It wasn't like Alec had done the shit he'd done out of some misguided necessity. He hadn't stolen for necessity. He'd stolen out of anger, out of rebellion, because he could. He'd always had a moral system to it. He never stole from people who couldn't afford it, and after his first year, he never stole from anyone at Willowbrook. That was how far his sense of loyalty went, mostly because beyond loyalty, he didn't really have anything else. His loyalty trumped his personal feelings. Even if he hated someone, he wouldn't take what they couldn't afford from them, because he'd been there too. It was why he spent a good chunk of time on holidays helping out at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Because he'd been there.
Alec tightened his arms around Lenore slightly, as if he could sense her need to be held together. "Semantics," he murmured, as if they weren't discussing something as serious as possible felonies. He stroked his fingers through her hair, and stayed there for a bit, just inhaling the aroma of Lenore. The atmosphere of her.