Being with Zoe always quieted everything in X. It unclenched and unfolded him. This was all X wanted - moments likes this, a lifetime's worth all strung together.

He looked at Zoe, and tried to fix her image in his mind a final time. Could you memorize a person like you could a letter or a song? Could you take in every bit of them forever? Where did you start? Zoe stood on the lawn, half her face lit by the bulb over the porch. Her loveliness undid him, as always. The Brink of Darkness#2

Being separated from him forever: this was the thing she had feared. The last thing Ripper shouted to him was, "Remember what you are worth, stupendous friend!" The Brink of Darkness #2

Still, X recognized himself in Slyvie's face. It made him feel less alone. It made him feel answered. It made something inside himself-something that'd always felt slightly askew-click into place. The Brink of Darkness, #2