I understand that you desperately wish for that to be. And if that is true, if you value that truth at all, then you will accept help from someone.

[ The headache Severus has right now is pretty spectacular, both due to injury and dealing with this guy. Still, he persists. He realizes distantly that he could have left a dozen times by now and been justified in doing so, but this is ultimately what he does: he has to clean up after people who hate him, who'd rather see him hurt or dead. There are days when he is unbelievably bitter about it, but there are others when he proceeds, machinelike, along the path he's agreed to. Certainly, someone else would be better suited to handle this moment with this person, but there's no one else on hand, and Edgeworth won't cough up a suggestion. Severus is not yet desperate enough to call Sirius. ]

Do not cast this aside because of me. What if someone you actually have regard for accidentally angered or frightened you? You obviously care.