Teaching, SAS Style

Hey guys, I'm late, I know. First I had a band trip to prepare for, and then it was the last week of the school quarter, with both English and Spanish final projects, Chemistry grades, and all that jazz. Sigh, its been a pretty stressful two weeks. But accept this chapter as my apology. Review please!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone! As of now, for four chapters I have 157 reviews; 113 favorites; 7,560 hits; and 260 alerts. So THAKS!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider. If I did I would have a considerably larger allowance.

Chapter 4 (Already! I didn't think it would go this far)

Alex was walking through a park, about half way home when he remembered he'd promised to tell Tom why SCORPIA was after him. But it was too late now, and they were both exhausted. Besides, Alex wasn't too sure he wanted Tom to know. There was always the chance that Tom would hate him for the deaths that seemed to surround him, and think that he was a killer. Alex didn't think he could stand it if his only friend left him now…..

He sighed; he wished he had never come into this family legacy. It was destroying him both inside and out.

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It was Jack's turn to sigh. Alex hadn't said a word to her since he'd walked into the door a couple minutes ago. In Alex language that meant "bad day" or "don't bother me" or both.

"So," she said as she took his empty plate and started washing it, "are you going to tell me what's going on."

Alex sighed, unfortunately Jack was probably the person who knew him best, and could see right through him.

Jack turned around and leaned her elbows in the table, "I'm waiting," she told him.

"It's school," Alex said softly.

Jack gave him an exasperated look, "I already figured that out, genius."

Alex smiled thinly, she really did know him too well.

"Well, SCORPIA has decided that to get to me they are going to target both me and my school. In retaliation, Blunt and Jones have 'invited' the SAS to come and teach and protect the students."

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh!" she said softly. That would explain why Alex looked so miserable, she knew he liked to keep his school life and his work life as far from each other as he could.

"That's not it," Alex said, "two guesses as to what unit is there with the rest of them."

Uh oh, thought Jack. Suddenly things started to make even more sense. She put an arm around him. "The one you trained with?" She asked.

'Yup," he said with a fake smiled. The smile drooped. "I think I'm going to do homework, I still have some make up stuff to do."

"Alright," Jack said, using her elbows to push herself to her feet.

Alex trudged up the stairs, lugging his backpack behind him.

Jack watched him from the kitchen. "I'll call you for dinner when it's ready," she said. All the conformation she got was a grunt.

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Jack softly padded to Alex's door, avoiding the creeky spots on the floor. She sighed seeing that his light was still on. It was already one o' clock in the morning.

Before he' been recruited Alex had always had trouble sleeping soundly, and now the nightmares from his missions weren't helping. She never let on that she knew about them. That was Alex, always trying to push through himself. But she heard his labored breathing in the night and she could always tell if he'd crept down to the kitchen late at night.

Jack paused outside the door, she didn't hear anything but his troubled breathing…

She pushed his door open an inch, nothing moved. She swung the door open. He was in his room all right; Jack saw his small form slumped over his desk. His chemistry text book was still open underneath his face, his pencil still held loosely in his hands. The light was coming from his desk lamp. Jack figured he must have fallen asleep while doing some work.

She was startled when she heard a moan. It had come from Alex. He was twitching ever so slightly and mumbling in his sleep, she couldn't tell what he was saying but it seemed to pain him.

Alex's hand holding the pencil jerked, "No!" he cried in his sleep, trying to raise his arm. The pencil dropped from his hand and clattered to the floor.

"No," he said more softly, pleadingly. Jack was shocked and heartbroken to see tears leaking from his eyes and on to his desk.

"Please," Alex pleaded with his enemy, "not them…….not them…"

Jhe tip toed silently forward and grabbed a blanket from his bed. It was still chilly out at night. She draped the blanket over his small form and felt him subside under the new warmth; he seemed to pull the blanket closer to his body. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. She reached over him and turned out his light. Before she turned and left she heard his breathing start to even out.

At his door she turned around and whispered goodnight before softly shutting the door.

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This is not worth it; Alex told himself as he trudged back towards school.

He hadn't slept well that night; he had been constantly plagued by nightmares. He had been surprised when he woke up and found a blanket over his shoulders and that he was lying at his desk. He didn't know where it had come from, but for some strange reason it's presence there comforted him.

Alex rubbed his eyes, trying to banish the last dregs of sleep from his brain. He looked at his watch and swore. He was going to be late to first period if he didn't run.

He was lucky, he managed to slip in to math just before the tardy bell rang, but it still earned him a glare from Wasp.

"Nice to see you joined our little class here," Wasp sneered. "Take your seat."

"Wow Alex," Tom remarked when he sat down, "you look like shit!"

"Feel like it too," Alex grumbled.

Tom fell silent; it was almost useless talking to Alex when he was in a bad mood.

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It had taken Alex only five minutes after Wasp had started his lecture on logarithms to tune him out. That was why he didn't hear Wasp calling his name until Tom nudged him.

"Rider!" Wasp practically shouted.

"Yeah?" Alex asked.

"Now that I have your attention," the class sniggered but fell silent when Wasp glared at them, "the office have asked to see you."

"Now?" Alex asked, they normally didn't try and talk to him during lessons, but during lunch or after school.

"Yes, NOW!" hissed Wasp. "I hope they teach you how to pay attention when your superiors are talking."

The class sniggered again.

Alex sighed, great, not even half way through first period and his day was already going down hill.

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It was surprisingly quiet as Alex walked to the office. He supposed it was because kids were too afraid to ditch with such formidable teachers. He didn't blame them.

Alex kept his hood up and his head down as he walked along.

When he reached the office door he looked up the tiniest bit. His stomach felt uneasy, the door was open but the lights were off, which was strange. He took a tentative step forward, on guard for anything that was going on.

When he stepped through the door it swung shut behind him and Alex was instantly on guard, he whirled around and made for the door, already knowing it was the best escape rout at the moment.

He heard the hand come for him before he saw it. Alex ducked and lashed out at where he knew the body attached to that arm would be. He heard an 'oof' as his fist connected with something soft. He lunged at the body and while their defenses where down managed to put who ever it was in a head lock.

He heard a chuckle and the lights flickered on. Alex's eyes immediately swept the room, looking for the enemies. He almost choked with surprise when he saw three pair of familiar eyes staring at him from the door to the principles room. He looked down at the person who he held in a head lock and saw another pair of familiar blue eyes staring back at him. Needles to say he dropped that person out of sheer shock.

Shit

Because staring at him were the four people he really didn't want to see right now.

HAHAHAH I'm totally evil. But no worries, I am sure you know who is in the office, and I am writing the next chappie immediately. And I will explain the whole attack thing (hint: it has something to do with Eagle being stupid).

I also wanted to use this chapter and introduce a bit the relationship between Jack and Alex. Tell me if you find any mistakes!

Love me, hate me, REVIEW!

-XOXO Casey