Meg returned the pressure of his grip, smiling gratefully. She wondered if she would ever stop being surprised by his acceptance. It had been a constant point of confusion for her since the moment he'd awoken in the hospital. She'd been able to write it off then because of his state of mind. But it hadn't gone away when his sanity had returned, meaning it probably went deeper than either of them had realized. And now, knowing he loved her in spite of everything she was and everything she'd done...well it terrified her to be sure. She shied away from thoughts of love instinctively. But the also found them oddly comforting as well. The simple act of holding his hand felt strangely akin to clinging to a life preserver while adrift at sea.
She pondered his comment. He was right in a way. Without his grace, he couldn't do the things he'd done before, which left him fairly useless in a fight. There hadn't been much reason to fight since he'd gotten here, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen. It had happened to her after all. Twice. She made a mental note to give him some sparring lessons at some point. It was the kind of thing she would have liked to hand off to the Winchesters, but she didn't think they'd be willing to help her with anything at the moment, even if it did involve Castiel. Besides, she didn't like thinking about the things Dean might say to him while he was still learning. Funny that a demon could be more compassionate than a human sometimes.
His final statement caught her off guard and her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What is it you think would have happened if I hadn't come back?" she asked with a touch of worry. Did he think she would get into more fights without him sitting on her shoulder? Did he worry about the boys the way she did? Or was this something else...something related to how much it had hurt her to be away from him and, in theory, how much it had hurt him, too?