He's in denial. She knows he is.
They've been married nearly twenty five years now; she knew him even better than she knew herself.
His refusal to treat Abe like anything aside from the toddler he'd raised for so long had been amusing, almost endearing; his complete and utter refusal to accept that times were changing was dangerous to the point of madness.
She'd been keeping quiet – every aching joint and sore back – she'd endured the costs of getting old alone, in silence, for fear of alerting her dear husband to the inevitable end they both knew was coming sooner or later.
But there was no way she could hide the silver now peppering her golden hair aside from shaving her head, which simply was not an option, or trying that new hair-coloring product the hairdressers were all advertising now, but until Henry tested the chemicals to see if they were dangerous she didn't dare try anything like that.
She had glared tearfully at her reflection in the mirror for over two hours, hoping to somehow will the grey out of her hair, but it wasn't happening as she commanded; if anything, they grey became even more noticeable as time went on.
Finally, after scrubbing her cheeks clear of most of the evidence of her distress and balefully glaring at her reflection once more, she exited the restroom slowly, unwilling to face her husband and son with the evidence of her age so obvious for them to see.
She didn't have a chance to scurry back to the bedroom; Henry had been leaning against the wall outside, immediately coming forward as soon as she opened the door.
"Are you alright? You were in there an awfully long time," he said in a rush, scanning her all over in search of anything that might be wrong.
She gave a small, sad smile, but said nothing, waiting for him to see for himself.
After his eyes took in her highly distressed face, he wordlessly wrapped her in his arms. She inhaled sharply, unwilling to start crying now – after all, it wouldn't be her suffering in a few years' time.
They remained like that for a time, until he pulled back and kissed her on the forehead. She reveled in the feeling, smiling a little more widely at the feeling. He really was too wonderful to fully comprehend sometimes.
It wasn't until later that she realized he hadn't mentioned her hair.
In his mind, there was nothing in the world worth living for aside from his wife and son. In his mind, nothing short of hell on earth could ever take either of them away from him.
He was in denial. And so was she.
A/N: Beware, the return of the angst! I am sorry for any broken feels.
~Persephone