Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series.

Claimer: I do own the AIS and all characters from the AIS (e.g. Desiree Swan), and any other characters you don't recognise from the Alex Rider series.

Chapter 17

Desiree looked at herself one last time in the mirror. Normally, she didn't so much give her reflection a second glance, but she really wanted to leave a lasting impression. Especially since this would be the last time she would be seeing Alex before she, Jake, Terry and Dean left England for good. And there really was no telling when the two would meet again, if ever.

The day after she'd woken up, Alex and Tom had to go back to school, since it was a Monday (apparently – she'd lost all sense of time after being locked in a cell and tortured for God knows how long). With the threat of Scorpia withdrawn, the school was no longer surrounded by SAS soldiers and MI6 agents. The teens were now able to freely walk through their school again without fear of being shot at or kidnapped. That, however, didn't stop the unwanted attention which Alex seemed to keep attracting. Indeed, he now seemed to have almost the entire female population stalking him, while the entire male population were trying to befriend him.

When Tom and Alex had visited Desiree in hospital on Monday afternoon, Alex had spent half an hour ranting on and on about how his school consisted of nothing but "half-witted dunderheads without an inkling of the real world!" Desiree and Tom had exchanged exasperated glances, and had then proceeded to tune the teenage spy out until he calmed down. After that, it took the two the rest of their visit to explain to Alex how the fact that he'd been kidnapped made him even more eligible in the eyes of the female population and more 'cool' in the eyes of the male.

At which point the boy had promptly gone into another rant, causing Desiree and Tom to once again practice the fine art of tuning out someone who was shouting insults very close to their ears.

The next day, where Desiree had slowly regained the ability to get out of bed and walk around without killing herself, Tom told the girl (in between great amounts of laughter) that a third of the female population at Brooklands had already asked Alex to go with them to the Dance. Alex was glaring at Tom as he told the Australian girl this; it seemed that the two friends had made a pact not to tell Dessi about what she was missing at school.

Even as Desiree laughed with Tom at Alex's misfortune, she couldn't help the twinge of jealousy at the thought of the boy getting so much feminine attention. But what was even more unnerving for the girl was the sense of relief coursing through her veins when Tom told her about how Alex had rejected (rather roughly) each and every one of them.

She couldn't help but remember the way she'd felt when Alex had wrapped an arm around her, or when he'd carried her so close to his body. And there was that look in his eyes whenever he glanced at her, believing her to not be paying any attention...Ah, crap, I've got a crush on a boy living in the complete opposite hemisphere as me, she mentally cursed.

Wednesday brought with it the good news that she would be discharged the next day. Wednesday was the day in which Desiree learnt that almost all of the remaining female population had asked to attend the Dance with Alex, and had been rejected. Wednesday was the day Tom finally plucked up the courage to ask April Thompson (one of the few girls that hadn't asked Alex out) out to the Dance – oh, and she said yes. Wednesday also marked the day that Cindy Rills decided to stalk Alex around for the entire day (which she normally did anyway...), pestering him to go to the Dance with her. In the end, Tom had gotten fed up with having the girl's shrieking voice constantly ... shrieking ... beside his ear that he dumped his mashed potato on her head. Needless to say, she wasn't too pleased.

Desiree on the other hand, found the incident rather hilarious, and had promptly dissolved into laughter when Tom described (with startling accuracy) the expression on Cindy's face when she realised that he'd dumped mashed potato on her 'perfectly crafted hair'. Dessi couldn't help but notice that Alex joined in with her laughter, gazing at her with sparkling eyes...

Thursday was a very, very long day to wait out. Jake, Terry and Dean couldn't understand why the girl was so impatient, but it had been four days since she was allowed outside, and this was the day when she was finally cleared to go back home – or at least, go back to Alex's home. Her field partner wasn't much help in calming her down, especially since every time she started talking about Alex, he started to either glare straight ahead of him, or drop whatever he was holding. After he sent her lunch clattering to the ground, the girl stayed quiet on the topic of MI6's teenage spy.

When Tom and Alex finally walked into her ward in the afternoon, with Jack tailing along behind them, Desiree couldn't help but be relieved that her hospital stay was finally over. Jake left with Terry and Dean – or rather, he was forcefully dragged out by the other two who wanted to prevent any arguments that may take place between Jake and Alex – and the three AIS agents left for the hotel which they had been set up in, courtesy of the MI6.

Today, Friday, had by far been the best day yet. Not wanting to miss any opportunity to spend time with Alex, Desiree had tagged along with them to school. That perhaps had not been a smart move, because for some reason the girl began attracting a lot of unwanted attention. Alex and Tom did their best to turn away the persistent male population, but it was inevitable that at least one boy would get through their net.

The two didn't have to worry. Almost as soon as Neal Roese opened his mouth, Desiree snapped. What happened after could only be described as epic. The girl had shouted at him so loudly, and with the use of so many words that sixteen year old girls shouldn't know, that for the rest of the day none of the male population could even think about her without wincing. Alex and Tom just looked at the girl in awe, their respect for her increasing in leaps and bounds when, after yelling at Neal for ten minutes she'd turned to the two, gave them both a sweet smile, and pranced off to her next class. That epic shouting session would go down in legend.

But the most memorable event that occurred that day happened during lunch. Since the Dance was that night, many girls were coming around for second shots, desperately trying to get Alex to go with them. The boy had been late for lunch, so while Dessi and Tom ate, all the girls in the cafeteria plotted. Tom had been grinning in anticipation of Alex's reaction to all the girls (such a nice friend). Desiree, on the other hand, had zoned out all the noise going on around her to prevent herself from developing a headache.

When Alex had finally made his entry, he had been literally bombarded with flocking girls. Tom had looked on eagerly, waiting for the explosion. April had made her way over to tell the boy off about how unsupportive he was of his friend, but Tom merely gestured towards Alex with a look of glee on his face, clearly telling the girl to see the expression on the teenage spy's face. Against her better judgement, the girl who was going to the Dance with Tom glanced over, and had immediately dissolved into laughter.

Somehow, Alex had managed to fight his way over to Desiree, Tom and April. The latter two gave the boy wide grins, before both of them spontaneously burst into laughter again. Desiree rolled her eyes at Alex, shaking her head in mock shame. Alex had given the girl a small, nervous smile, before dropping into the seat next to her, leaning over, and whispering into her ear:

"Do you want to go to the Dance with me tonight?"

Desiree had whipped her head around and stared at Alex in shock, completely ignoring the population of girls that had interpreted her expression and were glaring at her in jealousy. Once she saw that he wasn't joking around, bright blue eyes seemed to light up in happiness as the blonde girl gave the MI6 teenage spy a rather shy smile, which quickly morphed into a grin when it was returned.

This was the reason why she now stood in front of her mirror, checking over her appearance. After school that day, she'd been met with a surprise in the form of Anna Satins, the AIS cook and dressmaker. The twenty-two year old had brought with her a gown which she'd literally forced Desiree into as soon as the girl had stepped into the Rider household. Well, first, she'd been dragged bodily upstairs and locked into her room.

"You look beautiful," Anna said, stepping back and taking in the girl.

Dessi smiled shyly, unused to such compliments about her looks. "Thanks. And thank you for helping with everything."

"No problem! I've always wanted to come to England! And while you're at the Dance tonight, I'm going to join Jack and the rest of your unit in walking around and exploring!" Anna exclaimed, pulling Desiree into an excited hug, "It'll be a safe adventure!"

"You'll only be here for a few hours," Desiree pointed out.

"So? Better just a few hours than never," Anna said, her grin still in place.

"True."

They were interrupted by a soft knock on the door; a moment later Jack poked her head through. Catching sight of the dressed up girl, she broke into a wide grin. "Desiree you look beautiful!" She exclaimed, walking into the room and pulling the girl into a hug, ignoring the girl's stammered thanks. "Alex is waiting for you downstairs; you'd better go now before he completely freaks out."

Desiree nodded, smiling at the two women before moving towards the door. Just before she completely exited the room, she paused and turned back to Jack. "Oh, thank you for having me here. It's been a pleasure to meet you."

Jack's eyes widened. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah," Dessi sighed, "But don't tell Alex. I don't want him all depressed tonight."

"No, of course not, I understand," Jack said, sounding slightly teary. Then, before Desiree could leave, she rushed forwards and pulled the girl into another hug, this one a lot tighter than before. The girl's broken arm that was now in a cast was squished uncomfortably between them. "I should be the one thanking you, Dessi. Thank you for coming over and helping Alex with this whole threat thing. I...he...when you came, he was just...so much more relaxed, and happy, and I know I have you to thank and...well, thank you. You're welcome here anytime."

Jack pulled away and gave the girl a genuine smile, before pushing her out the door with a wink. Desiree collected herself for a few moments, blinking away some tears so that they wouldn't smudge her face (Anna had forced the girl to wear make-up tonight), before going down the stairs to meet Alex. She had refused point blank to wear heels, so there was no chance of stacking it in the blue ballet flats which had been Anna's compromise.

Alex turned at the sound of someone walking quietly down the stairs. The boy froze, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw Desiree. The girl stood at the end of the stairs, waiting slightly nervously for him to say something while trying not to scratch the itch that her cast was causing. Remembering his manners (or at least the ones that had been drilled into him for the last two hours or so by Jack), he walked across to the girl and offered her his arm, which she took with a grin.

"You look so pretty," Alex said, "And your hair looks very nice in curls."

"Thanks," Dessi smiled, fingering her now curly hair, "You look very dashing yourself."

Alex rolled his eyes. "If any girl had said that, I would've strangled them."

"Well then, good thing I'm not 'any girl', otherwise you wouldn't have a date tonight," Desiree teased, allowing Alex to help her into the MI6 provided car. The way to the Dance was filled with playful banter from the two spies.

"Just before we go in," Alex whispered, "Let me say again that you look beautiful tonight."

"Err...thanks. But you've already told me that."

"Yes, but I'm repeating it so you'll remember once you're bombarded with boys when we go in," Alex replied, leading the girl towards the entrance. They could already hear music floating through the doors. "Well, we're a timely late."

Dessi shook her head, allowing Alex to open the door for her. "Wow, this place in gorgeous. And I never thought I'd ever hear myself using that word."

Alex snorted, holding out his arm again. "Let's go find Tom."

The pair made their way through the dance floor, where boys and girls alike threw them jealous glances. The two ignored them, trying to seek out Tom Harris and his partner.

"Oh, there they are!" Dessi said, pointing at the pair who had taken up a table and were seemingly waiting for them

"Alex!" Tom exclaimed when they pushed their way across, "And, wow! Dessi, you look awesome!"

April, Tom's partner, face-palmed herself before turning to Desiree with a grin, "I would've said that you look pretty more than "awesome", but that's boys for you."

Desiree snorted, before smiling at April. "You look very pretty too," she said, and so she did. April wore a dreamy purple gown that had a floaty skirt and tight strapless bodice.

The four of them were interrupted by Cindy Rills, doing her best to glide across while wearing heels. She took a second to glare at Desiree and April (whom she seemed to see as a threat to her getting Alex even though she'd never been interested), before turning to Alex with a huge smile.

"Alex, how have you been?" She asked, her leg snaking out slightly through the off-centre split in her red gown. The rather steep drop in the neckline of her gown was accentuated with silver beads sown on in an intricate pattern.

"Erm, my answer hasn't changed from four hours ago, you know," Alex replied, completely oblivious to the flirtatious tone which Cindy had been using, nor to the way she kept twisting her body around, showing off her best angles. Behind Alex's back, Tom faked puke over the table, while the two girls shared a grin about the teenage spy's complete ignorance when it came to girls.

"Oh well," Cindy said when she realised she wasn't getting anywhere. The girl then turned to Desiree, "That's a very unique dress. Where did you get it; the fifties?" Cindy was referring to the fact that Desiree's dress covered pretty much all of her back and chest, something that all the other gowns in the room seemed to bare, and also had elbow-length butterfly sleeves instead of the current bare arms. Anna had realised that Desiree wouldn't want to walk around parading the scars she'd obtained from her most recent encounter with Scorpia, and so had made the dress accordingly.

"No, actually it was from the sixties," Dessi replied in a sweet tone, causing both Alex and April to snort, and Tom to choke on his drink. Realising that the Aussie girl had won, Cindy threw them her best glare (while somehow simultaneously giving Alex a sickly sweet smile), before she spun and left.

Alex rolled his eyes, before turning to Desiree. "Do you want to dance?"

"Uh...Well, I can't really dance all that well," Dessi said with an embarrassed grin, "And I'm on a whole load of pain medication, so I'll probably be really uncoordinated...But if you want to, I'll give it a go."

Alex grinned, holding out his hand and leading Dessi onto the dance floor. He soon found out that the girl wasn't joking when she was talking about the pain medication affecting her coordination. Add to that the fact that her arm was still in a cast, meaning she couldn't bend it well enough to hold onto the boy. As a result, Alex had to hold her a lot closer and tighter to him. Neither of the pair seemed to mind this compromise, however.

"Dessi, you're leaving soon aren't you?" Alex asked.

The girl in his arms froze for a moment. "How-?"

"Just a feeling."

Desiree sighed. "Yeah, we're leaving tonight, right after this." She wrapped her arms around Alex's neck, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't really want to go."

Alex pulled the girl even closer to him. "I don't want you to go either."

They stayed like that for a while, both of them swaying gently to the music, enjoying each other's company and warmth. Both oblivious to the jealous glances that were being shot their way every few seconds. For the two spies, this was a night they wished would never end.

"Alex?" Dessi whispered, breaking the silence, "Have you thought about what you'll do once you graduate?"

The boy smiled slightly. "Not really. MI6 probably wouldn't give me a choice in the matter. Knowing Blunt, he'll probably have the day I graduate circled in his diary. I bet I'll be sent on a mission within a week of graduating."

"Not a very promising future then," Dessi sighed.

"Ah well, maybe my luck will hold out. Then again, maybe it's better if it doesn't."

They lapsed into silence again.

"So what about you?" Alex asked, tightening his arms around Dessi's waist.

"What do you mean?"

"What does your future hold?"

Desiree snorted softly into Alex's chest. "If I live until Jake's age, I'll consider myself lucky."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah."

"So how come Dean and Terry are still alive?"

"They have things to live for."

Alex opened his mouth to say something, anything to make the girl feel better. Instead, what came out was a soft, humourless chuckle.

"What?" Dessi asked, lifting her head off Alex's chest so she could look at him with her crystal blue eyes.

"Nothing. It's just that...out of all the people in this whole entire room who will die relatively normal deaths, you and I will be the only ones who die most likely trying to stop some maniacal psychopath. I don't know why I laughed though; maybe I'm just feeling particularly sadistic at the moment. Can we talk about something else? All this thought about my imminent murder is starting to depress me."

Dessi smiled. "Sure. What would you like to talk about?"

"Will I ever see you again?" Wow, that sounded so corny, Alex thought.

The girl sighed. "Probably not," she conceded, "But maybe fate has something else in store for us."

"I hope so."

"Alex?" Dessi looked up at him, "It's not too late, you know."

"Not too late for what?"

"Pulling out. Telling MI6 to stuff it. Think about it carefully before you accept, okay? No matter how small, you still have somewhat of a say in your life."

Alex sighed. "I know. I just...people keep telling me how good my dad was. How good Ian was. How good I am. What if, what if I was meant to do this?"

Desiree smiled slightly. "No-one can tell you what you were or weren't meant to do. But, in the words of Albus Dumbledore," Alex snorted, "It is not our abilities that determine who we are. It is our choices."

The boy looked slightly surprised for a moment. "You know, I've never really associated Harry Potter with my life. But...that somehow actually made good advice." Alex looked down, grinning at the girl. Dessi smiled back, before leaning into the boy again, tilting her head back as she did so.

Slowly, carefully, and in full view of Tom Harris who was never going to let them live it down, Desiree Swan pressed her lips against those of Alex Rider's.

The End!

Wow! Well, not sure about you guys, but that ending slightly sucked for me...

Anyways, I'd just like to thank all you loyal reviewers for...well reviewing. Also all those who added me or my story to favourites, and to those who alerted me or my story. So, thank you.

As usual, please review!

Also, do let me know if you are all willing to wait for a sequel! And give me some ideas too!

Thanks again!
Love Chariots99