A/N: So here it comes, Some Rich Man's Son is finally closed. Be sure to look at my other wonderful stories for some good reading! Also, check out the profile Writers4All where I am co-authoring a story with Torn Apart Paper Dinosaur. Thanks for hanging on for the ride!

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Updated disclaimer: The original ideas and characters pertaining to this story are MINE, and I will NOT allow them to be posted on public venue without permission. But ask - I don't bite!

Without further drama, the conclusion of SRMS.

"Take it easy, Mr. Blunt," Eagle responded. "We don't want to hurt you." Lies. They just didn't want to hurt him until they knew that Alex was okay.

"Yeah, that's what they all say." Suddenly, before Eagle could register what was happening, Alan Blunt had drawn his pistol and fired a shot. Eagle was standing right next to the spot where he fired and the bullet ricocheted off the pavement. Not even waiting to announce 'FBI', since Alan Blunt had known who they were, Snake took the shot and fired directly into Alan Blunt's heart, ending the man's life instantly.

Eagle felt for his pulse and swore when he found the man was dead. "You may have just killed our best shot at finding Alex!" he shouted. A few FBI agents had heard and were moving closer to them.

"Yeah, well, he was just about to kill you, too! Did you want me to have him shoot you?"

Eagle swore something under his breath and stalked over to the back of the u-hall, a plan forming in his mind. The back of the U-hall opened easily enough, and once they were able to see, Eagle gasped at what was inside. He knew from Snake's echoing cry of shock that he had seen the same thing.

It was Wolf and Alex – and Wolf was alive.

## Chapter 30 ##

So that was it, then. Like that, with a bang, Alex's father was dead. It didn't seem fair. He'd put the K-Unit through such unmeasurable amount of pain. Personally, even Snake the medic would have loved to have seen him suffer in prison for what he'd done to Alex, but that just wasn't an option because he was DEAD.

But that was hardly their focus. Wolf was alive, and right now, that was what mattered. He had been rushed off to surgery. He'd been born with the curse of having O blood, and needed desperately some of the same type. Thankfully, both Eagle and Hawk, another SAS member, shared the same blood type, and volunteered to offer help with the transfusions. It had taken eight hours of touch-and-go surgery to help patch up Wolf's wounds. The man had been beaten up much more than he'd looked.

Still, Wolf was alive. And that was a positive thing.

Oh, yes. And Alex was alive, too. Once the sergeant stopped muttering about he was going to salt and burn Alex's father's body for what he'd done to his son and one of SAS's best leaders, he got himself in gear, demanding that he only get the best care for Alex Rider.

The hospital had not been pleased to see the cuts and bruises on Alex and had questioned the sergeant about them, but had shut up once he'd pulled rank and started off on a tangent about how Alex had been kidnapped and had been rescued and that there were "better damn things they could do with their time instead of insinuating that he was a child abuser."

Now, Snake was at Wolf's bedside, waiting non-too-patiently for Wolf to wake up. He sighed as he looked at his teammate. He looked so listless, sleeping like that. He was used to his unit leader barking orders, not going to sleep until the last person was done, and now... this. He sighed and let out a long breath.

"Wha?" his boss asked as he blinked awake. "Snake? Wh'r you doing here? Did he hurt you, too?"

"...Wolf!" Snake said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank God you're okay. You had us all scared witless."

"What happened? Where am I?" Wolf blinked twice before he realized that he was in the hospital. "Oh, thank God. Where is Alan Blunt? Someone please tell me he's dead."

"He's dead," Snake said with a nod, "thank God right? I mean that SOB..." Snake let out a frustrated sigh. "Thank God you're okay! We thought you were dead, Wolf!"

"Yeah, he pulled a nice one with that didn't he?" Wolf snapped. He winced. "Sorry. Headache."

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me," Snake said as he moved back to the nurse's button. Wolf only groaned.

"Great, thanks Snake, because I want them to drug me back to sleep so much," Wolf said.

Snake rolled his eyes.

Wolf frowned. "Eagle. Alex. Everyone else-"

"Is fine," Snake reassured him. "Nobody got shot or anything. Well, except for Alan Blunt. He's kind of dead."

"Kind of dead?"

"Okay, he is dead," Snake corrected himself. "Sorry for tripping up on the technicalities there."

Wolf rolled his eyes and coughed something that sounded like 'kind of dead.' "Right. What happens to Alex now?"

"The sergeant adopted him, remember? He'll take care of him now, make sure that he gets the care that he needs."

"That's good," Wolf said with a sleepy yawn as the nurse came in. He winced. "Damn it, Snake, why'd you have to call in the nurse? You're a medic, can't you check me out?"

Snake smirked. Things were getting back to normal.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Six months later, and everyone was recovering nicely. Wolf was back to SAS field duty as K-Unit's commander after a two-week hospital stay. Snake and Eagle had personally been impressed that all the nurses had been left alive during this hospital stay. Wolf had been even worse than Alex. He counted down the days until he was out, making sure that he didn't do anything wrong, and trying to follow the doctor's orders as little as possible while still following the doctor's orders.

Alex had recovered nicely, despite his physical and mental trauma that he had been through. The top of the line psychologist that the sergeant had hired probably had something to do with that. That, and the fact that the sergeant had adopted him. Snake had more than once shuddered to think what would have happened had someone unskilled taken over the custody of Alex Rider.

Now, they were over at the sergeant's house. Some of them were sipping on beer, some on soda - the man may have been flexible but he was not letting Alex get away with drinking alcohol. Not that Alex was pushing the matter after seeing what alcohol could do.

Konata had been arrested for crimes against the state after it had been found out that the undercover operation he'd been running was only a ruse to get closer to Alex for Alan Blunt. Alan Blunt was dead, and had been killed. His salary and savings had gone into a trust fund for Alex to use when he turned twenty-one.

Long story short, everyone was recovering from the ordeal. Snake almost thought they were mostly better people for it. Although really, they could have done without thinking that Wolf was dead. That was a little much.

"Come on, Alex," Wolf said as he sipped his beer and passed the poker card to Eagle. "You never did tell me if u-halls were a usual method of transportation for your father."

Alex rolled his eyes. "No, no. He only did that when you were around. He wanted to show you the best way of transportation possible. Me? He just threw me in the trunk of the car."

"Your father was a real charmer, Cub," Eagle said as he passed the poker card back to Wolf. Wolf and Eagle were playing against Fox and Snake. Cub was just watching. "You never did tell us what happened to your arm."

"...Oh. You mean the skateboarding accident?" Alex asked.

"That wasn't really a skateboarding accident, was it, Cub?" Wolf asked with a grin.

"...Would you believe me if I said it was?"

Snake spoke up for the first time. "Well, the injuries were inconsistent with it."

Alex grinned and Snake got the feeling he was playing with them. "How so?"

"Well-" Snake frowned, thinking back. It had been so long ago. "Firstly, you fell off a skateboard? Did you even own a skateboard?"

"Damn. You just had to ask that question first," Alex groaned as he moved out of Eagle's grin. Snake frowned as he watched Alex pass the card to Eagle.

"Oh! I think I might've won!" Eagle said as he glanced at it.

"Yeah, but could you have won without Cub passing you the fake ace, Eagle?" Wolf drawled as he pointed to the card that Alex had put in his shirt.

Eagle frowned. "Well, damn... That's no fair. Wolf, you're not supposed to catch me! You're on the same team!"

"Yeah, but you aren't supposed to cheat," Alex pointed out.

Snake grinned. Things were finally getting back to normal. Wait. There was still one loose end.

"And how did you break your arm?"

Alex grinned even wider. "Fell off a bike."

"You're kidding," Eagle deadpanned, the fake ace forgotten. Snake used that opportunity to pass it to Fox.

"Nope. The one injury that made you guys so pissed off is the one my father actually didn't do. What're the chances?"

"Wow," Wolf responded. "Hey, Eagle... You could draw..."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Fox said as he laid down his cards. "All ace's. I clearly win."

"You mean we win," Snake said.

"Okay, fine. We win."

"Not so fast. Where did that ace card go?" Eagle demanded. "Snake! Calling me out and then stealing it - that's not fair," he pouted.

Snake only grinned. Alex smirked and winked. Life was finally getting back to normal.

## break ##

Hope you enjoyed the ride!

Final challenge: Why did Alex wink at Snake?

~ Finished ~