Alright. This is my first attempt at an Alex Rider story. Please send feedback and tell me if I should continue. It takes place RIGHT as Snakehead ends, so I will have a tiny excerpt from the end.

Well, here goes…

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Alex threw open the door and stopped in complete surprise.

A young, dark-haired, and very attractive girl was standing there. The car that had dropped her off was just moving away. Alex was so stunned that it took him a minute to recognize her. Even then, he didn't believe who it was.

"Sabina!" he exclaimed. The last time he had seen Sabina Pleasure, the two of them had been on Richmond Bridge on the river Thames when she had told him she was leaving for America. He had been convinced that he would never see her again.

That had been only a few months ago, but she looked completely different. She must be almost sixteen now. Her hair had grown longer, and her shape had changed. She looked wonderful in tight-fitting DKNY jeans and a soft cashmere jersey.

"Hi Alex." She stood where she was as if she were a little wary of him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Of course I am. But…" Alex's voice trailed off.

Sabina smiled. "That was my dad in the car. We're visiting for Christmas. He's over here writing a story for the paper. Something about some sort of weird church or something. He got me out of school early, and we're going to stay here until the new year."

"In London?"

"Where else?"

"Is your mom here?"

"Yeah. We're renting an apartment in Notting Hill."

The two of them stared at each other. There were all sorts of things Alex wanted to say. He didn't know where to begin.

"Are you two going to come in?" Jack called from the kitchen. "Or would you like me to serve dinner in the street?"

There was a moment of awkwardness. Alex realized that he hadn't even invited Sabina into the house. Worse than that, he was actually blocking the way He stepped to one side to let her pass. She smiled a little nervously and stepped inside. But the doorway was narrow and as she came in, he felt her briefly against him. Her hair brushed his cheek and he smelled the perfume she was wearing. At that moment, he realized how glad he was to see her. It was if everything was beginning all over again.

Now she was in the hall and he was the one outside.

"Sabina…," he began.

"Alex," she said, "I'm freezing. Why don't you shut the door?"

Alex smiled and closed the door, and the two of them went in.