He didn't move. Was keenly aware of Fred reaching out to him again. Dropping his gaze for a moment, he tried to hold his own feelings in check. Wasn't that what he wanted? To know that on some level he mattered. That she was listening, even if they didn't agree on everything. It surprised him, then, to hear her admit that he was right. That she, too, had been having strong misgivings. More than just the occasional doubt. The odd sound she made caused him to glance back up at her face again, wanting to understand what was going on beneath the words.

Her final comment actually earned a rueful sort of smirk.

"Going to go down with the ship, come hell or highwater, hmmm? Which, in this case, could very well mean a literal sort of hell."