POV: Catherine

The news came through the network at dawn. Transmission lost. No further contact. Thelma and Xavier presumed unmade.

I was drinking coffee when Luna's message arrived. The cup slipped from my hands, shattering on the kitchen floor. Rowan caught me before I fell.

"They're gone," I whispered. "Mom and Dad are gone."

He held me while I broke. Fifty-four years old and I cried like a child who'd lost everything. Because I had. My parents. My foundation. The two people who'd shown me what love and sacrifice meant.

They were gone.

Rowan didn't say it would be okay. Didn't offer empty comfort. Just held me while I shattered....