I'm sorry. I didn't mean to turn a good conversation into such a tough one. Maybe we should go slower with things. I feel like I keep stepping on the toes of your healing process. I never knew all these things, and if I didn't know, I'm going to keep feeling like I'm stepping on eggshells when I'm only trying to daydream about a future with you.

[It's not a comment that he dropped lightly, and if he hadn't meant it he wouldn't have said it. He's been thinking and dreaming of this for a lot longer than Dawn has probably realized, and he's incredibly serious about her. For a couple who have already dated and surpassed so many odds, a year is a respectable amount of time to find a commitment between them.

Maybe Dick's far more optimistic than he should be, or should have been. He's got to be more gentle and watch everything he says, but that's not exactly what he wants either. He has been working so that he can say what he's feeling, not repress it. He sighs, stuck in his thoughts.]