Disclaimer: Not mine, my name is not Anthony Horowitz.
IMPORTANT A/N: This story uses the published Alex Rider short stories. You don't have to have read them to get the story, but they help a lot with background information and story depth. If you are unfamiliar with the Alex Rider short stories and want to read them, look for 39 percabeth clues.
Summary: Coming home from a mission, life changed more than Ian could ever have imagined.
And Then There Were Two
'Cabin crew, prepare for landing.'
The young man in business class sighed and closed his eyes. His cheap suit looked immaculate, but other than that he looked rumpled, tired and beaten. His trip had been too long, harder than expected and had come close to becoming an utter failure. In all honesty, a stroke of luck had made this trip successful. And yet he felt as if he was the world's biggest failure. The delay had stolen his one chance of goodbye. All that was left of his family had flown beyond his reach. Sure he could call or visit, but it would be selfish and would mean the death of them if he did that too often. Besides, it would only serve to make him even more miserable when they'd say goodbye. No, it would be better for all involved if he pretended not to have any family at all.
The wheels touching down on the tarmac jolted him out f his thoughts. He turned to look out the window and found rain pouring down outside. A lock of blonde hair fell into his miserable looking brown eyes and he halfheartedly brushed it aside. At the gate he lifted himself carefully out of his seat, mindful of the numerous injuries his body had collected over the course of his trip. At the door of the plane a pretty air hostess flashed him a bright, flirty smile as she greeted him. Any other day he would have flirted right back, but today he barely managed to turn up the corners of his mouth in reply. Soon he found himself handing his passport to the official at passport control.
'Welcome home, Mr. Rider,' the official said, handing back the little booklet.
Ian Rider nodded as he accepted his passport and passed on to the baggage claim, his thoughts once again wondering to his brother's family. They'd been at another airport only this morning, flying off to safety and a whole new life, a life that wouldn't, couldn't include him. John, Helen and little Alex had left him behind and there was no telling when he'd see them again, if ever. Never again would he turn to his brother for help, or would he see his nephew and any future nephews and nieces grow up. His family might be alive, and not even that far away by plane, still he was now all alone in the world and he'd blown his chance of getting to say his goodbye. His life officially sucked.
The arrival of his bag brought him back, as much as he would love to get to his car, go home and go to bed, maybe take a long hot shower first, he knew he'd have to stop by the bank first and debrief before being the aster of his own time again, or at least, as much as anyone in this business is ever mast of their own time. So when he got to his car, instead of going to his home in Chelsea, he drove to the Royal and General Bank.
From the moment he got out of the car in the car park beneath the building, everyone he met looked at him, sympathy in their eyes, before quickly looking away, pretending they never looked at all. The looks puzzled him, he knew his trip hadn't been one of his best, but he didn't think he'd done bad enough to deserve these looks. He rode the elevator up to the seventeenth floor, knowing his arrival had been reported and that he was expected at Blunt's office. When the doors opened a familiar man leaning on a cane was waiting to get in, pain was written all over his face. He looked somewhat surprised to see him and Ian thought he even paled a shade or two. 'Anthony,' he greeted politely, giving the other man a nod.
Displeasure at hearing his first name flashed in his eyes, but otherwise he showed no reaction as he returned the nod. 'Ian, I'm so sorry,' he said.
'What's going on?' Ian demanded. He and Anthony, Ash to everyone else, never really got along, but played nice for John's sake. The man had never, ever said he was sorry to Ian, even when John cut their arguments short and made them apologize, he'd always found a way to make it look like he apologized without actually doing so.
'Just talk to Blunt,' Ash replied, before limping past him into the elevator.
Ian watched the doors close, thoroughly confused. With a sigh he turned and started walking down the hall, where apparently he would get all the answers.
'What do you mean "blew up"?' Ian shouted at the dull looking man in front of him. 'Nobody was to know he wasn't dead, or even that they were on that flight or you might as well have booked them a regular one!'
'Somehow, Scorpia must have found out,' Blunt replied slowly. 'I'm sorry for your loss.'
'Like hell you are,' Ian muttered just loud enough to make sure he was heard.
Blunt, however, ignored it and continued talking as if Ian hadn't spoken at all. 'Now, there's the question of who's going to inform Ms. Kelly.'
'Maud? What has she got to do with this?' Ian demanded.
'Your nephew, Alex, has an ear infection and couldn't fly. He was to join your brother and his wife in a few weeks,' Blunt explain. If Ian's world hadn't yet disintegrated upon hearing the news of John and Helen's death, the news of Alex's unexpected survival finished the job. The little guy was only three months old and already MI6 had managed to destroy his life. 'The will named Ash as his guardian,' Blunt had continued talking, but those words brought Ian back to reality.
'No,' he interrupted. 'He is in no shape to care for a baby right now and even when he will be, he'll be on pain medication for the rest of his life. That is no environment for a kid to grow up in.'
'Who else is going to take care of him? You?' Blunt asked calmly.
'He's my nephew,' Ian shot back. 'I will.' His mind was screaming at him. This was a stupid idea. He was only turning twenty-three next month, barely out of college and what did he know of taking care of a baby? He changed Alex's diaper once, much to the amusement of his brother, who'd nearly peed himself laughing until Helen took pity on him and helped, not completely managing to suppress her giggles.
Well, you are his uncle and are legally allowed to claim custody,' Blunt agreed. 'But you are young and have a bright career ahead of you…'
'Screw my career, Alex needs me. I'm the only family he's got left and don't use the word uncle, it makes me feel old. I'm his father's brother,' he snapped, got up and turned to leave.
'Where do you think you're going?' Blunt asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.
'I'm going to see my nephew and tell Maud what happened. Don't try to stop me.' Ian left the office with a thundercloud above his head. Everyone he encountered who dared to look at him with sympathy he shot daggers at. How dare they think for even one second that they might know how he was feeling?
'Ian,' a woman sucking on a peppermint tried to speak to him.
'Don't, Jones, just don't,' he growled, not even slowing down to look at her. He needed to get out of here and fast, before he lost the tight grip he held on his emotions, already he could feel it slipping.
Back in the office Alan Blunt picked up the phone and waited only a moment before it was answered. 'Rider is to be left alone for a while, but continue his pay, leave everything until he returns.'
Ian pulled up at the house where John and Helen had lived only this morning. Emotions threatened to overwhelm him, but he fought against them. Now was not the time to give in to them, not yet. Maud opened the door for him, a smile appearing when she saw him. 'Ian,' she greeted with her strong Irish accent. 'What brings you here?'
'Is Alex awake?' he asked, just as a piercing wail rang through the house.
'He is now,' Maud laughed. 'Go on up, he'll be happy to see you.'
Ian nodded and made his way to the nursery. He heard Maud close the door behind him before following upstairs. In the nursery he picked Alex up from his crib and carefully cradled him in his arms. Alex was squirming so much, Ian was afraid he'd drop him and quickly sat down in Helen's old rocking chair. 'Don't cry, Alex, everything will be alright. I promise you thinks will turn out fine.'
'It's time for his bottle, shall I get it so you can feed him?' Maud offered.
'Please, but I haven't done it before, so you might have to help me,' Ian agreed. If he really wanted to take care of Alex, he should start learning now.
'It's easy, you'll see,' she smiled at him and left the room. As they waited, Alex calmed down a little, his wailing changing into whimpering as Ian slowly rocked back and forth, soothing himself as much as his nephew. When he reached over to brush a lock of downy blonde hair out of Alex's face, the little boy reached out and grabbed hold of his finger. The gesture nearly broke his heart.
'No matter what happens, as long as I draw breath I won't let anyone hurt you,' he whispered.
Not long after, Maud returned with Alex's bottle and handed it to him. 'I already checked the temperature, so it's ready to go. Just put the nipple to Alex's mouth and make sure it's filled entirely, he'll do the rest,' she explained.
Ian did what he was told and watched Alex happily drink from his bottle, not a care in the world and completely oblivious to the fact he'd never see his parents again.
'Maud?' Ian asked, not daring to lift his head in fear of what his eyes might betray.
'Yes dear?' she replied.
'John and Helen…' he started, his voice cracking. He swallowed before trying again. 'The plane… it… They just told me it didn't make it to France.' Maud gasped and put a hand to her mouth. 'There… there were no survivors.'
A silence fell over the room, only broken by the sound of Alex's drinking. 'I'm so sorry,' Maud finally broke the silence, her voice sounded as if she was close to crying. 'What will happen to Alex?'
'I want to take care of him,' Ian replied firmly, then hesitantly added. 'But, I don't know how.'
'I'll teach you,' Maud offered immediately. 'I'll start gathering the necessary things, because I doubt you'll be wanting to stay here longer than you have to.'
'Thank you, Maud. You have no idea how much that means to me,' He answered, looking up to meet her eyes for a moment before looking back down at Alex, knowing they'd have an actual chance of making it now.
Ian was tossing and turning, but couldn't fall asleep. His alarm clock told him it was 2 am and his body was exhausted, but his mind was still spinning around John and Helen. After a few more minutes, he finally gave up and rolled out of bed. Mindful not to wake the two others suddenly living under his roof, he crept into the guestroom where Alex's temporary crib had been set up. It had taken several trips to get all they needed from John and Helen's house to his, which had also given him a little time to civilian-proof his house before bringing Maud and Alex over.
Now he approached the crib and watched Alex sleep. Maybe it was a speck of dust, or the exhaustion combined with all the emotional blows he'd been dealing with, but as he watched the sweet and innocent face of his sleeping nephew, completely ignorant of the evil in the world that could possibly want to harm him because of his family, a tear fell from Ian Rider's eyes and rolled down his cheek. A second followed, and a third and fourth and before he knew it rivulets of tears were running down his face. He couldn't stop them, nor did he want to. That night, Ian cried for the brother, whose shadow he lived in, but always saw the good in him, the practically sister, who always saw right through him, the parents, he'd never seemed to please, the friends lost, who always made him laugh, the young loves, come and gone, the loneliness that had become his life and the nephew, for all the hurts he didn't ever want to, but certainly would be the cause of. That night Ian cried every tear he never cried and every tear he would want to cry in the future. He cried until the tears ran dry and when all the tears were spend, he rebuild his emotional walls. Tears cried, walls rebuild, he fell to the guest bed and was asleep before his head even hit the pillow and that night was the first time Alex Rider slept 'till morning.
A/N: I hoped you liked this story. Please review.
Companion pieces may be published soon. Keep a look out for The Office and One Last Tear.