Muddled Tears
by Kiamii
Chapter Twenty Nine "December"
Warning: Fluff? Well you already knew that now didn't you? This one has major fluff. Since it's a kind of filler and all.
Timeline: The week leading to Christmas. So it's Wednesday December 22.
Christmas was very near. One morning in mid-December, the city had awoke to find itself in a frosty cold weather. A lake nearby had frozen solid and roaring fires started up in chimneys and homes. The outside had become icy and a bitter wind rattled windows. Alex Rider, a boy of five, was lounging by the fireplace on his stomach, a fairytale book in front of him. His adopted father, Ben Daniels, was currently hanging up garland around the railings while Zach was stringing lights on the roof. It was cold outside, showing signs that Christmas would be there in a week at most. Alex's kindergarten class had already been let out for two weeks for the winter holidays. Ben had made Alex put on a warm sweater since the weather was getting so cold. Currently Alex was being carefully watched by his father and uncle as they decorated, having spent the past month being pranked at random intervals. Ben actually wanted to murder Wolf for that talk suddenly. Alex had done everything from putting Ben's white clothes in the washing machine with Alex's dark red T-shirts, when Ben had not been looking, to dying Zach's hair neon green with hair dye inside Zach's shampoo. Where he had gotten it, they would never know. Of course, Zach and Ben were still being yelled at by their parents when they visited, making sure their little grandson didn't "pick up such unwarranted knowledge". Ben and Zach had gone red-faced at the lectures they received and well... Alex was just now getting his phone back after that event.
"Come eat lunch pipsqueak," Zach later called as he came inside, batting at the snow in his hair. Alex looked up, smirking at Zach's appearance, before standing up and heading over to his uncle. As he entered, Zach lifted him up onto a bar seat and put a sandwich in front of the small boy. He may still be miffed about the latest prank (which had been Alex somehow finding out that Zach was terrified of rats and had acquired a fake one, putting it under Zach's pillow) but he wouldn't harm the kid. No matter how much of a brat he was. Zach eyed the thin boy, always frustrated by how small Alex was even for his physical age. He was always making sure Alex ate at every meal.
"You better be a good little boy this week or Santa might not get you anything," Zach teased. Alex glared at him for a second.
"What's that ugly thing growing out of your neck?" gasped Alex, "Oh wait... It's your head!" Zach scowled and flicked the kid in the forehead, shaking his head. Honestly Alex had gone from lovable little boy to smart alec brat. Well... once in awhile anyways. Zach waited until Alex finished his lunch before putting him down and ordering him to go clean up. Alex rolled his eyes but did as asked at the very least. As he was about to enter his bedroom, he was picked up from behind. Squeaking, Alex turned around to see it was his father, smiling at him in amusement.
"What did you say to my brother this time?" Ben asked.
"Nothing," Alex said, trying to appear innocent, which could be pulled off if Ben didn't know his son that well. Ben chuckled and carried Alex to his bed, depositing him on the bed. He then began to pull out clothes for the day, considering Alex was still in his pajamas (with a jumper on of course). Alex watched him, puzzled.
"What are you doing daddy?" Alex asked, frowning lightly.
"We're going to get a tree," Ben said matter-of-factly as he helped pull the sweater off and got Alex dressed. The former spy didn't protest, growing far too used to having this happen. He did, however, protest as he was picked up. Ben chuckled once more and carried him downstairs just as Zach was setting a ceramic angel on one of the tables in the living room. He was now wearing a leather jacket, red T-shirt, and jeans, versus the casual slacks and white polo he had been wearing earlier. Alex looked at his uncle and father in confusion as he was taken to the car. He said nothing as Ben strapped him into his car seat, though his eyes lit up at the sight of Button, his stuffed bear. He sat quietly and obediently in his seat as they drove, though he did get a little antsy after roughly thirty minutes.
"How much longer?" pestered Alex.
"We're here now," Zach said happily as he parked. Alex looked relieved and he attempted to pick the lock (as always) on the seat but couldn't for the life of him manage it. Ben chuckled and unbuckled him after unlocking the padlock.
"I don't even get why you do that," huffed Alex as he climbed out of the seat and walked beside his father who took hold of his hand. Alex didn't get a reply and he huffed moodily, looking up ahead. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he took in the scene of dozens of trees. There were so many different types that it made Alex's head spin. Ben picked Alex up as they walked around, heading towards a jolly man who spotted them and politely asked what kind of tree they were looking for, chuckling at the hiding little boy in Ben's arms. Zach explained they were merely looking for the right one and they were given an axe and told to simply roam the varieties. Zach and Ben shared a grin, remembering this piece of their tradition as kids. With Alex burying his face in Ben's neck, the two brothers looked for a small enough tree to fit into their home, but large enough to make the living room perfect.
"How about that one?" Zach inquired, pointing to a particularly squatted one. Ben scrunched his nose up and Alex peaked out to see it, shaking his head.
"Why don't you look for one Alex?" Ben asked, setting Alex on the ground. The boy frowned before swiftly turning around and looking before he pointed at a tree in the distance. The three trotted over to it and Zach and Ben grinned, pleased. It was tall enough to fit probably, with quirky branches and thick pieces. It was a rather good Christmas tree. Zach and Ben set to work on cutting it down before having the large man help them tie it to the roof of their car, Alex sitting sulkily in his car seat seeing as he couldn't help. Ben shook his head in amusement before he finishing knotting the rope.
"Your son should have a happy Christmas," chortled the large man.
"Thanks for this again Chris," Zach said happily.
"It's no problem. Your brother would always do the same thing for you too. I am sorry for your loss. He was a good man," said Chris. Ben and Zach nodded, smiling sadly before they got into the car. Ben looked back to check on Alex and found the child fast asleep, his thumb locked in his mouth as was the norm nowadays. They arrived home soon enough and Zach woke his nephew up, smiling as Alex rubbed his eyes tiredly. Ben was lucky to have such a cute son though at times Alex was such a bratty kid. Zach picked Alex up from his seat and carried him inside as Ben untied the tree. Alex finally awoke in full as Zach put him down in the living room atop the recliner.
"Want to take a nap or help us decorate kiddo?" Ben asked absently as he put the tree on the stand with a minimal difficulty. Alex looked at his father with a look that clearly told him the answer. The two brothers chuckled and Zach went to get the baubles while Ben fetched the tinsel. Alex sat there for a few minutes before they returned. Together, the brothers strung the lights and tinsel while Alex put little baubles on the branches he could reach. Ben grabbed a box of candy canes and began putting them on the tree. When he wasn't looking, Alex reached in and stuck a candy cane in his mouth. Ben turned around and spotted his son. He laughed loudly and lifted Alex up into his arms.
"You crazy little bugger," chuckled Ben, "I'm about to make the hard chocolate angels. Want to help?"
"Do I get to eat some daddy?" Alex asked as Ben carted him off to the kitchen while Zach finished putting the lights on the tree and following.
"Of course you do," Ben said as he pressed a small kiss to his son's forehead. Alex smiled, still always loving those small little fatherly touches from Ben no matter how old he was mentally. He let Ben set him down on the bar stool and began to pull out the ingredients needed. This sort of chocolate wouldn't melt near the lights at the very least and it was two hours later that found the two brothers carrying a chocolate covered little boy up to the bathroom to give him a bath and then put him to bed for the night...
Christmas Eve
Jake immediately scooped Alex up, reacting on spy instinct, and began running fast, trying to get the kid out of there no matter what now. It all happened in a blur... Alex was being carried off to who knew where and the next... he was on the ground, his head hurting. He heard Jake groaning pitifully and clenching his chest. Alex realized with a horrible start that Jake had been shot in the back... which had hit the exact area of his heart. The memory of being shot in the heart clenched at Alex who forcibly pushed it away.
"Alex... Run!" Jake wheezed.
"No!" Alex said, trying to pull on Jake's shirt. The childish part of Alex's body screamed at him, crying and kicking that Jake was not dying, demanding Jake to get up now. The teenager in Alex forcibly told him to run for it, leaving Jake. The agent part? Told him blankly to leave him. Alex quivered and stood up, whispering a goodbye to Jake, before he ran down a hall, tears cascading down his face as he heard the men grab the dying man and shove him against the wall.
"Where's the boy?" The man questioned harshly. He shook Jake roughly and the man coughed up blood. Alex found a vent and wiggled down into it, listening quietly and trying to calm his tears. Stupid child body, always so damn emotional.
"Like... Hell... I'd... Tell ya..." Jake coughed before he went limp. Alex shook in his spot as the men threw Jake's body to the floor and started running in the direction Alex had gone, searching for the boy. Alex laid in his spot for a very long minute before crawling out.
"I'm sorry Jake... I'm sorry,"
Alex woke up sweating, looking around the room for a minute before sighing at the dream he had just had. He looked at the calendar Ben had put up on his wall and smiled slightly as he saw that it was now the 22nd of December. Just three more days until Christmas, he mused. He quickly got dressed in a red Rudolph sweater and a pair of black slacks before he ran down the stairs, hopping off the last two steps. He landed and entered the kitchen to find no one was up surprisingly. He frowned lightly before hearing the doorbell ring. He cautiously peaked through the window and grinned as he saw it was Kaitlyn, his father's girlfriend. He fumbled for a moment before opening the door.
"Hey Kaitlyn!" he greeted.
"Good morning Alex," she laughed, "are you enjoying the holidays?"
"Uh-huh," he nodded, "Daddy and Uncle Zach have been decorating for the past two days! There's so much to do!"
"Did your Uncle Ian ever do any of this?" she asked as she took off her scarf and coat, letting Alex put up her hat. The boy shook his head and Kaitlyn smiled sadly before she reached down and lifted Alex clean into the air, settling him on her hip. Alex wrapped his arms around her neck and leaned against her, content. In a way Kaitlyn reminded Alex of the mum he never had and he had started taken an immense liking to her, always basking in her praise or when she paid attention to him. The spy in Alex was almost gone really, though Alex was willing to bet it would return if he ever went back to being a teenager.
"Where's your uncle and dad?" she asked curiously. Alex shrugged and she smiled before carrying him upstairs to the living room since Alex had been in the kitchen the whole time. Peaking in she saw him passed out on the couch and what else she saw was certainly amusing. Zach was fast asleep under the Christmas tree, a bauble hanging under him while his fingers were grasping the candy canes. Ben had tinsel in his hair as well as a bauble dangling off his shirt. Signaling to her boyfriend's son to stay quiet, she set Alex on Ben's stomach and undid the bauble and tinsel before she went to wake Zach. Alex waited until she signaled the ok before he bounced on Ben. The man immediately sat up only to look at the grinning figure in his lap.
"You scamp," Ben murmured before he began to tickle Alex. The boy yelped and began laughing as he squirmed about, trying to escape his father. Finally Ben released him after kissing the boy's temple and Alex smiled at his father. Ben then spotted his girlfriend and his eyes lit up, standing up to sweep her to him, kissing her soundly on the lips. After the sound of gagging Ben pulled away and mock glared at Alex who pointed at Zach. The man tried to point back at Alex but ended up with his lips twitching to give away he had been the one to fake gag. Ben looked outside and noticed it was snowing.
"What say we go outside?" Ben suggested and Alex looked at him blankly before peering outside, grinning when he saw it was snowing. He was about to run outside when Zach lifted him up into his arms, telling the former spy that he needed to be dressed in warm clothes if he wanted to go out in the snow.
"And you call yourself a spy," Zach mock sniffed.
"And you call yourself an adult," Alex slyly retorted. Zach scowled and dropped Alex on his bed, threatening lightly that he'd find the mittens his mother had bought for Alex. Alex immediately calmed down, having no desire to wear the stupid things even if they were from his grand mum. Mittens made it nearly impossible to grab things, having no finger slits. Alex glared at his uncle while Zach hummed, finding the thick coat along with hat and gloves for Alex. After helping the boy put them on he found his boots and slid them on the boy's feet. He lifted Alex off the bed and watched in amusement as the de-aged teenager tried to walk steadily out of his room only to fall on his arse plenty of times. It seemed the winter items made it nearly impossible for the kid to walk. Zach snickered before scooping the child into his arms, carrying the scowling kid down the stairs. Once outside, Alex looked around happily. He hadn't been able to play in the snow much growing up.
"Daddy," called Alex, "can we build a snowman?"
"Sure Al," Ben said with a smile. He watched as Alex began to roll a small ball with the snow and with Ben's help, they had a reasonably large bottom for the snowman. Kaitlyn and Zach worked on the middle half while Ben and Alex went to work with the head. With Zach and Ben, the snowman was soon assembled quite easily. Admiring their built snowman, they set to work on each acquiring a piece for decor. Alex got to put the carrot on the snowman for the nose while Zach attached button eyes and Kaitlyn added the hat and scarf. Ben was the one to make stick hands. Happy now, Alex blew on his hands trying to warm up which was noticed by his father. Ben led his adopted son into the house, claiming it was getting too cold. Alex gratefully allowed Ben to help him out of the winter suit and into the kitchen where he was given a warm mug of hot cocoa.
As Kaitlyn and Ben talked, Zach began to mess with Alex. Uncle and nephew were soon engaged in a mock battle of constant jokes about the other. The small insult battle continued on until Ben laughed and told them to take a break. He looked at his watch and told them they were supposed to be going to the mall to do a few little pick ups. Alex begrudgingly allowed Ben to pick him up and strap him in his car seat as Kaitlyn and Zach got in Ben's car. The three adults entertained one another with various chatter while Alex listened to his iPod that was always left in the pouch of his car seat thankfully.
They reached the mall soon enough and after some debating, Kaitlyn took Alex with her while the guys went to shop for something last minute. She shook her head at their carelessness and the shrunken teen boy accompanied her as she did a few errands around the mall. She even took him to the toy store and told Alex with a wink to pick out any toy her wanted, but only one. Alex lit up at that but found most toys in the store to be childishly boring, so he settled on a new football. After purchasing the boy's selection, she led him out of the store and as they headed to the food court, Kaitlyn saw the line leading up to...
"Hey Al, what say you see Santa?" Kaitlyn asked with a sly looking smile as she knelt down and put her hands on Alex's shoulders. The miniature teen looked at her incredulously, his childish act gone in an instant at those words. No way. He preferred his dignity thank you very much. Yet Kaitlyn kept looking at him pleadingly, wanting him to be some little boy and go sit in a stranger's lap. Alex winced at the thought. Gross.
"Kaitlyn, please don't make me," Alex protested as Kaitlyn took his hand and dragged him over to the line of antsy children wanting to see Santa. He jiggled his hand to try and get her to release him but it only served to make her pick him up. She kissed his cheek in apology and Alex wiggled, really not wanting to do this. He could provide no escape though as Kaitlyn carried him through the line, feeling a sense of dread as he watched each child eagerly get their picture with Santa (being obnoxious and loud as well) before telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Alex idly noted how the fake Santa looked very exasperated and the elves used as the photographer and workers keeping the line in track (as well as the miffed one lifting the children up onto Santa's lap) looked ready to sleep on the spot. Alex knew there was no way around this and when Kaitlyn set him down as it neared his turn, he shot her an annoyed look before letting himself quietly be ushered to "Santa" (giving the workers a small reprieve at not having another screaming or loud child.
Alex didn't make a noise when the worker in front of him lifted him up and set him on the man's lap. The photographer gave a tired "Smile!" before Alex sighed and let himself give a childish smile at the photographer. The man seemed relieved to know there weren't any frowns from the boy and talked to Kaitlyn about what kind of sizes she wanted of Alex. Meanwhile the man dressed as Santa looked at Alex.
"And what do you want for Christmas little boy?" the man asked with an edge of tiredness that no normal child should be able to pick up on. But Alex was formerly a teenager and recently a former spy. Alex looked over at Kaitlyn positively glowing as she selected sizes of the photo of Alex and he knew his answer anyways. He had to write it on paper for his teacher when they wrote "Dear Santa" letters before break.
"I want my family to be together for one day at least," Alex said plain and simply, his voice sounding childish enough. The man seemed surprised by that being all that Alex requested and when prompted, Alex said that was it and he was done. The pseudo Santa set Alex down, bemused by the child. Alex quickly went to join Kaitlyn, taking hold of her hand as she finished buying the photo set. Kaitlyn smiled at Alex and the two walked away from the line when Alex spotted a photo booth. Feeling up to it now that he saw Kaitlyn so happy, he tugged on her hand and asked if she'd like to be in a few photos with him for his dad. Kaitlyn beamed at the idea and the two entered.
Three various pictures later, the two were laughing as they viewed. One had Kaitlyn kissing Alex on the cheek with Alex glowing happily, the second being Alex sticking his tongue out while Kaitlyn was giving a fish face and cross eyes. The third had the two of them simply smiling, Alex in Kaitlyn's lap and her arms around his waist. Kaitlyn made sure to get copies of them from a nearby photo shop before they stowed away their photos and headed to the food court. Kaitlyn bought Alex a burger with fries and a coke while she had a salad. As the two were eating, Zach and Ben finally came to join them, each lugging around their own bags.
"So had fun you two?" Ben asked. Alex was nibbling lightly on his burger when his eyes caught sight of a familiar person and he nearly choked as he saw her take a seat right across from their table, talking to a boy he had only met once.
Sabina. Alex stared at the girl for a moment or two before he saw hands wave in front of his face and he turned to see Kaitlyn, Zach, and Ben looking at him in concern. He shook his head and muttered a quick "It's nothing" to them before trying to keep up with their conversations. What was Sabina even doing here? He was back at home not on that mission anyways.
"Come on kiddo, time to go," Ben was saying and before Alex could say anything, Ben lifted him up into his arms, sitting him on his hips. Sabina was close to turning around so Alex quickly hid his face into Ben's shoulder. Ben interpreted this as Alex getting tired and just kept his arms around the boy. Kaitlyn and Zach stood up as well, wondering what was wrong with Alex but deciding to leave it.
Alex looked over Ben's shoulder as he was carried away, looking at Sabina as he did. A small, almost wistful, look appeared on his face and he sighed before resting his cheek against Ben's shoulder, knowing that he couldn't do anything about it. He was a kid again and that was that. At least until that antidote one day came. Sabina suddenly looked up and spotted the man walking away from the food court, holding a small boy. She blinked, feeling like she had seen the child before, and shrugged, going back to her talk with her friends.
"I'm going to call Alex later on, after I've gotten adjusted to London again," Sabina said to her friend with a smile...
Ben set Alex down and took hold of his hand as they walked a little bit further, looking down at Alex every now and then. They made it to the car with no problems. Ben opened the car door and let Alex get into the car seat before buckling him in and snapping the padlock shut. Alex moved around a bit until he was comfortable and Ben chuckled before he slid into the driver's seat. Kaitlyn got in next to him and Zach took up the seat next to Alex.
The car ride was somewhat silent with the exception of the Christmas music playing on the radio. The group made it home easily enough and Ben unlatched Alex before deciding to carry him inside. It was nearly dark out so they hurried inside, ignoring the snow. Alex sneezed, his cheeks somewhat red and was immediately taken further into the house. Ben undid his son's coat and Kaitlyn brought a blanket over for Ben to wrap Alex up in.
"Did you have a good time kiddo?" Ben asked as he carried Alex upstairs. Alex felt slightly stuffy now that he was in the warmth again and he burrowed into the blanket for warmth. Ben smiled at his son and set Alex on the bed, pulling out his pajamas from the dresser.
"Feel warm enough to let me get you dressed for bed Al?" Ben chuckled. Alex poked his tongue out at Ben and the man chuckled, lowering the blankets. Alex fell back on the bed and let Ben unbutton his top. It only took a few minutes before Ben finished changing Alex and he tucked his son into bed, kissing Alex on the cheek. Alex smiled and closed his eyes, leaning into Ben's touch as his father gently ran a hand through his hair. He fell asleep within minutes, his breath evening out.
Christmas Day
"It's Christmas!" shouted Alex Daniels as he jumped on his dad and Kaitlyn who had fallen asleep together in his room. Ben led out a groan at the impact of his small son jumping onto his stomach while Kaitlyn simply giggled at his demise.
"Little pest," Ben joked as he sat up and began tickling Alex. The boy yelped and began to laugh, falling against Ben's chest as his father tickled him rather easily.
"Daddy! I give!" Alex laughed out, struggling to get loose. Ben smiled and let Alex free, watching the boy crawl off his lap to hug Kaitlyn, giving her a good morning. The three eventually got out of bed and headed downstairs where Zach was lazily sipping a cup of coffee. He greeted them all with a "Happy Christmas" before motioning to the pancakes he had cooked up for the group. They all settled down to eat when the doorbell rang.
"Right on time," Ben murmured before he got up and left. Minutes later Alex heard chattering before his grandparents entered.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" Alex greeted happily as his grandmother lifted him up into her arms, giving him a kiss to his forehead. She cooed over him for awhile until passing him to his grandfather who made a lot of jokes about him getting rather big.
"Hopefully your dad and uncle haven't been up to anything bad again," his grandmother said.
"Well... Uncle Zach said something about getting hot beach bunnies to sleep with him. Did he mean they were lonely in their sleep?" he suggested 'innocently'. Zach looked at Alex with narrowed eyes and as Ben led Alex to the living room to hide, Zach hastily explained that he had said this in his sleep and it was a dream. Alex grinned and let Ben sit on the floor with him in his lap as the rest entered after Ben's mum got through lecturing Zach. The poor guy looked red in the face from embarrassment before he sat down on the couch. Kaitlyn decided to be the one to pass out the presents and Alex blinked at how many he had gotten. To keep up appearances, Zach had told him he had a few from Santa Claus in there, but there were a lot not from the "man in the red suit."
He was surprised by the gifts he had received. From Mrs. Jones he had gotten the complete set of Harry Potter DVDS from one to four. Smithers had gotten him an actual bike his size, with a small tag saying it was ordinary but if he happened to press down on a button hidden in the rubber part of the bars, it sent a signal to Ben's phone if he were in danger. Kaitlyn had gotten him a handful of toy cars which were very much life like. Snake had bought him a book on simple first aid. Tom had gotten him a brand new football. Kacey from Kindergarten had gotten a new video game the two had been talking about before the break. Wolf had given him toy swords. From Eagle he got a hoodie with his name on the back. His grandparents had bought him a lot of coloring books. Jack's mother had gotten him a picture of Ian, Alex, and Jack from when Alex was actually young. His grandparents didn't see it thankfully, talking to Zach about his career or something. Zach had gotten him a few toys and a new phone (that he gave to him when his grandparents weren't looking).
The last box for Alex was odd. It was fairly large with holes all over. After Ben's prompting, he hesitantly opened it and was surprised to see a puppy jump up from it, woofing eagerly at him. Alex looked at the puppy in surprise. It was a small golden retriever with a red bow on its neck. After a quick inspection, Alex discovered it was a boy. He smiled at the puppy that seemed to be solely set on licking Alex everywhere in the face.
"Thought you might want a little friend," Ben said with a smile, his arms around Alex's waist as he gave the puppy a pat.
"What're you going to name him?" Alex's grandmother asked. Alex looked at the puppy for a moment before saying.
"Cub," Alex said and the puppy seemed to like the name, for he jumped up and licked Alex in the cheek. Alex giggled childishly and felt like the child he was. He was happy and content to be a kid right now which would one day change, he knew.
"Happy Christmas son," Ben whispered.
"Happy Christmas Dad," Alex whispered back, leaning against Ben with his eyes closed. Ben may not be aware of this, but it had been the best Christmas that Alex had ever had...
Author's Note: Sorry! The chapter sounds a bit rushed but I couldn't get the words right. Well it's ironic I finished the day I had put on this chapter. Well I hope you guys liked this and please please review. The antidote is coming soon by the way. Anyways, Merry Christmas and I don't know when I'll next update so Happy New Year!
