More than anything

It is difficult to follow all that Regan tells her. The story is long and complicated, and it's clearly something she's been holding inside for a long time. Anne doesn't imagine she talks about this much, or that it ever gets much easier even when she does. All she can do is pay attention, take in what she can, keep her expression soft and neutral.

But what she can gather from it is horrible. An ending of the world beyond what she could ever imagine. Horrors etched forever into Regan's life, defining her no matter how far she gets from it. It is at once familiar and utterly foreign.

Anne can't help but grimace at Regan's final trailing comments. She nods slowly, taking a moment to consider it all and to think what she can possibly offer in return.

"I think it's normal to feel afraid after all that," she says eventually. "Fear keeps you alive sometimes. And other times it keeps you stuck." She looks into Regan's eyes, meeting her directly. "It's not the same thing. But if it helps, I'll keep quiet with you. And you should know that if anything comes for you, or Greta, or Saoirse, I will kill it."