There's a protest on the tip of his tongue as Tess suddenly grabs his arm - which dies the moment he registers that she's got hold of him, that she's solid, warm, real. And so, he lets her pull him down the alleyway and the moment she turns to him, reaches up to her shirt, yanks the collar away for him to see her neck--

He stares at it, then at her, then back at her neck again. He lifts his hands and goes to reach for her face, to tilt her head to side, examine the her neck - and stops himself just in time. Balling his hands into a fist, he makes himself drop his arms back to his sides as he takes a step backwards, as though it's hit him all over again like a sledgehammer to the chest that she's actually here in front of him. Alive. Breathing.

"Jesus, Tess--"