"I do care!" Adam protested. "I care about you and Brian and Wensley more than I prob'ly should." He made a wry face. "But it does mean that you're able to hurt me more, too, and boy, you did a good job of it, Pep. I know you didn't mean to, that you've got a temper, but it was right after Brian had said a lot of the same stuff; Harry was scared and confused; Remus and Sirius and Severus were fightin'; I was dealin' with War and Mictain; and it was just a lot all at once, you know? And when I'm feelin' overwhelmed and hurtin', it's a lot harder to keep control."

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Pepper. I guess I got used to there bein' no one to talk to. I'll try to remember and come talk to you when I need to, but even still I can't tell you everythin'. Not 'cause I don't trust you, but 'cause it'd put you in danger and jeopardize some of my plans. You 'member those tightrope walkers at the circus that one time? Well we're them and we're on the thinnest wire. If we go too far to one side or t'other it's not just us that falls and gets hurt, right? It's everybody in the whole world forever an' ever. But yeah. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to again."

Laughing at the memory of running around in pants and cape, Adam added, "The Them should go off and do somethin' fun soon... Just the four of us. Get some friend time."