A.N.: Happy Easter~~

Alex woke up as the alarm went off. He yawned, stretched slightly, and glanced sideways at the clock. Five, it read. Five in the morning. Five in the bloody morning. He groaned and buried his head in his pillow. He was sure that he did not set the alarm clock to five in the morning.

"Good morning, Alex," Jack said as she banged the metal spoon against the wooden doorframe of his room. Alex jerked around and glared at her, "Jack!"

"It's Easter." Jack said in a near singsong voice and smiled, "C'mon, we have to paint eggs to celebrate!"

"…Celebrate?"

"Easter is a time worth celebrating!" Jack nodded, "Why don't you invite Tom over?"

"Jack…" Alex groaned again, "It's five in the morning. Five, Jack, five."

"I know, Alex, I know." Jack seemed to be exasperatedly patient, "So before we start, coffee or tea?"

"Tea."

"You do not understand the power of coffee."

"I would like a cup of tea, thank you," Alex stated as he got out of bed, knowing that it was impossible to continue sleeping.

"Toast, bacon, egg, or cereal?"

"Toast, just toast. Nothing else." Alex said, emphasizing his words to make sure Jack understand, "Don't try anything new. Just toast. I do not want banana jam or fish oil. No expired butter or cheese, and no canned sardine on toast either."

"Got it, Alex." Jack smiled as she ducked out of the doorway and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Alex sighed. He was tired. It was rare for MI6 to actually give him a break, but here he was, in his room, in a pajama, and sleeping in. On second thought, scratch the last one. He pulled on his clothes and socks and went downstairs. Jack was humming as she served up his toast. Alex inspected it critically and sniffed it as if testing it for poison.

"Gosh, Alex. It's not like I put gun powder in it or something," Jack said as she shook her head in mock disappointment.

"It might be possible," Alex replied calmly as he slid into the seat, "Honestly I don't know why you're so eager in putting every single thing you find in the fridge onto the toast."

"I'm trying out a new style," Jack stated as she took a seat in front of him.

Jack smiled, biting into her toast and took a sip of her coffee, "We have a few egg in the refrigerator and I think I still have an art set that I stored somewhere in my room. We can paint eggs together."

"It's five, Jack," Alex repeated as he munched on his toast idly and turned on the TV.

"Not anymore," Jack said as she checked the time, "It's five oh-eight."

Alex glanced at the TV out of the corner of his eyes. Was it broadcasting some random ads about…detergent? He shook his head. Not his business.

"Why don't you call Tom over?" Jack suggested, "We can have fun together."

The phrase Tom and fun were the equivalent of chaos, both Alex and Tom knew that and he couldn't help but laughed inwardly.

"Alright." He slid out of his seat and went to call Tom.

Tom answered after the tenth ring, "Wass….uuppp?"

Alex glanced up, "The ceiling, the roof, the bricks, the chimney, the birds, oxygen, hydrogen, trees, clouds, sky, a-"

"Sky is not a physical thing, Al." Tom said and Alex could hear a loud yawn on the other side, "Sky doesn't exist. There's only clouds and atmosphere."

Alex was tempted to roll his eyes, "Sure sure."

"Al?"

"Yeah?"

"It's five in the morning."

Alex checked the time, "No, it's five twelve."

"..." There was a momentary silence, "Why are you calling me at five o'clock, twelve minutes, and forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, seconds?"

"Jack said to invite you over," Alex explained, "It's Easter. She wants us to paint eggs with her."

"Paint eggs?"

"Paint eggs."

"…Right. Paint eggs." The reply seemed to be dragged out slowly.

"Can you come over?"

"It's five thirteen in the morning, Al. Are you drunk?"

"I don't drink."

"Gimme a moment. I'll get changed." Tom said. Alex heard the phone being placed on something hard, presuming a table and then the rustling of clothes.

"Tom?"

"Yeah?" His voice sounded distant as he moved a little further away.

"Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Stop changing, I can hear you through the phone, it gives me bad mental images."

"Oh please, Al," Tom's voice increased in volume as he walked closer and picked up the phone, "Don't talk that way, it makes me wonder if you're flirting with me or not."

"Are you done?"

"Yeah, I am. I am now descending the stairs," Tom reported, "I am at the door. I am putting on my shoes, an-shit! Who put a needle in my shoe…oh, it's just a piece of hay."

Alex sighed, "Tom, I am going to hang up."

"I thought you want to hear my commentary."

"They're not commentaries, Tom," Alex said as if talking to a child, "They are ear-abusers. They are abusing my ears so badly that they're falling off."

"…Do you want superglue to glue them back on?" Tom asked carefully.

"…Bye Tom."

He hung up.

"Is he coming?" Jack called out.

"Yeah," Alex replied as he sat back down, "He's going to arrive in a moment."

Exactly a moment later, Tom arrived, ringing the doorbell repeatedly. Alex opened the door and let Tom in.

"Hi Tom," Jack greeted with a smile.

"Hullo Jack," Tom said as he took off his shoes, "Easter, huh."

"Yes," Jack said as she clapped her hands together, "Let's start painting eggs then!"

Were all Americans this excited over some sort of holidays like Easter? Alex stared mournfully at his half-eaten toast as Jack cleared the plate into the kitchen though not dumping it in the trash.

"We can go hide them and invite a few more friends over to find them later!" Jack continued brightly.

Alex inwardly grimaced. Friends, huh… Tom, as if knowing what he was thinking, clapped him on the shoulder, "I know exactly who to invite!"

Alex stared at his best friend as if he was crazy. Who?

"By the way, Al, I think I'm going to paint my eggs a very different shade of color."

"Don't elaborate, Tom. Just don't."

Jack took out the eggs from the refrigerator and handed them the box, "Here, take these eggs. I will go see what I can find in my room." She then skipped away.

"Should we hard-boiled the eggs first?" Alex asked after a moment of silence.

"Nah, raw is better." Tom shook his head with a mischievous grin, "Imagining throwing raw eggs at each other."

"What a waste of eggs."

"Don't be a spoilsport."

Jack was right in waking up at five to paint eggs, in a way. It took them three hours to finish painting them. Alex thought it would be a quiet activity, holing up inside his bedroom and painting eggs while blasting music through his earbuds. But no, Tom insisted on making it more…holiday-ly, if that was even a word. Out of the first dozen of eggs, they 'accidentally' smashed four. Alex was not going to elaborate on how they managed to get smashed. Blame them on Tom.

Alex finally proposed to move to the downstairs after his room begun to reek of eggs and his floor full with sticky substance and paint. Then while Tom continued to destroy, uh paint, the eggs in the kitchen, he cleaned the mess up. It was torturous. It smelled. He was so sure that he was going to melt into a gooey mess of egg.

When eight finally rolled by, Alex was on the verge of dying, physically and mentally. Tom just wouldn't shut up while he worked. He was humming a strangely and weirdly off-tuned song that Alex still could not get out of his head.

They began hiding the eggs after finish painting three dozen of them. Or rather, Jack started hiding the eggs.

"You will be participating as well," Jack said sternly, "Along with other kids from the neighbor. You can't just sit around and do nothing."

"Whatever you do," Alex reminded her, "Do not hide them in the rooms if you're hiding them in the house. It will stink and reek after a while."

Just like my room. Alex thought warily. His room was stinking and reeking at the moment.

"It wasn't my fault that I smashed the egg." Alex crossed his arms in mock anger at Tom, "It's your fault for putting it on the stairs without telling me."

"It's your fault for not having eyes."

"It's your fault for not having a mind."

"I do have a mind!"

"Do not."

"Do."

"Do not."

"Do."

"Do."

"Do no-…Hey!" Tom yelped as he fell for the old banality.

Alex laughed. Tom threw himself onto Alex's bed and grabbed Alex's pillow, "Hey, you know who we can invite over?"

Alex glanced at his best friend, halting in his tracks to steal his rightful properties back, "Who?"

"There's this dude a block down the streets," Tom said mischievously as he sat up on the bed, leaning against the wall.

"I'm not going to invite some random 'dude' that I don't even know," Alex's eyes twitched.

"But hear this," Tom shook his head dramatically and leaned forward, crisscrossing his legs, "Yesterday, when I was walking past his house, his door was open and I peeked inside."

"…That's illegal."

"He didn't find out, so that's fine." Tom dismissed it as if it was an everyday event.

"…You're going to get thrown in jail one day."

"I will pack light."

"…"

"Anyways," Tom cleared his throat, "So I peeked inside -shut up Al, I am trying to talk here- and I saw three other dudes."

"So many dudes," Alex muttered.

"And then," Tom lowered his voice dramatically, "The first dude pulled out a gun from his waistband and threw it on his couch."

"A gun?"

"A gun." Tom nodded.

"And?"

Tom stared at him at his rather lack of emotions, "Al! Don't you think it's weird for someone to carry a gun around and throwing it down so casually? If I own a gun, I would probably place it in my top-secret vault and lock it up with an electronic keypad, armed with hyd-"

"You can't afford it, Tom."

"Oh shut up, Al." Tom pouted slightly, "So anyways, why don't we invite them over?"

"They're strangers, Tom."

"Well, friends were once strangers," Tom pointed out cheekily, "Besides, I want to know more about his guns and occupations."

"…Are you trying to flirt with the man?"

Tom reared back in horror, "What? No! I'm just trying to be a friendly neighbor. Besides, he moved here quite recently, so since we are probably going to be seeing each other a lot, we can get to know each other better!"

"Why're you playing the friendly neighbor?" Alex groaned.

"So are we going?"

"No."

"But Aaaaaaal-"

"No."

"Awwwwwww-"

"No."

"Then I'll tell the professors that you copied my homework."

"Tom."

"Yeah?"

"I got higher grades than you."

"Oh." Tom looked a little disappointed, "Then I will tell the professors that you copied answers online."

"Tom."

"Yeah?"

"I got good grades on exams."

"Oh."

"You really want to see the dude that much?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

Tom nodded eagerly.

"Fine," Alex gave in. It was Easter, after all, everyone needed some time to vent off their craziness.

"Thank you, Al!" Alex ducked as Tom threw himself at him, causing the male to fall onto the floor, luckily having the pillow as a cushion.

"But we're only going to knock, say hi, invite them and leave," Alex stated, "I do not want to hear anything, any questions, resembling that dude's occupation or anything about the guns from you, Tom. Deal?"

"Deal."

Alex felt that he was going to regret his decision. Strongly. But it was Easter after all. Wait, since when did the phrase 'it was Easter after all' had the power to explain every single disaster in his life?

It was nine in the morning when they departed from Alex's house and to the 'dude's house. The front lawn looked freshly mowed and the fences were painted a bright white color, giving a clear impression of a 'new neighbor'. The house was not a big one, probably the same size though a little smaller, than theirs. They went to the front door and Tom rang the doorbell.

"Go away." Came the reply.

Alex and Tom exchanged a glance. Tom rang the doorbell again.

"I don't want newspapers."

"Uh sir, it's not the newspapers." Alex glared at Tom as his best friend spoke up, "We're your new neighbors and we just want to say hello."

"Yes yes, hello. Now go away."

"Grumpy." Alex muttered under his breath, "C'mon, Tom. Let's go."

Tom refused to move unless he has seen the man, "Hello?"

"Go away."

"I know you have a gun and I'm going to report a gun violence since I saw you carrying a gun and threaten to shoot one of the men who came to your house I am sure that that is considered violation of guns and the polic-" Tom began in a breath but was cut short when the door was thrown open violently.

"What's your problem, damn kids?" The man shouted.

Alex swore he saw a few heads poking out from neighboring houses disapprovingly before disappearing back into the house like Jack in a box.

"Hi," Tom said timidly.

"Hi, now get out of my sight." The man reached out to slam the door, "And don't go around blabbering about gun violence."

Alex stopped it by pushing against the door, "Sir."

"What do you want?" The man growled as he opened the door again, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was really muscular, Alex realized.

"It's Easter."

"…"

"We want to invite you over to our house for a party," Tom said in a hurry before the man blew his tops.

"No."

"But-"

While Tom and the man bickered, Alex frowned. The man seemed vaguely familiar, almost like someone he knew. Familiar, hot temper, quick to anger, carries a gun randomly, muscular, slightly handsome with a…crooked nose. Alex blinked as his mind returned the search result. The one and only…

"…Wolf." Alex tried.

The man faltered and turned to stare at him, "What did you say?"

"Wolf," Alex repeated.

"How do you know my name?" The man grabbed him by his collar and hissed.

"Your name is Wolf?" Alex feigned innocence and put on the most angelic innocent, puzzled smile on his face, "What a cool name!"

The man released his shirt and took a step back, "Sorry. I was a little..."

"Not in your right mind, I know." Alex provided eagerly and satisfied himself with the glare the man sent him.

"So are you coming?" Tom asked again.

"No." The man growled, "And get lost."

"C'mon Tom," Alex said and pushed Tom toward the streets. Tom walked away, a little dejected. Taking the chance while his best friend was not looking, Alex whispered to the man, "If I were you, I wouldn't really grab the shirt of a random civilian so randomly just because they said my codename out loud." With that, he pressed a small slip of paper with his address on it, "My address, welcome anytime."

Leaving the man slightly stunned, he hurried after Tom. Alex couldn't help but smile slightly. A wild Wolf had been spotted. He wondered how many tries he would need to capture the wild Wolf.

Wolf was having a dilemma. Go, or not go. Go, not go, go, not go.

If I were you, I wouldn't really grab the shirt of a random civilian so randomly just because they said my codename out loud.

Dammit. That brat was clearly provoking him. And by giving him his address, he was literally saying come, if you dare. Just who was the brat? And why did he know about his codename? He growled. Eagle's kids? No, Eagle recently got a girlfriend, it was impossible. Then his cousins? Nephews? Maybe not. Not everyone was as…childish as Eagle. Besides, that brat was more intelligent than annoying. A prank from others in K-Unit? No, not possible. He wasn't aware of the fact that any of relatives of the members of K-Unit were living nearby. At least, none of them told him about it, therefore, he assumed that there were none. So who the fucking hell was that brat?

Giving up, Wolf decided to give Fox a call. Fox was more reliable.

The former-SAS-solder-now-spy answered on the second ring, "What's it, Wolf?"

"I saw a brat this morning."

"…"

Wolf realized just how stupid he sounded. Normal people don't usually start a conversation that way. "He knew my codename."

"I see." Fox said slowly, "And?"

"How should I deal with it?"

"Do you know the brat?"

"No. Never saw him before in my whole entire life."

"Hunt him down and force the answer out of him."

"The problem is," Wolf stressed the word, "he and his friend invited me to an Easter party. I refused to go. But if I go and hunt him down, I will have to go to the party and fall into his trap."

"…" Fox was silent for a moment, "Kill him."

"Fox, I am being serious here," Wolf growled.

"I don't know." Wolf could hear the shrug in his voice, "Deal with it yourself."

"I guess I will kill him then," Wolf stated.

"I was joking!" Fox hurriedly exclaimed, "Damn Wolf, don't rush things. Go to the party and talk with the brat."

"…I'm not going to the party."

"I'll go with you." Fox offered.

"What? No!"

"Stop batting down every idea I have." Fox said with a sigh, "So do you want me to come with you or not?"

"…Fine."

"When's the party?"

Wolf fell silent, "He didn't tell me."

"…I'll be there in ten minutes. I am bringing the Snake and Eagle as well."

"What? Fox!" The spy hung up on him.

Wolf dropped his head into his hands and groaned. He was off to a bad start.

Exactly nine minutes later, Wolf heard the sound of a car stopping in front of his house and opened his door.

"Wolfman!" Eagle exclaimed, "Fox has told us about your emergency! We're here to help and provide comf-"

Wolf chopped down on the man's head not-so-lightly, shutting Eagle up successfully.

"Are you ready for your first-ever party, Wolf?" Fox smirked.

"Shut up," Wolf growled.

"A brat who knows your codename." Snake spoke up, "Wolf, don't act hastily. I am sure he meant no harm."

"Just by knowing my codename puts me in harm," Wolf replied.

"How old is he?"

"Early twenties, I would say." Wolf said after a moment of consideration, "His friend looked like late teens."

"What an age difference."

"When're we leaving?" Wolf said impatiently, "I want to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Alright, gentlemen," Fox announced, "Get in my car. Uncle Fox will drive you to the brat's house."

"I think the brat has a name." Snake spoke up, "Calling him a brat isn't really that nice."

"I don't know his name and I'm not asking." Wolf growled as he pushed them out the door, "Let's go."

They piled into the car. Wolf took a shotgun and Fox started the engine. The neighborhood was quiet and nice and Wolf cringed inwardly as he recalled his outburst. He wondered if he had left some sort of bad impression already.

"Wolf, what's the address?" Fox asked.

Wolf took out the piece of paper and handed it to Fox, "Apparently he is my new neighbor."

Fox spluttered as he laughed, "Friendly neighbor, huh."

Wolf did not find it amusing at all. Soon they arrived at the house. The door was open and they could hear the faint sound of laughing once they exited the car, "This's it?"

"This's it." Fox stated, "As stated in the address. Let's go enjoy the party, should we?"

Wolf glared at him, "I'm not here to enjoy a party."

"Yes yes, whatever you say." Fox ushered them in.

There were numerous people inside the house, most of them teens. They were blowing balloons, eating, talking and laughing. It reminded Wolf of a typical neighborhood gathering.

A smiling redhead greeted them, "Oh, you must be our new neighbor!"

Wolf and the rest exchanged a glance, "Yes, ma'am."

She laughed slightly, "No need to be so formal! Call me Jack."

"Do you know where the brat, uh, boy who invited us went?" Wolf asked.

"Boy?" Jack glanced at them, "Oh, you mean Tom?"

"Yes, him." Wolf bluffed. Well, it wasn't as if he knew what their name was.

"He is upstairs with Alex. The second room to the right." The red head smiled, "Alex mentioned that you might want to meet him."

Alex and Tom, got it.

Wolf exchanged another glance with his unit, "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem." Jack said as she hummed slightly, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I've to go make sure my cake doesn't get burned." She muttered under her breath as she walked away.

"What a charming young lady." Eagle sighed as he stared after her.

"Now is not a time for you to flirt," Wolf said as he headed upstairs. The rest of K-Unit followed him.

He reached the second-floor landing and turned right. Knocking slightly on the second room, he waited.

"Who's it?"

"Your friendly neighbor," Eagle sang, "The crappy dude who wants information."

"Oh, come in then." The voice sounded so casual as if friendly neighbors who wanted information visiting them was an everyday event.

Wolf walked in. The two boys inside glanced at them. One of them, the one who blurred out about the gun was sitting on the bed and the other was sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall and looking perplexed.

"Talk. Now." Wolf growled as he crossed his arms and stood in the doorway.

"Wolf, move. I want to see the brat." Eagle said from behind him.

"Why don't you come in?" The boy on the floor called out, "But you four would have to sit on the ground because I'm not sharing my bed with anyone else."

Four? How did he know that there were four of them? Nonetheless, Wolf walked into the room. He chose to lean against the wall closest to the door. Fox walked in next. He faltered. Then spluttered. Then laughed.

"Are you having a paroxysm?" The boy asked oh so innocently.

Fox choked as he tried to stop laughing, "N-No, it's just that..." He broke down into laughter again, "I didn't expect it to be you."

"Me neither, now take a seat, Fox." The boy said nonchalantly.

Wolf spluttered, "How do you know his codename?"

The boy gave them the eye, "Don't you want to know? Now sit down and close the door."

"Al," The boy sitting on the bed spoke up, "Are you sure sitting in a closed room with three soldiers and a spy is a good idea?"

Wolf started then glared. How? How did they know about their identities? He pulled out his gun and pointed it at the boy on the ground, "Speak. Now. Or I'll shoot."

"Wolf…" Fox started.

Wolf ignored him, "Do you know all of our codenames?"

"Yes," The boy replied, "Eagle, Snake, Fox, and Wolf."

"How?" Wolf growled, "Tell me." The gun didn't seem to be scaring the kid. In fact, he looked even more amused as he shifted from left to right as if enjoying the moment.

"I have information," The boy said almost smugly.

"I'm going to kill you if you don't answer me," Wolf growled, "It's a security risk."

"You can't kill me," The boy stated, "It's illegal. Besides, I'm sure 6 would not be pleased."

"Are you working for someone?" Wolf said, his voice low and menacing, "How do you know our name?"

The boy cocked his head to one side as if thinking, "You told me yourself."

"I have never met you before," Wolf snarled as he leapt to his feet, his gun pointing at the boy, "I'm going to count to three and you're going to answer me."

"Wolf…" Fox spoke up, "He-"

"Three."

"Don't say it, Ben." The boy said, smiling slightly, "It's Easter after all."

"Two."

"Everyone needs some time to vent off their craziness."

"One."

"I hope your gun is equipped with a silencer."

Wolf fired. The boy was jerked back by the impact. A round hole on his shirt. He fell back.

"Wolf!" Eagle exclaimed in horror.

"Security risk," He grunted.

He thought the boy was dead, therefore he was unprepared when he sat back up again, rubbing his chest as if it was merely a mosquito bite, "That stung."

K-Unit leapt back while the boy on the bed howled with laughter, slapping the mattress with his hands, "That was brilliant, Al!"

"H-How are you alive?" Wolf started.

"I'm a vampire," The boy said with a smile, "A zombie, or a wandering spirit. Take your pick."

"God, Alex," Fox groaned, "Stop before Wolf seriously kills you."

"You know him?" Wolf glared at his former unit member.

"Yes, in fact, you do as well." Wolf blinked. Did he?

The boy climbed to his feet, "Hello, Wolf. Nice to meet you again, you might know me better as Cub."

Then he fell onto the bed with a groan, "That shot still hurt like bitch."

Wolf froze. Wait, Cub? Cub who? Cub….the Cub who came to Brecon Beacon ages ago?

"You can't be Cub. You look a lot older," Wolf narrowed his eyes, "It hadn't been more than 3 years since then."

"Ben, he thought I look old," The boy said mockingly. Fox laughed, "You really do, Al."

"Screw you."

"How old are you?" Wolf asked.

"Seventeen, Wolf, Seventeen." Cub glanced at him in mock hurt, "I'm not even in my twenties."

"How do you know Fox?"

"We met once or twice before."

"When?"

"Australia."

Wolf glared, "I asked 'when', not 'where'."

"One, two years ago?" Cub frowned slightly.

"Fox?"

"Yes, Wolf?"

"Is he really Cub?"

"Yes, Wolf, he is." Fox nodded gravely.

Eagle stared, "Y…you are Cub? Holy shit."

The boy did not get up from lying on the bed, "Holy shit indeed. Now, why don't we all go downstairs before they start searching for the Easter eggs?"

"I'm leaving," Wolf said as he stood up abruptly, "I'm not staying here for one second longer."

"Hey, Wolf?" Cub called out. Strangely, Wolf felt that this Cub was different from the Cub he met the first time. There were some dramatic changes. It was as if…Cub was more…serious. He inwardly cringed.

"What?" He growled.

"Can you stay?" The boy's request threw him off.

"What?"

"Stay for the party," The boy said, glancing at him.

"Why should I?"

"Well, you shot me with your gun," Cub shrugged, "It still hurt like bitch so as a compensation, you should stay as I requested."

"How're you still alive?" Wolf turned around, glaring at Cub.

Cub lifted his shirt slightly to reveal a bullet-proof vest, "I was prepared. But it still stung like hell, especially since you aimed at my heart."

"Are you dying?" Wolf crossed his arms.

"Why, do you want me to?" Cub remarked dryly.

"Yes, very much at the moment," Wolf growled.

"So are you staying?" It was the boy named Tom who spoke up.

Wolf glared at him, "No."

"Wolf…"

"Fine, fine, I'm staying!" Wolf snapped as he sat back down on the floor, "Happy?"

"Very," Came the remark.

"Can you at least sit up?" Wolf glanced at Cub who was still lying on his back staring at them out of his peripheral vision, "It's creepy to look at you that way."

"No, it hurts like hell." Cub stated, "And it's still hurting like hell."

"It was your fault,"

Cub glared at him then struggled to sit up, "It's your fault for being such hot-tempered. Now get out."

"What?"

"I said get out."

"I thought you wanted us to say," Wolf snapped.

"I mean get out of my room, I'm going to change," Cub snapped back.

"Oh."

"Yes, now get out."

"That was interesting," Tom commented.

"That was not interesting," Wolf growled, a permanent frown on his face.

"Play nice, kids," Alex smiled.

Wolf glared.

"Now, the rules for egg hunting," Jack was saying to the gathered people in the living room, "Is that you must not smash the egg before you present it to me. Find all the eggs in this house. Once the timer set for half an hour goes up, the winner will be the one with the most eggs collected."

There were three groups consisted of four to six people sitting together in the living room and rather unfortunately, K-Unit were teamed up with them two. Fortunately for Tom, who was overjoyed, but unfortunately for the rest of them.

"You will work as a team," Jack continued, "To find as many eggs as possible."

There were shuffling and shifting as Jack set the timer, "Three, two, one, go!"

The teams shot to their feet. Well, with the exception of Alex's team. They slowly got to their feet.

Fox groaned, "My back is breaking. I'm getting older by the day."

"Shut up," Wolf growled, "Besides, why are we participating?"

"Think you can't beat other little kids?" Alex smirked as a girl about the age of six held up an egg and placed it in their group's basket.

Wolf glared, "I will make you eat your words, Cub."

"Word is not a physical thing," Tom butted in, "Therefore you cannot eat your words."

Wolf glared at him. Tom, to his credits, just smiled back.

"Here," Alex passed their basket to Wolf, "Now hurry along and find the precious eggs."

Eagle snickered, "C'mon, Wolfman."

"Let's see who spots more," Wolf challenged him, "The loser will have to fulfill one request from the winner."

"It's on!" Alex replied cheerfully.

And so they started searching for the hidden eggs.

"Third!" Wolf exclaimed in triumph, "And you've only spotted your secon-"

Alex smiled smugly as he presented Wolf the three extra eggs he had found underneath the stairs where cobwebs had grown over the years, "three, four, and five. I'm two eggs ahead of you, Wolf."

Wolf growled, "Who the fuck put three eggs in the same place?"

"Don't badmouth Jack," Alex glared at Wolf, "And I'm still two eggs ahead of you, swearing and cursing won't do you an-"

He faltered as a twig of pain shot through his chest, right over his old bullet wound. He pressed his hand against it, scrounging up his shirt in the process. Must be because of the bullet he took over the bullet-proof vest. It had bruised up the area around his bullet wound. Now it was hurting again like hell.

"-b? Cub?" Wolf's voice jerked him out of his thoughts, "Is something wrong?"

Alex managed the best accusing look he could as he willed the pain to subside, "It was all your fault for shooting that damn bullet. It is still hurting like hell."

"It was your fault for agitating me," Wolf replied.

"Don't start bickering," Fox intervened, "Wolf, you're still behind and we have twenty minutes left."

Wolf grunted and trudged on. Alex stiffened as another bolt of pain cut through his chest. Damn.

Wolf's triumph cry made him glance at the man, "I've found two!"

There were two right beside the pot plant. Why, Jack? Why did you put them so close together? Alex sighed.

"Now we're even." The unit leader smirked at him and Alex glared back.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a distinguishable colored egg. Tom's. He hurried toward it. Wolf, once upon realizing what he saw, moved as well. Alex scooped it up before Wolf did and grinned slightly. But before Alex could comment smugly, the girl they saw earlier elbowed Alex in the chest and grabbed the egg away, "Mine!"

Alex staggered back in surprise. Why were kids these days getting more and more violent? "Hey, um, I got that egg that first so can I have it back?"

"Mine!" She shook her head and wrapped her hand around it protectively, "Go away!"

Wolf snickered slightly, "Great going, Cub."

"It's not good to steal eggs," Alex tried again.

"It's illegal," Eagle stage whispered.

"Go away," The girl stuck out her tongue and ran away.

"Don't worry," Wolf clapped him in mock sympathy on the shoulder, "It's Easter after all."

Alex glared at him then stumbled to a wall to lean against, "Shit. They should ban video games."

"What?" Wolf sounded genuinely confused.

"Teach kids too much violence," Alex winced as he rubbed his chest, "Her elbow jab hurts like bitch, utter bitch."

Eagle snickered, "Cub, you were beaten by a kid."

Alex closed his eyes. Why? Why did he even agree to invite them over? He felt something coming up on the back of his throat and coughed into his hand. He tasted something metallic that was definitely not a piece of metal in his mouth.

"Well shit." He inhaled softly as he stared at his hand.

"What is it?" Wolf asked, "You ate something bad?"

The man froze as he saw his palm.

"Look like I might have internal bleeding from that crazy girl's bitch elbow jab." Alex chuckled.

Then he collapsed. In a very non-heroic, but very dramatic, way.

"Cub!"

Ah, screw Easter.

When Alex woke up, the first thing he smelled was the hospital. The disinfectant, the air, the curtain, the bed, the freshly laundered sheets, everything smelled like a hospital. And that could mean only one thing, he just came back from a mission.

"Hey, Al." Fox greeted him as he came into his vision.

Or he just collapsed on Easter Day.

"Hey, Ben."

"How're you feeling?"

"I feel like some crazy bitch just jabbed me on my wound."

"That would, sadly, be the truth," Fox nodded in mock sorrow, "My condolence."

"Ah shut up," Alex groaned, "So what happened?"

"In simple terms, because I had no idea what the doctor meant by all the medical terms," Fox said as he considered his words, "A slight internal bleeding in your lung. Wasn't too much, but bad enough for you to cough up blood. It was apparently caused by the bruising and almost point-blank range of Wolf's bullet, fired near your bullet wound and then followed up by the crazy girl's jab."

"Is it bad?"

"You might have to stay for a few days," Fox nodded.

"That bad?"

"That bad."

"Where's Wolf?" Alex asked for he couldn't see anyone else besides Fox being unable to move because of the sedation on his upper body.

"Oh, he went back home."

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours at most."

"Where's Jack?"

"Full of questions, are we?" Fox smirked, "Jack's fine, a little scared when you collapsed. Well, to not disrupt the party and alarm the neighbors, we drove you to the hospital ourselves instead of calling an ambulance."

"So considerate."

"I tried."

"How long do I have to stay?" Alex asked.

"I told you already," Fox shook his head, "Three to four days at most."

"How long do I have to stay?" Alex pressed.

Fox glared at him, catching his meaning, "The doctor said three to four days."

"How long do I have to stay?" He insisted.

"Two to three days if you rest."

"How long?"

"One day, full bed rest."

"How long?"

"You can get out of here right now illegally," Fox glared at him, "But if you do, I'll personally chain you back onto the bed for the next two weeks."

Alex glared at him, "Then how long do I have to stay at a minimum?"

"Three days."

Alex groaned, "I hate hospitals."

"Wear a second bullet-proof vest next time," Fox patted him sympathetically on the shoulder, "And don't let crazy girls jab you anymore."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Fox smiled then he stood up, "I'm going to leave now. Get some rest, K-Unit will probably come visit you tomorrow."

"Alright."

And true to his words, K-Unit did visit the next day.

"Hi, Eagle," Alex smiled, greeting only one of them out of the four.

"Cub!" Eagle rushed to his side, "Are you dying?"

"Why, do you want me to?" Alex asked dryly.

"Nostalgic," Eagle commented, "Have I heard of that somewhere before?"

"You had."

"How're you?" Wolf began awkwardly.

There was a moment of silence.

"Shit, is he really Wolf?" Alex stage whispered.

The others shook their head quietly, "I don't know."

"Shut up," Wolf glared, embarrassed.

"Why're you here?" Alex asked.

"Fox said to visit you because he said that it was partially my fault that you are dying," Wolf replied.

"Firstly, I'm not dying so stop wishing that I'm dead," Alex stressed his words, "Secondly, it was your fault, Wolf. It was all your fault."

"Guys, don't start," Fox cut in.

Wolf ignored him, "Fine, I might have started it, but that crazy girl was the final straw!"

"Yeah, but you fomented it, and if you hadn't, that girl wouldn't have been the last straw." Alex shot back.

Silence.

"Shit, Wolf is at a loss for words," Eagle whispered loudly.

"Shut up, Eagle."

"Oh, by the way, Wolf?" Alex smiled.

Judging by Wolf's face and how his eyes narrowed slightly, the man was not expecting good news. Damn well he wasn't.

"Remember our bet?"

"What bet?"

"Loser will have to obey one request from the winner," Alex reminded the man.

"Er, yeah?"

"I won."

"We tied." Wolf stated, "Five five, remember?"

"Yes but," Alex reached out to his nightstand and showed Wolf the egg, "The parents of the crazy girl who jabbed me were noticed of my condition and they apologized. The girl gave back the egg that I rightfully and legally took. Therefore, we are now at six five. I won by one."

Wolf growled, "We stopped the game because you collapsed."

"But I never said to stop," Alex smirked, "So it wasn't my fault."

"Brat."

"Thank you, I take pride in that," Alex said nonchalantly, "So will you honor our deal or do I have to tell everyone your worst fear?" He whispered the last sentence out loudly.

"I-I already got over that," Wolf said, stammering slightly in the beginning, "So you saying it out loud won't change anything."

"Oh really?" Alex tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Then I guess I will say it out loud then. Wolf is scared of h-"

Wolf lunged forward in a flash, clasping his hand over Alex's mouth securely, "I'll honor the deal!"

"What is Wolfman scared of?" Eagle asked excitingly.

Wolf glared at Eagle, then at Alex, daring him to say it out loud. Alex's eyes betrayed his amusement. Wolf released his hand, "What's your request then? I'll only do it if it's reasonable."

Alex thought about it for a moment then he smiled, "Be a friendly neighbor for the rest of your life."

Silence.

The next day, just as Alex was leaning against his pillow in his hospital room, reading a magazine and sipping hot water, Wolf poked his head in.

Alex looked up, "Wolf?"

The man walked in and closed the door behind him.

"What do you want?" Alex asked, narrowing his eyes.

Wolf placed a large fruit basket on the nightstand and took a seat near his bed. Alex was getting scared by the man.

"Wolf, you're creeping me out," Alex gripped the magazine in his hand while he glared at the man, "What're you doing here?"

"Just a friendly neighbor visiting his neighbor," Wolf grunted.

Alex spluttered then laughed, nearly choking on the water.

Wolf cracked a small smile.

"Hello, neighbor."

It was Easter after all.

FIN

(Now, getting back to my chapter stories.)