go for anything in the world. ]