When he says it, Pieck surprises herself by feeling like she already knew. The warmth of his arms and the comfort she felt there, the fact that he was her safe haven in the midst of everything (even if it was an everything that felt strange and distant when they were surrounded by a kitchen lit by warm sunlight which she'd never--) and she could always turn to him. The feeling that, out of everyone who had given her a look or an unspoken promise, she chose him - but he'd chosen her the same way. They were always together, and that was how it was meant to be.

Her hand lifted to stroke through his hair, her smile growing by the moment. An island just for them, where they could live the life they'd always wanted without looking over their shoulders...

"I'd live on the boat with you for the rest of our lives as long as I had you," she said, and she meant every word. Suddenly, with the option, the rest didn't matter. As long as she had him, she'd live wherever they could be together. Smiling, Pieck watched his hair fall between her fingers, looked into his eyes, and she kissed his lips, his jaw, then just in front of his ear to whisper, "It's always been you."

Those words felt like they rang inside her like a gong. As if she'd meant them for ages but it hadn't ever really occurred to her. As if, by not speaking them, she'd let something almost escape her. But now, there it was - spoken. True.