"Agreement, then" because he wouldn't call it that yet either. That's why they were working on it. Alan liked to think of himself as, if not an optimist, then at least a polite sort of realist.

"Have you gotten to meet Michael or Karen yourself by any chance?" because he'd never been one for 'leading' when it came to it. At least not in the JSA. Being the backbone suited him just fine, even the heart, and Ted always called him and Jay the moral compass of the group, but the head wasn't where his talents lay.

"I'll be honest and admit I wasn't really aware of how far along things had gotten when I got the call from Sandy. It's good to hear that you're feeling like it worked well enough, though. Especially since you both got a bit roughed up."