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Theo’s set the call froht, I wasn’t sure you’d still be talking toto you?" How stupid We both knohy

He says only, "Might’ve crossed a certain line there Definitely, I have soies to ize to ht to tell the truth about what you feel" Here in the gardens, beneath the bower of the trees, we are in the heart of Paris and yet sorateful for the privacy "Listen, I need to be completely clear"

"It’s still Paul," Theo says "For you, he’s the one I know that"

I try to find the right words "Last night, it was like it hit ain, how much I wanted to be with him I need to work this out, but with Paul"

Theo suess that he’d just confessed his love, then unflinchingly put it aside

"I’m not only in love with Paul because of Lieutenant Markov That’s not even how it began, really Just what made me admit it What I saw in New York scared me, and I still don’t understand it, but it’s like you said I can’t bla another Paul did, just like I don’t blah with the other Theo"

His lips press together tightly before he says, "You’ve proh itmoment for this, I take his hand "I doubted you because of things the other Theo did, and I rong"

"The price of forgiveness is steep," Theo says "Because when you forgave ave Paul"

It wasn’t quite that sih "In some ways, I feel closer to Paul now than ever" My hand steals over ain

"I should hope so"

Quietly I say, "You didn’t have to ask whose baby it hen I told you"

"Remember how I told you Paul and I had a sex talk?"

Yes, I do And I so do not want to know any more about that

My expression must look sour, because Theo misinterprets it "Listen, if you’re not ready, I could do what you told me to do in the first place If I head on to the home office with our inforreement He’d have to tell me where Paul is, hand over my potential cure, all of it"

"Conley wants me there" I take a deep breath "I’m ready to move on"

Theo reaches under the collar of his shirt and withdraws the chain of the spare Firebird, which has been around his neck since New York I duck my head, and he places it around my neck--a silent, almost solemn transfer of responsibility

I whisper, "Theo--thanks"

"For what? Following you around the multiverse? Just part of the service"

It feels like I have sothem and never stop So I stick to thein Paul"

"Hey, this works foryou in a subo

"Happy endings alo of mine, to reach for his Firebird "Are we out of here?"

"You go on ahead I want to see Vladimir one last time"

Theo shakes his head, probably at my fondness for a brother I didn’t know about before December "Okay Just catch up with me PDQ, okay?" He smiles--slow and almost sneaky "So, we’re headed back to the home office, the Triadverse, the sauys"