A/N: THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!!!!!!!!! Just to let you know there is some bad language later in the chapter.

Disclaimer: I in no way shape or form own any of the Alex Rider characters featured in this story!

Chapter Two

Alex heard Jack beginning to move around her room and decided that he would go and make breakfast for them both, as an 'I'm home and not very injured' surprise for Jack. After all she didn't even know he was back yet although she knew he had to be back soon as his GCSE exams were going to start a week tomorrow. Alex now felt confident with the work thanks to the tutor MI6 had arranged, his teachers were vaguely happy as the work Alex did for then was back to the A-average he had maintained before his uncle's death. The teachers still demanded all the missed work from Alex so that would be his task today- start to catch up with class work. Although Alex knew, that Jack felt that, for him seeing his mates' when he was around was more important than schoolwork. After all it helped him to maintain a normal side to his complicated life.

Once in the kitchen Alex put the coffee maker on and set about skilfully making French toast, setting the table with plates cutlery and coffee mugs and then putting out a choose of sweet topping in front of the plates so that Jack and Alex could choose their own toppings. The appetizing smell of fresh ground coffee and French toast quickly drew Jack towards the kitchen. Where she pulled Alex into hag tight but not bone crushing hug before releasing him to see the damage done by the latest mission.

"Alex let me look at you…" She paused whilst she inspected his cuts and bruises before continuing her rant by saying "it's not the worst you've come back with, but please be more careful, I worry about you. So when did you get home? I didn't hear you come in. What are you going to do today?"

"I got in at about 1:30am and went to bed at about 2:00 after cleaning up and putting stuff away. Jack I really didn't expect you to hear me come in…I'm a spy we move quietly that's what we do." Alex said slightly sarcastically, pausing briefly to serve breakfast before saying, "I need to phone Mr Edwards this morning to see if we can do some extra revision classes this week for exams but I'll go to school as well this week, 'cus all the help I can get would be good, even though I feel that I can do everything you can never be to prepared. Then I thought I might phone Tom and see what he's doing 'cus if he's meeting up with Jack and that lot I might go with them an hang out with mates and try to be normal before school on Monday. So what have you been up to?"

They finished breakfast talking about trivial details of everyday life like how had Jack managed to feed herself this time without burning the kitchen down and the latest instalment of Jack on-going love affair with everything Robert Patterson (Alex had hoped that this would be over by the time he had got back but apparently not!?!)

Alex phoned Mr Edwards and arranged daily tuition session this week before heading off to meet Tom and the gang of mates they both normally hang out with at the cinema to see some new spy movie that apparently they just had to see. Alex thought that at least he would be amused by how small minded it was bound to be after all most spy movies were. But on the bright side he would see his mates and be able to get the staring at his cuts and stuff out the way before school.

Alex walked out to the garage and got his bike out and headed over to Tom's house.

When Alex arrived at Tom's house he saw that he was not the only one from school there, the rest of their friends from school were also there.

Alex sighed and thought to himself "might as well get this over with, and on the plus side with the guys here Tom can't quiz me on the mission details so I have more time to work out the details that I want to tell him after all there are just some things that he shouldn't be told about as they would take some of his innocence away and I can't be the one to do that." Alex walked up to the door and rung the doorbell.

One of their other mates Ed opened the door looked Alex up and exclaimed "Shit! What kind of truck ran you over?!?" looking expectantly at Alex. The others were drawn into the entrance hall and all of them let out a string of profanities at the sight of Alex's new injuries. Tom meanwhile caught Alex's eye and gave him a look that clearly said you will explain as soon as we're not going to be overheard.

Ross one of the guys said "What the hell happened to you?"

Alex decided that this might be the easiest way of explaining his new Smither's improved iphone "got mugged said no when they asked for my phone and stuff so...this happened. Got out of the hospital yesterday. But all's not lost I got an iphone so... it was worth it. Its only cuts and bruises they didn't break anything."

The guys just looked horrified that Alex would think anything was worth getting hurt for, Tom just looked amused at this excuse, Alex knew he would realise that Smither's had given Alex the iphone and that this was a way of justifying both.

Although the guy's didn't really accept this latest excuse, they couldn't understand why they didn't believe it after all it was entirely plausibly. It might be because Alex was almost always coming back to school with some sort of injury after his lengthy absences. They had been discussing Alex's absences as a group they couldn't find fault in Alex's reasons for being away or at least now they accepted that some of the reasons were lies but as Alex had never lied to them before so the felt that it must be a very good reason.

They spent the day playing video game and watching movies. Alex had had fun but knew he had to get home cus he had promised Jack he would be home by 9:00pm.

When Alex got home he talked to Jack for a bit before going to bed to get up early for school the next morning. Alex knew going to bed now wouldn't make a difference to when he would wake up after all the nightmares would wake him up early anyway; but so far he had managed to not let Jack know about the nightmares, what would happen when he went back to Breacon Beacons in a couple of weeks, after his exams. Actually he knew he was leaving about two hours after his final exam ended.

Hopefully will update in about a week but I have two assignments due in for uni next week so it might be the start of the week after but it will be soon!!!!