When night began to fall and the few lasting beams of sunlight turned into moonlight, Alex looked around his new room and sighed. Four dry walls, and a roof above his head, and him, placed right smack dab in the middle of nowhere for his 'protection'. Food on the table, light to do all his homework by, video games to play if he ever got the urge...and yet all he wanted was for once to be somewhere he chose to be. Not somewhere he'd been placed or forced to go.

Maybe if MI6 left him alone long enough, he could get an after school job and Jack could get a new job too, if wasn't as if he needed someone to be at home when he got out of school. He hadn't needed that for years. Then, with both of them saving up maybe they could use that money to move away and not tell a soul...except maybe for Alex's few friends that would be genuinely concerned for him.

A small house somewhere a bit secluded, a new start and maybe even new identities if it had to come to it. Alex was sure Jack would have fun re-naming him, probably too much fun. He shivered a bit in dread as Jack's voice came into his head saying 'Alejandro!' and 'Frederico'.

"You cold?"

Alex jumped, and spun around. In the process he managed to loose his balance and fell sideways upon the bed. Using his elbows to push himself up, Alex tried to look casual as if he threw himself at furniture on purpose all the time.

"No! No, not cold. Just...lounging around and...contemplating."

Wolf's face was both worried and amused. "Right. I'll just leave you to your, eh, lounging."

Alex looked away as his face burned hot and Wolf shut the door. He closed his eyes fell back completely against the bed, trying not to sigh as he heard Wolf walking down the hall and chuckling. Shifting in discomfort as the cotton of his shirt rubbed against the wounds on his back, most of them not even scabbed over yet. Standing up, Alex quietly locked his bedroom door and discarded his top layers into the corner of his room. There, that was so much better.

It was for the same reason as hiding the fact of his parents being dead that Alex also took such measures to hide the injuries he still suffered from Wolf. He didn't want his pity.

Eventually, his wounds would heal, but if Wolf found out about them now, he'd be even more careful with Alex than he already was about the crutches. Even though Jack could be motherly, she knew Alex shied away from that and she made efforts to be concerned, but not overbearing.

Alex was not accustomed to anyone hovering over him, and even though it was not really likely that Wolf would be so bad, Alex didn't want to find out.

Double checking the door, Alex flipped off the lights and carefully stretched out on the unfamiliar but comfortable bed. He'd thought that after taking a nap, he wouldn't be so quick to find sleep again, but within a matter of minutes he found his mind drifting, his body going lax and his eyes closing of their own accord.

Soft light filtered in through the window, and Alex blinked once and then turned his head to get a better view of the world outside. It was early morning, and in a large, vibrant tree a bird sang a few short quizzical notes before flying away and a very light breeze caused the leaves to twirl on their stems as if they were dancing.

Alex blinked again, sat up, and began thinking of escaping. He found clothes and quickly and as quietly began changing. Escape.

The adrenaline started pumping at just the sound of the word in his mind and Alex grinned. He was just amusing himself though, it wasn't even a real escape because escapees didn't come back...so maybe it was better to call it an adventure. Even that was too big a word for what he was going to do, so, he said it quietly to calm himself and to dampen the excitement he'd been starting to feel.

"I'm going on a walk," he whispered...and a grin still lit up his face.

It wasn't too long ago that he had been chained to the floor and incapable of even standing up all the way because it was so short. Days had passed without any natural light. He'd never take the ability to move around freely (well, almost freely) for granted again.

And just in case Wolf woke up before he returned, Alex had decided to even bring his crutch. There, let Wolf find fault with that.

Warm in a t-shirt and sweater, wearing his jeans from the day before and carrying his shoes in one hand, Alex slipped out of his bedroom, shut the door with an almost silent click and made his way silently down the hall.

He could hear Wolf snoring heartily and bit his lip to keep from snickering, it would be hard not to bring that up later when Wolf tried to tease him for some characteristic or another. The stairs were difficult with his shoes in one hand and the crutch in the other but Alex went down them slowly and after a good three or four minutes, he made his way to the bottom without once making a racket that would alert Wolf.

Sitting in the kitchen, Alex put on his shoes and double knotted the laces. He listened until he heard the faint sound of Wolf still snoring, and why shouldn't he, the clock on the microwave told Alex it was only 6:58 in the morning, then, Alex made his way to the front door.

The huge bolt lock was probably the loudest thing he'd come across so far. As soon as he had slid it open, Alex unlocked the doorknob and stealthily as possible while holding a crutch made his way out onto the front deck. With the door closed firmly behind him, but left unlocked so he could get back in, Alex took a deep breath of the slightly sweet air.

It had taken him almost ten minutes to get out of the house from waking to standing where he was now. Much longer than what he would have normally been able to accomplish had he not been hindered by his damn injuries. Alex fought back a scowl, no reason to start thinking depressing things, he was free wasn't he? Just for a little while.

Alex made it to the gravel road, looked both ways and saw an seemingly endless stretch to his left and right. He decided to take the way opposite of how they had come in during the car ride here; he was looking for things he hadn't already seen, after all.
The gravel really wasn't the best thing for using a crutch on, but he was not to be dissuaded. Not now when he'd made it out of the house into the fresh air. The sun was on his face, and he stopped there in the middle of that dusty road and just let the sun warm him.

Never again would someone keep him away from the sun. He'd never let someone put him in that situation again. Next time MI6 came calling, he'd just turn them away. If they dared to threaten him again with an orphanage or of sending Jack back...well, Alex knew people now, didn't he? He also knew things he was pretty certain they would not want repeated. And, if all else failed, he could certainly play the victim. Hell, he wouldn't really be acting anyway, he was a victim in some senses, though Alex would never be reduced to thinking of himself that way. Because if he was anything, really, it was a fighter.

He traveled down the street, the sound of gravel crunching underfoot was the loudest sound there was to hear. The nature sounds that did surround him were peaceful and soothing. Alex found himself thinking that he could quickly become accustomed to this strange quiet world.

As he walked, Alex saw the beginnings of a barbed wire fence that started near a large tree and went on until a forest much farther along the road cut it off. The field beyond the fence was rather tame in comparison to the overgrown ditches filled with wildflowers and brambles. Tall grass grew in abundance on the other side of the fence and swayed in a sudden warm breeze.

In the field stood a large dark creature with its side to Alex. The surprising sight made him stop again and blink before cautiously going closer. The horse wasn't moving, just staring straight ahead at something near the forest, it's ears twitching as it listened.

Leaning heavily on his crutch, Alex came to stop at the edge of the ditch and gazed at the rather impressive sight. He'd been taught to ride by Ian, and he had always thought of himself as rather good at it...but he knew that this horse wasn't one he would soon be galloping around on. There was something almost dangerous about it.

A breeze once again came and ruffled Alex's hair and just a few moments later, the horse turned its head sharply toward him and made a short huffing sound. He turned around and looked fully at Alex, eyes dark and endless. They stared at each other, Alex starting to notice the throbbing pain that echoed up the length of his leg, and then, the horse huffed again, turned away and promptly started nosing at the tuft of grass closest to his left leg.

Tension he had not known he was feeling eased, and Alex realized this animal had accepted him being in his presence.

He stood there several more minutes, just watching and determinedly not thinking of the rather long walk back he needed to start on. Wolf would certainly be up soon, and it would take Alex a good fifteen minutes to limp his way back to the house, and a limp it would certainly be. Though the crutch had come in handy, and Alex was glad that he'd grabbed it, it certainly had not stopped the ache in his leg once it had started after the first eight or so minutes of the walk up and down the long winding road.

With a sigh, Alex called, "See you later, horse!"

In return, he got a rather snooty look and the animal didn't even bother a huff before going back to his breakfast. Alex grinned a little, thinking the horse almost reminded him of a Wolf he'd known not too long ago, one who wanted very little to do with Alex other than making him feel like rubbish.

But maybe, just maybe, like Wolf had, the horse would slowly become adjusted to his company.

Alex had taken three steps before he stopped and listened. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand what it was he was hearing and where it was coming from.

Behind him, still concealed by the woods there was the droning of a motorized vehicle. The sound was so odd amongst the calm nature that surrounded him that for a long moment Alex felt unsure what to do, should he hide? The vehicle was headed towards him, and out here in the open there was really no where to hide...unless the horse stood very still and allowed Alex to stand behind him.

Nervously snorting, Alex turned to watch for the approaching vehicle.

He was rather surprised when it turned the corner, and not because it almost tipped over due to the haste in which the driver was going. No, Alex was surprised because it wasn't a rowdy four-wheeler hurtling towards him and making a huge amount of noise as it did.

It was a golf cart, with a white headed older man hunched over the wheel, and it was covered-no, absolutely layered, with stuffed animals.

The multicolored, fluffy monstrosity had Alex rather wordless and gaping as if the words he needed would just fly into his mouth. Instead, it was a small innocent little bug that flew into his mouth and tried to dive into his throat because it was opened so wide.

Alex was still trying to cough the insect up when the golf cart came to a rather abrupt stop beside him.

Eyes watering from gagging, Alex looked up, now clinging to his one crutch with both hands. It was a sight to behold; from this close up he could clearly see that each individual animal was stapled onto the golf cart at different angles until all that was left to see was the beige seat in which the driver sat and the steering wheel which he was gripping with both hands.

Alex blinked at the man, wishing he could think of something to say other than, "Urghfff?" so, of course, he simply stared and waited.

The man had permanently narrowed eyes, as if the world and everything on it was slightly idiotic or disdainful, a head full of white hair without any semblance of order and dirty overalls with a black undershirt completed the picture. He squinted at Alex and his already frowning mouth seemed to frown more as his eyes roved over him.

As the rather bright blue eyes came back up to his face, the man cleared his throat.

"And whose little population explosion are you?"

Completely taken aback, Alex let loose a high-pitched laugh...which he promptly cut off when the man looked concerned.

"Er, I moved in just up there-"Alex gestured clumsily, still holding onto the crutch awkwardly.

"With your parents?"

"Um, no."

"Relative?"

Alex frowned. He was a nosy neighbor, then. Instead of replying, Alex just shook his head and then wondered why he hadn't just agreed to get the man to stop asking.

"I'm staying with a friend," he put in firmly, before the conversation could go on any further.

The old man frowned at him again, "Not one of those prostitutes, I hope," he growled, "I thought the local law enforcement had run them all out."

Alex gaped at him, while in the back of his mind there was a voice cheering, Wolf had been hit on by a prostitute. His evil side cackled with laughter.

"No, no, no, he's just a friend!"

"He," the man nodded grimly. "He's one of them 'sugar daddies' then, I've heard of them. You ought to know better, boy!"

Alex didn't know if he'd ever be able to get his jaw back into place. This old buzzard wasn't really implying-oh, but he was.

"Hang on!" Alex said, trying to not grin, because that would not help, "Wolf is not-"

"Wolf? Of course he'd go by a name like that, preying on innocent kids! I guess you are 'little red riding hood' or some such nonsense!"

"Oh my God!" Alex yelled, throwing both hands in the air and then lunging for his crutch before it fell onto the road. "Old man, you are drawing crazy-insane conclusions, just...stop! Hold on! Wolf is just a nickname-and not a dirty nickname, he is just a friend staying with me until I'm better! We didn't even know the kind of things that went on in that house before we moved in-ew!"

I slept in that bed! Alex thought with a grimace.

The man was watching him, and seemed to approve of something, because he nodded and gestured at the empty seat beside him. "Might as well drive you home, you look like something that's been run over."

Alex hesitated only momentarily before gingerly sitting down and place his crutch between his legs with his knees keeping it from moving around.

They took off with a fast lurching motion as soon as Alex was seated. Reaching up quickly, Alex's hand searched for something to hold onto and found the fuzzy sides of a stuffed pink rabbit. Oh well, it would have to work.

"Um, what happened to-" Alex waved his other hand to encompass the golf cart.

The man grunted, and at first Alex thought that was the only reply he was likely to get. "My wife's idea of a joke," he said eventually. "She had boxes and boxes of rubbish, newspapers, chipped china, old stuffed toys...and they were in these huge boxes, not small easy ones to move, but huge ones-about the length of you. I told her if she was smart she'd put them somewhere where they could be transported easier..."

Alex glanced at him to see a rueful smile on his face, and noticed his eyes were gleaming with amusement even though his voice didn't really show it.

"So...she stapled them all over my golf cart and said, 'There, now you can transport them with you whenever and wherever you go, enjoy, you old fart!'"

Alex bit his lip and glanced out of the golf cart so his face could burst into a smile. "She sounds like...quite a character," he said once his voice was controllable and he was sure it wouldn't turn into laughter the first time he tried to talk.

"Hmmph. She's something."

There was a few moments of silence-except for a terrified screech of a squirrel they came inches from running over.

"I'm Alex," Alex offered eventually and the older man glanced at him and nodded.

"Emmit," he said gruffly.

They rounded a curve and Alex swore he felt the wheels come off the gravel for a moment, glancing behind him he saw huge amounts of billowing dust that seemed in no hurry to settle on the ground. When they reached the house, Alex was trying to determine just how long he'd been away. Conversing, or arguing with Emmit had taken a good amount of time, but catching a ride from him and his golf cart from Hell had certainly made up for that. They golf cart slowed as it went up the drive way and Alex got his answer from the icy glare pointed at him from the lone figure on the front porch. Alex winced noticeably, and Emmit glanced at him and then at Wolf who was trying to maintain his glare while taking in the huge, fluffy eyesore that Alex was riding in.

"Looks like a sugar daddy too," Alex heard Emmit mutter to himself and had intense difficulty not smiling.

"I'd better go," he said instead as he hauled himself and the crutch off of the small vehicle, "Thanks for the ride, Emmit. Tell your wife I said 'thanks for the laugh."

Emmit eyed him and then glanced at Wolf who was still standing in the same spot, with his arms crossed over his t-shirt looking mightily pissed off. He leaned closer to Alex suddenly and said quietly so Wolf wouldn't overheard.

"If you do ever need help, with anything, you better not hesitate to call on me," He looked at Alex seriously, his eyes shining with sincerity and Alex nodded back.

"Thanks...I'm really safe here, though. He's just mad because I didn't tell him I was leaving."

Emmit sniffed loudly and said, "Just remember what I said."

With that, Alex hurriedly stepped away as the golf cart whipped around, one large teddy bear flapping around crazily from the roof almost as if it was waving goodbye. In a matter of moments, Emmit was out of sight with only a trail of dust to suggest he had ever been there.
Squaring his shoulders, Alex turned to face Wolf and his unsteady temper. Really, he'd brought it on himself, he could have at least left a note-that's what he would have done for Jack...but Wolf wasn't Jack, and her didn't want to start thinking of him as a caretaker.

Alex climbed the stairs to the front porch slowly, and tried not to let it show just how much he was hurting. He really should have thought about taking his medication with him, but the thought of a brief freedom had run all of his sane thought to the far corners of his mind.

He came to stand beside Wolf, who wasn't at all inclined to be the first one to speak.

"I didn't think-"

"Obviously," Wolf snapped.

Alex frowned at met Wolf's dark gaze unflinchingly. "I didn't think I'd be gone so long; I just walked up the street, not even a two miles away-and I certainly didn't expect to run into our senile neighbor, who thinks you're my sugar daddy, by the way."

Wolf blinked, and his tightly folded arms seemed to loosen on their own. "What?"

"Yeah, that was my response. Apparently MI6 set us up in a house that was previously populated by prostitutes and druggies, though I bet they didn't ever expect us to find out."

"What?" Wolf said again, voice slightly incredulous. "Oh-ew, I slept in that bed!"

Alex grinned, but he sobered quickly when he saw Wolf taking in the way he was leaning the majority of his body weight onto his crutch.

"Cub," Wolf sighed, "I got shot a few short months ago, and I can't do what I used to-yet. That includes running up and down old country roads looking for you whenever you decide to do a dissapearing act. As much as you hate it, and don't think for a second that I'm thrilled with it either, we are both going to have to work together. If you want to get out of the house-fine, but tell me where you are going, and if you plan on walking even a half a mile away from the house, than you'd better believe I'm coming with you."

Alex bit his lip and nodded, "Okay...I'm sorry. I'm paying for my actions right now, if that makes you feel any better."

Wolf suddenly looked angry, "You think I'd be happy, because you're in pain? Cub-that's, I'm not that way. I'm not a complete bastard."

"Sorry," Alex muttered. "I'm just sick of felling sick, and weak-when am I going to be back to normal again?"

Wolf sighed again and pushed his hair back with one hand. "Doing some daily exercises would certainly help, nothing to make you collapse in exhaustion, just something that would help build your strength back up. Hell, it would probably help me too."

"That...doesn't sound as awful as it could," Alex said and then grinned at Wolf.

"Don't get cheeky on me, brat," Wolf said, but he was smirking when he said so.

"Maybe, if you ask nicely, I could even teach you some of my awesome moves," Alex went on, and yelped when Wolf acted like he was going to wallop him upside the head.

"Yeah, sure," Wolf intoned sarcastically, "like falling into bushes, or how to trip onto a bed and yet land in a lounging position."

Alex grimaced, "Didn't fool you, huh?"

"Not even a little, Cub." With that, he patted Alex on the back and led the way inside with Alex following behind with a small smile still on his face.

That, he thought to himself, went a lot better than I expected.

Author's Note:
It seems that most Alex Rider fanfiction authors will introduce original characters that are young and female (a new girlfriend or love interest for Alex) or a male protector that joins K Unit to keep Alex safe...I, however, bring you two senile old people! You can thank me later, *winks*
I love old people, Emmit's wife is based on my grandma (Jojo) who drives her golf cart like she's a Nascar driver. Love you Jojo!
Please review! I'd love to hear what you thought, and constructive criticism is always a blessing, thank you! Oh, and HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR! Hope you like your present, ;)