Chapter 42: A Home Invasion

England in the winter was not all that much warmer than Russia. There was a certain dampness in the air that made up for the lack of snowdrifts and seemed to seep in through your layers. Alex wondered if he wasn't depressed or insane sometimes. Then again, tensions between Jack and Ian and, surprisingly, Patrick and Crawley had been on the rise. Tom was back to being his only human comfort. Unsurprisingly, all the adults had very different ideas on how he should be raised. Alex was glad that Marion hadn't come because the family was on the verge of outright violence as it was. Lily and Jason had made the mistake of getting involved and were now earning the ire of both Ian and Jack. Crawley had been surprisingly fiery in his defense of Alex's remaining childhood and actually threatened to dismember Patrick. Jack seemed to hate the man almost as much as Crawley hated him when he arrived but had been furious when she found out that it had been Ian preventing him from contacting Alex. Crawley was pissed about Patrick's enforcement of Alex's education. Ian and Crawley were both against him seeing Mordant, while Jack and Patrick fully supported it. Jason and Lilly hadn't taken kindly to the interference from people not in the know (Alex suspected Crawley knew more than he was technically supposed to but wasn't about to say anything) and had proceeded to tell off Ian, Crawley, and Jack. Tom had been smart enough to stay out of it and Fenrir couldn't talk. All in all, nobody was speaking to each other, minus the bare minimum. Alex pulled on his coat to escape the stifling silence. "Can I come with you?"

Tom was there. It was three more days until Friday when they would see Mandy and the rest. Alex smiled. "Sure."

Tom pulled on a coat and they ignored the adults glaring at each other in silence in the living room. Alex's cousins had disappeared into their rooms to study. Alex had already completed both his private and known-within-the-family studies for the day. Getting up early had helped with that. Fenrir was already trotting over with his leash. Alex felt a surge of happiness at the fact that Fenrir was so eager to go on their walks together. The massive dog rose into his touch as he put the collar on and practically dragged Alex along in his haste to go outside. Tom was grinning as they went outside. Alex walked a ways away from his house. "Will you keep my secrets, Tom?"

Tom gave him a look that was equal parts worry, offense, and sincerity. "Always."

Alex opened the bunker after they went into a particular alley. "Awesome."

His best friend breathed. Alex grinned as he walked into the hallway. "This, Tom is now a secret between three people."

Tom glanced at him. "Ian?"

Alex snorted. "Nah, a man named, Brandon, you know him."

Tom squinted for a second. "The doctor? Why?"

Alex shrugged. "Not all my story to tell, but his dad helped make the place."

They explored. Alex was naturally gravitating towards the library.

Speak of the devil. "Dr. Brandon. How are you settling in?"

The former army captain looked surprisingly glad to see him. "Alex, it's Charles. Who did you bring?"

Alex shrugged. "The giant furry rug is Fenrir; the small runt is Tom."

His friend squawked indignantly. "Small?! Not all of us had freakishly tall relatives!"

Alex rolled his eyes. Tom was just so fun to bait sometimes. Charles was smirking now. Alex was glad he could still entertain. "So what are you up to?"

Charles sighed. Should he get the kid involved? Probably not. Was his life shitty enough that he was considering it? Yes. "Plotting and paying rent on a piece of shit flat by doing a job I'm overqualified for. You?"

Alex shrugged. "Family drama. More family drama. And more family drama."

Alex suppose you could boil down all of his problems into that category. SCORPIA was a family problem and so were the adults in his life. Plus, MI6 could totally count, too. Alex didn't even want to think about his relatives or the Black Circle. Technically, only the Pretty Committee was not a family thing. Brandon chuckled. "Yeah, I figured. We reading?"

Alex shrugged. "Sure."

Sometimes it was nice to just have a non-awkward silence. Tom glanced around the library. "What's so interesting in here?"

Alex grinned. "This one will teach you all about explosions, Tom."

Tom grabbed the book. It was one of the many violent selections in the library. Alex figured it would keep his friend's attention. Some of his selections would probably be boring as shit to Tom. Brandon was pretending to read while examining his youngest ever patient. The kid looked terrible. The bags under his eyes were almost black and they both seemed a bit down. Charles wondered if the kid wasn't an insomniac. There was medication for it, after all. Christ, he hoped it wasn't whatever crazy study regimen his relatives wanted him on. No normal child read at a college level like this kid did. It might be Christmas break, but he wasn't sure Mr. Homeschool ever got one. Tom was watching his friend. Despite the seemingly unending drive that Alex possessed, Mandy had warned him about how geniuses pushed too far could burn out. Alex looked almost sick. Tom watched his friend pass out while reading. Thankfully, there were couches. Alex was on one. Tom quietly got up and adjusted Alex so he didn't wake up face-first in a book on some sciency thing. Tom wasn't quite sure what it was, actually. Brandon was shooting Alex concerned looks. Tom shot the door a significant look. Brandon followed him out. "Should we wake him up?"

Tom snorted. "Nah, the dog 'll guard him. Besides, I think he needs the sleep."

Brandon glanced at the kid. "Yeah, he does. Let's go for a walk around here."

Alex woke up to a wet nose pressed against his palm. He checked his watch. It was about dinner time, so he'd been asleep about five hours. "Good boy, Fenrir." The wolf licked him affectionately. Yellow eyes seemed to gleam with happiness. "Get off, you furry rat. We have to go back to the house." Fenrir huffed but got off of him. Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Can you find Tom and Charles for me?" Fenrir gave him a look that seemed extremely offended. "Sorry, boy, I'm not doubting your skills."

The wolf nudged him and let out a huff before setting out at a middling pace. It was a brisk walk for Alex. Alex let his 'dog' lead him through the halls and, before long, he spotted his two friends. "How'd you find us?"

Alex snorted at Tom's question. "The dog did, actually."

Tom stuck out his tongue. "Cheat."

Alex clasped his chest. "I'm hurt you would ever think such a thing."

Tom snorted with laughter. "So all those card games were chance? I don't think so."

Alex gave him a look of mock offense. "How dare you impugn my honor thus."

Tom started laughing even harder. Tears were beginning to form in his friend's eyes. Charles' eyes glinted with amusement. Alex knew he was now wearing a smirk, despite himself. "I hate to break up the fun, but shouldn't you two be heading out for dinner now?"

Tom and Alex sighed. "Yeah. It was nice talking to you, Cap."

The army captain rolled his eyes. He'd had more offensive nicknames in the army. Alex had nothing on his squadron. "Sure. You two take care."

They both walked towards the bunker entrance, away from him. Damn, he was lonely. His best conversation in months was two kids and the occasional hologram. Charles knew he really should fuck off and get a normal life, but couldn't bring himself to drop the case about his father or forget about the kids. Hell, the mystery was the best part of his life. Fuck all happened to him that didn't involve the kid somehow. Meh, it wasn't like he had family or friends or even a pet. Charles doubted the kid would let him have fluffy the wolf look-alike, but, man, that dog was awesome.

Tom and Alex walked back to the house in silence. The road was slippery and gleamed from the newly formed ice. "You seem tired."

Alex sighed. "I am tired, Tom."

His wolf was by his side. Tom grinned suddenly. "I missed you, even if you brought back your horrible relatives."

Alex snorted. "I missed you, too. Remember when it was just us, Jack, and your shitty parents?"

Tom smiled. "Yeah. What would you think if I asked for it to be just us?"

Alex sighed. "I would insist we get GCSEs, first."

Tom sighed. "It's just so tense around there."

Alex huffed. "I know."

Tom looked at him. "I feel so ignored."

Alex gave him a look. "I'm sorry."

Tom laughed bitterly. "It's not you. It's mostly the adult's fault." Alex looked at him. "But you, Alex, you never ignored me. You saw what the teachers never wanted to see. You and Jack make an actual effort."

Alex felt overwhelmed with emotion. "Tom, I-"

Tom scowled. "Let me finish. They don't deserve you. You're a person, not a toy. Come with me, Alex. The world can't be so bad. We can live with Jerry if we really need an adult."

Alex stared at Tom in astonishment. His friend bit his lip. Tom looked like he was about to cry. "Right, you think I'm stupid."

Alex grabbed Tom and hugged him, almost knocking him over. "No, you're not stupid. We can't run away now, but we can live together later if you want. Besides, my problems have a way of following me, remember?"

Tom was returning his hug. "I forgot about the dude who sent you a severed head until now, to be honest."

Thankfully, they were in Alex's backyard, or they might be blocking the sidewalk. Alex was still holding Tom. "I love you, Alex. I don't want to see you hurt."

Alex rested his forehead on Tom's shoulder. "It'll get better Tom, I promise. I'll make it happen somehow." Tom snorted. "I love you too, Tom. Never forget."

Tom was smiling into his neck. "Good. Can we stay out here a bit longer?"

Alex shrugged and sat on a frozen bench that he'd placed earlier in this year in the garden. "Sure."

The wolf sat next to them. Surprisingly, it was Patrick, not Jack who interrupted their moment to call them in for dinner. "Boys! Quit declaring your undying love for each other and get inside!"

Alex stifled a grin. There were so many bad jokes to be made right now, so many. Tom gave him an equally amused look. He knew his best friend was thinking of the same crude jokes as he was. They were both wearing shit-eating grins as they walked into their tumultuous home.

The adults and Alex's cousins were sitting at the table in silence. Alex remembered his promise to Tom. Right, he would make this better. He promised. Tom was holding his hand before they broke apart to take their seats. His friend was smiling at him. A look that Alex knew was meant only for him. Hopeful, loving. Alex felt the well of bittersweet emotions rising in him. Tom was the best and oldest friend he'd ever had. Fenrir dropped his head in Alex's lap, yellow eyes peering hopefully at his plate. Alex resisted the temptation to pet his baby. Ian and Patrick were a lot stricter about table manners around each other. Tom gave him an amused glance that told him who'd been feeding his baby table scraps while he was gone. Alex sat through the semi-formal dinner before he was on the verge of either tears or losing his temper. "Alright, family meeting after dinner. We're going to resolve everybody's issues because I'm sick of this shit."

To Alex's surprise, everybody agreed. He shrugged as they all scowled at each other. Honestly, Tom's idea was appealing, but it would mean open season on him for Nile. Bad idea. Alex adamantly refused to join a crime syndicate that killed his family. Plus, Ian had to have some sort of protection on the house, whereas Jerry's house had what had to be the shoddiest lock in existence. Yassen would kill him anyway if he decided to go live on the street. Or come for him. Alex wasn't sure which one would be worse. Lilly and Jason were staring at him like he'd grown a second head. Alex glared at them until they looked away. Social censure didn't scare him. He'd beaten bullies, faced them, and killed grown men in both lives. It seemed childish to just stick to the norm so he wouldn't have to stand up to the adults in his life. Patrick seemed resigned. Jack and Crawley seemed to want to say something but were refraining from doing so. Probably about his language. Alex was beyond giving a fuck at the moment. Well, he was kind of pissed, truth be told, but he was saving that for the meeting.

Everybody filed into the living room. "Alright people, I'm an autonomous person, so I've made a few decisions."

Alex's tone could have frozen the Sahara. "First, I'm going to see Mordant. Sorry, Ian, but I think I need professional help. Second, Ian and Patrick are going to stick to the educational plan, which gives me the afternoons off. It should be enough. My friends have normal school hours, so I can always go for dinner and weekends. Jack, Crawley, I really do appreciate the intervention, but I kind of want to follow the family tradition on this one. If you really feel like I'm working myself sick, make me see a doctor. Tom will help. Lilly and Jason, try to be a bit more inclusive. Tom's not officially adopted, but I consider him part of the family. The same goes for Crawley and Jack. Lay off of them please." At that point, everybody opened their mouths. Alex summoned his other persona. The people in the room instinctively froze. "Now, now. Let me finish." He was Agent Rider at that moment. Except now he had Ian's negotiation skills. "Jack, Ian may have been wrong about keeping me from my relatives, but please forgive him. He's as human as everybody else, so he makes mistakes. I also apologize for my cousins. They are the guarded type and don't take well to new people due to their experiences in the foster system in a shithole country."

Jack's expression softened towards the two. "Of course, Alex. I had no idea."

It wasn't exactly the truth, but Alex figured 'they were inducted into and brainwashed by the family cult' would bring up too many arguments. Tom shot a furtive glance at his cousins. Alex let out a sigh. "Questions?"

Tom shrugged. Lilly and Jason sent him apologetic looks. "Alright, as much as I like you three, I want to talk to the adults alone."

They got up and left. Alex then put on his best pleading look. "Jack, um, would you go make sure they don't just stare awkwardly at each other like I did sometimes in primary."

Jack gave him a soft smile. "Of course, Alex. I think it's really nice of you to try to include them."

Jack exited the room. Alex waited until the door closed before looking at Patrick, Ian, and Crawley. "Okay, your turn."

Crawley raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't realize you were that good."

At manipulation. Alex snorted. "Actual comments and etcetera."

Ian huffs. "Why Mordant?"

Alex shrugged. "Her experience is applicable and Gramps has a blackmail file thicker than our textbooks on her if things go wrong."

Ian glared. "Fine, but I want that packet."

Patrick shrugged. "Done."

Alex glared at them as they tried to escape. "Uh, uh. You three get to make guidelines."

They all sat down. Ian piped up. "No torture until he's at least eighteen."

Alex sighed. "A bit late. I've already had the theory."

Ian's head snapped up. "What?!"

Alex gave him a look. "Marion blackmailed me into keeping quiet. How about no practical until I'm at least eighteen?"

Patrick sighed. "Fine. You may change your mind, however."

Ian huffed but kept the comments to himself. Crawley glanced around. "No operational work aside from theory until you're seventeen. Not counting the stuff you do by yourself."

Patrick snorted out loud. "The lowest I will take is fifteen."

Ian snarled. "Absolutely, not."

Patrick raised an eyebrow. Alex wondered if his grandfather would openly threaten Ian in front of him. "Fuck you, Beckett. I want veto rights."

Apparently, the memory of his grandfather's threat was enough to remind Ian. Patrick sighed. "We will take your opinion into consideration, then."

Alex got the feeling he was humoring Ian. Alex sighed. "I can't think of anything else at the moment."

They all got up. "Next time, sit down and discuss it with me like adults, okay?"

Alex barely kept a mocking edge out of his tone. They all glared at each other. "Fine."

Well, it was better than before.

The four of them exited the room to find Tom explaining what soccer was to his cousins. Poor Lilly and Jason, they'd probably never even seen a game. Alex shrugged. Tom waved him over. "They've never even heard of soccer; Al, it's a crime against humanity."

Alex was tempted to explain to Tom what exactly an actual crime against humanity consisted of but quickly squashed the horrifying urge. Alex grinned. "Oh, but Tom, think of it as a clean slate. We wouldn't want Hale corrupting them with shoddy team tactics, would we?"

Tom snorted with laughter. Those two had argued team tactics so many times it wasn't even funny. "Fair enough, Alex. Besides, Hale is getting better."

Patrick raised an eyebrow. "Why do you call him by his last name?"

Alex smirked. "He still won't concede that I won our last soccer argument."

Tom interrupted. "It was a tie."

Alex adopted an expression of mock outrage. "Bullshit, Tom. That is absolute crap of bull."

Tom snorted. "Sure, Alex, I still have to have someone to talk to when you're gone, though."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You have Jack and Fenrir, though."

Tom's lips twisted. He'd missed the banter. James didn't do it nearly as well as Alex. "Someone within ten years of my age and sentient."

Alex gave him a mock offended look. "Fenrir is very smart."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother Alex, whatever you say."

Alex grinned. "Exactly, Tom."

Patrick raised an eyebrow. Now was as good a time as any. "Yes, where did you acquire your… interesting husky mix?"

Tom loved telling this story. "Well, Alex was walking along the road and heard a poor, pathetic whimpering puppy. Like a good man, he went to investigate and found a tiny injured puppy looking at him with these pathetic blue eyes. Since Alex is a complete sucker for small fluffy animals-"

Alex interjected. "Am not!"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Sorry, animals of any kind. He suckered us into helping take care of foofrums over there and hid him in a closet until he was caught by Jack." Tom paused for breath. "Then, he convinced Jack to let him keep big, yellow-eyed, and creepy and Jack convinced Ian to let him keep his beloved pet, who he won't hear a word against, takes on train rides, and feeds raw fucking meat."

Alex shrugged unashamedly. Fenrir was his baby. Lilly and Jason were staring at him like he was insane. "I'm not that bad."

Jack laughed in the background. "Sure, Alex, whatever helps you sleep at night."

That was Crawley. Alex wondered if he shouldn't dismember the man. "My dog is perfectly normal."

Crawley rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure, and he ran MI6. Fortunately, Tom beat him to it. "Yeah, perfectly spoiled, too."

Alex began bickering with Tom about his dog. Crawley used it as a chance to shoot Ian a look and step into the hall.

Ian followed him into the room they now shared. "How was the family reunion?"

Ian sighed. "Complete shit, John, complete shit."

Crawley sat down across from Ian. "Sit closer, John. I don't bite that much."

Crawley knew Ian was trying to be distracting and it was totally working. "What happened?"

Ian sighed. "We argued about Alex and about John and about everything else. I think I want to kill my brother and sister-in-law. I almost strangled Darian in front of Alex after he accused me of forgetting he wasn't John and training him as an assassin. I just found out that Mossad bitch blackmailed him into a theoretical set of interrogations lessons."

Crawley sat next to Ian. "Jones was surprised you took holiday with the family but totally cool with it. Brooke is being his usual self. Blunt doesn't care unless it turns critical. Your job is fine."

Ian leaned on him. "Thank you."

Crawley felt himself react to the touch. "Right, Ian, no murdering the in-laws. We don't have much to hold Mossad off with and they're very zealous about protecting and avenging their own."

Crawley ran his hands through Ian's hair. "Sorry for not speaking to you."

Ian shrugged. "A conversation could have been started by either one of us, John."

Crawley sighed. "Yeah, but that was petty."

Ian was acting fairly cuddly. "I forgive you."

Crawley sighed. "Ian."

The man was deliberately teasing him now. The brown eyes had a tell-tale mischievous glint. "What?"

Crawley mentally rolled his eyes at the faux-innocent look. "I'm trying to have a conversation with you."

Ian's hands were being teasingly light on his chest. "So talk."

Crawley grabbed Ian's hands in his own. "I missed you."

Ian's smirk was not helping him concentrate. "I'm glad. I missed you too."

The reply was purred out. Crawley sighed. "Ian, I was worried about you."

Ian pulled him into a hug. Crawley hugged him back. If it was even possible, Ian seemed fitter. "It's okay, John, I'm back now."

He felt Ian smirk on his collar. "You can even check me for scratches if you want."

Crawley felt his cheeks warm. "Everybody's still up."

It sounded like a very weak protest, even to his ears. Ian grabbed him, pulled him up and dumped them both on the bed with Ian on top. Crawley felt Ian on top of him. The man was carefully kissing his collarbone. Oh, Jesus. "Don't worry, the walls are pretty soundproof."

Crawley lost the battle against not paying attention to Ian being distracting entirely at that.

Jack looked around. "Where did they go?"

The six of them had been bickering off and on about Alex's pet in between hot chocolate and selecting a movie. Alex shrugged. "Make-up sex, probably. They haven't seen each other in like a month, too."

Jack turned scarlet. "Alex!"

She sounded scandalized. His grandfather looked vaguely amused. "You did ask, Ms. Starbright."

Jack sputtered. "You shouldn't really say that Alex. It's not really polite."

Alex gave her a mischievous grin. "I thought you told me not to lie to you."

Jack shook her head. "Be as that may, there are some things I don't really want to know."

Alex shrugged. "Sorry."

Jack shrugged. "It's okay, sweetie, I know you mean well."

Patrick shrugged. "I don't mind either way."

Lilly piped up. "Well, I'd watch."

Alex felt himself gag at the idea. Jack looked horrified. "Lilly, you should always ask before you watch."

Lilly shrugged. "I know, but still…"

Alex sighed and rescued Jack by taking her into the kitchen. Jack was red. "She-She-"

Alex sighed. "Still adjusting, Jack. Besides, it's not as though they're actually related. Didn't you have a crush on your second cousin once?"

Jack flushed. "It was completely innocent."

Alex patted her on the arm. "This is pretty much the same. Besides, do you really think Ian'd let her watch?"

Jack looked relieved. "Definitely not."

Alex grabbed some hot chocolate. "Exactly."

Tom was eavesdropping in the doorway. "Makes sense to me, mate. Movie time!"

Jack rolled her eyes. They were such boys. "Movie time, indeed."

Patrick Beckett had a lot of time to reflect on events in his life recently. He was nearing his sixties, although not quite there yet. Alex Rider. His grandson. The thought made him nearly choke with pride, although he would probably never say so aloud. Alex was gifted, almost too gifted for any other child. Ian had nearly destroyed the child in his own carelessness. Patrick didn't think it was intentional, more a by-product of the man's own instability. There was still the possibility of insanity, as well. Marion could not and would not be the child's primary guardian. For civilians, (in Patrick's opinion Crawley counted) Starbright and Crawley made a formidable team. The Harris boy was likely to be the most trouble if he found out the truth. He was resourceful and perceptive enough to want Alex to run away with him. Patrick had the foresight to bug him. It was often the friends that were the most overlooked part of the children. Alex was welcome to keep his own secret company and spaces if he pleased. Patrick had started building his own away from the parents and both organizations when he was not that much older. The situation was precarious as it was. Patrick was ninety percent sure that his nephew had at least one alternate identity prepared. An escape route was good. Alex's connection to this part of the family was tenuous at best, however. For one, Alex did not actually need them for his own survival. Sure, Alex would not do nearly as well without a family and legitimate education, but he would live. Even if it required living in the wilderness for years on end. For another, Alex could and would cut them off for all but the direst emergencies if pushed too far. In that sense, Patrick could almost see the temptation to train him as an assassin. Alex was certainly self-sufficient enough to make it as one. Three, however strong his relationship with Ian was, Alex seemed cautious about trusting him and intelligence agencies by extension. The child didn't honestly think that Ian would pick MI6 over him, did he? Then again, Ian's track record on that was far from clean. That wasn't even factoring in his relationships with...other interested parties. Two assassins, a communist fanatic, a mob boss with a controlling interest in the drug trade, and bombers of dubious sanity. It had taken a lot of digging just for those. Patrick suspected Alex might have a few more people up his sleeve. If it wasn't to his ultimate advantage, he would have cursed the boy and his unnatural luck and charm. Patrick sighed as he watched the children go up to bed at the movie's conclusion. Tomorrow, Alex would be approaching Mordant. Patrick had only had to help him with the very basest levels of his strategy. His nephew seemed to have it figured. Mordant was useful. She also had the ability to turn people with certain personality aspects into killers. She and a few colleagues had been disbarred for unethical practices with some of their patients. They hadn't been able to get enough proof to send them to jail, however. Alex was probably one of her favorite kinds of patients. Just practical enough to kill, but not the type to enjoy it. This would be interesting. He only hoped Alex didn't quite catch on to Belinda until it was too late. Truth be told, the faster Alex quit feeling guilty, the better. Patrick had looked into the man's death and he had deserved a knife to a major artery and more.

Alex was preparing to break into his new psychologist's house. It probably wasn't the typical start to a patient-therapist relationship, but Alex figure he wanted to set the tone for their interactions right away. Alex wondered if he shouldn't dress in all black, but he figured she might panic at that. Besides, it would be rather difficult to deny that he was breaking into the police (if they were summoned) if he actually dressed the part of a criminal. He debated taking a backpack but had decided that he could fit most of his gear under his coat. It was already in place. Alex had practiced all the movements to disable her alarm multiple times the night before. And now he sounded like some sort of stalkery rapist. Alex mentally cursed everyone who had ever involved him in any kind of event that would cause him to need therapy. Alex had decided to take every weapon, just in case. Five knockout darts, fifteen poison darts, throwing knives, a garrote, a few other kinds of poison, a few experimental smoke and stun grenades, and a firearm. No, he wasn't paranoid at all. Yassen would be proud. Or alarmed, considering this lady was supposed to be relatively helpful. Alex was glad it was winter and nobody would question bulky attire. He'd have to find other ways to conceal his gear or communicate with Smithers to get help for that. Or Maddox might have a few ideas. Brandon might want gadgets, too, now that Alex thought about it. Plus, there was the fact that he needed some way to hold a private conversation without being disturbed or bugged. Alex had found one that he suspected was his grandfather's a yesterday (after resolving to check every day) and dropped it into the man's morning bowl of cereal as soon as they were the only two left in the kitchen. Alex could swear the old fart had been amused more than anything else. Nobody had ever accused pissed-off Alex of being stealthy, for some reason. He stepped outside of the house and was submerged in the freezing darkness in seconds. Alex slowly approached the house and tried to stay out of sight. He had plastic gloves on under his actual ones because he could pick the door lock with thick, heavy winter gloves. It was open in a few seconds. Amazing, what practice could do. Alex typed in the code that had been in the file and it actually worked. Well, he could always practice cutting into alarm systems at a later date. A glance at his watch told him Belinda should be up in fifteen minutes. Alex wasn't the only chronic insomniac in the house. He sat on the couch and waited.

Belinda Mordant had one been a good psychiatrist, for the most part. There had been many patients who benefitted from her therapy, unorthodox though it may have been. A few had even been psychiatrists themselves. In psychiatry, a fairly modern mode of medicine, there had been a few doctors that were a little too intrigued by possibilities and a little less than ethical. It was just the same as any science. Tuskegee, the Stanford Prison experiment and various other infamous examples had her colleagues anxious to learn what could and could not be done. She hadn't been as blatant as some, but over the years Mordant had crossed a few lines and she knew it. Then, into her life had come a few doctors. They had been run with the tacit, if not outright, approval of some government officials. They had been intrigued by results from other criminal organizations, among them, SCORPIA. Wondering if they could replicate the results obtained by Steiner and D'Arc, they had given the psychology and psychiatry communities a few subtle hints. Then, of course, someone had gotten cold feet and blown it. They had been left out to dry, although most of them had decent insurance against lawsuits. Belinda's troubles stemmed mainly from the fact that she had been attacked by two of her patients. The first had been relatively expected. He had been a violent man and she had pushed too far. It had mainly caused her to question her skills as a professional. The second had been utterly devastating. They had been a colleague, friend, and patient. Belinda had known that they were a sadist with the occasional cannibalistic urge, but she had never dreamed they would kidnap, torture, and attempt to murder her (presumably to consume her). She found herself unwilling to see other patients and occasionally unable to walk out the front door for fear she might return one day for her. It was irrational and they were locked up in one of the most secure facilities on the planet, but she was still afraid.

"Hello, there."

Belinda was far from amused about having her sanctuary disturbed. She was not expecting a child to be the one to do it, however. "Can I help you?"

Best not to upset the possible murderer, he was wearing a gun. "Well, I think I need a therapist."

Belinda could not resist a sharp reply. "Clearly. Why are you in my home at midnight?"

The boy shrugged. "I did a bit of research. You seem like the women for the job."

Belinda had a sudden flash of insight. "Rider or Beckett?"

The boy shrugged. "Technically both. Do you want some tea?"

Belinda raised an eyebrow. "Yes, my top priority in life when I have my house broken into is to be served my own tea by a possible future sociopath."

The child laughed. At least he had a sense of humor and a grasp of sarcasm. She'd met plenty of vacuous people in her line of work. "I'm Alex Rider. Nice to meet you, Doc."

Belinda sighed. "I assume you have an enormous blackmail file that will wreck what is left of the travesty I call a life should I refuse your generous offer?"

Alex shrugged. "Gramps will pay you if I ask him to, but yeah, pretty much. Sorry."

Belinda sighed. A twisted smile was forming on her face. "My retirement fund is quite sufficient. I'm intrigued. What went wrong? Your families have quite perfected their training methods."

Mordant figured she may as well be productive if she wasn't going to sleep. The boy sighed. "I accidentally killed a man and before that, I killed a terrorist who was threatening my uncle."

Belinda let out a breath. So he was a killer. "How old are you?"

Alex shrugged and finished the tea, setting it in front of her. "Almost twelve."

Belinda refrained from swearing. That was fairly catastrophic in terms of development. Well, she wasn't bored. "Oh, dear. We have our work cut out for us. Right. I'll need you to fill out this questionnaire. Try to refrain from lying. I would normally send this home with you, but in this case, I think the propensity of your relatives for invading privacy would inhibit your ability to answer honestly."

Belinda was expecting a blank stare. What she got was an amused twitched of the boy's lips and a wry look. "You're not wrong, Doc."

Belinda made a mental note. Alex was very, very intelligent and probably at least one of his relatives disapproved of this. She got up and handed him one of her versions of a Mental Health Assessment form. It had mostly standard questions, with a few alterations that she preferred to have on there. It was edited to look more like a test and less like a form, as well. People tended to get less offended if they were sent here by pushy relatives if the form didn't say "Mental Health Assessment". Belinda sat back to enjoy her tea. At the moment, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to get out of this. It would expend a lot of effort and resources and, well, she was bored. Belinda had never wanted to be a housewife, let alone stuck in her house without even a cat for companionship. She had been bored and felt stifled. Belinda had even thought of getting a hobby, but never actually gone through with it. Breakfast. Belinda got up to make it. For the first time in months, it would be something other than toast.

Alex felt himself become a good deal sleepier after returning from his new psychologist's house. He'd been up for hours already and it was barely five in the morning. Patrick was one the couch and waiting for him, with coffee. "I love you."

Patrick snorted. "Don't let Ian hear you say that. He might have an aneurysm."

Alex laughed. "The funny part is that it is true."

Patrick began to make him breakfast. "Mordant gave me some already."

Patrick shrugged. "And now I am making you some more breakfast."

Alex sighed. "How did it go, anyhow?"

Alex grinned. "She decided to take me as a patient. Not like she had a choice." Patrick smirked. "You better pay her hourly rate plus inflation, or I'm going to be really upset with you."

His grandfather shrugged. "I can afford it."

Alex snorted. "Now you sound like one of those people from Kensington."

Patrick whacked him upside the head and plopped a bowl of fruit salad next to him. Alex raised an eyebrow. "Don't be a brat."

Alex shrugged. "Oh, but you love me anyway."

Patrick took a second cup of coffee. "Yes, and right now, you are driving me to drink."

Alex grinned. "It's coffee, Gramps, unless you're making us both an Irish one."

His grandfather glared. "The last thing you and I need is a drinking problem."

Alex took a second cup as well. He was probably going to get the jitters. Curse his eleven-year-old body. "True."

Alex still felt exhausted after his second cup of coffee. Drat. He'd been hoping to be productive today. The stupid questionnaire had been difficult to fill out as well since it forced him to think about his life for the past few years. He had also watched a few people die, which he'd ended up having to include as well. He kept Yassen out of it by name (he didn't want to spook Belinda) but figured he should at least try to be honest. There had been a few extra sections that told him that the questions were not entirely standard, as well. He'd even answered a few in essay form, especially if it was about the government. Patrick caught him rubbing his eyes after eating the fruit salad and finishing his coffee. "If you are still tired after that much caffeine, you need to sleep." Alex glared at the man, only half-heartedly. He was too tired to muster up actual rage. Patrick's voice was amused, but infused with a hint of steel. "Now, Alex." Alex sighed and went up the stairs to find his dog in his bed. Fenrir let out a sleepy little woof. Alex shrugged and took off the outer layer of his clothing before going to sleep. Fenrir was especially warm and snuggly in the winter.

Brendan Chase was starting to get twitchy. Pierre hadn't responded and it had been almost four weeks. Typically the man's reply time was about one to two weeks, depending on when they sent the letter in the week. Pierre could be anywhere from dead to reporting the entire conversation to whoever ran him to on a super long assignment. It was killing him not to know. Nile was on vacation after having almost six solid months of Yassen time. It had been known to drive lesser men insane. The doctor was currently about to politely knock on the door to his office. He was sure the man in question had some sort of warning system in place that was similar to his. Three was a paranoid man, almost as paranoid as him. Then again, to be on top of a criminal organization for this long, you had to be. The fax machine started to go off just then. Chase tried to no be too eager to see what it was but failed miserably. It was Pierre. Speak of the devil.

Dear Mr. Chase,

I do so apologize for the long wait. The holidays are such a busy time of the year, I hadn't been in the position to check messages for a while. Business calls, but I'm sure you knew that already.

Chase could practically feel the sarcasm dripping off the page. No matter, he would just reply in kind. The paragraph continued.

I do so like the holidays. A most wonderful time of the year, especially for people you don't like to have accidents and be generally miserable at family reunions in hideous Christmas sweaters, don't you think? I do hope you like my gift.

With mild antagonism,

Alec Pierre

Three was knocking on his door. Chase placed the fax on his desk. Gift? What gift? He hadn't gotten a present that wasn't poisoned or explosive in years. Three was holding a package wrapped in brown paper. "This was dropped off anonymously at one of our bases. It's addressed to you at, quote, "SCORPIA School for Assassination and Assorted Mischief," end quote."

Chase wondered how Pierre would take the threat of strangulation. Probably badly, but what could you do? Chase groaned. "Pierre. I'll bet you."

The doctor seemed amused. "Well then, shall we open it? I already had it scanned. Nothing we can detect."

Chase grabbed some gloves. He hadn't had to use latex gloves personally in years. The doctor grabbed a pair of his own. "Think we should call Ross?"

The doctor shrugged. "I doubt it is explosive."

They quickly opened it and stepped back, wary of being poisoned. After a few minutes of no suspicious powder, they both decided to see what it was. Chase opened it up and felt his mouth drop open at the sheer audacity of the man. Inside was the most luridly colored Grinch sweater he'd ever come across. It could have been selected a fair for the colorblind. His eyes were watering at the sheer hideousness. Chase groaned. "I think I lost a few brain cells just from being in the same room as that sweater."

The doctor was looking on with a contained sort of amusement. "Well, I think it would look wonderful with your skin. It matches the firetruck red of your face quite well."

Chase gave him the evil eye. "Shut it, you."

He reluctantly went back to the package. It was too heavy to just contain a sweater. Three was probably internally laughing his ass off, so it couldn't get that much worse. There was a file crammed in there, as well. Chase felt any and all of his amusement fade. It was the file about his family. There was pictures. MI6 had kidnapped them and buried them when he refused to cave to their demands. He had never found their bodies. Most of the file was marked out, but that didn't matter. The part with the coordinates of the unmarked graves was unredacted. He felt his pulse jump. Chase had picked out a gravesite and tombstones years ago, but there was something to be said to at least be able to bury the actual bodies of your family. On the page was a single note that almost echoed his thoughts. It was the same font and paper at Pierre's notes.

They should have at least let you bury them.

There was no signature, but there didn't need to be one. Chase barely noticed the doctor leaving his office. It was time to call a team for the recovery.

1. I totally borrowed the last reference to the island from The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. It cracks me up every time.

2. Mild Hannibal references, if you can catch them. I don't consider this in-depth enough for a true crossover and Belinda Mordant can be considered an individual character or the one from Hannibal, though she is based on one of the characters from the TV show.