Gaston was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Telling Rose about the dragon attack and the horrible memories it brought took a lot out of him. His eyes burned and his throat felt raw, and he had a sort of tired, achy feeling all over. But in a weird way, he felt better. He no longer felt faint and trembly, and for the first time since he got here - and probably the first time since he saw the monster - his heart had stopped racing. His grip on Rose's hand blackened, but he wasn't ready to let go just yet.

He gazed at her silently for a few moments, too touched by her words to speak, and he was able to return her smile with a small one of his own. "I know," he said once he found his voice. The thought of his beloved Rose being as hurt and lonely as he once was made him sad, but knowing that part of their lives was far behind them made it better. "You'll never have to feel that again, I promise..." His voice trailed off, and he gave her a little kiss on the cheek to underscore the sincerity of his words.

Then the conversation took a much darker turn, and Rose's next words shattered his heart. Seeing her so down on herself hurt him worse than the memories of the dragon attack ever could! He wished he could say something to assure her it wasn't her fault, but he knew from experience that it wouldn't be that easy. It was going to take time for her to stop blaming herself for the boys' disappearance, just as it was still taking him time to stop blaming himself for Ellie's death. All he could do was hope that maybe one day, they both would be able to let go of their guilt.

He looked at her, his eyes reflecting all the love and empathy that his words couldn't express. He could tell she was trying not to cry, and that made him want to cry... But he didn't think he could cry any more at this point. He squeezed her hand, but somehow that didn't seem enough to comfort her. He needed to be nearer to her! He stood beside her chair, bending slightly so that his eyes were level with hers, and pulled her into a hug. He would hold her close as long as it took for her to feel better!