Hey all!
Well i didn't get many reviews last time but i'm hoping that'll change! A couple notes before the story italics ar both thoughts and dreams, yall are big kids so i'm guessing you can differentiate. I went back and read the story and realized i didn't do a very good job of keeping the time scale consistant so here it goes, Alex was kept as a prisoner before he agreed to teach the class for what he thinks is a week, and spent a month and a half teaching the operation so he thinks he was their for almost two months, sorry for the confusion!
I'll stop rambling now! ENJOY!!!

Luv, Always,
Gratia Donatus.

Alex leaned back in the rickety old seat on the train. It was past midnight, but unable to afford passage in the sleeper car, he was tossing and turning on worn out recliner.

Not that I can blame the recliner. Alex thought wearily, it was true; Alex couldn't blame the recliner for not being able to sleep. It was the dreams that plagued him whenever he closed his eyes that he blamed. Like the one he had just escaped from the memory still resounded through his head.

He was walking through pitch blackness, and yet was able to see. Around him was nothing, nothing at all, no sound he wasn't even sure if the place had a floor. But there must be a floor, or else what was he walking on. He continues to walk in a direction that he thinks is straight until he sees a man sitting behind a desk. Alex can think of no reason for a desk in this strange place but approaches anyway.

As he approaches he notices the man is facing away from him, but seems to know he is there, for, he gestures for Alex to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Alex sits and immediately he is cuffed to the chair by wrists and ankles.

"We need your help Alex." The man says turning around to reveal the colorless face of Mr. Blunt.

"No!" Alex shouts at him "I told you, I never chose this! Let me go!" Blunt only smiles cynically.

"Come now Alex, I promise this will be the last time…last time…last time" Those last two words echo through the nothing. They surround Alex in an impenetrable binding that he cannot free himself from.

"NO!" He yells and squeezes his eyes shut. When he opens them again he finds himself standing alone in the nothing again. Breathing hard he once again begins to walk. A time passes and a little girl sitting on the ground. Alex approaches cautiously, remembering the desk that had also seemed harmless. As he approached he heard the girl's voice. She was singing, softly slowly almost, eerily.

"Ring around the rosy

Pocket full of posies." Alex shivered, the song gave him chills. The girl was playing with a doll sitting cross legged on the floor.

"Ashes, Ashes." Alex was now right behind the girl, close enough to see her plaid dress and long black hair that had a ribbon with the same print of her dress; but he couldn't see her face as she was sitting with her back facing him. She paused in her song and stood. Alex tensed and took a step back. The girl began to turn slowly and as she turned she began to grow. As she grew her hair began to shoot back into her skull and some turned white. The ribbon disappeared and the dress began to change into black cargo pants and a white t-shirt. When the girl had finished turning Alex found himself looking at Raina. Her face was deathly pale and she did not blink. For a moment all they did was stare at each other.

"They all fall down." Raina finished, she stared at Alex for another second before looking down at her chest, Alex followed her gaze and gasped. There was a gaping bullet hole in the center of her chest; blood flowed freely from the wound. Raina looked up at Alex briefly then began to fall backwards, her eyes rolling back as death took her.

"No!" Alex shouted and reached for her, but as soon as he touched her she vanished in a puff of smoke. Alex stared at his hands in horror as maniacal laughter filled the air.

That was when Alex had awakened, bolting upright and drenched in a cold sweat. After taking in his surroundings Alex leaned back against the chair which is where he began. He stared out the window unable to sleep; soon, very soon they would come to northern France. From there it would be safe to call MI6 and Jack. The safest he could be from Scorpia, he had no doubt that they had operatives there, but he had no choice. Slowly, very slowly, Alex watched the night melt away, as it was replaced by bright sun light.

Finally, the conductor came through his car and announced that they were coming up on the final stop. Once the train had stopped, Alex left the train and the dingy station as fast as he could without looking suspicious. When he had walked a good distance from the station he found a pay phone and dug through his pocket for the change. Once he had found it he dialed his own home phone. The phone rang several times before an American woman answered.

"Hello?" Alex sucked in his breath for a moment; he hadn't realized how much he had missed her until now.

"Hello?" Jack asked again sounding agitated. Alex shook himself before replying.

"Do not say my name." silence was the only response to that and for a while neither said a word.

"Is it really you?"

"Yes."

"Are you in danger?"

"Also yes."

"Are you injured?"

"Minimally, listen I need your help. I need you to go to the bank, not your bank, my bank. I need you to tell them I'm north of the bullfight and need money and a passport. I also need you to tell them that Ian will be calling tonight at the house 5:30."

"Okay, is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, I'll be fine until tomorrow evening, by then I hope my patience will pay off. I have to go I can't stay here very long."

"I understand and I look forward to seeing you again."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Alex hung up and walked quickly away from the pay phone to the town square where he figured he would be safest. Once there he pulled out the envelope that Tom had given him. The passport was still there as was enough money for one night in a motel. Alex decided to wait a bit before finding somewhere to stay for the night, just in case Scorpia had been monitoring his phone call with Jack.

At around three o'clock that afternoon he found a small motel off the beaten path to sleep for the night. He checked in and then went to his room it was simple a small bed covered in an old floral bedspread. The walls were wooden and the whole place smelled like stale cigarette smoke and mothballs. Was it nice? No, but it was better than the bear concrete cell he'd been in for the past month and a half. Alex sat on the bed as memories over came him.

Hehehehe, yeah i decided i was gonna flashback to Alex's torture time, before meeting Raina. I have a feeling it will be long. I could make it one chapter or several. it all depends on you, review with what you want an I'll oblige!!!!!!!

Luv, always
Gratia Donatus