I haven't written anything in a couple of months, so this is my effort to get back into it. hopefully now I can actually complete some stuff...aka my multichapter that hasn't been updated in way too long

The rain is torrential.

No one else is out, or, if they are, Alex can't see them, because drops are falling so thick and fast that he can barely see ahead of him, let alone make out human figures. There isn't a single part of him that isn't soaked, and the wind is cutting into him with a vengeance. He's numb and shivering and the only good part of this whole thing is that he can no longer feel his various wounds.

Alex glances up at a street sign as he stumbles along and silently curses. The Royal & General is much too far away, and, besides the fact that he doesn't particularly want to go, he's not going to be able to make it. Between not having eaten in nearly three days, lack of sleep, a bleeding gash in his gut, and probable hypothermia, he doesn't have the strength-and, besides that, he doesn't have any money. He can't get a cab, doesn't have change for a pay phone, and he lost his mobile a long time ago.

There has to be a safehouse nearby. If there isn't, he's in trouble.

He stumbles unexpectedly and falls before he can stop himself, the impact of the pavement driving the breath out of him. Alex can suddenly feel every injury with stunning clarity.

For a moment, Alex considers just not getting up. It would certainly be less painful. However, it doesn't take him long to realize that if he falls unconscious here, he may never wake up.

He pushes himself up part of the way and watches in dazed fascination as his blood mingles with the rain. He isn't sure that he can muster the strength to stand, but, somehow, he manages it.

Leaning against a convenient mailbox, Alex takes a moment to mentally go down the list of London safehouses. Nothing is particularly close to where he is, except-

Alex blinks. Of course. It isn't exactly a safehouse, but it'll do.

It'll have to do.

Ten miserable, shivery minutes later, Alex knocks on the door of Ben Daniels's flat. He puts a steadying hand on the wall next to him. For a few tense seconds that Alex thinks the other agent might not be home. Then he hears Ben call, "Coming!"

Ben opens the door with a smile on his face, but it fades the moment he sets eyes on Alex.

"H-hey, Daniels," Alex says weakly.

"Alex! What are you-" Ben takes in his general appearance, which Alex knows is not good at all, and steps back immediately. "Get inside. You're soaked. And bleeding?"

"Long story." Alex steps inside, and Ben closes the door. "S-sorry to just show up, but your place was c-closer than anything else."

"It's fine, Alex, really," Ben reassures him. He glances backwards somewhat uneasily, but Alex can't find the energy to be concerned. "We need to get you dry."

"Hey, Fox, who was it?" calls a voice-somehow familiar, but Alex isn't sure why. He freezes.

"Who else is h-here?" Alex feels the beginning of panic well up inside, somewhere beyond his exhaustion. "They can't see me. I-"

Ben cuts him off. "It's just K-Unit. You're fine."

Alex edges towards the door, but Ben steps in his way. "They hate me," Alex hisses, but it lacks energy.

Ben winces. "Selection was a long time ago. Trust me. It's fine. You hear me, Alex? Alex?"

Alex forces himself to focus, but it's getting more difficult. The room is swaying-then again, it might be him who's swaying. He still can't stop his violent shivering. "Y-yeah. Yeah. Okay."

"Fox?" calls the same voice. Now that he knows that K-Unit is here, Alex thinks it might be Snake. "Everything okay?"

Before Ben can respond, Snake steps out from the kitchen. He sees Alex and frowns. "Who's this?" he asks. Concern tinges his voice.

"Alex," Ben says, but offers no further explanation. "Get the first aid kit, will you?"

"Eagle, get the first aid kit," Snake orders, hurrying to Alex and Ben. "He's bleeding."

"Thanks, I...I h-hadn't noticed," Alex mutters, because he doesn't have the energy to speak any louder.

"Probably hypothermic too," Ben says.

Alex's legs give out at about this point, but Ben catches him before he hits the ground. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Alex is embarrassed, but he can't summon the strength to protest.

"Do you need help?" Snake asks. Ben shakes his head.

"He's light. Really light." Alex's awareness isn't the best at the moment, but the worry on Ben's face would be hard to miss.

Ben carries Alex to the couch and puts him down.

"He looks bad. Shouldn't we take him to a hospital?" Snake asks.

Alex looks up. "No," he says, as forcefully as he can (which isn't very). "N-no hospitals."

Snake raises an eyebrow and looks at Ben,who offers nothing but a shrug, then sighs. "Go get dry clothes and towels," he tells Ben.

Alex is vaguely aware of Eagle bringing the first aid kit, and then his eyelids drop and he's aware of nothing more.

Alex awakes at the first roll of thunder.

Immediately, he has to fight down panic. He's never liked thunderstorms, but his dislike has grown into more of a phobia over the past couple of years. They tend to make him panic, throw off his instincts, and, thanks to some combination of atmospheric pressure changes and anxiety, they usually make his bullet scar ache.

Sure enough, it starts to throb.

And-where is he, anyway?

The panic returns, full strength, and as a hand comes to rest on his shoulder, Alex jerks upright. He immediately regrets it, however, as an agonizing pain shoots through his abdomen. He gasps.

"Whoa, Alex, it's alright," soothes a somehow familiar voice. "You're safe, you're fine, it's alright."

It takes Alex a few more seconds to calm down enough to recognize both the voice and his surroundings. He's in Ben's flat, and Snake is the one talking. And he's in pain because-

Right. Escape. Getting stabbed. Rain. Ben's flat. K-Unit.

"Ow," he says weakly, and lays back down.

"How do you feel?" Snake asks.

"Decent," Alex lies, then amends, "Hungry." Lightning flashes outside the window, and he tenses up, almost expecting a blow, though he doesn't know why. It doesn't come, obviously, and he relaxes, hoping Snake didn't notice.

Snake frowns. No such luck, then. "I refuse to believe you feel decent. I stitched up a knife wound in your stomach barely two hours ago, plus bandaged a whole lot of other stuff. And that's not to even mention the fact that you're still recovering from a severe case of hypothermia."

Alex rubs his scar uncomfortably, but it does nothing to relieve the ache. He shrugs noncommittally.

Snake's eyes narrow. "Is that bullet scar giving you trouble?" he asks.

Alex quickly drops his hand. How does Snake know?

He realizes that he's wearing different clothes than before-probably Ben's-and that someone had to have put them on. "Not really," he lies, again.

Thunder crashes outside. Alex flinches.

Snake's expression softens immediately. "It's the storm, isn't it?"

Alex hesitates. He doesn't like admitting any kind of weakness, especially not to someone he barely knows. But obviously Ben trusts him, or he wouldn't have left Alex alone with him. Finally, he nods.

"I see." Snake frowns again. "I'm going to go get Fox. He wanted to know when you woke up. I'll be right back, alright?"

"Alright."

Snake comes back with Ben a few minutes later. Ben sits in the chair that Snake had been in before, and Snake heads into the kitchen to get another one.

"How do you feel?" Ben asks. Alex scowls a bit. Why does everyone keep asking? How do they think he feels?

"Like I've been stabbed," he returns flatly. Ben sighs. Snake returns with another chair, which he sets next to Ben's.

"How long has it been since you've eaten?" Ben asks him. "And don't lie, because you know I'll know."

Alex takes a moment to consider, eyeing Snake warily. Ben gestures for him to go ahead. "Three days?" Alex ventures. He isn't sure. He's spent most of it on the run.

"And before that?"

Alex shrugs. "Maybe two?"

"And before that?"

"I'm not really sure," Alex admits. Another roll of thunder. He flinches again, and his grip on the blanket tightens. The worry on Ben's face is obvious, but Alex still tries to ignore it. "I couldn't see outside, and they didn't tell me."

"They?"

"My most recent captors. Real fans of poison, let me tell you."

"Knife wound?"

"Got it in my daring escape."

"MI6 looking for you?"

"I don't know if they even knew I was gone, to be honest."

"Hang on," Snake interrupts. "What's going on?" Alex and Ben exchange looks. "I mean, you show up on Fox's doorstep soaking wet, bleeding, and apparently malnourished, refuse to go to a hospital-which, incidentally, I can't say I support-pass out on the couch, and now you're talking about MI6. 'Most recent captors'? Alex, what the-"

"Cub," Alex interrupts quietly.

"What?"

"I'm Cub."

Snake pauses. "I knew you looked familiar. But what does that have to do with this?"

"I went to Brecon Beacons for preparation before...before my first mission."

Snake freezes. "You're…"

"I work for MI6," Alex affirms. The rain on the roof gets harder; more lightning flashes outside. His grip on the blanket is now so tight that his knuckles have turned white. Every instinct he has is screaming that he's in danger, that he needs to get out.

Thunderstorms. Horrible.

Snake has gone pale, and he curses quietly. "How old are you?" he demands. His accent is getting steadily more pronounced as he gets angrier.

Alex seriously considers not answering. Then, finally, he says, "Almost seventeen."

"Sixteen!" Snake exclaims. "But that-"

"Can't be legal?" Alex suggests.

"It's not," Ben contributes.

"But we can't do anything about it," Alex says.

"Are they still using me as blackmail, incidentally?" Ben asks conversationally.

"Usually. Sometimes it's Tom. Sometimes both."

"I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"I'm used to it, really."

"You're used to it!" Snake explodes.

"You're going to wake Eagle and Wolf," Ben says mildly.

Snake stares for a moment, wordless. "I just can't believe this."

"Neither could I." Ben stands and puts his hand on Snake's shoulder. "Let's go get some kind of food for him."

Snake leans against the counter, fuming, while Ben searches the pantry for something they can give Alex.

"How can his parents let this happen?" Snake demands.

"They're dead."

"Guardian?"

"Legally, the Bank. I think he considers it to be me, though. I'm his-" Ben mentally goes down the list-parents, uncle, Jack, the Pleasures, "-fifth."

"How do you let this happen, then?"

Ben turns, expression hard, and slams a can of soup onto the counter. "Did you not hear me? The Bank is his legal guardian. I can't do anything. I've tried, trust me. They've threatened to fire me, they've threatened to arrest me, they've even threatened to keep him at the Bank between missions. If either of us step too far out of line, they'll separate us somehow. And there are days that I'm the only one who can help him keep it together. I'm literally the only supportive adult figure in his life. I'm one of only two people in this world that he actually trusts. Without me, all of this would be worse, and I can't do that to him." He paused, and his voice quiets somewhat. "They use him against me just as much as they use me against him."

"...Oh."

"Yeah. So don't tell me how horrible it is. I have to watch firsthand as each mission finds a new way to...to destroy him, and all I can do is try to pick up the pieces."

Snake looks suitably chastised, so Ben turns back around and takes a bowl from one of his cupboards.

"Does he live here, then?" Snake asks after a short silence.

"He doesn't really live anywhere. I think he spends more time here than anywhere else, though it still isn't much." He pours the soup into the bowl and puts it in the microwave. The hum of the microwave can barely be heard over the rain pounding on the roof.

"MI6 doesn't provide anything?"

Ben shrugs. "As long as they can still use him, they don't really care where he is or how he's doing."

"What about the scar? The one right above his heart?"

"Scorpia sniper."

"Why was Alex mixed up with Scorpia?"

"I don't even know the whole story. Something to do with Yassen Gregorovich and his dad. He took Scorpia down, though."

Snake stares, then throws up his hands."I'm not even going to ask."

"I don't blame you."

"But there were others," Snake continues, though it looks to Ben like he might not really want to know the answer to whatever question it is that he's about to ask. "Marks that I would associate with...well, torture?"

Ben nods. "He doesn't tell me everything, but...I've guessed. He says things when he's having nightmares, and the screaming and yelling he does-it's almost enough to give me nightmares. And this storm isn't going to help anything, if he does manage to sleep tonight."

The microwave beeps, and Ben turns to take the bowl out. "Sixteen," Snake whispers.

"Yeah," agrees Ben sadly. "Sixteen."

Alex insists on feeding himself, and neither Ben nor Snake argues it. His hand is only shaking a little, and it helps to distract him from the storm.

He hadn't realized when they left that it was nearly two in the morning, but both men refuse to go to sleep until Alex does-which is a problem. Alex doesn't really sleep during thunderstorms. He wakes up too easily, and his nightmares are always worse than usual. Ben knows that, or, at least, Alex thinks he does.

Alex finishes his soup, and Snake gets up to put the bowl in the sink. As soon as he's out of earshot, Alex looks at Ben.

"You know tonight's going to be bad," he says quietly. "And I don't...I don't want Snake to see." He doesn't say anything about Ben. Ben has seen it all before.

Ben studies him for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll get him to leave."

He gets up and follows Snake, and Alex hears muted conversation in the kitchen. Ben returns shortly, without Snake.

"He's going to sleep," he explains. "Wouldn't agree to it until I told him I'd get him the second your condition got worse."

"And will you?"

Ben studies him for a moment. "Only if you want me to."

Alex nods. Alright. That he can work with.

"Do you want me to leave too?"

"No," Alex says quickly. He jumps a bit as yet more thunder shakes the flat. "No, you can stay." I don't want to be alone, he thinks, but doesn't say it aloud.

From Ben's sympathetic expression, he knows anyway. "Alright. Well, I'm going to get some blankets and a pillow. I'll be right back."

Ben is awoken by someone calling his name. "What?" he mumbles into his pillow, unwilling to move. "I'm awake. What is it?"

There's no reply. Ben yawns and glances at the clock. It's barely past four AM. He turns over and is about to go back to sleep when a soft cry of, "No!" followed by a mumbled, "Not him. Not Ben!" gets his attention.

"Alex?" Ben says, sitting up and blinking sleep from his eyes. He looks at the couch. Alex is tossing back and forth as much as the blanket tucked around him allows him to, and he looks like he's in serious danger of falling off the couch. There are tears on his face.

"Alex," Ben repeats, placing a gentle hand on the teen's arm. He's hoping to calm Alex without waking him, but as Alex's cries only grow more frantic, Ben gives that up. "Alex, wake up," he says louder.

Alex's eyes snap open, terrified, and Ben immediately releases him. He's had some unfortunate experiences with Alex's more violent awakenings.

However, Alex doesn't lash out, nor does he say anything. He sits up with a wince and slight gasp and stares at Ben.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ben asks, keeping his voice soft and calm.

Alex looks away and shakes his head. Ben can see how badly Alex is shaking and decides that he probably shouldn't go back to sleep just yet.

"Alright. Do you want me to get you anything?" Ben asks.

"No!" Alex turns back quickly, a pleading look on his face. "Stay here. Please."

"Okay. Okay. I won't go," Ben reassures him. He sits down next to Alex, who visibly flinches as thunder crashes outside. Ben feels a stab of pity, followed immediately by anger directed at MI6 and especially Alan Blunt.

After maybe five minutes of silence-with the exception of the storm still raging outside-Alex says, "They killed you."

Ben, used to Alex not telling him anything about his nightmares, raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Who did?" he prompts gently.

"The people in my dream. I don't know." Alex rubs his scar, pressing harder than he should. Ben catches his wrist, but Alex pulls it away. He does lighten his touch, so Ben decides to let him be.

Another few seconds of silence.

"I couldn't answer their questions," Alex continues. "They tried...other things first, but I didn't tell them-because I couldn't, Ben, I couldn't!-so they brought you in, and they...they killed you over and over and over and at first you kept saying it was fine but then you started begging me to tell them and I didn't even know the answers and I told them that but they didn't believe me and you just kept dying and I couldn't-I couldn't do anything Ben I'm so sorry."

His voice cracks on the last word, and he starts crying again. Ben suddenly feels like fighting Alan Blunt in person, singlehandedly, perhaps with a large knife. But he dismisses the idea.

"You don't need to apologize, Alex. I'm alive. I'm fine. We're both safe." He puts an arm around Alex's shoulders, careful to avoid any and all bandages (Snake will kill him personally and painfully if he injures Alex further, he knows it.)

Alex doesn't reply, but Ben can feel some of the tension leave him. They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Why is K-Unit here anyway?" Alex asks suddenly.

"Combination of a friendly drink and them trying to persuade me to come back to SAS," Ben explains. "Apparently they haven't been particularly fond of any of my replacements."

"And are you going to?"

Ben considers for a moment. "I haven't decided yet. I mean, I preferred it to what I'm doing now-definitely less paperwork-but I'd be gone a lot more. Probably doing more dangerous stuff." He doesn't say everything he's thinking-that he wouldn't be here next time Alex shows up bleeding, that he'd be more likely to die and leave Alex almost entirely alone-but Alex is intelligent, and Ben doubts he hasn't figured it out.

"Ah," is all Alex says. More silence, broken by thunder. Maybe it's just Ben's imagination, but he thinks Alex doesn't recoil quite as much this time.

"Come on," Ben says finally. "Why don't you try and go back to sleep."

Alex looks reluctant, but he also looks exhausted. After a few seconds, it appears that the exhausted part of him wins out. "Yeah. Okay. But, uh, can you, um...stay here? Like, on the couch?"

Ben is surprised, but doesn't show it. Alex usually avoids unnecessary physical contact. Although (and Ben mentally berates himself for having taken this long to figure it out), that probably means that Alex is pretty touch-starved. When was the last time someone touched him with no intent of harm, Ben wonders? Probably too long, especially for a sixteen-year-old.

"I'm not trying to-to impose or anything like that!" Alex rushes to say when Ben doesn't answer. "It's just...it's easier to sleep."

"I get it. It's fine. Sure, I'll stay," Ben says. "And, don't worry, you're not imposing."

Alex seems relieved to hear that. "Alright. Thanks," he says, yawning.

He's asleep incredibly quickly. Ben shifts position, barely. There doesn't seem to be a comfortable way to do this, but he doesn't mind. Alex needs the sleep much more than he does.

"Good night, Alex," Ben says softly, and then he too falls asleep.

When Alex wakes up, he's warm and comfortable and-the feeling is almost so foreign to him that he doesn't remember what it is-safe. For the first time in what must be months. He opens his eyes a bit but doesn't move, not wanting to spoil the moment.

He's on a couch because right, Ben, and the sunlight streaming through the window warms his blanketed form.

Which means, he notes in relief, that the storm has died down.

The clock reads 8:45, which means he had gotten more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep. It really has to be some kind of record. He hasn't slept that well in...well, probably the last time he felt safe.

And having Ben here is the closest thing to parental affection that he's felt since Jack died.

There's some wistful sadness at that thought, but he doesn't dwell on it.

Ben stirs slightly and whispers, "Alex, you awake?"

"Yeah," Alex replies quietly.

"Last night wasn't too bad. Only one nightmare?"

"Just the one," Alex confirms. He still can't believe it, honestly.

"How long are you going to stay? Because you can stay as long as you need."

Alex thinks about it. He doesn't particularly want to run into any part of K-Unit again, and he really should get to the Bank to report. "I'll probably go as soon as I get up," he decides.

Ben sighs but seems to realize he's fighting a losing battle. "At least have some food first. Maybe let Snake check you over again."

"I'll just find something to eat on the way."

"Alex."

"Alright, fine. Yes to the food, no to Snake. And I'm still eating the food on the way."

Ben sighs again, but doesn't argue.

Alex stands up slowly, relieved to find minimal dizziness and pain he can definitely tolerate, and starts to walk towards the kitchen. Ben immediately springs up.

"I'll get the food, Alex. Stay here," he says.

Alex reluctantly sits. Ben disappears into the kitchen.

Alex looks out the window. The sun warms his face. Everything looks much better in the light-then again, it always does.

Ben returns a few minutes later with a sandwich in a paper towel and a quite frankly huge bottle of water.

"It's not much," he says. "But I was afraid if I took much longer you'd leave without it."

"Thanks, Ben." Alex stands and takes the food, looking at the water bottle questioningly.

"You need to stay hydrated," Ben explains. "I mean, Snake's already going to kill me for letting you leave. I can at least make sure you have water."

Alex laughs. He puts his shoes on and is about to leave when Ben stops him with a hand on his arm.

"You know, Alex," Ben says. "You're allowed to come here more than just when you're in trouble. You're welcome here anytime, actually."

Alex feels a surge of gratitude. "Thanks, Ben," he says.

"Don't get into too much trouble."

"Hey, this is me. But I'll try." Alex smiles and walks out, closing the door behind him. He takes a bite of the sandwich.

It's nice to know that he doesn't have to weather the storms alone.