Disclaimer: I don't own the Alex Rider series. I do own Yanis.

Blood, sweat. Blood, pain. Must keep running. Breath, air, blood, pain. Screams in the background. Bullets rip the sky. Ink and gold drowning him. Cobbles opening up. Swallowing him whole. Eyes watching him. Pale blue. Watchful. Disappointed. Goodbye. That's what they're saying. A chant, repeated over and over. Goodbye, goodbye, good friends goodbye! Something poking him. What was that tapping him? A weight on his chest. Starting to hurt. The weight struggling. More poking.

"Daddy", whispered a quiet voice intruding on Yassen's strange dreamworld, "Daddy, wake up".

Yassen opened his eyes and rubbed them blearily. He looked around and saw Yanis sitting on top of him, ice blue eyes watching him carefully, still in his footy-pyjamas and poking his father's arm.

"Go back to sleep Yanis", Yassen mumbled, holding his son's hand to stop it poking him.

"But daddy, it's time to get up!" the boy replied.

Yassen rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around. He was on the sofa, Yanis was on top of him and Bear in the Big Blue House was just finishing on TV, that annoying song drilling into his skull.

That meant it was indeed time to get up. That didn't make Yassen any less resentful towards the whole stupid world. Why couldn't he just have taken one more minute? It would have been the best minute ever...and now it was already past.

Yassen extricated his son from him and set Yanis on his feet beside the sofa. He sat up and forced himself to get up go to the bathroom while Yanis just curled up on the cosy sofa.

Yassen hopped in the shower and ran through his normal morning hygienic routine. Shower, shave, brush teeth etc. Then, he made his way back into the living room to get Yanis, who had gone to sleep on the sofa. Typical. Wouldn't let Yassen catch an extra minute but went straight back to sleep himself. Yassen nudged his son and Yanis smiled up at his father, fully awake again.

"Go to your room and pick out what you're wearing today" Yassen said firmly. Yanis grinned and got to his feet. He wrapped his arms around Yassen in a quick hug before scooting off to his bedroom across the hall.

Yassen went to the kitchen and proceeded with making breakfast. Which consisted of...nothing. He'd neglected to go shopping yesterday and now the kitchen was totally empty. Details of yesterday started flooding back to him. Coming back form the airport to find Yanis soaking wet in his own you-know-what. His son crying and telling him how there'd been no food and how he hadn't eaten all week. Poor kid. Yassen had forgotten to get stuff in when Levi Kroll had called him in on an assignment.

He'd given Yanis a bath then dressed him and taken him down to Mc Donalds. When Yanis finished his happy meal they'd returned to the apartment and sat up to watch TV, Yanis in pyjamas. They must have slept on the sofa all night.

"Yani, we'll get breakfast on the way to work" Yassen called to the child, using his pet name for him.

Finally, after much work on Yassen's part, Yanis was washed, dressed and presentable. Yassen locked the door of the apartment and led his son to the elevator.

Yanis insisted on pushing the button to call it and the elevator arrived a minute later. They weren't the only people using the lift though. A man Yassen recognized as one of their neighbours smiled at Yanis.

"Mr. Finanigan!" Yanis said loudly. The man smiled at him. Yassen frowned. Finanigan? Finnagan. That's what Yanis meant.

"Hey Yani" Mr. Finnagan replied enthusiastically.

Yassen vaguely remembered how Yanis had put Mr. Finnagan's thousand euro coy fish in the man's kettle. It was actually kind of funny when you looked at it with no involvement in the matter. Yassen, however, hadn't thought it was funny when he had to foot the bill for the stupid fish.

"So, your daddy came back again, huh? Look, Yani, if you ever need anything, you know exactly where my flat is, don't you?" Mr. Finnagan offered.

Yanis nodded and the lift finally reached the ground floor. He led Yanis out to the street, making a mental note to ask about Mr. Finnagan later. But for now, he had to get to his office.

Yanis was hopping energetically along beside Yassen and he smiled up at his father.

"I have a meeting with Mr. Kurst first thing today so we'll go straight to his office, alright? And then we have to meet with Mr. Kroll" Yassen informed his son quietly.

Yanis frowned up at his father. Why'd they all have to have such weird names?

"You're going to be on your best behaviour today?" Yassen questioned, steering his son into one of the breakfast bars that littered London.

"Ja" Yanis replied in German. Yassen smiled faintly. His son barreled from language to language with rapid fire changes. He was likely to speak French all day without realising it. He wasn't at the age where he was cognizant of knowing a foreign language.

"And no wandering off either" Yassen said sternly as they joined the large queue for breakfast.

Yanis stayed quiet at the accusation and Yassen eyed his son.

"I mean it Yanis. I'll be busy today and I won't have time to look for you if you just decide to go for a stroll".

"Okay, I promise. Daddy?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with something between loneliness and fear.

Yassen looked down at his son. Yanis was clever but he was no actor. He was genuinely distressed about something.

"Please don't leave me again" Yanis said in such a sad little voice that Yassen had to pull back on embracing his son. He did, however, crouch down to Yanis's level and tap him on the nose gently.

"I won't Yani. I promise I'll only leave you if there is no other way out of the situation. Alright?" Yassen said, smiling sadly at his son.

"Okay daddy" Yanis replied happily, hugging his father quickly. Yassen returned the hug very swiftly then straightened up again. Finally, they reached the top of the queue. Yassen lifted Yanis up and sat him on the counter while they both considered the menu.

"I'll have the fruit bowl and Yanis will have the blueberry muffin" Yassen said to the teenage boy behind the counter.

Yanis grinned up at Yassen and cheekily stuck his tongue out. Yassen ignored the boy and when their food was ready he paid the teenager and left, carrying the take-away food bag in his left hand, holding Yanis's hand in his right.

Finally they reached the Scorpia offices. Yassen swiped his identification card through to unlock the doors. He nodded at the receptionist and called a lift quickly. Yanis chattered happily about what had happened while Yassen was away and when they reached the floor with Zeljan's office, Yanis trailed off mid sentence.

"Daddy, are we going to Mr. Krust's office?" Yanis asked.

Yassen rolled his eyes.

"His name, Yanis, is Mr. Kurst. Not Krust. And yes, we are. I told you that already" Yassen reminded him. Yanis jumped and let out a noise that was caught somewhere between a squeal and a squeak.

Yassen frowned. Zeljan insisted on spoiling Yanis any time he saw him. It was strange really, considering that the man hated children. He was sort of like a grandfather to Yanis, in a strange, messed up way.

Yassen stepped out of the lift and knocked politely on Zeljan's door.

"Come in" called Zeljan, his voice slightly muffled by the door separating them.

Yassen did that and no sooner had he closed the door than Yanis had bolted across the room to Zeljan, hugging him as if he was a long lost relative.

"Yani! Look, why don't you wait outside for a few minutes? I have something to discuss with your father. It'll only take a minute" Zeljan promised. Yanis nodded curiously and raced out of the room again, eager to please the two men.

However, as he stood in the hallway ten minutes later, he was starting to get the tiniest bit annoyed. Daddy and Mr. Krust were having fun inside and they had left him out here waiting on them. And he was hungry too.

Yanis pressed his ear to the door and listened to the snatches of conversation he caught.

"Assignment...three months...in your new contract" Mr. Krust said. Yanis frowned. His daddy was leaving for three months? He promised he'd stay! Well, if daddy wouldn't keep his promises then neither would he.

Yanis stomped down the corridor and pushed open the door to the stairs. He looked back over his shoulder once and then continued on his way, hurrying down the stairs as fast as his five year old legs would carry him. He had descended at least five floors when he started to regret even starting down the stairs. What would daddy do without him? Probably be really bored.

And he'd miss daddy. Daddy bought him breakfast and let him watch the Goombears and even played football with him. Yanis nodded to himself. He'd left daddy dangle long enough. Now it was time to go back.

He turned to go back up the stairs when he heard a chuckle. He looked behind him. No-one there. He looked in front of him. No-one there either. Spooky.

"Yanis" someone said. Yanis looked up and saw a woman on the stairs of the floor above him. She beamed down at him.

"Come here" she said kindly. Yanis frowned and then shrugged away his doubts. He was going up the stairs again anyway. He'd have to talk to her sooner or later.

So, Yanis started back up the stairs. When he reached the woman, he frowned. She was very pretty. She had brown hair and greyish eyes. She smiled nice too, Yanis thought to himself, but her smile made him shiver.

"Hello Yanis. I'm China Melody. I know your daddy. What are you doing here all alone?" she asked, grinning at him.

Yanis frowned. His daddy was always warning him about talking to strangers. And this China was definitely a stranger.

"I'm not a'posed to talk to strangers" Yanis said quietly. China's smile widened.

"I'm not a stranger. I know your daddy. Now, why don't we go find him?" China said cheerfully. Yanis took her offered hand and the two made their way up two flights of stairs in silence.

"Do you like your daddy Yanis?" China asked gently. Yanis nodded silently and the two reached the top of another flight of stairs.

"Where is your daddy?" China asked, eyes taking in the boy.

"With Mr. Krust" Yanis said simply. China chuckled softly.

"With Zeljan? We're here then" she said, leading Yanis up another flight and through the doors onto a hallway. She knocked on the door of an office Yanis recognized as Mr. Krust's. Yassen opened the door and emerged from the office, Zeljan just behind. Yassen's eyes flashed dangerously at China but she held onto Yanis's hand, letting go only when the boy pulled away and raced over to his father.

"DADDY!!" Yanis shrieked, hugging Yassen desperately around the waist.

"I'm sorry I goed but I was mad and I know I shouldn't have but I did and I'm so sorry and I promise to never, ever, ever, ever do it again and I love you daddy and while I was mad I met China and she telled me she's your friend so we camed back up here and I'm sorry daddy!" Yanis said at rapid speed.

Yassen lifted up his son by the hips and Yanis buried his head in the crook of his father's neck.

China smiled at Yassen. Yassen bit back the urge to snap the woman's neck.

For the sake of maintaining a polite front with Yanis around, Yassen nodded at China.

"Thank you for returning my son to me" he said quietly. Then, he turned on his heel and stormed up to his office. Zeljan glared at China who shrugged.

"What did I do to upset Lord High and Mighty?" she asked, smiling.

"You know exactly what you did. Grow up China" Zeljan replied.

"He can't keep my nephew from me forever" China shot back before turning on her heel and leaving.

Zeljan rolled his eyes. Stupid assassins. Always so stubborn.

Yassen watched his son squirt butterscotch sauce on his Shepard's pies then take a bite. He denied himself the urge to shiver and instead smiled at the boy, who smiled cheerily back.

"This is yummy. I love it when you make dinner daddy" Yanis said happily, taking another bite.

"I microwaved it Yanis. It doesn't really count as making dinner" Yassen said, going back to reading his newspaper.

"You're a great cook daddy" Yanis said calmly, kicking his feet back and forth.

Yassen chuckled and listened as Yanis continued to tell him about every single thing that had happened while he was away.

"And it rained so I taked in the bal-co-ny chair" Yanis said, sounding out the words he found hard.

"Wonderful Yanis" Yassen said, half listening to his son. He was busy reading a rather intriguing story about a woman who'd given birth to half a baby. He still wasn't quite sure how that would work.

"And the water got cutted off so I had to wait for a long time 'fore it camed back on again" Yanis continued.

"Really Yanis? Fascinating" Yassen commented, hearing the words water and back. Another weird story in the paper about a girl who rolled down the side of a pyramid. Now that was interesting.

"And then I falled over daddy 'cause I was standing on the big bouncy ball you buyed me. And then Dave camed and knocked on the door" Yanis babbled happily.

Yassen's eyes snapped to his son, all thoughts of pyramids and half babies vanishing.

"Who's Dave?" Yassen asked urgently.

"He knocked on the door but you said never open the door when I'm alone so I didn't. But I peeked out and he had pleesemen with him so I said no-one was home and he kept asking me to open the door so I telled him no-one was home so he telled me he was Dave and he slipped a card thing under the door and he telled me was gonna call back later" Yanis explained rapidly.

Yassen's shoulders tensed. He could feel the mother of all headaches approaching.

"Do you have the card he slipped under the door?" Yassen asked.

Yanis disappeared into his room for a few minutes and returned with a plain white business card. Yanis gave it to his father and Yassen read it quickly. 'David Wallace. Social Worker'.

Yassen felt his insides turn cold. What was a social worker doing here? Almost by fate, a loud knock sounded on the door. Yassen took a moment to compose himself and then answered the door.

A man with sandy hair grinned at him. He had four policemen with him, each one eyeing Yassen in a supposedly intimidating manner.

"Hi, I'm Dave Wallace. I called round a few days ago but your son wouldn't let me in. I was wondering if I could come in for a little chat?" Dave asked. Yassen nodded.

"Of course. Go on into the living room. I was just clearing up the dinner plates. Would you like a tea? A coffee?" Yassen asked.

"Tea would be great. I'm afraid I'll also have to speak with your son" Dave said, leading his little posse into the living room. Within five minutes everyone was in the living room. Yassen sat in the armchair with Yanis in his lap, Dave sat in the other armchair and the policemen stood hovering in the room. Dave took a sip of his tea and then studied the clipboard he had with him.

"Okay, like I said, I'm Dave. Now, I don't actually have a name for you or your son so..."

"He's registered here as John Beckett but his name is Yanis Yassenovich. I'm Yassen Beckett" Yassen said, giving his false name. Dave scratched something down on his clipboard.

"Can you explain that to me?" Dave asked, watching Yassen intently.

"Yanis, why don't you go show one of the policemen your room?" Yassen suggested. Yanis nodded happily and practically dragged the youngest policeman out of the living room. The policeman shot Dave a look that clearly said 'Please save me from this kid'. Dave just chuckled.

Yassen closed the living room door and when he was sure Yanis was out of ear shot he returned his attention to Dave.

"I met his mother in a nightclub, did the deed and then ten months later she turned up. She thrust a baby at me, made me take him and then charged me a couple of thousand euros as 'get the hell away from me' money. Haven't seen her since. But she registered him as John Beckett here and I was living in Russia so I changed it to Yanis Yassenovich but the English government wouldn't let me change it because I didn't have his mother's permission" Yassen explained quickly.

"I see. Do you have John's mother's name?" Dave asked, scribbling something else down.

"No. And his name is Yanis, not John" Yassen replied tersely.

"I'm afraid he'll be John from here on in. Mr. Beckett, I'm sorry to tell you that we're considering taking John into Government care" Dave responded.

Yassen frowned.

"Is there a reason behind this?" he asked angrily, eyes flashing.

"Yes. We've had several separate reports filed by residents of this building. We have evidence of neglect for starters. Your neighbour has told us how you leave for long periods of time and leave John alone here. John isn't in school even though he should be. So now I'd like to speak with John, alright?" Dave said.

Yassen bit his bottom lip. He couldn't lose Yanis. He didn't even want to imagine what that would feel like. To lose his son was unthinkable.

"Look, I know you think I'm the worst person in the world right now but I promise you here and now that I will do everything I can to let you keep your son. I don't want to take John from you, alright? Now, I'll go talk to him in his room and leave you with these very competent officers of the law" Dave said, gesturing at the remaining policemen.

Dave got to his feet and made his way across the hallway to where he could hear the little boy babbling. He opened the boy's bedroom door and smiled at the scene inside. It was a typical kid's room with colourful toy chests and toys all over the floor. The boy was bouncing on his bed and the young policeman was nodding to everything he said, a look of helplessness on his face.

"Hi John" Dave said. The policeman and the boy looked at him, finally noticing his presence.

The boy stopped bouncing and sat on his bed. The policeman smiled hopefully. Dave gestured for him to leave and he did. Then, Dave sat down beside John on the bed and smiled at the boy.

"Hi John" he repeated.

"I'm Yanis" the boy replied, frowning in confusion.

"No, you're John" Dave said, frowning.

"No, I'm Yanis" the boy responded.

"Alright John, how has your day been so far?" Dave asked, choosing to ignore the boy's previous comments.

"I goed to my daddy's office with him and my daddy made me dinner when we goed back home" Yanis said, grinning.

"Wow! That sounds great! Does your daddy always make dinner for you?" Dave asked.

Yanis sucked his thumb as he thought.

"If he's home" he replied.

"Alright. And is your daddy always home?" Dave asked.

"No. He has to work" Yanis replied quietly.

"What about a few days ago John? Your neighbour, Mr. Finnagan, said that you were alone all week. Is that true?" Dave asked.

Yanis fidgeted slightly.

"No. It wasn't like the way you think. It was different. Daddy leaved me lots o' food and money and he called every night to checking on me!" Yanis protested, his English deteriorating quickly. Dave frowned. He'd been around enough children to know when they were lying.

"Alright. Do you like going to your daddy's office?" Dave asked, changing the subject.

"Ja. I gets to hug Mr. Krust and my daddy buys breakfast and after we go to the park and daddy pushes me on the swing and I go so fast!" Yanis said happily, giggling at the end of his sentence. Dave laughed along with the boy who's laugh was so infectious.

"Do you know how to read John?" Dave asked.

"I already telled you my name's Yanis!" the boy replied. Dave smiled slightly.

"Okay. But you see, you have another name that everyone who's not related to you have to call you and that's John. Alright?" Dave said kindly.

Yanis considered this and nodded.

"So, John, do you know how to read?" Dave asked again.

"No. My daddy reads to me though. I love the Gruffalo! And my Jabberwock!" Yanis said, jumping to his feet.

Dave nodded and noted the detail down on his clipboard.

"What's your Jabberwock?" asked Dave.

Yanis bounded across the room and pulled out a book that was nearly the size of him. He opened the book onto a page and beamed at Dave.

"And has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy" Yanis recited, grinning at Dave widely.

"I thought you couldn't read?" Dave asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I can't. But I get daddy to read me the poem every night so I know it all in my head" Yanis explained.

Dave nodded, smiling. John appeared to be a particularly intelligent boy.

"I draw the things in the poem all the time. You wanna see my pictures?" Yanis asked politely.

"Maybe another time. I just have a few more questions for you John" Dave said. Yanis bounced back to his seat and smiled innocently.

"John, do you love your daddy?" Dave asked.

Yanis's mouth fell open. What kind of a question was that? Of course he loved his daddy!

"I love my daddy very, very, very, very, very, very much!" Yanis replied.

Dave smiled at him.

"How would you feel about leaving your daddy to live with some other people?" he asked quietly.

Yanis's eyes widened in horror. How the hell could Dave suggest such a horrible thing?

"No. I love my daddy and he loves me and I want to stay with 'cause he loves me lots and lots and lots and he takes care of me and he lets me watch the Goombears too" Yanis said indignantly.

Dave nodded to himself.

"Okay then John. We're done here you can go back to your daddy now" Dave said kindly. Yanis shot from the room and Dave followed at a leisurely paste.

"Alright then gang, you can all go back to your station and clock off" Dave said, clapping his hands off each other. The policemen vanished at a break neck speed and Yassen stood with his arms around Yanis's shoulders.

"Well?" he asked quietly.

"Yanis will be required to sit a test assessing his education and then we'll have to get some kind of consent form from someone on his mother's side and then you'll have to get him a place in a school. And if even one more complaint is made I'll have to take him into Government custody. You're both no flys for now. The airports will have your pictures so you won't get through. Please adhere to these procedures and you'll have nothing to worry about" Dave said.

Yassen shook the man's hand and watched as he left. Yanis looked up as his father and smiled.

"I love you daddy" Yanis said quietly. Yassen forced a smile onto his face. Don't let Yanis see how doomed he is. Don't let him think for even a second that there is even the slimmest chance of him being taken.

"Why'd Dave call me John?" Yanis asked curiously.

"Aren't you tired?" Yassen countered. Yanis nodded and yawned sleepily. Yassen lifted his son into his room and changed him into a pair of deep blue footy-pyjamas. He made sure Yanis brushed his teeth then tucked him in and sat at the end of his bed.

"Daddy, will you sleep in here tonight?" Yanis asked quietly. Yassen frowned.

"Why?" he asked.

"'Cause of the bogeyman. He's under my bed daddy" Yanis said factually.

Yassen smiled.

"There's no bogeyman under your bed. Just old toys and dirty socks that you hid under there" Yassen said, sitting up beside his son and cuddling him.

"No!" Yanis protested, giggling.

"Yes" Yassen replied. Yassen tickled his son good naturedly and Yanis burst out with peals of uncontrolled laughter. Before he knew it, Yassen found himself laughing along with his son. Yanis could make even the crappest day a million times better without even knowing it.

"Daddy, read Gruffalo!" Yanis pleaded. Yassen frowned. Whenever he read to Yanis he ended up being coaxed into talking in a funny voice.

"Please daddy! I need it!" Yanis begged. Yassen fixed his son with a steely glare. No way in hell was he reading the Gruffalo to his son.

Half an hour later Yassen found himself cooing in a high-pitched voice.

""He has terrible tusks and terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws". "Where are you meeting him?". "Here, by these rocks, And his favourite food is roasted fox.""

Yassen looked down at his side. Yanis was leaning against him fast asleep. Yassen smiled to himself. Yanis was his son. Possibly the best thing he'd ever done with his life was Yanis. Yassen quietly studied his son.

He had dirty blond hair that hung over his forehead and huge, pale blue eyes. He looked just like Yassen. But, whereas Yassen's face was carved with the planes of adulthood, Yanis had a sweet, innocent, adorable child face. It was a soft face. A face that didn't yet know the dangers of the world.

And Yassen couldn't bear to even think about losing his son. It wasn't going to happen.

Yanis would pass the education test no problem. Yassen would get him a place in school without any trouble. And if he played his cards right, China might even sign a consent form thing. Things would be fine. Absolutely fine.

That was, until his phone rang. Yassen answered quickly and bit back a scream of frustration at the voice that came over the line.

"Yassen, about the three months leave I signed you on for. I'm afraid you'll have to do me a little favour. Shouldn't take long, a few days at the most, but it needs to be done. I'll fax you the details" Zeljan said hastily before hanging up.

Yassen held back the urge to tear his hair out. If he left Yanis, he'd lose him. He couldn't take Yanis with him. What the hell was he supposed to do? And why, in the name of all that was holy, didn't Scorpia have daycare!?

You might hate me for posting this story. But please review, regardless of opinion.