Chapter 79: Meetings and Murder

Alex was eagerly awaiting Christmas break. Sure, the school was nice, but he was about to take some rather grueling winter finals. Sarov was hovering over his homework again. Did he enjoy recapturing his childhood? Sure. Alex would also like to point out that he got the equivalent of straight As, so all of the hovering was patently unnecessary. Sarov draped himself over Alex while he was writing his essay. Alex closed the laptop. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The man looked amused. "I'm just checking on you."

Alex gave him a withering look. "You've been checking on me constantly for the past eight days. I think you're more worried about these exams than I am."

Sarov lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just looking out for future Alex."

Alex bit back a snappy retort involving present-Alex thanking him for five seconds of breathing room. "I know, but writing with you pacing behind me is not doing it for me."

Sarov was also holding Fenrir hostage. Okay, not really, but his fluffy boy was locked out of his room for exam study time. Fenrir had been exceedingly unhappy about- BARK! BARK! BARK!

Sarov pinched the bridge of his nose. Fenrir was a loud dog when he wanted to be. "He heard you. Now you've done it."

Alex was all for letting his baby in during study time, but knew better than to say anything. BARK! BARK! BARK! THUD!

Fenrir had dramatically thrown himself against the door. "Why don't we let him in before you have to replace your nice, expensive, hardwood door?"

Sarov shot him a look of pure exasperation before unlocking and opening the door to Alex's room. Fenrir raced over and licked Alex's hands and face. "Fenrir!"

The fluffy dog sat on him, nearly flipping the laptop off his desk. Alex pet his excitable fluff ball. A cold, wet nose pressed into his collar bone. "You're a good boy!"

Sarov was rolling his eyes as he gently rubbed the dog's head. "He's a spoiled boy, more like."

Fenrir lightly headbutted Sarov's hand. "My perfect baby is not spoiled!"

Sarov gave in to Fenrir's demand for head scratches. "Yes, he is."

Alex gave Sarov a half-hearted glare as he wrapped his arms around his pet. Eventually, Fenrir wanted out and then sat on Alex's bed, letting out a bratty sigh. Sarov gave the dog a few more pets and sighed. "Just finish your essay on time, okay?"

Alex resisted an eye roll. "It's due Friday and it's getting done tonight."

Sarov left and lightly closed the door.

Mandy had finally gotten her host family to host Alex. They had acquiesced rather easily, so she should probably have been more suspicious. He was going to be here in a few hours. Mandy had heard from both Dima and Alex that Sarov had made him finish all of the homework due a week early and final papers and projects were no exception. Dima had seemed to think that this was excessive. At least they didn't give work over break here. Her host mother was anxiously setting the table and preparing a snack. Mandy didn't really get the big deal. Alex wasn't a snob - he actually only got picky about his damn Coca-Cola. No matter how many times she explained that Alex wouldn't care as long as the place was clean, they still insisted on making everything look exceedingly nice. The woman was currently trying to make them snacks. Fancy snacks. Considering Mandy had caught Alex eating dry crickets for fun, she wasn't sure fancy was the right approach. Not to mention, there were enough snacks to feed eight people for a whole week. "Why are there so many snacks?"

The woman continued slicing fruit as she answered. "We are not poor. I would be humiliated if we ran out of anything."

Mandy sighed. That was probably a cultural thing. Her host mother checked the fridge. "We need more juice. Could you go to the store and buy three kinds? The money is in the kitchen jar."

Mandy decided to just let it go and help for the sake of her host mother's sanity. The poor woman looked close to having a breakdown. The trip to the store was thankfully short. Mandy had been politely, but forcefully, asked to dress in her nicest dress. She went out in a thick, fluffy winter coat. She had been warned about the Russian winter and the foot of snow did not disappoint. When she got back, the place looked just about ready. Mandy was handed some party streamers and instructed on where to hang them as the juice was hastily poured into jugs. "Do you have some jewelry to go with that?"

Mandy paused. "I have my pearls?"

The woman, Olga, shook her head. "Completely the wrong style and color. You can borrow one of mine."

Mandy was led to the bathroom for a quick touch-up of her light makeup and Olga brought out a beautiful set of jewelry. It matched the shade of her dress perfectly. "It's beautiful."

Olga smiled softly. "It belonged to my mother. The family hid it during Stalin's reign."

Mandy felt her eyes widen as the necklace slid on to her neck. The doorbell rang. "Now, go greet your friend."

Mandy relished the look on Alex's face when he opened the door. He recovered fast. "You look dazzling today."

Mandy flushed as the door shut and she led Alex into the dining room.

Brendan Chase relished the look of shock on both teenagers' faces as they walked into a room with himself, Nile, and one of his female secretaries for propriety's sake. "Good afternoon, Trouble Tween and Amanda!"

The expression on Alex's face was somewhere in between shock and the look one wore when your bare foot hit a patch of moldy horse shit. Mandy was the first to recover. "Brendan!"

Brendan appreciated excitement. Alex growled. "You!"

Brendan did not appreciate the murder glares. "Relax, I'm here to talk."

Alex grabbed some of the apple juice and cheese and sat down. "I'm sure you are."

Brendan took some of the apples and brie. "Look, kid, if I say I'm here to talk, I'm here to talk."

Alex was scowling at him from across the room. Amanda cut in. "He's the one who got you in the exchange program."

Alex smirked at her. "On the contrary, he was one of three people with an unhealthy interest in my schooling. General Sarov and Tulip Jones also submitted an application while impersonating my uncle, incidentally."

Brendan grinned. "See, it was for your own good."

Alex leveled a glare at him. "I can and will kill you with this dinner glass."

Brendan laughed. Grumpy Alex was fucking hilarious. "Save it for Gordon!"

Alex refilled on apple juice. "I'm going to pretend that I don't know who he is."

Brendan sighed. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering about the visit."

Alex glared at him. "I try not to entertain what goes through all of your heads. I've heard trying to understand insane people never ends well."

Brendan sighed. "Says the guy who's only letting people funnel very low amounts into your royal treasury."

Alex retorted. "I have this thing called standards. If I'm going to con people, it's going to be challenging."

Brendan decided to move this conversation on along. "Moving on, the reason I'm here, other than visiting your much nicer friend to make sure you're both doing alright, is to give you a little heads up."

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Oh?"

Brendan paused for dramatic effect. Alex was sitting back in the chair and eating melon. "The United States is about to try to sanction you."

Alex snorted. "With what trade? We gave all their companies the boot."

Chase rolled his eyes. "They're going to try to bring their allies into it. Might want to message your advisory board."

Mandy was looking on with rapt attention. Chase turned towards Amanda and winked. "They're paying for freelance articles in South America."

Chase returned his attention to Alex. "On a more personal note, Nile here is planning your kidnapping next May. It would probably be best if you were to go along willingly. His team will have knockout darts that neither Crawley or Idiot, sorry, Ian, Rider is allergic to."

Alex was staring in shock. "Have a great day! Oh, and here are your Christmas gifts."

He dropped a package in both their laps. Chase managed to make a dramatic flaring exit with his employees. That was fun.

Sarov was not best pleased when Alex told him about the events that occurred that day. He made a mental note to make sure all visits were at his house. "So, Brendan Chase decided to pay me a visit. He, uh, also brought me this."

A package was placed on his kitchen table. Oh, great, Victor was going to have a field day. "And what did he have to say?"

Alex blinked. "Happy Christmas?"

Sarov sighed. Just wonderful. It was probably some sort of veiled threat. "Likely some sort of veiled threat."

Alex blinked and then looked defeated. "I figured as much."

Sarov gently rubbed his shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this, don't you worry."

Alex sat down on the couch. "He also gave me information. Something about sanctions from the United Nations?"

Sarov snorted. "The vote will likely fail, mostly because of our vote on the council. More than likely, he wants you to see who votes which way and use that to extend your country's reach. Don't forget, SCORPIA has thrown in their chips with your government. They would not want it to fail so early."

Alex leaned back against the couch and muttered a few very uncomplimentary things about SCORPIA's executive board. Sarov was going to politely ignore all of them. The poor boy was already dealing with enough stress. He knew he shouldn't have allowed a visit to friends during finals. "You have a good point."

Sarov lightly pulled Alex out of the slumped posture he'd assumed. "I usually do. More than likely, this was a joint venture between Winston Yu and Brendan Chase."

Sarov would normally have enjoyed Alex's cry of despair. They were normally playfully feigned. This one was genuine. "No more politics until after finals, please."

Sarov gently stroked Alex's hair. "Don't worry, Alex. You'll get it eventually. Keep in mind that you're playing with people who have decades of experience on you."

Alex was leaning into the touch. "I have a headache."

Sarov tugged a few strands of hair. "Then drink some water, Alex."

Alex huffed. "Can we at least let Fenrir sleep with me? It helps, you know."

Sarov paused. Well, that probably wasn't completely unfounded. "Eh, as long as your sleep doesn't suffer further than it normally does, sure."

Alex looked a bit more cheerful. "I'm still confiscating that gift. We don't know what he put in there."

Alex shrugged. "As long as I get it back afterwards."

Sarov put on gloves and carefully scooped it into a plastic bag.

Alex sighed after he finally got his package from Brendan Chase back. The security check had taken forever. At least he had a few days before Christmas. Ian, Crawley, Jack, and Tom had sent some gifts as well. Alex had a sinking suspicion that Patrick's package had been stopped for thorough inspection. "Did my grandfather send anything?"

Sarov sighed. "Your parcels from Lance Larson, several ministers, Patrick Beckett, and Winston Yu are all still being inspected."

Alex stared at the man blankly. "Nile's severed head was confiscated and Cossack's knife throwing set is locked in the safe. Should we prepare for more severed heads and security risks?"

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm really sorry about those two."

Sarov sighed. "It is alright, Alex. Besides, Victor has offered one of his instructors for lessons."

Alex was mortally offended. "I know how to use throwing knives."

Sarov lightly patted him on the head. "Then it will be you learning to do it better or supervised practice sessions."

Alex leaned against the couch and prepared to sulk. Sarov tapped him on the shoulder. "You can throw them at some targets in the shooting range."

Alex perked up. "Under my supervision."

Alex pouted again. Sarov chuckled at him. "Do I have to go to school if my exams are done?"

Alex was promptly cuffed by the man. "Yes. You are setting an example for your country, your fellow students, and your new kingdom."

Alex was not going to sulk. He was mentally a grown-ass adult. Tempting though it was. "Ug, fine."

Sarov relented. A little bit. The man looked sympathetic, for once. It wasn't like his homework wasn't done. He'd also finished all of his exams. "Why don't we go test out those throwing knives, Alex?"

Alex grinned. "YES!"

Fenrir woke up and started darting around the room. Sarov looked at the fluffy rat fondly. "I think I will miss him more than you."

Alex grinned as the man began opening the safe. "There's still time for him to eat your nice, polished, fancy boots."

The former general actually laughed at that. "This is why I put them on the top shelf of my closet."

Fenrir let out a disappointed sigh. Sarov lightly pulled the case of knives out of the safe. "Do you know who the head belonged to?"

It said a lot about Sarov that he didn't have to ask what head. "You wouldn't know him, but his name was Albert Garcia. He was the spearhead of one of the larger remnants of what remains of Card's forces."

With that, Sarov closed the safe. Alex followed him eagerly into the shooting range. It was time to throw some knives. Fenrir followed them at a more sedate pace. Sarov grabbed his leash and tied him up in an observation booth. Fenrir sat down with a surprising amount of calm. "You should probably stretch first."

Alex bit back a smile. Sarov was kind of a mother hen when he was in training mode. Fenrir's tail was thudding against the man's leg.

Sarov was not exactly happy about the Prime Minister's Christmas party. It was being held in the government buildings with a good deal of foreign dignitaries. Not to mention, Boris had decided to let Alex invite Brendan Chase and Winston Yu. If something didn't go wrong with that invitation, Sarov would eat his combat boots. The ones that had seen actual combat and had partially melted soles. Plus, there were the other dignitaries to deal with. Quite a few surprise votes against the United Nations resolution proposed by the United States of America had left Alex's state department very busy. Now Boris wanted to play one big happy family. To be fair, Sarov knew there was a reason. Boris's polls had been slipping for years before the treaty. There had been talks of finding a successor. Now, he was back in the public eye with the people's full approval. Not to mention, if there were previously neutral nations that had been pushed slightly into the anti-US camp, it could be a great opportunity to get more allies. It was also partially a test for Alex and they all knew it. So far, he hadn't really been the center of attention at anything political he attended. This would likely change at the ball. Though Boris had yet to announce who it would honor this year, Sarov would bet money that it was Alex if he were a gambling man. Alex's publicity department had been working overtime on his outfit. They were generally pretty careful about his public appearances. Though he was an elected monarch, they didn't want to show him using his full powers that often. Sarov glanced at the time and opened his office door. If Alex had nightly excursions, this would be about the right time. "Trouble in paradise?"

Sarov rolled his eyes. "No, I am simply going over more information for the coming event. Have you decided on your date yet?"

Alex made a face at him. "Can I go alone?"

Sarov sighed. "You can, but I would advise taking your little reporter friend if nobody else appeals. Otherwise, you'll be swamped by hopeful families."

The face turned into a grimace. "They get that I'm thirteen, right?"

Sarov gave him an amused look. "All the better to trap you with an unexpected pregnancy before you know about condoms."

Alex made a face that suggested he would rather not be discussing the subject further. Sarov decided to let it go. "I will join you on the couch in a minute."

Alex nodded and left the room.

Alex was glad that Sarov was as well-versed in diplomatic notions as Ian. The man had made him flashcards and everything. The way you were supposed to greet people with their faces helpfully taped to the card. Sarov had slipped at least eight repeats of the SCORPIA board members. Apparently, addressing them as killers-for-hire was a no-no. Alex was going to try not to gag as his mouth formed the words "distinguished businessmen." He doubted he would be successful, but found the words hilarious. His publicity department had a little bit of bite, which he appreciated. "How go the flashcards?"

Alex glared. "Well."

Sarov gave him an amused look and pulled out a Winston Yu card. "Welcome to the Russian State Christmas Party, Mr. Yu."

Alex grated out in a flat tone. Sarov looked thoroughly entertained. "Keep practicing. You need to sound like you're not wanting to murder his entire family. I don't know how you made it undercover with that acting."

Alex glared at the man. "Tom Card didn't personally order the deaths of my parents. He also doesn't have a ridiculous fetish for Great Britain."

Sarov swore under his breath. "Alex. Just...Don't say that to his face."

The second the man left, Alex went back to fuming and petting Fenrir. Fenrir can eat your cards and Winston Yu. Grim was sounding far too tempting for Alex's own good. You can also pray for a lightning bolt. Griiiim. What? I don't like him either. Hell, if the great fluffy wonder bowls him over hard enough, his skull might crack. Fenrir perked up. Could he hear Grim? It's a bloody hellhound, of course it can hear me. I AM DEATH. Careful there, he wouldn't want Alex to lose any more brain cells. True, you need all the help you can get. Besides, I think you might be able to pass for a normie now that you've used ear protection for almost four months now. Yes, mention the augmentation. That was sure to put him in a good mood. You're a grouch, you know that, right? Alex sighed. Grim was the one who decided that he needed to enjoy the benefits of puberty again. Picky, picky, picky. You're the first person since Joan of Arc to get this chance. And she still got burnt at the stake. Alex was hoping not to get shot again. Good. It's less paperwork if you only die once per life. Alex rolled his eyes. He should have known. How many times did Joan die? Sigh. Thirteen. If you screw up more than that this time around, there's not much I can do. That was good to know. Bad Alex! Alex nearly jumped. I'll let you go back to practicing greeting imaginary board members in the mirror.

Brendan was delighted to get a Christmas party invitation, even if it had Winston Yu down for his plus one. And a smiley face drawn after the comment. Okay, so maybe Alex was a little shit. He was going to keep that part away from Winston. Some people couldn't take a joke. Winston was one of those people. This was why he got nice things, like invitations and Christmas presents. Brendan had heard that Sarov was screening Alex's mail, the killjoy. Nile's severed head even got confiscated. Nile had been crushed for a whole week afterwards. Alex had sent a nice thank-you note that somewhat alleviated the sulking. Thank the heavens, because Brendan had been about to put him down for extra sessions with Steiner. Speaking of Nile, the man was knocking on his door. "Come in, Nile."

The man flung the door open so hard that it bounced and closed itself. Brendan was going to dock his pay if he broke the door again. "So, do I get to go to the Christmas party?"

It was times like these that he remembered that Nile was only twenty-three. "Unfortunately, Winston Yu is attending, so it's probably not a good idea."

Nile flung himself into the nearest chair. "Nooooo!"

Brendan was glad his office was soundproof and currently had the bugs turned off. "There, there, Nile. There's always next Christmas, when he'll probably be in our clutches."

Nile huffed like a particularly upset puma. "It's not the same. Besides, I'm going to miss all the good food!"

Brendan made a mental note to invite Nile to more boring state parties. He'd get sick of them after about three. Hopefully, there would be no tables set on fire. "You know you can buy your own expensive caviar, booze, and pastries, right?"

The man sighed loudly. "That's not the same! Besides, I wanted to see baby Alex again."

Brendan rolled his eyes. Now they were getting to the real motivations. "You, Mikato, Doctor Three. Nile, honey, everyone wants to see baby Alex. Hell, a quarter of the elite operatives are asking to sign up for his Malagasto training."

Nile squawked. "Yassen and I claimed him. Alex is ours!"

Brendan sighed loudly. "Yes, yes, but we'll eventually want him to train for other things besides mass murdering. He's actually good at public speaking and college. Do you know how rare that is? There are, like, five laboratory safety professionals in the whole criminal world who have any kind of university qualifications."

Nile huffed. "My apprentice-"

Brendan cut him off. "Will need a nice cushy retirement job eventually. Schooling gives you options. I'm talking future-future here, Nile."

Nile looked suitably chastised. "That makes more sense."

Chase mentally sighed. This was what he got for employing his fellow crackpots. "Now, why don't you go plot with Sehkmet? I know your original combat squad you planned for this had an unfortunate death in the field."

Nile skulked out of the office.

The party was in full swing. Alex was just about to check if Dima was there after shaking the hands of several politicians when a crack rang through the building. Was that a lightning strike? If only I were so lucky. Sadly, it is not. No prayers, no lightning bolt. I didn't make that rule. Sarov had, naturally, not let him have his gun for this. Alex was really starting to regret that he had listened to the man and not gotten himself another illegal firearm. Fucking laws. Don't worry, you aren't the target for once. That was actually reassuring. A few people gave him quizzical looks as Alex went towards the sound instead of away. Sarov grabbed his shoulder. "We have. Security. Services."

Alex resisted the urge to pout. Brendan gave him a thumbs up. Sarov quickly glared at him. "Yeah, but will they keep me posted?"

Sarov rolled his eyes. "I'll help you put in a formal request. Now, leave the body alone."

Brendan was eating about eight of the caviar appetizers. Alex was thoroughly entertained. He walked over and sat down next to the man. "So, do you know anything about this?"

Brendan huffed. "We're not behind every murder, you know. And, no, this'll be a fun surprise for both of us."

Alex blinked. "Where's Mr. Yu?"

Brendan snarfed another cracker before answering. "No idea. He can take care of himself."

Alex thought that he looked rather unconcerned about the whole matter. Then again, he knew that Chase and Yu had recently squabbled over some territory in Australia, with Chase losing out. Brendan seemed to magically summon another tray of appetizers. "You know there's a main course, right?"

Brendan handed him a plate. "If there's one thing I've learned at diplomatic functions, it's that once there's a murder, dinner is at least three hours late."

Alex took the plate. "You're probably right...is this poisoned?"

Brendan snorted. "Nah, that'd be too expensive at this juncture, unless you fucked up royally."

For some reason, Alex believed him. There were mutterings all around. "Should I go?"

Brendan shook his head. "Nah, you're one of the reasons people are here. If you leave, people are going to start panicking. I expect ol' Boris will make an announcement once they force enough coffee in him to get a complete sentence choked out."

Alex leaned against the bar. Brendan shoved him. "What?"

Brendan gave him a look. "God, you're almost as bad as Yassen. Go check on people. Make rounds. They'll want reassurances and Boris is taking forever."

Alex looked at him. "Shoo. Make friends."

Alex rolled his eyes and walked off. Honestly, you'd think he was illiterate with those instructions.

Brendan watched Alex walk off and ordered more appetizers. They were probably going to run out soon and he was not going to be going hungry. "Helping him out, I presume?"

Brendan put down his current cracker. "Oh, good, you're alive."

It was Victor Ivanov. The man was one of their most frequent employers in the Russian government. It would be a shame to have to spend the time to schmooze up his replacement. Victor seemed amused. "Not a single question about your...partner, eh?"

Brendan gave Victor the stink eye. "No censor on your invitations, eh?"

Victor grabbed one of his precious crackers. "A fan of caviar or didn't eat beforehand?"

Chase sighed as Victor placed the cracker in his mouth. "Digging for clues on how to poison me already? Why not both? These things are known for having a hilarious number of courses."

Victor seemed amused. "I would not risk it for at least another year. Though, even if I did want you dead, I would likely just have to wait. Your board seems to be an endangered species these past few years."

Chase paused. That was an interesting point. "Really, now?"

Victor smiled, but there was no joy. It was the expression of a shark about to take an experimental bite. "Julia Rothman gunned down in her own home. Zeljan Kurst, bombed to cinders. The Grimaldi Twins, executed before joining. Razim turned over to the CIA. I have a sinking suspicion our mysterious murder victim is going to turn out to be the ever so popular Winston Yu. That makes six in three years."

Chase felt his eyes narrow. "Probably a series of bad coincidences. We lost three of the twelve in the first five years. It's a high-risk career."

Victor shrugged. Chase figured that the man didn't particularly care either way. Which was fair enough. It wasn't like they hadn't stolen a few kilograms of weapons-grade uranium from the country. "Either way, I would start looking for security holes. You're starting to look wide open and a few of your lesser rivals are eyeing some key territory."

Chase perked up. There were reasons he attended these things. Victor slid a USB across the table. "Have you considered Pierre as the culprit? He gave you the information to take down your rivals."

Chase took the USB. "I'll admit, it is fishy and he's been quiet for a bit."

Victor gave him a look. "We will see. Try to avoid killing our undercover agents when you get Australia back."

Chase's eyes narrowed as Victor walked away. Had Victor just tried to shove all the blame on Pierre? Or was this a hint that he was Pierre? Or had he just done this whole thing to get him his territory back and the rest were Pierre? Great. He was just going to dump this on Three. Three excelled in the eight-way chess mind game shenanigans.

Alex was finally finished with his rounds when he spotted Dima and Mandy. They were both by one of the tables. He made a beeline for his friends. Neither of them seemed to be doing very well. Dima and Mandy were both rather pale-looking. Well, paler than normal. Dima eagerly pulled him into a hug. Mandy smiled at them. "How's it going?"

They both glared at him. Alex had a sinking feeling that they thought he was behind this. Or that he had known it was coming. "It's our first state dinner and there's been a murder. How do you think?"

Alex resisted a grin. He was trying to be sensitive. "Don't worry, mine went the same way."

Mandy and Dima both shot him unamused looks. Alex knew he was bad at feelings and people. "Look, it doesn't happen that often, but it certainly makes things more interesting."

Dima and Mandy exchanged a look and then glared at him. Oh, goody, here came the murder accusations. Alex would normally be responsible, but this was the one time he hadn't done anything. "Don't be like that. It wasn't me. We just signed a treaty. Common sense dictates that I wait at least a year or three before I knock him off."

Alex was ninety percent sure that Winston Yu was the one who had just died. He hadn't spotted the man and Alex suspected that Yu would have found him by now, given their business relationship. Not to mention, Alex had a sinking suspicion that someone here had arranged the death. It was one of the few times Winston would not be surrounded by scores of loyal people. His friends did not look reassured by this. Alex sat down next to them. "Please stop trying to be reassuring. It's not working."

Alex huffed. Pssh. He was trying, okay? It wasn't his fault he was moderately sociopathic on the best of days. Plus, his friends weren't running away screaming, so things were probably going well. Alex handed them both some crackers and snagged some of the hot chocolate they were passing out 'for the shock.' Alex had a sinking suspicion that it was spiked with cream liquor, but wasn't going to bring it up. "Sorry?"

Mandy patted him on the head. Dima just looked more amused than upset. "There, there, Alex. We all know you're bad at feelings."

Dima took his left side and Mandy took his right. Mandy spoke first. "So what do we do now?"

Alex shrugged. Honestly, he doubted Sarov would let him poke around. "Wait for the official announcement and wait some more. Try to choke down dinner once it gets here."

Dima and Mandy both sighed. "At least you know what to do."

It was Dima who spoke next. Alex shrugged and took both of their hands, not particularly caring what people thought at the moment. Besides, it was more than likely they had their concerns at the moment. Family members and dates were trying to remain calm and find each other. Alex pointedly ignored the wink and thumbs up Brendan shot his way. People seemed to forget that he was thirteen. Alex noticed that a few of the more security-oriented people were eyeing them, but ignored them in favor of talking to his friends. "So, what did you think of the latest vampire comic?"

Dima immediately jumped on the topic. "I loved it."

Mandy, of course, had to disagree. "It got so political."

Alex resisted a smirk as Dima started whisper-arguing with her. "It was always political."

Alex zoned into the full-on bickering match as he waited for the announcement. This was going to take a while. Besides, it was kind of fun to watch them argue.

Sarov watched very closely as Alex interacted with various people. He seemed to be doing alright. Where was Boris? The man should be making an announcement any second now. Not to mention, he hadn't caught sight of Winston Yu yet, either. To Sarov's relief, there was finally an announcement. It was not, however, an announcement that he expected. "There has been an unfortunate and tragic murder here tonight. Fortunately, the culprit has been caught."

Usually, murders needed to be investigated. Then again, Boris would have been under intense pressure to find a culprit. Or perhaps the murderer had been caught in the act. It wasn't like the function was entirely unguarded. "Mr. Winston Yu, a fine, upstanding businessman and friend to the Kingdom of Columbia was assassinated by Mrs. Winona Odey."

Sarov had never heard of her. This was sure to be interesting. Perhaps she was a scapegoat. This was one of the unfortunate realities of politics. "The motivations appear to be mainly personal. Mrs. Odey murdered Mr. Yu in revenge for her own son's death decades ago, which is believed to be an unfortunate accident."

Well, it wasn't like Yu had been short of murder victims. Or other kinds of victims. "She screamed 'Your mother murdered my son, now I'll take hers,' and shoved Mr. Yu down a flight of stairs. Mr. Yu might have survived; however, he had a condition that rendered his skeleton extremely fragile, resulting in instantaneous death and several dozen shattered bones on impact."

Sarov knew for a fact that the man had brittle bone disease. It was an unfortunate condition to be sure. As for the murder, well, the case had long gone cold. Sarov doubted it would be reopened. That would cause a stir. That still left questions about how she'd gotten into the place. Sarov had memorized the guest list and she hadn't been mentioned. It wouldn't hurt to double-check, but he was quite certain. He was sure Victor would give him more details. "Our condolences go out to Mr. Chase, his...business partner, also in attendance."

Brendan Chase was probably going to murder Alex for that. Or laugh himself sick. The man had a somewhat twisted sense of humor. "We will have a moment of silence to honor him and his life achievements, and then the dinner will continue."

On the bright side, the contract that Alex had made was with SCORPIA, not Winston Yu. Most likely, the board would vote on who got to take over the handling of that. Alex would likely get a say in that, but the final say would be the board. Sarov made a mental note to have Alex send a polite, proofread, missive to the board. He would not be insulting any of the members in said missive. It would be carefully worded and very diplomatic. The moment of silence was quiet and tense. People milled about and occasionally spoke with representatives. Brendan was getting quite a bit of sympathetic couples moving towards him. Sarov found the entire affair extremely hilarious, but was not about to be caught dead laughing about it in public, nor was he going to tell Alex. The boy did not need any more encouragement and practical jokes against the executive board were a good way to shorten your lifespan.

The dinner was served only two hours late. That was a new record in Brendan Chase's book. Winston Yu. Pushed down the stairs by the mother of his former school bully. Who had been murdered by Winston's mother. He'd have to double-check everything, but he was fairly certain that the boy's name was Crispen Odey, and the woman who had pushed Winston had been named Winona Odey. Not to mention, Yu's mother had been an employee of SCORPIA. There should be at least a file in Winston's records. "You have our condolences on the loss of your partner."

Somewhere in the middle of the condolences of the entire room, they had stopped pretending to believe that Winston wasn't his romantic partner. Brendan wasn't sure whether to strangle Alex, laugh himself sick, or thank him for the immense number of mourning gifts he was about to receive. Possibly all three. Fucking little shit. He had a wife! And kids! Sure, they were dead, but come on. There was no way in hell he was going to keep this from Nile. Nile was going to be insufferable for weeks. Weeks. Just for that, baby Alex could do all their mission paperwork on joint missions. Brendan glared as Alex walked up to him with his two little friends. Speaking of people more likely to be having love affairs. "You have our condolences on the loss of your partner."

Alex's voice just dripped with the implication. Chase could see how he got through undercover now. Chase put on his most fake smile. It didn't need to be convincing, especially since he supposedly lost someone important to him. "Thank you."

He was going to find some sort of excuse to choke Alex. Just for a few seconds. Chokehold practice was important. Especially the spontaneous kind. Or maybe he'd have cooled off by then. Thankfully, neither Victor, Boris, nor Sarov came over to give him their condolences. Good, they were his new favorites. Even if Sarov was an abstinent killjoy and all three were stabby, treacherous bastards. Speaking of people they should consider for the board, Chase was leaning towards Victor. Alex was too young for him to tell if he had the right kind of personality, not to mention, being a warlord at the age of thirteen might lead to having a mental breakdown later in life. Brendan just managed to keep from laughing, screaming, or attempting homicide until the end of the night. The dinner and decorations were on point.

Winston Yu had gone up to the balcony for some fresh air. The night was quite exceptional. Alex seemed to be doing fairly well. Brendan had suggested that they split up so as not to overwhelm the boy. Personally, Winston thought Alex had more of a spine than that but was not about to test the new fragile alliance by arguing with Brendan. He was still sore about that territory in Australia. It had been over a year, for God's sake. He had watched them converse for a while, but had abandoned it in favor of walking up the stairs for air. In reality, he was likely going to watch the guests from above. It could give valuable insights. It also let him know who knew who. Victor Ivanov seemed to be heading towards Brendan, though he was trying not to be obvious about it. Perhaps the security services needed another dirty job done. It would not be the first time they hired SCORPIA and it likely wouldn't be the last. Winston continued to watch the other contingents. There were quite a few unknowns in the mix. They were mostly countries that people had ignored for decades. Alex would likely be willing to make the alliances. Winston did not doubt that the boy would successfully negotiate the treaties and the fitness required to make them beneficial to both parties. With Zeljan and Rothman newly out of the picture, the rest had agreed to sign the treaty without much fanfare. They were, after all, supposed to share business opportunities. True, Winston frequently dealt under the table, but there would be no hiding that treaty or the profits that came from it. The difference would be too plain. There was something else that was grabbing his attention. Ah, a housekeeper. She was a rather unattractive woman. The woman looked almost too old for manual labor. Her features seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place them. She was briskly dusting one of the decorations. Winston decided to ignore her in favor of people watching. "YU! YOU'RE WINSTON YU! YOUR MOTHER KILLED MY SON! NOW, I'LL TAKE HERS!"

Winston felt a jolt as he was pushed down the stairs. He tried grabbing the railing, but she hit him with the hard end of her feather duster. He felt his fingers snap and he fell down the stairs. THUD! CRACK!

More of his bones broke. He was going to vivisect her. He heard a snapping noise and then his vision went black.

Author's Note: The chapter is out of order. The flashback to Winston's last moments is italicized. The name of Winston Yu's bully was changed in later editions (to the best of my knowledge). I used the name in the version I bought. I try to beat canon into submission and keep things as vague as possible, but sometimes I hit real issues.