Disclaimer: I don't own. I also ate that marshmallow in a desperate urge for food. I was quite sick for a while later.
Reviews From: Mufasa Lives On, vampassassin, cuteismeep, RugbyRock, AD, Josephine18, Battlecry4ever, jessiepotter11390, I read not write, Jousting Elf with a Sabre, Torture, Anonymous-chic, Pocket Quasar, rid3r chick, Okami, J.J.Taylor, Ajii, yo., MASKED AXE MURDERER, crazy-gal-in-blue, KeladryOalanna, icyslumber, SharkiesGirl, liz22463, yotakehisuo174 and Maltrkx.
Words to reach: (22 times 100 equals...)2200 plus (18 times 50 for answering the question...) 900 equals 3100 words.
3100 words!
Author's Note: Okay. So I changed from 200 words a review to 100 because I can't possibly fit it into the plot (I also stopped counting anonymous reviews so I don't get spammed). I attempted this chapter twice with the before amount of words (which was quite a lot) but it just didn't work. Alas, that is why I have taken so long to update. So, from this point on, it's 100 words a review. Yeah, hopefully it'll work. If I get less than 20 reviews, I'll probably add words myself. Sorry for an inconvenience.
Thanks to your responses, I have finally set a timing for this story. After Snakehead. What ever happens in it may make it AU, but I don't care right now. –grin-
Sorry for the wait. I hated it, personally. I hope this chapter makes up for it.
P.S. Rabbitohs made it to the semis for the first time in 19 years. Unfortunately they lost.
They spent the rest of the night doing all sorts of acrobats. Laura was getting better, but she was still unsure of herself, causing more spills than necessary.
But, that's okay, Alex thought. At least she's trying.
The next morning, Alex was woken up, yet again, by Laura. He was quietly lying in bed with his eyes closed when he started hearing a pattern in the noises from the large apartment.
Breath, thud, louder thud, scramble. Breath, thud, louder thud, scramble.
He turned over and tried to block it out.
Breath, thud, louder thud, scramble.
He opened one eye as slowly as he could. The light stung but he could see properly after a few seconds. It was Laura doing summersaults on the carpeted floor of his room.
"Laur, do you have to do this in my room? It's annoying me."
She beamed up at him from the floor where she had toppled over on hearing his voice. "Hey, Alex. Lovely morning, ain't it?"
"Murff..."
Breath, thud, louder thud, scramble.
"Do you have to do that in here?" Alex snapped, sitting up and running a hand through his already messy hair.
She stood up and smirked. "Guess what day it is!"
"Err...Tuesday?"
Laura waved her arms around, her eyes brows raised. "And...?"
Alex shook his head. "I have no idea.'
"It's Jasmine's birthday!"
Alex froze. He'd never been told. "What-ha-why-ha?"
Laura giggled. "You're funny when you've just woken up."
Alex rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Laura beamed and sat on Alex's bed, unfortunately sitting on his knees. "It's Jasmine's birthday today. I was supposed to tell you but I didn't."
"Why didn't you?" he asked, yawning.
"'Cause I was preoccupied."
"With what?"
"Wolf, Eagle and Jasmine went to hospital."
Alex froze. "WHAT?! Why?" If something had happened to them, he was going to throttle the girl slowly cutting off his leg circulation.
Laura smiled again. How could she be so God damn happy? "Well, they went to visit a guy called Snake, and they said I had to look after you, you big baby!" She finished her sentence as she pinched his cheek.
Alex slapped her hand away and sighed. "And why didn't you tell me this last night?"
She stood up again and Alex silently thanked her. He was starting to loose feeling in his leg. "Well, I was going to, but you look so cute in your sleep! Like a little baby on sleeping pills."
"Right. I'm sure I do."
She nodded. "Now, put a shirt on and come make breakfast. I'm not touching the kitchen."
Breakfast was a disaster. Alex had had a quick shower and got dressed into his uniform in record speed. He had walked to the kitchen to find Laura laughing.
"Err, what are you giggling at?" he had asked.
"Oh, just that I dropped the milk carton and now it's all over the floor."
Great. Perfect. Brilliant. Divine!
Alex swore under his breath and pulled a mop out of the closet. He forced Laura to mop up while he grabbed another carton and got to work on breakfast. Cereal. Foolproof. Well, except maybe Laura. They ate in silence until Alex noticed the time and all but pushed Laura into the shower.
"Hey! Watch it!" Laura groaned mockingly and Alex half picked her up off the floor and led her to the bathroom.
He grunted and shut the door behind her. "Be out in ten minutes or I won't buy you a lolly!"
Laura was skipping in front of him, her pony tail bobbing in and out of his sight. They had politely refused Lionel's offer to drive them to school and decided to walk. Alex promised him he would keep them both safe. That didn't stop him following them in the limo. In and out her hair swayed, slowly getting him more and more irritated.
"Allllleeeeeexx!" she called, coming to a halt.
"What, Laur?" he responded, faking cheeriness. Breakfast had already put Laura on his temporary 'Hate' list.
"You owe me a lolly, remember?"
He sighed. "No, I don't."
"Yeah!" she insisted. "I can remember you saying that if I had a shower in ten minutes I would get a lolly."
"Yeah!" he agreed. "But-" She frowned. "You took twelve minutes. No lolly for you!"
She glared at him. After a few moments she pouted. "Please?"
He sighed. "No, Laura. You need to learn some discipline."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"I said, no."
"Pretty please with ice cream and a cherry on top?"
"I don't eat cherries," he lied.
"Please."
He sighed again. Resistance was futile. "Alright. But just this once."
Laura smiled and ran into the sweet shop. Alex signalled to Lionel that they were going in the shop. Lionel had already run him through the rules of walking by themselves. Scratch your nose if you're stopping; pretend to tie your shoe if they were taking a break and run like the wind if you were being followed by somebody who wasn't Lionel. Easy as.
"Come ooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn!" Laura whinged, stepping back out of the shop and yanking his sleeve. "You have to help me pick which one I want."
Alex walked into Smithy's Lolly Shop and almost lost his mind. Sabina was standing on the far side of the shop, browsing a shelf of rock candy. She hadn't noticed them walking in, but he was sure she could have heard it, what with Laura yelling and all.
"Let's look over here first!" Alex hissed, grabbing Laura's wrist and yanking her towards the other end of the shop.
"But I wanna look over there!" she squealed, frowning.
Alex looked over her shoulder and saw Sabina turning. He skilfully dove behind a chocolate display and covered her mouth with his hand. He quickly removed it when she decided to spit on his skin.
"Laura!" he yelped hoarsely, staring at his hand in shock.
"Alex!" Laura mimicked. She giggled as Alex wiped his hand on his school pants, crouched down and pretended to gag.
"What was that for?" he hissed, not kindly.
But Laura had already walked over to the chocolates and was staring at them in interest. Alex carefully peered through the gap between Laura's knees and the cardboard stand, watching out for Sabina. He didn't really want to speak to her. They hadn't been in contact since she left for America, almost a year ago. It just seemed so...different. He'd changed since she had gone, and he was hoping that she had too.
"Laura! Laura!" Alex whispered from down on the floor. "Laura!" She didn't move, instead watching the man behind the counter show another customer how a type of frog-shaped chocolate was made. "Laura!"
Still no reaction. Alex looked around for Sabina. It seemed she had left the shop. He sighed, about to call out for Laura a little louder.
"Alex?"
He froze. That was Sabina's voice. Alex turned his head slowly, hoping he was imagining it all. Standing about two feet away was Sabina. Her hair was a little lighter than the dark brown he could remember. Her freckles were a bit more prominent than the last time they came face to face, but other than that, she was still the same old Sabina. She was smiling down at him. The grin was mingled with a bit of confusion on what he was doing on the floor at a girl's feet.
"Alex?" she repeated.
"Hey, Sab. What are you doing here?"
She was about to answer when Laura snapped back to reality. "Hey, Alex, where'd you-"
It would later be looked back on as hilarious, but Laura toppling over him, crashing straight into a wall and ending up lying on top of Alex was not the type of distraction he was previously wishing for.
"Oh my goodness!" Sabina gushed, looking startled.
Alex looked around. Laura was firmly planted across his torso, looking on the verge of a laughing fit. He groaned. That was the last thing he needed – Laura making a scene of it.
"Get up, Laur," Alex said quietly, poking her in the side with his elbow.
She did as she was told, stumbling slightly as she tried to help him up too, only managing to tred on Sabina's feet as she did. Sabina grimaced.
"Sorry about that, Al. Didn't see you there!" Laura chirped as if nothing had happened.
"It's alright, Laur," Alex said, pulling himself up. He dusted his hands off on his trousers and looked around for any damage. Thankfully, nothing had come down with them. The shop worker was glaring at them, but Alex just ignored it.
"Who are you?" Laura asked rudely, staring at Sabina.
"Err..." Alex intervened. "Laura, this is Sabina. Sabina, this is Laura."
Laura beamed and stuck her hand out at Sabina in a rather frightening manner. "Hi! I'm Laura!"
Sabina smiled nervously and shook it. "Hey, Laura. I'm Sabina. I'm a friend of Alex's."
Laura nodded. "Same!"
Alex sighed inwardly and started backing away. When they continued talking he turned and grabbed the closest lolly. He walked over to the counter and payed for it.
"Just this?" the guy asked, obviously till angry about Alex and Laura creating a fuss.
Alex nodded. Once paid for, he slipped the packet into his pocket and walked back to the girls. It seemed that they were getting along okay. He wasn't sure why, but this worried him. They couldn't possibly start getting along. What if their friendship ruined the progress of the mission?
"Sorry to interrupt," Alex said loudly. "But, Laur, we have to get to school."
Laura stopped speaking and turned to face Alex. "Oh!" She turned to Sabina and shrugged. "Well, see ya!"
Sabina nodded and gave Laura a little wave. Alex didn't look back at Sabina as they left the shop. He wasn't sure what to say to her, so he decided he wouldn't say anything. They were already out in the daylight and heading towards the school gates when Sabina tapped Alex's shoulder. Laura didn't notice and kept walking, more immersed in then funny faces Lionel was making from the limo than what Alex was doing.
Alex turned. "Hey, Sabina."
"Hey yourself!" Sabina said angrily.
Alex was startled. "What's up?"
"Who is that?" she asked, pointing sideways at Laura who was making faces back at Lionel.
Alex thought quickly. Laura and the mission or Sabina's feelings? "Err...that's my girlfriend, Laura."
The mission had won. Bloody MI6.
Sabina fell into a state of shock. "Your – your – girl...girlfriend?"
Alex nodded and shot a glance at Laura, who had noticed Alex wasn't beside her and was heading back his way, Lionel parked stationary at the end of the road. He looked back at Sabina.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Alex asked bravely.
Sabina shook her head and walked the other way, almost running over a nearby poodle. Alex sighed and faced Laura. She was patiently waiting for him on a park bench, playing with her shoelaces.
"Come on," Alex said blankly.
She stood up obediently and walked beside him. Alex wasn't sure if telling Laura about his conversation with Sabina was a good thing or not. He was still pretty surprised with himself. Sabina had been a good friend of his for a while, but Laura had found her way into the top priority friend spot. He sighed to himself. If they ever came across Sabina again, he would have some explaining to do.
They continued the rest of the way to the school crossing in silence. Laura pressed the pedestrian button and slipped her hand into his. It was if Laura knew something about Alex and Sabina that not even Alex himself could understand. The little green man flashed up and Laura pulled him across the road, double checking the cars had stopped.
There were other school children everywhere on the other side of the road. As Alex and Laura passed, still holding hands, whispers immediately started between the groups. The two of them kept walking into the school grounds until they reached Indy.
"Hey guys!" she chirped, seemingly thankful for somebody to talk to. Laura and Alex both greeted her before they all heard the bell. "Made it just in time!" she said as they made their way to English, the first class of the day.
Alex nodded. "Yeah, got distracted..."
School was a complete bore, right up until lunch time. Rumours had been going around that Laura and Alex were dating, and all Alex did was boost them. He could remember that for Josephine and Joseph to get jealous, there had to be something to be jealous of. Indy spent the whole day shooting questioning looks at Laura and Alex. And occasionally one that made it seem like they were about to jump up and start doing some kind of Irish jig.
"Alex," Indy said as they were being let out for lunch. "Can I speak to you for a minute?"
He nodded and told Tom and Laura to meet them at the canteen in five minutes. "What's up?" he asked as Indy pulled him away from the rest of the crowd.
"Well, I was just wondering...are you and Laura really going out?"
Alex took a deep breath. "Yes, we are."
Indy nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. I just wasn't sure if I should be stopping the rumours or not."
Alex smiled as her. "Well, thanks for the concern."
Indy smiled back. "You're welcome."
They caught up with Tom and Laura quickly and all sat down to eat. They found a little table together and pulled out their lunches. Alex listened in as Indy, Laura and Tom all had a heated argument about who was going to make it into the school football team. Of course, Indy and Laura didn't know much because they were both new.
"Alex what do you think?"
Alex stared at Tom, who had asked the question. Was it too rude to ask what they were talking about? He shrugged. "I dunno."
Tom nodded sadly. "It never really was his strong point," Tom told the girls, causing them to laugh.
Alex frowned. "Hey, Tom, where are Colin and what's-his-face?"
The other boy shrugged. "No idea. I think Colin is off with that Jamal guy."
Alex nodded. Jamal Siles was a pretty cool guy. He had dark brown hair – the tips dyed a bright red colour – and jade eyes. Alex hadn't talked to him much, but they got along well, regardless. He was good at sport and school (mainly because he was forever reading and bumping into people).
"Oh, yeah."
Alex went back to his meal, looking around. He spotted Josephine sitting by herself, texting on her phone. He watched as she frowned and threw her phone down on the table. She fumed silently for a few moments before pulling an apple out of her school bag. Without really knowing what he was doing, Alex stood up and walked over to her.
"What do you want?" she growled as he sat down.
He shrugged coolly. "Nothin'. Just thought you might be lonely."
Her anger died. "My bloody brother stole all my friends."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," she said agitatedly. "That Joseph has gone and wooed all my friends, and they are all off somewhere, taking it in turns to snog each other's brains out!"
Alex frowned. "Yuck..." He was truly disgusted.
She sighed. "I know. So, now I'm friendless."
Alex quickly thought of something to say. "You can come hang with my friends if you want."
She looked up and took a big bite out of her apple. "Really?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure Indy and Laura will be good company. If not, Tom and I should be entertaining enough."
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."
Alex stood up again. "Well, whenever you feel like it, you can join us."
She stood up too. "Would now be a good time?"
He turned to face her. She gave him a pleading look. "Yeah...I guess."
"Great!" she beamed, picking up her bag. She detangled herself from the table and started marching over to the table Alex was at before.
"I can't believe you invited her over here!" Tom hissed at Alex. The taller boy had made a polite excuse to drag Alex away from the table, and was now glaring the life out of him.
"I didn't know it would be a problem!" Alex insisted.
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong!"
"Hey! What's your problem with her anyway?"
"What's my problem? WHAT'S MY PROBLEM? I'll tell you what my problem is!"
Alex waited, but it seemed Tom was incapable of talking right at that moment. "You don't really have a good reason do you?" Alex asked after a few moments of silence.
Tom glared at him. "My reason is private." He folded his arms.
"Right..." Alex said amusedly. "Well, when you care to tell, I'll be right over there!"
Alex walked back over to the table, leaving Tom by himself.
"I'm tired!" Laura whined, dawdling on her way out of the school. "I'm so tired, I should be dead!"
Alex sighed. "Well, if you are that tired, then why aren't you on the floor?"
Laura dropped down onto the ground and played dead.
Alex chuckled. "Come on, Laur. Get up!"
She didn't move.
Alex stuck his hands in his pockets. He knew that Laura wouldn't get up without a good reason. He was on the verge of leaving her there when he felt plastic. "I'll give you a lolly!"
Within seconds, Laura was standing up straight, a smile on her face and her hand out. Alex pulled the packet out of his pocket and ripped the top off with his teeth. The lollies were a bit like skittles, but not quite the same.
"I want a green one!" Laura demanded.
Alex groaned and poured a handful out into his palm. Laura watched as he put the packet back into his pocket and sorted them out in his left hand. He handed her four green ones and threw the rest into his mouth.
"Hey! You got more than me!"
"So?" Alex said through a mouthful of sugar. "You wanted green ones; I wanted all the other colours!"
Laura glared playfully and continued walking towards the limo, parked in the bus stop. Once they reached the car, they saw Lionel busy talking to the crowd. As they got closer, they noticed they were talking about cars.
"Does it have a fridge?" an elder student asked.
Lionel nodded. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have passengers to attend to."
"Hey, Lionel!" Alex and Laura greeted smiling at him.
"Hey, you two." He opened the back door. "Hop in. We are going to the hospital."
A/N: It sucked. Don't rub it in, okay? I added 20 extra words. I'm sick. Blergh. Expect a longer chapter next week.
This week's question: What colour does this story remind you of?
My answer: Mission Improbable reminds me of a blue-green colour.
Answers get 20 words!
Love you all!
RG
xox
P.S. What happened to all those lovely people who were going to help me edit the first 10 chapters?