Chapter 38: The Pretty Committee

Friday came faster than Alex would have liked to admit. His studies and plots kept him busy when he wasn't with Tom. The brain scans came up as 'unusual, but perfectly fine'. Whatever the hell that meant. Brandon said it meant his brain seemed to work differently from most people's, but it was nothing to worry about. Alex had shrugged and went back to his studies. Ian was reviewing his schedule with Charles and Marion. In the meantime, it left him to contemplate his plots. Family. Blunt. SCORPIA. Freedom. He checked his weapons and plants almost constantly. An idea struck. He wouldn't always be able to get to the bunker, but maybe MADDOX could get to him. He glanced around him. "MADDOX, can you hear me?"

His second untraceable phone buzzed.

Yes.

"You can hear everyone can't you?" Alex froze at the thought. What if…? He supposed there were areas without electronics at all, but that would leave most of the world open to his purview.

Yes and no. I see with a million eyes and listen through a million ears.

Alex held his breath. "Do you know what happens next?" That would be useful. At the same time, he wasn't sure he wanted that power. He was afraid of what he could do.

Sometimes. And then, I can be surprised, sometimes.

"What about my family? Can you tell me what happened to them? Who were they? What they believe?" It would answer a lot of question that Ian couldn't or wouldn't. That and he wanted more than a few images to remember his parents by. Sue him. He knew next to nothing about his mother and his knowledge of his father was limited.

The past is...easy for me. Are you sure you want to know? The files are easy, but reading them is another question.

Alex considered for a half a second. But there was one thing about him that hadn't changed. That wouldn't change. Even Death couldn't touch it. "I want to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Very well. Check your computer in the morning. I recommended starting the philosophy books. It might help you understand their actions better.

Alex put away his phone in its usual spot and strapped on weapons. He was pretty sure that nobody would attack his gathering tonight, but he never went anywhere without weaponry anymore. Alex felt a grim sort of smile form as he reminisced about a time that packing heat would have made him uncomfortable. Then again, he'd usually carried some sort of pointed metal object as long as he could remember, even if it was just a nail. They came in handy more often than most people thought about. Fenrir brushed up against him. "Hey, boy."

The giant wolf was now officially fully grown. At around five feet in length and over a foot wide, Fenrir cut quite the intimidating figure. Alex assumed he was done growing because his eyes were yellow and he hadn't grown in a few months. The wolf was one of his favorite things on the planet, including people. The massive paws and jaw lent themselves to hunting and digging. The wolf ate a massive amount of meat every week and Alex was glad he'd found a butcher who didn't ask too many questions. Jack had been surprisingly nice about the whole thing. Alex wondered if she wasn't growing fond of the family pet. The wolf was affectionate, although less so than most dogs. He pets Fenrir. "Aw, it's not your fault they made you like this."

The wolf was emitting what passed for the dog version of purring. Alex had to wonder on some level if the wolf obeyed him because it knew on some level that they were the same. "I swear, you love that dog more than me."

Jack was standing in the doorway, her smile belying the comment. Alex grinned. "Dogs are a man's best friend, but there is plenty of snuggles and love to go around, Jack."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Keep your fur-ridden hide away from me unless you shower. Do you know how much fur I clean up?"

Alex grinned. "I love you forever and thank you?"

Jack snorted and tried to look stern, even as her heart melted a little. "You know the drill."

Alex chuckled. Jack sat beside him. "You tanned again."

Alex shrugged. "Great, I'll probably get skin cancer at this rate."

Jack rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine. How was the trip?"

Alex sighed. "Ian's kind of a control freak."

Jack resisted an eye roll. And now he notices. Jack put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's as human as the rest of us and he loves you, Alex, just remember that."

Alex sighed and muttered when he thought Jack was out of earshot. "Yeah, I just wish he told me that more sometimes."

He didn't see Jack in the corner or the tears that suddenly formed in her eyes as she walked out of the room. Fenrir's tail wrapped around his leg and he smiled softly.

Mandy was anxiously pacing the room. She was taking a risk inviting Alex into this group, especially since he didn't officially go to Brooklands and wasn't one of the traditional members. Plus, she was new. Their group stretched back to the founding of Brooklands. It was a secret passed from family member to family member. The school had dozens of areas not for the public. The people in it had secrets they wanted to be handled outside of court and the usual blueblood circles. Hence came the guardians. They were sort of old money, but not obscenely wealthy. It lasted until you turned graduated and then you left school alone to your successors and dealt with the adult version. Basically, they were fixers, but not necessarily just the kind you hired. You had to plead your case. The case had to be approved. You had to keep it and the resolution away from the adults. Their job was to keep the reputation of the school and its inhabitants relatively spotless. The official name was The Commission for School Spirit, but it was invitation only (unlike cheerleading and dance committees). Officially, they were a club of rich kids who occasionally donated to prom. Unofficially, they were the grey justice system of the school and risk-taking club combined. They dealt with everything from rumors (themselves and others) to actual cases that would otherwise result in criminal prosecution, but the kid wanted their justice instead. Revenge was possible in extreme cases. Hale was a traditional member, but he knew the roles. Harris could keep quiet and bring more cases to them. Alex was special and had the skills they looked for. He was probably above their caliber, to be honest, but Mandy wanted him included.

Alex felt the faintest hint of foreboding the minute he knocked on Amanda Teller's door. James seemed a bit more tense than normal, but Tom was his usual cheerful self. There was something going on here. Mandy opened the door to a group of six teenagers in semi-formal attire. "Come in."

Alex stepped past here. "I feel underdressed all of a sudden."

Mandy smiled softly. "Don't."

The dinner was a formal setting, which had Alex immediately glad for all of the lessons he'd had for this sort of thing. Tom smirked. "Snazzy isn't it."

Alex shrugged. "Actually, in formal circles, a three-course meal is considered somewhat basic. Five or seven would be for a celebration."

Tom and James just looked at him and quickly took the chairs to his right and left. "This is Nigel, Karen, Adrian, Gillian, and Richard."

Nigel was pale and blonde. Alex wondered if he was part albino, and the blue eyes weren't helping him come to a decision. Karen was about average looking, with an oval, soft sort of face and brown hair and eyes. Mandy was more angular. Adrian seemed like the typical blond jock, but his eyes seemed to search the room again and again. Richard seemed to be the nerd of the group, complete with brown eyes, brown hair, thick glasses, and a pocket protector. Gillian didn't strike him immediately as male or female. It was rare that he actually had trouble telling. The sheer androgyny of his/her features was not exactly bad looking. Alex wasn't sure if it was rude to ask. The clothes and face didn't make him lean one way or the other. The body language was the only thing that gave Gillian away as a biological male. Gillian didn't quite have the grace of a woman. "Nice to meet all of you."

The dinner passed with a bit of conversation that Alex filed away for information mining later. Tom looked distinctly uncomfortable when the starter came out. Alex whispered instructions in his ear for the whole meal. Tom sent him more than a few grateful looks. Gillian seemed to notice his staring. "You gonna ask or not?"

Alex shrugged. "It seems rude. I take it you prefer to just be known as Gillian?"

Gillian shrugged. Their voice was neither low nor high. "Yeah, not like it goes one way or the other, thank god. One of the few times my parents had actual sense."

Alex just finished his dessert. He'd met odder people in his last life. James and Tom just sort of shrugged and went along with it. "I take it you didn't call us here just for the dinner."

Gillian half-smiled at him. "You are a sharp one."

Alex grinned. "Well, I do like to think fast."

Mandy sat them all down in the sitting room. It was oddly quiet. "Well, we called you here for more of an alliance type thing."

Alex was interested. People tended to underestimate kids. "You guys are fixers, then?"

Mandy twitched. "Not exactly. We aren't ignoble. We have rules. We stand for justice and secrecy, but above we do actually try to help."

Tom glanced at him. "They're a bit like you, Alex."

Alex considered it. On one hand, he didn't mind helping his former classmates. On the other, he was getting other kids involved. "What are your specialties?"

James shrugged. "Mostly a combination of legal, social skills, and street smarts. They also have weekly classes."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You're in on it?"

James gave a sheepish shrug. "I thought it was just a bedtime story or something."

Mandy looked at them. Tom spoke up. "We'll be able to help people like me, right?"

Nigel spoke up. "That is something of the point."

Gillian was looking hopefully at him. "Fine, but I reserve the right to not get involved."

Gillian's lips twitched. "That is a given."

Alex sighed. He needed all the help he could get. "I accept."

James looked at the other for a solid minute. "As do I."

Alex looked at his oldest friend. He needn't have been worried. "I'm in if Alex is in."

Adrian pulled a book from the shelf, and the entire shelf swung outwards. Alex wondered why he was even surprised. "Keep the secrets from the adults."

Alex almost laughed. "That goes without saying."

Adrian entered first. "Right, so we've been around since the school got founded."

The place reminded him of Smithers' workshop. "Nigel and I do the devices, but in a year or two you'll know enough to build and repair your own."

Alex couldn't wait. Even if he had more life experience than these guys, devices were still exciting. Gillian handed them a couple of books. Alex looked at the titles. They were about on par with his usual study books, but the language seemed more reader-friendly than most of the college textbooks he'd ended up with. Alex wondered how they kept it all quiet. "You'll notice that all of us got a hundred in drama."

Which was true, now that Alex thought about it. "So what exactly do you guys do?"

Nigel shrugged and turned his pale blue eyes toward Alex. "Lots of things. We try to keep up appearances as much as possible around adults, though. Most people would consider us a combination of vigilantism and just general criminals."

Alex figured these people were right up his alley. "What are we learning tonight?"

Nigel propped open a rather large book. "How much do you know about first aid?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I'm certified."

James and Tom snort in the background. "Figures. CPR and diving?"

Alex shrugged. "I know the theory."

Ian hadn't taken him on the trip to be a certified diver or had him trained in CPR, yet. The trip had originally occurred when he was twelve. CPR had been only in the last year before the debacle with MI6. Nigel handed him some more books. Mandy snorted. "You should hand him the law books."

Alex choked back a laugh at the utter irony that would be him becoming a legal expert. On second thought… "Yes, please do."

Alex decided that he would at least know the letter of the law, even if he wouldn't necessarily obey it or the spirit of the law. They were up until about midnight before the doorbell rang. "Who is calling at this hour?"

Nigel seemed to be a bit on the conservative side, but Alex figured it was just his parents or an act. People tended to believe you were respectable if you sounded and looked respectable.

Adrian got the door. It was the school secretary, Ms. Bedfordshire. Alex got up. "Oh, don't stand on my account."

Alex raised his hand as a greeting. "Alex, how nice to see you."

He wondered why the school secretary always seemed to have a soft spot for him. He guessed she still remembered him, then. "Nice to see you, too."

He hadn't forgotten her from the past life either. Alex appreciated adults who were genuinely concerned with helping their charges, even if they got in the way sometimes. "What are you here for?"

The secretary sighed. "I'm afraid I'm having a spot of banking trouble and staying with Ms. Teller until the bank sorts out my account issues. Housing is difficult to find with bank trouble."

Alex decided not to ask if it was a conflict of interest. He actually liked Ms. Bedfordshire. "What are you doing up?"

James flashed her a charming grin. "Sleepover, Ma'am. It is Friday, after all."

Gillian had closed the entrance to the workshop before joining them. The secretary sighed. "Just don't stay up too late."

She ascended the stairs. Alex waited until she'd left. "Isn't that a conflict of interest?"

Mandy shrugged. "Not like anybody is going to say anything; it wouldn't be proper."

Alex's lips twitched. "I suppose not."

Ian Rider got up early in the morning to pick up his nephew. Crawley said he was being a control freak. Ian preferred the words 'present in Alex's life'. Starbright had just eyed him warily, as though she expected him to start something. He pulled into the driveway without any trouble. The house looked exactly as it was described in the file. Really, those two were just overreacting. Ian knocked on the door, which was answered by a middle-aged woman. "I'm Ian Rider, Alex and Tom's guardian."

The woman eyed him warily. "I'm Amanda's mother, do come in."

Ian detected a definitely frosty edge to her tone. Had he offended her? Ian sighed. Sometimes, he just wasn't good with people. "You know, sleepovers usually last until about ten or noon, right?"

Ian wondered how anyone expected their children to be productive members of society at that rate. He wasn't going to say that out loud - it would be rude. "Not really, actually."

The woman heaved a sigh. "I'll make you breakfast."

Ian mentally sighed. "I've eaten, thank you."

That and the breakfast at these things tended not to be the healthiest. The woman sighed. "Well, I'm not going to wake them at eight in the morning, so you're in for a wait."

Ian sat down in the kitchen. He hadn't really been around at these things, so he didn't really know what was typical. "What do you do?"

Ian thought he was obviously dressed. "Banking."

Mrs. Teller huffed. "I'm not sure how such a nice verbose set of children grew up with you."

Ian sighed. "I had help."

It was the short version of the mess that was his home life at the moment. Mrs. Teller began to get out eggs, bacon, and biscuit dough. Ian internally winced at the calorie count but figured it would be okay just this once. The two of them sat in the sort of awkward silence that usually permeated the air around parent night after the parents had run out of stories to tell about their kids. Ian made a mental note to have Starbright tell him how these things usually went. "How many are you cooking for?"

Mrs. Teller snorted. "Six teenagers and three boys, plus the adults."

From the look she gave him, Ian figured he'd epic failed something from Parenting 101, but couldn't figure out what it was for the life of him.

Alex got up to the smell of breakfast cooking. It was unusual that he stayed up that late or slept in afterward. It was kind of nice to act like a normal kid for once in his life. He supposed he'd probably be doing it more often, when he was in town, at least. Alex showered and put on his clothes in his usual fifteen minutes or less and then wandered down. Ian was leaning against the staircase. "Morning, Ian."

Why wasn't it Jack? It usually was. Alex didn't mind, exactly; it was just a bit odd. His surprise must have shown because Ian suddenly looked guilty and Mrs. Teller put extra bacon on the plate she was making him and sent Ian a look that could have frozen the sun. "Morning, Mrs. Teller."

She sent him a smile. "Oh, good morning, Alex. You can call me Melissa, you know."

Alex thought it was still a bit weird to call adults by their first name. "It wouldn't feel right. Thank you for breakfast."

The woman pulled out a chair for him. "The others are still asleep, Mrs. Teller."

The woman shrugged. "I figured as much. Are you sure you won't have a nap?"

Alex smiled. "No, I'm afraid I'm up for the day. Your cooking is delicious, by the way. The wonderful smell was charming to wake up to."

Alex might have overdone it a bit. Mrs. Teller blushed a little. "Nice of you to say, dear. You'll be a real hit with the ladies in a few years."

Alex flushed ever so slightly. "Thank you, ma'am."

Ian was looking at him like he was from an alien planet. "You think we could turn on the telly?"

He was trying to emulate other people his age, he really was. Mrs. Teller looked relieved at the reprieve. "Of course, dear."

The drive home was uncharacteristically quiet. Tom spoke up first. "You didn't hit on her, did you?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Uh, gross. She's married and thirty-something. Plus, I'm eleven."

Tom snorted. "Doesn't stop some."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You're a pervert, you know that right?"

Tom grinned. "Aw, but you corrupted me first."

Ian gagged at the mental image. There were some things you did not need to imagine family members doing. "Phrasing, you two."

Alex grinned and mock gasped. "Ian, we were talking about something else that time."

Ian turned onto their street. "You had better have been. Besides, you two have a bedtime that you completely ignored."

Tom huffed. "It was a Friday, man, you should lighten up."

Ian let out a sigh. "I know the days of the week, thank you."

Alex remained silent in the backseat. "Alex, we are meeting in my office when we get home."

Alex sighed and Tom patted his arm sympathetically. For once, Alex was glad Ian was paranoid about car safety because it meant his eyes didn't leave the road. The car door closed with slightly more force than necessary. Tom sauntered into the kitchen first. "Hello, Jack."

Alex let a soft smile appear on his face. "Morning, Jack."

She looked anxious. "Did it go okay? You're back early."

Tom sighed dramatically. "I don't think Ian knows how sleepovers work."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It went fine, Jack. It was pretty fun. Mandy has a gecko."

Alex grinned slightly at her shudder. "That mother of her must have the patience of a saint."

Alex fought a laugh. "Yeah, Mandy wanted a snake, but got talked down to a gecko."

Jack shook her head. "You couldn't pay me to look after one of those."

Fenrir appeared in the room and walked right up to the counter before swatting a plate off the counter and simultaneously catching it and the food in his mouth. "Fenrir!"

The wolf flashed him an innocent look and Alex did his best not to start laughing at Jack's yelp and indignant sputters. "Sorry, it must be his breakfast time."

Jack sighed. "At least the plate isn't broken."

It was promptly placed back on the counter. "There's that."

Alex managed to feed Fenrir and get halfway to Ian's office before he started laughing hysterically. Ian shut the door behind them.

His uncle was rolling his eyes at him. "It's not that funny."

Alex kept right on laughing as Crawley walked in. "What did I miss?"

Ian rolled his eyes again. "The dog stole a plate."

Crawley huffed. "Oh, come on. That thing is massive enough as it is."

Alex gave Crawley his most innocent look. "He's not that big."

Crawley glared at him. "He's almost six feet long and three feet wide."

The man was totally exaggerating. Besides, his baby wouldn't hurt anybody. Alex sighed. "Fair enough."

His fur ball was adorable, no matter what people said. Fenrir was his baby, his mildly oversized, wolf-like baby. Alex spotted a massive paw creeping under the door and kept on grinning slightly manically. "Moving on from the oversized family pet."

Alex interjected. "My baby is not oversized."

Crawley rolled his eyes. "Give it up, you two."

Ian sighed. "Since when do you know how to charm people?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Since you sent me to school and I learned social skills."

Crawley sighed. "You know…"

Ian interrupted him. "Not my point, but be careful, we don't want anybody asking questions."

Crawley sighed. "He's adjusting your schedule, again."

Alex sighed. "And why, pray tell, is that?"

Ian gave him a look. "You know why. Besides, it won't be all bad?"

Alex made a mental note to divide his time between the two secret societies he was now a part of and do his best not to mix up the stories of the two. At least the one with students had a bunch of secret passages and places in London for him to memorize.

It was close to Christmas before the exchange program hit the news. It was going to be debated for quite a while by Parliament. Ian, predictably, took issue. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with last year."

Alex thought his uncle looked rather like an impatient panther. The man's assignments had been mostly domestic and had him back within weeks. "And I'm sure it does."

Alex sighed. "Really, Ian, you're being paranoid."

The man continued to pace. Crawley was eyeing them both nervously. "Relax, Crawley, there isn't going to be a knife fight."

The man had lightened up considerably in the past few months. Alex figured it was because the man had been somewhat bored and very lonely before. That and the following procedure and filling out paperwork was boring. Alex wouldn't be trusting him with anything Ian didn't know. While Crawley was calmer, Alex knew he'd spill to Ian the minute he got the man alone. The group with Mandy was surprisingly nice. He'd missed having friends, even if he still had Jack and Tom. That and once they figured out that he was actually good at some things, they let him explain or teach. He'd genuinely enjoyed teaching Tom more Spanish and Mandy more maths. It was nice to be treated as an equal, he supposed. Most of his life these days, he was either below or above someone. Nigel seemed to be hiding something, but since his friends didn't ask too many questions about his skills, Alex didn't ask how they learned theirs. Adrian had helped him with lock-picking and some of his other breaking, entering, and stealing skills. Mandy was almost as knowledgeable as him and Ian about politics. The debates were very much enjoyable. Gillian had offered to teach him to pass as a girl and Alex thought it was kind of fun, if disconcerting. It reminded him of drama class when he'd had to play a girl. Karen and Richard had their own unique brand of sports that was comparable to his in the past life. Both of them knew and made a hobby of parkour. They both looked pretty epic while doing it. They had both kinds of grooved on his silent movement abilities. Something about adding to their styles. Alex was just rather eager to learn it. Tom and James had been just as excited. Jerry seemed to be doing well.

Ian was looking at him funny. "What?"

A sigh. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past three minutes."

Alex shrugged. "Sorry, I was thinking and zoned out."

Crawley's lips twitched. "Don't hurt yourself."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh, fuck you."

Ian shot him a glare. "Language."

Alex resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He could get dragged through a war zone and stalked by an assassin, but he couldn't swear? "If you say so."

Ian gave him a look. "What crawled up your ass and died?"

Crawley choked on his water. "Um, Ian, I think we know where the language came from."

Ian sighed. He hadn't meant to snap, but he was frustrated. Alex sighed. "Irony."

This Ian was a lot more relaxed and less formal than he remembered. Then again, they were closer this time. Ian just looked at him, pausing in the middle of yet more pacing. Alex hadn't realized he'd answered aloud. "Irony? What do you mean?"

Alex wondered whether he shouldn't be sleeping more. That was a slip-up. "Nothing much."

Crawley sighed. "You don't talk much."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm the quiet sort."

Ian huffed. "Only around us."

Alex resisted a snort. "Don't take this the wrong way, but how many people have you seen me talk to?"

Ian spent a minute mentally counting. "Okay, I see your point. But what about Jack and Tom and the rest of the lot?"

Alex wondered how he was going to put this. He internally winced and wished he had more tact. "They're better at being talkative."

Crawley rolled his eyes. "Well, you definitely didn't apply for that transfer program, right?"

Alex gave him a withering look. "I'm eleven, not stupid."

Crawley rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you're getting enough sleep?"

Alex let out a long sigh and refrained from flipping him off.

Alex went to Mandy's house on Friday, as usual. The air seemed immediately tenser when he walked in. There was a girl there. Alex figured she couldn't be more than six or seven. Jesus. Great, he was turning into Joe. What kind of trouble could she possibly be in? Alex winced as he remembered some of the shit he'd pulled only a year or two older and decide to reserve judgment. He sat down to the grim looking faces of his new allies. "What's the situation?"

The little girl sat on his lap without warning and looked at him with wide brown eyes. "I like you."

Alex wasn't quite sure how to react. "Um, hello."

He put his arm at her back to make sure she didn't fall. He was a little worried about being near a little kid. They just seemed tiny and fragile and he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Nigel sighed. "Domestic abuse. I'm positive."

Alex glanced at the kid. "Cover your ears."

The girl shrugged. "Okay."

Alex was resisting getting visibly angry or shouting. "Why the hell aren't the police getting involved, then?"

Mandy made a placating gesture. "Two reasons. One, her brother came to us and asked us not to. Two, her dad has already paid off the police, twice."

Alex sighed. "The mother?"

Gillian tilted her head. "Nice enough, but not going to stand up to the husband any time soon."

Alex made a face. "Job? Pension?"

Nigel pulled out a decently large file. "Minor public servant. She'll get it even if he dies or is injured off duty."

Alex gently shifted the kid onto the couch. She was still covering her ears. "How bad?"

Nigel looked at him. "The kind of shit that gets you the maximum sentence in prison."

Alex sighed and opened the file, weighing his options. Nigel must have been pretty pissed to actually swear. "Alright. I'm in."

Tom was giving him pleading looks. James was looking in between the two of them. Tom spoke up. "I don't think we can adopt."

Alex rubbed his eyes. "Dead or disabled?"

Adrian fixed him with a look. "We aren't assassins."

Tom looked worried. James' eyes were the size of saucers. "You burned Tom's house down."

Alex sighed. "A happy accident."

James' eyes narrowed. "Bullshit, but it's okay. He needed to get out of that house."

Tom huffed. "This is so fucked up."

Alex sighed. "So is the rest of the world."

Mandy griped. "Someone should fix it."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Like who? The corrupt politicians?"

Karen interjected. "This is a meeting about Jessica and Jonathan, not a political debate."

Richard spoke up. "Evidence, I think. There are a few judges who are not corrupt."

Karen sighed. "If he got therapy, he could learn his lesson."

Mandy glared at her nails. "Prison, he'll take it out on the kids."

Tom shrugged. "Prison."

James sighed. "We can try the usual system. I can't endorse non-present parents."

Alex sighed. "Prison."

Sadists never stopped unless they were dead or imprisoned. Nigel's eyes blazed. "Prison. He should burn for his sins."

Adrian pulled out a switchblade. "Prison."

Gillian's eyes hardened. "Prison, for the love of God, he's done enough."

Alex looked at Jessica, her ears still covered, and smiled grimly. Hear no evil, indeed. He led her from the room and gently pulled her hands off her ears. "Jessica, go get your brother and go to your room, please."

Alex sighed and went back to the sitting room. This was going to be a long night. Jonathan came in afterward. Mandy stepped forward. "Will you keep our secrets until the day you die?"

Jonathan swallowed heavily. He couldn't be more than twelve. "Yes."

Mandy stepped aside. "Then we will proceed." Jonathan hesitantly stepped forward. "The fates demand your father's imprisonment or disability. Should he pay this price?"

Jonathan looked torn. He took a solid minute to answer. Alex could hear the clock ticking. "Yes."

Gillian stepped forward. "Then we wish you goodnight. Tomorrow a new dawn will rise."

Jonathan left the room.

Alex glanced at his allies. "Tonight, then."

If he thought too long, he would hesitate anyway. "Yes."

They went into the dressing room. "Karen, Tom, James, stay behind with the kids."

Adrian was the team leader for this sort of thing. "Nigel and Richard, tech support. Amanda and Gillian, you're the lookout. Alex with me."

Alex instinctively put on the Kevlar the way he'd been taught. Adrian turned to help him and saw that he was already dressed. "Alright. So, weapons?"

Alex gave him a look. "Right. You'll want to switch your knives out, though."

Alex was surprised they actually had smaller blades that fit the current size of his hands. "You could stay behind, you know."

Alex tightened the wrist sheath. "I would still be equally responsible, even if I did nothing, just by the benefit of knowing."

Adrian shrugged. "It might be bloody."

Alex had realized that, thank you. Evidence was rarely pretty. "I know."

The others gave him concerned looks. "Right, then. Let's move out."

Mandy walked over to her parents. "We're going out for a walk and to eat something. We'll order out for the others."

Mrs. Teller gave them a wan smile. "Have fun kids."

The exited the building. Alex felt his pulse beginning to race. They were all wearing clothes that looked reasonably nondescript for the neighborhood. Alex was sure Gillian had memorized his measurements or something. Mandy somehow had gotten clothes for all of them. Adrian drove them to the neighborhood. "You're eighteen?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "They'll never suspect the dyslexic kid, who failed twice before they figured it out, of plotting, now will they?"

Alex's lips twitched. "Not in the slightest. They might even give you a pass as a sports player for anything short of murder, too."

Adrian snorted. "You're a cynical little shit, you know."

Alex grinned. "Wasn't that the goal here?"

Gillian snorted. "Ah, your innocence was so fleeting, though."

Mandy ruffled his hair. "Good little munchkin."

Alex rolled his eyes. What was it with women and his hair? They all lapsed into silence. Gillian delicately tapped his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Alex touched his knife. "Yes."

They entered the house and the man's room and waited. The mother wouldn't be back until three in the morning since she worked two shifts at her job. Alex and Adrian examined the man's sitting room. "So, when did you learn to do this?"

The place had already been cleaned. They even tried black lights. The only evidence left was the children and wife, it seemed. The man could claim it was an unknown assailant. Shit. They would have to go for disabling, then. The alibi would be tight. Alex shrugged. "A while ago."

Adrian looked at him. "Need a refresher?"

Alex looked at him. "No need to be insulting."

Adrian sighed. "You don't need to be defensive with us, you know. We get it."

Alex looked at him again. "It will take me awhile to realize that. Trust issues."

Adrian sighed. "Do we need to intervene-"

Alex cut him off. "Absolutely not."

Adrian just looked at him. "Okay."

Alex could tell the man didn't really believe him but was going to let it rest. Alex tested the balance of his knife. He could throw it and spare himself the trouble of sinking it into the man's flesh. It would still need to be removed. Or he could just stab the guy. Alex disliked murdering people and blood in general, but he was determined to do this. For Jessica, the little kid who was still innocent to the darker side of the world they lived on. Alex began to pace. Adrian looked worried. "You really don't have to."

Alex let a flash of rage color his tone. "I want to."

The man was a menace to the society he was supposed to be protecting. At least nobody in SCORPIA put on a white hat and called themselves a saint. The blade in his hand flicked in and out of the sheath. Yassen was going to be so pissed if he figured it out. He prayed Ian never found out.

The door opened and the knife went into his hand. Adrian echoed him. Though the other boy had the job of injecting a substance that would prevent the man from recognizing them. The man in a suit walked through the doorway and they struck. Alex aimed for tissue he knew he could reach. The man's inner leg. Adrian went for a needle in his neck. There were twin flashes of steel and then the blood came out. It was lucky they were wearing black because there was so much of it. Shit, Alex had failed to account for the movement. The guy had impaled his own artery on Alex's knife. Shit. Shit. Shit. He was going to die; No ambulance would get there in time. The pool rapidly spread as the man gasped out, his breath failing him as his heart stopped from the lack of blood. The man looked at them both. "Why?"

Alex pulled his knife out and more blood came oozing out. It was seeping into the carpet and rapidly spreading. "You cannot do what you did without paying the price."

His shoes were soaked and he wondered about evidence. The man seemed to accept the answer and relaxed into the floor. Alex felt his breath beginning to come in shortened gasps. Adrian grabbed his shoulder. "Easy. You need to take your shoes off now. The socks are special and won't leave any DNA evidence they can use."

Alex followed the instructions almost robotically. The walked out of the house casually. Gillian was giving him concerned looks. Mandy was there. There was a tarp down in the car. It was easy to change out of his clothes. He put on a new, completely identical, set. Adrian sighed. "Burn pit time. We accidentally killed him."

Mandy held him afterward in a tight hug. It was surprisingly nice. Alex barely remembered much from the fire pit. He just watched the flames consume their things. The weapons were sterilized to the point that no evidence that they had ever been used would show up. Alex watched until the last of the fire died out. Gillian put at hand on his shoulder. "Time to go."

He took a deep breath and stepped into the car. The sun had just finished setting. Alex registered them getting food, but not what it was or what it tasted like. Tom walked up to him afterward and he was pulled into a hug. He didn't remember who had explained to the others what happened. He felt tainted. The hug broke whatever dam was inside him and he began to sob. He realized he was still shaking about halfway through it. "Easy, mate, easy."

Alex showered afterward and joined Tom in bed, forgetting he wasn't in his own home for a minute. Tom didn't ask questions and just lay there next to him.

Alex's sleep was surprisingly nightmare free. He figured it was the fact that Tom was there. They'd been woken by Ian and a smiling Mrs. Teller. "Good morning, boys."

Alex's eyes snapped open and only the fact that Tom was on top of his arm kept him from instinctively drawing his knife. "Morning, Mrs. Teller."

She looked between them and Ian. Tom rubbed his eyes. "Fell asleep to Alex's rant on economics. Works faster than sleeping pills."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It isn't that boring, Tom."

Tom grinned. "Sure, Alex, this is why you need me in your life. You'd have no fun otherwise."

Alex whacked Tom with his convenient extra pillow. "Bullshit that."

Tom grinned. "You even talk like you're nine hundre-oof."

Mrs. Teller was clearly holding back laughter. "Breakfast in ten minutes, you two."

Ian looked puzzled. "But it's-"

Alex didn't get to hear the end of Ian's sentence because Mrs. Teller yanked him out of the room as their pillow fight broke out. Tom lost, resoundingly, and was now death threating him with Jerry. "Me and Jerry will tag team you into the ground."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Jerry and I, and you'll have to wait until he gets back from Naples."

Alex knew for a fact that Jerry was staying in Naples. Tom grinned at Alex's rolled eyes as he sat down. "Oh, but he'll come back. He's a good brother."

Ian was giving them a disapproving look and Mrs. Teller was beaming. "Sure, Tom. Keep telling yourself that."

The others were rolling their eyes. It was a nice day, one of the few sunny ones in London. They got home pretty quickly. "Alex meet me in the basement."

Alex grabbed one of Jack's sandwiches and fed Fenrir.

Jack was eyeing him concernedly. Alex leaned against the kitchen counter. She was surprised to see actual muscle definition forming on his arms. He hadn't thought that children could build muscle, but then, he did exercise a lot. Especially recently, with Ian's new study schedule. It was kind of hellish, truth be told. Jack watched him eat. "Didn't you just eat?"

Alex shrugged. "I'm usually always hungry."

Jack snorted. Fenrir was eyeing his sandwich longingly. "No, avocados aren't good for you."

The wolf switched to the fruit bowl. "Grapes are bad for you, too."

The dog huffed and let out a little whine. "You're shameless, you know that right?"

The wolf still kept giving him a wide-eyed look and whining and Alex sighed and snapped off a piece of bacon that hadn't touched the avocado. "Shameless, you furry rat."

Jack was shaking with obviously concealed laughter. Crawley was rolling his eyes at the scene. Tom was just shaking his head. "You love the dog more than me."

Alex snorted. "What gave you that idea?"

Tom was pouting, but there was no real hurt behind it. "You share bacon with it and not me."

Alex snorted. "You have your own bacon and poor Fenrir doesn't get any of his own."

Jack gave him a look. "I am not cooking bacon for your dog."

Alex pet the (now appeased) wolf. "Exactly."

Crawley was just shaking his head. Why couldn't it have been a pit bull? A nice, normal pit bull. They made wonderful guard dogs. They also didn't eat people and massive amounts of dodgy meat that came from shady meat shops. I mean, it was probably beef, but with the mob, it was better to just get your meat elsewhere if it was for you. "You don't think it's funny that the thing only eats meat?"

He was trying, he really was. Mini shrugged. "It's his natural diet."

That perfectly innocent expression was such a lie. Although, Mini was technically correct in this case. "If you say so."

Crawley went back to his paperwork after taking his dishes to the sink. Alex washed out the bowl for Fenrir. Blood could stink up a room.

Alex went into the secret basement without a feeling of apprehension. He was ahead in his studies and was probably ready for whatever Ian threw at him. "So, the family decided to celebrate Christmas together. In Russia."

Alex just looked at him. "Aren't they restricted because of their jobs?"

Ian sighed. "Usually, yes, but they and I are considered basically above suspicion."

Alex sat down. "Why are you telling me down here?"

Ian shrugged. "You read that history book I gave you about the family, right?"

Alex shrugged. That and the files that MADDOX had given him. He'd complete the entire biology pre-med track, too. Technically, he was homeschooled at this point. Online engineering and accounting courses were being helpful, too. Ian was looking at him. "How is the Russian coming?"

Alex gave him a look. "Well."

Ian gave him a funny look. "Your dialect is different from mine."

Alex sighed. "I learned from online courses and audio, Ian."

Ian switched back to English. "Yeah, I figured."

Ian was eyeing him suspiciously. His uncle seemed to be weighing his options. "You didn't happen to hear anything about a death in the British government."

Alex sighed. "Four hours after. I'm ninety percent sure it's a vigilante killing."

The lies came almost too easy now. Ian rubbed his eyes. "I'll find a way to pass it to Tulip. And you wonder why we worry. Any chance you'll tell me your sources?"

Alex gave him a look. "Right."

Ian mentally resolved to investigate his nephew, again. There could not be that many unknown criminals in his life. "Alex, are you hacking people?"

Alex mentally swore. "Carefully."

Ian gave him a look. "You better be. If I have to bail you out with law enforcement, I'm grounding you until you're thirty."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Only if I'm caught, huh?"

Ian ruffled his hair. "Of course, you have to have some fun."

Ian was awesome sometimes.