Thanks so much the the few reviews I received!


"I don't know, you tell me!" Adi exclaimed slamming her book shut and huffing grumpily.

"You want the chemistry homework to answer itself?" Alex asked smirking, he was on the other side of the table.

"Piss off Alex. Like you know better, you don't even take chemistry." Adi snapped storming into the kitchen. Alex picked up her homework and examined the question, he picked up a pen and scribbled an answer. When Adi stormed back into the room with the answers borrowed off the internet she gaped as she saw Alex had reached the correct answer. Her jaw dropped as she looked at him, Alex rolled his eyes patiently.

"Come on Adi, the coin is 3.47g and reacted with 20.5 cm³ of sodium thiospulphate at at concentration of 0.2. You want the moles of the sodium thiospulphate so volume times concentration which is 0.0041. Times that by the number of moles of copper 2 plus in 250 cm³, 10, is 0.041. The mass of coper in the coin is 0.42 times the Mr of copper equals 2.6035. Divide that mass by the total mass of the coin then times by 100 you get your percentage, 75%." Alex sat back and handed her the scribbled on sheet of paper, she was still looking at him shocked.

"Just because I don't Chemistry doesn't mean I can't do it. It's easy." He shrugged then returned to his Russian book.

"What happened?" Charlie asked walking into the house and seeing a speechless Adi and an indifferent Alex.

"He- My- Chem- Ugh!" Adi slammed her books shut again and thrust the piece of paper into her sisters hands. "Genius, that's what."

"So, am I the first here?" She asked, they were having a meeting to discuss how everything was progressing. Barr the part Alex was playing.

"Yeah, mum and dad are still at work, gee what a surprise." Adi slumped onto the sofa,

"They're never home." Charlie agreed.

"I'm used to it." Alex commented before realising the position that put himself in, thankfully he was saved by his phone ringing. He glanced at the caller and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"Snake?" Alex phrased it almost as a question. There was a slight pause in which time Harry, Harold and Grace entered the room, they had all left Langley together. "What the hell are you doing up?" He added glancing at a clock. A wicked grin graced Alex's face at the answer. "Ah, midnight swims in the lovely warm lake, I miss it so much."

"I seem to recall one time it didn't take you long to get to the deep section." Ben commented.

"I seem to recall one time being thrown in by four fully grown SAS men." Alex shot back, laughter on the on the other end was heard by all in the room. "Ah, sorry, three and a half SAS men." He flashed a grin at Ben who pouted slightly. "Why are you calling?" Alex asked suddenly. There was silence both ends, then comprehension dawned and Alex suddenly hung up and raised an eyebrow at Ben who smiled sheepishly. Then his phone rang.

"Eagle get off the phone." Ben ran a hand through his hair exasperated. "Yes Cub did hang up on you." His tone turned calming. Jack and the rest of his SEAL unit appeared in the house and sprawled on the sofas, the three newbies giving Ben and Alex once overs.

"Heads up Al." Ben threw the phone and he answered it,

"What?" Amusement grew on his face now and his eyes flicked the the recently arrived unit. "Really, that's very interesting." He grinned as the rest of the room looked on apprehensively. "Who is the fourth?" The response obviously didn't impress Alex because he promptly threw the phone back to Ben.

"Why do you need a fourth? And who is it?" Now Ben laughed and his eyes flew to the SEAL unit, then his smile died. "Jackal. Jesus I thought Sarge was sensible enough to at least pair you with someone who you won't kill. I need to go, you need to sleep. There are some marine creatures I need to talk to." Ben hung up and turned to the room. "Sorry."

"Marine creatures?" One of the SEAL's was repeating to himself seemingly confused.

"Us you moron." Jack hit him over the head.

"But-" He was cut off.

"SEAL." Charlie exclaimed.

"Oh." He grinned. "Clever."

"I try." Ben grinned. "One question, who are you?"

"W, also known as Chris." W replied,

"S. I'm the leader, Luke." S smiled slightly

"You know me a Jack, but I'm C." Jack smiled at Ben.

"And I'm M, Aidan, who are you?"

"Ben, and that's Alex. I assume you are the weapons expert, tactician, comms and the medic." Ben went in order.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" S demanded,

"Magic." Alex teased, Adi threw a pillow at his head.

"Really!" W exclaimed.

"Chris! NO!" The entire unit exclaimed.

"He's worse than Neil." Ben sighed rolling his eyes.

"I didn't think that was possible." Alex agreed.

"And back to the reason behind this meeting, hows everything going?" Grace brought them all back to the start.

"Fine." They all replied in unison.

"May have to elaborate people." Grace smiled indulgently. "Alex? Settling in OK?" Alex read the deeper meaning, don't say anything until Adi is gone.

"Yeah, different, but good." He nodded.

"Adi?"

"Aside from having a bloody genius in most my classes I'm fine." Adi muttered.

"Ah, but I bet you put them to shame in languages." Jack grinned, having tutored his sister the finer points of conversational French, German, Italian and Swahili he knew she was good.

"Nope. Because he is a bloody foreigner!" This time a book was thrown at Alex's head, he deflected it and it landed on Chris' lap.

"What is this?" He sounded disgusted.

"It's a book." Charlie replied slowly.

"No shit. What language is that?" He passed it to Jack who frowned,

"Russian I think." Jack threw it to Ben when asked to and the spy laughed.

"Yes its Russian." He confirmed.

"Who's is it?" Chris asked confused. "No one here speaks Russian well enough to read it, unless Ben?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Slowly and it gives me a headache, but not for leisure, no. That's Alex's." He threw the book to Alex who caught it easily.

"You speak Russian." Grace was shocked.

"Yes." Alex replied slowly.

"Well?" Harold asked.

"I can pass." At that Ben smirked, but no one saw, they were all focussed on Alex in shock.

"What else can you speak?" Jack asked excitedly.

"German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, English, hell he understands Shakespeare!" Adi threw her hands up in exasperation. "And can do graduate level Chemistry, writes perfect essays in History, had an hour long conversation with Madame Pierre in which I got lost. Then he is kept behind by the history teacher and congratulated on his understanding of politics, both historical and current. He is rewarded on his knowledge of Geography by sir, who smiled at him. Smiled. He never smiles! Then I sat next to him in maths and he had finished all the work in half the time it took everyone else, then in Physics, he understands it perfectly and had a long discussion with the teacher about the finer points of quantum physics. Then even though he doesn't take it he completed my Chemistry, was adored by the biology teacher and lets not even get started on him in English, RE, PE, IT and psychology." Adi threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Bad week?" Charlie asked smirking. The recently returned Russian book now found its way to her head. Charlie responded by throwing a pillow back.

Half an hour later Grace, sighing, turned to her husband and simply asked.

"These are our children?"


"Al." Ben grasped his arm and led him out the room, Adi watched this curiously and decided to follow them. She followed them and found herself in a back alley not far from the house.

"I don't like lying to her." Alex was saying, Adi stiffened, they were talking about her.

"I know, you have made that clear from the start. But neither do you like working for MI6. She can't know, she'll be in danger if she does."

"I know the risks Fox. Don't treat me like a child." Alex sounded exhausted.

"Al. How are you coping, as you. Nothing to do with the mission. Just you as Alex this can't be easy for you." Adi frowned, what couldn't be easy for him? He was the most stubborn, confident, positive, grounded, determined person she knew.

"It's.." Alex sounded, for the first time since she had known him, uncertain in himself. Shaking herself and confused she crept away, not wanting to intrude on a personal conversation.

Half an hour later she found herself knocking on his door,

"Come on in." She slipped in smirking slightly at the slight surprise on his face. "Hey."

"Can I talk to you?" She wrung her hands worried.

"Sure, have a seat." They sat on opposite ends of the bed in silence.

"So...?" Alex prompted.

"You have been living in this house for a week and a half and know almost nothing about you, that's all." Adi shrugged trying to hide her tension, from the smirk Alex gave her, she doubted it worked.

"Well, my name is-" She cut him off.

"No little facts about ourselves, nothing too deep just like friends would. If you don't want to answer you don't have to."

"Like friends would." Alex repeated seemingly still unsure.

"Yes, so what is your favourite colour?" Adi picked a random question.

"Oh no, that's too deep, you've gone too far Miss Gideon." Alex teased, Adi threw a pillow at him in annoyance, smiling despite herself.

"Things like hobbies, likes and dislikes, pet hates, abilities, favourite colour. Things like that." Adi listed a few topics.

"Missions?" Alex asked, voice hard.

"Only if you are willing."

"Well, my favourite colour is blue. What is your favourite food?" Alex replied without responding to the comment. And so began a routine, sometime they did their homework, sometimes they just talked, this had led to merciless teasing from siblings and friends, but still they didn't stop it or make comments about the facts that weren't mentioned. They never once touched on spying, or how they got into the business, Alex skirted around his family without dropping any hints with an ease that alarmed and worried Adi, when she asked what his worst injury was he managed to turn it around on her and ask a question and it was only later that she realised he hadn't actually answered hers.


"Come on. I need waffles." Adi groaned as school let out.

"And your parents?" Alex was worried, yesterday there had been a hack trying to get at Adi's files and the CIA were worried about her safety.

"They can deal. Besides, not as though some contract killer is out to get me." She joked, Alex fought a wince.

"Fine, where are we going?" Alex asked pulling out his phone and speed dialling Ben who answered in seconds, Alex hung up and Ben, understanding what Alex was doing, rang back. Alex glanced at the caller ID and answered.

"Hey Ben, no, we're not at home, nor heading that way." Alex raised an eyebrow at Adi who rolled her eyes.

"Come on, it's just waffles!" She exclaimed,

"Yeah we're going for waffles in the local café, 'Hayley's lot'." Alex told him faking an exaggeratedly exasperated tone. "Thanks, see you later." Alex hung up.

"What'd he want?" Adi asked pulling him into the café and ordering for him

"To know where we had vanished off the edge of the planet to." Alex flashed her a grin,

"Very funny. Here. Eat and shut up." She pushed a plate towards him. "So, back to the questions. Who do you think is the cutest boy in school?"

"Stupid question, me of course." She kicked him under the table.

"Seriously."

"OK." Alex frowned as he thought about it. "Simon Patel." He named the largest, smelliest most dislikeable boy in the year.

"For my sanity I really hope that you are lying." Adi breathed.

"Yes. I am." Alex laughed. "Who do you think?" At this Adi turned bright red.

"So, how do you know Ben? What is that relationship?" She ignored the question.

"No, who do you think? Will Turner?" Alex wouldn't have minded the fielding of question, had it been better done, had she not blushed, and had the question not been about Alex's relationship with Ben, or any other question he wanted to avoid.

"No!" Adi's blush deepened,

"I think you are secretly hiding a crush on Will, you can't possibly admit it and blush at any given point, that only leads to the question, what are you thinking about?" Alex continued,

"No! I don't like Will that way! He's a good friend, granted, but not that way." The blush had only worsened.

"So who do you like that has the ability to make you go such a lovely shade of red?" Alex lounged back grinning widely.

"You're an arse you know that!" Adi exclaimed hitting his around the head repeatedly.

"Now, now children. Your parents are angry enough at you for all of you." Adi almost jumped out of her skin, Alex just turned to smirk at the other Brit.

"Why?" Adi asked, Ben took her arm and led her out the café, relying on Alex to follow. They slid into a car and, despite no lack of questions asked, no answers were given.

"Adi! What were you thinking! You too Alex!" Grace grasped her daughter on the arm, dragging her into the house.

"We just went for waffles, Alex didn't want to go but I persuaded him. Then Ben phoned and because he knew where we were going Alex, after some more persuasion, agreed to come with me. Nothing happened!" Adi glanced at Alex for backup only to find that he wasn't in the room, neither was Ben.

"You are grounded young woman, no going out unless we know about it and have cleared it!" Harold ground out.

"WHY!" Adi exclaimed throwing her arms up in the air, "I bet Alex isn't grounded, just because he is amazing at what he does! Why is he even here!"

"For your safety!" A new voice stated.

"JACK!" Grace and Harold exclaimed, furious.

"No! I talked to Alex, Charlie, Harry and even Will, they all agree this would all be a hell of a lot easier if she knew what was going on! She will fight your decisions because she doesn't think they're the right thing to do!" Jack explained.

"I'm sorry." Adi hissed, then froze. "That's what you were arguing about!" She spun around on Alex and Ben who had recently appeared. "You wanted to tell me, but Ben said you couldn't!" Adi hissed. Alex smirked,

"Told you so." He muttered to Ben,

"Piss off." Ben ruffled his hair, Alex batting his hand away, they all watched the interaction confused.

"What is your relationship?" Grace asked,

"Well, you see, despite the fact that Ben, despite all his wonderful traits, cannot accept this, we are in a deep meaningful relationship-" Alex started,

"Alexander." Ben groaned, "You're worse than Eagle on sugar."

"That is a whole new level of insult." Alex gasped, "You wound me!"

"What do your parents think of you doing this?" Charlie asked appearing through the door with an identical copy of Harold.

"William I assume." Ben ignored the question, feeling Alex stiffen beside him.

"Yes, call me Will." The man smiled at shook hands,

"Ben." Ben smiled,

"Alex." The teen shook his hand lightly then ran a hand through his hair.

"Excuse me!" Adi exclaimed, "You have all spent weeks lying to me?" The red haired teen was not impressed.

"Adi," Alex started,

"No, don't even try." She stormed out the room.

"Well that went well." Alex sighed.

"Almost as well as when we tried to get answers out of you." Ben smirked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Be it less painful."

"Aww, did poor Foxy have to go to the infirmary to get his ego checked out." Alex mocked.

"You know, when we see Snake again, all this will fly straight back in your face as I can list so many injuries he still doesn't know about, and I do believe I shall have company when we try to get straight answers out of you." Ben flopped on the sofa grinned.

"Damn Benjamin, you play dirty."

"Learnt from the best." Ben grinned.

"Why thank you." Alex grinned back.

"All of that went straight over my head." Charlie sighed.

"Same, are they always like this?" Will asked confused.

"Yeah." Charlie flopped onto the sofa putting her feet on her brother.

"How was Paris? Madame Hoyt still in charge?" Alex asked the Interpol agent.

"Yeah, she is. She's fearsome – wait how do you know about her and Interpol?" Will asked sitting up straight.

"Long story, involved chocolate and babysitting her four children." Alex grinned amused,

"Any tips on how to get on her good side?" Will asked hopefully.

"Guylian." Alex replied without missing a beat.

"Seriously." Will asked incredulous.

"Yeah, everyone has a weakness." Alex shrugged.

"Really?" Grace snorted. "Byrne doesn't." Alex's face darkened,

"I take it you don't like Byrne." Harold assumed.

"You can say that again." Ben muttered.

"A good bourbon. His weakness." Alex put in,

"What about Fornell? Head of the FBI." Charlie asked.

"Fast car." Ben and Alex replied in unison.

"Get him tickets to throw Smithers Aston Martin around Silverstone and he's putty in your hands." Alex chuckled.

"I still can't believe he let you do that." Ben shook his head.

"What? Smithers or Fornell?" Alex queried,

"Either." Ben snorted.

"Neither actually, but I've been told I can be very persuasive." Alex grinned.

"Really, I never realised you were a silver tongued devil." Ben muttered. "Did you see the state of the Green Jackets after RTI with you?"

"What!" Jack exclaimed flying off his seat, they had all been watching the bantering amused at the interactions between the two.

"What what?" Ben asked.

"They put him through RTI!" Jack hissed.

"What's RTI?" Grace asked faintly.

"Resistance to interrogation." Jack breathed. The room froze and all looked at the two British.

"If it helps, they came of much worse than us. They refused to do it again and two out of the four joined the SAS and the other two transferred to their American counterparts, just to get away from they terror of Cub." Ben smirked.

"No, that doesn't help." Grace's face was white and her voice full of anger.

"We were the first unit to fully understand the meaning behind the name." Ben put in.

"What resisting the interrogation? Not giving answers?" Jack asked his confusion momentarily outweighing his anger.

"No, resisting the interrogation." Alex smiled,

"What?" Harold asked, but comprehension was slowly dawning on Jack.

"You mean you're supposed to resist the interrogation?" He was shocked.

"Yeah," Ben nodded.

"How?"

"Well, the first time through a drain, because the room was usually used for adults they didn't realise there was a drain cover that lifted and a child could fit through and escape. The second time was resisted as such. They nabbed Cub from the infirmary, where he was already on knock out drugs, being an SAS camp with large adults the drugs aren't designed for children, or well built teens for that matter. Cub, the genius he is, annoyed them so much they tried to drug him, but he was already on drugs so went into cardiac arrest." Ben shook his head at the memory.

"Those four refused to ever RTI anyone ever again." Ben chuckled, "The third time... well, lets just say you never want to hear Eagle sing and boy can Cub twist words." Ben shrugged. "No harm really done, not to us anyway." The room was silent.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Will joked.

"Can you really twist words that well?" Grace asked amazed.

"Oh yes." Harry flopped next to Alex. "You ask him a question he doesn't want to answer you avoids it and changes the topic so well you don't even realise he's done it until a few hours later. I once asked him how he got involved in this business, we talked about food, tea, how I got involved, America, Germany, but nothing about him."

"Same, asked him his worst injury, then we talked about when I got shot in Holland. Talked about Holland, Austria, PT, guns and the weather. Nothing about him." Charlie glared at him. Harold slowly sat up.

"You did that to me as well!" He exclaimed. "I asked you about your family and we ended up talking about mine!" Alex smirked.

"Sorry?" He tried.

"Helps if you are actually sorry." Ben chuckled, "You learn how to stop it. Took nearly a year but now we can usually get an answer out of him."

"We?" Jack cocked an eyebrow.

"K unit." Alex and Ben smirked.

"Wait, we're doing an exchange with a K unit!" Jack exclaimed.

"Jesus, took him long enough." Alex muttered.

"Four of them, Wolf, Eagle... Lizard?" Jack shrugged.

"Snake and Jackass." Alex replied. "Sorry, slip of the tongue, Jackal." Ben snorted then laughed.

"Jackass suits him better."

"I take it you don't like him." Jack smirked, Alex rubbed his still healing bullet wound, a movement no one in the room missed.

"Not particularly." Ben replied for both of them.

"You lot staying for tea?" Grace asked suddenly.

"Sure. We need to discuss a development." Jack replied.

"I'll go get Adi, she's pissed enough as it is, doesn't need to be any worse." Alex offered,

"You're death wish." Charlie laughed. Alex chuckled and headed upstairs to Adi's room, he knocked.

"Go away." Adi snapped. He knocked again. "I said, go away." Alex paused, then knocked again. The door flew open to show a furious Adi. "Are you deaf?"

"Nope, just telling you tea is on the table and that we are discussing a recent development, thought, as you now know the whole story, you may like to be included though, if you don't want to be that's fine, I'm sure someone will bring a tray up for you while you have your little tantrum, that's fine too." Alex turned to go.

"You are a manipulative little thing you know?" Adi muttered.

"I try." They wandered downstairs.

"So, what's this development?" Adi asked after being brought up to speed quickly by the others.

"There is a new target along with you Adi." Charlie stated.

"Who?" Adi asked still slightly sulking.

"Alex Rider."


Please review!