I'll be home for Christmas

speech,

Honestly he should have known better than to expect a joyful reunion from his mate. She had been against him going to Sibelle's aid in the first place, why would she have been happy with him? He wasn't sure anything could have prepared him for Surreal's rage, however. His ears fell back against his head and he settled down on his haunches while she spoke, letting her vent all of her heated rage. Falk knew he deserved it, he wouldn't try to stop her. He sat in defeated silence, but somehow he still couldn't keep that small, joy-filled smile from his lips. He could feel the sting of her words, knew the truth in each of them, but somehow... Somehow just seeing her made his life complete again. Even furious and snarling and hurt she was still the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

He let her finish and let her get everything that had certainly been building up in the last few months before he even thought about speaking. She fell silent and for a moment he just gazed at her and smiled. He wanted to reach out and hold her and validate to himself that he wasn't dreaming, but he guessed from how she backed away that she did not wish for him to do that. At least not yet. "I love you too, Surreal, so much..." he rumbled, his smile fading as he spoke. "What I did was impulsive and idiotic and I'm sorry. I just... I've failed Sibelle so many times before. It used to be just me and her. Taurig left, you know as well as I do that our father was a nightmare, we were basically outcasts to the rest of our family for the longest time since we went against Isardis... I owe her so much, Surreal. But, you're right. I should have put you, Regulus, Zuriel, and Faite first. And I will. You and our children are my world. I just... I want to protect everyone and... and I can't." His shoulders slumped and his gaze shifted to his paws with defeat. He was beaten and broken and the realization was something that crushed a very fundamental part of his personality. It was something he didn't know if he could handle.