xp_logs | Sometime after Paige leaves...

Angelo was lying stretched out on the couch, trying to sleep, but his mind was racing. After Paige's parting words, he had been unable to stop thinking about it long enough to fall asleep.

Slow footsteps padded down the hallway slowly, making enough noise for him to overhear - on purpose, though he might not have caught on to that. The door opened, and a few seconds later, Alison called out. "Hey Angelo..."

Angelo opened his eyes and looked over to the door. Seeing her, he smiled in greeting, and called back, "Hey..."

A smile. Alison's eyebrows rose slightly, but she merely smiled in return, wandering over to sit on the floor next to the couch, not quite flopping down but close enough. "They kicked you out of the dorm, mmm?"

"Yep", Angelo answered, smile fading. "Think I pissed them off..."

An almost amused snort greeted that statement, and Alison waved a hand idly. "Oh, they'll survive." Sides, you're going to Mexico soon at this rate, m'dear. "I was kinda thinking the couch might be getting a bit boring by now, though... think you could do with relocating for tonight? Hank's got spare beds down in the lab..."

Angelo looked up at her sharply, surprised. He hadn't even thought of that... "For real? The couch *is* a bit uncomfortable..."

"Hey, I'm sure he won't mind." She smiled, though her eyes darkened slightly. "You can bring him a box of twinkies as thanks. Don't tell him I said that, mmm?"

"I won't say a word", Angelo responded lightly.

"Good." And yet, Alison didn't move from the floor, as though content to stay here and chat for a while longer. "How are you hanging in there, hon?" she asked quietly, head tilting to the side a bit.

Angelo sighed. "I'm doing... better, I think. I talked to Em, and she had a lot of good things to say. And then... I talked to Paige." He stops there, perhaps putting together the answer to whatever Alison may ask next.

Alison just nods quietly however - it's up to Angelo as to how much he wants to say really, and talking to Paige is most certainly more important in the grand scheme of things, than that he talk to her. Now, there's only Jono left...

Angelo watches her, still waiting for a question, but beginning to realise none is coming. He's content to sit in companionable silence, however, and doesn't break it.

Alison doesn't need to ask, mostly, though Angelo may not realize it - but the smile he gave her when she walked in, not the one she was expecting, did say a lot. And the companiable, non misery streaked silence is another clue that speaks volumes all on its own. So. Got someone to beat over the head with a shovel now. Though... it'd be acceptable to chuck him in blind too, I'd think. Not for me sort it out for them. Won't work that way... Finally, she smiles at Angelo, and raises an eyebrow. "How about we get you moved to the med lab, mmm?"

"Sounds good to me", Angelo agreed. The pair got up and left the room. As they headed down the hall towards the medlab, Angelo clearly wanted to tell Alison more of what had happened with Paige, but was hampered by his reluctance to tell her more than she wanted to know.

A few sidelong looks was all it took for Alison to get the point really, and she gave him a small smile, not bothering with the lights and illuminating the area herself instead as they went down the stairs leading to the lower levels. "How did the talk with Paige go?"

That brought a bright smile, most unlike his demeanour of previous days, now he knew she wanted to know. "Really well", he said simply. "Really well." He paused. "Well, after a little while, anyway."

She raised an eyebrow, offering an interrogative "Mmmm?" as incentive should he want to tell more, walk slowing down a bit in a silent 'we've got all the time we want to talk if you want to' offer.

Angelo, suddenly unsure whether what he was about to say would be breaking a confidence, but wanting to tell *somebody*, finally bit the bullet. This was Alison, after all... "She... she told me she loves me..."

Well, that was a start, and Alison smiled faintly at him, feeling a glow of pride in Paige for having the courage to do so, and though she wondered if that meant Paige was considering what Alison had told her, weeks ago, she most certainly wasn't about to ask. "I'm glad you two had the chance to talk, hon."

"Yeah, me too. Em... Em said I should tell her, and she was so right..."

Alison nodded quietly, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "Are you going to be talking to Jono as well, hon?"

Angelo's face darkened. "Maybe."

"Wonder when he'll figure out what the shovel was for," Alison shook her head slightly, and sighed. "Take your time on that one, hon." Or maybe not. Wonder when the next flight out is, I should book tickets now just in case... The rounded the corner, and the door to the medlab stood before them. "Well, here we are!"

"Yeah", Angelo said quietly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Alison replied, reaching over to pat his cheek gently.

He smiled at her softly. "For everything, I mean. Don't know what I would have done without you and Em to talk to."

She returned the smile calmly, a light dancing in her eyes. "I'm glad I could help, Angelo."

"You did", he assured her. "You really did."

Ain't done yet either. Oh boy, this one ought to be a doozy for you. Smiling at him she pointed towards the med lab imperiously. "You! Sleep!" Of course, she had emailed Hank the previous evening, so oddly enough, there was a bed already set out for him, too.

Angelo grinned, accepting his orders. "Yes, ma'am!" he replied teasingly, and headed into the medlab.