Hello people! First of all I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope 2019 brings you joy, health and prosperity!

I want to welcome you also to the sequel of "Should've Known Better". I am super excited about this fic because it's something I've never written before. I don't wanna give any spoilers so you'll have to take a risk and continue reading.

If you haven't read "Should've Known Better", I strongly recommend that you do before starting to read this story. But if you don't want to go back there, here's a small summary of what went down on the previous story:

WARNING – SPOILER ALERT: on my previous story, Alex was Ben's ward after Jack's death and they'd been living together for a year when, on vacation in Ukraine, Alex was kidnapped and very bad things happened to him. He was tortured and sexually abused, and even though he was rescued by Ben and K-Unit, the aftermath of that was pretty hard to get through. The cherry on top was when MI6 told Ben he wasn't adequate enough to keep taking care of Alex, so Ben managed to slip Alex out of MI6's fingers by making his parents adopt Alex like they'd adopted him when he was a young kid. Both Alex and Ben's parents agreed to it, and even though in this story Alex is already off age, he still very much legally part of Ben's family. I think that's all you need to know about what happened before this!

I had an original idea about what I wanted to write on this sequel, but then a new idea popped into my head and it wouldn't leave me alone, so here we are! I am also taking the opportunity to work on this fic using the techniques I've been learning on a writing course I'm taking, so any input on the chapters would be immensely valuable to me. I'd like to learn through this process and I could do that with your help, so feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of the story.

Anyway, on with the show!

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Chapter 1: Good luck in college!

"You can't do this to me Alex" Mr. Strauss said for the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes.

"I know, and I'm sorry but I'm starting college at the end of the summer and I'll need the time" Alex explained, again, but even if the insistence was starting to become annoying, he couldn't bring himself to actually get mad.

"But you're the bloody best worker I've ever had! You can't just leave!"

That was Mr. Strauss for you, the owner of a sports shop in downtown Newcastle. Kind, hardworking and able to cuss at his workers for even the simplest of reasons, so having what he referred to as his 'bloody best worker' quitting on him barely two weeks before the start of the school year required some heavy cussing from him.

"I'll give you a raise" the man offered to which Alex shook his head.

"It's not about the money, Mr. Strauss. And I appreciate it but I want to focus on college and I have to keep my scholarship or I won't be able to pay next year. I need time for practices and games" Mr. Strauss sighed, defeated, and kept cleaning the counter while Alex stood by his side. The shop had closed at 20:00 and Ben was surely waiting for him to eat dinner, if the missed call on his phone was anything to go by. Alex didn't want to leave unless the matter was closed though.

"Tell you what..." Mr. Strauss continued "you can come to work as many days as you can. Or as little. I don't care, but I can't afford to lose you" Alex tilted his head in thought.

He didn't want to stop working either. Shortly after summer began, a few days after his high school graduation, he had finally managed to convince Ben to let him get a job and help pay for a few things around the apartment. They had moved to Newcastle right after Ben's parents adopted him into the family, making Alex finish his senior year at a new high school. He had wanted to start working half way through it, but Ben was hell bent into convincing him to graduate first and worry about a job later. The older man had insisted he had enough savings to get them started in their new life and there was already a job offer waiting for him to take it, so Alex shouldn't worry about it. And even after graduation, Alex got to keep almost all of his salary for himself. He didn't earn much, but it was more than enough for him to get by without having to ask Ben to buy him new clothes, books or sneakers whenever he needed them, and he needed sneakers a lot. He burned through them like a desperate man on a run, which is what he did, every day, at 4:30 a.m., sharp.

He had been working at Mr. Strauss' shop for almost three months now and he liked having something to do every day from 9:30 to 14:00, and from 17:00 to 20:00. He didn't exactly want to leave it, but what he'd told Mr. Strauss was true: he needed to focus on college if he wanted to keep the scholarship he won the following year. If there was no scholarship, there was no college because he wouldn't let Ben or, God forbid, his parents, pay it for him.

"But that would only be like one or two days a week" he answered, bringing his head back into the conversation. Mr. Strauss stopped cleaning the counter to look up at him with a triumphant smile.

"Then that'd be two days of optimal achievement!" he exclaimed "You truly are a great salesman, and you know so much about a lot of sports. I didn't even have to teach you that much! Do you know how much time and effort it takes to train someone new? Although I would still need to hire someone else... " Mr. Strauss continued pensively, as if Alex had already agreed to his proposal "I'll have to put the 'help wanted' poster on the window again, and maybe publish it in the newspaper. People that still read the paper are bound to be good workers, you know? They don't have their eyes constantly glued to their cellphones and tv's. Do you read the paper Alex?" he suddenly asked, and the blond almost missed the question, having gotten lost in everything Mr. Strauss was saying.

"Ammm... Sure, sometimes"

"Ha! I knew it! I'll definitely put it up in the newspaper then" he finished and then went back to cleaning. Alex stood there, unsure of the conclusion Mr. Strauss had apparently gotten out of the conversation.

"So... Mr. Strauss, I can keep working for the next couple of weeks and then-"

"Then you'll only come when you can. Whenever free afternoon you have, or you can come on the weekends. That would work. A half time shift on the weekend and maybe a few hours on the freest afternoon of the week you have. I won't be able to pay you the same but we can work something out. What do you say?" Alex was about to gently deny the offer when he felt his phone vibrating inside his pocket with a new incoming call. He pulled it out enough to glance at the screen and see that it was Ben, again. Looking at the caller ID made him hesitate.

He really didn't want to go back to earning no money at all and leaving Ben with all the responsibility. He wasalmost an adult now and he wanted to pull his weight too. Alex looked back at Mr. Strauss and he could see that the man had noticed his change of heart. He was wearing a satisfactory smile again.

"We can work something out, right?" the man asked and, this time, it was Alex who smiled.

"Yeah. I'm sure we can"

"Atta boy!" Mr. Strauss exclaimed, patting Alex on the shoulder and making him flinch just a tiny bit "I'll want your opinion on the new employee!" he said while Alex made his way to the door "and you'll have to help train them too!" Alex chuckled and waved his agreement when he stepped out of the door.

"Oh! And Daniels?" Alex stopped and turned around.

"Yes?"

"Good luck in college" he finally said and Alex closed the door behind him.

He sent a quick message to Ben to let him know he was on his way home and then put away his phone, smiling.

Things hadn't gone exactly as planned with the conversation but maybe, just maybe and for the first time, that was a good thing in Alex's life.

He kept walking, already thinking ahead on how he'd manage to balance college, football and work, but with the sense that he'd be able to do it all.
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It was 4:25 in the morning and Alex was finishing tying up his shoelaces. He was careful not to make too much noise, lest he woke up Ben, but he guessed after almost two years, the older man had learned to ignore the noises caused by Alex's new routine.

Every day, even on the weekends, Alex woke up really early to go on his morning run. It had been one of the first suggestions his therapist had given him that he had actually listened to.
Yes, there was a therapist. Or, at least, there had been. Now Alex only saw the woman whenever he felt like he needed to get something off his chest. He had finally agreed to go see one when even after the adoption, his nightmares wouldn't let him sleep. He would spend days on end without sleeping to the point of exhausting himself enough to faint one afternoon. To say that Evelyn, Ben's mother, had made quite a scene about was the understatement of the year.

He had been reluctant at first, but he had to admit sleep came better after talking to her. It wasn't like he talked about his whole life: nothing on his parents, Jack or MI6, he just needed help with one issue and one issue only.

The nightmares hadn't completely stopped, of course, but they got progressively better and he wasn't so afraid of them anymore. No matter what his subconscious made him relieve at night, he got to the point where he knew he was dreaming and it was just a matter of waking up to make the horror stop. That's when he'd go running.

Running helped ease his mind and forget his dreams. While he ran through the now familiar streets, there was no past or future, nothing to worry about. Just the present, putting one foot in front of the other, breathing in through his nose and breathing out through his mouth. There was no greater feeling than feeling nothing at all for the hour it took him to reach his usual stopping point and then come back home. He never allowed himself to think about anything until he turned the last corner of his street and the apartment building he now lived in with Ben came to view. He slowed his pace to a walk to cool down.

Not for the first time, Alex felt amazed at how much life can change in so little time. He had to admit moving to Newcastle was easier than he'd thought, but he actually loved it here. Moving out of London had just served to prove how toxic the air felt around him there, and even though he was leaving everything he knew behind, he found he rather enjoyed the change.
He still kept in touch with Tom. He was his best friend after all, and the other teen had come visit a few times as well. The last time Alex saw him, they had gotten together to celebrate their graduation even if it was on separate schools. To Alex it was just a wonder that he'd managed to graduate at all.

When they'd moved, he had been worried he'd be held back a year or something, but the school managed to overlook his history of unattendances and focus only on the way he managed to bring his grades up after what was described as a "troubling time for the young man" when he'd had to find the balance between the loses of the people closest to him and schoolwork. If only it had been just that.

So the school board had admitted him and he'd begun his senior year while Ben got hired as an accountant on the layer firm his father worked at. It turned out Ben had studied had gotten a degree before joining the SAS. Go figure.

Ben had rented an apartment just a few blocks away from his parent's house. He'd said he wanted to spend more time with them after being away for so long, but Alex knew he was also doing it for him, so he could feel like he had the support of his new family close by. Evelyn made sure that at least Alex got to eat lunch with them once a week and it didn't take long for Ben to start complaining that Alex was now the privileged son.

Now that was something that had taken a while to adjust to. Being part of a family again, one that got together at least once a week and spent holidays together. Alex couldn't understand how Ben had managed to stay away from that for so long while he'd been a soldier and then a spy, but who was he to judge? He was making up for lost time now.

Speaking of Ben, when Alex walked back into the apartment, he found the older man getting the coffee machine started. He had become addicted to the stuff for about a year now and he never started his days without at least one cup of the bitter brew.

"Morning!" Alex greeted upon entering but the other man just grunted as a response. Alex chuckled "somebody's grumpy this morning" he joked while gulping a bottle of water he grabbed from the fridge.

"Some of us actually have to work this morning" Ben replied, his voice thick with sleep. Alex laughed.

"What are you talking about? I work today too!"

"Yeah, but you have fun while you work so that doesn't count as working. Working shouldn't be fun"

"Whatever" Alex said with a smile on his face. He was more than used to a grumpy Ben in the mornings. He couldn't deny it though. He loved his work, which is why he'd ended up accepting his boss' offer the week before.

He went to take a shower and change, and by the time he made his way back to the kitchen, Ben had thankfully woken up more and was placing the cereal bowls on the table. Alex reached for the milk and they sat to enjoy their simple breakfast.

"So how's the search coming for the new employee?" Ben asked, starting the conversation. Alex rolled his eyes and made an exasperated noise.

"It's driving me mad! Mr. Strauss is very specific about what he wants. I've started training at least three different people for the last week and none of them last more than two days"

"You certainly outshine them all. It's hard to live up to those expectations"

"Come on. I'm not that irreplaceable! I only just started working there this summer and Mr. Strauss already thinks I'm his lucky charm or something" Ben laughed at that and they finished eating in companionable silence.

Ben left for work some time later and Alex still had some time to kill. He went back through all the information of his chosen career, wishing desperately that next week came a little bit faster so he could start the new phase of his life he was actually excited about.
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H left with 20 minutes to spare. Mr. Strauss had told him there was a new candidate starting probation time that day and he was really hoping this one would be the last. He didn't want to leave his boss in such a 'dire need' as he had called it two days before, and he really didn't want to be guilted into staying fulltime even after classes started. His first football practice was next monday and he wanted to be well rested for it.

During his senior year he hadn't lost any time joining the football team. No matter what went down in his life, football was the one thing that remained constant and still gave him pure unadulterated joy. Playing was an essential part of who he was. His high school coach had taken a liking to his style and recommended he applied for a scholarship after graduating. He had and he'd gotten it, hence why he needed to work hard to keep it.

By the time he arrived, the shop was already open and he could see Mr. Strauss talking to a guy, not much older than himself. He must've been the new applicant for the job. Alex made his way to the small office behind the counter to leave his backpack and get ready to work.

"Ah! Alex, there you are!" Mr. Strauss beckoned him over to the water sports section "This here is Victor. Turns out he's a football player like you. Seems to have some idea of a few other sports as well. Do you mind giving him the tour?"

"Sure" Alex smiled and shook the new guy's offered hand.

"Nice to meet you" He was tall, taller than Alex, and had brownish gingerish hair. It was a strange combination. His smile was welcoming and relaxed. He seemed cool.

"So every hallway represents a sport. We have team sports and individual ones. Our job is basically to help customers get what they want and keep the store in order. Mr. Strauss handles the money and restocking. There's also a webpage and people can buy stuff online and then come pick it up here. We keep those orders in the office when it's not too stuffed. And last but not least..."

"Let me guess... The customer's always right?" Victor asked, that easygoing smile never leaving his face and taking in all the information Alex was giving him.

"Ha! No!" Alex let out a laugh "Actually is the other way around. The costumer's almost never right. They think they know what they want but the most important part of our job is to get them the article they actually need, doesn't matter if they buy something less expensive than what they came here to get. It's never about the money, it's about the service. Got it?" Alex finished, repeating the very same words Mr. Strauss had thrown at his face on his first day.

"Yeah. Got it" Victor assured him and sent him an even brighter smile. This guy sure looks happy, Alex thought, already turning around to show him the rest of the shop.

They weren't even half way through it (it was a very big shop) when the bell hanging above the door sounded and a couple of people walked in. It was a mother and her young son, who went straight to the tennis section. Alex told the new guy he'd handle the costumers while he continued to get familiarized with the place. But he was stopped before he went to greet the costumers.

"Don't worry. I got this" Victor said and he approached the woman and her son with that never wavering smile on his face, asking what he could do to help them.

Alex watched from the end of the hall how the guy talked so naturally with the pair, as if he'd known them for years, and by the time the purchase had been made, that's when he learned Victor's smile wasn't only a simple feature of his, it was infectious and the mother and child walked away from the store with big smiles on their faces as well. Alex glanced at Mr. Strauss, who had charged the woman for the tennis racket the kid had bought and a silent understanding passed between them: they'd found the one.

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So, there you have it! What did you think of this first chapter? Does it explain the time between the previous story and this one? Also, what do you think is gonna happen on this sequel? Let me tell you I am open to suggestions and requests! I can't promise I'll deliver with all of them, but I'll sure take them into consideration.

I hope to hear from you guys soon!