DAY 3:

Alex woke up suddenly on his side. He felt like it should have been a magical, slow process, but it wasn't. His eyes even focused the moment he opened them and adjusted instantly to the light. The room was a light blue and there were two other people in it. Snake and Eagle were already up and about.

The previous night, they'd arrived at New Forest Center. They were to stay in the same room per MI6's orders – some shrink probably said it would be better if Alex weren't left alone or something, Alex mused. He was grateful for the company, but at the same time he really wished that it were –

Oh god –

Jack.

JaCkjAcKJaCK.

"Jack," he whispered quietly. He was already lying in the fetal position, so he just curled up a little more.

Someone was speaking to him, but Alex didn't want to do anything. He was in pain that no drug could solve. Well, maybe anesthesia, he reasoned. But that wasn't the point. Jack was gone.

Obliterated.

Dead.

"Jack," he whispered again. Maybe she could hear him. Maybe – maybe it wasn't too much to hope that that video had been just that – just a video. Maybe she'd just walk in the door. Alex hoped and hoped and maybe-ed and maybe-ed, but somehow, somehow he knew it wasn't going to happen. She was dead. Or not.

"Alex!" someone shouted by his ear. Eagle, he realized. A heavy hand was on his shoulder. Alex wasn't quite sure when it had gotten there. He looked up at Eagle, who looked down at him with something like confusion and surprise and pity. Alex broke the eye connection almost immediately.

"Ah, Christ," Eagle muttered. Alex wasn't quite sure why. "Well, it's 9:00. Good morning. You've got an appointment at 10:30."

Alex hummed in reply. He didn't want to go. He just wanted to – he just wanted to – to –

What did he want to do?

Alex blinked once and realized that he was crying. He hadn't even realized it himself. That was probably why Eagle cussed, Alex thought in retrospect.

Speaking of Eagle, the man was still looking at Alex with his arm on Alex's side.

"What happened?" Eagle asked. Alex made some kind of vague questioning sound. "To Jack, I mean?"

Alex didn't answer. He rolled over and got out of bed. The world tilted upright, and for a moment Alex wondered if things would ever be all right for him. He wiped his eyes dry. His world still felt lopsided. Eagle walked over to his own bed and picked up a book.

"Bathroom's in the corner," Snake muttered. "Shower's all yours."

Alex looked over somewhere at the floor near Snake. He was sitting on his bed, reading a newspaper. Briefly, Alex wondered where he'd gotten it. Then he decided that he didn't really care. It was hard for him to care much about anything.

"Thanks," Alex murmured, even though he knew where the bathroom was. He walked over, opened the door, stepped in –

And saw Julius.

With a startled gasp, Alex backed into the doorframe and slid to the floor. Julius had looked surprised to see him too. But why was he here?

"Alex?" Eagle was immediately at his side, crouched, and Snake was standing just behind him. "What's wrong?"

Snake stepped around them and peered into the bathroom. "There's nothing here."

Alex blinked.

Oh yeah.

Julius was dead. Alex had killed him.

"Alex, can you look at me for a sec?" Eagle asked, using his hand to turn Alex's face toward him. "Did something scare you?"

Alex swatted Eagle's hand away and stood up a little shakily. This time, he walked slowly into the bathroom, standing next to Snake. It wasn't the largest of bathrooms, but it wasn't small either. It actually had a bathtub and a shower separately, but somehow it felt cramped.

The sink was against one side, and above it was a mirror that ran the length of the wall. The toilet was opposite the entrance. The shower was in the corner, and the bathtub was opposite the sink.

In the mirror, Alex saw Snake first, and then Julius joined them. Two Snake's. One Alex. One Julius.

Or two Alex's?

Snake was studying Alex, Alex noticed. Snake then looked at Julius and back. "Did your reflection startle you?"

Alex nodded slightly. Snake didn't have an obvious reaction, but Alex got the distinct impression that Snake was purposefully covering up his reaction with a mask of blank indifference.

"Why'd it startle you?" Snake asked. "Sudden movement?"

Alex shook his head.

Eagle stepped into the bathroom. Now Alex was sort of sandwiched between them. He looked at the three people in the mirror. Eagle, Snake, and Julius.

"That's Julius," Alex said, pointing at Julius, who pointed back. "He killed Jack."

Snake was much better at hiding his expression than Eagle. Eagle, on the other hand, was a little more obvious. His face was starting to get the okay-you're-definitely-crazy look on it.

"Julius," Eagle repeated, "killed Jack."

Alex shrugged, and Julius did too. "But he's backwards. See?" Alex sort-of gestured to the mirror. "He's dead, too."

"Julius is dead," Eagle parroted.

"Yeah," Alex murmured. "I killed him."

From his side, Alex could hear Eagle take a deep breath. He wasn't quite sure what that was supposed to mean. Alex wasn't lying or anything.

Snake coughed a little. "Do you have an identical twin?"

"Not really," Alex whispered.

"And by that you mean…?" Eagle trailed off.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know how to explain."

"Well, why don't you take a shower," Eagle asked. It wasn't a question. He clearly wanted to get Alex on time to his appointment, whatever it was.

Alex wondered why, vaguely, but decided he didn't care.

At the end of his appointment, the psychologist called in Eagle and Snake.

"Are you related or something?" he asked, not unamicably. He seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties. He was dressed in a suit, but wasn't wearing a tie. Snake couldn't be sure, but he seemed either Middle Eastern or Asian.

"No, sir." Snake answered. He figured that the psychologist had to have been talking to him, since they were both blond.

"You soldiers?" the psychologist asked, almost in disbelief.

"Yes, sir. Special Air Service."

Snake waited for the psychologist to answer. But the man only frowned, and looked at the couch between them. "Where's your family, Alex?"

Alex was apparently lying on the couch between the entrance and where the psychologist sat. Snake and Eagle couldn't see him at all. They glanced at each other briefly. It seemed like this psychologist hadn't received any information about Alex.

Eagle answered for Alex once it became apparent that Alex wasn't going to answer. "Dead, sir."

To this, the psychologist raised his eyebrows. Then he furrowed them and looked at the two soldiers. "At ease. You can be at ease the entire time you're here. New Forest Center has the best of security."

Eagle spread his legs and literally stood at ease. Snake, on the other hand, found his incessantly curious mind dragging him forward. He walked over to the couch and looked at Alex.

Alex was lying on his side, with his back to the psychologist. He was, unsurprisingly, crying. He didn't even look up at Snake when he stood over him.

"Alex?" Snake asked. "What's wrong?"

Alex didn't answer.

The psychologist sighed. "I asked him a lot of questions, and once we got past introductions he just sort of shut down. Refused to talk about whatever happened recently or answer anything else I asked thereafter."

"I'm Snake," Snake suddenly said. Silly of him to forget introductions.

"Eagle," Eagle added.

"Dr. Lee. But you can call me Frank."

Snake hesitated, then reached out and put his hand on Alex's shoulder. "Alex?"

"I don't want to talk," Alex finally said.

"That's all right," Frank said. He didn't seem like an unfriendly doctor, Snake decided. Alex was just an unusually difficult patient. "You don't have to talk to me. But could you wait outside for a moment while I speak with your companions?"

Alex moved like a sloth, rising slowly and stepping outside slowly.

Snake wondered if Alex would be all right ever. Sometimes PTSD just can't be cured, he thought. Some veterans never recover.

"You two are the closest to him?" Frank asked.

"Yes, sir," Snake answered.

"Oh, quit the 'sir-ing,'" Frank said, not unfriendly. "Have a seat, both of you."

Once seated, Frank continued. "I'm not going to sugarcoat this. Alex is grieving for something and he won't talk to me. It's in his best interests to share his hardships with others, though, so I need you to help him. I can't, not the way he is now. Special Operations didn't give me anything to go on – not even a personnel file."

Snake nodded, and the man continued. "Alex is just a child. Talk with him. Comfort him. Play with him. See if you can get him to tell you what happened. There's a rec center just west of here, and they have tennis and whatnot. But don't force him. Your being here is helpful to his recovery, but time is what he really needs. And even that may not be enough.

"I'll see him tomorrow at the same time."

Eagle must have looked confused or something, because Frank explained. "Some kind of routine can be helpful in any kind of recovery. I'd also like you two to be in the room next time."

"Yes, sir," Snake and Eagle said as one.

They went back to Alex's room for lunch. Snake wasn't quite sure how he felt about the whole situation as it was – Eagle seemed to have warmed up considerably to the kid, and the psychologist seemed to think that the two of them were somehow helpful in Alex's recovery.

But that morning, when Alex had freaked over his own reflection… Snake was really worried. That wasn't normal by any means. Who names their own reflection and then says they killed it? Alex might be delusional already, beyond help. He was an unknown in Snake's equations.

They took seats around a small round table, and a nurse brought in a few sandwiches and some melon. It was easy enough to eat, but Alex hadn't made a move toward it. Eagle bit in, and exclaimed in surprise that it was delicious. Snake followed suit and took a bite. Even he was a little surprised – the bread was moist and the innards were deliciously succulent and fulfilling. Peering into it, he noticed avocado and sprouts among other ingredients.

"You going to eat?" Eagle said, having swallowed his first bite. Snake watched Alex carefully, wondering what had happened to the boy.

As always, he slowly, slowly, slowly picked up his sandwich. He looked at it and let it slip back onto the plate.

"I know you're hungry," Eagle pushed. "You've barely eaten since yesterday night. You skipped breakfast, too."

"I don't want to eat this," Alex said quietly.

Eagle looked at Snake for help. This was a problem, and certainly not one they had any idea how to deal with. Snake tried to think of something to say, but somehow all the patronizing words died on his tongue. There really wasn't a nice way to make the kid eat his food.

"Alex," Snake said, taking over from Eagle, "you really need to eat at least some of it."

Alex looked morosely at the sandwich. "I'm hungry," he started, "but I don't have an appetite."

"It's really good," Eagle pointed out. "You should at least try it."

Alex hadn't looked at either of them during their conversation. Now he closed his eyes and sat back.

"Alex?" Eagle asked. "This isn't something we're trained to deal with. Could you please just, well…?" Eagle trailed off.

Alex opened his eyes and fixed Eagle with dead eyes. Snake swallowed another bite of sandwich.

With a somewhat reluctant sigh, Alex leaned forward and picked up his sandwich. He took a bite and put it back down.

"What now?" Snake hoped he didn't sound too angry or anything, but this was frustrating. He was more than halfway through his sandwich. Eagle was nearly done. Alex was being a pain.

"It's too fancy," he said quietly.

"And that's a problem because…?" Eagle asked neutrally.

"Jack wouldn't have made anything like this."

Jack.

Jack Jack Jack. Everything came down to Jack, didn't it? Snake sighed. He didn't know who Jack was at all – just that she was Alex's dead housekeeper, and if what Alex claimed was true, his reflection had killed her. It didn't make sense. Snake didn't know what to do. He was sick of this mission that could only be called anything but a mission.

Eagle, thank goodness, didn't seem to share his sentiments. "What kind of things would she have made?" he asked patiently.

"Anything that takes less than 10 minutes."

"Like?" Eagle probed further.

"Eggs, grilled cheeses, simple sandwiches, pasta…" Alex trailed off, staring morosely at his sandwich. "She didn't like avocados. Too messy."

Snake was amazed at Eagle's slow patience. Somehow, he seemed to know how to ask questions that would get Alex to reveal little things but that wouldn't push him over the edge. At least, not yet. Silently, Snake gave Eagle a mental pat on the back. He was definitely doing a better job in this mission.

"Do you like avocados?" Eagle asked. He'd finished his sandwich.

"I don't really care either way."

Eagle nodded, then took Alex's sandwich. He took off the top slice of bread and used a fork to pull out the avocados and sprouts and a few other ingredients. Snake could only watch in amazement. If this worked, well… Eagle seemed to understand Alex on some level.

Sure enough, once the offending fancifulness of the sandwich was gone, Alex ate half the sandwich and most of the removed ingredients separately.

"Thanks," he murmured at Eagle, once he'd finished eating half.

"Want any more?" Eagle asked.

Alex shook his head.

"Melon?" Snake offered. He really wasn't sure how Alex would take suggestions from him anymore. He responded well enough to Eagle, but Snake didn't feel the same connection.

Alex looked up at Snake, and Snake realized that Alex hadn't been looking at either of them for a while. When the dead eyes of the child laid their gaze upon him, he felt a slight twist of pity in his gut. And suddenly, he felt like he wanted Alex to say yes and accept the melon, even if it really wasn't that big a deal. It was just melon, but somehow it felt like more than that in that moment.

"Okay," Alex said, breaking into Snake's thoughts. Somehow, Snake felt relieved. He wasn't sure if Alex had agreed because of Snake's expression or because he wanted the melon.

Either way, Snake felt a little bit better about the whole mission.

After lunch, Alex said he was tired and climbed back into bed. He napped.

Eagle sighed, once he was sure Alex was asleep. This mission was using skills he had from life, not from training. It wasn't easy, but at least there wasn't any physical danger.

"I think he's crazy," Eagle said, talking to Snake but looking at Alex. "Should we tell his psychologist about the whole mirror thing?"

Snake shrugged. "I guess so. Probably. We'll be in there tomorrow with him, anyway."

Eagle had forgotten about that. That would be interesting – Eagle had no idea what the psychologist would want them to do.

Just then, someone knocked at their door. Eagle looked down at his watch. It was only 2:40. Eagle couldn't think of anything that they needed at the moment.

Meanwhile, Snake had risen and walked over to the door. He opened it carefully, gradually, in case of an intruder.

But he needn't have worried. Both Eagle and Snake recognized the man.

"Wolf?!" Eagle exclaimed, forgetting that Alex was asleep.

Snake stepped aside and let the man in. He looked too shocked to speak. Now that Snake wasn't in the way, Eagle noticed two things about his former unit leader: that he was wearing civilian clothes, and that he was missing his right hand.

"Wolf…" Eagle murmured sympathetically. "What…?"

Wolf glared at Eagle, and somehow Eagle wanted to smile ruefully in response. At least Wolf still had his glare. Alex – Cub, he supposed – was at a rough point in his life, and it seemed like Wolf was too. Vaguely, he wondered if Fox was all right – maybe he was hurt, and then that would three-fifths…

"What what?" Wolf asked, disregarding grammar. "If you've got something to say, cough it up."

"You, uh," Eagle started ineloquently, "are missing a hand."

Wolf nodded. "And?" He seemed grumpy over the choice of topic.

"None of us were told," Eagle said, feeling a little nervous about continuing this line of questioning. "How did – you – ?"

"IED," Wolf said shortly. "Was lucky to survive."

Eagle could tell by the brevity of Wolf's answer that his amputation was not something he wanted to talk about in great detail. Then Snake asked another question, one that in retrospect Eagle thought would have made more sense to ask first. "Sorry to hear. Why are you here?"

Wolf waved his arm vaguely. Right, Eagle thought, New Forest Center was a rehabilitation center. It made sense that Wolf would be at New Forest, especially sense it specialized in military personnel.

"No, why are you here?" Snake asked, emphasizing the "here" with a wave of his arm at the room.

Wolf shrugged moodily. "I don't know. Got a phone call to my room from Spec Ops, said something about visiting this room being something they'd appreciate. Favor or something."

Snake nodded, and Eagle exchanged a look with him. "What?" Wolf asked, irritatedly. Eagle shrugged. "You two don't look injured to me. What are you here for?"

"Same request," Eagle answered. "Favor of sorts for Spec Ops."

Wolf huffed. "That favor being…?"

Eagle looked over at the bed. It seemed Alex hadn't woken up during their conversation. He was facing away from the three of them, apparently sound asleep.

"Who's that?"

"Cub," Eagle answered. "Seems he's had quite an ordeal recently."

"Christ," Wolf muttered. "What happened?"

Eagle shook his head. "He won't talk about it. We're not quite sure of the details, but his housekeeper died recently. That's what we're supposed to be finding out, we think. And if our guesses are right, then we're the closest people to him that are still alive."

"No family or friends?" Wolf asked.

"None he can talk to, apparently," Eagle answered.

Wolf wandered into the room and took the seat that Alex had been eating in. Snake joined them at the table, taking the last seat.

"He got any injuries?" Wolf asked suddenly.

"No," Eagle answered. "You know, I don't remember you being this interested in Cub before. In fact, the way I remember it you were something of an asshole to him."

Wolf shrugged. "You have clearance?"

Eagle nodded. "We were told we could know anything about Cub."

Wolf nodded. "We were on a mission together. We were going to rescue him, but he escaped on his own. It was bloody brilliant. He was snowboarding down a black-diamond level path into an ambush, when a train came between them. Kid jumped up on the train to escape, snowboarded on in for a bit, then went flying off at the first bend. Survived that without heavy injuries. One hell of an escape – then he had to go back with us on a raid to save some hostages. Successful, too, thanks to his knowledge of the place."

Snake raised his eyebrows, and Eagle felt something like admiration for the kid creep up in him. Not only was Alex an enigma, he was a savior. Eagle wondered if Alex was successful on his most recent mission, assuming that Alex had been on some kind of a mission. Somehow it felt wrong to think about the kid having any missions at all.

"Would you happen to have any idea why Cub would be afraid of his own reflection?" Snake's question was unexpected.

Wolf furrowed his eyebrows. "Like, something that looks just like him?"

"Yeah."

Wolf paused. "I only know the gist of what was happening on that mission with Cub, but basically this maniac was cloning himself and using plastic surgery to make his own copies look like influential people's kids so that he could control the world. We were supposed to save those kids and capture their copies. Since Cub's cover was a rich kid, it's not impossible to think that he had a copy, too. I didn't deal with clean-up, so I'm not really sure."

Snake's mouth opened in shock. "Human clones?!"

Wolf nodded.

Eagle focused on a different part of what Wolf had just told them. "You said Cub might have had a copy? Could that copy have had a name, like, Julius?"

Wolf gave him a weirded-out look. "What?"

Luckily, Snake was more adept at explaining what had happened to them that morning. He recapped the conversation they'd had with Alex for Wolf's sake. "He startled going into the bathroom, pointed at his reflection, told us that it was Julius but backwards. Then he said that Julius killed his housekeeper and that he, Cub, had killed Julius."

Wolf nodded slowly. "That's just… messed up."

"Yeah," Eagle agreed quietly. "But it makes a lot more sense when we have what you told us."

Wolf nodded again. "Definitely."

Snake nodded emphatically. He took a moment to go over to where Alex lay and check that he was still sleeping. Then he returned to his previous position by the others. "We both thought he was crazy."

Wolf took a moment to form a question. "Do you know why he's here at New Forest?"

Eagle paused for a moment. He'd considered why Alex had him and Snake with him, but he hadn't really thought much about the kid's circumstances beyond that. It made sense that having no people left in his life would lead to him having Snake and Eagle dragged in to help him.

But he didn't really have a specific reason to go to New Forest, per se. New Forest was a rehabilitation center, as in a rehab center for the injured or sick. Like Wolf, Eagle thought momentarily. They'd have to find out more about Wolf's circumstances. But Alex didn't have physical injuries. He could have gone to a foster home or some agent's house. He could even have been sent home and left alone.

Once again, it was Snake who could analyze the situation and provide some kind of an answer. "They had to keep him somewhere." Or maybe not.

Wolf pried further. "But that doesn't explain why he's here."

Eagle blurted out a half-baked thought before really thinking it through. "Maybe he needs rehab for his mind," he said, not really thinking much about the term.

"Then it'd make more sense to send him to a funny farm," Wolf countered.

Snake appeared to have gotten enough time to speculate on the subject. "Maybe he knows sensitive information that MI6 doesn't want anyone to know."

Wolf was really good at playing devil's advocate. "But we're here."

"We already know he exists," Snake responded. "That's plenty enough to get MI6 in trouble."

Wolf nodded, apparently appeased for the moment. "Fair enough." Wolf glanced around the room, his eyes settling on a clock. "I've got PT in a few. My room's just down the hall, last on the right." He started to gesture with his right arm, then switched to his left in a jerky slip. Then he pointed to clarify which way to go as he stood to leave. "If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Will do," Eagle replied. "Thanks."

Wolf nodded quietly and added, "Tell Cub I said hi," before he left.

Eagle and Snake were left alone with Alex, who was still asleep.

"Maybe Wolf's why he's here," Snake said eventually.

Eagled pursed his lips. "Yeah."

Alex woke up just in time for dinner. He yawned as he woke up, and to Eagle immense relief, he wasn't crying. Even so, it didn't mean he was happy or anything. In fact, he looked quite gloomy and depressed. He sat up slowly and looked around, his eyes eventually settling on Eagle and Snake, who were still at the table. They had taken to reading some of the things left in the room, like the newspaper slid under the door that morning.

"Good evening, Cub," Eagle said.

Alex looked at him strangely. "Hi."

Snake jumped in on their conversation. "You'll never guess who just dropped by while you were napping."

Alex just stared.

"Wolf did. He's just down the hall."

"Oh." Alex didn't really seem to register what that meant, Eagle thought. If Alex had really been thinking, then he would have guessed that Wolf had something wrong with him too. But since Alex didn't ask, Eagle and Snake didn't say anything.

"He said hi," Snake added on.

"How are you feeling?" Eagle probed gently.

Alex paused. His dead stare was almost worse than when he refused to look at them. "Tired," he said after a moment. "I'm tired."

"In what sense?" Snake continued, having put down his section of the newspaper in favor of the conversation Eagle started with Alex.

"Not physically," Alex drawled out, as if contemplating the right words. "I just feel tired."

Eagle could only imagine. "Your nurse just brought some dinner. She said to wake you up if you didn't come around sooner or later. Said you really ought to eat more." Eagle gestured vaguely at the pasta in front of himself.

Alex nodded, then pulled back the bedsheets and joined them at the table. Suddenly, Eagle had a brainwave. He turned to Snake. "You think Wolf would want to join us?"

Snake blinked, surprised by the suggestion. "Maybe. I can go check, if that's all right…?" He looked at Alex, asking for consent.

Alex simply nodded.

Snake almost hurried out of the room. Eagle wondered if the atmosphere was stifling to him. Alex certainly didn't present the most welcoming dinner companion – or companion in general, at the present moment.

Alex watched him go, then turned to the pasta. "Did you ask for this for me?"

Eagle looked at the dinner more closely. Some funny-shaped pasta that probably had an exotic name, covered with a simple meat sauce. On the side was some steamed or otherwise softened broccoli. There was a handwritten note, too, from the nurse, saying to press the 'call' button if they wanted some ice cream.

"No," Eagle answered. "But I might have mentioned your meal preferences to the nurse when she came by while you were napping."

Alex half-smiled. The meager smile didn't even approach his eyes. "Thanks."

Eagle felt like he'd accomplished something, even though he'd only been thanked by this gloomy teenager. "Anytime."

The door opened, and Snake held it open while Wolf carried his chair in. A pretty nurse followed Wolf with his meal, which was pasta with fancier sauce and some kind of vegetable stir-fry on the side. Eagle wasn't quite sure if Alex had noticed Wolf's obvious injury.

"Thanks, Maria," Wolf said, in possibly the gentlest tone Eagle had heard out of him.

"No problem," Maria answered with a slight blush. "Anytime. It's great to see you getting along with others."

Wolf seemed to blush, and Eagle suddenly realized that Maria wasn't looking at Wolf in a completely professional manner. He had to suppress the urge to grin evilly at the two of them. It looked like the beginning of a romance.

Maria left in a rush once she put down Wolf's food. Once the door was closed, Eagle let his grin slide onto his face. But Snake beat him to the punch.

"So what's Maria like?" Snake asked mischievously.

Wolf wasn't the most outgoing or friendliest of people, but he definitely picked up on the tone of voice Snake was using. "Nice. Charming."

Eagle was about to continue teasing Wolf, but he noticed that Alex had focused entirely on his food, with a focus so singular it seemed like he was trying to shut out anything they were talking about.

Wolf had followed Eagle's gaze, trailing it over to where Alex was. "Hi, Cub."

Alex nodded by way of greeting, still refusing to look up. He took a bite of his food.

Eagle felt something drop in his stomach. He suddenly wasn't sure if Wolf's presence was to help Alex at all. Maybe it was just coincidence. And maybe Wolf and Alex weren't such a good mix. They hadn't worked well at all during training. In fact, Wolf had been downright mean to Alex during training, now that Eagle thought about it.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"What's up with you?" Wolf asked, seemingly tactlessly.

Alex just shrugged.

"Look," Wolf said, more firmly than Eagle would have, "I don't know what happened to you. But you could at least talk to someone who took bullets to save your life."

At this, Alex looked up at Wolf. Eagle could practically feel electricity in the air as Alex and Wolf stared each other down. No, this most certainly had not been a good idea. Eagle chanced a glance at Snake. It seemed he, too, was thinking along the lines of what Eagle was thinking.

Snake jumped into the staring contest, trying to upset it. Maybe he was trying to lighten the atmosphere. It almost worked. "You took bullets for him?"

Wolf looked away from Alex and the tension broke just a little bit. Not that it wasn't stifling to be in the pair's presence, but still – it was a touch lighter than when they were staring at each other.

"Yeah, on that mission I told you about, with the clones."

Alex resumed eating his food. Wolf didn't elaborate, so Snake prompted him to continue. "We were going back to raid the place, and Cub was supposed to hide. Instead, he found himself in the presence of one of our adversaries, and I burst in the room just in time to shoot him and get shot by that monster of a man."

"Her," Alex said suddenly.

Wolf looked at the kid, who didn't acknowledge his look at all. "What?"

"Ms. Stellenbosch," Alex said simply, "was a she."

To this, Wolf blinked twice. Snake fought a smile. Eagle could feel a similar expression of confined amusement climbing onto his face. Wolf let a long silence pass before he replied with a simple, "Oh. That wasn't a man in drag I shot?"

"No. And thank you for that," Alex muttered, "I guess."

Eagle's amusement didn't quite survive Alex's doubt about his own life.

"You 'guess'?" Wolf copied. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Alex put his knife and fork together, signaling that he was done eating. To Eagle's relief, he'd eaten more than half of what the hospital had given him. "It means that if I were dead, Jack would be alive."

"Sorry, who's Jack?" Wolf asked, a little bit more gentle this time.

Alex paused and looked down at his lap. "My guardian."

Eagle did a double take, as did Snake. Snake beat him to the obvious question. "But you said Jack was your housekeeper!"

"Jack was both," Alex said quietly.

Wolf looked uncomfortable, not that any of them felt remotely comfortable. "And Jack – he's gone now?"

"She," Alex said. "She's gone."

Wolf fumbled for words, then settled on a simple set phrase. "My condolences."

"Thanks," Alex murmured. "Can I go to bed now?"

Not wanting to keep Alex up, Eagle, Snake, and Wolf finished eating quietly. Wolf left almost immediately after.

Snake was impressed. He remembered how Wolf treated Alex during training while they ate dinner, and now they were almost civil in comparison. At least Wolf wasn't outright nasty to Alex.

Even though Eagle had gone to bed, Snake didn't feel tired and didn't feel any need for sleep. It wasn't even midnight, and Snake figured that since Alex's morning appointment wasn't until 10:30, he really didn't have to go to sleep for another few hours. It was only late evening, and Snake usually needed eight or fewer hours of sleep.

He used the lamp by his bed – which was farthest from Alex's – to read the rest of the newspaper. Something about a failed assassination attempted in Egypt on an American, the latest stupid thing the Prime Minister said, another bomb in the Middle East…

He paused in his perusal as he heard some soft sounds coming from across the room. Eagle wouldn't be making such noises, so he knew that it must be Alex. Snake wasn't surprised at all. He guessed that Alex wouldn't be tired anyway, because he'd slept all afternoon. Snake had even gone over once or twice and checked his pulse to really see if the kid was asleep. It seemed like he was.

The soft sounds paused, then resumed. Snake was torn. Eagle really was the one who had made some kind of connection with Alex, but then again, it wasn't like either of them were best friends with the kid. Maybe Alex would just be embarrassed at Snake's offer of comfort, or maybe he'd just reject it altogether.

Undecided, Snake waited a few more minutes, reading to the end of the article about the assassination. When the rustling and whimpering didn't change, he flicked off the lamp and rolled out of bed. The moonlight through the window lit his way to Alex's bed. He stood by the head of Alex's bed, hesitant, until he finally worked up the courage to whisper, "Alex?"

Alex stopped making any noise at all, becoming perfectly still. Snake paused, unsure of what to do. "Hey, it's me, Snake," he said softly. "You want to talk or something?"

Alex didn't answer. The covers moved marginally, and Snake thought it might be because Alex was gripping them tighter.

Eagle would be doing so much better, Snake thought. He even considered waking Eagle up, but somehow Snake wanted to handle this on his own. Eagle had made plenty of progress with the kid in Snake's opinion, and somehow Snake wanted to help the kid as best he could.

Gently, Snake reached out and tugged at the covers, trying to pull them down. After a few tugs, Alex let go and the blanket slid down with Snake's gentle pull down to around Alex's neck. Even in the moonlight, Snake could tell that Alex had been crying. Still, however, the boy didn't look at him.

"Want a hug?" Snake asked. Alex didn't answer. "Can I hold you for a minute?" Still, Alex didn't answer.

Snake thought back to when Eagle had cuddled with the kid. He'd sought Snake as a witness and proceeded without asking for consent or anything. Now, Snake had no witness, but he was asking Alex first if it was all right to touch him.

Snake glanced over to where Eagle lay, and realized that he was wrong – Eagle was awake. Snake must have woken him up with his quiet talking or when he walked by his bed. It felt embarrassing, in a way – here was Snake, an SAS soldier, trying to comfort some ex-spy teenager despite the fact that he had minimal experience in dealing with either teenagers or grieving people. But Eagle nodded, raising his eyebrows in encouragement. It seemed that Eagle thought it would be good for Snake to hug Alex.

Reaching out, Snake slid an arm under the side of the kid's body and wrapped his other arm around to support his neck and head, almost embracing him. Alex stiffened minimally as Snake pulled him into an upright position. Snake shifted a little so that he was sitting next to Alex facing the head of the bed and Alex was sitting up. The kid's arms were against his chest.

Snake didn't know if he should say anything. He wasn't even sure if he should be trying to hold the kid at all. But maybe this is what MI6 wanted them to do – provide some sort of comfort and familiarity, even if it was muscular comfort and distant familiarity.

This time, Snake stiffened as he felt Alex wrap his arms around Snake in response. He could feel the kid's tears soaking into his shirt, and maybe some snot, too. He'd have to change before he went to bed.

Slowly, Snake tried rubbing Alex's back in some mockery of a comforting gesture. It all felt so wrong, that Alex had to rely on a couple of SAS soldiers for comfort.

To Snake's surprise, Alex spoke. "I want Jack back," he whimpered quietly into the fabric of Snake's shirt, where it struck through to his heart. "I didn't mean for her to get hurt."

"I know," Snake said. "I know."

Snake had no idea how long he held Alex before the child dropped off into a deep sleep.

AN: Please review. I'd really appreciate it.