Thursday, during the waffle party.

[x-siryn.livejournal.com]

Alex and Terry talk about Amanda, Lorna and what it's like to be an adult.



Sighing softly, Alex leaned back in the couch looking down at the half of a waffle still on his plate. He really wasn't that hungry but Paige had gone through the effort to try and cheer him up so he'd put up the effort. Though she wasn't kidding about her tea, he felt more awake then ever! Placing the plate on the table in front of him, he picked up the tea and sipped it as he listened to Paige chatting away in the kitchen. Distracted as he was, he didn't notice the redhead sit down beside him.

Terry pushed the last of her waffle around the plate then set it next to Alex's with a sigh. "Hi." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, never really having had a chance to spend much time with him but linked now by their common worry. "So how are you doing?"

Alex turned slightly so he could face Terry. Though they had never spoken, Alex had a lot of respect for the Irish girl, especially after today. "Honestly? I'm freaking out and I'm high on Paige's caffeine...so I don't know. Worried too, about Manny and Lorna...."

Terry nodded, understandingly. "Bobby still thinks that there must be some explanation. I know Alison does too. I'm sure we'll find out what it is somehow." The very idea of losing Bobby terrified her, she couldn't imagine what it must be like for Alex--not with the way that Alex and Lorna couldn't seem to survive without each other.

Alex nodded at that, firmly, because he would not allow himself to believe otherwise. "She'll be back. Everything will work out fine. I'm honestly sorry about Remy...but there must be an explanation..." He looked off toward the opposite wall, where a picture of a Hawaiian sunset hung, his voice dropping slightly. "There has to be..."

"There is," Terry said firmly, refusing for his sake to even think otherwise. "We just don't know it yet."

Alex nodded. "Yeah...But right now, I'm worried about what's going on here. This is really to close for comfort...I'm honestly afraid for Manny and everyone else." He spoke softly, before turning back to look at Terry. "I would love to know what the hell Amanda was thinking?"

"I don't know. But that post of hers didn't sound at all sorry. It sounded like she thought she was being persecuted." Terry rolled her eyes, "Like the English know anything about being persecuted."

Alex caught that little political jab and smiled. He pulled his legs up onto the couch, hands still cupping the coffee mug of tea. "No, it didn't. She didn't even care that she killed Frank and drained people of their life energy." As much as he tried, he couldn't stop the shutter. "She obviously doesn't know what it feels like..."

"Sounds of it, she does. Cause of how she grew up. But that still doesn't stop her." Terry frowned, "Do you think that the way you grow up can warp you? Like...if you're raised by bad people, you don't have a chance to be good?"

Alex only shrugged. "I spent time with two sets of parents, then six years completely on my own. I think parents have a role in it...but it's your own actions that defines you. Amanda has lived here long enough to learn better actions. Obviously, she failed to learn anything..."

Terry nodded but looked worried anyway. "What do you think they're going to do? I...they're really mad. Everyone is and stealing people's life? That's just scary." Her voice wavered and she suddenly sounded exactly as young as she really was.

Alex almost felt sorry for bringing it up, for both thier sakes. He hated talking about and he knew it wasn't easy to hear. His was voice was soft when he spoke next. "Personally, I hope she gets expelled. We don't need someone with thepower to do that and obviously no morals." His thoughts went to Leyu and her young friends. They might have survived much better the Frank or the babies.

"I wish I hadn't lost my temper," Terry said, changing the subject abruptly, feeling they'd been depressed about that long enough. "I try so hard to just...be more grown up. And I always just fall apart for the important things. I screamed at Alison today. She found me in the music room and just let me scream."

He closed his eyes, mentally and physically drawing in on himself "You don't have to be grown up yet. You shouldn't try. Being adult about things...sucks." Alex shuddered softly. "Stay a kid...it's safer. People are there to protect you." Alex wishes he was still a kid again, newly come to the mansion and just found his long lost brother. He'd aged a lot in two years.

"I'm seventeen. I can't be a kid forever. I want to fix things, not just be protected. It's just...when I started dating Bobby, everyone felt like they had to talk to him about it. Like I was fragile." Terry frowned, falling without even noticing into the teenagers mindset that made her relatively minor troubles seem all consuming. "Everyone tries to protect me. It's stupid."

Alex rolled his eyes playfully. "Remember the fight I had with Lorna last year?" He didn't think any one at the mansion had, never forbid AlexandLorna weren't together! "It was a lot the same thing. Everyone felt they had to protect me. And for once...I was so glad for it. So don't knock it until you don't have it anymore." He gave her a playful wink.

She laughed ruefully. "Yeah, I guess it's one of those things that you don't miss until it's gone. Still, I'd rather not have people threatening Bobby's health if he makes me cry. We're going to have fights, it's only normal." She shrugged and smiled, "Besides, your fight was different. You guys were really at odds then."

Alex smile dimmed slightly. Again, all too familiar. "Yeah we were. And that won't last long, people threatening Bobby. Just take that people care about you. Let them get through their protectiveness and everything will be fine. You'll see. You couldn't have picked a better guy in my opinion.."

Terry's smile widened unconsciously and she nodded, "Yeah, I know. I've been in love with him forever. I just never thought he'd actually look at me like an adult and not his almost-sister."

"Oh trust me...I know the feeling. It took forever for Lorna to see me as someone other than 'Scott's long lost little brother.'" He chuckled softly. "I hope you guys for the best for you two."

"He makes me happy." She nodded firmly, clearly considering that exactly as much as was required. "So long as I can do the same for him, we'll be okay."

Alex returned the nod before his far away look return, though this time aimed into the depths of his mug. "Good."

Terry eyed him consideringly then reached out and tapped the mug of tea. "Do you usually drink this much caffeine? You said you feeling jittery. Maybe you should switch to something less likely to cause heart attack?

"No I usually leave the caffeine to Lorna. I...I didn't sleep very well last night so I needed the boost and it's just tea. I wouldn't dare touch Lorna's stuff..."Alex sighed and set the mug on the table with their waffle plates. "Your right, I'm not doing much good with it, am I?"

"You're shaking. That's usually a sign to stop." Terry shrugged. "Besides, tea has a lot of caffeine. Maybe instead of tea you should have taken a nap, yeah?"

He shook his head. "Can't. Haven't gone to get sleeping pills from the medlab yet." He didn't mention that he was also afraid to go down there.

Terry looked at him blankly, wondering what it was about the mansion that everyone had problems sleeping. Finally she sighed and shook her head, "Bobby has some left over. Do you want me to get one for you?" The door was locked of course but that was more of a courtesy on Bobby's part than anything.

Alex quickly looked up at her, a hopeful look on his face. "Would you?"

Terry grinned and nodded, "Sure. You just have to promise that you're going to take it into account when you get yours from the doctors later. And no more caffeine. I'm pretty sure they don't mix well." She patted his shoulder in a friendly way and got up.

He grinned up at her, promise of non-nightmare sleep putting him in a better mood. "I promise, Dr. Cassidy."

She giggled. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Alex smiled as he watched her leave, feeling slightly relieved. Maybe with a good night's sleep, things would look better in the morning. Maybe.

Looking around to find something to do while he waited, he jumped up and went over to his desk where his laptop sat. Maybe he would check the journals real quick, see if there was any new developments...