Alex decided not to fly direct to Britain, but spent two days in Paris first. Being a tourist was unreal after 12 months of life in a very protected bubble when everything was provided and he was working to another's schedule. Only now, he could afford to shop. He bought casual clothes and a few presents. He had phoned ahead and both the Pleasures and Dave and Henry were glad to see him. On the 29th, he was flying to Dubai to join Maxim, who was spending New Year on holiday at a very exclusive hotel. He felt like he was walking on air, when he got the tube from St. Pancras to Chiswick Park. It was like he was back being a kid without a care in the world. We walked with his suit bag and pull along suitcase north to Edward and Liz's suburban home, so different from the house in San Francisco. Two nights here then spending two nights with Dave and Henry. Sabina had texted sporadically, grumbling about working and her hopeless attempts at dating.

The Edwardian Villa in a terrace of similar properties dating from the Railway Boom of the late 19th century. Alex had previously been over for dinner four times, this would be his first overnight stay. He wondered if they would recognise him. No longer underweight, after a year he was buffed, at the peak of physical fitness, toned muscle from daily swims and four weeks of cross country skiing and biathlon competitions at home, as the Tulikov Estate now was. The Londoner had full residency in Russia and was contemplating buying a home in Moscow, one to rent out while he worked.

He rang the door bell and Sabina opened the door. She mouth opened in shock as she saw a tall tanned man dressed in Armani stood on the doorstep. "Alex?"

"Hello Sabina, you look fab as always." Alex smiled as she blushed. "Gonna let me in, sis?"

The door opened wide and he was beaconed into the narrow hall. Once the door was closed Sabina wrapped her old friend and foster brother in a hug. "I hate you working in deepest darkest Siberia. I can't drop in for coffee and annoy you."

"Why don't I make you a coffee and you can fill me in on all I've missed."

There was a small Italian coffee machine in the kitchen, a gift from Alex last year. He found beans in the cupboard and fell back into his role as barista. Two cups of flat white were placed on the counter as Sabina complained of working freelance, the sparsity of decent dates and how Liz was working nights over Christmas, so Edward had decided to scrap Christmas dinner until the 28th, and they would be eating sandwiches and party food from M&S. Since Alex dislike roast turkey and stuffing, this was welcome surprise. He bet that Henry would cook the full monty anyway for him on the 27th. He put three presents under the tree as Sabina started playing music to Alex, expanding his poor knowledge of anything other than ballet and opera music. He only knew those because of Maxim and his occasional visits to the Mariinsky and the Novosibirsk theatres.

Edward came downstairs to tell his daughter to turn down the noise and he noticed Alex. "Good to see you, son or should I call you Sasha, now you are practically Russian."

Alex smiled and recited a short passage from Father and Son by Turgenev in Russian. "As you can see my fluency and accent has improved. I have read a lot while Maxim was in meetings. Being a bodyguard can be extremely boring. So, you may call me Sasha, as Maxim calls me that."

"Liz will be home at nine, she's at a friends book club meeting. She will be pleased about your new love of literature."

Alex smiled nervously remembering his culture shock on arrival. "The Estate had a fairly decent library of Russian Classics. I'm glad I took a Russian English dictionary, my vocabulary has improved immensely. I only bought magazines three times. There were papers delivered every day Izvestia and Pravda, The Times and International Tribune. I really wanted for nothing. The guys, the other bodyguards and security have been great to train with, but I've made no close friends. Ivan, he's the friendliest of the bunch."

"But you are sleeping with you boss." Edward said when Sabina had gone to pick up the takeaway ordered for supper.

"Considering how much I was dreading that aspect of the contract, its been wonderful., really. He's kind, considerate and amazing in bed. So, a perk of the job. I think Maxim has been equally surprised how well its worked out. He has never had a long term lover before. Not that assume its anything more than it is. I'm an escort. I find a like it." Alex could do nothing to explain to his sort of father that it was fine. "Lots of people are sex workers, Edward. Its an age old profession, just not an honourable one. I guess you left that bit out when you told Liz and Sabina what I do for a living."

Edward looked truly uncomfortable. "I went to speak to your friend, Loony Dave about it. He's not exactly happy about your work either. I would like for you to tell Liz and Sabina, I think its your tale to tell. I also understand why you only told me."

"I've told you lots of stuff you did not tell the ladies. Have you finished your book on that Shithead Psycho."

"Yes. Its with the editors. Hardest book I ever had to write."

"Well, I hope my journal was helpful."

"That formed the backbone of the book. I got Danny's full cooperation as well. He's fifteen now and said he found sharing his own journal liberating. He wants to meet you."

"Not this year, nor next year either. I'll email him via his mom. So, the good news is I've signed another twelve month contract. The nondisclosure agreement means I cannot tell you anything about how boring oil and gas exploration is."

"Boring huh?"

"You have no idea. Maxim sometimes plays along and starts telling me bad jokes in French or passes comments in his awful pigeon Japanese, but most of the time its just business, business, business. Its not as if there's anything to look at apart from trees and flat green either. Went elf hunting once with the local inuits. Their shaman told Maxim I was an old soul." Alex was sure that old man had shared a great deal more about his observations of the outsider.

…

A taxi was booked for 1:30PM, Alex finally sat down with Liz and Sabina to tell them the full extent of his employment details.

"There's a reason I refused your offer of a blind date. Maxim and I are sleeping together." Alex decided to be blunt about his sex life.

"Your boss… the billionaire? Are you happy? Please tell me you dated and it's not a classic rebound relationship, you need to consider the fact you had just dumped Robert and disappeared off to Russia." Liz looked worried over the implications as sleeping with your boss was normally a recipe for disaster.

"Its not dating. Its part of my contract of employment. I'm more entertainment than bodyguard actually." Alex said with a blank face.

"Oh, Alex… you agreed to this?"

"Its well paid. I'm no longer short of cash. With bonuses, I got just over half a million pounds. The bonuses were for security work, not fucking. I consider the sex a perk actually." Alex tried to gauge the shocked expressions on the two women's faces.

Liz then looked angry "You told Edward before you went last year, didn't you. Please tell me he tried to dissuade you from this.…"

Alex guessed his former foster mother was trying to find a polite word for being a glorified rent boy, "Prostitution? I get I'm a sex worker, Liz. I'm actually OK with it. One guy, no chance of getting hurt or of getting infected. Its mutually inclusive. If he wasn't paying me, you'd be fine with us fucking, don't lie about that small detail. Look just watch Pretty Woman a couple of times and my life is just like that apart from the happy ever after bit. Maxim isn't the type to get all emotional and suddenly have a epiphany about love, saving the whale or tree hugging. Nothing about my life has a Disney style ending." Alex wasn't about to tell anyone exactly how much of a bastard Maxim was to people who crossed him. Brutal, sadistic and unflinching in his need for control. Yep, exactly Alex's type.

Sabina took a deep breath. "This is not OK, Alex. In fact, its crazy. Its just you look so happy, adjusted and fit. I … I don't get it, but then again, I never really got what was going on with you. How does your therapist view your new profession?"

"Well, since my therapist is employed by Maxim, as is my doctor, dentist and physio, he's fine with my mental well being. I had a bit of a blip over the guy in Surgut, but then most people aren't fine after popping a guy. I'm paid to keep my boss safe first and foremost." Alex was glad they seemed to be sort of OK with his work, not happy but not get out of my life unhappy either.

Liz then made herself busy by cleaning the table "You are an adult. If this is the reason you are happy, well adjusted and you're fine with it. Then, its OK. Just remember we're here if you need us."

Sabina was in two minds. She had never been OK with Alex's abrupt ex-communication after his abduction, but she was damn sure Alex was lying to himself about being OK with this Maxim. Her mind was screaming 'Don't fall in love, he'll hurt you' but that was probably too late. Alex did not understand love on any level, if he had he'd still be with Rob. "Did you just leave or did you actually break up with Rob properly?"

Alex smiled "I spoke to Rob when I was in Japan." When he'd been sure of untapped phones and bought a burner phone just for that one conversation. "I told him that I was sorry that I freaked about his brother, but James was too close to my past. It was better I made a clean break, no chance of anyone getting hurt because he would have been. Fact of my life is that I find a bit of happiness and normal and it all goes to fuck. It was good, he helped me heal, but I'm twenty-one. Maybe, I'll settle down someday with a great bloke, but Rob was wanting something I could not give. Stability and normal is not my thing."

"You won't be upset that he's moved in with an actor then." Sabina said pushing to see of Alex was really over his ex and their messy break-up.

"Hal Montague. I know. They look good together." Alex suddenly felt the need to explain exactly why the relationship had not worked, that there had been trouble in paradise before Wolf turned up. "Rob did not like my scars. Just like I only let him do certain things. My back… he never touched the burns. Maxim kisses my scars, strokes them, reveres all of me. No hang ups. I've opened up to my current lover much more than I ever did with Rob. It was going to fail, it just crashed and burned dramatically rather than the normal pace of you're not quite right."

Sabina smiled "Thanks for being honest, but next time trust me. I get you ain't normal. How can you be, you're Alex Rider. You saved the world while the rest of us were worrying about spots and being popular."