( that's a tragic admission. it's a lot more telling to the depth of fear that vance feels than any simple, straightforward admission, it's more than i'm not swimming because i'm concerned about sharks. that's a bone deep sort of trauma, that resonates in the marrow and changes the entire makeup of a person. if he never wants to expound upon what else that time in the basement entailed, clarke at least thinks she has a handle on the depth of it.

she winces briefly, there's sympathy in the darker flecks of blue in her irises. there's comparisons to her own life she could offer — you never get the scent of burning flesh out of your nostrils — but this moment is absolutely not about her.

used to be, want that back. god, don't they all wish for that at some point? but the sad fact is — )

...if you're talking about going back to being the person you were before all that? I'm sorry, Vance. It's never going to happen. ( that's never an easy truth to drop, but at the end of the day it's the truth. and so she lets that hang in the air between them for several long seconds. )