Muddled Tears

by Xx Kiamii xX

Diff Version of EC/Post-Crocodile Tears. Alex finds himself sunk in a poison that reverts him physically to the age of 5. With Ben Daniels as his guardian, Alex is about to learn what it's like to be a utterly helpless and a child. Features K-Unit too.

1. Poisoned Need

Muddled Tears

by Kiamii

Note: Takes place AFTER Crocodile Tears, Is almost eerily similar to Everlasting Changes only somewhat more angst or 'darker', features Ben Daniels more than the others, and K-Unit are not Alex's Guardians (Ben is though). No Slash, and I'll be including Foul language that is seen from soldiers as you know. Only I'll be censoring... certain unneeded words. EC characters are in here, just changed around to accomodate this story better. I hope you enjoy reading this one. Also since I have read the US Version of the books, I found that Alex's birthday is February 13 (ironically the day before my own birthday) and I will not use the year 1986 in which he was born simply because the last book talked about US President OBAMA. That's just a whole obvious thing that makes me change his birthday to 1995.

Chapter One "Poisoned Need"

This was it. He was going to die. He just knew it. All he could see was cruel pitch black that he had seen for quite awhile. He couldn't breathe and he couldn't move. He felt numb, as if he was freezing and was about to die. Where was he? Where was Sabina and her dad! He was terrified of wherever he was and he just wanted out, to reach the surface. Anything! He just needed. To. Break. Out! He screamed out but he couldn't make a sound or even a form from his chattering lips. He felt glued together and his eyes were open, he knew, yet he felt like they were shut tight. They burned like they were touched by icey -

"Cub, wake up... Alex!"

Alex Rider blearily opened his weary eyes to see his current and new, permanent guardian, 28-year-old Ben Daniels. The man stood around 72 inches (Six feet) with an athlete built tanned body, short black hair that reached a little past his ears, and dark brown eyes which were currently staring at Alex in concern. Ben had become Alex's guardian and adopted father (for legal reasons of course) when Alex had been involved in an incident with the Bio Dome which led to not only the first time he directly murdered a man, but he had also been touched by one of the plants... a plant of which had seeped into his skin as he had run from the dome. Had Alex known at the time what it would do, he would have gone ballistic and tried almost anything to get rid of it before it killed him. Oddly enough to Alex, nothing happened.

Until a week after his 15th birthday. Alex had been back at school at last, almost caught up, and getting back his friendships and reputation when it happened. It had not harmed him as one would think, but Alex felt the pain of something after the mission ended. He had collapsed in his French Class that day, in front of his best friend Tom who most likely freaked out, but Alex would never know. An Ambulance had come, but from Alex's hospital. He was taken to St. Dominic's and had been scanned to find the cause. Nothing had happened during their examinations... until Alex began to scream and clutching his hip where he had been touched by the plant. They discovered the poison in his blood stream too late as Alex began to regress in age right in front of the Doctors' eyes. They could do nothing to stop as his limbs grew shorter and his hair softened, his face turning younger than ever before. Alex had gone from fifteen to five with in an hour or so and MI6 was alerted as well as Jack Starbright, who had been frantic with worry about her charge.

Alex remembered waking up to see Mrs. Jones in his hospital room, who explained to him that Jack had gone back to America, stricken with shock at what had taken place. She explained that Jack gave up her Visa so that Alex wouldn't have to spy anymore and they were placing him with an agent for safe keeping now, since Alex was in the physical sense, a little boy who was alone in the world. Alex, numb and completely stunned, had not said anything or even showed he heard, which probably worried the woman and doctors. He had been in the hospital for around six days by then when he found himself sitting on the bed in the hospital waiting for the unknown agent. He was casually dressed in a a white Tee with black slacks, having convinced a nurse to allow him to. When Ben Daniels walked into the room, he was taken aback but relieved. They talked for awhile and Ben promised to stop by everyday until he could get out. It wasn't until the sixth day that Alex was able to leave and he had been in Ben's home for only two days so far. The date read February 28th on the calendar.

"Alex, talk to me." Ben's voice floated through Alex's thoughts and the sleep deprived boy looked at his guardian with exhausted eyes. Ben couldn't look away from those haunted brown eyes of his. They displayed anguish and pain that constantly surrounded the teenage spy.

"Sorry for waking you," Alex apologized as he sat up, only to be pushed back down to lay down while Ben pulled the covers over him tighter. Alex had discovered with in the past two days that he had been here, that Ben was very overprotective of him already. It didn't help that his boyish looks and child body added to the protectiveness. Ben lived in a two story house that was often taken care of by his brothers and girlfriend when he was on a mission. His family and girlfriend knew about his work, but not the details. They had yet to know that Ben had been given another assignment of which involved being a father to a small boy (in appearances).

"You didn't wake me. Just try to go back to sleep okay?" Ben assured. Alex nodded reluctantly and settled back under the covers as Ben sat on the edge of his bed. Alex sleepily felt a hand on his stomach, rubbing it in circles very gently.

"Had a nightmare?" Ben inquired. Alex peaked open an eye.

"Uh-huh..." Alex yawned drowsily.

"Want to tell me about it or was it a mission experience?" Ben asked. Alex was silent for a few moments and Ben could understand why. He had received Alex's file last night and let Alex see what he knew. Ben was very kind and knew how to settle Alex for some reason. He didn't treat Alex fully like a child and the former teenage spy was happy for that. Alex had read the file to find out that it reported his average looks and had been updated to report his physical 5-year-old appearances. There were pictures of each previous guardian and family member in the file, which surprised Alex. His skills were located in it and only the bullet wound had been placed in the medical history besides the recent poisoning. It told of 11 total missions with in 8 Major Missions. As in, he had completed 2 individually (Alex remembered Damien Cray and finding Scorpia clearly), two with the CIA, one with Scorpia which was bounced back (trying to kill Jones), and five with MI6. Ben had been taken aback by the report but had told Alex that he was willing to listen and he'd help the boy through it instead of sending him to a therapists, as those tended to never work out. Alex had not said anything yet, but he found Ben to be an understanding man.

"Before a mission." Alex mumbled. He turned a little and Ben moved his hand to rub his back. Alex felt himself drifting back to sleep so he closed his eyes sleepily. As soon as his breath evened out, Ben knew he was back asleep and this time not thrown in another nightmare. Ben smiled and left the room, cracking the door before he headed downstairs to finish some paperwork he had to work on for his side job that he was able to have when off duty. He absently considered what his old unit were doing but dismissed that, considering he figured he see them when he could. They never changed, he mused as he relaxed on his black rounded sofa. He was proud of this house and, though he wouldn't tell the boy, he was somewhat thrilled to be able to take care of a kid, even if that kid was a previous teenager who worked with him in a government job. He had spent days on the room that was now Alex's bedroom. The walls were painted a relaxing toned blue with a light carpet. He had found a set of dark oak furniture that included a double bed, a dresser, a nightstand, a desk, and a bookcase. Never having babysat before and considering he was the youngest child in his family, Ben had taken awhile to find the right things for the image of a 5-year-old, thankfully buying a few things that Alex would be happy with as a 15-year-old.

The bedspread was a darker blue than the walls with sports objects patterning it. He had found the same blue color for pillow cases and had added a few things here and there to the room until he was satisfied. When Alex had arrived with one of the MI6 drivers carrying two bags of Alex's personal belongings, he had let Alex unpack alone, knowing the boy wanted privacy. Ben smiled sadly to himself, scribbling a note on the required space as he flipped the paper that was in front of him. Alex was still in a state of numb shock considering he had found out in one day a week ago that he was a child again, would be living with an MI6 agent, his previous guardian was permanently gone, he was no longer a spy, and he wouldn't be able to be himself. For legal and safety reasons, Alex's last name had been changed and thus Ben had legally adopted Alex to be Alexander John Daniels. Cub hadn't minded that much to Ben's action, just taken aback by Ben's willingness to show that he wanted to take care of Alex. The first day had been only mildly awkward, but Alex trusted Ben like Smithers, considering Ben helped him out in Snakehead.

Ben sighed and put away the notebook of papers that he had been working on. Checking his watch to see that it read around an hour past midnight, he decided to head to bed. Climbing the stairs, he went to his bedroom and changed into a pair of pajama bottoms before brushing his teeth and laying in bed. He closed his eyes and with in moments he was asleep...

"You've... child... seriously?"

"I... asked... he's... shy... and besides... take in... awhile now."

Alex awoke later that morning to voices coming from downstairs. Remembering automatically everything from the past two weeks, Alex opened his eyes and sat up. He looked over absently and stared at the pictures on his nightstand that he had brought. One was Jack grinning at him in a team jersey sign in front of a TV displaying American Football when she first came, Alex seeing her immediately as a big sister. Another picture was Ian and him when Alex was a baby, having first come to live with him. Ian was holding him to his chest and smiling, almost shyly, at the camera with Alex giving a sleepy blink at it. The last picture was Alex's christening, where Ash and his parents were around him. Alex figured it was safer to put these pictures up in display than the pictures of him past five, as that would be rather weird. On the dresser were other pictures of Alex with his uncle or by himself until he hit five. Alex smiled a little before frowning as he heard more voices, laughter, and he heard his name muffled. Alex crawled out of bed, slipping off clumsily (being in a child's body could do that to him after all), and padding barefoot in his pajamas that Ben had gotten him that was red with Rugby designs on them. Alex appreciated the non-babyish patterns and that Ben had decorated with sports, something Alex had always loved as a kid.

Creeping down the hall and to the stairs, Alex peeked through the rails to see Ben talking to someone defensively. The person was a man taller than Ben and he looked a lot like him judging by from what Alex could see. Ben had told him he had two older brothers who took care of his house with his girlfriend when Ben had to leave on missions and there was a possibility that they would be the ones in charge of caring for Alex when Ben had to go on another mission, or if Alex allowed it he could go with Ben as undercover, and stay in the hotel. Alex crept down the stairs and hid behind the table by the stairs, looking at the two. Ben was looking a bit chastised and irritated.

"Tony, I'm not a little kid anymore, despite what you think. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of him and no I do not need you two moving in with me." Ben huffed, scowling indiginantly at the man.

"I'm not convinced at all little bro, but we won't move in as long as nothing happens to the kid... What's his name anyway and where is he?" The brother, Tony, asked.

"Upstairs in his room, sleeping, and his name is Alex." Ben said with a sheepish smile.

"I like that name," Tony commented, "and you should go get him soon. You said he went to bed around ten, right? He should be up about now then."

"I'll go check on him. Go see how Zach is doing in the kitchen. He's going to burn my house down if we leave him there too long." Ben said and Tony grinned before heading towards the kitchen where yelping could be heard. Ben turned to see Alex sheepishly standing there.

"Morning Alex," Ben greeted, kneeling down to be at Alex's height. Alex smiled at him and Ben ruffled his blond hair and stood up.

"That was my brother Anthony. He's a worry wort about me taking care of a little boy, though if only he knew who you were really, he'd have a heart attack and fuss over you nonstop." Ben sighed.

"Kind of like you," Alex said cheekily. Ben glared before chuckling. He took Alex's hand into his own and the two walked into the kitchen. Alex had gotten to talk to Ben everyday at the Hospital, Ben would talk to him about random things and Alex would as well. They had talked enough to the point that when Ben told him he'd have to treat Alex like a little boy his age sometimes, Alex was alright with it. So holding hands with Ben like a father would hold their son's hand wasn't that horrible to Alex, though he did find the scenario weird. As Ben and him walked into the kitchen, Alex saw the other man who looked more like Ben than Anthony and he had reddish hair with a cheeky youthful face. He was sitting lazily on a bar stool at the island counter with Anthony flipping something on the stove.

"Well hello there!" Zach said with a grin as he spotted the little boy who chose to hide behind Ben's legs (hey! He was a little kid right now, he was allowed to do that) while holding onto Ben's hand still. Anthony turned around with a piece of toast stuck in his mouth and he looked at the boy curiously. From their conversations in the past, Ben had told him that Anthony was a married man of thirty-eight and had no children, though he did own a dog. His wife was unable to have children and Anthony had raised Ben for awhile, considering their parents worked a lot back then. Zach was thirty-six and a high-school drop out with a total knack for flirting. He currently held the single status in the family while Ben was dating a girl who had been his girlfriend for two years now. Anthony finished up the toast in his mouth and looked at Ben who caught the look and knelt down, taking on the role of father pretty easily.

"Alex, I want you to meet my brothers Zach and Tony. They're your Uncles." Ben introduced easily, wrapping an arm around Alex's shoulders. Alex flinched which did not go unnoticed by the three brothers. Alex had found that he blanched at intimate contact such as hugs now. He blamed his last mention which was the reason for his most recent nightmares. Ben bit his cheek before watching as Anthony slowly came over and knelt down as well.

"Well hello to you Alex, I'm Tony and these two brats' big brother," Tony said with good nature that made Ben and Zach scowl which faded as Alex smiled at that. Tony extended his hand and Alex hesitated before taking it. When Tony stood back up, Ben took this moment to whisper what he was about to do to the boy and he lifted Alex up onto his hip, in which the boy wrapped his arm around the man instinctively. He sat Alex on the bar stool (considering the dining room was in another room and open only for gatherings) before he prepped up a breakfast for the boy.

"So Alex, what school are you going to now?" Zach asked with humor.

"I haven't signed him up for any school yet," Ben replied. Alex didn't say anything, remembering that Brooklyn was right next door to the Elementary Division. He wondered if Ben really did want him to go to school, but decided to think about that later. Alex's phone was upstairs and he had not been able to tell Tom just yet on what was happening. He should really do that soon... Alex fidgeted as Ben put a plate of eggs and toast down in front of him before sitting down with his own plate as well. He nibbled on the toast, not having much of an appetite lately. Ben watched him for a moment before starting in on his food while Zach sipped his coffee and Tony ate another piece of toast. It was quiet for a few moments before Zach spoke up.

"So any plans for today little bro?" Zach asked.

"No, I have work in two hours and I think Kaitlyn wants to come over to -" Ben was interrupted.

"And where is Alex going to be while this all happens?" Tony couldn't help but ask. Ben looked dumbstruck and the expression nearly turned to horror as he realized he couldn't legally leave Alex home alone. He was FIVE to them and his brothers would so kill him. Thinking of something fast he looked at Alex who shrugged a little, finishing up his eggs. He should have asked Jones about things like this and he really did need to register Alex in school... An idea formed in Ben's mind.

"I'm taking Alex to work with me," Ben came up with this really quickly, "and my bosses were okay with that. It's only a few days as I plan to register Alex soon." The last part was the only truth in there. Tony looked at him with an odd face before nodding while Zach grinned and ruffled the boy's hair, doing his best to ignore the small flinch. Alex was too full to finish the large portion of his breakfast and Ben sighed. At least Tony and Zach bought his story for once.

"Well, we will be back either tomorrow morning, tonight, or... just about whenever. We'll call and maybe go out somewhere." Tony began and the two brothers said goodbye to Ben and Alex before leaving. Ben sunk in his seat.

"Really... Taking me to MI6 with you?" Alex said, disbelievingly. Ben shrugged, grinning at Alex's look and taking note of the fact that he was wearing the pajamas that he had purchased. They really did look kind of cute on the kid. Ben slowly placed a hand on Alex's head, making sure the kid could see him doing so. Alex blinked and eyed Ben calculatingly.

"Best I could come up with. Besides, Blunt and Jones don't care if I bring you. They told me before that I was allowed to bring you in whenever. Though I suppose I... er... You need to pack a few toys and things for you to do. Work is a long time." Ben said lamely. Alex snickered and allowed Ben to pick him up off the stool and stand him up on the floor. He gave a pat to Alex's shoulder and ordered him playfully upstairs, teasing him that if he didn't he'd take Alex to MI6 in his pajamas, which sent Alex running to change, ignoring Ben's chuckles. Ben hoped he would be able to take care of Alex. He really hoped so.

Author's Note; First off, The two muffled sentences are (You've taken in a child of five because you were asked... Seriously? and I was asked by my employment and he's a great kid plus a shy boy and besides, I was wanting to take in a kid for awhile now.) I hope you understood that. Anyways, hope you guys get to love this story as much as I loved the idea of it. I wanted to switch up Everlasting Changes but decided this was funner. Plus I seem to have gotten organized after writing Ring Child (LOTRxHP crossover) which was longer than I ever expected. So I read Crocodile Tears and I was seriously wanting to write a story after that. The first part of the story is not an exert from it. Those are my own words, but they were about the incident in the car when it drove into the lake. Spoilers Galore! I hope you guys like this story.

Edited: May 13, 2010.