A/N: First story in a long time. If anyone has any story requests, on any fandom or idea, feel free to leave a review or PM me. I'll consider it, and give you a shout out for the idea if I decide to write it. Anyways, some background info on the story: Tom and Alex have not met, although they both go to Brooklands. James was adopted by John after a mission, so when he died, Ian took both James and Alex. I'm not sure about Jack, but it doesn't really affect this story, so...doesn't really matter now. Okay, that should be enough, go read, and review/follow/favorite(if you want).

James Rider POV

"Alex!"

I swear I can't take him anywhere. He'll get into all kinds of trouble, that kid. I turned to get the football that he had kicked and scored through the trees and now he's gone!

I run through the playground scanning for his blonde hair, with the football tucked under my arm. My little brother doesn't seem to be there, however. Now, I'm not really that religious, with Ian always too busy to actually take us to church, actually I don't think he's religious either. Anyways, if there is a holy God, I would sure hope he is looking out for Alex, because that kid is the worst trouble magnet.

"Alex! Where are you?!"

I try calling out again, but he isn't answering.

"-oof, you can't do that!" My head snapped up at the sound of my 7-year old brother's voice. I sighed, even as I ran faster to get to him.

I ran into a clearing just in time to see Alex being thrown onto the dirt by two older boys. One of the boys were holding another kid that looked to be about Alex's age by the collar. He had quite the shiner on his left eye and a look of pain on his face. That didn't stop him from waving to me though as I ran into the clearing. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on, I mean it was pretty obvious. That little boy was being bullied by these older kids and Alex probably saw them and followed. And Alex, being a brown belt in karate now as well as his personality must have decided to intervene.

Alex looked up from the floor and saw me. I was still running towards them as Alex started shouting, "James! James! You have to help him!"

I didn't need to be told twice, especially as there was something different about that kid. He was too playful and happy, it didn't seem right that he was being bullied.

I tackled the older boy holding the kid first, years of roughhousing with Alex had ensured I knew how to tackle without letting someone fall too hard. I made sure the kid landed on top of the older boy before pulling him off and pushing him towards Alex. Alex would protect him. That's when I let a few punches fall, like Alex, I wasn't particularly fond of bullies. It was worse when their target couldn't fight back even if they wanted to.

On the sidelines, it seems Alex and the kid had become quick friends as they were working together on the other boy. They made him take off, leaving his "friend" behind. I only let the boy up after he had a shiner on his left eye that matched the kid's and a cut lip. Alex and the kid cheered as the bully took off after his buddy, probably to never bully again after what happened today.

"Thanks, I'm Tom! Nice to meet ya."

He sounded so happy, even after what had just happened. I just stared in disbelief. At least I was right though, he's too happy to be bullied. I was so lost in thought, I didn't answer, instead Alex answered for me.

"I'm Alex, and this is my big brother, James! Wanna play football with us?"

"He looks more like a Wolf then a James. I know, I'll call him Wolf! Hi Wolf!"

"Hello, Tom." I replied. I could tell giving him any sugar would be a no, because I knew Alex and Tom wouldn't let go of their new friendship easily.

"Are you here by yourself?" It was odd to see a young child out by himself in a park despite it being a summer day.

"Uh-uh, I'm here with Jerry. He's my brother. I can't find him though, I was looking for him."

"We'll help you find him, right James?"

"Yeah, come on Tom. We'll help you."

We walked for a good half hour before we heard someone shouting.

"Tom! Tom! Where are you?!"

"Hey, that sounds like Jerry!"

Leading the two talking friends in the direction of the shout, I saw a tall lanky boy with light brown hair. He started to run over as he spotted us.

"Tom! James? What are you doing here?" Of course, he's Jerry's younger brother, I knew he looked familiar.

"I took Alex to the park and Alex found Tom being bullied. They're gone now though."

We talked for a bit longer until the sun was about to set. Tom and Alex seemed to really hit it off, so Jerry and I agreed to meeting up this week with them to all watch a film. Maybe, if all goes well, we could all go laser tagging together, I'm sure Alex and Tom would both enjoy that.

A/N: Thanks to Doctor'sLittleDalek and the other few authors who keep this fandom alive. I have decided to contribute my stories as well, you should too. Anything is fine, Alex Rider will always be a good read. If you decide to do so, good luck. If you have any ideas for me, leave a review or PM and I'll get back to you. Thanks.