A/N: Okay, so this chapter will be a bit longer than normal. Mainly because I feel kind of guilty that I haven't updated in a while and I have decided that I need to focus on this story a little more.

Disclaimer: If I owned Alex Rider, there would be a whole lot of crazy and probably dangerous things that would happened in the story and after a while, you would probably start becoming concerned about my mental health. :)

And Alex was back to square one. Stuck in his hospital room with only that teddy bear Ms. Jones had given him for company. Not to insult Ms. Jones or the teddy bear, but the bear was not exactly the best of company. Alex had tried to talk to him, but there was of course, no response. And he knew that he was being monitored. The last thing he needed right now was for MI6 to question his mental health.

Alex had a calendar next to his bed. It was something Kristoff had given him, and he had to admit that it was pretty cool. There were pictures of snow covered tundras, mountains, quiet, ghostly streets, and in the month of February, a girl dressed in camo with large, doe shaped amber eyes. She was glaring at something of screen, her eyes not focused on whoever had taken the photo, but she was pretty. Alex wondered who she was.

The door opened, and Alex was startled out of his thoughts. It was 2 boys led by a nurse. They were bundled up in heavy black coats, and their faces were covered in scarfs, one red, the other green.

Alex stared at them. He didn't quiet recognize them until they took of the scarfs. Tom and James.

"Alex!" Tom exclaimed. "What did you do this time?"

The nurse shut the door quietly behind them, and James and Tom ran up to Alex's bedside.

Alex managed a ghost of a smile.

"Got a bullet in my arm. One in the ribs. Then I broke my ribs again."

James eyes widened. Tom groaned.

"Seriously, Alex? Playing bad boy again?" Tom asked him, taking a seat in the chair next to Alex's bed that Jack or Ms. Jones usually occupied. James sat on the very edge of Alex's bed.

"How are you, Alex?" James asked him very seriously.

Alex shrugged, holding up his arm which was wrapped again in white bandages. He had managed to tear open the stiches he had after his little fiasco 2 days ago.

"Could be better. Then again, I have been in worse." Alex turned to Tom again. "How do you know James anyways?"

Tom and James grinned at each other devilishly.

"Well, we only met each other in the reception room, and that was only because apparently Tom's snack got jammed in the machine," James smirked at Tom, who flushed.

"In my defense, the machine stole my money and denied me my snack. Seeing as Alex was not around to help me, I picked someone who seemed to have quite a few muscles and a brain as well to get me my snack."

"Did you get your snack?" Alex asked, curious.

"Nope," Tom said simply. "The pretty lady at the desk told us to stop."

"And did you?"

Tom shrugged. "Let's just say that it took a lot more than that to convince us to stop attacking the vending machine."

For a moment, Alex had an image of Tom and James attacking a black seemingly ordinary machine armed with only with their bare fists. He managed to shove it out of his mind.

"Anyways, anything interesting happened Alex?" James asked him. He shook his head.

"No, for once, things are really boring."

Tom and James looked surprised.

"But Alex, you have no homework- "

"You can watch TV all day- "

"Or listen to music whenever you want- "

"And chew gum! Don't forget the gum!"

Alex held up a hand. James and Tom quieted down.

"Yeah, but there's so much RNA ANA21 you can watch before you become bored. I think I'm ruined from life from that…." Alex sighed, wishing he could get out of bed and go play some football or something.

Tom saw the look in his eyes.

"Want to go play football?"

"But what about-?" Alex paused as James held up a safety pin he had in his pocket.

"Do your magic, spy boy," he said, handing the pin to Alex.

20 minutes later found the boys outside in a nearby park kicking a ball around. It had been easy to smuggle Alex out. All they had to do was give Tom's coat to Alex, turn the jacket inside out, and put on a pair of sunglasses that were by Alex's bedside. Then they put a stack of napkins in each of Alex's shoes, so it looked like he was taller and walking weird, and they were out. The receptionist didn't glance twice.

Alex had to take it easy. He couldn't exactly do any stellar game changing moves, but he was still better then James and Tom.

After Alex made his fifteenth goal, James glanced at his Rolex watch and told them they should probably start heading back.

It was a bit harder smuggling Alex inside again. They had to sign him in as 'David Watherman', and even then, the receptionist was staring at them suspiciously.

"I think I recognize you from somewhere," she said. "You look like that patient in room 444."

James was sweating next to him. Tom cleared his throat, laughed nervously, and said, "Really? Well, what a coincidence! I cannot believe that Al-David looks like your patient. That's a one in million chance."

The receptionist gave him another look ever, then grudgingly told them that the elevator was to the left.

Inside the elevator, they removed the coat and sunglasses off Alex, and crept back to his room. No one had noticed they were gone. That was good.

Alex lay back down on his bed again, and Tom and James started up a light conversation until five. Then Jack and Kristoff came to visit, and after a goodbye and another promise to visit, they left.

Jack stared curiously at their retreating backs.

"So…" she said. "What did you guys do?"

Alex shrugged. "Just talked about stuff. Chelsea, school, James new girlfriend…"

"Did you talk about Sabina?"

"No, Tom said she already has this guy named Blake." Alex shrugged again.

"Are you jealous?"

"No, not really."

Jack looked at him as if expecting him to say more, and when he didn't, she sighed.

"Well, it's good to know you're getting some actual human interaction." She gave a pointed look at his teddy bear.

"I get human interactions."

Jack gave him a wry smile. "Talking to the teddy bear doesn't count."

Alex rolled his eyes, and changed the subject. "So…what about you and Kristoff? Anything I should know? Wedding bells ringing?"

Jack blushed, and lightly slapped Alex on the arm.

"Alex!"

"Yes, Jack?" He put on an innocent look. Jack rolled her eyes, then glanced at her watch.

"Listen, Alex, I have to go somewhere. I'll come and see you tomorrow. Is that all right?"

Alex nodded. Kristoff had said nothing throughout the meeting. He was glancing at Alex with a peculiar expression.

Jack's phone rang. Holding up a finger, she stepped out of the room to take the call.

Kristoff finally spoke.

"So, Alex," he said. Alex noted that he didn't say Alexander. Perhaps it had been his imagination.

"What have you been up to?"

Alex stared at him, not comprehending. "I'm sorry, what?"

Kristoff repeated his question. Alex shrugged.

"I watched TV, talked to Tom and James, they are my friends by the way, and listened to music."

Kristoff just nodded in response. Jack's call ended, and she stepped back into the room.

"Should we go?" She asked Kristoff. He nodded.

Jack went out the door. Kristoff lingered for a second.

"Oh, Alex," he said. Alex turned to him.

"You are a good soccer player." And then he plucked a strand of grass from Alex's hair and left. It was after he left that Alex realized that his heart was pounding faster than normal.

A/N: So, I need some beta readers to review my stories and make suggestions. Anyone interested please email me and I will sign you up as a beta reader.

Thank you for your cooperation everyone. I will also be starting a new story on Wings of Fire sometime soon, so be sure to check that out.