Desmond noticed the step back, and it made him feel a little sick, but he didn't blame her. The last time they were face to face exactly like this, he killed her. Similarly in reflex he took a step back, putting even more space between them. Man, for once he'd like to have an uncomplicated relationship with someone, anyone. He thought that their little team was the closest thing to that; complicated by the situation they were in but working together well. He wondered what Shaun and Rebecca would say, if they saw her now. What she would say to them.

"We all got played. Juno stacked the deck. It was free her and save the world, leading to her conquest, or let the world burn." Desmond wasn't close to dealing with any of that. It made him feel furious and raw and disgusted, with her and with himself. The picture Minerva painted wasn't acceptable to him. He should've never had to make that choice or hold that many lives in his hands. "She didn't care about the sides. But if you brought the Apple to them, the world would've burned. It had to be me." He really was the key. More than his memories. Always his blood.