Years from now, Lorne will describe this moment as the heat in his chest bursting open like a flower at dawn. He'll indulge his inner poet and storyteller, tell everyone exactly how brave Emma was, how very brave she was in the face of imminent danger and death, how proud she made him.

Right now, right this moment, the world goes out of focus and all blood drains from his face, but neither of this quite stops his forward momentum. He's crashing, and fast.

"Em--"

He can see stars.