Hushed Willows all i want for christmas is you

She nodded but her face was still drawn, troubled. I know, I keep trying to tell myself that, but. . .it just feels so personal, you know? she asked, staring up at him. Like it was their mother that messed up, not me--but I feel like I should shoulder some of the blame. I've been here throughout their entire lives and haven't really made any effort to connect with them.

Lily sighed heavily. I could have been there for them, she admitted, when they needed me most. But I wasn't. . .and now I'm afraid they're lost to me forever. To all of us. Irreparably damaged by circumstance. Would they ever know how to love? Love, in true fashion, pure and unconditional? No one had ever really given them a good example. Delight had tried his best, bless him--but their mother's blatant absence hard to overcome.

We can't--we won't--leave our children. I'll never leave. Promise me? Lily whispered, blinking plaintively at Khali. It wasn't as if she didn't trust him; she expected his answer to be positive. But she wanted to hear him say it, anyway.