She gave him a sympathetic smile. Now that was a story she knew. "For what it's worth," she said, "it's never anyone's plan to be here. Sometimes, I think the multiverse goes out of its way to grab people who have something important to do. You can't it personally, though." She shrugged. "The way I think of it, being in the multiverse is like...a hiatus. From destiny. If you believe in that kind of thing. It's a chance to live the life you never led."

How often had she recited the same speech in Bete Noire? At least half a dozen times. The funny thing was, she wasn't so sure about it for herself any more. She hadn't been whipped away from doing something important.

She was dying.

When this hiatus ended, so would she.

It wasn't a hiatus. It was her last chance to live. One she'd been squandering until tonight.