Sorry, sorry. First chapter is mostly boring, I apologize. Don't worry, it's not a romance... And be gentle, it's my first Rider fic.

-----------

Sitting in a restaurant, in a middle class part of town, Jack examined her date casually.

Jack was not a introvert. Despite being a housekeeper, or nanny, as some liked to call it; she had plenty of time to socialize and date. Even though having custody of a kid was just about the same as having one, that did not deter many potential suitors in the least.

She flicked her hair behind her and smiled at the man sitting across the table from her.

She was fairly interested in this one. He wasn't the overstuffed, cocky type, who ended up being annoying when they kept prattling on about themselves. Nor was he of the silent, 'whatever you want dear' brand who ended up being dominated in the relationship. No, this one had more style than that. He had some class, mixed ideally with some low-key personality traits. He was a gentleman well enough, but that didn't mean he was above asking her if she wanted a beer.

In short, he was just what she was looking for at the moment.

With all the craziness in her life since MI 6 had gotten their claws rooted in Alex's life, Jack had been looking for a convenient romance. Someone to go out with when she had time, who'd buy her nice things and help out around the house, but someone who didn't get all uptight and paranoid when she had to cancel plans unexpectedly.

Shane St. Andre was right for her. He had a good build, a steady job (military, she recalled but wasn't sure), and a life that was just as hectic as hers. Thus, she did not feel guilty when she had to pencil him out of her schedule when MI 6 decided to ornery and do something vile to Alex. Like getting him shot, for example...

She readjusted her dress strap idly. The more she thought about it, looking at her sort of boyfriend, the more she felt like she should make this relationship work. She decided then and there that she should try to breathe some life into this romance.

------------

Alex came down the stairs at a relaxed pace. He wasn't quite sure if he liked Saturdays anymore. Since MI 6 had more or less recruited him, he'd clung to those things familiar and stable in life. His house, Jack, school... And Saturday more or less threw him. In his mind, MI 6 was more likely to sneak up on him when they thought he was doing nothing so...

He heard the water going, and knew that Jack was in the shower, so he fixed himself some cereal and ate quickly. Jack had been dating some guy for weeks, so he hadn't seen her all that often, just a little after school. She claimed not to be seriously into him, but then again, Jack claimed a lot of things. Alex was all right with this; after all, she had a life too.

He finished his cereal. He'd decided he'd drop by Tom's and see if he was up to anything today. It was better than staying home and doing homework.

He stuck his bowl in the sink and headed for the door. Just as he reached it, he glanced out the window and his eyes and ears registered an impossibility.

Feeling like he'd just walked into the Twighlight Zone, he backtracked, and sat down. He had to contemplate this. Reaching no conclusion, other than MI 6 using some sort of mind disturbance technique, he stood up, looked out the window and had to sit down again. One plus one was not equaling two anymore.

He repeated to peek-then-sit-then-contemplate technique awhile longer, but still could not figure this out. Was he going insane? He didn't think so...

Finally he voice his thoughts. "Why the hell is Wolf mowing my front lawn...?"