AN: Wow, this is a bit lengthy. I felt bad about not writing much for the past few months, though... Most AR readers seem to like this kind of plot, right?
(And look at the top! The Word Count is 4,567!)
Disclaimer: Everyone's out of character. It's not my universe, nor are these my characters; they belong to Anthony Horowitz. This isn't short and sweet, sorry. Also, Alex has gone on a mission that's not in the books- sorry if you don't like references you can't understand.
Summary: Wolf is Alex's guardian, and this fic sets him up to discover secrets. After Snakehead, but fits Crocodile tears too.
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It had been a fairly quiet day so far.
Wolf was with Snake, Eagle, and Bear at a local bar, trying to drown his loneliness with them. Fox had been busy with his new girlfriend, or so he said, but that was alright with Wolf. Wolf was very, very upset with Fox, even though they were normally the best of buddies- Fox even had his spare house keys.
Even so, Cub had been taken away a fortnight before, and Fox had been the chauffeur.
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The doorbell rang.
"I got it," the kid proclaimed. Wolf waited in the kitchen.
Muffled words were exchanged before Wolf sensed something was wrong. Cub's voice had dropped, yet the visitor was clearly Fox- Wolf knew his voice straight away. Normally, Fox would have been invited into the kitchen by now.
Cub reemerged from the doorway with Fox, both as grim as ever, and said,"Wolf, I'm sorry."
Fox took over. "MI6 needs Alex, Wolf. There's another mission-"
"Hold it! Start over, Fox." Wolf's head was spinning. The kid had only become his ward a month ago, and yet Wolf had still to learn much about him. So far, Wolf had thought of Point-Blank as a one-time deal- Cub had never said otherwise, nor had he corroborated Wolf's opinion; Cub was quiet. For crying out loud, Wolf wasn't even comfortable calling Cub 'Alex'! "What did you say?"
Fox ran his fingers through his hair, hesitating. Before he could open his mouth again, Cub piped up, his face dark and looking at the tan tiled floor. "Sorry, but there's something MI6 needs. I can't just ignore it, Wolf. It's my... job."
Wolf blanched. "I'm sorry?"
Cub continued. "I... work for MI6." Wolf vaguely got the impression that that wasn't the entire truth. "It's complicated. Look, Wolf, I'm leaving for a while, okay?"
"No- how long has this been going on? Why you?" Wolf couldn't believe it. Sure, he didn't love the kid, but at least they were friends now. While drunk, Fox had told a few horrific tales about his missions, and Wolf certainly didn't want Cub to go through anything of the sort. Spying was an adult's occupation.
"Wolf, Cub is returning to MI6's care for a while. He'll see you after this ordeal is over." Fox looked Wolf pleadingly in the eyes. Cub seemed to have found the wall's light-green stripes very interesting at the moment. "You have to let him go."
Wolf disbelievingly looked at the gloomy co-workers. "I'm not alright with that. Cub is a freaking teenager, Fox. He's not going on any missions, MI6 or not."
Fox started to reply, but Cub cut him off. "Fox, I'll see you at the car in a minute- just give us a moment." Fox's face contorted with unease before he left to wait as instructed.
The room was silent for a solid half-minute after Fox exited. "Cub, why aren't you refusing? Surely you could say 'no' to a mission! You sure as heck don't look like you want to go with him."
Cub sighed under his breath, still refusing to meet's Wolf's eyes. "I don't want to, Wolf. I have to. It's complicated- maybe I'll tell you if I come back. There's no time now."
"When." Cub smiled sadly and turned to leave, but Wolf startled him with a brief hug. Cub remained perfectly still, not returning it.
When he was released, he added one more thing. "Thanks."
With that, Cub stalked solemnly out the door.
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"Wolf, Wolf! HQ to Wolf!" Snake snapped his fingers in front of his face. "Wolf, are you with us?"
Wolf looked up from his glass. "Yeah, I guess." Bear and Eagle exchanged a significant look, though both were slightly dazed. Snake was the designated driver, after all.
Eagle spoke next. "It's Cub, isn't it? You're missing him." They all knew about Cub's absence before, for Fox had told them briefly of Cub's untimely departure- this was the first time anyone had dared to put Wolf's feelings into words.
Wolf eyed the rim of his glass before nodding. "Fox is such a jerk."
Bear sympathetically defended the group's missing friend. "He was only doing his job, you know. It was that or Fox lost his job."
Wolf closed his eyes, concentrating on the gentle buzz at the back of his mind, praying that it would help him stay calm. "I know, Bear, I know. It's just..." Wolf's teeth ground together. "It's just..."
Snake half-smiled and placed a comforting hand on Wolf's shoulder. Cub had been changing Wolf's gruff attitude- an amazing feat. "It's just lonely, isn't it? Would you like one of us to stay overnight?" Bear and Eagle nodded in agreement- did Wolf want company?
Wolf swallowed. "Yeah, it's a little lonesome, but it's alright. It's not that, no... Cub, he just seemed so reluctant to go, you know?" This was news to the others. They inquired tacitly with their eyes. "Didn't Fox tell you that Cub spent a moment with me, alone, right before he left?" Eagle shook his head.
Wolf's voice started soft, but it became a steady crescendo. "Well, he did. He said he had to do it, but he didn't want to. He just resigned himself to MI6's s***! I don't get it at all!"
Snake gripped Wolf's shoulder harshly at the mention of MI6 and quietly took control. "Alright, everyone. It's time to go." Other people had looked over at the fretting soldier, wondering what he was going on about with 'MI6', but they didn't have long to stare. The foursome strode out into the night, leaving their payment and empty beer glasses behind.
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"Yes, he's awake now, doctor," said Nurse Diana Meacher, "and he'd like to leave."
The pediatrician nodded. "He's fine- he was just suffering from sleep deprivation and insomnia- a nasty combination. Call his guardian tomorrow morning, would you?"
"It may be late, sir, and even if he's still exhausted, he'd still like to leave as soon as possible. He's finding it difficult to sleep here- I think his insomnia is heightened by this unfamiliar environment. He just woke up from a nightmare about his last stay here, and he's keeping the other patients awake." She waited for permission to call, though it was around midnight. The doctor hesitated, clearly debating within his mind.
Diana added, "We are a first-class hospital, sir."
The doctor sighed, letting a half-smile show. "If his guardian blows up on the phone, I'm not to blame."
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The overcast sky let only a few twinkles of light shine onto the near-empty street. A homeless man sat on a bench, out cold, while another slept in the alley by the bar. The flashing neon sign outlined four bodies for the small alley cat opposite them, and they huddled around one of them as if to discreetly restrain the one. The cat's yellow eyes reflected mysteriously in the dimmed lighting between the street lamps.
It startled when a ring tone interrupted its feast- the tabby bristled and narrowed its eyes at the disturbance. Although it didn't understand, the cat watched and heard.
The restrained human pulled out his cell phone and answered while the other three looked on with interest- who would call at this hour?
"Hello?" A pause. "St. Dominic's!" Another pause. "Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can." The others murmured with interest.
Once they climbed into the car, the tabby cat went back to munching on its prey.
It ran into an alley when the engine roared.
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Snake stared at the road, but his attentions were diverted elsewhere. "Who was that?"
From the back of the car, Wolf answered. "Diana, a nurse, said Cub was at St. Dominic's and wanted to come home. No, she didn't tell me anything- just to come pick him up."
Eagle voiced everyone's thoughts. "Why was he there?" Silence met his question, and the car sped toward its destination, if a bit quickly.
Shortly before they arrived, Bear asked another important question. "When do we tell Fox?"
Eagle chirped, "Well, we might as well tell him now- even if he and his 'girlfriend' are a bit busy, shall we say." Eagle whipped out his phone and speed-dialed.
"Fox? It's about Cub. Your girlfriend 'preoccupying' you?" A pause. "What? Oh, never mind. Meet us at Wolf's in a quarter of an hour, okay? Bye." Eagle snapped his phone shut as the car pulled into the parking lot. They climbed out and headed for the hospital door.
"What was that about?" asked Snake.
Eagle snorted. "Fox lied. He's single right now. We'll see him soon, though." The SAS group tacitly agreed to grill the agent.
They became silent when they entered the foreboding lobby of the hospital.
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"Hi, Wolf. Sorry to call you so late in the night."
"No problem at all. Hope you don't mind the company- the back might be a bit squishy on the ride home. The car seats 5 people, three in the back. You'll be in the front, though."
At that, the other members of K-Unit filed through the hospital door. Alex raised his eyebrows.
"Are you driving?" Secretly, Alex was hoping that Wolf would be. The dim lighting of the hospital and the dark outside would easily conceal the circles surrounding Alex's eyes, but they would be revealed quickly when the car doors were opened and when light would gush from the ceiling lights. If Alex were in the front, only the driver would see, and Alex knew Wolf wouldn't ask him questions right away- Wolf was more of a quiet inquisitive person, and he wouldn't want K-Unit to see him concerned. Even in his exhausted state, Alex could think that far ahead.
"No. Snake was designated." Designated? That meant they had been at a bar. Was Wolf missing him? The very thought of it made Alex feel touched.
"Right." Alex was already dressed in street clothes belonging to someone roughly his size. With that, Alex slipped out from under the covers and stood up, swaying dizzily for a mere moment. It didn't escape anyone's eyes, but no one called him on it.
Diana approached Wolf as they walked through the white-washed sterile hallways. "Are you Alex's guardian?"
Wolf glanced at her, then answered, "Yes."
"Well, the doctor has ordered that Alex stay at home resting for at least 3 days. Also, let him readjust to this timezone; the doctor said that could take anywhere from 4-5 days after the first three. You should know that before you check him out of here. Take good care of him, alright?"
"Of course," Snake answered, glancing at the name tag, "we will, Diana."
Curiosity drove Bear to ask another thing. "What's Cub suffering from?"
After blinking in mild confusion, Diana answered, "Sleep deprivation coupled with insomnia. I don't know why- the doctor interviewed him." No one said a word until they reached the receptionist.
Once Alex was checked out of the hospital, the five persons headed for the car.
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Snake was the last to climb into the small vehicle. Cub was trying to hide his face in the passenger seat, and Snake quickly noticed why, though Diana had pretty much revealed it before.
"Christ! When was the last time you slept, Cub?" Wolf, Bear, and Eagle listened while they all strapped in.
"An hour ago."
"For how long?"
"Six or 7 hours, but I'm not certain."
"Before then, when did you last sleep?"
Cub paused, then answered in almost a whisper. "About 5 days. Maybe six." Little did they know, Cub was omitting the fact that those days were spent in total isolation in the surprisingly horrific Amazon jungle.
"Why the crazy schedule- and the time zones?" It was Bear this time.
"You don't want to know."
"I do." Wolf had spoken.
"I don't want to tell you- not now," Cub added, realizing they would still want to know. His voice brooked no argument, Snake noted.
He wasn't the only one- no one spoke for the rest of the ride home.
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Wolf stared out the window, noting the car in his driveway. Fox was here already, probably inside- visitors could stay in the apartment building's lobby. The dull gray walls shined with the street lights, welcoming the group in its own depressing way while Snake parked and turned off the engine.
Bear politely inquired, "Wolf, is it alright if we come in? I haven't seen Fox for a bit." Eagle nodded in agreement. Fox had been 'busy' with his 'girlfriend' for the past few days, but he had slipped on the phone with Eagle. Wolf knew everyone was dying to know the truth.
"Yeah, sure." Snake stepped out first, followed by Eagle and Bear on either side of Wolf in the back seat.
Noticing that Cub still hadn't moved to get out, Wolf tapped Cub on the shoulder. "Cub? We're home." No response. "Cub?"
Snake opened the passenger door. "He's fast asleep." Wolf nodded slowly.
"Here, take my keys." Snake obligingly received them. Wolf stepped out of the car, closing his door. Walking around the passenger door, Wolf examined his ward.
One of Cub's hands clasped his wrist, but he was completely limp. Breaths passed in and out, slowly, but quickly enough. Cub's head tipped forward a bit, but it was still pressed against the headrest, if a bit precariously. Exhaustion displayed itself around Cub's eyes, Wolf noted. The light that normally would have startled him awake had no effect- evidence that Cub really was out cold.
Sighing, Wolf reached over and unbuckled the child, and then gently picked him up to carry him inside. The receptionist briefly glanced up at the late party but recognized them and smiled before returning to her work.
Fox was sitting on a black bench by the creamy white wall. "Hey there. How's- oh." Fox quickly silenced himself upon seeing Cub asleep, before continuing in a whisper. He gently reached out and stroked Cub's bangs aside. "That bad, huh?"
Wolf gruffly pulled Cub away- his head rolled a bit, completely limp, trusting his body to Wolf. "Yes, Agent Daniels, that bad. I hope your nonexistent girlfriend likes you, 'cause I sure as h*** don't." Fox looked mildly guilty, and he had the courtesy to blush.
Snake, the only one of the angered soldiers to have not sipped any liquor, calmly separated the two while Bear and Eagle looked on with a fire in their eyes. "Here's not the place for this. Shall we?"
All six rode the elevator in silence, each in their own thoughts.
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The elevator arrived at the correct floor. Fox was apprehensive.
Snake opened the door, and everyone filed in quietly. Wolf broke the silence.
"Alright, Fox, I'm going to put Cub to bed, and then all of us are going to talk. Serious talk."
Fox bit his lip, thinking of Alex's scars. "Um, maybe I should put Alex to bed."
Eagle wheeled on him. "You're kidding, right? You're the b****** that brought Cub into this predicament!" Snake squeezed the outraged man's shoulder, silently reminding him that Alex was still asleep in an attempt to calm him. Even so, Fox could easily read the lines of anger on Snake's face.
Wolf glared one last time before exiting into the adjacent room that belonged to Alex, closing the door behind him.
Fox looked at the sitting room before speaking. The small bench that covered shoes wouldn't be suitable for the party, and the broken coat hanger did little to lighten the atmosphere. "Maybe we should go into the kitchen for this- the neighbors won't appreciate too much noise at this hour."
Bear glowered and made the first move to enter the kitchen. The others followed.
Fox invited himself to a seat, knowing that there would be a ruckus in a moment. Snake and Bear sat, but Eagle crossed his arms. It only took a few moments for Fox to hear the signal of start of Alex's secrets' demise.
"S***!"
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Alex stirred. What was that noise? Sleepily, he blinked open his eyes to find Wolf staring at him in horror in the gentle florescent lighting. Why?
Alex sat up, and Wolf backed away. The door behind Wolf opened as Snake, Bear and Eagle entered. They all blanched.
Everyone stared at Alex; confusion riddled his brow. A small rush of wind from the door crossed Alex's chest, and he shivered, wrapping his arms around himself to find that he was shirtless.
He blushed, realizing Wolf had dressed him. Then, Alex looked down at his body for a moment before hesitantly glancing up. At least he was still wearing his day clothes' pants. More importantly, there were bound to be questions about the scar over his heart.
Alex slurred, "I... They..."
Wolf cut him off by chucking his pajama top at him."Get some sleep. I can't deal with this now. I need to deal with Fox."
"'Deal with'? What's he done?" Alex murmured as he slipped on his shirt.
Eagle gathered enough composure to speak. "He took you away, lied to us, and now appears to have been keeping secrets from us."
Alex caught the reference to his scars. Ben must have said something. "None of it's his fault."
Wolf turned off the light and herded the others out of the room. "I'll see you when you wake up, Cub." Wolf closed the door almost all the way. "No- Alex. Good night." The door shut with a 'click'.
Unsurprisingly, Alex found his insomnia kicking in once more, due to the atmosphere they'd left behind; Eagle's answers were vague, and Alex was curious. A little eavesdropping wouldn't hurt, would it? Besides, he could always go to bed. Alex finished changing into his pajamas before proceeding.
With Alex's skill, it was little wonder that he managed to stand outside of the kitchen door without anyone noticing. Placing an ear to the door, Alex started his unofficial mission.
"... not my fault! I had orders, Wolf, and you know it. It was that or my job and being blacklisted- that's what my heads said. Don't tell me Alex put you up to this, either, because I know he didn't!"
"I never said he did, but when you undress someone and find that they should be f****** dead, you start to wonder just what the b***** h*** is going on! You knew, didn't you." It wasn't a question. "And what's with your nonexistent girlfriend? You're on leave, but you're lying to us?"
Silence reigned for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Wolf, but that's classified."
Once again, silence dominated until Snake piped up. "I'm sorry? You have a cover to maintain with us?"
"For this assignment, yes, I did. I didn't have a choice."
"You always have a choice, Fox," Eagle proclaimed, "and you know it. You're on leave- I know you could have refused!"
"I'm telling you now, aren't I? I've already broken at least two clauses of the Official Secrets Act!"
"Get out of my apartment. Now."
Alex couldn't take it. He knew why Ben had been unable to tell them anything of significance. Perhaps under normal circumstances the group would have forgiven Ben, but lying to them while on leave was crossing the line, apparently. Alex couldn't stand it- his role with MI6 would not ruin his guardian's friendships. Alex opened the door and strode in, capturing everyone's attention.
Wolf spoke first. "You're supposed to be in bed, Alex."
"I know." It was a mere whisper.
"Go to bed."
"No." It was the first time since he had met Wolf that he had openly defied him. "Ben is your friend- he just wants to keep his job."
"Oh really?" Eagle asked. "He knows we're government officials, too. He could have requested that someone else pick you up for a mission. He could have asked for permission to tell us about whatever assignment he was doing, or he could have out right refused it- he's on leave. He should have told us you got shot!"
Alex paused, thinking. Uncertainty had woven its way into his features, and a moment passed before he answered. "I never wanted to work for MI6, and they know it. Ben was probably selected to collect me because they knew I'd put up very little resistance against him." Ben looked guilty, but Alex didn't stop. "He had to keep a cover with you because, for all intents and purposes, he was supposed to appear as if he were in London all this time."
"Alex..." Ben frowned. Even though Wolf was family for Alex now, Alex was definitely breaking the Official Secrets Act.
But that didn't stop Alex. "Your phone lines aren't secure. Ben couldn't have told you anything from Brazil because your phones could have been tapped."
Bear interrupted. "Brazil?"
"Yeah- It's my fault, really. MI6 was trying to retrieve me, but there were some other guys I ticked off who were imitating them. I don't know any of the lingo to distinguish between the two. Ben was probably pulled off leave to look for me- they know I would've recognized him."
The current K-Unit was stunned; that sort of thing only happened in ridiculously action-packed stories. Taking advantage of their hesitation, Alex took the seat next to Ben and wearily leaned against him, causing Ben to stiffen in surprise before relaxing and stroking Alex's head softly.
Wolf watched this interaction carefully. "Ben had to look for you?"
"I got lost."
"In Brazil?"
"In the Amazon jungle. You can't sleep a wink there." Alex yawned, bringing up a hand to cover it.
Wolf seemed to remember the situation. "C-Alex, you need to get some sleep."
Ben supported Wolf's idea by standing up, gently pushing Alex's head aside. "Eagle, Snake, Bear- You guys all set? It's late."
Eagle and Bear were too out of it to respond. "Uh, yeah, Fox. I'll see you later, I guess." The other two muttered a few polite valedictions before heading out the door.
Fox and Wolf turned to look at Alex, who was currently eying the tan tiling once more. "Sorry, Ben."
"S'okay." A sense of finality pervaded the the atmosphere; Ben helped Alex to his feet while Wolf watched with mild disinterest.
Following Ben and Alex, Wolf wandered into Alex's room and pulled the covers back for Alex to climb in. Wolf took a seat on the edge of the mattress while Ben turned off the lights. He, like Ben before, reached out and stroked Alex's head softly.
"Get some sleep, alright? You've got a lot to answer for when you wake up." Wolf felt Alex's nod. Both adults left the room.
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Wolf looked at Fox. They were both in the sitting room, and Fox was just about ready to leave.
"Sorry, Fox."
"Hey- not a problem, alright? Agents expect that line of thinking, especially from their friends."
"Yeah, I guess." Wolf thought for a moment, remembering how Alex had so explicitly trusted Fox, going so far as to lean against him in front of the others. "What would it take for me to join MI6?"
Fox gave him a long, hard look before answering. "You don't want to join."
"I'd like for Alex to trust me a bit more, rather like you."
Sighing, Fox mulled it over. "You do know that Alex is an excellent actor?"
Wolf remembered a few lies the kid had told that he had been certain were truths. "Yes."
"I'd bet most anything that he just wanted you to keep your friendship with me- he probably would have felt guilty if thing had continued in the way they were going." Wolf had to agree. "I know he doesn't trust me; I'm MI6. You, as a not-MI6-agent, have a lot more potential in your relationship with him. If anything, I wish our roles were reversed."
Wolf's eyebrows creased together, but he didn't say anything. He grunted in disbelief.
"Good night, Wolf."
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AN: Please do not review. Why?
1. I have not been reviewing others' fics, though I have read them.
2. I won't reply.
3. The "Story Traffic" page will tell me how many people visited this, and I can reasonably infer that extra hits to this page are people who are returning to reread because they liked it.
Thank you for your time! I hope you liked it!