A/N: Hey again guys, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed – I was overwhelmed by the positive response from you, so keep the reviews coming as they're very encouraging. I started university this week so it's all been a bit hectic and late tonight is the only time I've had to edit this, so I hope it's all right – let me know! Happy reading everyone, and I'll try to update again asap.

Chapter 2

"Shut your mouth, Wolf, you'll let the flies in," Ben said mildly, and Wolf snapped his mouth closed. The glare didn't move from his face, though his eyes kept moving accusingly from Alex to Ben and back again, apparently unsure whether he should blame Ben for bringing Alex there or Alex for having the nerve to show up.

"Well, I'll be off, then." Ben gave Alex a smile, but Alex could see he was nervous, hesitant. "Can you manage, Alex?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Alex said, but he felt anything but. Who had decided to torture him like this? He swallowed. "See you around." He picked up the luggage. Wolf made no move to help him except to step aside so he could enter the hallway. As Alex stepped into the hallway, he caught a slight musty smell inside the flat.

"Be nice," he heard Ben whisper behind him. "He didn't ask for this."

"Goodbye, Fox," said Wolf firmly, and shut the door.

He turned to face Alex. They stood and stared at one another warily for several minutes, like animals about to fight.

Wolf looked older than when Alex had last seen him, though in reality it had only been seven months before, at Point Blanc. His hair, though still short, was longer and less closely cropped. He was unshaven. And his steely grey eyes – though eying Alex like he something nasty the cat had dragged in – betrayed an exhaustion Alex thought unique to himself.

"I…er…well, how are you?" Alex asked awkwardly.

"Been better." Wolf's voice was clipped. "What are you doing here?"

Alex would have thought that was obvious, but he bit his tongue, unwilling to provoke the temper he knew Wolf had. "I'm here to stay with you. Jack – my guardian – moved back to the U.S." He shrugged.

"What about other family? Couldn't they take you in?" Wolf's tone carried a vague accusatory note, but he sounded mainly curious. After all, Alex reflected, Wolf probably knew as little about him as he did about Wolf.

"Haven't got any," he said, watching with some satisfaction as Wolf's expression turned uncomfortable. That'll teach you to ask too many questions. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

The glare returned to Wolf's face. Alex sighed.

"Look, I don't want this any more than you do. I'd be happy to live by myself. But I can't. So if you just show me where I'll sleep, I'll get out of your way."

Wolf surveyed him for a few seconds before moving past him silently and leading him to where the hallway opened out a little. There was a door to the left, which he opened and led Alex into.

It was a reasonably average guest room, Alex thought, though not one he would have particularly associated with Wolf. The walls were painted a dark blue – by chance, Alex's favourite colour – and there was a single bed in one corner with a small bedside table next to it. There was a large pine desk under the window and a wardrobe but other than that, the room was empty. No pictures, no paintings, no books. Nothing that said anything about whose home he was in – completely devoid of personality.

On second thoughts, it suited Wolf perfectly.

Alex dropped his bags on the wooden floor, and had to stop himself from coughing at the dust that rose up.

"Yeah, sorry about that; don't have people to stay too often," Wolf muttered. "You can just...unpack or whatever. I'll be in the kitchen."

Alex watched him leave, and then bent down to inspect the floor, which, upon closer investigation, was covered in a thick layer of dust. The desk and the bedside table was the same. The bed was thankfully clean, but only, Alex suspected, because Wolf had been forced to make it up especially. He could well believe his new guardian didn't entertain often, but it was just an excuse. Alex had already glimpsed the state of the kitchen as they'd passed. Was Wolf just naturally a slob? Alex tried – and failed – to fit the state of the flat with the determined soldier he'd known at camp.

He left the room and followed Wolf into the kitchen. The man was sitting at the table, but he wasn't looking at his new ward, instead staring at the bottle he was holding in his right hand. Alex hesitated in the doorway, his gaze flicking around the room. Unwashed dishes in the sink. Bits of half-eaten and mouldy food everywhere. Empty bottles. Alex was surprised Wolf didn't have a pest problem. Then, out of the corner of his eye, a large cockroach suddenly ran down the wall and across the counter.

Oh wait, he did have a pest problem. Perfect.

"Do you, ah, want something to drink?" Wolf asked. "I've only got beer or water, but — "

"Water's fine," Alex said firmly. So long as the water comes from an external source. He took a seat at the table as Wolf put the glass down in front of him and then sat back down. There was another awkward silence.

"So why aren't you on active duty?" Alex eventually asked, searching desperately for something to talk about.

Wolf's face was closed. "We're on leave."

Alex guessed he must be referring to the rest of K unit. "How long for?"

"Don't know." Wolf's voice was hard and Alex suspected this wasn't a subject he was comfortable with. He watched Wolf take several gulps from his beer and set the bottle back down on the table. It occurred to Alex that he wouldn't have had Wolf down as a drinker; certainly Ian Rider had never touched alcohol in all the time Alex had known him. Silence hung in the air again, and Alex thought it best to change the subject.

"Thanks for the card, by the way," he said. At Wolf's blank expression: "You know, when I got –"

"Appendicitis," Wolf interrupted. He nodded, and Alex saw his face relax slightly at the change of topic. "It's all right. I'm surprised it reached you from Baghdad if I'm honest."

Alex stared at him for several seconds before remembering himself, nodding and attempting to look casual about it, all the while his thoughts racing. He had assumed that, whilst his school would have been informed he had suffered from appendicitis, MI6 would have trusted the SAS, at least, with the information he had been shot. Apparently not. Alex hesitated for a few seconds, and then decided to keep quiet. If MI6 had lied to K unit about his injury, there must have been a good reason. He forced himself to concentrate on what Wolf was saying.

"So how do you know Fox – er, Ben?"

Alex shrugged, still partly distracted. "I worked with him I guess. After he moved from the SAS."

Wolf looked incredulous, but his face darkened as Alex finished the last sentence. He said nothing.

"Did you get a replacement for Ben?" Alex wanted to know. "Or do you remain a three man unit? Sorry," he apologised. "I don't really know how these things work."

"Yeah, we got a replacement. Jackal. More like Jackass," Alex thought he heard Wolf mumble under his breath. Then he cleared his throat and his grey eyes bored into Alex. "Look, I don't know why they chose me to look after you – "

"That makes two of us."

"But," Wolf continued, glaring, "MI6 told me I just had to appear to be your guardian for legal purposes, and that's the way it's going to work. You and I have never been best buddies. I'll just give you the money they've given me for you and you can feed yourself. They told me you're self sufficient, so just stay out of my way and we'll be just fine. I'll provide the roof over your head, but other than that, Cub, you're on your own. Got it?"

"Got it, Wolf," Alex said coolly, biting back all manner of insults he could think of about the roof Wolf was providing.

"Good. I've got work tomorrow morning, so I'll probably be up before you. Like I said, I'll leave you some cash, and a key as well." Wolf stood up, and, without saying another word, left the room.

Alex sat alone, staring after him. Wolf had seemed almost friendly when asking him how he knew Ben, but the man was just as unwelcoming as he had been at camp. Eight months had changed nothing.

But the fact remained that Wolf didn't know anything about Alex's run in with Scorpia, and also that he didn't like talking about the new team member, the fact he was on leave or Alex. Alex tried to process this in his mind, storing it away for examination later. You're on your own.

That suited Alex perfectly.

"Alex, find Scorpia, it is your destiny…"

"I killed your parents, Alex…I'm sorry, I never wanted you to find out…"

"Blunt told me I would never be as good as your father…"

"Alex, your uncle's died in a car accident – "

"Ian Rider worked for MI6…"

"Scorpia never forgives. Scorpia never forgets…"

Alex awoke abruptly, lying on his back and breathing hard. He raised one hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and noticed, with some fascination, that it was shaking.

He had told Ben he was fine after the last run in with Scorpia. And he was reasonably certain he was fine. He'd just been left with occasional nightmares and insomnia.

He sat up in bed, his gaze flickering rather confusedly around the room. Where was he? Ah yes, that was right. Wolf's flat. Wolf, his new guardian. Looking at the clock he had unpacked, it read 3.01. It occurred to Alex that it was the same time it had been that night in late March, when the police had come to the house in Chelsea to inform them that Ian Rider had died. That was when all this had started.

Alex should have cut his losses and run before MI6 caught up with him.

Sighing, he moved his legs around and slowly got out of bed, absentmindedly rubbing his chest. It wasn't even that it hurt – more of a phantom ache, so that even when it wasn't there, he massaged it out of habit. As he passed the mirror on the way to the door, he caught sight of the bullet wound right about where his heart was. He hesitated, listening. The flat seemed silent, but Alex didn't want to risk Wolf waking up and asking questions. He pulled on a T-shirt and made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. He didn't make it without interruption.

He wasn't certain he'd heard correctly the first time the sound reached his ears, and he turned slowly on the spot, cocking his head to one side. Then he heard it again, and his eyes moved to the bedroom door opposite his own. It was closed. Alex moved forward without a sound and stopped outside Wolf's door. Another low moan.

Quite apart from the fact Alex hadn't heard any visitors arrive, it didn't sound like a moan of pleasure to him, much as contemplating the thought revolted him. No, that sounded like a moan of distress. And then –

"No, not Snake…"

Alex moved backwards again, towards the kitchen. It really was none of his business.

Yet it seemed he wasn't the only one who suffered from nightmares.

Wolf woke up drenched in sweat with the sheets tangled tightly around his feet, and lay still for a second, panting, until he remembered the horrifying images again and threw himself out of bed, opening the door and stumbling to the bathroom.

He only just made it to the toilet in time. Then he was on his knees, holding onto it, while he threw up everything he had eaten that day. It seemed to go on forever, though he hadn't eaten since lunchtime, and eventually he was dry heaving, panting, gasping for air. He closed his eyes and flushed the toilet before the smell made him sick again. Wolf never had been good with vomit.

Slowly, he stood up and started running the tap. Splashing his face with cold water, he glanced up to look at the mirror.

It was only then he noticed a figure standing in the doorway. Wolf spun around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

To his irritation, Cub shrugged and held out a full glass of water. "I heard you. Thought you might want some water."

Anger seized Wolf suddenly, blurring his vision so he could barely see. He seized the glass and threw it against the wall. It shattered with a loud crash. Shards of glass exploded in every direction. Wolf kept staring at Cub, but the boy didn't even flinch and, disturbingly, when he raised his eyes from the broken glass to Wolf, there was no fear there. No concern that he was in any danger. In fact, he reacted as though Wolf had just accepted the glass and he was waiting for him to say thank you. Wolf's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, closing the space between them.

"You didn't see anything," he snapped. "I was asleep all night."

Cub's face suddenly hardened. "Me too," he shot back, and walked away.

Wolf lowered himself into a seating position on the edge of the bath. The truth was that he was embarrassed someone had seen him like that. Wolf had managed to keep his nightmares a secret from everyone. Cub was there for six hours and discovered it. Wolf held his head in his hands. Maybe that was why Cub worked for Special Operations.

Furious as he still felt, Wolf let out a deep sigh, unclenched his fists and felt his mind wander to Cub's involvement with SO. He had thought it was a joke when at Brecon Beacons the Sergeant had first informed him Cub was 'with' Special Operations and that everything about him was classified. A fourteen year-old! With MI6! He still hadn't believed it even once Cub had been hurried away after ten days with no explanation.

No, Wolf hadn't believed it until he witnessed a boy snowboarding down a mountain on a makeshift board, dodging bullets and succeeding. It was Cub. And it was making it look so normal, so natural, like this was something he did everyday.

Wolf had hoped it wasn't.

He had assumed that had been it for Cub and MI6, but he wondered now. Any normal fourteen year-old would have been either angry or scared at witnessing a glass being smashed just inches away from him. At the very least they might have jumped or taken a step backwards. Cub may as well have just taken out a newspaper and started reading it for all the notice he took. Why hadn't he reacted?

"I was asleep all night."

"Me too."

Wolf wondered about that.

A/N: Remember to review, guys, it really does mean a lot to me!