A/N: Umm... I'm truly sorry...

So, before COVID, I was in a really good place, my senior year of college, everything was going really well, and with senior year, the rush of graduating, this story got put on the backburner...Then COVID came..and I ended up in a really bad place mentally. I didn't have the mental capacity or energy to write, and again, this story ended up on the backburner. I got a dog, but he has issues we are trying to work through, and things have just been really stressful. 2020 is shit, and I think everyone can agree on that. So, I'm really sorry this took forever, and I'm sorry it's short, and it may not be the best chapter ever, but I wanted to try and maybe brighten someone's day with an update :).

Enjoy.

The morning light broke through the almost non-existent window shades as Alex blinked his eyes open, hoping the last 24 hours were all a dream. When his eyes met the moldy ceiling of the motel they crashed in last night, he knew it was not. He turned his head to see Wolf splayed out on the only queen bed, snoring loudly and drool running down his face. Snake was in a similar position. Alex slowly sat up, wincing as the cot creaked, but a quick glance at the sleeping men told him the noise did not register through their sleep. He walked to the bathroom, splashing some lukewarm water on his face from a tap that could get neither cold nor hot, and squeaked when turned, rust hindering the rotation. Alex peeked back into the room when he flushed the toilet, again neither man moved. He sat back on the cot that made the room considered a "triple" when in reality it was a regular room with a cot pulled into it. Alex took the time to take a few deep breaths, finally getting a moment to just exist and not have to run for his life.

"You ok?" a hoarse voice startled him in the silence. Snake was sitting up now, stretching his limbs loose from the uncomfortable mattress he had slept on. Alex just nodded, wanting to keep the silence of the morning still, until everyone had woken up and the day started. The two stayed in silence, Snake taking stock of his bag and then reading a small book he brought, while waiting for their leader to awaken, hoping this nightmare would be over finally. A soft knock at the door interrupted their thoughts. Snake looked through the peephole, unlocking the door. He opened it to reveal Ben and Eagle, hair still a little bedraggled, Eagle rubbing sleep out of his eye.

"Morning," Snake greeted them, motioning them in quietly. Eagle got a mischievous look on his face when he saw Wolf still sleeping when everyone else was awake. Eagle slowly crept closer to the bed, the floor creaking under his feet. The other unit members just watched with amused smiles on their faces, knowing the morning must move forward at some point. Eagle walked to the side of the bed Wolf had dropped himself on last night and promptly fell off into sleep. This morning, he laid on his back, splayed out, hand hanging off the bed, a loud snore ripping through the little room. Eagle gathered himself and then jumped on the bed as if it was a trampoline. Wolf sat straight up, a yell on his lips till he saw his team laughing at him and Eagle's antics.

"Time to get up!" Eagle said, jumping on the bed still.

"OK! Ok!" Wolf tried rolling onto his feet without sending Eagle crashing to the ground. "I'm up you oversized toddler!" Wolf stood, stretching, working out the kinks in his back from laying on the ratty mattress.

"Alright, everyone. Let's settle down," Fox placated, trying to get everyone to focus. "We got 2 hours until our ride comes. Until then, we need to lay low."

The unit looked at each other, wondering what to do for 2 hours, when Eagle exclaimed, "Let's play ISpy!"

2 hours had passed, and the unit anxiously waited for Fox's phone to ring, signaling the arrival of their retrieval team. Every little noise created by the ramshackle motel caused the unit to tense up, either looking at the phone, or at the door for an enemy to walk in. Eagle's game of ISpy lasted all of about 15 minutes until lately, where Alex decided to humor him, and hopefully pass the time.

"I Spy..something tan!" Eagle said, eyes squinted.

Alex groaned, throwing his head back. "Everything in this room is tan!"

Before Eagle could reply, the phone rang. Fox picked it up and talked quietly to the person on the other end. The conversation only lasted about 3 minutes. The rest of the unit held their breath, trying to gauge the situation based on Fox's tone. He gave nothing away.

Fox ended the call and turned back towards his unit. "Alright. Our rides here. About a 5-minute walk outside of town. They drove around and said they didn't see anything suspicious. So let's pack up and hurry out."

The 4 other men hurried to put anything they took out of the backpacks they grabbed from the house in, and they all made their way outside. Slowly, one by one, they stepped outside, looking around, and then turned right towards the edge of town. They walked as quickly as they could, staying close to the trees. For the little town they hid in, it was a normal, sleepy Sunday.

They trekked out of the town, and on the shoulder of the main road, keeping an eye for any cars that may pass. Eventually, they came across their retrieval team, K-unit shaking hands and laughing with old buddies.

"Let's get away from this place," muttered Wolf, taking a seat in the jeep, his unit following suit, a chorus of agreements following him as well.

Alex laid his head against the window where he sat. He had been unable to sleep well the night before, the threat the MI6 breaking into the room, and dragging him back a possibility he couldn't shut his eyes or turn his mind off of. Here, in the safety of his unit and their trusted companions sent by the sergeant frpm base camp, he closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion from the past days catch up to him. His unit keeping watch and letting him drift off.

A/N: Soo yeah..again I'm sorry this is probably really short and crappy, but I'm hoping this may make someone's day maybe just a little better.