Hi there. Here's another chapter. This one was really tricky to write because, as you'll see, it's written from Ben's perspective which is something I haven't really done before, so maybe you'll find the chapter a bit different from how I usually tend to express myself. Either way, I think it's interesting to know what Ben really thinks about everything that's going on.

I wanted to thank you all for the response to the last chapter. I wasn't expecting you guys to like it that much so thank you for your support and kind words. I hope you guys like this one too.

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Chapter 10: I guess they didn't fill you in on that, did they?

"Whoever he is-"

"Everything! He means everything to me" there was a beat of silence in which Alex could almost see the wheels turning in his uncle's head. Then, he finally understood.

"Oh"

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"I guess they didn't fill you in on that, did they?"

Ben had to admit that he was watching the whole scene play out in front of him with a small hint of satisfaction. His brother's voice was steady and Ben didn't bother hiding the smile that was creeping up his face.

Ian's expression when the meaning behind Alex's words finally sunk in had been of utter surprise and Ben was selfishly happy they'd managed to blindside him again within minutes of him finding out Alex had already met with the people who were after him. Getting not one but two points over MI6's golden spy wasn't something that happened everyday.

And then, after silently gloating about it, Ben finally came to his senses and snapped his eyes back to Alex who had just done something as important as coming out to his uncle. They'd never talked about keeping Alex's orientation a secret from Ian and they figured the other man was bound to find out eventually, but Alex's outburst had been kind of sudden.

Instead of seeing a look of panic in his eyes though, Ben could only see defiance and pride which made the ex soldier be every bit as proud of him as he'd always told him he was.

"I... no. I didn't know" Ian said almost shyly. Take that Ian! I guess you can't read everything from a file, now, can you? Or at least that's what he would've liked to say at that moment.

"Well, you can keep your thoughts and judgements to yourself because I don't care if you like it or not. Right now I just need to know about your mission"

Ben had to wipe the smile off his face when Alex turned his gaze on him. He didn't want the younger boy to believe he was enjoying the situation more than he should, but he just couldn't help feeling like he'd won something over Ian.

As Alex had just stated, he didn't seem to care at all if his uncle accepted the fact he was in a relationship with another boy, at least not like he'd feared disapproval when Ben had first find out. Granted, the way he'd found out about Alex had been much more unexpected and awkward, coming home to find both boys fooling around on the floor. But Ben's surprise might have had more to do with the fact Alex had been caught doing something so normal and common for his age than with whom he'd been doing it with in the first place.

Ben remembered Alex's later tear filled eyes and quiet voice begging Ben to be okay with it, with who he was. He wasn't seeing that now and, again, Ben was selfish enough to admit he was glad.

He was also man enough to admit, if only to himself, that since the moment Ian had showed up in their lives, Ben had felt like a silent competition had started between the two of them despite the fact Ian had assured him he wasn't there to take Alex away from him. Ben knew Alex loved him, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but he was also painfully aware that Ian would always have a special kind of advantage due to the fact he was related to Alex by blood. He had always been, and now more than ever, Alex's only living relative and there was only so much Ben could do to compete against that.

Focusing back on the conversation, Ben noticed Ian had been smart enough to nod and drop the subject.

"What did you steal from him?" the blond asked again. What Ben didn't like was the way Alex held himself rigid and more often than not with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He didn't feel safe here, not that Ben could blame him.

"Alex, MI-"

"I know MI6 won't agree to anything. I know that!" his younger brother interrupted in frustration. Ben could understand that because Ian seemed like a really thick headed guy "But I'm asking for your help, not theirs. I just need to know what it is so I can make Carlos believe I got it back" Ian narrowed his eyes in thought and Ben was surprised to see him turning his gaze to land on him. It was small the number of times the man had address himself directly to him.

"You're planning a rescue operation" he stated.

"Whatever we can do to get him back, yes" Ben answered.

"On your own?"

"Like Alex said, we know MI6 won't help and we can't go to the police"

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"We're working on it and we're doing it with or without your help. It would just be easier to do it knowing what we need to know" he stated, hoping the man would cave once and for all.

"It's just information" Alex added.

"Information is dangerous, Alex" the man stated back.

"Well so is being a spy, something you had no problem training me for" the younger boy replied challengingly.

"About that-" but whatever he'd been about to say was cut off by the insistent ringing of Alex's phone.

The blond's hand flew to his pocket and fished the device out.

His voice caught when he called Ben to show who was calling. He immediately stood up from the couch. Victor's name was flashing on the screen.

"It's them" Ben informed Ian before focussing his attention on the blond "Answer it"

"Wait" Alex halted his movement at the last second when Ian jumped from his position on the cupboard and reached for a bag next to the table.

"For what?" Alex asked, his eyes never leaving the ringing phone. Ian wrestled a laptop from the bag and set it on the table, making quick work of prying it open.

"I can trace where the call is coming from. I have access to a program" Alex looked up to monitor his movements as well.

"I can't miss the call" he urged.

"Give me a second" the man's fingers were flying over the keyboard and Ben approached him to see what he was working on. Sure enough, there was a map of the city displayed on the screen.

"They'll hurt him if I don't answer!" his voice was getting a desperate tone Ben wasn't too fond of.

"Just ten seconds"

"Ian!" Alex exploded, his hand now visibly shaking in the air.

"Go!" the blond touched the green button as soon as he was given the okay.

"Hello?" silence hung in the air as Ben and Ian waited expectantly to hear the one-sided conversation. Alex's face lit up for an instant "Hey! You okay?... No, but-…just… are you okay?"

Though Ben heard the squeak of a voice coming from the other end of the line, Alex was standing too far away for him to understand what was being said, but the look of relief on Alex's face made him guess Victor wasn't too worse for wear.

"They didn't say anything about time" Alex said into the phone, which didn't sound at all reassuring "How long do I have?... Yes… I know… Wait!"

Ben checked Ian's laptop but the program continued to be running without much success. They needed the call to last longer. He gestured for Alex to try and stall for time.

When he next spoke, the venom in his voice told him he was no longer talking to Victor but to the people holding him prisoner.

"I said I would… How long do I have?... You promised you wouldn't hurt him!... And I'm trying!" Ben walked closer to him and put a hand on the blond's shoulder. It wouldn't benefit anyone if he lost his temper now "Just tell me how long-"

The conversation didn't seem to be going so well.

"I'm working on it!" Alex's sudden outburst made even Ian take his eyes off the computer to stare at his nephew. The spy locked eyes with Alex and the younger boy looked at him with a myriad of raw emotions on his face. His eyes were pleading. Ian seemed to make up his mind and offered a curt nod that made Alex's body slump with relief "I'll have it soon. I promise. Don't-"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Alex lowered the phone and stared at it as if he could bring back the call by sheer force of will. Ben turned to Ian.

"Was it enough?" he asked. Ian answered by turning the screen to them so they could see that the map grid hadn't narrowed to a specific location. The words 'signal lost' flashing in red bold letters.

Alex cursed and dropped himself on the couch Ben had been previously sitting on. His calm facade was starting to crack as he ran both hands furiously through his hair.

He looked up at Ian again and Ben caught the desperate look in his eyes.

"Did you mean it? Will you help me?"

For the first time since Alex and Ian had hugged on the bridge, the older man closed the distance between them and crouched in front of him, resting a hand on his knee.

"I will"

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Alex excused himself to go to the bathroom after that.

The other two chose a spot on the table and sat down, an uncomfortable silence settling between them until Alex dissappeared from view and Ian scooted closer to Ben.

"So?" he whispered in the same fashion people might start gossiping at a reunion. Ben stared blankly at him "How do you think he's doing?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Ben didn't mean to sound rude, but he thought it was a bit childish for the other man to act concerned about Alex at his back and then all high and mighty in his presence. Was he afraid to show his nephew how he really felt? That would definitely explain his uptight behavior.

"I'm trying to give him space like you said" Ben snorted.

"I told you to give him space, not to treat him like a stranger"

"It's just…" Ian glanced back to make sure Alex was still out of earshot "He doesn't seem at all like you described. He seems normal, if only a bit quicker on the fuse"

"He is normal" he deadpanned.

"I know. That's not what I meant" you better, Ben thought and leaned in closer pensively.

"I admit he's handiling things pretty well. He's driven when he wants to be" an emotion Ben hadn't seen yet on the other man crossed his features before he sighed and nodded his head. Regret? Guilt?

"He's always been like that" he sounded sad and, at the same time, proud. Not for the first time, Ben wondered about what had Alex been like as a child, before MI6 had an opportunity to snatch their claws on him. He could picture a little bundle of blond energy, innocent and oblivious to the rest of the world but nevertheless equally smart and clever. He imagined Alex had been every bit of a handful as he was now, except then it hadn't been for all the wrong reasons. Ben imagined him maybe occasionally getting in trouble at school, if only because he had been friends with Tom. Excelling at sports and wooing girls, or boys, more likely, left and right. It was a comforting picture and yet Ben couldn't really place his younger brother's face on the image. It was just too different from reality. His reality, at least. What he definitely couldn't imagine was getting the privilege to care for a kid like that and then give it all away without reason, because they still hadn't heard any.

"Can I ask you-?" he started to ask but stopped himself at the last minute. That was something Alex had the right to hear first. He sighed and redirected his words "He does need space to process things, but he needs to see you trying as well. So don't treat him like he's a mission or, worse yet, an asset. And if you really want to get past his defenses, just help him save his boyfriend's life. You have no idea how bad he'll take it if Victor doesn't come back safe"

Ian was about to answer when the sound of a flushing toillet reached them and they straightened apart from each other.

Yeah, like school girls gossiping, Ben thought.

Alex walked back into the livingroom, his face freshly washed though Ben couldn't see any traces of tears or signs that suggested he'd been crying. Ben offered the seat next to his.

"How are you doing?" Ian asked in a not so subtle way. Was this guy really a spy? Ben hoped, for the sake of the country, that his people's skills were better than what he'd shown so far.

"Fine" Alex didn't seem to care about the effort though, offering his pattented I'm-not-really-okay-but-I-won't-talk-to-you-about-it-or-anyone-else-for-that-matter answer. Ben was familiar with the tone "You said you'd help me. Tell me what you stole from him"

"Before I do that" the other man started to which Alex visibly tensed "I think I can help with more than that. I want in on the operation"

Alex remained silent for a few seconds before calmly denying the request.

"Telling us what you stole is help enough"

"Come on, Alex, you could use all the help you can get"

"Why the sudden interest?" the blond's tone was bordering on spiteful but Ian wasn't deterred.

"I just think that since you're doing it either way, there's a skill set I can offer. Two former operatives may not be enough to go up against Villanueva"

"Who says it's just the two of us?" Alex asked.

Ben was aware of how risky their plan was. There was some truth to Ian's words. He and Alex had been out of the game for some time now and though they made sure to keep in shape and spar from time to time, they were still rusty and, even worse, they were emotionally involved, specially Alex.

If this Carlos Villanueva was so dangerous it had taken an almost six-year undercover mission to get close to him, then Ben didn't like their odds of success. Not that he could say that out loud in front of his brother. For Alex to not lose his mind, he needed to believe they could rescue Victor untact and Ben was going to make sure he stayed possitive. He would also do everything in his power to save Victor's life.

"Is there anyone else involved?" Ian's voice brought him back to the conversation and he took the opportunity to jump back into it.

"Our Plan B" he said, leaning back on his chair "Which was always meant to be our Plan A"

"Eagle" Alex confirmed and Ian looked at them momentarily confused. Ben figured the spy thought they were talking in riddles.

"What now?"

"Eagle, that's a friend of ours" he supplied and proceeded to explain the rest of their plan.

Ian let him talk without interruption, Alex adding details to his explanation here and there until all the cards were laid on the table and all that was left missing was the key piece of information that would allow them to get close to Villanueva in order to rescue Victor.

The spy nodded pensively when they finished explaining, his elbows resting at the edge of the table and fingers interlocked under his chin.

"Information" he began, keeping both Alex and Ben's attention on him "That's what I stole from one of his offices"

Then the man launched himself into an explanation of his own.

"Carlos Villanueva is a smart man. He's the kind of person who could bring down a country from the comfort of his office. He's patient and calculating. He doesn't trust easily. There's a reason why no one's been able to put him away"

"He has dealings in the drugs and human traffiking businesses but those are the least of our worries" Ben wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that statement. He thought human traffiking was troubling enough, and it was supposed to be the least of their worries?

"He likes to play the long game. He plants his own people into strategic companies, powerful companies, rich companies. Sometimes the best way to destroy a country is by bringing its economy down. That alone makes him a terrorist. But, above all, he's careful. Nothing ever traces back to him and he makes sure his employees stay loyal by threatening their lives, their families. That's why I knew as soon as he found out who I really was, he would come after you. Flashdrive or no flashdrive. Make no mistake, he wants revenge as much as he wants what I took back"

Alex was the first to voice his thoughts after that.

"It must be important, the information you stole, for him to come all the way here in person"

"Which is actually a major breakthrough in the operation. It does tell us that what we have may be the key to finally putting him away for good"

"But what is it exactly? What's on the drive?" Ben thought Ian's expression was, in fact, worrisome.

"I don't know"

They stared at him.

"You went to all the trouble and you didn't even look at the thing?!" he wouldn't be blaming Alex for yelling about it any time soon, because he was wondering the exact same thing himself. Ian leaned away from the table with a sigh.

"I downloaded the information into the drive but couldn't open any files before they caught me. I had to flee. I just took the information with me"

"How long ago was this?" Ben asked.

"Two weeks"

Apparently Alex had gotten resteless enough for him to spring from his seat and begin pacing in front of the table.

"MI6's had the drive for weeks now. Just say you don't want us to know, but don't lie to us"

"I'm not" the other man defended himself "We haven't made a move against Carlos because we haven't been able to open any files. The information is heavily encrypted and our technitians say it can only be read by the main server from which the information originally came from" Ben inwardly agreed with Ian's previous assesment. If Carlos was dealing with it personally, then the information was damning.

"Okay. That's good then" Alex murmured almost to himself "He won't expect me to know what's on the drive if it can't be read. Makes it easier to fool him"

"I can fill another drive with some encrypted files as a decoy" Ian offered. He hadn't really been accepted into their mission yet, but he seemed determined enough "The encryption won't be remotely similar to the original so once they check, you won't have much time but at least it'll give you an entrance" Alex stopped his pacing and studied his uncle for a minute. Ben had already made a decision of his own, but he would try to respect his brother's wishes on this one.

"What about MI6?" the blond asked. Ian shrugged.

"Contrary to what you may think, I don't always play by the rules. I wouldn't have made it this far if I did"

"I-" Alex didn't seem to know what to say. He locked eyes with Ben and the older man nodded in encouragement. Alex sighed.

"Let's call Eagle then"

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I know, not my best work yet but we got to hear something from Vict! At least Alex did anyway…

It seems like a rescue operation is on the go my friends! Can you imagine a mission done by Alex, Ian, Eagle and Ben? You can bet things won't go smoothly for them, or Vict, my poor baby. I miss him. I can't wait to write him and Alex on the same scene again.

So… thoughts? I really hope you at least enjoyed it. This chapter contained a lot of information but worry not: my typical ammount of feelings and angst and action is just waiting around the corner.

Until then!