Thanks to everyone who read and to tomfeltonlover1991 for reviewing (and I'm not sure why the edited version didn't post the first time, should be fixed now).

"Thanks for the ride," Jamie said, forcing open the door of the truck against the wind and grimacing as the bite of it woke him up a little more. It hadn't been kicking like this when he'd ridden over to Cory and Isaac's house earlier, and he was very glad that he hadn't been stuck trying to ride his bike back home. Of course, he had been stuck on the floor at their house until it was time for Isaac to leave for his shift, not the most comfortable place to try to sleep especially since their heater hadn't been working very well, but it was only four-thirty so there was plenty of time for him to get some real rest in his own bed before it was time to officially get up for the day. Hopefully the wind would die down and he could pick up his bike sometime later this weekend.

Isaac waved back and then continued on down the darkened street, and Jamie headed for the front door, fumbling to get the right key out. He really hadn't slept very well on that floor, but the couch and recliner had already been claimed so there hadn't been a lot of other options.

And then the door was yanked open before his key even reached it, and all traces of sleepiness deserted him as Alex glared out at him. "Where the hell have you been?!"

Jamie rocked back instinctively, going rigid. Alex wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow. Well, today, technically, now, but not until later. Definitely not in the middle of the night.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Alex barked. "Get in here!"

That was pretty much the last thing that Jamie wanted to do, not when Alex's hands were opening and closing like they were, and he stayed frozen where he was.

"Now, Jamie!"

He wasn't stupid enough to think that disobeying was going to help anything, and he made himself edge his way around Alex, trying not to make it obvious what he was doing. The door shutting behind him—and the sound of the lock clicking into place—was not reassuring, though.

Alex's jaw worked. "Where exactly have you been?"

Jamie kept his mouth shut.

"Answer the question, Jamie."

His voice was dangerously low, and his hands were still opening and closing. "Cory and Isaac's," Jamie said quietly. Not that the names were going to mean much to Alex, it wasn't like they were particularly close friends, and maybe that was just as well because he was pretty sure that Alex wouldn't like that their dad was usually out of town driving his truck and their mom wasn't around any more than his was. Or that their house was more than occasionally where the parties started. That hadn't happened last night, it had just been a couple of Isaac's friends hanging around, but...well, it wouldn't have surprised him if it had.

"And is there some reason you couldn't make it home on time?" Alex ground out. "Which, in case you forgot, was over six hours ago."

"I...no," Jamie admitted reluctantly. It didn't take a genius to know that 'because we were hanging out and then I didn't feel like riding through the wind' wasn't a good reason. He just hadn't figured that it would matter what time he got home as long as Alex wasn't around.

There was no way in hell he was going to say that out loud.

Alex's jaw worked for another long minute. "Next question: why do I smell smoke on everything? That's not just cigarette smoke, either, so don't try to tell me it is."

Jamie sucked in his breath. Oh, shit. Of course the smell was all over his jacket and clothes, everyone had been crowded into the front room because of weather even if it was something they would normally have taken it up to the roof. He hadn't thought anything about it at the time, it wasn't like it was a new situation for him after all, but there was no way in hell that being around that would fly with Alex. "I wasn't smoking, I swear," he said quickly. He had no idea if Alex would believe him—actually he was pretty sure that he wouldn't, all things considered—but it was true. Mostly. That one drag on Cory's just because he hadn't even been thinking about it didn't really count, especially since he had said 'no' when one of them had offered him his own. And he hadn't touched the other kind at all; he never did.

Alex continued to glare for a long minute as Jamie stayed frozen where he was, and then he shook his head and made a sharp gesture sideways. "I am way too angry to deal with you right now. Get to your room and get to bed. And don't even think about going anywhere tomorrow."

Jamie hooked his teeth into his lip and did as Alex ordered. As much as he'd wanted to get away a moment ago...Alex had been angry at him plenty of times, but he'd never not told him what his extra chores were or how long he was grounded for or whatever his punishment was going to be right along with the yelling. Jamie didn't much like this version.

It only took him a few minutes to change and curl up in bed, but once he had he found himself flipping back and forth underneath the blankets unable to come anywhere near sleep.

It wasn't like whatever Alex decided on would be that bad. It couldn't be. Alex didn't even have any really bad chores to give him considering how clean he kept this place, and the chores at the station were all things Jamie had done before. And grounding wasn't so awful either since he still saw all of his friends at—and before and after—school. Being grounded on the weekends and at night was kind of boring since Alex made him do his homework, but Alex mostly made him do that anyway, now.

And Alex wasn't the kind of man...he'd never hit Jamie before so he wasn't likely to start now. Or if he was going to start now, it would probably have been back in the doorway when he was so mad. He'd only sent Jamie to his room so that was okay. Anyway, he wasn't exactly a big guy so even if he did decide the belt was a better punishment it couldn't be that bad.

It was more likely that he'd just decide that Jamie was too much trouble to keep. Jamie flipped over again. That was something he could definitely see happening. He'd figured that Alex would kick him out before Sonja found another foster home anyway; hell, he hadn't even thought his time here would last a week back in the beginning. But he'd sort of...he was used to it here, now. He even kind of...

Another flip, and he wasn't getting any closer to sleep, and eventually he slipped out of bed and dragged the comforter after him as he curled up in the far corner.