That was far from the worst reaction Ulla was picturing, and an answering smile spreads across her face.

"I'm really not," she protests wryly. "I've never done this before, unless that breach counts. I've never wanted to, except with Signy."

So the entire thing was terrifying, and Warren had to talk her through the tangled mess of her own feelings before she could even consider doing anything about them. She has no idea how she'll cope when he leaves. But she really doesn't want to think about that right now, with Taylor touching her and looking at her like she hung the moon in the sky.

And that look deserves honesty. Ulla wraps her arm around Taylor's shoulders, tipping her head so their foreheads come to rest against each other. Nothing left for it but to tip over the precipice and hope she's caught in the welcoming embrace of the sea, rather than dashed to pieces on the rocks.

"I was afraid," she admits softly. "I am afraid. And I don't know what I'm doing. But I want this."