After the meeting
He gave her a gentle smile and reached up to brush some of her hair back away from her face, letting her take the moment. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like, to lose her, to lose as many as it's been said they lose, and still move on.
"I'm sure you will. And the others. We'll make it work this time." there was some confidence in his voice. Even if, deep down, he knew there was no way to promise that and no way of knowing what losses they would suffer in the process, he also knew that they had to believe it would work or it wouldn't.