Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider and/or any associated characters.
I would also like to thank my friend LondonianKnight for the inspiration for this particular one-shot.
Also, thanks for all the reviews on Lost And Found.
This is set a year after SCORPIA Rising and a year before my other story Lost And Found.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)
Alex sighed as he rolled over for the umpteenth time that morning. Giving up on trying to go back to sleep, he flopped onto his back and stared blankly at his ceiling. His mind wandered and he found himself thinking of the last year. It had sucked, to say the least. It had started with his uncle's death. A car crash, he hadn't been wearing a seatbelt. He should've believed them, but, he didn't. Uncovering the truth had uncovered a mountain of lies he had been fed. Ian wasn't banker, working in International Relations. He had been a spy, and all their uncle-nephew bonding activities had actually been Ian training him, something Blunt had taken advantage of. It started as one 'do this and we'll leave you alone', then another and another. Pretty soon, he had done nine mission in less than a year. He'd been shot by a sniper, nearly maimed by the crusher in a sugar mill, sent to Brecon Beacons for two weeks… during selections, put in a tank with a Portuguese Man Of War, had had an evil clone made of him, trained with the deadliest assassins in the world, went to space, saved the world from a nuclear missile launch, met the man responsible for his parents' death - his godfather, and lastly lost the only other person he considered family. Oh, and let's not forget getting shipped back to Brecon Beacons for a second time for three weeks. Now, he shared his old home with no one, but himself. Him and his thoughts. Jones had a housekeeper come by twice a week. A private tutor came four days a week. And there was always an agent somewhere, be it in the house or outside. He still went on missions, just not as many. He even got paid, not that he had a lot to do with the money. But, seeing as how it was Christmas time, and Jones must have been in a festive mood, he had time off until the new year.
Realising it was pointless to stay in bed, he pushed back the covers, shivering involuntarily at the chill. Shrugging on a hoodie, he had lobbed onto his swivel chair, he padded, in sock clad feet, downstairs. The smell of coffee greeted him. The unknown agents must be around somewhere. In the kitchen he found a pot of coffee in the machine, a newspaper on the table. His eyes widened slightly when he caught sight of the date. Was it really December 24th? Grabbing a cup of coffee, he flicked through the paper.
'Bad news. Bad news. Bad news. Bad news. Ba- oh, no, good news. Looks like someone's a million pound richer. Bad news.'
Giving up, he clapped the paper shut and chucked it back onto the table. Wrapping his hands around the mug, he sat listening to the rhythmic tick-tock of the clock.
Some twenty minutes later, he had finished his coffee, and decided a long hot shower was in order. Putting his mug in the sink, he ambled up the stairs to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he brushed his teeth. With steam billowing from the shower, he stripped and stepped in, under the hot spray. As the water ran over him, Alex couldn't stop his mind from wandering to the fact that this was his first Christmas alone. With the realisation hitting him, tears sprang to the surface and Alex clenched his eyes shut. Leaning his head against the wall of the shower, he took several shuddering breaths as tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. If you asked him later, Alex wouldn't be able to tell you how long he stood there.
Some time later, he finished his shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around himself, he roughly towel dried his hair. Regardless of the heat in the small room, a frosty chill lingered in the air, causing a shiver to run along Alex's spine. Alex traipsed to his room, vaguely aware of the cold biting at his skin. In his room, he pulled a pair of soft lined tracksuit bottoms, a t-shirt and one of Ian's rare hoodies. Quickly drying he pulled on the clothes. Pulling the long sleeves down over his hands, scrunching it in his fist, he scanned his shelves. Picking up a well loved copy of A Christmas Carol, he turned to his desk, and turned of his on his iPod. Track and Field 'Running Up That Hill' started filtering through the speakers. Book in hand, Alex flopped down, stomach first, onto his bed. With a tender love, Alex peeled back the front cover and began reading. Memories of all the times Ian had sat and read the book with him flooded his head. Not long into the first chapter, Alex found himself unable to focus on the words. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, memories of old traditions played in his mind like an old movie reel. Watching Christmas movies curled up with Ian and Jack, making Christmas cookies and his favourite reading A Christmas Carol with Ian.
Elsewhere in London:
Ben hauled himself up the last step, with breath of relief. Having just spent twelve hours on a cramped plane with screaming children, all he wanted to do was nap, shower, eat, drink coffee and see how Alex was doing, in that order.
As he came to his door, he didn't think he'd ever been happier. Pulling a set of keys from his pocket, he slid the appropriate one into the lock and turned it. It was then, that he heard the all too familiar voices filtering through the four inch wood. Groaning inwardly, he pushed open the door, and removed the key. Once inside, he threw his phone and keys on the table, letting the duffel slide from his shoulder. It hit the floor with a thunderous clatter, and Ben winced remembering the laptop in there. Kicking off his shoes, he started towards the sitting room.
"Fox!" Eagle's excited howl echoed through the apartment. Ben finished his trek to the sitting room, where he found his old unit and his replacement, dotted about. He glowered at them.
"What are you doing here?" He dropped onto the arm of the chair, by Snake. He just wanted to nap, before going to check on Alex.
"Tomorrow's Christmas." Eagle said by way of explanation.
"Yes, I'm aware. But, that doesn't explain why the four of you are sitting in my sitting room, drinking my coffee, watching my t.v."
"Oh, well, Lynch told us we could take a few days leave, although I don't know why, not that I'm complaining."
"Maybe because last year, you nearly burnt down the base." Wolf mumbled into his cup.
"You say somethin' Wolf?" Eagle inquired, head tilted to the side, much like a confused puppy.
"What? Oh no, nothing."
"So you decided to come to my apartment. How did you even get in? You know what? I don't wanna know. I've been up for nearly twenty four hours and I've spent the last week in Japan, so I really don't care. Snake, wake me at one." He pushed himself of the arm of the sofa and trudged to his bedroom and closed the door. Not caring he was still in his jeans and shirt, he threw himself onto the bed and the oblivion of sleep take him in its clutches.
One o'clock came, and Ben was woken by Snake shaking his shoulder.
"Wake up mate." Snake's scottish lilt reached his ears. Ben groaned and rolled over. Sitting up, he scrubbed a hand over his face.
"There's fresh coffee in the kitchen." With that Snake left. Levering himself up, Ben padded to the bathroom. He proceeded to get a quick shower, before pulling on a fresh pair of dark denim jeans and a charcoal jumper.
In the kitchen, on the counter, sat a fairly fresh pot of coffee. Pulling a cup from the press, he filled it with the dark, bitter liquid, before adding two sugars. Gulping it down, he sighed in content. Now, considerably, more awake, Ben walked out of the kitchen and into the sitting room.
"I'm heading out for a bit. Try to leave my house standing please."
"Where ya goin'?" Eagle asked, bouncing in his seat.
"To see Alex."
"Can I-"
"No." Ben turned on his heel, leaving a pouting Eagle behind. Once in the hall, he began to pull on his shoes. As he finished tying the laces, he became aware of the footsteps making their way down the hall. He looked up to see Snake and Cheetah coming towards him. He opened his mouth to protest but was stopped by Snake.
"Save it Fox. We know the kid doesn't have anyone else. He needs all the familiar faces he can get right now." Ben sighed, knowing that arguing was useless. He nodded, grabbing his keys and phone, and the trio left.
Twenty minutes later a metallic, smokey grey BMW 5 Series pulled up outside a two story, terraced, red brick London home. Turning off the ignition, Ben unclipped his seatbelt, and slid from the car, Cheetah and Snake following after him. They made their way to the door, where Ben raised his hand and rapped his knuckles on the flecked paint. A minute passed with no sign of the occupant opening the door. Ben knocked again, a little harder. But still, the door remained closed, and the house remained silent. Worry started to grip Ben.
"Is it possible he went out?" Cheetah proposed, seeing the growing look of worry on the man's face.
"No, he knew I was coming round, he would've called to let me know if he was." Ben explained, rifling through his many keys. Finally, he found the one he wanted. It was about two and half inches. Its gold coating glinted in the winter sun. With only a moment's hesitation, Ben slid the key into the lock and turned it. With the door open, he retracted the key and the trio entered. Closing the door softly, Ben turned to his companions.
"I'll check upstairs. You guys check down here." And with that, Ben took the stairs two at a time.
Upstairs Ben first port of call was the room at the end of the hall. As he strode down the hall, he became aware of the soft hum of music travelling through the upper level of the reaching the last door, he found it closed. Knocking softly, he called, "Al, bud, you in there?" When he received no response he tried again. Still no response. Pushing down on the handle, he nudge the door open. A breath, he didn't know he'd been holding, escaped him. Stepping out, he walked to the stairs.
"He's up here." His voice was soft, but he knew Snake and Cheetah had heard him, when two sets of footsteps made their way towards the stairs. Satisfied, Ben retreated back to Alex's room. He lingered in the doorway briefly, finding the position of his honorary little brother rather adorable. He lay in his stomach, head rested on one folded arm, a book sandwiched between his other arm and the bed. His head was to the side, facing Ben, his mouth slightly ajar. Soft snores echoed through the room, barely audible beneath the music. Entering the room, Ben turned off the music, and came to a crouch beside Alex.
"Al, buddy, wake up." He shook the teen's shoulder gently, hoping to elect some sort of response. When he didn't, he shook the shoulder under his hand a little harder and called him again. This time his efforts were rewarded by a soft moan, and shifting. Several second later, Alex's eyes fluttered open.
"Ben?" His tone was sleep filled and muffled. "What're you doin' here?"
"I said I'd drop by after I got back, didn't I?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot." Alex sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face. Alex swung his feet over the edge of the bed. It was at this time he became aware of the indistinguishable voices coming from downstairs. He turned his gaze to Ben, confusion colouring his features.
"Snake and Cheetah came with me." He informed. "They were worried 'bout you." He elaborated. Alex sat speechless. He opened his mouth to say something when his stomach grumbled, causing a light dusting of red to appear on the teen's cheeks.
"I think it's a safe bet to assume you haven't eaten today." Alex sheepishly shook his head. "C'mon then, let's get something into you." Ben rose from his crouch, as Alex rose from the bed. Wrapping an arm around the teen's shoulders, the pair made their way downstairs to the kitchen.
Downstairs, they found Snake and Cheetah lounging against the wall, opposite each other, chatting. The conversation ended as they caught sight of the pair. After a brief clarification of plans, the group traipsed to the kitchen. Once there Ben pushed Alex into a chair, while Snake and Cheetah took a seat, before setting about making some sandwiches and coffee. Following a lunch of ham sandwiches, Ben sent Alex upstairs to pack a bag for a few days. Less than five minutes, Alex came downstairs, backpack slung over his shoulder.
Alex pulled the door shut behind him, locking it. Joining the others in the car, he slid into the back with Cheetah. The journey was smooth and quick, seeing as how there was practically no traffic on the roads. Twenty minutes later, Ben pulled onto his street and the sight before him could only be described as chaotic. An ambulance, a fire truck and a police car were scattered outside one of the houses. One quickly recognised as his. A trail of smoke billowed from the house. A couple of firemen walked out, pulling off their helmets. Ben parked the car not too far from the scene, and the group jumped out, moving quickly towards the house. As they got closer Ben could make out a sheepish Eagle and scowling Wolf standing on the path.
"Sorry, you can't come past here." An officer stuck his hand out, halting the group on their little expedition.
"That's my house." Ben implored. The officer sighed, a look of decisiveness clouding his expression. He sighed and nodded, before letting them passed.
"What the hell happened? I wasn't even gone two hours!"
"Eagle tried to make lunch." Wolf sighed.
"You let him in a kitchen? Alone?!" Ben turned on Wolf.
"I went to the shops." Wolf defended.
"Start at the beginning. Now!"
Wolf continued flicking through the channels, looking for something halfway decent to watch. He called out a distant 'see ya later' as his friends left. Eagle was spread out in one of the arm chairs, feet over one arm, head on the other, a book held above his him. The house was quiet for awhile, the only noise that of flicking pages by Eagle and the changing voices emanating from the t.v. They stayed like that for a half hour or so, before Wolf rose from his spot and made his way to the kitchen. The sound of presses opening and closing reverberated through the lower level of the house.
"I'm going to the shop. Fox doesn't have any coffee. Don't do anything stupid." Wolf announced walking past the living room. Snatching the spare key from the table by the door, he left, leaving Eagle alone in the apartment.
Eagle listened absentmindedly as Wolf told him he was going to the shops for coffee or something. He stayed reclined in the armchair for several more moments before snapping the book closed and dropping it onto the coffee table. Swinging himself round, so he now sat up right, he scanned the sitting room for something to do. Nothing registered with him as exponentially interesting, so he picked up the discarded remote and began flicking through the channels. He settled on Film4, which was showing Men In Black. He leaned back in the chair and stared at the screen. Twenty or so minutes later his stomach grumbled. Pushing himself up, he wandered to the kitchen. Perusing the presses, he settled on a toasted cheese sandwich. Pulling the loaf of bread from the press and cheese from the fridge he set about making it. Drawing two pieces of bread from the packaging, he popped them in the toaster. Several minutes later the toaster popped and the bread jumped. Picking the bread up, Eagle dropped the bread on the grill pan. Peeling open the packet of cheddar cheese, he plucked two slices from the packet and lay them on the crispy bread. Sliding the grill pan into the recently heated up grill.
"... and the rest you can figure out."
"So let me get this straight, you left Eagle, the most hyperactive, irresponsible member of our group, alone in my house." Ben clarified.
"Yeah, but-"
"And then you," he turned to Eagle, "set my grill on fire." Eagle nodded sheepishly. Ben groaned, and scrubbed a hand over his face, raking a hand through his hair. He was about to say more when a firefighter came over.
"You can go back in now. I suggest leaving the windows open for a bit." He spoke, addressing the group.
"Thanks. Was there much damage?"
"You might wanna consider a new oven, though, the thermostat's gonna be shot on that one."
"Thanks again." The firefighter nodded, before going back to his co-workers.
Ben draped his arm over Alex's shoulders. "Who's up for take-out?"
And so began a new Christmas tradition. Every Christmas Eve, Ben or someone from K-Unit, would pick Alex up and they would spend Christmas together, at Ben's. Take-out on Christmas Eve, and a traditional ham and turkey dinner on Christmas.