All in the Faculty

Chapter 38: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Schoolgirl

The first thing Alex saw was the storm of fire trucks racing past him on the road. By the time he arrived at on the scene with Jane, Eve, and the two SAS soldiers crammed in the back of his car, police officers and paramedics were pouring out of emergency vehicles to surround the wreck. A few news media networks were also inching in from the sidelines, microphones in hand and huge cameras perched on their shoulders.

They had to park up the street from the school, since the parking lot was crammed with activity. Stepping out of the car, Alex instantly scanned the crowd for signs of familiarity – a shock of black hair, arms waving widely, even Olivia's bouncing enthusiasm as she recounted the heroic story of Tom finding her just in time –

His heart constricted as he watched emergency workers run towards the rubble and begin picking through it. Did that mean not everyone had gotten out in time?

Alex hadn't realized it, but at some point or another his breathing had started to pick up as he stared down at Brookland from the elevated street. Fingers slid in between his, and a second later Jane was squeezing his hand.

"Go find him," she said. That was all Alex needed to hear – he took off running for the stairs, descending into the havoc without waiting for any of the others. Wolf and Fox appeared next to Jane a second later, wide-eyed and horrified.

"That's a school, isn't it?" Fox asked weakly.

"Our school," Jane replied, voice hard.

Eve wrapped her hands around the top of the fence and leaned forward for a better look. "Where are all the students?"

Jane's gaze traced the smoke billowing up from the side of Brookland that had collapsed. "Football field, most likely."

Peering up at Jane with pleading eyes, it was obvious that she was thinking about Liam. "Can we…?"

"Of course. Let's go."

Down in the parking lot, Alex was unapologetically elbowing people in the ribs in his fight to make it to the front line. A few poor suckers made the unwise decision to grab him or hold him back, which ended in a loud cry or a vicious curse on their part. By the time Alex burst out of the front of the crowd he'd garnered a following of at least five angry first respondents, who were yelling things after him to no avail. Approaching the crumbling entrance, Alex was stopped by the police.

"Sir, stay back–"

"I have to go in there," he told them, words tumbling out in a rush.

Alex stepped forward, and the two instantly moved closer. "… Back off."

One of them was trying to calm him down by speaking in a slow voice. It had the opposite effect, grating down on what little was left of his patience. "We have people combing through the wreckage…"

"I don't care, move–"

The first one passed a hand over his gun. "Sir, step away from the–oof!"

His back hit the ground with enough force to wind him, cutting off the end of his sentence. No sooner had his friend joined him in a heap than Alex made off for the entrance, ducking beneath the cracked arch and picking his way through the apocalyptic hallway. The voices of angry emergency workers faded behind him. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Alex took a deep breath of the dust-laden air and shouted,

"Tom?"

Down the hall, someone broke out into coughing. Another voice answered him.

"Who's there?"

It wasn't Tom. Turning the corner into the main hallway of the first floor, Alex spotted three firefighters crouched around a pile of concrete where the roof had caved in. Alex wasted no time in running up to join them despite their affronted looks.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Alex?" a voice emerged from between the cracks, muffled and shaky.

"Tom!" Alex shoved the firefighters aside to dig his fingers into the opening in an unsuccessful attempt to pull the concrete back. One of the firefighters, a middle-aged man with a thick yellow beard, stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and a shake of the head.

"You can't do it alone. We have to try together."

Alex stepped back. "You're not going to tell me to leave?"

"Well, you're already here," he said irritably. "Though you really ought to have nicked a hardhat before pushing your way in here! Honestly…"

Four huge chunks of concrete criss-crossed each other in the most high-stakes game of Jenga that Alex had ever played. Tom was trapped below, though to what degree he was hurt had yet to be determined. Alex and the firefighters came up with a plan to lift up the block on top, as it was the only one with nothing else leaning on it.

"Alex…" Tom's quiet voice filtered in from beneath the former second-story floor. "I – I don't think I'm going to make it…"

It took every last ounce of courage not to give in to the sweeping sense of hopelessness threatening to overtake him. Shit. How did I let this happen? Shit! "Just hold on, alright Tom? Hold on."

Forcing back his panic, Alex clutched the corner of the block and nodded at the firefighters. Three more pairs of hands joined him at opposite ends.

"Ready?" one of them asked. All four men nodded. "… Lift!"

Alex's muscles instantly seized up against the impossible task, fingers flexing as he struggled to not let go amidst the intense strain. The firefighters, too, were gritting their teeth, blood vessels popping up and sweat working its way down their arms. They lifted the rock a few inches, then shifted it so when it fell, it rolled harmlessly down to the side. Alex stumbled when it dropped, and would've fallen if not for the steady hand of the fair-haired firefighter holding him still. Without so much as a thanks, Alex shrugged off the grip and staggered forward to clutch the edge of the opening, staring down as the dust cleared to reveal–

"Alex!"

Olivia sprung forward, throwing both arms around his neck and nearly sending them both crashing to the floor. Once again the firefighters managed to keep him upright despite the 90 lb girl hanging off him. Clutching Olivia to his chest, Alex looked past her to see Tom climbing to his feet with the help of the other two firefighters.

"You're…" Alex trailed off, stupefied.

Tom sent him a cheeky grin. "Had you going there, didn't I?"

Olivia started giggling. Alex immediately released her, and the young girl barely managed to stick the landing. "Hey!"

"You think this is funny?" he snapped, glancing between them in growing fury.

"Come on! Aren't you relieved? It's better than finding us half-dead!"

Alex's hands curled into fists. The smile slid off Tom's face.

"Er… you're mad, aren't you?"

The fair-haired firefighter tried to cut things off there. "This building is unstable, we need to get moving now–"

"Run, Tom," Alex said darkly, stepping forward. Tom peddled backwards, tripping over a rock and hopping to avoid a fall.

"Alex, really–"

"Start running!"

0o0o0o

"So he still isn't returning your calls?"

Snapping his gum, Tom blew a bubble so big that when it popped, it covered half his face. Jane placed a hand on her hip, radiating disapproval.

She was standing in the doorway of Tom's apartment, beyond which two SAS soldiers and a thirteen-year-old boy could be seen crammed onto Tom's loveseat passing two game controllers back and forth between them.

"Hi, Jane," Eagle and Snake intoned. Liam was the only one to look up, sending her a little wave. She waved back. Eagle had brought over his old Sega Genesis to entertain Liam, though it was not clear whether Liam had seen more than five minutes of action with the thing since it arrived almost three hours earlier.

"Come on, let me have another turn–"

Eagle yanked the game controller out of Liam's reach. "Just wait!"

The bouncy 8-bit sound effects could be heard carrying over from the TV, where Sonic the Hedgehog was running across the screen, knocking off villains and gathering coins.

"He'll get over it," Tom assured her, imagining his best friend sulking in the indoor pool amongst the towering splendor of the Greek columns supporting the arched roof. "How's he doing?"

Three days had passed since Brookland was bombed, and things had yet to go back to normal. Classes at all public schools were suspended the day after the explosion while authorities assessed the risk of another attack. Luckily, if there was one good thing to come out of the whole fiasco, it was that Principal Theodore "Ted" Tanner owned up to his crimes after coming to the (false) conclusion that he was the real target of the explosion, and handed in his resignation just hours after the emergency was declared over. It turned out that Ted Tanner hadn't just been stealing from the school – he'd been using the money to fund a massive gambling addiction, which had garnered him more than a few high-profile enemies. There was even a connection to Concrete Massive. The press was going wild.

Alex's antics had also been caught on camera, showcasing a "heroic display of courage" to the masses and a lack of diplomacy to anyone that knew the real reason Alex was seen tackling Tom to the ground right before the main entrance to the school caved in. When the video appeared on the news, Alex was ready to retire and begin his new life as a disgraced recluse. According to him, it was absolutely mortifying for an intelligence agent to appear on the news, and a sure sign that he was "slipping." Jane thought it was funny.

It got worse. When speculation arose the next day that the man seen knocking down two police officers and rushing into a collapsing building might have been the same one filmed leaping between two cars in rush-hour traffic to rescue Bridget Flowers, the girl at the center of the Concrete Massive controversy, a full-blown publicity nightmare was born. Alex's days as Mr. Beckett the assistant history teacher were officially over.

Since then, classes had resumed at an older school that was recently closed and slated for demolition. It was a temporary solution meant to give the students a place to finish off the year while Brookland was being restored. Tom spent most of his lessons in it uncontrollably sneezing due to all the dust mites in the air.

"Not good," Jane told him. "He's in hiding. And he's angry."

"Good god, it was a joke!"

"No," she broke in, "not at you."

"Oh."

Jane glanced aside. "I'm nervous. What if he does something stupid?"

"You mean like, go after Milan on his own? Naw."

"You don't think he would?"

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I'm sure a part of him wants to, but I don't think he would. Not with four extra – er, five extra pairs of hands at his disposal. The stakes are too high."

She released a breath. "Really?'

It was easy to see how anxious she was, arms wrapped around her ribcage as she glanced about dingy hallway that served as Tom's doorstep. Tom couldn't blame her. He was shaken too. Abstract threats were one thing. Even a dead valet seemed somehow disconnected from them, especially given that none of them ever saw his face. But this was… this was real. The fact that Tom was even alive, let alone unharmed, was nothing short of a miracle. He'd spent the first night after the explosion lying wide awake in his bed, imagining all the different ways it could've ended, and still felt baffled by the experience.

"Yeah. He's not stupid… no matter how often he acts like it. Listen, Jane. To be honest, I didn't ask you to come here so we could talk about Alex. I have – er… I need to ask a favour of you."

That piqued her interest. "Oh?"

Tom carefully pulled the door shut behind him so the two of them were alone in the hallway. The ancient light fixture next to them was coated in a thick layer of dust, flickering like a candle in the wind. Tom tried to ignore the distraction and pressed on with forced determination.

"Okay, so, um …" He cleared his throat. "I've been thinking about something…"

To be clear, Alex didn't just chase Tom out of the school that afternoon. By the time they finished navigating the sea of chaos that awaited them in the parking lot, he seemed ready to kill the man himself. For one, Tom had way too much fun talking to the press. Way too much fun.

"Mr. Harris! You are the year eight history teacher, correct?"

Tom stood at the center of a circle of media professionals, all holding up microphones and shoving cameras in his face. He had his hands clasped serenely in front of him, smiling and bobbing his head in ongoing agreement.

"That's right."

"Is it true that you sent your class out ahead of you so you could stay to search for a missing student?"

"It's true. Everything they say about me is true! Ha, ha." Tom tugged at his collar, wincing when a camera flash went off a little too close to his face. "Just kidding."

"Mr. Harris? What do you mean by that?"

"Is it true that you took in one of your students following an incident of domestic abuse?"

"I only did what any law-abiding citizen would do when confronted with a desperate situation: I did what I could to help."

The crowd cooed with approval. At the back of the crowd, Alex rolled his eyes. Jane, Eve and Liam were standing inconspicuously in front of him, attempting to obscure him from view.

"Who was that man seen chasing you out of the school?"

Playing dumb, Tom asked, "Who?"

"Mr. Harris! Did you know about the headmaster's fraudulent activity?"

"Had I known, I would have taken every measure to–"

"What is your relationship with the school secretary, Miss Alison Litz?"

Tom froze. "W-what?"

"Mr. Harris, were you aware that she was having an affair with Mr. Tanner?"

"Where the hell did you–? Okay, I have to go–"

"Mr. Harris! Wait!"

Tom made a not-so-swift getaway with Alex and Liam both in hand, shoving his way past the nosy journalists and making a dive for his car when it came into view. It took them a while to get out of the packed parking lot, but as soon as the buildings started flashing past through the windows, Alex blew up in his face.

"Are you fucking mental? I almost had a heart attack back there! Why you would even think of playing a joke like that is completely beyond me–"

"Alex! You can't yell at the driver! I'm driving!"

"I can do whatever I hell I want! You bloody asshole – can you even imagine what was going through my head when you–? And then you have the nerve to spend ten minutes blathering away to the press!"

"I was trying to make light of a dire situation! Stop overreacting!"

"Overreacting, am I? You think this is overreacting? I will show you overreacting!"

Liam watched impassively from his place in the backseat as Alex snapped open the glove box, pulled out the driver's manual for Tom's Honda Civic, and proceeded to start beating him with it.

"OW! Stop it! ALEX! I am driving!"

Tom shook his head clear of the memory, focusing on the woman in front of him. For her part, Jane handled things well, confessing earlier that day over the phone that she was still mystified to have learned nobody was hurt. Relieved, yes – overjoyed, even, but also… perplexed. It wasn't every day that a school exploded in the middle of the afternoon with no casualties whatsoever. Was this all a part of Milan's master plan? Why else would he have called to warn them if he wasn't counting on them to survive?

"Stop spacing out!" Jane berated him. "Would you just ask already?"

"Sorry, sorry. Jane, I need a gun."

"… A gun?" she repeated, taken aback. Tom scratched his chin.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but – well, I really don't know anyone else that would know where to find one – except for Alex, of course, but there's no way he'd go for it–"

"Why do you say that?"

Tom fixed her with a flat look. "Come on. Could you really picture him trusting me with a gun?"

"Wow, Tom. Way to make a case."

He grimaced. "Look, I'll be the first to admit that I have no idea how to use one, and there's a high likelihood that I'll shoot myself in the kneecap before ever landing a target myself, but…"

"Tom, seriously..!"

"Hear me out, would you? Even if I did learn how to use a gun, Alex still wouldn't go for it, because he… has this idea of me in his head like I'm just some… some teacher."

"Um… I hate to break it to you, but–"

"Stop right there," Tom deadpanned. "I may not be a government agent or a trained soldier or an – an assassin," he whispered the word, "but there's no avoiding the hard truth that I'm involved now, I'm involved and that makes me a liability, get it?"

She softened. "Tom…"

Tom held up a hand. "I'm not looking for your sympathy. I'm looking for your help. Can you help me or not?"

It was clear that if she agreed, she would be going behind Alex's back. The idea did not sit well with her. "I… I mean…"

"I'm not just responsible for myself anymore," Tom reminded her. "There's a teenage boy in my apartment that's depending on me to keep him safe. If there's one thing I took away from Brookland's fall, it was that I can't afford to be a liability anymore. Luck like that doesn't strike twice, it just doesn't."

Jane gazed across at him with wide, watery eyes. He took a deep breath.

"And… I'm not only talking about Liam. The thing about Alex is that… if something happened to me, he'd… he'd get really fucked up over it. I don't want that to happen. He's already trying to do so many things right now – to expect him to be able to protect me and Liam and himself is just… just… something's gotta give, you know?"

"Tom," Jane said quietly. "Say no more."

Tom's whole face lit up. "You'll do it?"

She glanced away. "Don't smile. It's not a happy occasion. I hate this."

"I hate it too, believe me. But it's either this or spend the rest of my short life as a sitting duck."

"Do you actually think me giving you a gun is going to make you any less of a sitting duck?"

"Come on! If you teach me how to shoot it, then I'll–"

"Start shrieking the second someone points one at you and then drop it at the least opportune moment?"

"Well, probably, but…"

It felt like a small victory to see Jane's grave expression give way to a smile, however reluctant it might've been. "Of course I'll teach you how to use it, but… there's no preparing you for a life-or-death situation. I hope you know that."

"If it comes down to it, I'll do what has to be done. And I'm not just saying that."

"I know," she said, reaching out to touch his arm. She was no longer smiling. Tom returned the gesture, trying to instill faith.

"Cheer up, Jane. This is a good thing. I'm not so useless anymore, now am I?"

"You were never useless," she snapped, pinching him. Tom jumped back, and found himself on the receiving end of a particularly fierce scowl. "Don't ever say that. That you of all people should have to learn how to work a gun is…" She trailed off, thinking back to Tom's earlier words. Alex just thinks of me as some teacher.

The sentiment was all wrong. Alex was desperately trying to keep Tom out of everyone else's battles, yes, but it wasn't because he thought Tom incapable of fighting. It was because Tom's mundane life as a high school history teacher was the last standing pillar of normalcy in his life, and he was terrified to see that disappear.

"As much as you admire Alex's ability to fight the way that he does," she said, trying to impart the newfound wisdom onto Tom, "… he admires your ability to not fight at all. Can you see that?"

Tom stared at her. "… What?"

She sighed. "Never mind. I'll get you your gun, alright? In the meantime, try to keep yourself alive. For my sake…"

The last part was tossed over her shoulder as she started down the hallway.

"Bye, Jane. And thanks!" he added.

He received no reply beyond the clap of the door behind her as she disappeared into the stairwell.

0o0o0o

"Feet shoulder width apart, slide the left one back a little, that's right, and now you hold out your hand… like this, see, and–"

"You lied to me!"

Alex and Eve were standing in the hotel hallway with about eight feet's distance between them, well-lit by the shimmering chandeliers dangling above. The tall, ornate arches of Alex and Wolf's respective doors flanked them on either side. Below, the marble floor was cool to the touch. Alex knew this because he was barefoot.

"I didn't lie," he told her, straightening. "You weren't listening."

Eve took a single step forward, fixing him with a ferocious glare. She was wearing the same outfit for the third day in a row – black trousers and one of Liam's oversized hoodies. "You said you would teach me how to fight!"

"True. But I never said what."

She groaned. "What does that even mean?!"

"It means if you don't learn how to fight your violent impulses, you're going to get yourself gunned down by the first authority that you piss off!"

Right then, the door to their right slid inward to reveal Wolf's tired face. He glanced between them in wonder. "What are you two doing out here?"

"Watch," said Alex, focusing on Eve once more. "Eve. Would you just listen to me for once?"

Eve crossed her arms, saying nothing.

"Blessed silence," he sighed, exasperated. "Alright. Now step your right foot forward, bend your knee – good, good, arms out like this–"

"Are you teaching her tai chi?"

Eve immediately dropped the pose. "Tai chi?!"

"Dammit, Wolf. She was doing it!"

"I am not wasting my time with some stupid poses! Milan is somewhere out there as we speak and he could strike again at any time! You said you were going to fight me, now you're going to fight me!"

She dived forward, closing the distance between them in less than a heartbeat. Alex had to match her speed to avoid a fist to the face, leaping back as soon as he saw her muscles tense. Once again he found himself on the receiving end of her inconsolable temper, dodging one wild advance after another using no more than a series of carefully-laid steps. Wolf's jaw dropped. It wasn't just the speed and precision of the demonstration – it was Eve's complete lack of inhibition. Landing even one of those blows was sure to leave a mark!

"O-oi!" Wolf sounded, reaching out as though unsure whether or not to intervene. The rate of their exchanges had already taken them halfway to the other end of the hall, since Alex was making no attempt to push back against Eve's never-ending onslaught.

Eve grit her teeth in frustration. No matter how fast she moved, Alex was always faster, maintaining an inch's distance between them at all time. A tilt of the head to dodge her right hook. A mere shift in position to avoid a foot in his stomach. Missing every attack was annoying enough without having to watch him do it all so effortlessly. He never stopped moving his feet. Glancing down, Eve saw him curl his toes against the granite, and had to wonder if he was enjoying himself. Sure enough, she looked up to find him grinning.

"Are you done?"

Only then did she realize she'd stopped moving. "No."

They resumed their unorthodox dance as Eve cycled through every move that she knew until she eventually ran out of ideas and started making up new ones up on the spot. This gave way to a sloppier form and a more unpredictable fighting style, which Alex immediately picked up on. When she finally stumbled, Alex put a few feet of distance between them and asked,

"Are you self-taught?"

Eve paused to catch her breath. "You're joking."

"No, I… really can't tell. Are you?"

"Obviously! Who the hell would have taught me?"

"Seriously?" Alex gazed at her with wonder. "Wow, that's impressive! Where did you pick it all up?"

There wasn't a single person in the whole world that Eve would've admitted it to, but Alex's admiration actually triggered a jolt of pride in her. She immediately swallowed the reaction and averted her gaze.

"Here and there," she answered vaguely, earning her a laugh.

"Maybe you'll tell me once you're finished acting like a total brat?"

Alex stepped back to narrowly avoid the foot aimed at his chest, ducking around the corner as he went. Onto the next hallway. Eve wasn't going to give up until she at least laid a hand on him.

"I… don't get it," she panted. "Back at your apartment… it was so easy!"

"You stabbed me!" he pointed out with a breathless laugh. Her fingers swiped to grab his shirt, missing the opportunity by a millisecond.

"But – even that! You were… so slow!"

The next time she tried to land a blow with her fist, Alex caught her wrist and held on, stopping her in her tracks.

Eve struggled to free it from his grasp. No dice. "H-hey!"

"You know, Eve, there's a lot you don't know about me," he said, gazing down at her with raised eyebrows. "You don't know my strengths, and you don't know my weaknesses. But I could be convinced to reveal a thing or two… if you practice tai chi with me."

Alex released her, and she stumbled back a few steps before reaching up to rub her wrist. "Fine!"

They resumed Alex's pose from earlier, front knee bent with one arm extended forward and the other back.

"One," Alex began, "I can't stand hurting kids."

He leaned into his back knee and lifted the other leg in a seamless transition into balancing on one foot. Copying the motions, Eve wobbled a little.

"Two," he continued, "I don't take well to sleep deprivation."

Back on both feet, Alex pushed his arms out in front of him and shifted his weight into his right knee while Eve watched and followed along.

"Three…" he said, and this time a pause fell in between the number and the confession. "Sometimes I just stop caring."

Alex twisted so his feet were next to each other once more, separated by a few inches of space. When Eve failed to follow, he turned to face her. "Why'd you stop? You were doing well."

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked. The hallway was eerily silent. Not a single soul had appeared since they started their impromptu spar. The whole floor could've been empty for all they knew.

"The day that you attacked me…"

Again he paused, unsure how to properly articulate the thought.

"That afternoon, I was hoping you'd do it."

Eve's eyes widened in unconcealed alarm. "You mean…?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I was just getting such a kick out of it. You really came out of nowhere – and I mean that. Normally I'm pretty good at spotting these things, but you…"

She was doing her best to read his expression, but there was something unfathomable about it, as though Alex himself wasn't entirely sure how he felt. "You got me. Just like everything else that day. It was weirdly perfect. Thinking about it now…" He grinned. "It's just so funny."

"… Funny?" she repeated, staring at him like he was crazy. "How is it funny? Aren't you saying you wanted to die?"

Alex waved her off, gesturing for her to walk with him as he started back the way they came. "I wouldn't go that far. It was more like, I was thinking to myself… when will I ever get another opportunity to die like this? It's not often that I'm attacked by someone so young, and just as rare for me to be in such bad shape. Did you see the video of me jumping between the cars? That shit hurt."

Eve matched her pace to his as they walked side-by-side back to the hotel room. "So that's why I beat you. Because you were at such a disadvantage."

Alex peered at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed disappointed.

"Yeah, obviously," he said bluntly. "What do you take me for?"

When Eve failed to perk up, Alex tried to offer her a little more credit. "Hey, don't take it so hard. It was still a huge accomplishment. I mean, you put me in the hospital! Nobody's done that in years!"

"Big deal," she muttered.

"It is a big deal. I never lose."

"Never?" she repeated.

Alex stopped outside their door and paused to give it an extra second's thought. "… It's pretty rare, let's just leave it at that."

Rounding the corner at the other end of the hall, Jane entered their line of sight dressed in her usual tan trench coat with her dark hair loose behind her. Alex fell silent to watch her approach. She wasn't yet close enough to hear them, so Eve used the opportunity to ask a question that had been lingering on her mind for a while.

"Are you in love with Jane?"

She expected denial, maybe even embarrassment. Instead, Alex's reply was frank.

"Yeah," he said. "Pretty much."

The defeat in his voice puzzled her. "Why do you say it like that?"

But Jane was getting closer now, so this time, Alex responded under his breath,

"Because I never get what I want."

"What are you two doing out here?" Jane called out, shifting the weight of the bag hanging off her shoulder. Alex pressed his key card against the door, and the light blinked green with a quiet beep of agreement before he was able to twist the knob and shove it inwards.

"Just getting a little exercise," said Alex. "Eve. After you."

Eve stepped into the hotel room, only to spin around when the door abruptly clicked shut behind her. "Hey!"

Out in the hall, Alex led Jane a few feet away from the room's entrance and initiated a semi-huddle, speaking to her in hushed tones. He was all-business. "Listen. While you were gone, I plotted all the places Milan used his credit card at on a map to get a sense of his general position. And... I noticed something."

"What is it?"

Alex glanced away. "Most of the purchases were made within a short distance of Tom's old house."

Jane pressed her lips together, contemplating his words. "It's not a coincidence."

"No," said Alex, "I didn't think so either. When he confronted me on New Year's Eve, that was something he said – that he knew where Tom lived."

She nodded. "He's trying to piss you off."

"It's working."

"Alex…" She reached up to smooth both her hands over his shoulders, gently applying pressure with the pads of her fingers. The two of them had taken to exchanging small touches here and there, with a degree of intimacy that had only really entered the picture after Brookland exploded and the two of them realized that it wasn't worth it to keep walking on eggshells around each other. "This is a good thing! We know where he is!"

But Alex did not look convinced. His whole body was tense. "I…"

He paused. She waited for him to finish.

"I don't want you to come," he said, forcing his eyes onto hers. Her hands slowed to a stop. "Maybe I'm being selfish–"

"Extremely so," she growled.

"Well, I don't care. Nothing bothers me more than the idea of putting you in danger. Any of you," he added, scratching his neck. "Look, I'm not used to it. This hasn't been an issue for me in a long time."

"What hasn't?"

"People," he said, a little bewildered. "I haven't had anyone to worry about since my housekeeper left England eight years ago. Now, it's like… it's all I can think about. I can't sleep at night. Don't smile, I'm being serious."

She pushed back her amusement and resumed her ministrations. "Alex. Please. You can't really expect me to sit this one out. I'm the whole reason he's here!"

"But I could–"

"It's not up for discussion! You think I'd actually let you go after him alone? Over my dead–"

"Jane," he cut her off wearily, "please don't finish that sentence. This is what I do, alright? This is what I've always done–"

"No it's not," she said flatly. "You are not the killer. I am."

He was getting desperate. "Think about Eve! If something happens to you, she'll–"

"Have you!"

"No. I can't look after her, or anyone else. What I can do is work alone to neutralize threats. It's the only thing I'm good at, so–"

"It's not the only thing you're good at."

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it's not!"

The hallway seemed to ring with silence after their twin outbursts. Aware of how loud they were getting, Jane led Alex into her and Eve's hotel room and lightly pushed him down onto the bed. Sitting with both hands clutching the blanket next to him, Alex continued to deteriorate.

"I don't think you get it," he whispered.

"I get it, Alex. You're worried. I'm worried too." She peeled off her coat and threw it over the armchair in the corner. "I mean, how do you think I'd feel if something happened to you? This is entirely my fault!"

"It's not your fault. You didn't ask for him to follow you."

"But I knew he'd try to find me! I knew the risks and I did it anyway! Alex, the whole reason I came here was because – because of you!"

That forced him to pause. "… Wait… what?"

Jane collapsed flat on her back next to him, draping an arm over her eyes. "You don't remember."

"Remember what?"

"What you said. Any of it! Back in Amsterdam… you told me you grew up in Chelsea. You said it was the closest thing to home that you've ever known. I moved here because I thought maybe… I might run into you again."

Silence fell in between them as Alex struggled to process the confession. Mortified, Jane kept her face hidden from sight.

"You came here hoping to see me?"

"Yes," she said hopelessly. "And look where we are. Do you see now? Anything that happens to you is on me, all because of one stupid night that you don't even remem–"

Twisting around, Alex reached out to pry Jane's arm away from her face. She blinked open her eyes to discover Alex hovering over her with an indecipherable expression, instantly capturing her gaze and holding it with unexpected intensity. Jane could only stare.

"I do remember," he said. "I remember meeting you at the hotel lounge. Jane Beatrix – you took the name from a poster for a jazz ensemble."

"Yeah," she whispered, still frozen. The close proximity served to be a little much for her following such serious admission. Alex's eyes trailed down over her as though trying to commit the image to memory. His fingers tightened around her arm. Then, without saying anything else, he leaned down and kissed her.

Jane didn't even hesitate to kiss him back, sinking into the pillows and surrendering to the embrace. It occurred to both of them at the same time how maddeningly late all of this was. Alex had been crazy about Jane since the day he set eyes on her in the second floor hallway, and Jane had moved to Chelsea purely on the off-chance that she might run into Alex. Yet somehow it still took them seven months to reach this point.

"I'm an idiot," Alex mumbled into the kiss.

"Me too," Jane responded, pulling him closer. It had seemed like such a romantic notion to move to Chelsea in hopes of seeing Alex again, but actually finding him had proved to be another thing entirely. Jane had kept her distance in hopes that if Milan did come looking for her, he wouldn't make the connection between her leaving and Alex's unwitting influence. A pipe dream, of course; only a person in love could be so naïve as to think it wasn't obvious to everyone around her. And she'd tried so hard to act cool.

Meanwhile, in a room not so far away, Eve was sitting on Alex's bed contemplating the most valuable piece of information she'd acquired to date. Tom's old house. Little did Jane and Alex know, Eve had spent the duration of their conversation flat on her stomach listening intently through the cracks in the door for any intel that might help her determine Milan's whereabouts. And that's exactly what she got.

Turning to peer at Alex's bedside table, she thought long and hard to come up with a plan. A moment later, she was pulling open the drawer and extracting a small orange bottle filled with painkillers. The prescription on the side left nothing to the imagination: PERCOCET 325MG. Take one tablet every six hours as needed for pain.

She twisted off the top and shook two out onto her palm, rolling them over between her fingers. Right as she was pushing the drawer shut, a knock sounded at the door.

"Eve?"

When Alex's face appeared around the corner, Eve was sitting in the middle of the bed looking wide-eyed and innocent. He frowned.

"What?"

"What?" she fired back.

Alex stared at her for another moment before giving up and wandering inside, gesturing vaguely at the open door as he went. "Out."

She climbed off the bed and shot him a dirty look. "Jerk."

"Takes one to know one."

She was right about to pull the door shut behind her when something caused her to pause. Turning around, she caught sight of Alex standing in the middle of the room staring listlessly ahead, one hand slowly massaging the back of his neck.

And to think he had no idea what she was about to do… It made her feel a little giddy to be one step ahead of someone she'd determined to be so intelligent. Should she give him a hint?

"Hey," said Eve quietly. He glanced back at her.

"Back at the hospital…" she said slowly, "You were right. It's different when you have something to protect."

Alex dropped his hand. "Oh?"

He was waiting for her to elaborate, but that was as much as Eve was willing to give away. She grasped the edge of the door and pulled it shut behind her, adding in barely a whisper,

"Goodnight… Alex."

0o0o0o

A/N: Gah! I'm sorry! This chapter is short too, but it's only because I've been so busy and I wanted to get at least something posted. The next one will be longer! And better! And I'll get it out sooner, I swear! I actually wrote like 1500 words of it this evening so that's not an empty promise!

Sorry for the wait and as always thanks for all the lovely reminders that I really ought to be working on this thing, it means the world!

I'm aiming to finish this baby in the next three or four or maybe five chapters, so anyone who's got any predictions on how things will finish up, speak now or forever hold your peace… x) I will warn you… the ending may fuck you up a little bit. /unpredictable author is unpredictable!

Next chapter: "Little Evelina's finally come home. You really brainwashed her good, didn't you… Alex Rider?"