At Elan's weak attempt at a smile, Nia squeezed his hand again. It seemed to be having the right affect, and she wasn't sure what to do or say otherwise. And despite her last mouthful of stew, Nia's mouth had gone dry too.

And then he started to speak. Whatever Nia might have been expecting him to say, wasn't what Elan said. It was far worse than she could have imagined. It seemed intensified by the way the words tumbled out, and Nia immediately reached out to give Elan a tight hug. It was a necessary thing to do - for her and for Elan. To support him. To show him she cared - possibly more than he knew. It also hid the tears starting to trickle from the corners of her eyes - she wasn't sure Elan needed to see those just yet.

It was as Elan managed to come across the correct word Nia's eyes became properly wet. Rocking him gently, the way her mum would have done with her if she'd been sad as a child, Nia rubbed the back of his shoulders. "You're never alone," she said softly. "I'll always be here for you. You - no, we - will get through this together." She gave him a tight squeeze, and tried to blink away her tears before sitting back to look him in the eye. "You'll always be welcomed at mine if its too much in the holidays, and I'll always be at your side to support you." She nodded sincerely, before pausing thoughtfully. There was a question in her head, that would need to be answered sooner or later - maybe it was better to get it over and done with now...

"Do you know how...or why?" she asked softly, still holding his hand.