It's About Time

"Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with." - Gillian Anderson

Jack Starbright sat in one of the stools at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, sorting through the bundle of mail she'd collected earlier. Junk, junk, electric bill, more junk...

Picking up the rather sharp letter opener, she proceeded to saw away at one of the envelopes. She'd barely made any visible damage when she heard:

"Need help?"

Alex Rider stood in the doorway of the kitchen, an amused expression coloring her features. She looked exhausted but noticeably better than she had several days ago. The dark circles under her eyes had lightened a bit and the cut on her bottom lip was barely there. Nevertheless, Jack could tell by the dirty blonde locks thrown into a messy ponytail and lopsided collar of her school uniform that she was still in the process of recovering from her latest assignment. And those were just physical signs. It was hard to forget the hint of lifelessness that hid behind the girl's eyes and never went away.

Jack sighed and wordlessly held out the envelope to her. It was no surprise that the teen super-spy had come into the house without a sound; it was either that or Jack was becoming too immersed in her thoughts these days to pay attention to her surroundings. "You look like a zombie," she said unapologetically as she watched her take hold of the small knife.

Alex smirked and, with one clean move, sliced open the envelope, leaving no tears or rips. "Do I? I suppose I should make a note to have MI6 send me on another mission a few days before Halloween. That way I wouldn't have to make a costume." Handing Jack the opened mail, she proceeded to ransack the fridge, seemingly unaware that her housekeeper was watching her carefully.

"How was school?"

Normally Jack didn't ask about school; she got the same response every time. So Alex gave it to her: "Fine."

A pause, then: "Alex."

She raised her head from inside the fridge, a cheese stick trapped between her teeth. "Hnngh?" Brown eyes widened in curiosity.

"Are you okay?"

The blatant, serious question caught her off guard. Turning back to the food, she grabbed a Ziploc bag full of grapes and shut the door, pulling the cheese stick from her mouth. "What's for dinner tonight?" she asked casually, not meeting her guardian's eyes. "I'm craving good ol' pizza."

"Alex, please don't avoid the question," Jack urged. "Are you all right?"

Standing there, nibbling on the end of the cheese stick and holding the bag of grapes, the teenager finally met the woman's eyes. "Yeah," she said with a smile. "Of course."

She wanted to say more, but Jack only allowed herself to reply, "Okay, well... you know I'm just making sure-"

"I'm fine, Jack," Alex insisted, heading towards the door, a smile still plastered on her face. "Don't worry."

And with that, she left the kitchen and headed upstairs, leaving Jack to sigh and shake her head.


Up in her room, Alex collapsed face down onto her bed and let out a groan. Her body still ached in various places and she was sure she'd pulled a muscle in her back. Sure, it was something she was used to, but boy did she wish she could have a long, deep massage right now...

Rolling over so that she was facing up, she replayed in her mind the encounter with her housekeeper. Jack didn't believe her "I'm fine" claim but neither did Alex. They both knew that these missions she was sent on were all done much to her dismay, all thanks to that bloody Alan Blunt and his Mrs. Jones. Blunt with his gray hair, gray skin, gray eyes. Gray personality, gray office, gray suit. The only thing Alex could find herself to laugh at was that it was his outlook on life that wasn't gray in the least. The head of MI6 saw everything in black and white.

And Mrs. Jones... well, Alex thought she ought to see a dentist. If the second-in-command had some issues with her breath, peppermints weren't going to solve the problem.

Ugh, she didn't want to think about those people right now. Sitting up, she gazed around her room, looking for a distraction. Homework wasn't an option; thoughts of school ultimately led to the ever-present rumors of her alleged drug abuse and poor health, more things she hated thinking about.

In a flash her cell phone was in her hand, dialing one of the few numbers she kept in her contacts. It seemed to ring for forever before it picked up. "Hullo?"

"Tom, it's me," Alex greeted, and then rolled her eyes. "Tom, it's me"? Really? She chided herself. Of course he'd know—

"Sorry, but this is Tom's voicemail. He's either at practice, in school, at work, or sleeping," her best friend's voice continued, listing the few things Tom ever did.

"Tom..." she began once she realized it wasn't his voicemail that was talking.

"So just leave a message and he'll try to get back to you—" he kept going over her.

"Tom, I'm sorry, okay?" Alex blurted.

He stopped, silence filling Alex's ear over the pounding of her heart. It took a few moments but eventually he spoke again, his voice low. "What for?"

Sighing, she said, "You know what for." Before he could say anything else, she asked, "Can you meet me at the usual place? Right now?"

"Right now," Tom repeated flatly.

"Right now." She poked at one of the grapes absentmindedly, causing it to burst.

Finally he took a deep breath and she could almost see him rubbing his face in his hand. "All right. See you in ten."

The line went dead.

Staring at the phone in her hands, Alex reminded herself why Tom was reasonable to be angry with her. Ever since she had returned from her last mission, she'd been distant, saying little and doing little. She wasn't sure if it was in response to her lack of liveliness, but Tom himself had started acting out of sorts too. A few times she'd caught him staring at her and while she brushed it off as his usual friendly concern, she couldn't help but feel that there was something else... something that hadn't been there before.

And that was why she was being so vague with Jack. Despite how close the two were, Alex didn't know how she could confide in the woman that was practically her older sister. She wanted to keep it to herself because perhaps she was just being paranoid...

Still dressed in her uniform, Alex grabbed her keys and bounded down the stairs, calling out, "I'm meeting up with Tom, Jack! I'll be back in a few." As she opened the front door, Jack said something back but she didn't catch it. It sounded along the lines of "Be safe."

The "usual place" was a café halfway between Alex's house and Tom's called My Cup of Tea. As generic as its name was, the café was especially unique in that the two best friends always went there for, well, everything. Sometimes it was to get together and do homework and, on other occasions, just to hang out. If one of them had to find the other, this café would be one of the first places to look.

The light tinkling of the bells above the door signaled her arrival and at once relief and calm washed over her along with the sweet, warm aromas of baked goods and coffee. Unlike home, My Cup was her safe haven, a place she could easily feel comfortable in. There was just something about its antiquity and vintage feel; the old-fashioned, worn booths and furniture; the simple yet odd abstract paintings by artists unheard of; and the aged, cozy atmosphere that she took great comfort in. Today it was moderately busy with low chatter, just the way she liked it.

Alex found Tom where she'd expected. In the corner was their usual booth and there he was sitting with his hands folded on the table. Unlike Alex, he wasn't wearing his school uniform but was dressed casually in jeans and a shirt instead.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards him, slowly running through her mind what she wanted to say. In truth, she hadn't the slightest clue. All she could think of was the way he'd been looking at her today... like he was waiting for something.

"Hi." Alex mentally winced. Her voice sounded weak.

Tom looked away from the window and up at her. "Hey." He watched as she slid into the seat across from him.

They both sat still, avoiding each other's gaze. Neither of them wanted to speak first. Their bubble of silence seemed to make any noise and conversation beyond them feel miles away and unreal, like they were really the only people that existed at the moment.

Just as Tom opened his mouth to say something, a middle-aged woman with dark red hair stopped at their table, wearing a knowing smile. "Tom, Alex," she greeted warmly. "The usual?"

Their "usual" drinks were herbal tea (for Tom) and warm—not hot—chocolate (for Alex). But neither of them had the heart to tell the woman, Marcia, who'd been serving them since they first arrived at the café, that they had more important matters than their comforting drinks.

"That'll do, Marcia," Tom answered politely and smiled. Once she left, he took a deep breath and faced his best friend. "Alex..."

She also inhaled deeply and held a breath, unsure of what would come out of his mouth.

"Why are you sorry?"

She exhaled sharply and nearly gaped at him. Was he joking? "Don't tell me you..." she began, then shook her head, choosing different words. "I wasn't... Since I got back... You don't think...?"

As she stumbled over herself, Tom became increasingly confused. "Alex, I don't understand." His brow was wrinkled in what was clear puzzlement and it only threw her off more.

Alex kept her gaze on him, allowing herself to breathe a moment. Then she asked, "You don't think I've been acting... strange, have you? I mean, ever since I got back."

He raised an eyebrow. "No..."

Swallowing hard, she looked down at the table. Either she was going insane or her best friend didn't know her anymore. Had she really appeared no different after her return? Was he immune to her mood changes? Perhaps she wasn't as emotionally expressive as the stereotypical female was. That shouldn't come as a surprise; years of witnessing human nature's worst had only hardened her.

"Alex." Tom's voice caught her attention and she looked up to find him staring at her with a concerned expression. "If by strange you mean one-word responses and rarely cracking a smile, then yes, of course I've noticed." He grinned a little. "I'm not that ignorant, you know."

She tried to smile but it didn't take a child to see that she failed.

The grin slipped from his face and he leaned closer toward her. "I just thought it had something to do with Hong Kong. I didn't think you wanted to talk about it... not yet, anyway."

Alex processed this as Marcia returned with two steaming cups. When the woman left, she stared down at the little blobs of unmixed chocolate powder in her mug and said, "Well, I guess that's part of the reason."

Tom stirred his tea gently, waiting patiently.

"It's the usual, Tom," she explained. "Madmen, revenge, terrible childhoods, plans to destroy the world. Nothing particularly new. I get tired of seeing it all. Over and over again... Every mission almost feels like déjà vu. No one is creative anymore. It's almost boring." She stopped then, wondering at how robotic and almost disdainful she sounded.

But Tom didn't seem to be thinking the same.

"That's what I was afraid of," he said softly, gazing at her.

Feeling a prickly sensation at his words, Alex asked, "What do you mean?"

Wrapping both hands around the mug and staring into its contents, he said nothing for a few moments. It almost appeared that he wasn't going to continue when he suddenly went, "I may not have seemed like it at first, Alex, but I've always been worried about you." He looked up and she was shocked to see pain evident in his eyes. "When I first learned of what really happened when you were supposedly sick and why you always arrived to school looking like you'd been tossed in a bullfight, I thought it was cool. I was absurd enough to accept it and root for you and cover for you when you meant to leave again and put your life in danger."

He sighed. "Then I started seeing how it affected you, and not just physically. I noticed how mentally and emotionally exhausted you were and how much less you smiled. Sometimes I could never get you to laugh. I wondered to myself if these missions you were doing were stripping the humanity and childhood from you... It's almost like you're immune to danger now... even happiness."

Alex looked away. This wasn't the first time this had been discussed... but it made her ache all the same.

Tom went on. "But after a while of you coming and going, I got used to it. It didn't surprise me when you didn't show up to school one day and it sure as hell didn't stir anything in me if you showed up with a doctor's note when you came back. It happened so often that I began to expect it... And what bothers me the most is that I told myself you'd always come back."

She sat immobile, unable to move or say anything. Only several times had she and Tom had intimate, deep conversations, but none had ever been as honest and raw like this one. "But I did, Tom," she found herself croaking. Clearing her throat, she repeated, "I did come back. Every time."

He smiled at her but it did little to alleviate the emotions crashing through her. "You did. But that's my point, Alex. Every time you showed up at my door or in class after being gone for days, even weeks..." He swallowed and looked away. "I grew more afraid."

"Of what? What were you afraid of?"

Tom suddenly grew uncomfortable and Alex could feel his leg bouncing quickly up and down. "Can we go outside? I'd rather not talk here..." He stood up and reached in his pocket, pulling out a few bills to throw in the table.

Alex hesitated but only for a split second. Taking one last sip from the warm chocolate (now cold), she slid out of the booth and went after Tom. He was waiting on the sidewalk, and started walking as soon as he saw her. For a minute they just walked, dodging the occasional pedestrian and keeping a comfortable pace.

Then Alex decided she'd let him have enough silence. "Tom," she spoke up, "why are you afraid?"

Beside her, her best friend kept his eyes ahead of him but abruptly stopped in his tracks. "Because I didn't have to hope anymore." He looked at her. "I didn't have to wait around, wondering if you'd make it back alive. I didn't have to worry all the time, praying that you were all right..."

Alex shook her head, squinting up at him from the bright sun above them. "I still don't understand, Tom. Isn't that what you wanted? To not have to worry about me all the time, to be able to go about your business knowing I'd be back?"

"No, Alex," he groaned, throwing his hands up in frustration. "You don't get it, do you?"

She opened her mouth to snap at him but he continued, "Do you know what it will be like if you don't come back next time?"

It seemed that he was genuinely asking her, his blue eyes wide as he waited expectantly. She shook her head, taken aback by his question. "No, I..."

"Neither do I, but it would hurt like hell." Something like discomfort flashed across his features. "While you were in Hong Kong, I kept asking myself why I didn't have to worry so much about you anymore. When you came back a few days ago, I realized that... that losing you would be like waking up suddenly with no arm."

Alex stared at him.

"Or a leg, foot, nose, it doesn't matter," he went on, sounding desperate. "What I'm trying to say is... I'm so used to having you around, knowing you'll be there, that if you're gone for good..." He was having trouble going on and Alex could see the anguish deep in his eyes.

"Tom, I... Tom, listen to me," she tried to say, feeling a lump form in her throat. She reached for him.

"I love you, Alex."

Her hand jerked back and her breath caught.

Determination had hardened in his eyes, not yet replacing the pain he was feeling but giving way to another emotion he was allowing himself to reveal. "It took me years to see it, and seeing your face after you came home... I finally knew."

Heart pounding and knees shaking, Alex forced herself to swallow but knew it would be useless to try and speak. Not only would she either stutter or throw up from shock, but she was at loss for words.

Tom reached out and lightly traced his fingers from her temple down to her jaw, gazing at her with a certain tenderness that had never been there before. "I could go on," he murmured, "and tell you all the reasons why I love you... but I think you already know."

"I do?"

Ah, so she could speak.

He chuckled and shook his head, retreating his fingers. "They're all the reasons why we're friends... and the fact that you must be the toughest, most intelligent, hilarious, and, of course, beautiful girl I have ever met in my life."

Blinking, Alex said, "Wow, that's a lot of adjectives."

"But they're all true."

Turning away, she looked around at their surroundings. They weren't far from her house and would take just another few minutes to reach it. A small park was across the street and there were families with children and dogs playing. An elderly couple strolled slowly down the sidewalk, locked arm in arm, laughing.

"I'm sorry."

She glanced at Tom, who had a sad look in his eyes. "Now why are you sorry?" she asked.

"I'm sorry for putting all this on you... and hurting you, if I did. I just..." He looked down at his shoes, rocking back and forth on his heels uneasily. "I had to tell you." He paused, then added, "I don't want to lose you, Alex."

Biting her lip, Alex suggested, "Walk me home?"

The corner of his mouth lifted gently and she couldn't tell if the smile was genuine. "Sure."

They walked in silence, again, but the tension that had been present earlier was now gone. It had been replaced by a tentative awkwardness, an uncertainty that clouded both their thoughts. Tom had been, for a moment, immensely relieved having told his best friend how he felt, but now he was convinced that she didn't feel the same. She wasn't saying anything and maybe that was why she was going home: she wanted to be alone, away from him.

But Alex's mind was reeling. Tom had just confessed his love for her and she wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised. She'd heard of friends falling for friends but didn't have the knowledge or experience to know how those situations turned out. Regardless, her own feelings of shock from the truth remained the same, no matter how much she debated what to tell him.

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of her front door. She reached inside her pocket for the key and inserted it in the lock before turning to Tom. "Tom, I—"

"It's okay, Alex," he interrupted, shaking his head. "You don't have to say anything." His lips pressed together in a tight smile that looked all wrong. "I'll just... I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Alex watched as he stepped away and turned his back on her. His shoulders seemed to hunch over the slightest bit, like they were suddenly holding a lot of weight. The sight made her chest tighten… and she knew he couldn't walk away.

He'd barely taken three steps when she called his name. He looked back just as she took a few steps toward him, her eyes alight with something like burning determination and excitement. "You didn't let me finish."

Gripping the front of his shirt, Alex told him firmly and confidently, "Tom. I love you, too." And then she kissed him, hard.

It might have been the warm afternoon sun or the discomfort of her school uniform, but she couldn't deny that the rush of blood and excitement in her veins paired with a sudden jump in her body temperature were coming from the fact that she was kissing her best friend. After years of hugs and wrestling matches, the closeness of his body was familiar to her, but until now it had never been so… electrifying. Even his hands that had finally made their way to her face and waist felt different now. They were touching her in a whole new way, pulling her closer to his body and sending tingles down her spine.

But his lips. The same ones that gave her goofy grins when Tom was cracking a joke or up to no good, the ones that frowned at her whenever she was upset or revealed a wide-mouthed laugh because she'd made a fool of herself… These lips had shared deep conversations with her and, like earlier, secrets that were meant only for her.

And the feeling they gave her was all too new… The way their mouths were crushed against each other's like it was the only way they could breathe had her heart thundering against her chest. It was an adrenaline rush she had never experienced in her time of being a spy.

When they finally broke apart, both teenagers were breathing heavily, still holding each other. Neither one looked away from the other's eyes, waiting to catch their breaths as their heart rates slowed. Tom lowered his head until his forehead was touching Alex's, and she could feel his breath on her parted lips. "You really love me?" he breathed. His eyes searched hers and Alex knew what it was that he was looking for. But luckily, it didn't exist.

Reaching to weave her fingers into his hair, she gazed right back at him and said, "Yes. I do."

His mouth stretched into a smile and Alex felt in her stomach the same tingles she'd gotten while kissing. Wow, she thought. Had I really not noticed how attractive his smile is until now?

Then Tom pulled back and, still staring intensely at her, said quietly, "I love you, Alex Rider." Even though it hadn't been more than a few minutes since he'd first uttered those words, he couldn't help but say them aloud again.

Without hesitation, the girl he loved answered, "And I love you, Tom Harris," and smiled.

It was the most glorious thing he'd ever seen and heard since she had come back home. This time, it was he who pressed his lips against hers and, to his heart's content, could feel her smile.


From the second story window, Jack Starbright was shaking her head. She'd watched the whole thing moments after she'd heard the familiar voices of the two teens. One peek beyond the curtains had revealed the teen spy pulling Tom towards her with what seemed like unnecessary force—it was to Jack at least—and kissing him. Right there in front of the house, well within the range of any prying eyes of curious neighbors or, in this case, Jack. Was she surprised? No. Angry? Definitely not.

In fact, there was a smile on the housekeeper's face. For a long time she had wondered about Alex's friendship with Tom, even doubted it a few times. They had known each other for years and, to Jack's relief, remained friends even after the disasters that followed Ian Rider's death. If there was anyone besides her that could keep the girl sane and provide her comfort between the awful things MI6 put her through, it was Tom.

And so Jack had wondered. Were they really going to be just friends or would Cupid shoot one (or both) of them with an arrow and get on with it? If anything, she had been hoping for it. She could name all the reasons why the two were inseparable and meant to be more than friends… and had crossed her fingers behind her back, longing for a miracle.

And now she was witnessing it. It wasn't hard to make out the declarations of love that the two teenagers made to one another (especially since they were kissing again) and Jack could finally let out a long held breath. Alex and Tom felt and cared for each other in a whole new way and this new change could only make her happy again… as happy as a manipulated, used teenage spy could be. Even if little could be done about Alan Blunt and his heartless taste for blackmail, Jack knew that Alex had what she needed most. And seeing the two fall in love before her brought warmth and comfort to her heart… for what seemed like the first time since those policemen had knocked on the front door.

With one last glance at the two best friends/newly turned lovers, Jack grinned to herself and pulled the curtain shut. She couldn't believe it... but she did. Alex Rider and Tom Harris had finally fallen in love.

It was about damn time.


Note: Sooo this was something I'd written over a year ago and was hiding amongst my many abandoned, unfinished pieces. But I opened it up the other day and thought, Hey this is actually still pretty good and it'd be nice to post a one-shot (despite how overdone the concept might be). Therefore, I proofread it, tweaked some things, and wrote a quick ending. The style I wrote this in is a tad different than my usual but I think it turned out alright :D

Please let me know what you thought! Dunno if this will eventually become an actual chapter story but I guess it all depends on your feedback... I also have to take into consideration the OTHER two fanfics I've yet to finish hehehehe..

Anyway, thanks for reading! I will be back(; xx