Family Nights And Dreary Mornings

 Tidas resigned himself, knowing that it was nearly pointless to lie to her. He told Skye that he'd gone over their established plans of attack and withdrawal with Zazzy, but that he had also made an extra plan that involved only the two of them.

 If Richard did completely overwhelm them, and all seemed lost: Zazzy's job was to get her to safety. Both Tidas and Zazzy knew that it would make her mad, but they could accept it. As long as she lived, she could be as angry as she wanted to be at them.

 Skye started to yell at her family about 'putting themselves first', but stopped speaking when Tidas basically pulled her against his chest. He gripped her in a way that communicated something akin to desperation before he took a few shaky breaths..

 "I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and I decided something. You won't like it, but I feel like it's something I need to tell you.."