You're Safe
Sabina stood outside the arrival gate, gripping the railing with anticipation. She was going to see Alex again! However, she wished the circumstances be different.
She and her parents heard it all from the CIA. He was sent on a mission by MI6 again, and Jack tagged along. Sabina knew that his guardian could not stand that he was always away in mortal peril while she was at home worrying her head off. This time, she would have put her foot down and insisted on going, no matter what the risk.
Sabina knew how he felt. A few months ago, her father had almost died. Almost. But that wasn't the case for Jack. She was gone from the surface of the earth, nothing left of her but the wreck of the car she left behind.
However, her accompanying Alex brought her troubles of her own. She was trying to escape her prison to call for help. Little did she know that the jeep she was using contained thirty pounds of explosives, and at a push of a button, she ceased to exist. And the cruelty of the one known as Razim had Alex endure every second of watching her progress. Of watching her die.
Of course Alex would blame himself. Jack accompanied him on one of his missions. He felt like he was responsible for her safety. He blamed himself that he could not dissuade her from accompanying him to Cairo. He would have felt better with her there, of course, but he would have thought himself selfish. What did one life mean for the comfort of another? It was not worth it. And he would blame himself some more.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart broke. Poor Alex, she thought, having to endure such pain. Her father texted her before they boarded the plane. He described how Alex looked- haunted, dead, eyes hollow pits spiraling into nothing. Not a look any man should don in his entire life.
She remembered a quote from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It was her literature book that year. The character Miss Maudie was talking to the protagonist, Scout, and her brother, Jem. She said, "There are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us." Didn't that describe what Alex was doing perfectly?
Of course, the CIA said that MI6 would not use him any further, and the CIA would not take advantage of him either, but who could trust them? On a world-threatening mission, only the best agents were sent into the field. And who was able to deny that Alex wasn't one of the best?
"Virgin Airways Flight 20 from Heathrow has landed." That was Alex's plane. Sabina was trembling with excitement. She had a plan to make him feel better, but that involved doing some things in front if her parents she would like to avoid, but if it made Alex feel better, it would be worth it.
She made sure she was shielded from his point of view when we walked out of the arrival gate, his eyes wandering, searching. Her heart shattered. He looked exactly as her father said he was- a wreck. His clothes were creased from the cross-Atlantic flight, his hair tousled. All in all he looked tired, disheveled, and completely messed up. His eyes were swimming pools of emotion, hurt, anguish, but mostly, anticipation. Anticipation to meet her, perhaps? Alas he seemed to not catch sight of what he was looking for, for what light was left in his eye died. That was when she made her move.
Sabina ran towards him and embraced him in the tightest hug she ever gave him. His body tensed, then relaxed. He recognised her.
She cupped his face into her hand and slowly guided him down, till his lips met hers.
She kissed him with a passion. She missed him. He missed her. He was hurting. She was hurting seeing him hurt. Their kiss was full of raw emotion. He let all his pain and suffering into that one kiss. He let her understand the emotional turmoil he was going through. And she understood. She understood perfectly.
When they broke away, their faces were lined with tears. She embraced him once more, and laid his head onto her shoulders. "Shh…" she comforted, wiping his tears away. "Shh… Everything's all right now. You're safe."
An Alex Rider Fanfiction