“Listen to yourself. In what world is what you’re doing acceptable behaviour?”
Infuriatingly he remained perfectly calm, looking at her with only the cool attentiveness she was much too familiar with.
“I was brought up by a hero, a villain and a secret government agent. That’s the world I’m familiar with, and that’s the world I do my best to navigate every day.” – And so it comes to a head. Love Alex’s first line here.
She finally seemed to have hit a nerve, except not the one she was expecting. He looked genuniely taken aback, and when he spoke it was with deep seriousness - almost anger:
“Allie... The one thing I’ve known for as long as I can remember, is this: It’s always real. – Funny, that’s exactly what Lucy said. :)
But don’t ever think that I’m not fully aware of my actions, or unwilling to take responsibility for them. – As you’ve said, he decides what he’s going to do and then takes the consequences on the chin...
“Well it’s nice to know what you think of me,” she said, knowing that she was being childish and speaking out of anger and hurt, but she couldn’t help herself.
She expected him to rush in with caveats, assurances that of course he hadn’t been talking about her, but of course he was Alex...
“I don’t have much in common with anyone,” he said carefully. – Oh, Alex...
"It... would really have helped if you'd explained the specific gaps that needed bridging," she said, and he tilted his head. – She makes a very good point.
Being here is endlessly frustrating, but not a fraction as bad as I would feel if I went against my better judgement. – Again back to the Doctor and Donna and the mind-wipe. Why, Doctor, why? Why wasn’t that against your better judgement?
And somehow he still didn’t get it.
“That’s not my point. That kind of decision is not yours to make, all on your own.
“Like I said: Brought up by a hero, a villain and a secret government agent. And this is the one thing they all agree on: Never follow the rules.”
No wonder he was so messed up, if this was genuinely what he'd been taught. Still, it didn't magically get him off the hook.
“So you’re just... special.”
“Yes. I am.”
“And the normal rules just don’t apply to you?”
“No they don’t.” – Same discussion as he must have had with Matt and Josh. I don’t know why any of them come around. He’s a wonder, and therefore it’s okay that the normal rules don’t apply to him? This feels like another essay.
She was silent for a moment, then looked him straight in the eyes.
“I think your uncle was right in sending you here.”
His eyes narrowed. – Because it should teach him that he’s not outside the rules? Only it isn’t doing that, is it? It’s teaching him to lie more effectively. It feels as though both Allie and Josh are seeing something that I’m missing...
Because I think I can finally see how you resemble your father.”
“Oh,” he said tonelessly, going completely still, eyes suddenly dark and lost. – Oh, ouch. But if you self-declare that the normal rules just don’t apply to you, that has to be an occupational hazard.
Her voice trailed off, and Josh tilted his head, the drowsy morning sun caressing perfect cheekbones. – Lovely visual provides much-needed lightening moment from plot.
Loved Josh’s breakdown of the sources of Alex’s action.
"But... He can't just... do that..."
Josh smiled an eery echo of Alex's smile.
"Oh but he can. That's the thing. He really can. – This is indeed the problem.
She almost burst out laughing, because it was so him it was ridiculous... Instead she tried her best not to smile, something she didn't suceed at very well.
"To me it sounds like you just want to have your cake and eat it too."
"Well of course I do - who doesn't?" – !!!
"Excuse me, I believe this is a Library, not a relationship help desk. If you wouldn't mind?" – I might have sent her to History, as a Miss Hillyard standin, though the possibility exists that Alex saw that too and sent her to Modern Classics instead to confuse her. :)
Although, thankfully, he was the least likely person to cheat, like, ever. – Again with the quiet but portentous drum roll, though certainly true for normal circumstances.
no subject
“Listen to yourself. In what world is what you’re doing acceptable behaviour?”
Infuriatingly he remained perfectly calm, looking at her with only the cool attentiveness she was much too familiar with.
“I was brought up by a hero, a villain and a secret government agent. That’s the world I’m familiar with, and that’s the world I do my best to navigate every day.”
– And so it comes to a head. Love Alex’s first line here.
She finally seemed to have hit a nerve, except not the one she was expecting. He looked genuniely taken aback, and when he spoke it was with deep seriousness - almost anger:
“Allie... The one thing I’ve known for as long as I can remember, is this: It’s always real.
– Funny, that’s exactly what Lucy said. :)
But don’t ever think that I’m not fully aware of my actions, or unwilling to take responsibility for them.
– As you’ve said, he decides what he’s going to do and then takes the consequences on the chin...
“Well it’s nice to know what you think of me,” she said, knowing that she was being childish and speaking out of anger and hurt, but she couldn’t help herself.
She expected him to rush in with caveats, assurances that of course he hadn’t been talking about her, but of course he was Alex...
“I don’t have much in common with anyone,” he said carefully.
– Oh, Alex...
"It... would really have helped if you'd explained the specific gaps that needed bridging," she said, and he tilted his head.
– She makes a very good point.
Being here is endlessly frustrating, but not a fraction as bad as I would feel if I went against my better judgement.
– Again back to the Doctor and Donna and the mind-wipe. Why, Doctor, why? Why wasn’t that against your better judgement?
And somehow he still didn’t get it.
“That’s not my point. That kind of decision is not yours to make, all on your own.
“Like I said: Brought up by a hero, a villain and a secret government agent. And this is the one thing they all agree on: Never follow the rules.”
No wonder he was so messed up, if this was genuinely what he'd been taught. Still, it didn't magically get him off the hook.
“So you’re just... special.”
“Yes. I am.”
“And the normal rules just don’t apply to you?”
“No they don’t.”
– Same discussion as he must have had with Matt and Josh. I don’t know why any of them come around. He’s a wonder, and therefore it’s okay that the normal rules don’t apply to him? This feels like another essay.
She was silent for a moment, then looked him straight in the eyes.
“I think your uncle was right in sending you here.”
His eyes narrowed.
– Because it should teach him that he’s not outside the rules? Only it isn’t doing that, is it? It’s teaching him to lie more effectively. It feels as though both Allie and Josh are seeing something that I’m missing...
Because I think I can finally see how you resemble your father.”
“Oh,” he said tonelessly, going completely still, eyes suddenly dark and lost.
– Oh, ouch. But if you self-declare that the normal rules just don’t apply to you, that has to be an occupational hazard.
Her voice trailed off, and Josh tilted his head, the drowsy morning sun caressing perfect cheekbones.
– Lovely visual provides much-needed lightening moment from plot.
Loved Josh’s breakdown of the sources of Alex’s action.
"But... He can't just... do that..."
Josh smiled an eery echo of Alex's smile.
"Oh but he can. That's the thing. He really can.
– This is indeed the problem.
She almost burst out laughing, because it was so him it was ridiculous... Instead she tried her best not to smile, something she didn't suceed at very well.
"To me it sounds like you just want to have your cake and eat it too."
"Well of course I do - who doesn't?"
– !!!
"Excuse me, I believe this is a Library, not a relationship help desk. If you wouldn't mind?"
– I might have sent her to History, as a Miss Hillyard standin, though the possibility exists that Alex saw that too and sent her to Modern Classics instead to confuse her. :)
Although, thankfully, he was the least likely person to cheat, like, ever.
– Again with the quiet but portentous drum roll, though certainly true for normal circumstances.