Scott and Alex, Sunday morning

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After his evening at Harry's with Paul, Scott wakes up to find Alex keeping him company. Alex is more or less completely unbothered (although concerned) by Scott's attempt to drown his sorrows, which makes his big brother feel considerably better. Even if it doesn't do much for the hangover.



The first thing Scott registered when he woke up was that his head hurt. Terribly. Then the taste in his mouth hit him, and he grimaced. He cracked an eye open, realizing rather disjointedly that he wasn't in his own bed. What the... Dim memories of last night came flickering back and he groaned, adjusting his glasses - and what was he doing sleeping in his glasses rather than the goggles? - and turning his head to look around.

Alex was curled up asleep next to him.

When Paul had told him that Scott was in his room, Alex had immediatly come over. He'd been told about Scott's condition and even then, he needed the comfort of his big brother. After finding him already asleep, Alex had curled up next to him, being reminded of when he was five and came to sleep with Scott after he had nightmares. Well didn't this count as a nightmare? Alex was still asleep, after getting hardly any the night before, plus he felt safe now, next to Scott.

Scott winced and sat up slowly, glad that his stomach at least wasn't that unsettled. He reached out and laid a hand on Alex's shoulder, squeezing lightly even as he looked around and realized that this had to be Paul's room.

It took a moment before Alex stirred, blinking a few times before lifting his head, blond hair falling in his eyes. He yawned as he looked around, remembering where he was then looking up at Scott. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Scott managed a rueful smile. "Hungover," he said, his voice gravelly as he shifted back to lean against the headboard. "Very, very hungover."

Alex turned over onto his stomach so he could look up at Scott, but still stay lying down. "I can imagine after what Paul told me..."

Scott rubbed at his bruised jaw, sighing. "I'll be okay," he said automatically, telling himself to focus on Alex. "How're you doing?"

"I'm worried about my friends, but what else is new..." He blushed and looked away. "I needed to be near you, so Paul told me where you were when you weren't in your room..." He said the first part softly, hating to admit it.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Scott said, wrestling with the surge of guilt. "I know you're worried. I am, too."

Alex heard the guilt in Scott's voice and looked down at the bed. "Don't be sorry, I understand, though I was a bit surprised when Paul told me where he found you."

"Not quite like me, huh?" Oh, there was definitely a bottle of aspirin in his future. "I was a bit surprised myself..."

"I can imagine," he said as he lifted himself onto his ebows. "So what drove my noble big brother to a bar finally?"

"Umm...." Well, there was a complicated question. "Just tired and frustrated, I guess," Scott finally said with a sigh and a faint smile as he reached out and ruffled Alex's hair. "Not a good excuse, I know."

Alex nodded a bit. "But understandable given the situation. We're all worried. This is the first night I haven't slept in Lorna's room so would know I was alright and she wasn't alone."

Scott felt suddenly envious, but he managed another slight smile. "I'm glad the two of you have been there for each other," he said quietly.

"Yeah well, it's the least I can do for dissappearing on her once." Then he rolled over and latched his arms around Scott's waist. "I'm here for you too ya know..."

"I know you are," Scott said a bit awkwardly, hugging him. And he should have remembered that before heading off to Harry's to get drunk.

Alex looked up at him and recognized that look. "Stop doing that. Reprimanding yourself for everything is going to give you a complex even the professor won't be able to fix..." He hugged tighter. "And I really don't care you went off and got drunk...If I were over 21, I would have wanted to do the same. My best friend is missing, along with half the school and it's giving me nightmares. I really could use a drink...but I have to resort to clinging to my big brother instead." He added the last part in hopes to make Scott feel a bit better.

Scott chuckled a little. "Glad you don't think I'm a lush, then," he said tiredly, and then winced. "And ow. My head is killing me."

"I bet...hang on." Alex sat up and grabbed a bottle of asprin that was on the bedside table. He put two pills in Scott's hand. "Need some water?"

"Yes, please," Scott said a bit meekly, not quite sure what to make of Alex's reaction. Tolerance, even from his brother, was not what he'd expected. He hadn't just had a lapse in self-control, he'd flung it away with both hands and all of his strength.

Gladly, Alex jumped up and fished a glass out of cabinet in the bathoom, filling it from the tap. Then he came back and handed to Scott, watching him as he swallowed down the meds. "DId you at least sleep well?"

"I think you could say that," Scott said, trying to make it a joke. "Don't remember much of anything after my head hit the pillow."

"Good, I was afraid I would have woken you when I came in." He came back and sat on the bed next to his brother. "And it's probably the best night sleep you've had since the others disappeared isn't it?"

"Uhh.... a little longer than that, actually," Scott admitted a bit sheepishly. "Probably a couple of weeks..."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Is this still the same thing from when I found you on the stairs?"

Scott thought about it a little more, then grimaced. "Actually? It's probably been a little longer than that." He hadn't been sleeping particularly well since Sarah's rescue and the fight in the tunnels. "Just had a lot on my mind for a while now," he said with a sigh. "Suppose it all came to a head last night."

"Hey it happens to the best of us as you just proved...And this is exactly the situation to bring it to head. It was enough to bring my nightmares back and do a number on Lorna's nerves, again. Need to unload anything?"

Scott sighed heavily, taking another sip of his water. He could remember far too much of what he'd said to Paul last night. Wasn't your memory supposed to go all nice and hazy when you got that drunk? "I'm just... there's so much that needs to be done, Alex, and I'm never sure if I'm doing the right thing anymore. I know, I know, none of us are ever sure." He forced himself to smile. "Just having a hard time letting go of some of my mistakes, I guess. I don't want to let anyone down..."

"And you don't...You've never let anyone down before, even when I'm sure you thought you'd screwed up big time. We don't want you to be perfect...we want you to be the best you can be, sure, but not perfect. And last night, you may have been drunk as hell, but you didn't let me down when I needed you...and you won't let the missing kids down either."

Scott started to shake his head, then thought better of it. "You're just bound and determined to cheer me up, aren't you?" he asked lightly.

The blonde grinned. "Was I that obvious?"

"Transparent as glass," Scott said as solemnly as he could, taking another sip of his water, not quite managing to hide his relief and gratitude to Alex. This may not have been the sort of reaction he'd expected, but it was really kind of... heartening.

"Damn, I was hoping to be more subtle." He slung an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Everybody needs you to be strong...but that doesn't mean you have to be strong for everybody, Trust me, I've learned that the hard way, plsu I hear that's what family's for..."

"Maybe I just needed to be reminded," Scott said, taking a deep breath and letting it out, trying to let some of the tension go with it. Easier than it should have been - Alex tended to have that effect on him.

Alex grinned. "And I'll gladly keep reminding you as many times as you need big brother. And you returned the favor last night by just being there...even if you were passed out."

Scott gave him a wry look. "Yes, well, next time I'll try to be less of a sodden lump when you need me, okay?"

"Alright, sounds fair to me..." Alex glanced over at the bed side table and winced at the time. "Damn, I surprised no one's come in to look for us..."

"Don't knock it," Scott said with a wearier sigh. "Means things are quiet. And I don't really think I'm up to dealing with anything that's not quiet at the moment."

Alex lay back down next to him and streched. "True...very true." He yawned. "Personally, I'm up for sleeping in..."