He smiled at her, sadly, as if against his will. It wasn't that he believed her, or didn't. It was that he wanted to, in a way he hadn't wanted anything in years. But that was her all over, wasn't it?

"I guess the point I started out trying to make," he said softly, "was that so can you. Be anything you want--it's not about your past, or your name. So if you want to know what you are, you'll have to make it. And hopefully, make fewer mistakes than I did."

Some experiences, no one should hope for.

He realized they'd been standing quite close for some time, and it made him suddenly self-conscious. "Is this okay?"