Taking Flight
Chapter One

"I just – I don't want you to feel like you have to do this, Alex," Jack said anxiously, quickly folding his football jersey and dropping it on the couch. "I mean, I would love to go - it's not every day you get asked to be the maid of honour at someone's wedding."

Alex swallowed his cereal but didn't take another bite, realizing that the silence was a hint for him to say something. "But?"

Jack made a noise – one that suggested the 'but' was obvious. "Well, I can't just up and leave you, can I? That's like – like abandonment. And Lord knows, I don't want to be giving you anymore issues…"

"Thanks, Jack."

"Oh, stop it," the woman said, lobbing a ball of newly paired socks at him. "You know what I mean. I'm not going to just drop you because I have somewhere else to be."

"I've already told you, it's fine," Alex replied, picking out a caramelised nut from his muesli and popping it in his mouth. "I can take care of myself."

"I know," Jack agreed, pulling out a pair of his boxers from the basket and starting to fold them, then giving up and throwing them unceremoniously onto his pile. "I just – what if they contact you while I'm gone?"

Alex knew who the 'they' were that she was referring to – in fact, he knew better than she did. "Jack, you wouldn't be able to stop them if they did," he said helpfully, standing and placing his bowl in the sink. "Nobody can."

"I can damn well try," she said, hands poised on her hips, a lock of red hair that had straggled lose from her pony tail framing her face. "I could – well…"

"Feel angry?" Alex supplied, grinning.

Jack's lips twitched unwillingly. "There's that."

"Well, you can feel angry about it down in Cardiff, too," he told her, knowing how much this trip meant to her and not wanting to get in the way. She'd been telling him about it for weeks. "Seriously, Jack – the world isn't going to end because you've left me alone for a couple of days."

"It might," she countered. "Which is why I'm worried – somehow I know you'll end up getting your sorry butt dragged into saving it."

Alex couldn't argue with that. "If I did get caught up in something like that, it probably wouldn't have been my intention, if, you know, that makes you feel any better."

"That doesn't make me feel better, no," Jack said, sighing as she walked into the kitchen, grabbed a tea towel from where it hung off the front of the oven, and then swatted Alex away from the sink with it. "I really don't feel comfortable leaving you alone, Alex. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? It might be a tight squeeze, but I'm sure I could fit you in the hotel room."

"I'll pass," Alex replied, automatically deviating to the dish rack and putting things away as Jack filled the sink to wash the breakfast dishes. "Besides, I wasn't invited, and anyway, Bridezillas aren't really my thing," he sorted the knives, forks and spoons from each other and dumped them in the draw. "If you run into a murderous lunatic, though, feel free to call me."

"Ha, ha," Jack grumbled, not finding humour in the almost blasé way Alex talked about his past experiences – no child should ever have to go through that, and she hated herself for not being strong enough to stop it. "If anything happens, though-"

"I'll call you," Alex said.

Jack nodded, turning towards her charge and waving a soapy ladle at him threateningly. "You'll call me."

Jack left at around 3 o'clock that afternoon. It was almost a relief to have her out of the house – the hours leading up to her departure were incredibly stressful.

"Alex, have you seen my dress?"

The ceiling above his head shook as Jack thundered around upstairs – considering that the last time he'd seen her she'd been wearing a pair of ridiculously high stilettos, it was quite a feat. "What dress?"

What sounded like a cupboard door slammed shut in the background. "The black one," she hollered back, before letting out a string of curses. "Goddammit…"

"It's hanging up in the laundry," Alex called, raising the remote to un-mute the TV before a confusing realisation hit. "What do you need a black dress for?"

"For the wedding!"

Alex blinked. "Isn't that a little masochistic?"

The footsteps grew quieter as Jack circled around to the stairs, and then came bounding down them, toe coming down before her heel did every time. "Honey, when you're older, you'll understand that marriage isn't all it's cracked up to be…"

Having spent a more than healthy amount of time with Tom's parents, Alex was pretty sure he got it – though he didn't tell Jack that. "You know, if you catch the bouquet, I'd be able to see for myself first hand…"

"Don't jinx me," Jack threw over her shoulder as she swept passed, curlers still in her hair, jeans undone and a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth – she pulled it out to speak to him, though. "One man in my life is enough – more than enough. If I wanted another, I'd go to the pound, or something."

Alex smiled, a soft, honest smile, and then frowned as he glanced at the clock. "Uh, Jack?"

"What?"

"Your train leaves in thirty minutes."

"Oh, sonofa-"

Alex flipped another page in his book, the words barely sinking in as his mind wandered – this was the first time Jack had left him since Ian's death. Most of the time it was him leaving her, sometimes without warning or explanation. She deserved this, he knew she did, and he hoped she enjoyed herself, but the fact that she wasn't there was bothering him more than he thought it would.

She needs some time away, he told himself, firmly, bringing the book closer to his face to help him concentrate on it. Jack had been through a lot, staying with him. She needed a break, before it all got too much. She'll be back Monday. I'll ask her to pick up some Chinese on the way through.

Slumping further into the couch cushions, he continued reading, only just getting back into the storyline when the doorbell rang.

Alex frowned, dog-earing his page and setting the book down before going to answer it. He was apprehensive as he walked down the hall – it was too late for the postman, or the man who came to check their water meter. Maybe Mr. Hayes' dog had gotten out again.

When Alex did open the door, though, he immediately wished that it had been something that mundane, because standing on the other side was a man that, had Alex never seen him again, it would have been too soon.

"Cub?"

Alex smiled, politely, and said; "No."

As he started closing the door, Eagle planted his foot in the threshold, jarring it open. "Don't be rude, kid," he said, annoyed, grabbing the door in case Alex tried to shut it again. "I wouldn't be here unless I knew exactly who you were – now, let me in, before I decide there's going to be a problem."

Alex scowled, refusing to let go of the door. "What do you want?"

"I just told you," was the reply.

"Did you?" Alex asked, though they both knew Eagle hadn't told him anything. "I mustn't have understood, so tell me again – why are you here, and what do you want?"

There was a moment where they just looked at each other, having reached an impasse – then the man grunted; looking like he thought this was a monumental waste of his time. "I don't remember you being this irritating."

"That's funny," Alex said, not sounding particularly amused, "Because you're exactly how I remember you."

"And how do you remember me, kid?" The man asked, arching an eyebrow challengingly, almost daring him to answer. Alex didn't – a small part of him still wholly intimidated by the soldier in front of him. "Hm, maybe you're not so different…"

Alex swallowed, expression darkening. If only you knew… "You're not coming in – not until I have a reason, and in your case, it needs to be a bloody good one…"

The soldier stiffened, chin jutting out a little at the threat, eyes narrowing. It almost looked like he was gearing up for a fight, one where Alex would definitely come off worse – apparently he still found Alex's presence as insufferable as he did back at camp. "You'd better watch your attitude, kid, because I'm not going to stand for any of that crap, got it?"

Well, that didn't sound good. Threats aside, it sounded like Eagle was planning on sticking around, and, to Alex's growing unease, he was planning to do it in a capacity generally reserved for responsible adults.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked, suddenly feeling sick. The light bulb had finally flickered on, and he was putting the pieces of the puzzle together – the final picture wasn't one that he liked. "Tell me what you're doing here."

"MI6 heard that your guardian was going to be out of town for the weekend," Eagle said finally. "Considering your situation," his gaze flicked briefly to the spot just below Alex's heart, causing the boy to subconsciously reach for it. "They thought it would be best if they sent someone to keep an eye on you."

Alex felt his stomach drop to somewhere near his feet. "No…"

"The best candidate was someone you were already familiar with, and seeing as I'm on leave…" Eagle smiled, grimly. "Congratulations, Cub - I'm it."

AN: So after a fair few months of soul searching, here I am again with yet another story to add to my unfinished collection. To all those waiting for an update on NBD, I'm really sorry it's taking so long, but I honestly have no idea what to do with it. Like everything else on my account besides this story, it will be on HIATUS until I can sort out these unruly characters inside my head.

On a lighter note, I would like to introduce you to my new plot baby Taking Flight. I've wanted to do a more normal guardianship fic for quite some time now, and after months of pulling my hair out over Wolf and Snake, I was lucky enough to have Eagle pay me a visit. Of course it's probably going to be riddled with cliches, but I have tried to put a new spin on them where I can.

I hope you enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Alex Rider.