Disclaimer: Alex Rider belongs to Anthony Horowitz

A/N: I know, the fourth update? This will be the last for a while, I do have to catch up on all the work I've missed writing these chapters. My life is going to get hectic from here on out, so please bear with me.

Thanks so much for your amazing response. Special call out to xDarklightx who was the 100th reviewer :D

'Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day'

(Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 3)

"Hey," Ben said softly to Alex, peeking his head around the door of his room. The young spy was lying on his bed, his laptop open in front of him and his earphones in. At a loss of how to get his attention, he knocked loudly on the door. Alex glanced up briefly, looking startled to see him there, but he willingly unplugged himself from the computer.

"Hey," Alex greeted, sitting up on the bed. Dr Foster had allowed him to take off the sling the day before, and had told him the happy news that his body was healing well, albeit slowly. Apparently, he would have no lasting effects, apart from scars and a stiff leg from time to time.

"Are you going to come down?" Ben asked, stepping fully into the room.

"Yeah," Alex mumbled quietly, looking away. Ben sighed, understanding his hesitance.

"He'll be here soon," he informed the teenager, smiling reassuringly.

"I know," Alex replied, standing up gradually, and he winced a small bit. Ben noticed however, and gestured towards the pile of pills.

"If it hurts," he said in a low voice, saddened that Alex was still in such a state of pain, "take another painkiller."

Alex shook his head. "I've got an hour to go before I can have another," he answered, stretching his leg out in front of him. "It's just stiff because I've been lying down for so long."

Ben nodded, accepting the explanation. "Well, all of K-Unit are here now and my dad will be arriving soon. . ." he left the sentence unfinished.

"I'm coming," Alex answered, walking to stand next to Ben. He looked unsure for a moment, his mouth open as if he wanted to say more. Ben smiled at him again, waiting for him to gather up the courage to speak.

"What-" he began, then sighed and shut his mouth. Ben tried to look encouraging, but Alex walked out of the room without speaking again.

"Damn," he muttered, knowing he had been seconds away from seeing Alex lower one of his walls. If only he wasn't so closed off . . . It had been a week since the teenager had been released from hospital, and Ben was no closer to Alex than he was at the beginning. The boy was like a hedgehog; every time you got close, you got spiked. You had to know how to approach if you wanted to get close enough to touch, and Ben still hadn't learnt how.

He knew Alex was having nightmares pretty much every night, having heard the shower going at two or three o'clock, but the spy denied it so convincingly in the morning that he wondered if he was simply being overprotective or suffocating. The bags under his eyes soon reassured Ben that there was a problem though; Alex looked like he hadn't slept at all most days.

Trying to forget his failure, yet again, in getting Alex to open up, he followed him down the stairs, wincing with him every time the teen had to grab onto the banister as his injured leg gave out. Whilst the arm had healed well, the leg was taking a while, and the physiotherapy on it was intense, Ben knew. Alex always came back exhausted from a session.

"Cub," Eagle's voice greeted as Ben traipsed downstairs after him. The soldier was laying spread across the sofa with Wolf and Snake squished, disgruntled, onto the armchair. All of K-Unit came round most days, although each one took it in turns to stay the night. Alex had spent the day up in his room the first time they all came round, apparently overwhelmed, until Ben had managed to persuade him to come down in the evening.

"Come on," he had said gently, "they'll be on their best behaviour, I promise."

Alex had looked at him, sceptical.

"You can't spend the rest of your life up in your room," Ben had said, reaching out slowly to take his hand. After the incident before, all had been careful not to touch him when he wasn't expecting it, fearing another flashback.

Alex had nodded, finally, and allowed himself to be dragged downstairs. They had watched another film after dinner, Eagle entertaining them with a series of jokes and smart-arsed comments. Ben had been pleased to see Alex joining in a small bit, laughing with the others. He had even clapped his hands when Eagle had pulled off a lovely rendition of the guy on the film, dodging bullets and still managing to kiss a girl – or in his case, a pillow.

"Finally emerged, have you?" Eagle teased as they both walked into the lounge. Ben gave him a warning glance, but Alex just smiled and sat down on top of him. Eagle grunted, the air whooshing out of him as the teen – as underweight as he was – squashed his lungs.

"Hey!" Eagle spluttered, trying to push him off. Ben grinned at the sight; the two had bonded fairly quickly, what with Eagle being – and behaving – the youngest, and Alex still a teenager himself.

"You had it coming," Ben said jokily, sitting down on the floor and grabbing the remote.

"What did I do?" Eagle asked, trying to sound innocent. It failed; the air filled with the sounds of muted laughter and snorts.

"You exist," muttered Wolf under his breath. Eagle, finally succeeding in pushing Alex off him and onto the floor, threw a cushion at him. Alex grabbed one himself and wacked Eagle round the head.

"That," he said dangerously, "was for pushing me onto the floor."

Wolf grinned sadistically, and lobbed the thrown cushion back at Eagle too. "And that," he said, resembling his name-sake scarily at that moment, "was for stealing the entire sofa."

Eagle pouted, and threw the cushion back.

"Hey!" snapped Snake, who the cushion had hit. "What the hell was that for?"

Ben groaned. This would not end well.

Thus, a cushion fight was started.

Two minutes in, the doorbell rang. Ben, being the only one who wasn't currently engaged in a childish game of who can hit whom the hardest, got up to answer it. He was well aware of who it was, as was Alex if his wary eyes were anything to go by. Ben had invited his father over that day, as the old man had been desperate to meet his new 'grandson'. Alex had been understandably nervous and had hidden in his room the whole morning. Ben noticed out of the corner of his eye that Alex had stood up and was hanging on the door of the lounge, his eyes tracking his progress to the door. Ben turned around briefly to smile at him before opening it. The sounds of the soldiers still fighting were clearly audible, but Ben's father was well used to K-Unit.

"Ben," the man greeted shortly, stepping inside and taking off his coat. Ben was well versed in his father's confident ways and was ready to hang it up.

"Dad," he answered with a smile, clasping his hand briefly. "How have you been?"

"Good," he replied, peering rather unsubtly round Ben. "Where's the newest addition then?"

Ben sighed, hoping to hell that Alex would be ok meeting his rather forward and grumpy father. Once you got to know him, he was a very kind man, but he had a prickly outer shell. A bit like Alex in that respect, Ben mused thoughtfully.

"Here, sir," Alex said quietly, stepping into view. The man walked forward quickly and Ben was unsurprised to see Alex tense. He examined Alex closely for a few seconds before holding out his hand.

"Alan," he said gruffly.

Alex shook his hand, clutching it just as tightly as he was. Ben looked on, knowing that his father was testing Alex in a way.

"Alex," the spy returned.

"Hmm," Alan said. "Welcome to the family, I guess."

Alex nodded, murmuring, "Thanks".

Ben smiled at the two of them. "Shall we go through? It's been a while since you've seen K-Unit, Dad."

"True, true," he answered, walking past Alex into the lounge. Ben shot Alex a reassuring look and they both followed.

"Alan!" Eagle cried when he saw the man. Ben sighed at the mess in the lounge. Cushions were everywhere and Snake was on the floor mopping up a glass of water that presumably had been spilt.

Alan smiled. "Matt," he greeted him. Ben saw a flash of curiosity dart across Alex's face and realised that none of the soldiers had told them their real names. To be honest, most had got into the habit of using codenames.

"Hey," the two other soldiers exchanged greetings with the man.

"How come he knows you all so well?" Alex asked Ben in interest.

Ben shrugged. "Dunno really," he mused, "guess it's just because he lives so near me and we spend a lot of time in London."

"Why?"

"For me, it's just easier for MI6 so I bought a house here. I think the rest of them stay in London for the convenience as well. You can travel anywhere from London, and travel is kind of important for a soldier," Ben explained, eyeing Alex's inquisitive face. Alex rarely initiated conversations if he was honest, preferring to listen and just join in if he wanted to. It was refreshing to see the spy take an interest.

"They don't all live around here?" Alex asked, catching the implications in Ben's words.

"No," Ben answered. "Wolf lives in a little flat not too far away from here and Snake lives with his wife in a rented house about fifteen minutes drive away. Eagle however lives a couple of hours outside London."

"How come he's here?" Alex asked, glancing towards the soldier currently involved in a discussion with Alan and the rest.

"His sister lives in London so he's staying with her," Ben replied. "He does it fairly often and he's saving to buy a flat here, I think."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. Ben smiled, realising that it was probably weird for him to think of the tough soldiers at Brecon Beacons as having homes and lives.

"We're people too," Ben said in amusement when Alex was still staring at the soldiers, deep in thought.

"I know," he said softly. "I just . . ."

"I get it," Ben responded when he didn't finish the sentence.

Alex nodded. Ben got a lot of things no one else seemed to pick up on.

"Alex, you said earlier, right?" Alex heard Alan ask. Alex was sitting in the kitchen nursing a cup of tea sometime later. The rest were lounging on the sofa and chairs watching something on TV.

"Yeah," he replied quietly, not looking up. He didn't know what to think of the strangely gruff man that seemed to be such a mix of contradictions: honest, but manipulative, kind, but harshly spoken.

"Ben hasn't told me much about you, you know," Alan said, looking at him closely. Alex shrugged.

"He hasn't said much about you either," he replied instantly. Alan chuckled.

"You're a fast one," he informed the spy. Alex smirked. If only he knew . . .

"How come you're staying with Ben then?" the man asked curiously. Alex wondered just what Ben had told him and just how much he could say without revealing too much. He wasn't sure he could trust this man, father of Ben or not.

"What has Ben told you?" he replied, deflecting the question.

"Just mumbled it was something to do with his work," Alan said, peering at him closely. Both ignored the sounds of the soldiers arguing, yet again, in the living room. "He told me he works for MI6, but not what he does. So how in hell are you connected to that?"

Alex shrugged, looking lost. How come Ben had told his father when Ian hadn't deigned to tell him?

"I don't know what I can tell you," he answered honestly. Alan frowned, looking ready to argue. Alex was thankful that Snake wandered over at that moment to grab a glass of water and sat down next to them.

"Looked like a heavy conversation," the soldier said in his Scottish accent. Alex shrugged.

"Just trying to get to know each other," Alan answered gruffly.

"Ha," snorted Snake, "have fun with that."

"What do you mean?" Alan asked in interest. Alex looked away uncomfortably, having an idea what the SAS man was talking about.

"Not many get to know this one," the soldier said, jabbing his thumb at Alex, who didn't react. Snake was the only one he didn't know very well, having never had a one on one conversation with him. He didn't blame him for his opinion.

"Why's that?" Alan questioned, his gruff face frowning in thought.

"Boy's as sharp as a knife and about as friendly," Snake grunted. Alex's eyebrows drew together, becoming slightly offended.

"Hey," he objected, "that's a bit unfair."

"Is it?" Snake asked, eyebrows raised. "You've been here a week and in hospital God knows how long before that, and I still don't know how old you are or where your parents are."

"Hospital?" Alan asked curiously. Both Alex and Snake ignored him, wrapped up in their dispute.

"So?" Alex retorted. "I don't even know your real name!"

Snake shrugged. "Doesn't change the fact that you're a difficult person to get to know," he replied. Alan watched in fascination. By now, Ben was aware of their conversation, his face creased, wondering whether to interrupt.

"So are you," Alex answered, glaring. "I'm not exactly going to bare my soul for someone I barely even know."

"You know Ben," Snake pointed out.

"And I talk to Ben," the spy responded immediately.

"Do you?" Snake asked, disbelief on his face.

Alex frowned. "Yes," he replied, his voice quieter. What point was the soldier trying to make? He did talk to Ben, didn't he?

"You don't seem to," Snake replied, looking at him closely. "Don't you think he knows you're having nightmares? Why don't you just admit it?"

Alex sent a betrayed glance to Ben. How many of the men had he talked to about him behind his back? His life was private and he had hoped Ben would have recognized that he wanted to keep it that way.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex said, standing up.

"You know exactly what I mean," Snake said, somewhat harshly. He might be a medic, but he was a tough one.

"No," Alex responded quietly, walking swiftly out of the room, "I don't."

He heard Ben call his name as he ascended the stairs but he didn't reply. Why did he ever think that Ben would be different? No one in his life was dependable. No one.

Apart from maybe Jack.

(-her red hair swished round as she turned to face him. "Oh honey," she said softly. "There are bad people in this world." She took his hand, crouching down to look into his eyes. "But you'll always have me."

Alex, the fool that he was at that young age, believed her. "Always?" he mumbled, and she nodded.

"Forever," she replied-)

Ben wheeled around to face Snake. "What did you do that for?" he demanded. Snake frowned.

"He can't carry on like he is," the Scott said evenly. The two other soldiers and Alan were watching keenly. It was rare for either of them to argue.

"Maybe," Ben acknowledged, "but you had no right to bring up things like that in front of everyone."

"I had every right," Snake argued. "He needs to start considering others."

"That's all he does, you idiot!" Ben snapped. "Shoving the fact that he is hurting others in his face isn't going to help at all. He's trying, why can't you see that?"

"That's him trying?" Snake scoffed. "Ben, come on," he beseeched, "you know he's just wallowing in self-pity."

"No," Ben hissed, "he's not. And if you knew anything about him you'd see that too!"

"Yeah, like I said," Snake argued, "he's impossible to actually get to know."

"Because, obviously," Ben retorted angrily, "he realises quite rightly that he shouldn't trust you."

Snake opened his mouth to reply, but Ben cut over him. "He is trying, the whole time," he carried on. "But he finds it difficult to trust anyone. Can you honestly blame him for that?"

Wolf placed a hand on Snake's shoulder when it seemed like he was going to snap back.

"Don't, Snake," he ordered him firmly. "We get it," he told Ben, "but you have to realise that you're going to have to keep pushing him. Letting him wallow in his room the whole time is not going to work."

"I know," Ben sighed, his anger deflating at Wolf's calm words. "But I don't want to take away that one freedom he has."

"Ben," Wolf said steadily, "we discussed the fact that he probably has PTSD. You know as well as I do what could happen if he carries on refusing to get help for it." Ben closed his eyes briefly, remembering the soldier he had known that had suffered terribly from the illness after a tour in Afghanistan. Unable to deal with the guilt and the pain, he had killed himself just weeks after returning to England.

"Yeah," Ben agreed. "But I don't know what to do . . ."

Ben had taken Alex to the psychiatrist again the day before, but it had had a similar result as last time. Alex had refused to talk and had ended up walking straight out of the session half-way through. Dr King had no idea why, and Ben had gone off to look for him, finding the teen resting against the car, looking bored. Alex wouldn't explain what had happened and had remained silent for the whole drive back. It was as if he had reverted back to the shell of the boy he had been during those first few days at the hospital, when he wouldn't even look any of them in the eye, too wrapped up in whatever he was seeing in his mind.

"Have you tried simply talking to him about it?" Alan asked thoughtfully. Ben started, having forgotten he was even there.

"He's as stubborn as anything," Ben explained. "Snake was right in that regard," he added, sending a small glare at the soldier so that he knew that he was still angry, "he won't tell us anything willingly."

"Have you tried?" Alan asked again, his piercing gaze drilling holes in Ben's head.

"I've asked about his nightmares," Ben replied, shrugging. "He won't say a thing."

"What about his home life?" Alan retorted. "I don't know anything about this boy but even I can tell he's obviously not got a good past."

"There's no way he'll tell us anything," Ben sighed.

"I don't know," Wolf said slowly. "He's said more to you than he has to Dr King. I reckon you've got a better chance than him, anyway."

"Exactly," Alan agreed. "Don't be so defeatist, Ben. I didn't raise you to be a pessimist, you know."

Ben looked exasperated. "I'm not a pessimist," he answered, having had the same argument with his father over and over. "I'm a realist."

"Whatever," Alan replied dismissively, and Ben wondered at how that word could sound so natural in a man that was far too old for it. "Point is, you seem to have given up before you've even begun."

"I haven't," he argued weakly. He was willing to do anything to help Alex.

"Then you better start showing it," his father said firmly.

"We knew it would be difficult when we took him in," Eagle added, unusually serious. "We just have to keep trying."

"I know," Ben responded wearily, "I'll try and talk to him." He headed upstairs, preparing for the conversation ahead of him. He knew full well that Alex's trust in him had been shattered when Snake revealed he'd mentioned his nightmares to them. It had only been in passing, and Ben had just been so worried. . . He hadn't meant for any of them to bring it up again, instead hoping that the soldiers would have the sense to keep the knowledge to themselves. Then again, Snake had always been a big believer in the whole 'you have to be cruel to be kind' idea.

He knocked lightly on Alex's closed bedroom door, hoping that he didn't have his earphones in again.

"Yes?" Alex's voice called out. Ben squared his shoulders.

"It's Ben," he answered. There was a slight pause, then Alex told him he could come in. Ben pushed open the door, unsurprised to find Alex sitting on his bed with his laptop open. He had no idea what the teenager was doing on the computer, but figured he didn't really need to worry about his safety online. It was unlikely that a top spy would endanger himself accidentally and Ben mentally ticked that one off his parenting 'to do' list.

"Hey," he greeted Alex, perching on top of his desk, aware that the spy could probably do with a bit of space after the confrontation downstairs with Snake. He had noticed that Alex became uneasy having people close to him after a stressful situation, another remnant of his torture.

Alex nodded back at him, clearly slightly wary.

"I'm sorry about Snake," Ben said softly. "He shouldn't have said those things."

Alex snorted slightly. "It's ok," he answered.

"It's not," Ben sighed, "you have every right to behave the way you do," he said gently. "We all understand, you know?"

Alex looked down, and Ben caught the unspoken, 'how can you?'

"Snake's just worried, really," Ben explained. "We all are. I don't like seeing you waste away like this."

"I'm not wasting away," Alex objected.

"You're not sleeping, you're hardly eating, you refuse to talk about anything that's remotely personal . . ." Ben said firmly, "You are. And I've lost people before because no one's seen what was happening, and I won't lose you."

"You're being ridiculous," Alex argued, pulling himself back so that he was leaning against the wall.

"I'm not," Ben replied, studying the teen in front of him carefully. Alex's closed off expression warned him to 'back off', but remembering Wolf's words, he pressed on.

"It's not uncommon, you know," he said, "for soldiers to have problems when they come back from the front lines. Most of the time these are healable, but that's only if they get help."

"I'm not a soldier," Alex retorted, clearly trying to pick out holes in his argument.

"No," Ben agreed, "But you are a spy. You've been through something that no one should have to deal with, and you need help, Alex." He folded his arms, trying to look firm. "There's no shame in asking for it, you know."

"I'm fine," Alex insisted, but Ben could see the tenseness in his body and knew that he was the furthest he could be from 'fine'.

"No," he replied gently, "you're not."

"I am!" he repeated, crossing his arms and drawing his knees up to his chest. Ben noticed the wince he gave at the movement, but the teen made no move to change position again.

"Alex," he tried again, "I know you're used to relying on yourself, but you don't have to anymore. Please," he begged slightly, "let me help."

"I don't need help," Alex responded stubbornly, turning his head away.

Ben slid off the desk and walked forwards so that he was standing next to Alex. The boy's head had turned back round as soon as he had moved and had tracked his progress across the room. Seeing Alex now focused on him, he crouched down, laying a hand of his bare arm. The flinch was almost unnoticeable, but Ben was close enough to catch it.

"Yes," he said softly, looking at Alex closely, "you do. You can say what you like, Alex, but we're all here to stay. No one will judge you, I promise."

Alex's breath hitched slightly, and he twisted his head away again.

"Ok?" Ben asked quietly.

"Yeah," came the almost inaudible reply. Ben smiled a small bit and backed up, giving the teenager the space he needed. Alex's acknowledgement was enough for that moment. Little battles.

"Lunch is in half an hour," he informed Alex gently, before turning on the spot and quietly leaving the room. He knew Alex would be down, if only because his sense of etiquette would tell him that it was rude to ignore a guest. The spy was unfailingly polite to people he didn't know well. Ben was happy to see that Alex was beginning to relax that around him. The rest would come slowly, but Ben had all the patience in the world.

A/N: Small steps, still. Sorry for those who want more action, but I'm trying to make this realistic.

About Ben's father knowing he works for MI6. It says on their's and MI5's website that you can tell one close family member. For Ben, who has no mother and who doesn't get on with his brother, he would tell his dad. When it comes to Ian. . . Well, we don't ever find out his reasons completely, but then, could you trust a young boy to keep that kind of secret? And to be honest, he doesn't really know Jack, so he wouldn't tell her.

Yes, I know, Snake's a bit of a git in this. I figure that they're not all going to be completely kind and amazing out of Brecon Beacons, hence why Wolf is grumpy often and Snake is a little harsh . . . But, like Ben says, he genuinely does care.

Please review and tell me what you think. Your response has been amazing so far :)

ForeverChasingDreams