It is Simple: No.
It was an easy thing to say, and an easy thing for him to do.
He stares at the shock flowing through this party of strangers Keyleth had set on his doorstep.
Sadness, anger, defiance, they throw it all in his face, but he's long hardened himself to those emotions, as they had once consumed his every waking thought and haunting dream.
"Have you not lost anyone?" the faun Fearne asks, defiant tears in her eyes.
"I have lost almost everyone I have ever loved." he snaps back, and their faces flash before his eyes.
His Mother and Father, blood spurting from their throats as Stonefell pushes into the room.
Julius screaming as Vedmir's blade cut deeply into his back.
Vesper's gasp of shock as Ander's stabbed her in the chest, Cassandra screaming as their elder sister's grasp slackened and then fell away.
Oliver, Whitney, Ludwig, dragged away by a sneering Ripley and softly smiling Delilah.
Vax smiling, "Freddie..."
And he remembers the irony of his next words at this moment but he does not care.
"Then you know how it feels." Fearne snips.
"And, yet, you will notice they are all still gone." he returns, leaning towards her.
"I will not have my children grow up in a world where she exists!" he snarls.
Ashton, a broken man staring at him with barely contained rage, yet there is something to him that Percy can't shake. As if they are connected deeper than just their anger.
"You are a small fish in a big, big pond. Make some waves," he states, the last thing he truly wants to say to the young man.
He returns to his office and finds Gwendolyn waiting for him, kicking her legs, and playing joyfully with the small toy Chetney had given her.
The apple of his eye, his youngest, and a reminder for all he gave to make sure that...creature would know the pain that he had.
His eyes flick to the mask hanging on high, the other reminder, of how close he went to slipping away forever.
His heart and his vengeance, sitting in one room, staring at him with judging eyes.
"Are you okay, father?" Gwen asks.
"Yes, darling." he states, picking her up in his arms and sitting down.
New memories flash through his brain, of each of his children nestled into the crook of his arm. Vesper, Wolfe, Leona, Danny, his new life that he had set aside his weapons for.
His house was full of life and love once again.
And if anyone, for any reason, tried to take that away from him, though, malice, ignorance, or grief.
He thinks of the chest hidden beneath his bed, the lengthy passcode it takes to crack open the key, blue fabric and aged, but gleaming metal.
"What happened?" Gwen wonders.
"Someone...asked for something that I couldn't give." he returns.
"Why not?" Gwen asks, narrowing her eyes up at him.
"It risks too much," he states calmly, hugging her tighter.
He can feel her eyes on him.
His mind flips about, taking stock of his defenses.
The pistol hidden within his coat.
His cane.
The weapons under the table, within the walls, and atop the bookshelves.
If they did push too far, as he knew deep, deep down in his heart of hearts that they would. He would, he had, he had refused any bit of good sense in his own mission, and he and his fellows had pushed and prodded anything and everything during their day, willfully ignorant of the consequences.
If she did come.
Then he had Bad News awaiting her.