Edward froze at Stede's voice, a voice he knew he would recognize anywhere immediately, now. Of course thinking about the other man at all had been too much temptation for fate, of course it had been. Relief and joy and anger and fear all surged up within him at the knowledge that Stede was here, a swirl of almost overwhelming emotion that he couldn't begin to deal with in that moment.
His hands went to his pistol and dagger without conscious thought, white-knuckled for the moment before he realized and made himself let go of them. He certainly didn't know what he'd do with them if they were in his grasp.
"Stede," he replied with obvious tension in his voice.
Stede, his heart was singing, and Stede, his head was screaming.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you again, especially not here."