Title: Moving Forward
Author/Artist: Ariyana
Theme: Stage 5 Commitment
Rating: 13+ Some Caution
Word Count: 330
Author's Notes: I went with movie verse but some of the characterizations will be a blend of the comic and movie. My apologies if the characters seem a little OOC. I've tried my best to stay true to them.

X

X

She knew everything now. All his dirty little secrets yet she didn't judge him.

"You are such a slug. Pouring your guts out like this. Have you no spine?" Edward sneered, obviously unhappy with Henry's confessions.

"How can I not tell her, after she bared her soul to me...to us!" Henry countered.

He just couldn't bring himself to withhold anything from her after she had trusted him with her deepest darkest secrets. The fact that she would tell him even knowing that Edward might use the information against her only made her gesture that more sincere. He couldn't judge her for the mistakes she had made in her life; he felt his sins were far worse.

"Henry, are you all right," she asked, breaking his train of thought.

"Yes, it's just recounting my sins makes them more fresh in my mind," he said, weakly.

"I understand. The pain of the past can still be very sharp indeed," she sighed.

She had been relieved when she realized that Henry didn't think poorly of her for what she had done in the past. She didn't tell him those things expecting anything in return. She was already aware that Edward had done awful things and Henry suffered for it...that much had been obvious. She really hadn't considered that Henry would go into specifics about his past, and nothing could have prepared her to see just how deep the wounds ran. Henry already judged himself quite harshly as harshly as she judged herself. She really did understand his pain, like no one else would.

"Mina?"

"Hmm," she answered, slightly distracted.

"I...I just want you to know," he paused, taking her hands into his own. "I love you very much."

She smiled warmly, moving her hand to his cheek. "I love you too," she replied, kissing him softly.

Whatever happened, they would face it together. The past could not be undone but they could make their own future. Even monsters deserved some type of happiness.