A/N: Alright, I know I said I was going to write the next chapter of Word of the Day before I wrote anything else, but this came to me in the middle of the night and I couldn't go to sleep until I wrote it. I hope you like it …
Disclaimer: My name is Alexis, so yes, I own Alex Rider. That is perfectly logical.
The Luck of the Devil
Alex Rider took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come. Then, he reached forward to open the door he had just unlocked.
The door he hadn't touched in a year.
The door to his home.
The door that was the only thing separating him from his wife and child.
His wife and child who thought he was dead.
Slowly and silently, he opened the door to his house, stepped in, and was greeted by the noises of running water and dishes splashing into suds – sounds of normalcy he hadn't heard in twelve long months. Just as silently, he closed the door and set down his duffel bag. He then proceeded to make his way to the kitchen.
As he walked, he observed his surroundings, looking to see if anything had changed since the last time he had been there. The only thing he noticed was that his house was very, very clean – a lot cleaner than he had ever seen it before. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that fact.
When Alex reached the kitchen, he found it occupied by his wife, Amelia Catherine Rider, a beautiful red haired woman, who (predictably) was washing dishes. He, in turn, just watched her wash dishes. He didn't call attention to himself – not yet. Instead, he soaked in the beloved sight of his partner, a sight he had not seen in one long year. It was heavenly.
Alex was just about to do something – clear his throat, maybe – to get the attention of Mrs. Rider, when she beat him to it. She turned in his direction, looking for something. A towel, perhaps.
She never found whatever she was looking for because instead, her eyes alighted on Alex.
"Damn," she said softly. She continued calmly, "You're not supposed to be here."
Alex blinked. He had been prepared for surprise, disbelief, and joy. However, the calm, dispassionate, and faintly annoyed manner his wife was currently affecting completely threw him for a loop and he felt fairly justified in feeling confused. After all, he had just returned from the dead. He didn't mean to be arrogant, but he had expected a little bigger reaction than the one he was getting.
Amelia sighed. "We've been through all this. I would be really glad that you're here, Alex – I've missed you – but I can't be glad because you need to leave." With that, she turned back to the sink and began to scrub a pot that was already clean, as if she just needed to clean something and had just grabbed the nearest object (a need that would explain his house's uncharacteristic cleanliness). She scrubbed at it vigorously for a minute. But then, she seemed to give up, her entire body posture screaming defeat as she placed the pot back in the soapy water and then put her hands on the counter.
"Damn," Amelia said again quietly, and this time, brokenly (no longer dispassionately). "The therapy was supposed to keep you away."
At that moment, Alex realized why his wife was acting the way she was, why she wasn't surprised to see him breathing. It was because she had seen him alive when he should have been dead many times before this. She thought he was a hallucination.
Aching with sympathy at what she must have gone through and hating himself for putting Amelia through that, Alex knew he had to correct his wife's mistake and prove that he was flesh and blood immediately. This couldn't go on for any longer.
"Oh, Amy," he said as he took a step forward and reached his hand out, intending to pull Amy into his arms and never let her go.
Before he could take another step, however, he was halted by his wife.
"Stop," Amy cried out, when she heard him, and turned towards Alex quickly. "Don't come any closer! You need to go away! I can't do this!"
"Amy," Alex said soothingly, trying to calm his wife down, "I'm real – I'm not a hallucination. I'm flesh and bone."
Amy closed her eyes sadly for a moment, and a tear dripped down her face. "Yes, Alex, you're very real ... to me. And I miss you like hell! But Rory has already lost one parent. I can't go insane and deprive him of the only one he's got left."
"But-"
"Please, Alex, just shut up and leave! I- I can't do this anymore – it hurts too much! It-" Amelia's voice cracked in anguish and she knelt on the ground, her head in her hands, the very picture of defeat.
It broke Alex's heart. Never, in all the time he had known her, had Alex seen Amy give up on anything. Yet here she was, utterly exhausted and surrendering. In that second, he went to her and knelt by her.
He spoke urgently: "Amy, listen, I never died. I was being targeted by a major organization and they were going to kill us all. The only way to save you and Rory was to fake my own death so that I could gain the upper hand on them and take them down. And I am so sorry for everything, but I'm here. Now."
Amy's only reaction to his confession was a shake of her head and a little smile. Then she said, "You always were the most persistent person I ever knew. It stands to reason you'd be the most persistent delusion as well."
She seemed to make a decision on a course of action then – she stopped looking quite so lost. Amelia got up off the floor and walked into the other room leaving Alex kneeling on the hardwood.
A minute later, she returned to the kitchen, holding a very sleepy two year old whom she was attempting to wake up properly.
"Rory- Rory, love, I need you to help mummy, ok? I'm going to put you down, and I need you to see if you can find a man in this room, alright?" Amy needed to see if her little son could see the delusion she was seeing because if he could, well then, she might, might, not being seeing a delusion at all.
When Rory was first put down, he toddled a bit and looked around himself sleepily (not because he'd been told to by his mum but because he had nothing else to do). But then, he caught sight of Alex and he shrieked. He began running as fast as his little legs could carry him to his dad and announced with happiness, "Dada!" when he was scooped up by his rediscovered father.
Alex grinned and held his son tight, filled with a joy that threatened to overwhelm him. It wasn't complete though. It was missing something ... or rather … someone.
Amy was standing alone, her face reflecting the shock she was feeling and her hands over her mouth. "You're real," she whispered. "You're real. Damn you, you're alive!" she continued, her voice rising as the truth crashed upon her. And she laughed, filling the room with the sound of pure happiness. Then, she ran to him.
Alex pulled her to him with his free arm and hugged her as if he could crush the demons that had tormented her during his absence. He bent his head down and kissed his wife, savoring the taste of her lips, even after they broke apart.
Later that night, he smiled as he shared a bed with his wife and child. He thought they were both asleep but Amy spoke.
"Rory's first word-"
"Yeah?"
"It was 'where'. And it was immediately followed by 'Dada'. That's how much he missed you … And I missed you even more. Alex David Rider?"
"Yes?"
"Don't ever leave again – ever. I'll kill you for real." The threat was said with a smile.
Alex chuckled a bit at this and tried to hold back the guilt he was feeling. He knew he'd done the right thing, he just needed to convince himself of that fact.
Amy spoke one last time before she fell asleep. "I love you," she said.
"I love you too," Alex whispered. And he felt like the luckiest man in the world. Against all odds, he was alive, he had Amy and Rory back, and they were safe. He had come back from the dead. It appeared as though Alex Rider really did have the luck of the Devil.
A/N: So, tell me, how did you like my first Alex Rider story? Completely out of character? Maybe … Let me know! Oh, by the way, I named Alex's wife Amy because I liked the name. Then, I planned on naming his son John (after Alex's father). But I realized that I could name him Rory and there would be a Doctor Who reference. And, well, I just couldn't resist … Please review!