Set somewhere in the universe of a not-yet-written story of mine…
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Alex Rider sat on the window ledge of his temporary bedroom, watching the water race down his window pane. It had been raining like this for days now, and showed no signs of stopping. In a way, it was thoroughly annoying – the location of the motel they were staying in meant that they were flooded in from every direction – but the lightning flashes, booms of thunder and constant balance between light and dark made him feel… how? It was hard to describe, but it seemed to be a mix of excitement, awe and edginess. And, of course, it brought back so many memories…
"Come on, Alex!" Jack yelled, a wild grin lighting up her features. "Come out! What, are you afraid you'll melt or something?"
Alex pulled an apprehensive face at the thought of venturing out into the torrential rain, and jumped when a large sheet of lightning lit up the world.
"Come on!" Jack repeated, still smiling. "Come on, I'll hold onto you. Come dance with me."
"Dance?" Alex said nervously, looking around as if searching for the thunder that had not sounded yet.
"Yes, dance!" Jack yelled. She reached over and tugged on Alex's hand, pulling him into the rain.
And when he was actually under the pounding water, not teetering on the edge, trying to work up the courage to jump in, it wasn't as bad as he thought. He even laughed a little as Jack said to him, "Dance with me, Alex! Dance with me!"
"Why?" he asked, curious at his guardian's insistence.
Jack smiled and lifted the seven year old onto her feet, then started slowly spinning them around the yard – dancing.
"Because, Alex," she told him, "Because you should never underestimate the power of dancing in the rain."
Alex hadn't really understood what she meant at the time, but he had filed away her words for a later time… and forgot them as they had danced and played in the rain, then dried off, making popcorn and staying up watching movies until midnight, only to fall asleep on the couch together, a smile on both their lips.
"Alex?"
He turned at the sound of his name, to see a slightly annoyed looking Yassen watching him from the doorway.
"What?" he asked, frowning a little at being jolted out of his memories. And it had been so nice too, remembering Jack some other way than when he had last seen her.
"I said, the rain is clearing up tomorrow. We'll be able to leave here in two days," Yassen told him.
Alex considered this for a moment, before blurting out, "Dance with me."
Yassen froze, eyes narrowing in confusion. "Excuse me?"
Mind made up, Alex jumped out of his seat and grabbed Yassen's hand, pulling him out of his room and towards the front door, just as Jack had done to him all those years ago. "Come on!" he called. "Come dance with me! Come dance in the rain!"
And then they were out, under the rain, taking the plunge without even hesitating on the edge, and Alex was laughing just as he did when he was seven… wild, happy and completely free.
Of course, Yassen was looking at Alex like he was evaluating whether to slap some sense into him or simply leave him at the asylum doors. Understandable.
As Alex stepped around in a little version of a slow dance, he explained. "Jack told me to never underestimate the power of dancing in the rain," he said, and buried his face in the older man's shirt. It was cold out here, and Yassen was so warm… how was that?
Yassen obviously had no idea how to react to this. So he did the only thing he felt he could. He danced with Alex in the rain.
And when Alex finally fell asleep, late into the night, Yassen smiled at the sight of his younger companion collapsed on the couch, and considered the words. Never underestimate the power of dancing in the rain. Well, maybe there was something in the phrase to consider at a later date…
And the two of them slept on the couch together, a smile on both their lips.