The overtired blonde boy dumped his big blue rucksack in the middle of the hallway, struggling to wrestle off the green and purple striped tie. Once that horrid thing was off he worked to undo the top button of his white shirt, it felt like a dog collar to him.

His guardian watched with a sad expression from the door as his ward undid his tie and shirt. The boy then headed towards the direction of the lounge, only to be picked up by his brother/semi-father figure.

"Alex! How as school? Is it better?" Eagle asked excitedly, but curiosity and concern was also there. The pained looked that his 5 year old semi-ward sent him made him want to shoot something. The brown eyes were getting cold and distant, and the black bags underneath his eyes just didn't help with the look either. Alex used to look carefree and happy and innocent. But after just 3 weeks of a strict routine and going to a horrible private school was enough to start turning him into this. Snake was worried that he was going to get ill at this rate; it seemed that this was too much.

"No. I hate it" the boy replied, voice thick and obviously close to breaking. Eagle pulled Alex into a hug and rocked slightly, a habit he got from going to help him during a nightmare. Him and Snake did alternate days now. Alex wrapped his arms around Eagle's neck and laid his cheek against the place in between the shoulder and neck, where it was most comfortable.

"Buddy. It can't be that bad! It will get better, I bet you. You just need some time to settle in, that's all." Eagle tried to comfort, but it wasn't like he had much to work with. He couldn't make promises that he was sure he could keep, and the last thing he wanted was for Alex to lose his trust in him.

Alex merely dug his head in the comfortable place, and so Eagle turned to Snake.

"What's he got now?"

Snake glanced at his watch. "He has 20 minute before he needs to leave for Karate, so he might as well get dressed for it now. Do you wanna help or shall i?" Snake told him.

"I'll do it!" Eagle replied, bounding up the stairs as gently as possible.

Snake picked up the school bag and dumped it on the dining room table, before dumping his keys and taking off his jacket. The bag was heavy, and once again he sighed. Alex was being run to the ground, no doubt about that. But then again, children were adaptable. He knew Alex would adjust with time, not that he should have to in the first place. If it wasn't for that harmful **** blunt, then Alex would probably be happy.

But he wasn't. Little boys shouldn't be preparing for a man's job at the age of 5. It was wrong. It is wrong. And yet he felt like he was helping it all along. Another thing he realised was that he didn't have much more time looking after the kid before they had to go back to training.

And then what would happen to him? Live with some agent? Blunt himself? Snake highly doubted the last one. Laughed emanated from upstairs, the laughter of his comrade and his ward, bringing a small smile to his face. He tried to clear his mind of the darker thoughts.

….

Alex laughed again as he was tickled by Eagle, who was also laughing. Said boy was lying on his back on his bed, tears of laughter freefalling down his face, legs kicking to try and escape being mercilessly tickled by Eagle. The man was having fun, and happy knowing that Alex could be happy.

But it didn't stop him from thinking that soon Alex would be gone. And k-unit would return to duty, go onto a war plain and kill to protect their country. The laughter didn't stop those thoughts. Ones of death and sadness and loss and pain.

However much Alex laughed, he couldn't stop thinking about his school. It lingered on his thoughts like a plague. He HATED it there. The teachers were really strict and the other kids kept teasing him about his height, that he was at the top of the class, that his mum had never come to pick him up. Loads and loads of things that they just found to tease him about. The other boys kept tripping him up and the girls kept pulling his hair. All he wanted to do was ask Snake or Eagle or Wolf or Fox to take him to Tom's school, wherever that was. He wanted to be best friends with Tom. Tears of unhappiness started filling out the ones of joy, and Eagle stopped tickling him when he noticed that sad and desperate look in his eyes. He was pulled into a hug.

Eagle never wanted to let go, knowing that this child would have a hard and bitter and cold life. The man doubted if he would ever see the boy again when he left.

He helped him into his karate kit and carried him downstairs.

…

Wolf wanted to kick Blunt where it bloody hurts. Snake had just told him that Alex was really unhappy. They had hoped that Alex would adjust quickly, but it seems to be taking longer than everyone had anticipated it to.

He watched as Snake dialled the number on the leaflet.

"Good morning, Scholae Londinensi regii here. Sarah Williams speaking. How can I help?"

"I'm David McCathy, guardian of Alex Rider? Could I possibly speak to his teacher?"

"Yes, of course I will just put you through."

He waited as patiently as an angry, stressed SAS solider and medic could wait. Which translates as not very well.

"Hello, this is Miss Rice speaking, how can I help?"

Snake cleared his throat and tried to keep a steady mind.

"I'm the guardian of Alex Rider, I believe he's in your class?"

"Yes, what about him?" wow. She was rude.

"I would like to know how he is doing because he isn't very happy at home and I am concerned."

There was a pause on the end of the line before she answered in a somewhat more careful tone. "He is very bright, polite and quiet."

Snake frowned; she was semi avoiding the question. "And what of the other students behaviour towards him?"

"I don't think they particularly like him to be honest with you. They ignore him then trip him up, pull his hair, scribble on his work and push him over at break time."

Snake didn't quite know what to say. Alex really was having shit with them.

"And what are you going to do about it? You cannot let him be bullied like that! He was a very happy child before attending your school, and now he is withdrawn and quiet."

She didn't seem to want to answer to that one, probably because he practically yelled and was currently very angry that they were doing nothing.

"I will see to it. Good day sir." She hung up. Ah well, at least the whole thing was recorded, so that he could prove to MI6 that maybe sending him to a different school was a very good idea. But then again, this was MI6. They just weren't the kind of agency who thought of feelings and such.

…..10 minutes later….

Snake gave Alex a piggy back to the car, Eagle just behind them with the key. He had convinced Alex and together they had convinced Snake to let Eagle drive. Snake didn't know why he gave in…maybe it was those chocolate brown eyes. They all got into the car and drove away.

5 minutes later Fox entered the front door, dashing to find his unit leader, who had a can of red bull and was watching Top Gear. "Wolf!" he shouts, causing the man to spill his red bull. Said man glared up at his teammate angrily.

"WHAT THE F-"he starts, but is cut off.

"Wolf! I've got news! Some good, some bad!"! Fox says excitedly, and Wolf stops to hear him.

"What? Tell me then!" Wolf presses.

"Well the bad thing is that...well…you know that I was thinking about going to MI6?"

"Yes?"

"Well they said I could have the job"

"WHAT!" how could he do this to them?

"I'm really sorry but I cannot do the battle thing. But I have some good news to accompany it"

Wolf tried to control his flaring temper.

"Well they said that seeming as for the first year I will be doing really short missions and mostly desk jobs and paperwork, they agreed that I could look after Alex!"

Wolf didn't know what to do or say or feel. On one hand, he was losing his team mate, the man he had gotten to know and who felt like a brother to him, but on the other hand, it meant that Alex was going to be at least borderline happy for another year.

Before anything could be said or done, the phone rang.

Seeming as the phone nearly never rang, Wolf was hesitant to pick it up. Flashing a look of concern to Fox, he pressed the green button.

"Hello?" he growled mercilessly.

"James get the hell down here. They…they…I…ahhhhhh!" Wolf froze. In the background, he heard a gunshot. Wolf put the phone on loud speaker.

"Davie!" Wolf shouted, running out the door with Fox on his heels.

"NO!" Davie shouted down the line, obviously not talking to Wolf.

"What's happened? Where are you?" Wolf demanded.

"I- we- they-…." Davie seemed unable to speak properly.

"Snake. Status report." Wolf commanded using his SAS captain voice.

"Scorpia. Cutforth road. Trying to retrieve Alex. Eagle shooting, me protecting. Code red. Need immediate back up" Snake gave the report, his mind tuned to be able to give an official status report, even in the worse place like the battle ground, or in this case in a shootout.

They sprinted towards Cutforth road, brandishing guns.

But it was a 5 minute run, and by the time they reached it, sirens flashed as the emergency services arrived at the scene.

Because they were too late.

I was going to leave it there, but I'm just too nice :P

(2 weeks later)

They all sat in their cabin, a depressing silence filling the cold September night air that had entered through the door as their sergeant came in. Each one could not bring themselves to look anywhere apart from the floor.

"ATTENTION!" the seemingly cold hearted man shouted. The unit scrambled to attention, but with no real motives there. And the SAS sergeant saw this. Hell, who could miss it?

"At ease." He muttered. K-unit relaxed somewhat, but still were still stiff, and depressed.

"Wolf. Eagle. Snake. Fox" he addressed to each man. Fox had pulled out of his job at MI6 and decided to continue working with the SAS. No one knew why.

"Yes Sir." They chorused together, using a monotone.

"I know that you have all recently suffered a loss. But if you want to keep your jobs, which I assume you do?" he asked. They all nodded and muttered another 'yes sir'.

"Then you need to train. Just one week to get back in shape. Is that clear?" he demanded. They all muttered and once again muttered that 'Yes sir'.

Normally, the sergeant would've made them speak loudly and clearly and stand constantly at attention whilst in his presence. But he knew that the blow from losing Rider was a hard one. The psychologist they had said that they all blamed themselves for it, and that witnessing the death of a boy was a hard one for them all. Apparently they had all formed bonds with that boy. Eagle and Snake the strongest bonds.

Yes. Alex Rider died. Snake and Eagle witnessed him being shot in the heart and then bunged up in the back of a van and driven away. They blamed themselves. Wolf and Fox blamed themselves for not being fast enough, Snake and Eagle for not killing the Terrorists when they could've.

Time could heal the wounds.

"Good. Now I want you on the Assult Course first thing after breakfast break tomorrow. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir"

"Good. Get some sleep soldiers."

This time they just nodded, and he walked out of the depressing room.

They fell asleep, just like that.

…..

The other side of the world, the first rays of sunlight beamed through the window.

Alex Rider opened his eyes.

FINISHED!

yes, there will be a squeal, I promise. i honestly dont know when it will be posted, because I've got a lot going on and that includes like 3 stories or something. anyway so tell me if you liked it. personally i enjoyed writing it! i think when this stories reaches 100 reviews i might start writing the sequel. so you know, the review button's just below my note here!

i really hoped you enjoyed the story, and hope you read the sequel...when its posted.

oh and one more thing...

MERRY CHRISTMAS PEOPLE!