If you've come here from another story of mine : Hey, I'm sorry, I know I haven't been active in a long time. I realize that I shouldn't really start a new multichapter when I have so many unfinished ones. I'm doing my best to pull through - if you're reading my ARxSherlock crossover, I'm working on it veeeery slowly and I will start posting again once I've actually got everything written down. If you're reading my Star Wars fic ... I'm so sorry :(

So this is a submission for the Alex Rider Big Bang - I'm so glad we have people in the fandom who do stuff like this!

Warnings for language, PTSD, and mentions of canon events

Sabina waited for him to fall asleep. Then she pounced.

Alex had probably left his phone on his bedside table, where he could access it easily. Knowing him, he'd also locked the door.

But Sabina had lived in this house for longer than he had, and she'd never exactly been a model child. As quietly as she could, she jiggled the doorknob with a bobby pin that she'd filched from her mom for occasions just like these.

With a click, the door unlocked, and she had access to the room.

Now came the difficult part.

She was barefoot, and tread slowly on the carpet, reducing her footfalls to whispers. Alex may be - may have been, she reminded herself - a spy, but she was pretty good at sneaking around too. She prayed to multiple deities that he didn't wake up and find her there. What little trust he had would effectively be destroyed, and she wouldn't put it past him to just leave immediately. Her heart broke a little more at the thought of Alex, out on the streets, fending for himself and being good at it, maybe even thinking he belonged there- No. It wouldn't do to get distracted now, at the most crucial stage.

Grabbing his phone as quietly as possible, she hurried back to the hallway much faster than she'd come in. She left the door slightly ajar, so she could put the phone back.

With her back to the wall, leaning right beside Alex's door, she tried to open his contacts.

Enter passcode

Luckily for her, she'd managed to spot it earlier in the week. In fact, that had been the key to this entire plan, the final piece in the puzzle.

She was going to save Alex Rider.

But she would need help.

Scrolling past the contacts, she went to his favourited list.

The topmost number, with the most calls to and from, read Jack

She bit her lip, and tears threatened to spill over, but she scrolled on.

She noted that there were a lot of calls and texts from Tom Harris.

The latest one read : Alex, please, I know everything went tits up and those bastards probly pulled u out on some job, but CALL ME WHEN U GET THIS. Pls be ok.

Sabrina took a picture of his contact information and continued, but it seemed that she would be getting nothing else useful. There was one text from an unknown number, which seemed to be some sort of "contact me if all else fails" deal, but she didn't want to get anyone whom Alex might've known professionally involved.

Creeping back into the room, she replaced the phone, and was turning to leave when a soft groan made her freeze.

It was Alex, stirring in his sleep.

Sabina made a hasty exit, and even after she locked the door and was back in her own room, the sound of him crying out for Jack echoed in her ears.

Sabina stared at her phone. Should she? Shouldn't she?

Finally, she decided to go for it. She was going to help Alex, and, anyway, what's the worst that could happen? This Tom kid turned out to be some SCORPIA agent in disguise?

S ~ Hey

S ~ Are you Tom Harris?

That was stupid - of course he was - but she couldn't just come out and ask him if he knew Alex. That'd be suspicious and also creepy. Besides, she had to make sure that this person knew Alex's secret. If he didn't, well, she'd be on her own.

T ~ how did you get this number?

S ~ A friend of mine had it

T ~ okaaay, thats not creepy at all

S~ Do you know Alex Rider?

The replies, which had been more or less immediate, paused.

T ~ who r u?

S ~ My name is Sabina Pleasure

T ~ … lets take this over to facebook ok?

Sabina sighed. She'd just been about to suggest that. The international texting would definitely send her phone bill skyrocketing.

You have one new request from Tom Harris

Quickly accepting it, she opened a chat window.

Tom : okay, first off

Tom : do u know abt Alex?

Sabina : There's an ambiguous question.

Sabina : I do know about his uncle's job, if that's what you mean.

Sabina : He was a … banker, right?

Tom : oh and that's not ambiguous?

Tom : the worst part is that its entirely possible we both know the truth, but how do we say it without revealing it in case the other person doesnt know?

Sabina sighed. He had a point. What could she do?

Tom : alex would know

Tom : he's good evrything

Tom : including with the ladies i guess

Tom : he was practically james bond

Sabina snorted. But how could she reply?

Sabina : That's true. He's even good at iSpy!

Tom : … so u know about the bank?

Sabina : Yupp

Tom : then u can say it first

Sabina chewed on her lower lip. On one hand, it seemed like Tom already knew. But if he didn't…

She decided to chance it

Sabina : Alex used to work for MI6

Tom : oh thank god

Tom : do you know where he is

Tom : is he ok?

Sabina : He's … alright, physically, I guess. A lot of scratches, and obviously he's recovering from… everything that happened.

Sabina : He lives with us now

She didn't say where that was, just in case.

Tom : with u?

Tom : wat abt Jack? where did she go?

Sabina stared. She'd never even considered… how could they not have told anyone?

Sabina : Tom, I'm so sorry, but Jack died on Alex's last mission

Sabina : Its actually why I contacted you. I need your help.

Sabina : Alex is… grieving, I guess, but I think he needs us to pull him out of his darker thoughts.

Tom : i need some time

Tom : to process this

Tom : but ofc ill help u

Tom : anyway, gtg, its time for school and dad'll kill me if im late again. Ttyl

Sabina : bye, ttyl

Sabina shut her laptop and pushed it aside, laying down on her back on the bed.

They would help Alex.

They would save him.

Sabina stared into the pages of her novel. It felt like the words were floating off of the page. She glanced at her phone, and then back.

To her phone.

No new messages.

Back to A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Phone.

No messages.

Hermia is about to run away to the forest with Lysander, but Helena is telling Demetri-

Phone.

Nothing.

She slammed the book shut in frustration. Tom had said he would message her when he was ready, but It had already been like, a day! She understood - he'd probably known Jack very well - but they needed to do something. She'd already told Alex a million times that she was there for him, but he had just smiled and nodded and then avoided her for a few days. Stretching out on the couch, she grabbed her phone.

Google : How to cure PTSD

She already knew what it would say. She'd done this before. Talk it out. Try to experience safe places. Do stuff that she'd never be able to get Alex to do. Huffing, she tossed her phone aside. The stress of worrying about Alex was taking its toll on her studies, and if she was going to get into UCLA she couldn't let that happen. She pulled her backpack towards her and rummaged around for her calculus notes. She was better at math anyway.

Twenty minutes later, she was so engrossed in her work that she almost didn't notice Alex come sit beside her.

"Hey," said Alex, "I thought I might go get some ice cream. Want to come?"

She grinned, already pushing her homework aside. Math could wait.

1 new message from Tom Harris

Tom : so whats the plan?

Sabina : So here's the deal

Sabina : I've done a little research

Sabina : And I think that we should try a Prolonged Exposure technique

Tom : u dont need to link it, ive done my own research

Tom : kinda comes with the territory of being alexs friend

Sabina : Yeah…

Sabina : But I don't think he'll talk to us

Tom : i don't think al will talk to us tho

Tom : haha jinx

Sabina : He's already refused to talk to therapists

Tom : idk sabina, I don't think we can help him unless he admits that he needs it

Tom : hes always been a stubborn pos

Sabina : You're right, as much as I hate to admit it

Sabina : And I don't want to corner him into getting help, you know?

Tom : Yeah

Sabina : Like I don't want to be all

Sabina : We all know you need help so you'd better get it if you're a good friend or a good foster brother/son

Tom : wiat

Tom : u think of him as ur bro?

Tom : hes told me abt u and thats NOT d vibe I got from him

Tom : fuck I gtg cu in 2 hrs

Tom shoved his phone under his textbook and pretended to read the page they were on. The teacher passed him without incident, and he sighed in relief. He couldn't afford to get into any more trouble. Thank god his phone was always on silent mode.

Sabina : Okay

Sabina : …I'm not sure what I feel about him

Sabina : but I care about him, a lot

Sabina sighed. She'd been doing a lot of that, lately.

Sabina : Is this selfish of us? To conspire against him?

Sabina : Like, do I only want him to feel better for me?

She knew Tom wouldn't reply for a while though, so she just rolled over in bed and tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep before she had to be up for school. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about what it would be like to die and have only one person care.

Tom : have you guys considered visiting Jack's family?

And that's really all I've got for now. I hope you like it, there are some issues with spacing that I can't quite figure out yet. Lmk what you think, please, and hopefully this will be complete one day.

(There is an overarching plot i have in mind but executing it will be rough)