In November, Bear canceled a Paris trip to finish consulting work in Egypt, and Lily, disappointed, gave their concert tickets to a colleague’s brother. That night, as Lily texted Bear on her way to dinner with Veronique at La Belle Équipe, gunmen arrived on rue de Charonne during the coordinated Paris attacks. Bear, playing cards in Cairo, later saw Lily’s text alongside a breaking news alert about multiple attacks and fatalities.

Bear endured a frantic journey to Paris, repeatedly refreshing news and registering Lily’s details with hospitals. Lily’s parents notified him that she had been found alive in ICU at Salpêtrière with a gunshot wound. At the hospital, Lily’s parents dominated decisions, planning to return her to England; Lily asked Bear to pack up her flat instead of staying by her side.

In Lily’s apartment, Bear boxed her belongings and discovered two keepsake boxes: one filled with his letters to her, which he realized he had not reciprocally kept, and another labeled “Us,” holding shared mementos. Confronted by their history and his near-absence at a crucial moment, he reflected on fate, regret, and the value of the life he had with Lily over his distant fieldwork.

From Lily’s perspective in ICU, she feared isolation and medical complications, replaying the surgeon’s warning that she nearly died. Later, at a lakeside after her return to England, Lily expressed that the attack felt personal and that she was tired of molding herself to fit Bear’s itinerant life. In a candid exchange, she said she wanted permanence, a partner present daily, and children soon; Bear apologized for past selfishness and declared his love in specific detail, then revealed he had already joined a gym on an annual membership and applied for a permanent UK museum post, signaling his commitment to staying.

They moved to Brighton near family. Lily, still recovering, struggled with fatigue and memory glitches that doctors said were normal post-trauma, and she returned to everyday routines cautiously. Bear found fulfillment in a museum role, especially engaging with children in informal archaeology sessions for home-schoolers after negotiating a compromise with his boss.

Meanwhile, Lily confided in Charlotte about Bear’s suspicion that his name “Bear” might connect to the anniversary of Vihaan’s death and the issuance date on his birth certificate; after a silent reckoning, Lily chose not to investigate further. On an anniversary evening, Cora and Mehri discussed grief, guilt over Vihaan, and Fern’s dating life, with Mehri urging Cora to release misplaced responsibility.

Later, at Cora’s house, Bear revealed he had asked Cian—Sílbhe’s longtime companion—to make a ring for Lily, wanting an ergonomically pleasing design in gold and platinum. Cian warmly agreed, calling Bear “my boy,” a term that unexpectedly moved him, underscoring found-family ties.