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"Chris," Jeremiah looks to him and sighs. "You know it's true ... That this is something he should have come to you about. That if he was thinking clearly, that if he was himself, he would have acted differently, would have not done it-"

He steps forward and a hand rests on the young man's shoulder, clearly trying to comfort through his own pain because he knows this hurts Chris just as much. "He's betrayed us all. Our trust, our faith in him by taking Algie. It's not something you can easily fixed and it hurts."

... because he had been sharing a bed with an imposter, because Chris had talked with an Algie that was not him, because they had all been part of the lie and not known.

"It's almost worse than when he was taken and we didn't realize it. This time we could have known and acted accordingly but he let us ... He let us be accomplices to it." Probably on purpose because if they had not noticed him missing, then why would they notice Algie was not himself? It was to make a point. To show they were not good enough. That they would fail in noticing Algie as they had not noticed Thorne.

Jeremiah squeezes his shoulder and then slides an arm around him. There's not much of a height difference between them but he still pulls Chris gently forward into a hug; holds him because what else do they have right now?

Both of them have lost.

"You face him," he says quietly, "you face him and you tell him exactly what you think, what you believe. You bring him back if you can. Make him see what he's become, what's wrong." A shaky breath escapes. "If you can do that then maybe it can be fixed, we can get Alg back, but if it can't-"

He shakes his head, pulling back to look at Chris. "Then we have to be ready to do whatever it takes."

"Thorne cares for you, Chris, and if he does not want to see you that just proves that he isn't the same man anymore." Jeremiah squeezes the arm around him, hugs him a moment longer before he releases him. Pulls a handkerchief from his pocket that he brushes against Chris's cheek to catch that stray tear. It's held out for him to take after that.

"If he's no better than the thing that replaced him, if he's become like her and won't bring Alg back, we have to be ready to face that he's no longer on our side." This clearly pains him to say. "That he's supporting the very things we're fighting against."

Which meant that they may have to fight him at some point.

"I can wait," he replies, "I'm going to have to." Another sad smile. "... but I'm sure if there's anyone that can make Thorne see reason it is you. Just be prepared for the worst, if necessary."

Jeremiah gives Chris another squeeze before he is letting him go.

"I'll support you, Chris, alright?" Then the clock chimes the coming out and Jeremiah straightens up. "He'll be home soon ..." The thing that was not really Algie. "... and I've got to deal with him."