Chapter Text
It had been months since Jack had died, since Alex had moved to America, since she was finally allowed to live, and Alex was finally beginning to feel normal. She still had the occasional nightmare and the constant distrust of authority, but her CIA-sourced therapist said baby steps are still movement and that some habits aren’t all bad. She spent much of her time running or swimming, and she joined a dojo after she had been medically cleared both psychologically and physically.
Alex was 16 and approaching adulthood. She and Sabina both got their driver's license (Alex being terrified of how easy it was in America to legally drive a moving metal death box), and Alex was encouraged to consider her career options. As her issue with MI6 had never been out of a hatred of field or duty but of her desire to be a child in her childhood and her natural inclination against- though some she knew would beg to differ- dying young, she was increasingly drawn towards intelligence work- never, of course, with MI6. If she had ever agreed with Blunt on one thing, it would be that she was a spy in the same way a fish was a fish or an Alan Blunt was a moving corpse.
Byrne had understood, of course, and he had guaranteed her a career when or if she was ready to return, and she trusted him enough to know he meant it. The certainty of her future certainly helped her recover and grieve without feeling all too lost, and she felt even more confident when Sabina and Tom and even her Therapist, all of whom voiced discomfort with the idea of Alex returning to spy work, didn’t discourage her from the plan.
Thus, Alex found herself, for the first time since Ian died, able to enjoy life and friends without fearing she was endangering those around her. The Pleasures found her a tutor, and as she moved to San Francisco at the start of summer break, she had the whole summer to catch up on school.
Alex considered herself a family friend to the Pleasures rather than a part of the family; it was a fact she never took too much issue with because her family’s survival rate tended to be quite low, but Edward and Liz didn’t seem very happy when she told them that fact. Something about her deserving a family who can and will fight for her and understanding that she had as much say in family matters as much as any of them .
They later took it upon themselves to introduce Alex to their extended family, and Alex found herself surrounded by far too many children gushing at her accent and asking her to say a specific word or read a story to them. Among the herds of children were the two sons of Liz’s sister, Brenda, and Brenda’s husband, Jerry. They lived in San Francisco, unlike the rest of the extended family who lived in Nevada, and Sabina called them her younger brothers.
Brenda was a federal congress member in the House and Jerry was a criminal defense lawyer, and while they were devoted parents, they had a nanny to care for the boys when their work took them away from home, which was often. Theo was the younger of the two and he was almost 2 years old, and Ben was the older at 5 years old and he would start kindergarten by fall.
Alex was immediately fond of the boys; she never gave much thought to being a mother, what with MI6’s hand around her neck since she reached sexual maturity, and she often felt too broken and in danger to bring kids into the world when it did cross her mind, but the boys served as that bittersweet reminder of motherhood and normal life.
She loved spending time with them, and she spent her time after dropping them off at home contemplating her life away if she never returns to spying. She wondered if it would feel emptier without the adrenaline and danger or fuller with the life of little ones to raise and protect.
Despite her increasing comfort and satisfaction with her life with the Pleasures, she still rarely spoke or showed her true emotions. It took Liz calling Alex’s therapist to eventually convince them of Alex’s recovery, and a long talk over dinner one night for Alex to finally realize how quiet she was and how many heart attacks she gave her adopted family.
As such, Edward, the ever perceptive journalist, was the only one to notice her care for Theo and Ben, and he had been the one to bring up the idea of Sabina and Alex babysitting the boys during the day.
Brenda jumped at the opportunity to give the nanny some well-deserved time off, and Sabina pretended to not love the idea too much at the risk of her parents taking too much liberty with her summer break. Alex also liked the idea though she stayed silent when it was proposed.
On their outings with the kids, they went to the parks and attractions that all normal kids seemed to know, and as a result, Alex started to feel a stronger kinship with the other kids her age. If she were with Sabina’s friends, and they reminisced about a water slide or roller coaster, she could join in and pretend that her childhood was filled with the same cheap thrills as theirs.
A routine was soon established: on Mondays and Thursdays, they’d pick the kids up in the morning, hang out with them till the late afternoon, and return them to the hands of Jerry, Brenda, or the nanny depending on the day.
One of the more special excursions Alex and Sabina took the boys on was a trip to the San Francisco zoo. Both Theo and Benny had recently developed an interest in animals - Gorillas and Giraffes, respectively- and this would be their first zoo experience without their parents not letting them have any fun (according to Benny).
They arrived right as the zoo opened at 10:00 am on Thursday, and Theo wasted no time pulling them over to the gorilla exhibit where he stared one directly in the eye with the innocent curiosity only a child could display towards an animal without inciting violence.
“He sees me!” Theo said with fascination. He was pretty well spoken for his age despite the fact that he took his first steps at 20 months and he still needed to hold onto someone for balance while he was walking. The motor functions themselves should have been largely developed by 18 months, and the pediatrician instructed his parents to give him time and not worry until he reached 2 years.
“Yes, Theo, but you don’t have to point at him. You don’t want him to think you’re a threat, now, do you?” Alex chided and teased. She was far more talkative around the boys and Sabina than anyone else.
“Who would be scared of him?” Benny said “I’m way bigger!”
Sabina giggled at the brother’s competitive spirit, “Of course you are!” she said “You both have to be careful to not scare them.”
“I don’t know, Sab,” Alex said loudly while leaning over as though she didn’t want Benny to hear “Isn’t he kind of scrawny for his age? How old is he again, 10?”
“No! I’m five!” Benny said, holding five fingers up and smiling at the overestimate of his age.
“No way! With your muscles, you can’t be younger than seven,” Alex said.
During this exchange, Theo had taken it upon himself to demand Alex pick him up by tugging on her baggy jeans, and she happily obliged, putting him on her shoulders so he got a better view; considering the fact that Alex was still 5’2”, the height she was at 14, her shoulders were the only place he could be on her and still be able to see over the other onlookers.
Sabina chose this moment to try to scare Theo like all older cousins do to their younger relatives. “I heard-” she started, “that the gorillas think a kid on someone’s shoulders is a meal.”
Theo put on a brave face and grabbed Alex’s ponytail as though he was scared she would throw him off. “No, they don’t!” he said.
“Don’t worry, Theo; I’ll keep you safe from the scary beast,” Alex said “and the gorillas too,” she added as though it was an afterthought.
Sabina responded by punching Alex in the arm and grabbing Benny’s hand, so they could walk to the next exhibit.
Theo still on her shoulders, Alex felt the tingle that said she was being watched and she disguised her cautious looks around as though she was looking at the various animals. It wouldn’t be the first time she felt it when there was nothing, and her therapist told her that she should allow herself to look around for any threats and, if none are found, her brain just might take a few minutes to relax.
Alex was a little more quiet as they walked towards the giraffe exhibit, Theo’s choice, and she was beginning to feel more on edge instead of less. Alex tried to analyze herself like her therapist would have in hopes that she would calm down, and the thought popped into her mind as soon as she took a breath - she was surrounded by cages.
Perhaps she saw too much of herself in the poor creatures around her: trapped in a cage that felt too small, subjected to the whims of her captors; it wasn’t like she ever loved the zoo before Ian died either as they preferred to observe the animals in the wild. They played games to see how long they could last without being noticed or how close they could get before spooking the animal.
Alex then chuckled to herself about just how ingrained spying was in her life. She had long since stopped holding a grudge against her uncle’s training - he raised her to be capable in the only way he knew, and she could hardly blame him for her being good enough to catch Blunt’s lifeless eyes.
She shivered at the thought of Blunt and returned to her nostalgic memories. She let a small smile reach her face as she remembered the pride in Ian’s eyes when she showed him the Raven she had spent a month befriending. She saw a nature documentary talking about how wolves and ravens bond and work together to find and share prey, and she started hiding scraps of food in the backyard where she could reach it and the bird couldn’t; it only took a few days for the Raven to start telling her where it was so Alex could retrieve it for her.
She smiled a little wider when remembered telling him how and why she did it and he looked both confused and surprised- two emotions he rarely displayed. He asked why she didn’t just feed the raven, and she explained that the raven needed to help her find it or else she would just be giving away free handouts. He sighed and shook his head with a sad smile, ‘Who would have thought John and Helen’s daughter would be so perfect.’
“Hello? Earth to Alex!” Sabina snapped her fingers in front of Alex’s face, “You alright?” She asked casually to hide the concern in her eyes.
“Yeah, just lost in thought for a bit,” Alex replied after a moment. Theo started shifting on her shoulders, and Alex readjusted to hold him in front of her, “Do you want to walk some more? I can grab a wagon to throw you in,” Alex said.
He shook his head, a mischievous twinkle in his eye “I want you to carry me!”
“Fine, turd,” Alex said. She shifted most of his weight to her hip and smiled to herself, secretly pleased with his request.
At least, Alex thought she was secret with her smile, but Sabina saw it immediately “You are so sappy!” Said she.
“Shut up,” Alex said with a smile.
They meandered around until just before 11:00, when they would be allowed to feed the giraffes, and Benny was bouncing on his heels by the time they reached the short line.
Sabina was in charge of the cash for the trip, and she paid the feeding fee while Alex set Theo down and Benny immediately started trying to take Theo’s place in Alex’s arms. It was almost comical to see him try to climb her while holding a leaf of lettuce larger than his head.
“Sabina,” Alex pouted, “Why can’t you boost him, my arms are getting tired.”
Sabina only laughed “You think I can carry him? You’re the only one with muscles for the five-year-old.”
Benny stuck his tongue out and Sabina snorted.
“Then why was I the one to carry Theo?” Alex whined.
“You never complained,” Sabina said smugly with a shrug before following Benny’s lead and sticking her tongue out. Theo took that moment to grab Sabina’s hand and drag her to the nearest giraffe.
Benny put his arms up towards Alex, in the process shoving the lettuce in her face and covering her eyes; Alex groaned without heat and leaned down, about to pick Benny up, before a male voice far too close to comfort stilled her, “Perhaps I can carry the boy,” he said.
The hairs on Alex’s neck stood on end, and she grabbed Benny’s hand rather than carry him as she straightened up. She looked at Sabina who was currently preoccupied by Theo. She had had enough bad experiences to give a stranger the benefit of the doubt when her instincts screamed at her to get away, and she tightened her grip.
Benny was confused - he evidently hadn’t heard the man speak.
“Why don’t you go find Sab?” Alex said to him, and he looked at her, confused, before running to where Sabina and Theo stood, mostly obscured by all of the people crowding around the giraffes. As soon as he turned away, Alex’s posture changed, and when she spoke, her tone was cold. “Is there something you need?”
He had adjusted his position so that they stood shoulder to shoulder, and Alex refused the urge to glance at him, knowing that his height and angle would obscure his face from her view and only serve to highlight how much height he had on her.
He stayed silent for a moment longer, “I’ve been tasked with bringing you in.”
Alex expected his response, but it didn’t stop her heart from dropping into the pit of her stomach. She contemplated what to say, knowing that playing dumb wouldn’t slow him down nor would it protect the others. “Just me?” she asked, careful not to name or indicate anyone else on the tiny chance he didn’t know all of who she was with.
He remained carefully silent, and that was answer enough.
If it was just her, he knew she would leave in the hopes of keeping others away from harm; however, if he confirmed her fears and her friends were in danger regardless, she could become a wild card. What intrigued her most was the fact that he didn’t try to lie, but she wasn’t going to analyze her potential captor’s morals or lack thereof when she needed to think.
“I have no wish to harm them,” he said, and Alex wanted to scoff.
“My first impression of you wasn’t of a cliché, but I guess firsts are misleading” she said, hoping to stall him. Alex felt the slightest bit of recognition; his voice wasn’t eerily familiar, so it hadn’t registered at first, but she was sure now.
Like her mind was taunting her, she saw the glimpses in her memory; the times she felt watched and dismissed it, the times she thought someone looked a bit too familiar and figured her mind was playing tricks. The landscaper three weeks ago who had knocked on the door just before Edward and Liz came home and had a short conversation with all three of them. The man who bumped into her a few weeks ago and helped her pick up the groceries she bought. The man who had sold them the tickets to allow entry into the zoo.
She let a quiet breath out as she realized the full gravity of the situation. He had been watching her for at least a few weeks; he likely started long before making contact. She let her guard down, she stopped searching for bugs or analyzing each lone figure for any sign of deception, and she had not only failed herself but Sabina and the boys too. Only after she was well and truly trapped was she supposed to figure out the extent of their web, and she would realize far too late the futility of fighting knowing her friends were truly in danger.
Her conclusion was only confirmed by the patience of the man next to her as she spent just under a minute silent as the pieces clicked. He noted the moment her body language shifted from fight to temporary resignation. “You’ve figured it out,” he said shortly.
She nodded silently, knowing he’d pick up on the movement, and she didn’t flinch as his arm wrapped around her waist as though they were lovers on a walk.
“Your friends are waiting for us,” he said quietly, and Alex didn’t respond.
She had noticed a group walk out that was larger than any group that had entered, and she knew what that meant far too late for her to help it.
“Play along, Rider,” he mumbled the order in her ear, and she gave a halfhearted chuckle as though he whispered a little joke. She tried her best to look at least content in his arms as he walked her towards the exit, and she didn’t notice anything was wrong until he squeezed her in warning just before a security guard stopped them.
“Just a routine check,” he said with a wary smile, “Is everything all right, ma’am?”
She briefly debated adding a double meaning to her words, but she immediately dismissed the notion. She had no idea what the man was willing to do, and they had multiple hostages against her, meaning the death of one wouldn’t waste their leverage. “I’m alright, sir,” she said with a smile. “I’ve just got a bit of a headache. I don’t do well with the sun so bright, but Brian here is such a sweetheart, shielding me from the sun.” She laid her head on his chest and knew by the slight lessening pressure of Brian’s arm around her waist that he was satisfied with her response.
The guard looked convinced as his smile quickly turned genuine, “I understand. Have a good rest of your day, and rest up now,” he said.
As soon as they got out of earshot of the guard, the man she now decided to call Brian just to give him a name mumbled into her ear once again, “Good girl,” he said just to get under her skin, and Alex bristled accordingly but otherwise remained silent. He walked her to a van painted with the logo of a pest control business at the back of the parking lot, and out of sight from any witnesses, Alex immediately shoved away from the man and turned back to glare.
“Play nice, Rider,” he said without stopping, and the doors swung open immediately upon his approach.
She finally got a look at the smug bastard and the expression on his face that said this was his plan and that it had worked seamlessly. His dark hair was close cut, his face was clean-shaven, and his eyes showed that he had clearly seen his fair share of war, both as a soldier and a leader. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s - too young to be the average war-weary veteran searching for better pay, and too old to be the average egotistical selection washout.
Alex’s attention snapped away from him as she heard a whimper, and she rushed towards the open back of the van before Brian grabbed her arm roughly and turned her to face him and not her friends.
“Ground rules,” he said shortly while squeezing her arm in a bruising grip for emphasis. “You will not mouth off while out of the van. Until we reach our destination, you will not move near any of your friends regardless of circumstance- one of us will always be between you and them. While in the van, you will be restrained, and you will not attempt to escape. I doubt I need to explain the consequences if you disobey. Am I understood?”
“Yes,” Alex said slowly. The rules were stranger than usual- which she only just realized was a weird usual to have. The implication that she was allowed to mouth off in the van, for one, somehow made her more concerned for her fate. The bad guys who liked her taunting were by far the worst.
Brian finally allowed her to look at Sabina, Benny, and Theo, the two boys sniffling as they heard the man speak, and Alex was relieved to see that none of them looked like they were physically harmed. The van was bigger than it looked, and one side (her left) was lined with 6 seats. Sabina huddled with the boys in the middle of the row, and one man sat on either side of them. Another man had been the one to open the door from the inside, and he was already out and seemingly ready to shut them in.
Brian surprised Alex by lifting her into the van so that she sat on the back edge facing him, and he produced a zip tie from seemingly nowhere to tie her ankles together. She held her tongue at his unwillingness to let her move on her own and settled for a glare which he acknowledged with a quiet snort.
Without giving her hands the same treatment, he picked her up once again and set her in the corner of the van farthest away from Sabina and the boys and closest to the front cab. Each wall of the corner had a cargo hook welded in, and she fit in between the two hooks perfectly and each hand was zip tied to its corresponding hook. While she should have probably been nervous at just how thought out this kidnapping was, she only found herself more and more annoyed at the smug man in front of her.
As a result, she stayed silent so as to not say anything that would immediately cause one of the others to get hurt because she wouldn’t be able to shut up once she opened her mouth. He held up a device which looked to be an inhaler connected to a mask that sealed to one’s face, and Alex gave it a critical look.
“You’ll breathe into it until you fall asleep, and then I’ll remove it,” Brian explained simply.
“Just me?” she asked. She was almost amused at how that seemed to be the only question she’s been asking him.
“As long as you cooperate,” he said.
She nodded, and he must have given a signal because the door was closed leaving her, Sabina, and the boys locked in with the two guards and the strange man in front of her. There was a bit of natural light seeping in through the corners of the van, and a small camping lamp mounted above her and to the side.
The van started moving, and there was just enough light to see the man lean over her with the mask. She wondered how much of her resignation must have shown in her eyes because even he dropped his smirk when their eyes met.
“Deep breaths and it will work faster,” he said softly.
Alex just nodded once more and followed his instructions, she needed time to comprehend what had even just happened before she could begin to consider an escape. Perhaps a nap wouldn’t be so bad.