[john breathes her in, holding her close to him as she rises on her tiptoes. he leans down, opening his mouth further against her own, framing the side of her face. his gaze drifts over her face with an indescribable ache through his expression, through his body language now as he holds her close and closer still. no, she didn't lose that gentleness though he knows she feared it, feared losing it when she lost that part of herself she had to bury when she was- when she was killed.

his eyes burn at the way she looks, at how tightly she presses herself to his chest like this, lingering against him.

he wipes the tear away from her as it spills down her cheek, and he continues to frame the side of her face. john presses against the top of her head before he breathes in and he pulls back to look at her face, framing the side of it. his gaze keeps her own, and he hates so- so much that it happened while they were away, hates the choices that are forced to be made. there's a brief pause then as his mouth parts, swallowing, glancing down.

john knows how important stefan is to her. he knows she will want to do what she can to free him, but he doesn't- he doesn't want her signing up for another deal, no. he's not surprise she knows what he's worried about, and his gaze drifts back up to her when she speaks.]

Thank you. [his voice is low aching as she presses that kiss to the heel of his palm, so loving. she's always been so loving with him. and it strikes a cord in him too when she says we, because she'd wanted to go alone before and he gets why she wanted it but he- he fought her on it and she accepted his help so easily. and now- now it's automatically we.]

Yes, we will. We will find a way to get him out. You know I will do anything I can to help you, help him. We're a team.

[they're family.]