AN: Hey guys :) Sorry it's been a while but... Here's 2 chapters, I have almost finished typing the next two chapters and then that's about it for this story. Thanks for sticking with me and reading and reviewing. You guys are amazing. Enjoy my dears x Oh and pretty please, review? Kallie :)x


Chapter 27

Oscar's POV

I walked through the front of Kittie's house, trying not to think. I felt a little shell-shocked, overwhelmed and a little let down.
"Kittie betrayed you," whispered a small malicious thought in my head. I shook my head trying to get rid of it. Unfortunately it was one of those thoughts that stayed with you, getting bigger and bigger until it began to spiral out of control. I clenched my fists angrily. How could she do this to me? Even after everything, even after she knows I have trust issues and can't handle broken promises, she still broke her promise? I needed her there. Things would have been so much more comfortable if she had been there. She would have known what to say.

(Flashback)

I took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. I don't ever remember feeling this nervous. I mean the man abandoned me for 12 years and then he decided to show up again when I'm settling into a new family? It kind of felt like the world didn't want me to be happy so it was going to keep throwing obstacles at me. Then again, life isn't easy. Edward answered the door, smiling. There was no way I was going to call him my dad yet. For all I knew he could be an imposter ready to capture me when I let my guard down.
"Hello son. I'm glad you came," he said, smiling at me still. He moved forward as though he was going to hug me, then stopped like he'd changed his mind. He probably had; I wasn't being very friendly but I didn't care. "Come in."
He stepped back so I could get through the front door. I'd noticed immediately that this house was smaller than Kittie's – it had no tower for a start. It also didn't look like there was a basement like Kittie's. I couldn't tell from the front if there was a loft conversion, but then with just him there, I didn't think there would be.
"Can I take your coat?" he asked, stopping in the hallway. I shrugged it off reluctantly, not wanting to give anything to him, but at the same time I didn't want to seem rude. Taking my coat from me, he hung it on a peg by the front door. He led me through the house, past one closed door, past another where the smell of cooking came wafting underneath – most likely the kitchen, and into the lounge.

He sat down on the sofa, and I sat on an armchair that was mostly opposite him, not wanting to sit next to him. "Can I get you anything? A drink or something to eat perhaps?" he asked.
"I'm alright, thank you," I replied curtly. There was silence for a few moments.
"It's great to see you. I'm so glad you came." I didn't point out that he'd already said that. "Look at you. You've grown so much!"
"Well it has been 12 years," I replied. Silence followed. "Don't you care what my life has been like since you left? You're not going to ask what I've been doing or how I ended up living with my girlfriend? Oh, by the way, your next door neighbour is my girlfriend. My life hasn't been easy. Up until recently it's been hell."
"My life hasn't exactly been a picnic either. If it wasn't for my Joy, things wouldn't be the way they are today."
I was a little surprised by that but when I looked at him, I saw the same ghosts in his eyes that were in mine. The Joy bit confused me though. The way he said it made it sound like Joy was a person, not just a feeling. I was about to ask who Joy was when a lady walked in carrying a plate of biscuits.
"Hello, you must be Oscar. Ed has told me so much about you. It's so lovely to meet you. Would you like a biscuit? They're home-made and fresh out of the oven."
I took one gingerly, not wanting to upset the smiley talkative lady in front of me. "Thank you," I said before taking a bite. Well it wasn't poison. Actually it was really good.

She offered one to my dad who looked at the plate eagerly. She laughed. "Just one now dear. We don't want you turning into a comfy house cat."
He smiled, taking a bite into one, leaving crumbs on his moustache. "Here's me thinking that's what you were trying to do with all the good food you make me."
She tutted, smacking him with the tea towel. As she pulled away, he grabbed her wrist and kissed her. It was weird seeing my dad and this lady acting like… well me and Kittie. I mean this guy was my dad and he was acting like a teenager in love. I coughed and she pulled away, blushing slightly.
"Well I better get back to the kitchen. The pie won't make itself. Play nice boys," she said with a twinkle in her eyes before leaving.

I glanced around the room, noticing the pictures of my dad and that lady together in loads of photos, even one that looked like it was a wedding – their wedding. I glanced at his hands just to make sure.
"You're married?" I asked, a little surprised. Well I guess things change in 12 years. Maybe it was about time I had a step-mother. She'd probably be a lot nicer than my real mum.
"Yes. Joy and I got married 2 years ago."
"How did you two meet? She doesn't really seem like she's in our line of work." She wasn't hating the world but then neither was Kittie, well for the most part.
"She's not. I was working on a case not long after I got back from Africa. I ran into her when I was running from some corporate thugs, quite literally in fact. Having knocked her over, I spun, caught her and provided myself with a way to hide. If I hadn't had my spy reflexes I would have been caught, and if I hadn't met her I would have been caught. I felt bad for nearly knocking her over so I took her out for coffee as an apology. We got talking and it was nice just to pretend to be a normal guy. Of course it couldn't last forever but went on a couple of dates before I told her the truth about me. I wanted to stay a normal guy and was hoping to get away with a clean break but she didn't want that, and neither did I if I'm honest. I didn't like lying to her, and in the end I didn't have to. She knew I would put her in danger. She knew I couldn't guarantee her safety. She could have walked away but she didn't. She chose to stay with me."

"So she's not a spy?" That surprised me a little. I would have thought that he would have wanted to train her to keep her safe.
My dad shook his head. (I had given up thinking he wasn't my dad.) "No, she's not. I'm trying really hard to be normal. I don't want my family –" he looked at me, like he was trying to hide something "all my family to get hurt."
I looked around again at the photos. Something just didn't add up, like something was missing. "Uh, do you mind if I use your bathroom?" I asked, hoping to use that to get a proper look around the house.
"Of course, of course son. I'm afraid the bathroom downstairs isn't working properly so you'll have to use the one upstairs."
I stood up and my dad mirrored me. He'd probably forgotten I wasn't a little kid anymore. I forced a smile. "It's alright dad. I'm sure I can find the bathroom."
He sat back down, looking a little deflated. "Oh of course. It's the first door you come to when you get up the stairs."
I nodded, grateful but at the same time a little awkward. I'd forgotten what it was like to have a parent.

I climbed the stairs, looking at the framed photos on the walls. I was amazed to see that there were pictures of me from when I was a baby, up until I was about 3 years old. There were pictures of what must have been my third birthday. I saw a little girl, just like the one from my dream, that must have been Kittie. Then there were more of Joy and my dad together. It was weird seeing my dad so happy. I don't remember him being this happy with mum. I wasn't sure what I thought of Joy as my new step-mum, but as a person I quite liked her. She made my dad really happy and that was really important. I stopped at the top of the stairs, staring at one of the photos. It was of a baby, one that definitely wasn't me. For one, I wasn't a girl and was sure I didn't have any siblings my age. This began to confirm my suspicions.

Instead of going into the bathroom, I walked straight past it. I opened the door to the room directly in front of me. Inside was a neatly made double bed with blue sheets on a mahogany frame. To the left was a wardrobe, also mahogany, which looked fairly old, and a little familiar. Stepping inside, I noticed the room smelt slightly like lavender – a fragrance Kittie loves. Opening the wardrobe, I noticed small marks on the wood, probably scratches that had occurred during it being moved at some point, but then again maybe not. I fingered a groove which looked like a chunk of wood had been taken off, and then in the back corner I saw the initials OEDH. I blinked, trying to remember. I knelt down on the floor and reached in, running my fingers gingerly over the marks. I remembered I'd carved them with the penknife I'd gotten for my third birthday. Mum had been so cross with Dad for giving it to me, and whilst they had been downstairs arguing, I'd hidden in the wardrobe and chiselled my initials in the wood.

I stepped back to look at the whole room. The bed had changed – I remembered having a single bed with a red thing on the side to stop me falling out of bed, and the rest of the room had changed. Gone were the posters from the walls and the stars from the ceiling. All traces of my childhood in this room had been removed. I knelt down by the right side of the bed, ignoring the photograph of my dad my step-mum on the bedside table. Carefully I ran my hands along the skirting board, glad this hadn't been changed, my breath caught in my throat as I hoped there still might be some remnants of my past. I smiled. There in the corner was the same mouse hole that had been there when I was little, although I imagined the residents would probably be dead and new ones would have taken their place, but maybe not. I ran my hands up along the wall, noting the marks where I had hit my head and where furniture had scratched and caught the walls, chipping into the stonework, making holes. They still showed despite the new coat of paint, but not from a distance. I glanced at the clock beside me and saw that I didn't have long before my dad became suspicious. I left my old room, quietly shutting the door behind me. I turned my attention to the door opposite the bathroom.

The door was painted pink with a white flower on it at the top, a lily I thought. Carefully I opened the door, not entirely sure what I was expecting. Inside, the curtains were drawn, blocking most of the light, leaving it in the darkness you get during daylight. The little light there was came from the pink star light at the side of the wooden cot. Above the cot hung a wooden mobile of Noah's ark. I ran my fingers lightly over the different animals, wondering if I had ever had anything like this. I looked down into the cot at the small figure that lay there, fast asleep. She was older than Charlie, but not much, about a year old, I guessed. She was surrounded by pink blankets to keep her warm in the cold winter weather. The topmost blanket was white fleece, and soft to the touch. In the corner I noticed that this was not just a straightforward blanket. Embroidered in the corner in pink was the name Lily. Her name was Lily. She seemed almost unreal, like a doll, but the shallow rise and fall of her chest told me otherwise. I blinked, and stepped back, trying to process it all. I had a sister? A little, baby sister?

"Is everything alright up there?" called my dad from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yup, everything's fine," I called back, even though it wasn't. "I'll be down in a minute." I picked up the blanket, clutching it in my left hand tightly, the soft fabric hard against my skin. I shut the door quietly, not wishing to wake her up, and headed back downstairs as I tried to make sense of it all. My dad had come home, gotten married, had another kid and then decided to get in contact with me? How was that fair at all?

I walked back into the lounge slowly, the blanket kept clutched behind my back.
"There you are son," beamed my dad. Then his face faltered when he saw mine. "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, standing up. I obviously wasn't hiding my feelings well.
"There something you forget to tell me dad?" I asked, anger showing in my voice.
His face closed up instantly. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I knew he was lying.
"Really father? What about the baby upstairs? Or did it just slip your mind that I might like to know I have a sister?!" I practically screamed the last bit at him. I couldn't hold back my fury anymore. I threw the blanket at him.
He looked at it, startled. That probably wasn't what he was thinking of. "I – I'm – sorry. I should have told you, I just didn't want to overwhelm you on your first visit. It has been 12 years."
"I know dad." Slowly my anger began to simmer away. He did have a point and it's not like he had lied to me, he just hadn't told me. I looked out the window and saw that it was nearly dark outside. Looking at the grandfather clock, I saw that it was 3. "I should get going soon but I would like to meet her."
"I'm afraid she needs her sleep now, but another day perhaps."
"I would like that," I replied wistfully. "I would like to catch up, for you to catch up on all that you've missed."
"I'd like that very much son," he said with a smile. "You're 16 now, in year 11, aren't you?"
"Yes. You remembered." I was a little surprised. I thought I'd been forgotten or that he didn't care about me.
"Of course. I never forgot about you. Every day I have thought about you, my son, my precious boy. Every day I yearned to talk to you, to show you that I was still alive and that I still love you."

(End flashback)

The front door opening brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw Lexi staring at me from the lounge doorway. I had no idea how long he'd been watching me. I looked away, not wanting to go into that with him right now, and brought my attention to the front door. Kittie stood there, holding Charlie with Tom at her feet. I scowled. She avoided my eyes and unwrapped Charlie, delayering him. She put Charlie down and as she helped Tom out of his coat, I watched Charlie crawl over to Lexi.
"Why don't you go and play Tom or go and watch a Christmas film," she said, once he was out of his coat and wellies.
"But…" he looked at her with big eyes and his bottom lip trembled. I turned my head, thinking that she would give into him again.
"No Tom, not this time," she said, an edge in her voice that surprised me, causing me to look her way again. She looked over at me. "Oscar and I need to talk."
He looked between us, than ran up to Charlie and Lexi, chattering away to his younger brother.

Kittie began walking away and I followed angrily. How dare she just walk away from me like that! We reached her room, but we didn't stop there, climbing up to the next floor, and I still followed, my anger building up with each step, not that it could build up much more. I was seething. How dare she just ignore me like that. I was hurt, betrayed all because she dropped me for something more important than me. I was her boyfriend. What was more important than me? Envy flickered through my mind. I'd seen the way Lexi looked at her, the admiration and desire when he thought no-one else was looking. And then he'd been watching me. Perhaps he was watching to see if I knew that he liked her. I knew how close the two of them were, a little too close if you ask me. They had been spending some time together, away from everyone else. It was all so clear to me now. I couldn't believe what a fool I had been. They were seeing each other behind my back. It all made perfect sense! How could she do this to me? I loved her and she would cheat on me? After everything?

She stopped outside my room for a second and then went in, carefully manoeuvring around the camp bed set up for Michael. I closed the door behind me to block out the noise before I exploded.
"How could you do that? You know I needed you there with me when I went to see my father and you didn't show!" I shouted furiously, turning to face her, my fists tightly clenched.
"I'm sorry" she said quietly, looking away from me like she was ashamed.
But I lost it. "You're sorry? You think sorry is supposed to fix everything? You think sorry is going to ignore the fact that you broke your promise?"
"No but…"
"But what? Do you have a reason for breaking your promise 'cause I honestly can't understand why you would do that to me."
"Do I need to? I thought you trusted me," her tone slightly defensive.
"It's a little hard to trust you when you go around breaking promises." I wasn't just angry, I was hurt.
"It was one thing. I thought you could handle it without me." I picked up on her anger, but I wasn't thinking about why she was angry.

I didn't really know how to respond to that. Instead, I tried finding out where she was. I really wanted to know what was more important than me. "Where were you? What was more important than being there for me, your boyfriend?"
"I had somewhere to be," she said, turning away from me, her anger gone.
"And where was that?"
"That's… I don't think that's something you need to know."
I scowled. Why couldn't she just tell me? Maybe she didn't want to tell me because she was ashamed. "Let me guess, you were off kissing Lexi under the mistletoe behind my back." She looked at me a little shocked and I took that to mean I was right. "I'm right aren't I? I've seen the way he looks at you. He's jealous of me and it was very convenient for you that I went away and that Tom was kicking off at the top of the stairs when we were supposed to leave. I bet you planned it so you and Lexi could spend time together behind my back."
"You seriously think that I would do that? You honestly believe that I would cheat on you? I love you Oscar, not Lexi, you."
"Then tell me where you were!" I demanded. I honestly didn't understand why she couldn't tell me.

She looked at me, pained, like she was arguing with herself. "I… I can't Oscar, but I swear I wasn't with Lexi. Ask anyone downstairs. He and Michael were cleaning up the mess they made in the lounge."
I stared at her. "Why can't you tell me where you were? What's so important that you can't tell me?"
"I… If you must know, I took Charlie and Tom to the park whilst I had to go and do something for work."
I stared at her, confused, my anger fading. "Why couldn't you just tell me that?"
It was a secret. Even Frank doesn't know."
"If you couldn't go, why didn't you just say so before hand? I would have just gone with someone else."
"What, like Amy?" she snapped back.
I looked at her a little taken aback. "Amy? But she's…"
"Tall, beautiful, athletic, artistic, lovely, charming and blonde."
"Kittie…"
"Don't deny it. I know she likes you and you like her too. So why don't you go out with her instead. I'm sure you wouldn't have to worry about her and think she's going around kissing her best friend behind your back."

I stared at her for a few seconds before I burst out laughing. I was laughing so hard, I doubled over, clutching my sides. I sat down on my bed, still laughing as she stared at me. "Kittie," I said, brushing her loose curls out of her eyes. "There's no way I would go out with Amy."
"But I know you like her. I don't understand," she said, confusion showing clearly on her face.
I took my hands in hers. "I am not going to be with her. There are two reasons for that. The first is that I love you, only you. I may get mad, and jealous, but I love you and you alone. I care a lot about Amy but not in the same way I care about you. I love you with all my heart." I kissed her gently on the top of her head. "The second, and perhaps the main reason, is that Amy is my cousin. Which you seem to have forgotten."
"Your… your cousin?" she asked, shocked.
"Yes, my cousin, definitely just my cousin," I replied, laughing softly.
"But… but you don't have family, that's why you went into care, and why you're being fostered by David and Carol."
"Well, as it turns out, my dad was adopted and had an adopted sister. MI9 don't know about them. I only found out when I worked with her – with Amy on a project last year and we got talking about family. I have 3 cousins; Amy and her two brothers."
Kittie stared at me blankly as if she was trying to get her head around it. "So she's really your cousin?"
"Yes, she's my cousin. Remember, I even told you about her, of course that would have been a couple of months ago now." I cupped her cheek with my hand. "I don't love her like I love you." I kissed her, pressing my lips against hers and I felt her melt into my arms.

A knock at the door made us jump, pulling us apart. Kittie was getting a little clumsy, I noticed as I caught her when she wobbled. I stroked her hand and was going to kiss her again but from the knock, I assumed it was one of the older family members, and as much as most of them liked me, I was a little unsure how they would react to finding me kissing her.
Luke popped his head around the door. "There you two are. Come on, we need to sort out the excess stuff into boxes for charity. We've put 'Miracle on 34th Street' on. Even Sophie's down, wrapped up in her duvet. Can't miss our boxing day traditions, and you know the chance to help those less fortunate than us, even if you do have your boyfriend here with you Kitten."
She threw one of my pillows at him and he ducked behind the door, the pillow narrowly missing his head.
"I'll tell them you'll be down in a minute. I'll save you two a seat," he said with a wink before he disappeared downstairs.
I looked at Kittie. "I guess we shouldn't keep them waiting, although…" I kissed her again, gently pulling her towards me. "I'd rather stay here with you."
She kissed me back, and smiled. "So would I, but I don't think the rabble would let us. Come on." She took my hand and began leading me downstairs, back to the fray of Christmas.

Carrie's POV

It was weird. We were sat in HQ the day after New Years. Stark had already come here twice and twice been sent away by the director because he was ill. Kittie and Oscar were being so lovey-dovey it was a bit sickening. It was "pass me this dear", "have you done the background check sweet?" and ugh! Don't get me wrong, I was happy for them but did they have to be so cutesy? It was so annoying! They were happy and that was the most important thing, wasn't it? It had seemed they'd had some issues over Christmas; something to do with Amy and someone called Lexi. But they seemed fine now. The thing I didn't understand was why we were here during the Christmas holidays. We were supposed to be with our families. Instead we were stuck here and none of us knew why.

A noise in the shadows, behind the director, caused everyone to stop. Even Rose stopped typing her formula that she was working on and had been typing solidly for 5 minutes. Even the director looked confused. I glanced over at Kittie and Oscar to see if the two of them were wrapped in each other's arms in terror. Oscar looked scared and was stood in front of her protectively but Kittie, she looked… pleased, like she knew who it was.
"Had a good Christmas everyone?" came Frank's voice from the shadows, and then there was Frank, standing there like he'd been here the whole time.
"Frank, but how?" spluttered the director looking very confused.
Kittie ran up and hugged him. "It's good to see you on your feet again."
"It's good to be back on my feet," he replied smiling.
I was confused. Why was he here and how? How on earth had he got here? I know there's lots of different tunnels and such but I didn't think he was in a fit state to go through the tunnels.
"You're probably all wondering why I'm here. Kittie, perhaps you'd like to tell everyone?"
Kittie moved away, avoiding eye contact. I wondered what was going on.

I watched her wander over to the computers and turn on the projector. A face appeared on the screen and the director jumped.
"This is Hans Van Dhrest, high class and unusual bank robber, con-artist, thief and spy extraordinaire. He's wanted all over the world for previous 'crimes' that no-one knows how they were committed. When arrested, there has been nothing to convict him, and usually the stolen items turns up. Except now, evidence has turned up. MI9 have recently obtained footage of Van Dhrest entering the Tate Modern, and exiting 20 minutes later and Matisse's 'The Snail' having vanished. The reason we have been given this assignment is because the only way to really get close to him anymore is at the school he's teaching in."
"But why us though? And what do they want us to do? Bring him and the stolen painting in?" I asked.
Kittie shook her head. "No. up until now, the belief has been that he's innocent. MI9 and MI6 want us to find out if he did steal it, why and if not, find out who framed him, right Frank?" Kittie looked at Frank.
Frank looked somewhat unimpressed but he nodded. I wondered what was wrong.
"Why us though? I've got things to do here. Weren't you telling us ages ago that there are other kid spies? Why can't any of them help instead?"
"One of two reasons," she responded, shifting nervously from foot to foot, twisting and untwisting a strand of hair round her finger. "First is that they want us to work with their teen operative Alex Rider, get him used to working in England again and actually being a semi-normal kid, well as normal you can get being a teen spy in school. And secondly, the school in question where they both are is my old school the uh Barclay Academy. Van Dhrest was one of my tutors."

There was silence, but from one look at Oscar I knew it wouldn't last very long. His face was stony and his fists were clenched. "You're going back there?" Oscar asked angrily, disbelief also showing on his face.
"We're going there," she stressed. "They want us all there. The four of us are less likely to stick out than just me and I refused to go alone. I wanted you all to see where I came from."
"So you know this Van Dhrest guy pretty well? Let me guess he taught you how to be a spy?"
She smiled. "Yes, he was my spy teacher, well my main teacher. He was my point of call at Barclay and basically he told me what I needed to know and guided my training."
"So you think he's innocent?"
"I never said that, but yes. It goes against his principles. I mean when he stole stuff, it was for a reason, not because he could and there's no reason he would. If he did do it though, I have a pretty good idea why, but it's highly unlikely."
"The problem we've got is we need proof, solid proof not just suspected evidence," elaborated the director, finally joining in the conversation.
"So let me get this straight, you want us to go to another school to get proof on a guy that is believed to be innocent?" I asked incredulously.

"Ma'am, Frank, can I talk to you in private please?" Oscar's voice was steely. Everyone could see he was annoyed.
I glanced over at Kittie. She was quiet and judging from the way she was still playing with her hair, she was hiding something. There was definitely something she wasn't telling us. Frank and the director moved into the shadows with Oscar. Angry whispers came out of the shadows. I ignored it and turned to Kittie.
I grabbed her arm and grabbed her to the other side. "Alright, spill. What's going on?"
I may have said it a bit harsher than I intended. Kittie flinched. "I don't even know what you're talking about."
I rolled my eyes. "I know when you're lying and you have guilt all over your face. There's definitely something you're not telling us. Kittie, I'm your friend."
"I… I can't tell you, but I may be leaving soon."
"School?" I glanced at her, a little confused still. Why would she be leaving?
"Here and school. I'm – I was only supposed to be here until Christmas."
"I take it you haven't told Oscar?" I questioned, even though I already knew the answer.
She shook her head. "No. He'll get mad and shout and then be annoyed with me. I don't want that."
"But you need to tell him." I think this may be where some of their problems lay. They were good together, but both had hot tempers and the communication, especially over important things didn't seem to be all that good. But from looking at her, I knew she was struggling with not telling him.
"I know, and I will eventually, just not yet." I hoped for both their sakes that she would.

The director walked back over into the middle of the room followed by Oscar and Frank.
"Right, when you're back in school, you will probably be called to Mr Flatley's office. You're cover is that you've been invited for a week's prelim visit to attend the sixthform next year. Of course, this is all pretence as there is no sixthform but the school is happy to have you for a week, especially as the deputy head is like Frank and has vouched for you. I want you on your best behaviour, all of you. No fighting, no mention of you being spies to anyone and do not tell anyone the real reason for you being there under any circumstance. I suggest you all follow Kittie and do as she instructs you. I'm leaving her in charge as she has the most experience there. Good luck agents." She turned, and flanked by Frank, left in the elevator.
Kittie sighed, running her hands over the top of her hair. She pulled out a chair and sat down, gesturing for us to do the same. She glanced over at Oscar, reaching out for his hand. He took hers reluctantly, sitting down. She smiled, but it didn't completely cover up all her thoughts. "So, here's what you need to know."