A/N: I said I wasn't going to answer any anonymous reviews and I'm not going to. No matter how much it hurts . . . *shudders* Just a nice little chapter to once again apologize for my terrible procrastination and further the plot. Hope you like it! We're getting a little angst near the end and I'm afraid I may have waxed poetic a tad; I do hope you'll forgive me for that.

Oh and this is on Wednesday of the same week, just to be clear.

Wolf scowled a little as he looked around the flat. The high-ranking officer (name slipped his mind; really had to work on that) he was meant to be escorting today had suddenly contracted flu, so after he'd finished helping out with the paperwork, his superior told him he could have the rest of the day off. So now he was wandering around his flat, restless and bored; he'd always been a man of action after all and unless he was supremely relaxed for a particular reason, he wanted to be on his feet and doing something – anything. He'd almost rather do more paperwork. Almost.

As if in answer to his silent plea, the phone began to ring. Glancing at the ceiling briefly (he really needed to fix that crack before the above floors came crashing down on his head) he strode into the kitchen where the wireless had last been dumped and answered it with a brief, "Hello?"

"Mr. Stephanidis?"

"Speaking."

"Ah, good afternoon, my name is Henry Bray, I'm the Headmaster of Brooklands Secondary. I understand you are the current legal guardian of Alex Rider?"

"Is he all right?" Wolf demanded urgently, a twisted sensation growing in his stomach at the thought of something happening.

"Well, that's really what I wanted to talk to you about, Mr. Stephanidis. A few of Alex's teachers have remarked upon his present behaviour and that of some of the other students towards him and we are a little concerned."

Wolf frowned, pressing the telephone a bit tighter to his ear, "You mean he's being bullied?"

"That is one issue we would like to discuss. Would it be at all possible for you to come in for a meeting with me?"

"I can be there in ten minutes." Wolf said decisively. The Headmaster readily agreed, sounding a tad startled by the change in tone.

Hanging up, he dumped the phone on the kitchen counter and snatched the keys of the hook by the fridge, marching out of his flat to his car. Clenching the strips of metal in his hand so hard he nearly broke the skin of his palm, he tried desperately to ignore the nauseous feeling churning within him and what it could mean.

XXXXX

Came to pick you up, parked by the gate

Wolf sent the text and leant back in the driver seat, idly drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Glancing at his watch, he saw he still had another five minutes before the last school bell of the day rang. Hopefully he could use the time to figure out how to broach the topic with his ward.

Sighing quietly, his eyes slid closed and his head tilted back as he recalled the rather painful two-hour conversation he had with Alex's Headmaster. He didn't know meetings of that sort could even go on for that long, but apparently Alex was a special case. Though really, didn't the man have eight-hundred-odd other students he needed to take care of?

Not for the first time, Wolf found himself cursing MI6 and their rather weak excuses for Alex's absences and, more importantly, the effect their interference had on the boy's life. He had missed so much school that his teachers were always breathing down his neck about his GCSE's and, by extension, his A Levels in future years, their patience tested by the unbelievable stories they were told and their confusion that such a conscientious student could suddenly change so radically. But what really made Wolf's blood boil was the fact that Alex's disappearances had alienated him from some of his old friends and sparked some nasty rumors about him. The soldier had come very close to losing his temper completely when he'd been told about the school secretary, Miss Bedfordshire, and how her therapy theory had been circulated around the school.

"If you're worried about him being bullied, telling stories like that is hardly going to help, is it?" the man had hissed through clenched teeth as he glared at the woman in question. She fidgeted uncomfortably under his stare before the Headmaster reclaimed Wolf's attention.

Unfortunately, the sinking feeling in his gut told him that he hadn't done the kid any favours either. Only an idiot wouldn't have noticed the suspicious look Mr. Bray had given him when he'd reacted so badly to what he was being told. He didn't like the way the man kept pressing questions along the lines of, "How long exactly have you been responsible for Alex?" and "Why was he placed in your care?" which, given the circumstances, were not easy to answer. It probably showed, too.

Being informed of the incident that had occurred during lunchtime today which prompted his summons to the school was the final straw. He left the office at a quarter to three in a black mood, fully expecting to have allegations of abuse or something along those lines thrown at him in the coming weeks. After slamming his door shut with far too much force, he'd noticed that it was only half an hour until school finished, so decided that as he was already here he might collect his ward at the same time.

The shrill sound of the afternoon bell cut sharply through Wolf's musing, making him wince at the racket it made. He was so glad he didn't go to school anymore. The trickle of escaping students slowly turned into a flood and Wolf found himself glaring at anyone who came too close to his precious truck. Yes, it looked like something out of an action movie, but that did not mean it was on display for the general public.

"There's a look that could kill. Rough day?" Alex asked as he appeared at the window and hopped into the car.

"You could say that," Wolf muttered darkly.

"Want to talk about it?" Alex said more gently, inquisitive eyes on his guardian.

Wolf just stopped himself from shaking his head in exasperation – or swearing his head off, 'After what happened to you at lunch, you're worried about me?' The knots in his stomach twisted more tightly as he realized that Alex probably had no intention of telling him about that; they twisted further when it occurred to him that things of this nature had probably happened before, unbeknownst to the teachers. What he actually said was, "We'll talk later."

An emotion flashed in Alex's serious eyes so quickly Wolf was unable to identify it. The boy just nodded, "Okay."

XXXXX

Laughing in delight, Alex began to reset the board while Wolf buried his head in his hands. "Stop moaning and roll your dice." Alex ordered cheerfully, tossing one of his own onto the surface.

Straightening up in a visible effort to regain his composure, the man did as he was told, making the first move as his four beat Alex's two. "You're not the one getting hammered by someone eight years younger than you," he grumbled bad-temperedly.

Trying unsuccessfully to smother a grin, Alex shrugged. "It was your idea to play in the first place."

The two of them sat cross-legged on the living room floor, a Backgammon set in front of them, a deck of cards laying haphazardly to the left and two more games behind Alex's back. He didn't even know Wolf owned any board games before he'd suggested they spend some time together.

Wolf muttered something ungracious that Alex didn't quite catch in response to his logic, glaring as Alex took one of his pieces off. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing." Wolf said darkly, his eyes narrowing as he failed to get back onto the board.

"You're such a sore loser."

"Oh, be quiet."

Alex smiled, concentrating on the game, but glancing up through his lashes at the man when it was his turn. He could sense that something had been bothering the man ever since he picked him up and he wanted to know what it was. Despite the fact that they'd been playing for nearly four hours straight (as a surreptitious look at his watch revealed) since they got back to the flat, they still hadn't talked about it and it was worrying him. He didn't like it when Wolf wasn't happy. Sulking he didn't mind, but not genuinely unhappy.

"What's up?" Alex began uncertainly as he got all his counters home.

"I'm being knocked off my pedestal by my freaking ward!" Wolf exclaimed in comical horror as he estimated how long it would take to get his own remaining pieces home.

Swallowing the laugh that was bubbling up his throat, Alex said seriously, "No, I mean with you. You said we were going to talk about it later and we – haven't." he finished lamely, not sure how else to say it.

Wolf did not appear to react but he seemed noticeably more alert to Alex's eyes. He finished moving two of his counters along the board before he spoke, keeping his eyes locked on the felt surface as he did so, "I had a meeting today."

"Oh?"

"With your Headmaster."

Alex went very still, his hand frozen in mid-air. After a few seconds, he asked quietly, "What did Mr. Bray say?"

"He's concerned about your absences and your schoolwork."

Alex swallowed heavily, somehow managing to stop his arm and voice from shaking as he answered, "I figured that was going to crop up eventually."

"Don't worry about it." Alex's head jerked up in surprise. "I'm not going to rant at you about it; if you were any other kid I probably would, but you're not and the circumstances around you are – difficult. I get it and I know it bothers you enough as it is. If you ever want any help with something that you're having problems with, come ask me or the guys. Okay?"

After a moment, Alex smiled and murmured, "Yeah, I will," for once thinking MI6 actually did him a favour in placing him with Wolf.

"The incident in the canteen at lunchtime, however," Alex looked up once again, straight into Wolf's dark grey eyes, stormy with suppressed emotion and felt something inside of him shrivel up, "We are going to talk about."

Alex gulped inaudibly, feeling cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck. "It was nothing," he managed eventually. "It was just – "

"We'll get into what it was or was not in a moment," Wolf interrupted, his voice deceptively calm. "What I want to know is why didn't you tell me the second you got in the car this afternoon?"

Alex frowned minutely, "I could see something was already bothering you; I didn't want to add to it."

Wolf took a deep breath, "Cub, I know what happened. If something like this happens again, you tell me. I don't care if you think I'm already pissed or if you call me in the middle of a war meeting or even if you skip the rest of school and come home for the day, you tell me, understand?"

"But if you're worrying about something more important – "

"Alex!" Wolf cut himself off before he could start shouting, a vein throbbing in his forehead, almost concealed by his hair. "I'm going to say this only once, so listen closely. Nothing is more important than you."

Disbelief coursed through Alex, alongside something stronger and strangely warmer than anything he'd ever experienced before. He opened his mouth and shut it almost immediately when Wolf turned his intense gaze on him, instead simply nodding, his eyes giving away his puzzlement. Wolf noticed but didn't say anything; the last thing he wanted was an argument. He'd get through to him eventually.

The soldier cleared his throat and said in a somewhat forcedly jovial tone, "So, while we're having this little heart-to-heart, anything he want to talk about?"

Alex's brown eyes flashed back to his guardian as they resumed their game. "Like?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to be – well, parental here, I suppose, but it's not really one of my strong suits." Alex half-smiled and picked up his dice. "How about – girls?"

Alex dropped his dice. He momentarily lost the ability to breathe as he stared at the man, aghast. Wolf caught his look and, misinterpreting the reasons behind it, flushed dully, "I suspect that's one field I've got more experience in than you. Do you want any – advice? You've never mentioned a girlfriend to me before. Isn't there anyone you like?"

He stared at the pale arm that encircled his waist, felt the gentle breath of the boy laying beside him in the bed as he snuggled closer in his sleep, exhaling on the back on Alex's neck. The teenager swallowed heavily, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs. Fighting to get his body under control, he gasped out, "Th-there was . . . someone."

Wolf looked up curiously and Alex tried very hard to make it look like he wasn't about to keel over. "But we ended it. Weeks ago."

Wolf held his gaze for a long moment, then nodded and started to glare at the board again. "Okay. You ever want to talk about it, I'm here, all right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Wolf."

XXXXX

Alex stared at his bedroom ceiling, cloaked in total darkness and feeling suffocated. He knew the man had only been trying to help; to be friendly, but how could when he didn't know? Alex didn't even know how he felt anymore for crying out loud!

'Now that's not quite true, is it?'

He forcefully crushed that thought, or at least tried to, feeling like he was about to cry. He rolled over onto his stomach, lashing out in a sudden surge of anger at himself, punching his pillow into a more squashed-up shape and burying his face in it. 'Get ahold of yourself – you didn't cry on any of your missions and you're not going to over this either!'

But even as he had the thought, he came to the conclusion that nothing on any of his missions, none of the threats, the fear, the betrayals, the injuries, none of it could possibly be as painful as this wonderful and terrible feeling he had in his heart. His thoughts drifted to the intensity of Wolf's eyes as he had stared at him, the protectiveness in his voice, remembered the way he'd confided in him about his life, the easy familiarity they now shared . . .

Desires, deep and animalistic, surged within Alex, tainted by his own fear and doubt. 'Oh God, Wolf . . .' His hand slipped out from where he'd tucked it under his chest as he gave in, travelling down his body and sliding between his thighs, 'I'm so screwed . . .'

XXXXX

Wolf prowled around in the kitchen, trying not to make too much noise as he mentally screamed at himself. He took a long sip of water, resting the icy glass against his forehead in an attempt to cool himself down but it was no good. Heat was pulsing through his veins, wave by wave. He'd become a soldier to do good in the world but at the moment all he wanted to do was hunt down that fucking little rat who dared to do that to Alex and tear him to shreds. Who did he think he was? What gave him the right to humiliate, to hurt Alex the way he had?

His rage mixed in with a lingering guilt he felt from his behaviour at Brecon Beacons. He knew Alex had forgiven him for it, but still, hearing about that evil little twat's actions had brought some unpleasant memories to the surface, ones Wolf did not want to face right now. The fact that the teenager didn't even tell him, that he had to learn about it from someone else just made it worse. Did Alex not trust him? And that rubbish about something being more important – how could the thought even cross the boy's mind?

Wolf knew how, though. There wasn't a single relevant adult in his life that had not used or abused the teenage spy in some way, perhaps barring that housekeeper of his. Wolf's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about it. Jack hadn't called Wolf at all; he knew Alex occasionally had a chat with her on his mobile, but shouldn't she had called him personally, to make sure Alex was being well looked after and not just lying so he wouldn't inconvenience her? That bothered Wolf.

After a moment, he shook his head and set the glass in the sink for the morning. "I'm getting real paranoid about this . . ." he muttered to himself as he stalked off towards his room. He paused before crossing the threshold, however, and looked over at Alex's closed bedroom door. Suddenly he had the weirdest urge to make sure the boy was truly all right and not just lying to him either. Before he really thought about what he was doing, he carefully stepped over and eased the door open silently.

Alex was fast asleep on his side facing Wolf, snuggled up so far into his duvet that only the bridge of his nose and his closed eyes were visible, his blonde fringe curling over the lids. He shifted as the beam of light from the hallway cut through his bedroom but did not wake up. Warmth spread throughout Wolf's chest and despite his better judgement, he moved further into the room, his shadow blocking the glow as Alex settled again.

Now that he was closer, Wolf could see under a gap in the sheets behind Alex's head. Today's bruises were just rising along the boy's back. Face dark, he reached out and tugged the sheets back up hide the fresh markings, fury swirling inside of him. He began to pull his hand back, then stopped. Haltingly, Wolf raised his hand again and stroked the strands of hair away from Alex's face with the lightest of touches.

There were probably a hundred things Wolf wanted but at this precise moment he couldn't think of anything besides his desire to protect Alex from the world.

A/N: There now, that wasn't too bad, was it? Does anyone on here watch the US TV show Once Upon a Time? I'm thinking of something along those lines, but with an Alex Rider spin – what do y'all think?