<sub?"So, uh, this place doesn't look like it was burned," Brooklyn said, changing the subject, realizing the cold sweat that suddenly came over him.
Siden let her eyes drop and her hand pull away.
"Um, no, it wouldn't.  What happened here happened long ago."
"So why is it just you, anyway?  Where are all the other gargoyles and humans and wolvens that used to live here?"
"There were two fires, actually.  One came when my mother was young, before I was born.  That was the one my father, Star, died in.  He was killed by hunters to save my mother.  After the second fire, the one I was in, most of the survivors thought of it foolish to come back.  Why stay in a home that has been burned and abused twice?"
"I guess that makes sense.  But after all of this time?"
"It's only been months, Brooklyn.  I come here to speak with the ghosts of my past, but other have no ghosts, and if they do, not all are as lucky as I.  This place is now a graveyard rather than a forest.  The trees just cover the evidence."
"I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for.  What is done is done and I promised myself and my family, biological and adopted alike, that I would move on.  You helped me with that.  I am truly forever in your debt for it.  Fang, Sierra and Dazz, I'm sure, appreciate it," she looked at the star-filled sky.  "Wherever they are."
Brooklyn looked up, too.  The city had its wonders, but stars were not one of them.  The exceedingly large number of city lights blocked the full view of the stars and only granted vision access to perhaps a few hundred.  Here, there were beyond too many to count.
Siden noticed Brooklyn's prolonged splendor towards the sky.
"Beautiful, aren't they?"  Siden asked, her eyes adverted from his when he returned to the world below.
"Yes.  In the city, you almost forget they exist."
"Like I said, the city has its wonders but so does what the world gave us naturally."
"Siden...there's...there's something I've been meaning to tell you, for awhile," he said, his eyes now being the ones averted.
"Yes?  What is it?"  She asked, bringing his eyes to face hers, locking them again.  "You can tell me anything."
"I..."
"Yes?"
Sighing at first, Brooklyn took in a deep breath and forced himself to regain confidence.
"Siden, I know you've been hurt in the past and I know you may be a little reluctant to let others in, because you're afraid you'll lose them, but that's not always going to be the case," Brooklyn said, taking her hands in his.  "Siden, I love you."
Speechless, she tried to come up with something to say but the words almost refused to leave her.
"I love you, too."
"And there's something else."
"Yes?"
"I want you to be my mate."