Firefly Glen but if we go, we go together

"It's okay," he reassured haltingly. Meerkat bit her lip against refuting him, at least until he'd said his piece. Naturally, he wondered about the circumstances leading up to Atlas's departure from the glen. She could've said she didn't know, though she had never been one to lie. Of course, she'd never felt so guilt-ridden and torn up over anything like this before, either.

"No," she replied, though not in answer to his question, "it's not okay." Meerkat let out an audible breath before the confession came tumbling from her lips, come what may. "It's my fault he ran away." She paused to give Antares a moment to process that before elaborating, "I came back from the caldera and didn't know about Osiris and Leta yet. I asked Atlas if we could visit Toad's and Desdemona's graves. He..." Meerkat's steady voice finally faltered here. "He had a breakdown of some kind. I didn't mean to, but I think I made it worse. That's when he ran off."

Would Antares blame her, like she blamed herself? She swallowed, wondering if she'd still have a place in the glen after this conversation. "I'm so sorry," Meerkat whispered, for whatever it was worth, her head dropping to hang low between her shoulder blades. She wondered if it would make a difference, for better or for worse, if she mentioned they'd technically become mates immediately prior to his flight. But she made no mention of it, just like she hadn't with her older siblings. That secret was safe between her and her former(?) husband(?).