Mrs. Jones sat watching her favorite Christmas DVD – It’s a Wonderful Life. She’d bought her first copy of it back when it was on a VHS tape, and had practically worn it out. It was her very own Christmas tradition, one of the few she still kept up after the loss of her children. That, and switching from her regular round peppermint candies to candy canes.
Right in the middle of the scene where Jimmy Stewart runs onto the bridge, begging Clarence to get him back to the way things had been, her MI6 issued mobile rang. She was sorely tempted to ignore it, but with Parkinson out in the field, and Alex’s house under surveillance, she knew she’d have to pick it up.
Checking the ID, she saw that it was Edwards, one of the agents watching Alex’s house. Setting the DVD on pause, she answered, “This better be an emergency.”
“Mrs. Jones, I wasn’t sure what to do, if I should call or not, but it’s been so long, I started getting concerned. I know our instructions were to watch the house for any sign of Gregorovich, but Alex Rider left home hours ago and hasn’t returned yet.”
Mrs. Jones paused, trying to work out the possible reasons why Alex hadn’t come back yet. She could only come up with one.
“Thank you for letting me know, Edwards. I’ll give Alan a call. For now, just stay there and continue the surveillance. If he returns, call me and let me know. Thank you.”
With a smile, Mrs. Jones began to dial Alan’s number, knowing how angry he was going to be when he realized Yassen had outsmarted them and wouldn’t be getting caught tonight.
~*~
The hotel rooms had been updated, but not so much that they had lost their original charm. Yassen’s room was adequately furnished. It had a small refrigerator, microwave, coffeepot, table and chairs, sofa, telly, and double bed. It was a second floor room, and although it only had one window, the window was large. It overlooked a department store that had brightly colored decorations and a Christmas tree in the front. Being Christmas Eve, the shop had seen its rush of people and was now closed.
The strangest thing about the room, though, was the item placed on top of the table - a miniature Christmas tree with ornaments and lights. Yassen walked over and plugged in the lights, and they began to twinkle.
“I wouldn’t have thought someone like you would celebrate Christmas,” Alex stated as he sat down on the sofa.
“There is a lot that you do not know about me, Alex,” Yassen replied. After lighting the tree, he took a can of Coke from the refrigerator and split it between two glasses. There was a bottle of liquor on top of the fridge, and he put a shot into his own glass, then handed Alex the plain Coke.
“Yes, well, that’s certainly true. I’d have never thought you could tell me anything about my parents. Unless you just made that up to get me to come back here with you.”
Yassen didn’t answer. He walked back to the fridge and took out some meat, cheese, and bread and started to make sandwiches. Alex had to admit, it looked good. He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.
Yassen hadn’t wanted to elaborate on what he’d told Alex in the cemetery, saying they were only five minutes away by car from his hotel and it would be better for them to just wait until they got there before they started any deep conversations. But Alex was getting impatient, and he was afraid that Yassen didn’t really know anything at all.
Yassen finished making the sandwiches and handed one with some crisps on a plate to Alex. Sitting next to him on the sofa, Yassen ate slowly. Alex knew there wasn’t anything he could do to get Yassen to talk if he wasn’t ready, so Alex ate his sandwich too.
As soon as Yassen finished his last bite, he took a sip of his drink and began. “I met your parents in mid-October of ‘86. I was in Mdina, checking out the site of a potential job when I ran into your uncle. Your mother and father were with him. I was wary at first, knowing your uncle worked for MI6, and knowing he was aware of whom I worked for, but he held his arms out, showing me he meant no harm. They were on their way to eat lunch, and your mother invited me along. That’s the kind of person she was, Alex, always thinking of others.
“We had a nice time. I think you can understand that the type of job I have doesn’t allow for close friendships, so being able to simply talk, and laugh, and enjoy someone’s company…well, I hated for it to end. I think they must have sensed my reluctance to say good-bye, because they invited me back to where they were staying. I didn’t want to intrude, but they insisted they had plenty of room. They were staying in a beautiful place called the Xara Palace. You should go there one day if you have a chance.
“I stayed with them for the weekend. Your father was busy with his work, and Ian was busy too, so I spent most of my day visiting with and getting to know your mother. She was very happy. She was five months pregnant with you at the time, and your father was going to quit his job soon so that he could be with her when you were born. He traveled around the world doing some type of hands-on business evaluation, you know, getting to meet the owners, seeing in person how the business was operated. But he was tired of being away from her so much, and with you on the way, he decided it was time for a change.”
Alex was silent, a lump forming in his throat. He could almost picture the smile on his mother’s face as she thought of his father finally being able to quit traveling and stay with her.
“What did she look like?” Alex asked, barely above a whisper.
“She was very beautiful, with fair hair and deep blue eyes. She kept patting her stomach, rubbing her hand over it, and I remember how she laughed when she felt you kick one time.”
“What about my dad? What did he look like?”
“He was taller than me, trim, and you could tell he worked out. He had blond hair and brown eyes, and he had a way about him. He was sure of himself, confident. I didn’t get to talk with him as much as your mother. He wasn’t around as much because he was working. That’s why the three of them were there, because of your father’s job. It was your parents’ last child-free vacation together – not that they weren’t both looking forward to your birth. It’s just that once a child comes along, priorities change.”
Yassen turned to look at Alex, and said firmly, “Don’t ever doubt their love for you, Alex, or Ian’s. You weren’t even born yet and all they could talk about was you!”
Yassen became solemn then. “I was in Peru when the plane crash happened, so I didn’t hear about it until the end of the summer. I came back here to London to see how your uncle was doing, and that’s the first time I saw you. He was holding you in his outstretched hands, lifting you up in the air and flying you around the room like you were a baby airplane. Then he’d sit you on his knee and he’d take your arms and move them around as if you were doing karate chops! I’d never heard a baby laugh so much until that day.”
Yassen’s face had transformed as he recalled the memories. Alex had seen him smile before, but it had been the kind of smile that came from a job well done, or from getting his own way on something. Alex had never seen Yassen smile because he was happy.
Yassen didn’t say anymore for a long while, seemingly lost in his memories. Alex sat there, thinking about how strange it was that he’d learned more about his parents from a so-called enemy than he ever had from his uncle.
“So, is the reason you’ve never killed me because you met my mum and dad once, fourteen years ago? I mean, you kill people for a living. I stopped the Stormbreaker project; I saw you kill a worker there for something much less severe than that! I just...don’t understand you, is all.”
“Alex,” Yassen said, placing his hand over Alex’s, “I have no reason to kill you. You are no threat to me. Yes, you stopped the project, but it was Sayle who made the mistakes, and it was Sayle who paid. I don’t kill unnecessarily. That worker dropped a shipment of R5. If the container had been damaged, and the contents leaked out, many people could have died.”
Another long silence hung in the air between them, then Alex began, not sure of the right words to use, but knowing he had to try. “I…I want to thank you. What you’ve done for me. I’d thought…I’d never know anything…about them…”
Alex couldn’t go on. The lump in his throat had gotten too big. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to hold back the tears. He’d cried enough in front of Yassen for one night!
But Yassen had moved over to Alex and put his arm around Alex’s back, not in the tight hold from a few hours before, but as if in an offer of support if Alex should need it.
Which he did. Alex leaned in against Yassen’s shoulder, and took several deep breaths, getting his emotions under control. With the last, deep exhale, he realized just how exhausted he was.
As if reading his thoughts, Yassen said, “You are tired, Alex. It’s been a very long day for you. You should get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”
Alex nodded and let Yassen lead him to the bed. Yassen turned the sheets down and Alex climbed in, toeing off his trainers before pulling the sheets up over himself. He looked at Yassen, though, and asked, “Where are you going to sleep?”
“I do not sleep much. I have some studying to do. You close your eyes now, and rest.”
“You’ll stay with me? You’re not leaving, are you?” Alex suddenly felt very small and very young, worried that he’d be left alone.
“I won’t leave you, Alex. I promise. I’ll be here in the morning when you wake up.”
~*~
Yassen watched Alex as he quickly drifted off to sleep. When he was sure he wouldn’t be disturbing Alex, he leaned down and kissed Alex lightly on the top of his head, and whispered, “Merry Christmas, Alex Rider.”