Dec06, Alex Rider, Alex/Jack, Cinnamon Title: Cinnamon Author:hpstrangelove Wordcount: 451 Fandom: Alex Rider Pair/Character: Alex, Jack Rating: PG Prior Days:Dec01, Dec02, Dec03, Dec04, Dec05 Beta: The most marvelousjoanwilder
“You know,” Jack began, “instead of baking me a cake for my birthday, my mom would always make me homemade cinnamon rolls. She’s who I got this recipe from.”
They’d moved back into the kitchen. Jack had shoved the chopped vegetables over to the side and replaced them with the ingredients for her famous cinnamon rolls. She’d also made them two steaming cups of hot cider to drink while they waited for the rolls to bake.
The timer went off. They were finally done!
She leaned over the open oven door, a hot pad in her hand, and removed a cookie sheet filled with two dozen of the hot, sweet delicacies. The smell permeated the air, and Alex couldn’t help inhaling, taking in the fragrance. It was amazing how the scent could have such a calming affect on him.
Taking a knife, Jack pried two of the rolls out of the pan.
“Be careful, now,” she warned. “They’re really hot! You’ll burn your tongue, but I can’t wait for them to cool to eat them.”
Alex took the roll, breaking off a small piece, and tentatively bit down. He couldn’t suppress a little moan as the cinnamon flavor filled his mouth, it tasted so good. When he realized how he must have sounded, though, he flushed in embarrassment.
Jack just looked at him for a moment, and then they both began to laugh hysterically.
Once Alex had caught his breath, he said, “Thanks, Jack, for doing this. I feel much better now.”
“Hey, it just gives me an excuse to make these things. Ian always loved them too.”
The room went quiet. Alex felt bad for her. She’d been trying so hard to cheer him up. “It’s okay, Jack. I’ll work this out eventually. Things would be so much worse if I didn’t have you here, you know.” He stood up from the table and walked over to give her a hug.
“I’m a bit tired,” he told her. “I think I’m going to go study a while. I’m so far behind, I don’t know if I’ll ever catch up. Thanks again for the rolls. Just smelling the cinnamon made me feel better.”
Alex had barely left the room when Jack’s mobile rang. She was surprised to see it was her dad calling. It would be about noon in the States right now. He never called her during the week.
“Dad,” she answered. “Is everything okay?” But before he could speak, she knew that it wasn’t.
“Hon, your mother’s in the hospital,” he said, his voice tense with worry. “She collapsed at work. They’re running some tests, but they don’t know what’s wrong.” He paused, then added, “I think you should come home.”