Hey there, I am back. I know it's been many, many, months since I said I would update but, unfortunately, a lot of bad things happened over Summer 2011 and I am just about recovered from them. Let's hope I can now do this fic justice.
This is the first re-written chapter of KMKM.
Enjoy
Hera took a step back and smiled, almost in disbelief, at Tom who seemed to be experiencing the same surprise. Beneath the stars they stood by his car, he looked eagerly to her, waiting for her response. There was a strange look on the girl's face that Tom wasn't used to, one of bemusement and confusion. It was a truthful analysis; Hera had not let someone make her feel this way in such a long time. It was exhilarating when she felt him push back against her lips and she continued to stare at him as though she had never seen him before.
"Are you going to say some-" But Tom was cut off as Hera shook her head and leant in to kiss him again. The force took Tom by surprise as he ran a hand through her long hair and welcomed her into embrace again. After a few moments of the thrill of being held by someone, the pair broke apart for a second time and Tom's nerves left him as he saw a smile on Hera's face.
"Um," Hera said, slightly breathlessly as she thought of what to say, "do you, er…would you like to come inside for a drink?" Tom brushed a flyaway strand of hair away from her cheek, tilted her chin towards him and kissed her lightly.
"I'd like that," he whispered.
On the other side of the street, outside Ian Rider's house, another couple stood, looking confused and impressed. Sabina gasped and with a smile put her hand to her mouth.
"I never knew Tom had it in him," she said in a muffled tone through her hand. She looked up to Alex and her smile faded as she saw he was stood, stock-still, staring into the distance. She looked away from his face as his hands curled to fists and she swallowed hard as a stinging feeling in her throat began to arise. Sabina looked across the road and saw Tom and Hera enter Hera's house with smiles. "Shall we go inside?" Sabina whispered and Alex jumped, he had forgotten she was there. In a single moment, her worries disappeared as Alex looked down to her, his eyes softened and he smiled.
"Yes, beautiful." He said and kissed her on the forehead before putting his arm around her. They walked inside.
"So you don't know any of these people?" Tom asked as he bent down to look at a picture of Hera, somewhere in Italy, with her "parents." She shook her head as she emerged from the kitchen and handed him a glass.
"Not a clue." She replied with a smile and Tom let out an airy laugh. He looked around the living room and saw everything was much like Hera, beautiful, fragile, delicate, complicated. Way too complicated. But she still had that air of seduction, which intrigued him to the edge of insanity. Hera watched as Tom walked around her living room, marvelling at how well done this house was; they had pictures, whole photo albums, including pictures from when Hera was a child. The girl took a seat and tilted her head, admiring the way he ran a hand through his blonde hair…no, black hair. Hera shook her head, Tom had black hair. He turned back to her and she forced a smile.
"How long are you posted here?" Tom asked and she smiled as he sat next to her.
"As long as I need to be here." She said and Tom took her glass from her, placed it on the table in front of them and leant towards her with a confidence that made Hera smile. She did have an awesome smile, one that made him smile too as she innocently let her eyes fall to the floor and work their way back up to his own. As Tom came closer Hera noticed something; when Alex was this close she felt so much more…alive. Like they would tease each other, trying to get the other to break first; there was that feeling of intense heat that came between them but not with Tom. She tilted her head and bit her lip as she looked at his handsome face; she deserved a bit of fun. Heck, she deserved some decent, truthful human contact.
"I love the way you bite your lip," Tom whispered as he moved in closer and watched as Hera looked up innocently at him while digging her teeth into her soft, full lips. As she smiled, Tom tore his eyes away from her mouth and looked into her eyes. They narrowed on him and in an instant she had pushed him back, onto the floor and was on her knees beside him. Hera held her head up high as she looked down at Tom who was getting over the shock of being dominated within a second. With a wicked smile, Hera felt alive again.
2.05 AM- Ian Rider's house-
Alex's eyes snapped open. Like clockwork, his body began to wake up while his mind begged it not to. Slowly, for he did not want to wake Sabina, he reached over to his bedside table and put his lamp on a dim setting. The room was cast into semi-darkness and looking around Alex could make out the clothes that lay strewn on the floor as he and Sabina had gotten into bed in quite a hurry. With a small smile, he turned to his girlfriend, who had her back to him, and kissed her shoulder lightly. She stirred and without opening her eyes and reached out her hand behind her to run her fingers through Alex's hair.
Sabina never usually woke up with him when he couldn't sleep, he didn't mind; this was the one time, every day, that he had to think about Hera. Hera was the reason he couldn't sleep, she haunted his dreams and held onto a part of him with a vice-like grip. He couldn't shake her. He couldn't stop thinking about the girl he left behind.
Brushing his blonde hair away from his eyes, he sat up and flung his legs over the side of the bed. He grabbed some boxers from a drawer and put them on, stumbling slightly because he was still tired, before he picked up his favourite jumper and walked out of his bedroom.
While making his way to the kitchen, Alex smelt his jumper instinctively. Only a few years ago, when Hera came to stay with him, she would wear this jumper and eventually her scent had left it. Looking about the hallway, Alex could see that every trace of her was gone; her shoes in the landing, her tea cups left in stupid, imaginative places for Alex to step on, and her presence had gone. The house only ever seemed too big for Alex, but when she was there, she filled it with her own world. The house had been empty for years.
In the kitchen, Alex flicked on the lights and blinked to compensate the sudden flood of light into his sleepy eyes. Walking over to the sink to get a glass of water, Alex noticed something unusual about his street; there was another light on. In this leafy part of Chelsea, where everyone was a mum or dad or child, lights were all out past midnight. But here there was, a single shining light calling out to Alex from the darkness of the street, and he only needed one guess to decide who had turned it on. The ex-spy looked closer at could just make out her shape, sat on the window sill of her living room, a glass of water in her hand. She looked like she was wrapped up in a thin sheet and it made Alex's heart skip a beat.
Gulping down his water, Alex had an immediate, insane, irresponsible idea. It seemed the perfect time, for a walk.
2.07 AM- Hera St Claire's House
Running her hand through her chocolate brown hair, Hera gripped her blanket to her body and stifled a yawn. In her kitchen she stood by the sink, drink in hand, wondering what was going to happen next. Her thoughts were cut off as she realised how warm she was; it was the middle of the British Summertime and the night was thick with heat and humidity. Slowly, she lowered her glass and walked out of the kitchen, to her study.
Hera's study was located on the ground floor of the house, she liked it best because it had three huge windows that let in a lot of sunlight and she found it easier to work in this room. At the moment the sun was lighting up the other side of the world and Hera stepped into moonlight as she walked across her study to open one of the windows. The young spy inhaled the night time air with deep satisfaction and then proceeded to sit on the window sill.
All was quiet about the street; nothing stirred, she was probably the only person awake at this time. Hera leant her head back to rest against the window pane and sighed as she looked up to the ceiling. This room was directly beneath her bedroom, directly beneath the place where Tom was sleeping now.
What had she been thinking? What had come over her? Had she just made the biggest mistake possible? She felt something fall in her stomach, a notch of guilt nestled itself in her navel and she shook her head to try and rid herself of the feeling. She shouldn't have spent the night with Tom, now it seemed so petty and foolish, like she had done it to get back at Alex. It was such an embarrassing thought that she pulled the bed sheet over her face and grimaced.
As she felt the breeze around her and felt comforted, like the wind had brought common sense along with it. Of course she hadn't done it to get back at Alex; they lead completely separate lives now. A wry smile came across her face and she took a sip of her water; Hera had finally enjoyed herself on this boring street! All the attempts to murder Alex Rider had been so futile she laughed every time. So what if it had been Alex's best friend? Hera sighed; regardless of how she rationalised it to herself, one thing was certain- she had complicated things and that wasn't good.
Looking across to Alex's house she let her thoughts wander over to his life; did he still wake up?
"Hey-" Before Alex had time to utter another syllable, he was staring down the barrel of a semi-automatic.
"Jesus," Hera snarled, "you nearly gave me a heart attack." The spy retracted the weapon to see her old partner, wide-eyed and pale-faced, staring back at her.
"I gave you a heart attack?" Alex retaliated once he got over the shock of how fast she was.
"What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me in the middle of the night?" Hera placed her gun back into the hidden door in the wall next to her. Alex waited a while before responding, the surprise of the moment ebbed away and they appraised one another. Hera suddenly became aware that she was in nothing but a bed sheet. Without her consent her face began to heat up and she avoided his eye. They both looked out to the street beyond them; Hera sat on her windowsill and Alex leant on the wall beside her. "Still have trouble sleeping?" She whispered.
"Five past two, every night, like clockwork." Alex whispered back. Silence crept back to them and the two teenagers breathed heavily; how were they supposed to act towards each other? They had no idea how they felt because they didn't know what it meant to be honest with themselves; let alone another person. Years ago, on missions, outside of missions, they would sit in silence and not think twice about it. Now, however, with what seemed like miles and miles of distance between them, filling up with the things they couldn't say to each other, they were finally uncomfortable with silence. "You think it will ever stop?" Alex asked suddenly and Hera snapped her attention over to her. She looked pensive for a moment.
"No." The girl said confidently. "I don't think it will ever stop." She smiled at him and Alex couldn't help but let himself smile too. "Would you like a drink or something?"
"No, thanks, Hera." They didn't break eye contact. They both knew that there was something safe, something comforting about being around each other. "That was a close call, earlier…in the bathroom." Alex laughed lightly.
"I've had worse-"
"Oh, I believe you." She rolled her eyes at his jibes and took another sip of water. "I asked you to stay away from him." Alex said plainly.
"Alex.." Hera put her hand to her forehead and screwed up her face, irritated by the comment. "Just…fuck off, please." She rubbed her forehead before opening her eyes and looking over at him. He wasn't smiling.
"Alright, alright. You know where I stand-"
"I'm too tired for this." Hera said and stood up on the windowsill. She looked like she was going to go back inside but changed her mind and turned to him. "The second you left me behind at the Royal and General was the second you stopped being able to have any say in anything I do-"
"He's my friend and you are-"
"Oh here we go," Hera rolled her eyes and jumped onto the ground before her, "another, awe-inspiring lecture from the great Alex Rider!" Hera narrowed her eyes and Alex shook his head.
"I don't believe you.." He muttered.
"Oh please, Alex, tell me, because I'm dying to know what adjectives you're going to use to describe how I don't care about anyone but myself," she snapped, "how I got too immersed in a job that I got entirely because of YOU!" Alex stepped forwards with equal determination and anger.
"You could've said no!" He shouted as loud as he dared. "You could've repented!"
"REPENTED!" She spat at him in disgust. Hera opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it and took a deep breath. "I am too tired for your juvenile, petty-" Hera stopped speaking suddenly. There was a sound like the snap of a twig, behind her. She turned in an instant and Alex turned away from her to scan the other side of the garden. "You armed?" Hera asked quietly.
"No." Alex whispered in an indignant voice over his shoulder. "For some reason I don't expect to be attacked in a back garden in Chelsea." Hera rolled her eyes.
"Get inside, I'll take care of this."
"Yeah, you certainly looked dressed for combat." Hera looked down at her bed sheet before biting her lip.
"Go inside!" She demanded.
"I'm not leaving you." Alex insisted.
"Go inside or I'll kill you myself!"
"For once, woman, will you just…" Alex's voice trailed away, out of the shadows under a hedge, slinked a very unfriendly, not-so-dangerous, house cat. The two of them sighed. "I am getting way too old for this." He laughed.
"Yes, you are." Hera said and without another word she slammed her shoulder into him and he almost smashed into the window sill. Alex knew her too well to think she was just teasing him; he knew something was still up and cursed before following her lead and scrambling in through the open window. Hera followed, holding onto the thin sheet that was wrapped around her. She turned to the window and slammed it shut. "There appears to be someone on your roof."
Reviews are, as always, very much appreciated.
Apologies for this being a slow chapter. It has not been a great few years, tbh and writing was something that made me happy but I feel like I've lost a lot of confidence. I know that's really lame and I'm not looking for sympathy but I needed a chapter just to get me back into it. I hope things pick up from here on out.
Oh, btw- for those of you who have submitted reviews previously for chapters 9-12, I believe you won't be able to post reviews signed in. you have to post an anonymous review. Apologies.