As I was writing this, I found it very difficult not to be like- and then what if they found something suspicious? No, Valentine- it's simply a cute fic, alright? But what if one of them goes missin- No! It's a cute fic!…Fine, damn I'm bossy.

Hex turned guiltily to his friend and slowly the automatic doors opened again. Alex simply stood, looking at his friend being soaked in the miserable, bitter-cold November rain, wondering what could have possessed Hex to shut himself outside. Hex walked in to stand beside Alex and smoothed back his hair, which stuck in place due to the rain. He knew his friend well enough to know Alex wouldn't be angry or upset, probably just confused.

"You don't ask girls out very often do you?" Was all Alex asked and Hex glanced to him quickly.

"Not really," he admitted, knowing Alex would be the last person to tease him in any way, "why?" Alex put a hand on his shoulder in a consoling way before realizing Hex was wet and withdrawing his hand quickly.

"Because that was terrible," Alex stressed the last word and Hex's shoulders slumped.

"I'd like to see you do any better." Hex snapped and began to walk away. Alex thought for a moment before running up to his friend.

"I'm not saying I could, I'm saying you should." Alex said and Hex smirked before shaking his head.

"I'm seeing you after three months and the first thing you do is criticize me." Hex muttered and Alex looked offended.

"I'm seeing you after three months and the first thing you do is close an automatic door in my face." He retorted and Hex sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said feebly. Alex hitched his rucksack further up his shoulder while checking the time on his watch.

"That's alright. When's everyone else coming?" He asked.

"We have to pick up Paulo from the airport now," Hex answered, "Li is coming tomorrow afternoon and we'll all go to get Amber from the airport." Alex nodded and they entered the post office. He noticed an Asian lady behind a desk, greet him with a smile and he smiled politely back but then he realized it wasn't him she was looking at; she stood up from her desk and walked over to Hex.

"How did it go?" She asked, trying and failing to hide her excitement.

"I'll have to tell you later," Hex said and picked up his bag from nearby before swinging it onto his shoulder. "I have to go to the airport and pick up a friend." The woman's face fell in disappointment but she put on a smile anyway.

"Alright, you better tell me later, kid." She said as she walked away, Hex smiled at her and waved goodbye as she went back to her desk. The two friends walked back out of the post office and headed for the train station.

A few hours later, the two friends were joined by a third boy; the lazy, handsome Argentinian had flown throughout the night to arrive that afternoon. He'd only been to Hex's part of London once and never to his house, so was pretty excited to see the city. That and he knew Li was coming. The three friends walked down a not-so-busy side street in East London, after deciding walking back to Hex's house would be better than taking a bus.

"Hey, have you guys met my friend Zara?" Hex said suddenly and the boys shook their heads.

"You have friends outside of us?" Paulo asked and Alex laughed. Hex chose to ignore the comment.

"I must've talked about her, you'll like her, she's awesome." He said quickly and began to pick up the pace. "Her family owns a coffee shop nearby, I think she's working today." They turned right onto a busier road and saw a small, cosy looking coffee house opposite. "Even though she's a bit of a klutz," Hex admitted, "and kind of loud at the wrong times-"

"You're just going to get free coffee, right?" Alex asked and Hex cleared his throat as they crossed the road.

"Well, there's that too." He said under his breath and the boys followed him across the busy road and they approached the door of the coffee shop. It was difficult not to "awww" at the cakes and flowers displayed in the window and as Hex pushed open the door, the boys were engulfed by the smell of coffee and pastries. The shop was surprisingly busy, seeing as it was the only one on that street, and it was just as cordial as it looked on the outside; with sofas and chairs that looked like they had come from different places and times, mismatching tea cups and saucers and bookshelves filled with editions Alex recognised as the ones he'd been forced to read in English at school. There was a girl, looking bored at the counter, with fair skin, dark hair and dark, hooded eyes, as soon as she saw Hex she smiled and beckoned him with a hand.

"Hello, Hex!" She called out and hugged him with the one arm that could reach around the till.

"Hey, Ali. Is Zara around?" Hex asked brightly and the girl, now called Ali, nodded.

"I think she's around back," Ali turned her back to them and shouted for Zara. She turned back and saw Alex and Paulo, leaning around Hex to see if Zara actually existed.

"This is Alex," Hex said with a nod of his head to the tallest boy of the trio and Alex smiled at her.

"Hey," he said but realised she'd already looked to Paulo who stood with a slightly arrogant smile.

"And this is Paulo," Hex murmured for he knew she wasn't listening anymore because her attention was concentrated on the good-looking Hispanic boy. Paulo simply smiled at her and she dissolved into giggles.

"Sit wherever you like," she said sweetly to him and Paulo nodded. She walked away from them, still casting a glance backwards and smiling again. Three boys stood at the counter for a moment longer.

"How the heck do you do that?" Hex questioned him and Paulo shrugged.

"Even I do not know." He said and lead them to a table. Alex and Hex, although not satisfied with that answer, accepted it nevertheless and sat down with him.

"You ought to give Hex some tips," Alex commented and Hex shot him a cold look.

"Why...?" And then Paulo read the look on Alex face, and the awkwardness in the twiddling of Hex's fingers, "what's happened?" And so Hex explained the happenings of the post office that morning.

"You shut the door in Alex's face?" Paulo asked seriously and when Hex nodded he laughed. "Real smooth, Romeo." He snorted and Alex shook his head. Their conversation was interrupted as someone ruffled Hex's hair when they approached the table.

"Alright, enough." Hex said and pushed her hand away. Alex and Paulo looked up to see a girl that looked like Ali from five minutes ago but younger, slimmer and fairer. Zara smiled at them with perfect teeth and very light brown eyes. Their chocolate colour stood out against her fair skin and jet black hair that was roughly tied up in a pony tail. She looked at the two boys as though studying them.

"Paulo," she said and pointed at him, when he nodded she smiled triumphantly, "and Alex." She concluded and he nodded too. "I'm Zara, it's nice to finally meet you." She sat down on the edge of Hex's chair and pushed him along the bench, he simply gave her a look of annoyance before sitting up straight again.

"Hex has told you about us?" Paulo asked and she nodded before grabbing the hand of a girl walking by.

"Can we have some hot chocolate, Mel?" The waitress nodded at Zara and walked away.

"Why don't you make some coffee?" Hex asked Zara and she shook her head.

"I don't make coffee-"

"You work at a coffee shop, of course you do!" He reminded her and she pouted at him. Hex clearly gave up when Zara turned back to his friends and leant in to talk again.

"Hex has told me about you, albeit it being a rough sketch of the group." And before they knew it Zara was talking at an incredibly fast rate and almost as quiet as a whisper. "One day Hex is coming with me and Ben on whatever adventures we have lined up, and God knows how many adventures Ben and I have lined up," she paused for breath. "Then again they're not really lined up, more shoved into a box in an unholy mess. That's the second time I've used a religious connotation," she said to herself and took a box from the middle of the table that contained different types of sweetner. "Anyway, the next day he's jetting off to somewhere near Indonesia on a boat or something and meets four friends who I never hear enough of." She paused again and Alex and Paulo were finding it difficult to keep up for they were amazed she could talk so rapidly and sort out the sugar in the box just as fast. "Here's me in little old England thinking the socially-inept hacker from East London that has left us for South America and then, with hardly any time in between, gone off to the Sahara, has somehow transformed into a secret agent." The two boys who were not used to her, had to take a moment to realise what she was talking about. She had noted the places where Alpha Force had had their first two missions and when she smiled innocently at them they looked to Hex who shook his head; she knew nothing. The two of them relaxed. "Relax," Zara said as she noticed how tense they had become, "I'm just really good at remembering useless bits of information about people; you can tell me all the gory details about these trips, later." She stacked up the last pink sachets of sugar and put them neatly in the box.

"You talk really fast." Paulo said slowly and she grinned before leaning in closer.

"And you have reduced half of my cousins to a group of giggling banshees." She replied just as slowly and pointed to the pastry counter to which all the boys looked; indeed as Paulo glanced over the girls hid away with giggles that made Zara shiver. "Thanks Mel," Zara looked up over her shoulder and smiled at the waitress who had a tray of four hot chocolates. Alex and Paulo glanced at each other; how did Zara know the girl was there? As Melanie began to hand out the hot chocolates, Zara's phone rang. "Who might this be?" She muttered and took out the phone from her jeans pocket. She answered the call and smiled as soon as she heard the other person say hello. "Hey, how are you guys?" Pause. "Of course I am." A smile at Hex. "I think I will…" As Zara laughed and talked on the phone, Hex leant over to his friends.

"She's a bit of an acquired taste." Hex whispered and Paulo shrugged.

"I like her." He confirmed and Alex nodded.

"She looks like Snow White." Alex added and the other two looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"I don't know whether to say awww," Paulo replied, "or to throw up."

"Well I think it was an adorable thing to say." Zara added and they turned to her before smiling guiltily. Alex blushed furiously and wished the sofa would swallow him so he didn't have to look at her.

"Who was that on the phone?" Hex asked, trying to save Alex and Zara, who had kept her light eyes on him, looked to Hex.

"Your mum." She replied and the boys laughed. "No really, it was." She protested, "she was making sure I was keeping an eye on you."

"Where are your parents?" Hex asked her and her smile faded.

"Washington, visiting the brother." She grumbled, "But Zara can't go because she has to stay here and work and do homework and study and clean up and study." She paused, "and study." Hex patted her shoulder and put on a look of mock-concern before his expression faded to one of sincerity.

"Come and stay with me for a while!" He said and she brightened up immediately.

"Really?" She asked and looked to the other two boys who nodded immediately. They weren't entirely sure why they were agreeing but there was something delightfully infectious about her humor and kindness and the strange relationship she had with Hex, that made it difficult not to like Zara. Slowly, her smile faded, "you just want me there because you can't cook." She said and Hex shook his head.

"Of course not." Hex said and when Zara looked away and her eyes danced as she deliberated, he turned to the boys and nodded vigorously.

"OK," Zara replied, "I'll come over later." She stood up from the table and reached down for Hex's mug. She took a sip and handed him the mug, the other two found it strange that Hex didn't mind. "Paulo," she nodded a goodbye to him, "Prince Charming," she winked at Alex who forced a smile in goodbye. Before she walked away she ruffled Hex's hair once more and went back to "the back." Hex looked back to his friends as though awaiting their comments.

"I prefer her to Emma," Alex said quickly, "Emma made you shut a door in my face while Zara undermined you at least three times in three minutes." Paulo nodded.

"I think she's attractive," he added, "in a cute, clever sort of way-"

"That's disgusting." Hex said suddenly and pointed to himself, "me and Zara?" He asked and the others nodded. "She's like my kid sister man!" He cried as though the mere thought of it was an abomination.

"Oh," Paulo said as though it was all making sense, "well, Alex, it's a shame you're so tall." He said and Hex and Alex looked around to him and even though Alex had a premonition of what Paulo was going to say, he still asked:

"Why?"

"Because you could never be one of her dwarfs."

This is moving so slowly, I was like- it'll be over in three chapters, don't worry. But then I just got really into the…mundaneness of it all. The cuteness-ish. Whatever. How're we liking Zara?

Reviews appreciated!