[Honestly, Alex didn't really know how not to do the comfort thing. Even when she knew that she shouldn't have done it with Richard, Alex had found herself doing it to him while they worked together, even before someone could actually even call them friends. More than that, Alex cared for Simon, so it was damned near impossible for her not do it unless she made the decision to actually think about it.

Which was something she was going to have to do, she decided, even as she frowned at Simon. When he said things like that, it hurt honestly, and it made her angry. Even more angry than she already was at Thomas Warren, and Maddie Franks and his parents and everyone else who tried to make more versions of Simon and just hand them over to the demons and the shadows and everything else that they did.

So in the end, Alex just shrugged:]

I'm always going to ask questions, Simon. You should know that about me. Besides, it's not wishful thinking, it's me being hopeful. And I'm never not going to be hopeful when it comes to you having a better life here. I'm not going to apologize for it.

[Yes, the last bit is entirely spoken with the old Alex Reagan determination, and she wasn't going to deny it.]