Everlasting Changes

by Kiamii

Chapter Four "Child's Play"

"Come one Cub, it's not that horrible..." Snake said, keeping his distance from the murderous five-year-old version of the teenage spy. Alex turned his intense glare on Snake. Eagle was currently sporting a bruised eye and inwardly cursing whoever taught Alex Rider karate. Wolf was ignoring them all, paying attention to the road as he drove. Ben was listening to an iPod shuffle, on the left side of Alex in the backseat while Snake was on the right, trying in vain to escape the glare.

It had taken most of an hour and they had an hour to get to the Amusement Park.

"I," Alex began, "am never going out with you guys ever again."

"Oh come now! It isn't that bad." Snake said defensively. Alex didn't answer, simply shifting slightly to get in a more comfortable position. Who could? How did one even move in a car seat? Yes, that's right. According to law, he had to be seated in a car seat while the car was in motion. Alex blamed laws and his life for this. For one thing, the car seat had buckles that connected to a block at the front of his chest, one coming from each of his shoulders and the last one from in between his legs. His legs were spread slightly and this was utterly humiliating in his opinion. How did K-Unit manage to strap him in?

They used force. Alex was embarrassed at how things had taken place. When he had spotted the ruddy thing, he had instantly been compelled to run. He hadn't made it very far before Eagle caught hold of him. Alex had slammed his foot at the man's head out of reaction and the black eye had formed. He had been dropped to the ground and would have taken off had Wolf not pinned him to the ground on his stomach, his hands behind his back. Wolf had then whacked Alex on the head and lectured him about behavior. A lecture about his behavior from Wolf of all people was the worst thing that could have happened. Alex had then put up a struggle against Wolf as the man had picked him up himself and threw him, with enough force to knock the breath out of him, on his back in the car seat and quickly did up the straps before Alex could recover.

"If you're going to hurt someone and put up this much fuss to get you in that thing, I'm drugging you asleep before we go somewhere." Wolf stated and Alex clamped his mouth shut. The man was downright scary when he wanted to be and Alex did not want to anger James San Luca, aka Wolf. Still, Alex did not appreciate being in the wretched carseat. He sat there quietly and a thought came to his mind. Wolf and the others treated him simply like his physical age and they weren't griping about doing so. He wondered about that but, didn't have time to dwell on his musings as the cardoor opened and Fox and Snake got out. Fox unbuckled Alex and plucked him up and out of the carseat. He shifted Alex onto his hip and Alex, knowing it was futile now, grasped a fist of Fox's shirt with the hand closest to Fox. His other hand dangled around like his feet. Alex amused himself by swinging his arm around and then abruptly stopped. Stupid child habits were coming out again.

"You must be Wolf," a voice said from ahead. Alex's head, which was downcasted, looked up and he spotted the man. Panther was around Wolf's height and structure, red-brown hair, and bright green eyes. Alex was wondering if the man was chinese, his eyes were somewhat squinted and some of his other features indicated so.

"That I am." Wolf said, "You are Panther I take it. This is our medic, Snake." Snake nodded his head.

"I am Eagle." Eagle piped up.

"And this is Fox, the guy you are replacing. Oh and..." Wolf paused for nearly a second as if debating something, "this is Fox's little nephew who we just call Cub."

"How old is he?" Panther asked, looking at the little boy (in his eyes.)

"Five." Snake answered. Fox grinned and seemed to hatch an idea, almost as if to give evidence that he was holding a little boy in his arms. He poked his fingers around Cub's stomach and the boy squirmed, hiding a smile. Fox continued until Cub began to giggle which turned into a full out laugh as he was tickled. Fox didn't relenquish his tickling until they reached the entrance. He stopped and let Cub regain his breath. Wolf bought the tickets and they entered the amusement park.

"So what should we do first?" Snake started. Fox shifted Cub slightly to get a better hold on him and wrapped his other arm around the boy. There was a series of 'Awe' from passing ladies. Alex felt completely embaressed.

"Why'd you guys decide to bring his little nephew?" Panther asked curiously.

"His mum and dad died and I'm taking care of him now." Fox lied smoothly. Alex wondered if they had planned this before. He chose not to comment.

"Why is he so quiet?" Panther asked next.

"His parents were murdered in front of him and he is naturally shy." Fox again lied. Alex bit his cheek. Panther gave up on the questioning and engaged Eagle in random conversation. Wolf and Snake were chatting as well and Fox simply was following with Alex in his arms.

"Fox?" Alex began. Fox hummed in acknowledgment, "Why're you so willing to help?" Alex didn't continue the sentence. He didn't need to. Fox understood what he was asking about.

"When you first came to the camp. We thought it was a joke. After seeing you in action, you're like the little brother I never had." Fox said, smiling. Alex smiled back. Fox had ignored him when he first met him but, he was kind and caring. That's what was so special about the man. They caught up with the rest of the group, having been trailing behind to talk, and the fun began.

About four hours later, nearing 16 hundred, the men were leaving the park. There had been much sight seeing at the girls (for the single men) and minishooting games they engaged themselves in. On the rides that allowed little kids to go on, they took Cub on them. They had ended up soaked on the water rides and it had been a tiring and fun day.

"Now that was a great idea!" Eagle cheered.

"How about we grab a bite to eat at a McDonalds or something?" Panther suggested.

"Good idea, so you going to meet us up at the closest one?" Snake asked. Panther nodded and said a see you soon before getting in his own car and starting to drive off. Fox looked at the quiet Alex and he chuckled at the sight, drawing the attention of his former teammates.

"Well, seems like we found something to finally get him." Wolf said in a humming tone. Alex Rider, mentally 14 but physically 5, was laying with an arm slung across the front of Fox's neck, the boy's cheek pressed against Fox's shoulder and his free hand's thumb was locked firmly in his mouth. His brown eyes were closed and he was fast asleep in Fox's arms. The sight was adorable and many girls that passed by were aweing at the sight. One female, tall and a brunette, came up to them.

"He's so cute. Is he yours?" The brunette asked, smiling at Alex's sleep form.

"He's my nephew." Fox said, sticking to the story they had told Panther.

"How old is he?" The brunette's friend asked.

"Five." Wolf answered that one and the girls cooed at the answer. The unit counted their lucky stars that the kid was asleep and wasn't awake to hear the two girls and their words about how "adorable" the "little nephew" was. They said a goodbye and Fox placed Alex gently in the car seat so not to disturb him. He strapped him in and sat down next to him. Wolf started the car and they drove off. Alex's head leaned against one of the corners of the car seat, his mouth parted open and Fox and Snake shared a grin. Alex's thumb was out of his mouth this time though. Wolf parked the car as they reached McDonalds. They went inside, Snake choosing to carry the boy this time, and found Panther at a table, saving a spot for them. They sat around after ordering their food.

"So, where are you from?" Eagle asked Panther.

"I was born in China but raised in Hawaii, USA." Panther answered, "what about you?"

"Born in America and raised in London." Eagle replied, grinning.

"I'm Scottish." Snake piped in.

"I am purely British." Fox said in a mock smug tone. They grinned as they looked at Wolf.

"Spanish." Wolf said simply and went to get their orders.

"So Cub is British as well?" Panther asked. They nodded.

"What do you think about kids?" Eagle finally asked after a moment of silence.

"I have one little sister his age, one little brother, one older sister, and one older brother." Panther stated, "Kids are pretty cool and they don't annoy me at all really." The others nodded right as Wolf placed the trays down. Snake grinned suddenly and placed Alex on Wolf's lap before the man could retaliate. Wolf glared at Snake.

"It's not that hard Wolf. Just hold him like this," Fox demonstrated a cradle, "and he'll kind of subconsciously adjust. You're the only one besides Eagle and Panther to hold him anyways and I don't think you'd want me to let Eagle hold him while he is asleep." Wolf gave a resigned sigh and did as Fox told him to, wrapping an arm under Cub's head and since he was sitting, let Cub's body relax on his lap. He was then amused as Cub cuddled up to his chest and his thumb from earlier found its way to his mouth.

"Do all kids at that age do that?" Snake asked unsurely.

"Suck their thumbs? Usually they stop around 8. My little sister still does that." Panther answered, smiling. Eagle popped a fry in his mouth and munched on it. That seemed to be some sort of signal as they all started eating after that. Wolf kept Cub in his lap as he bit into his burger. They finished up and Snake put the trays up. They hung around the two cars.

"So Fox, why did you leave SAS?" Panther asked curiously.

"I got recruited for MI6." Fox answered truthfully.

"That must be kind of horrible." Panther said sympathetically.

"I like it and all. I just don't like having to go Classified for almost everything related to the job." Fox admitted.

"How was training before joining us?" Eagle asked suddenly. Panther shuddered.

"I'm glad that part is over." Panther said shortly. The others grinned at him. Wolf opened the car door and settled Alex in the carseat, strapping him in and leaving the car door open.

"He doesn't like carseats and I don't want him to wake up before we even get in the car." Wolf said simply. Panther laughed.

"I'm guessing it is because those carseats constricts the amount of movement and space you can have." Panther answered, "I had to babysit my little sister and brother a lot before I went SAS on my parents."

"I know what you mean, my parents weren't pleased when I joined. I'm an only child." Wolf said in agreement. Fox grinned at them.

"So, how long ago did you become his guardian?" Panther inquired. He seemed to have a lot questions about the kid but, they were harmless ones and they didn't mind answering (because most of them were lies).

"About a few weeks ago." Fox lied. Panther was a pretty nice guy, he mused.

"Sorry if it seems I ask so many questions." Panther suddenly apologized.

"It's alright." Snake assured him, "I'd be naturally curious if my unit showed up with a kid too."

Fox laughed, "Well, I am guessing we need to head back. How about we meet up in a few days again?"

"Sure, bring Cub again. He's an alright kid. Quieter than my siblings. I could probably bring my little sister with me next time for him to play with." Panther said. He had an air of adoration for kids, Fox noticed. They nodded and parted ways. Wolf got in the driver's seat and he looked in the mirror to see Snake and Fox on opposite sides of each other, sharing smirks and looking down at the sleeping child. Wolf pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive home. Eagle was staring out the window. Wolf noted that he hadn't said a lot today.

"So, what did you think of Panther?" Wolf started.

"He is a pretty easy-going guy. He didn't mind Cub." Fox said.

"I am alright with him." Snake piped in.

"Eagle?" Wolf asked, wondering why the man hadn't said anything.

"He was alright." Eagle said.

"Hey man, why are you so quiet today?" Fox asked.

"Something is nagging at me... Can't figure out what." Eagle said with a shrug. They were quiet for the rest of the ride. When Wolf parked the car in the drive way, Snake unbuckled the still asleep Cub and followed the rest in. He wrapped an arm around Cub's waist and his other arm across the kid's body and at his head. Cub grabbed his shirt with a fist and he was still sucking on his thumb as he slept. Snake wondered how Alex would react to that if he had woken up now or while they were in the car. He decided that they were lucky he was still asleep.

"I'm going to put Cub to bed." Snake told them. The other three nodded and Snake carried Alex up to his room. He placed Alex on the bed and found a pair of loose pajama pants. He eased Cub's jeans off and traded them for the bottoms. He did the same for the matching pajama top. He put Cub in the middle of the bed and covered him up, tucking him. He smiled at the sight of Cub sleeping peacefully, tucked under the dark blue blanket in the green camaflouge pajamas. His arms were raised above his head and the other hand moved once again back to his mouth, sucking contently on his thumb. Snake somewhat frowned at that. He wondered if that was an alright thing, for Cub to keep sucking his thumb. He shrugged, he'd ask Fox to ask Panther then. That decided, Snake closed the door to the bedroom and headed downstairs.

"Hey Fox, can you ask Panther next time you see him, if its healthy for a little kid to suck their thumb continously?" Snake asked.

"Sure. Why?" Fox said.

"No real reason. Cub.. er... Alex keeps sucking his thumb ever since he fell asleep. Wasn't sure if that was an okay thing and all." Snake admitted. Eagle was still quiet and was nowhere to be seen, having gone to his room.

"I wonder what is wrong with Eagle." Snake said thoughtfully.

"He said he had a feeling something was off and he wasn't sure what." Wolf said lazily, flipping channels on the TV.

"I wonder what that is..." Fox said, shrugging.

"Hey guys! I finally figured it out!" Eagle said almost loudly, jumping into the room with a grimace on his face. In his hands was Cub's phone.

"What's wrong?" Wolf asked, eyebrows raised.

"Apparently, some kid named Tom is coming over here tomorrow. He knows about Alex and Cub invited him over here to explain his situation. I felt that there was something wrong going to happen tomorrow so I was going to think more in my room when Cub's phone vibrated in his room. I took it and read the messages."

"Ignoring what you just said. You stole Cub's phone?" Fox said.

"Well... borrowed it." Eagle said sheepishly. He grinned at them in return.

"Back on track. So I'm guessing Tom is who...?" The room got quiet.

"Let's confront Cub about it tomorrow morning." Fox suggested and the men agreed. Eagle slipped the phone onto the couch and they settled to watch a movie. Ironically enough, it was a James Bond movie.

Author's Note: The Asian thing is basically what my friends say define me as Chinese-Hawaiian. The sucking thumb thing is a habit my brother had when he was younger and he's my OLDER brother... Someone want to review and tell me if it really IS normal for a kid of 5 to continuously suck their thumbs? I hope this chapter was alright. I decide to devote it to stubornness for this time. Tom is about to meet K-Unit. I can't help but write adorable Alex/K-Unit bonding moments. I have their profiles made in my computer so eventually, you'll learn more about their lives as the story goes on. Hope you're looking forward to Tom's Meeting and Panther being seen again, only with his little sister. Wonder how that will turn out? Hope you liked it!