Chapter 2

Snake POV

I was reading Alex's birth certificate when they came back. Alex was on Eagle's shoulders, and Fox was walking next to him. To my surprise, they were all laughing and grinning like fools. It made me happy knowing that Alex wasn't a total loss, that he still had hope of finding happiness and trust again. It brightened my thoughts, but as they passed that bank, his face fell immediately. The happy child a few seconds back was replaced with a haunted shell of what once was. It was frightening. Little Alex was obviously deeply confused about who and what he should hate and trust, but I understood where he was coming from. I hated MI6 as much as he did. Eagle too noticed how the boy was upset, and changed his pace radically, which I was grateful for, although I would never say that because, well, this was Eagle.

When they arrived at the car and he put Alex down, I was tense that he would run away, but he just looked at Eagle as if to say 'well come on then aren't you gonna help me up!' I was right because then he lifted him into the truck and did up the seatbelt for him. I turned around and scanned him down, a rough medical check which was a habit for me. The way he was holding his ankle up made me think that there might be something wrong with it, and I was right.

As we drove away, Alex turned to look out of the window. It turns out he was fascinated by the white lines in the centre of the road and the rickshaw's that sped past us as we queued in the traffic. After about 5 minutes he laid his head on the headrest of his children's car seat and within a minute, he was sleeping. Breathing in and out, limply leaning against the seat belt, his face smooth and calm, he looked just like any other child should. It was nice to see him like this.

"Well, that went well, in the end!" Fox exclaimed troubled.

"What happened when you chased him then?" I asked, wondering how they not only managed to get him to the car but to make him that happy.

"Well we chased him and he was running through a grave yard, trying to ditch us. And I caught him. He was struggling and kicking and punching me and stuff, yelling his head off. I was worried he might hurt himself, which he did actually; you should check that out Snake, he's not putting any weight on his right ankle."

"Yeah, continue" I said. I really wanted to know how they got control of the little tyke.

"Anyway, so Foxy boy here restrained his arms so he stopped fighting but continued shouting and screaming. He tried to calm him down by talking but he kept going. Then the idiot shouted at Alex, which made him shut up alright, but he just went silent and limp, like someone had knocked him out, only he was conscious and stuff. Then I, ummm, yeah got him on my shoulders and we, well messed around and stuff. But when he was just hanging there limp, I thought there was something seriously wrong, I mean I was actually almost panicking!"

I was stunned. Why had Alex reacted like that when Fox shouted at him? Just another mystery that is Rider, I thought to myself.

I looked over at Wolf; he had his eyes on the car in front as we queued in the London traffic. Fox was frowning, clearly troubled over something: most probably Alex. Eagle was watching him sleep, which most would consider as creepy but this is (A) Eagle, so what can we expect and (B) he was moving slightly, so Eagle was probably curious is he was just dreaming or waking up.

Fortunately, we didn't have to have our question be answered, because when we got to our house, the sound of the wheels crunching on the gravel woke him up.

Alex POV

I didn't mean to fall asleep. Because of the nightmares. But I was tired and it was accidental. The scary things I see when I shut my eyes were just starting when all of a sudden I woke up to the sound of crunching stones, I think.

I looked up and rubbed my eyes. All the big men were staring at me, including the nice one the mean one called Eagle. I yawned and gave them my best death glare, which actually worked because they all turned around and got out of the car. Eagle undid my seatbelt for me. I hated those things. I'm not very sure how to undo it so I have to wait for someone else to come and do it. I got out of my seat and tried to get out of the car, but when I lent on my sore foot I sort of fell.

I didn't wanna fall, and it's really good because one of the other men caught me. It was the one with the black curly hair and glasses. I looked up at him, wondering what he was gonna do next.

Snake POV

I panicked as he almost fell out of the car. Even Wolf, who was behind me, rushed forward. I'm just so glad I caught him. I had him in my arms as he looked up at me with those button brown eyes. I walked a few steps with him hanging in my arms, when he wiggled slightly, trying to get down I assumed, I let him, to see what he would do. It was vital after all to let children do things themselves, and learn from mistakes, after all.

He winced as he put weight on it, but I watched in amazement as he slowly hobbled to the house. Wolf was at my side, watching as well. I sighed in my amazement and walked up to the house with the leader of my unit.

Wolf POV

I'll admit it. I'm scared of this reasonability. Because I know if we mess this mission up, the son of our team mate, also the nephew of another, an innocent child that was caught up in this, will die. I think I'm already starting to feel slightly guilty. I just don't know why.

It was just amazing that, at 5, he cared about his dignity and made himself suffer just to prove to them he was capable. I was chuckling slightly as he entered the hallway. Inside, Snake was trying to get a grimacing Alex to let him pick him up and take him into the kitchen to let him have a look at his ankle, but Alex was having none of it.

"Come on Al; just let me take you to the kitchen so I make your ankle better!" Snake pleaded. Wolf raised his eyebrows at this. Snake never pleaded or begged. He usually got his way when it came to anything medical or about health.

"No I'm fine. Just let me go home!" Alex whined. Yep, he was definitely a 5 year old!

"Al. You're not fine. And were not gonna take you home okay? You're staying with us for a while." Snake stated, almost as if it was a fact.

Just then Eagle came downstairs from checking the house for bombs, dangerous weapons that 'Alex might hurt himself with' (as Snake put it earlier) and any listening devices, bugs, anything really. He hadn't found any bombs or anything like that, but he did find, in total, 13 knives, 6 guns and a rifle at heights Alex could reach, so he simply put them higher. Out of reach.

Eagle POV

When I came down stairs from my 'get the weapons out of a 5 year olds reach so he won't accidently shoot or stab himself' job, I found Snake, the mother and the maturest of our unit, on the brink of an argument with little Al. Wolf was watching from the door and smiling crookedly, whilst Fox had decided to go and get himself something to eat. He was a little selfish sometimes but that was just him. I couldn't change it, not that I'd tried too…

I caught their conversation as it was coming to a close, thanks to me:

"What's the problem Alex?" Snake asked in his 'nice voice'.

"Don't wanna be carried, and I don't trust you" Alex growled.

Before Snake counter that argument, I decided to intervene. I could see that he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Al, he needs to help you with you ankle, so what about if I carry you to the kitchen, eh?" I asked. Not softly, just, nicely.

His eyes scanned me like a hawks, he had a frown on his face and I could tell he was rolling around whether or not to trust me. We all waited in silence to see what his reply would be. To my surprise, he just nodded.

Snake stood up and went to the kitchen, Wolf went into the lounge to watch TV and I crouched down to pick up Al, we've decided to call him (and seeming as he hasn't argued about it yet, I've figured he doesn't mind), I lifted him gently. He was as stiff as a post, and trembling too. I seriously think this kid has some serious trust issues. And other issues, I'm just not sure what they are yet, I just know that they are there.

I walked carefully into our kitchen and placed him in the breakfast bar. I sat down on the chair to the left of him and Snake stood right in front of him. He gently pulled off Al's shoe and sock, making Alex wince only a couple of times. His ankle was purple and swollen. Fox walked in, and in seeing the ankle, let out a low whistle. "Wow Al, you really must've put some force into those kicks of yours!" he said.

I rubbed my thigh. "Yeah he did!" I exclaimed in my best 'feel sorry for me voice'. This earned a laugh from every soldier in the room. Al's eyes weren't leaving Snake, who was feeling around his ankle delicately.

"Alex it's just a bad sprain. But that does mean you should rest it for today and tomorrow morning, then you can start walking on it again, okay?" Snake told him professionally.

"Ummm-"Al began, but I looked at him in my best 'do as your told because that's what's best for you' look (yes I do give people a wide variety of looks) and so he agreed. Reluctantly though. Alex wouldn't let Snake but on the ankle support though, so, naturally, I did it, seeming as I knew basic first aid training from my training in the SAS.

Alex POV

I liked this house a bit. But it wasn't warm; it was cold and nearly all blue and white. I don't like it when people pick me up because simply I wasn't used to it. But I still let that Eagle man because I've decided that he's not going to hurt me. He's been nice to me. And that curly haired one with the weird voice was gentle and seemed okayish but I don't trust him. I don't even trust the man named after a bird, I'm just starting to like him. Curly hair gave me a drink of something that tasted like strawberries. It was really nice.

"Alex do you want to choose which bed sheets you want?" Curly haired asked him. Why would I get to choose what bed sheets I wanted? I'd never chosen before. My old ones were blue. So were my walls. The rest of my stuff in my room had been white. I had loved my old room. I missed it so much. Just like I missed Uncle Ian. Just like I really really really missed Jack.

3rd person POV

Alex's eyes looked lost. Snake was waiting for him to answer the question, but he looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown. They waited in silence. But Eagle, who was (as everyone knows) slightly (understatement) hyper active, and couldn't wait. He was like a flipping bomb, ticking, exploding when he just couldn't wait any longer.

"Alex what bed sheets do you want in your room?" he exclaimed. Snake shot him his best 'death glare' which worked very effectively. The SAS man was cowering in his seat.

Alex looked up, tears were brimming in his deep brown eyes but he held them back. Lips quivering slightly, he replied "Blue." Bluntly and simply. The former hostility had returned, and Snake picked up on the sudden mood turn.

"Okay Al, do you mind MacDonald's for dinner?" Snake asked. The unit had take-away every night and never bothered to fill up the fridge. It was just used for their beers and ciders. But tomorrow, Snake had decided, they would top up their fridge with real food, not left over pizza or curry or whatever they'd eaten that night.

Alex's face brightened at the thought of MacDonald's, but fell almost instantly. He loved MacDonald's, the food was delicious, but Ian had never let him have it, it was only when he was on business trips Jack would take him there. And only once during the whole time he went.

Snake saw how his face climbed high, higher than he'd seen all day, and how his face fell a hell of a lot further than it climbed. Just like when you climb a mountain. You reach the top, but then you go down, and it feels further down than up.

He vowed to help him climb that mountain. But it was a hell of a climb, and he just wasn't sure if Alex would fall if they reached the summit. If he was too fall. It was a long way down. He knew that personally. And it was hard. Especially for a 5 year old!

Eagle POV

When Alex's face fell, his expression changed into one of great loss of pain, and his eyes. His eyes. They were haunted, he looked older. Like he was drowning in lost memories.

Being an adult who was trained to save someone, I wanted to throw him a life line. I just didn't flipping know how.

"Eagle, will you take Al into the lounge and put something on the TV he likes?" Snake interrupted my line of thought, bringing me back to reality.

I nodded and stood. "Hey Al, want a piggy back?" I asked playfully.

His face lit up slightly "yeah please." So I crouched down and he slid onto my back and put his hands round my neck, clinging to my shirt. I hoisted him up, but as I did my hand scraped the side of his body, making him laugh. He was ticklish! I pretended I didn't notice and charged into the lounge.