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“Guinevere! Keep your head above the water!"

"Easier said than done, Merlin darling." Guinevere smiled, even though it was hardly the moment.
"Galahad and Lancelot are on the way." Merlin said urgently from the other side. "You just have to wait a bit more." He was begging, bargaining, but it wasn't with her, not really.
Guinevere couldn't help but notice the ridiculousness of the situation, even if she was unlikely to survive it. A room that filled with water. Seriously. Someone had been watching way too many Bond movies.
They had drugged her and thrown her in, locked the door and left. Whatever they gave her wasn’t enough to get her unconscious, just really drowsy. The place started filling up not long after that and the water level just kept rising. If her calculations were right -and she was never wrong -she had about 4 minutes left until the water reached the ceiling.
She was already fighting to stay afloat, legs moving even if they were still heavier because of the drugs, head pressed against the ceiling, trying to keep breathing for a bit more. Just a little bit.
She couldn't believe this was how she was going to go. It felt a bit humiliating, to be quite honest.
"Merlin, promise me something." She said, water filling her mouth for a second.
"No!" Merlin all but shouted on the other side. "Don't you dare make a dying wish to me, Val! Galahad and Lancelot are coming."
Wow, he used her real name. He must be really desperate now. She felt really bad about it. Merlin was... Dear Lord, she could not think about it ever, much less at the moment.
I don't want to die. She suddenly realized.
But you have no choice. The voice in her head indicated.
For fuck’s sake!
“There is a deposit box in my bank and there’s a letter inside of it.” She spoke quickly, trying not to swallow any water, but it was hard. “I know you can get it, so do it.”

“Valentina, stop!”

“I’m so sorry, Christopher.” She murmured, before the water finally covered her, taking the last breathing room she had.
She could still hear Merlin’s voice in her earpiece, even if a bit distorted. He was yelling, telling her not to give up, that Galahad and Lancelot were almost there, just a bit more.
There were so many things that Valentina wished she could have said to him, that she could have explained. She hoped that her letter would help with that and hoped that he wouldn’t hate her.
She couldn’t do anything if he did, she would be dead anyway.
That was her last thought before water filled her mouth.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

25 years later

Harry Hart had adapted pretty well to his new life as Arthur. Well, considering that he had come back from the dead, found out his boss and mentor was a traitor and so were another 4 members of the Kingsman and had to basically restructure the whole agency, he thought he was doing very well.
But this? Fuck.
Seriously. Fucking fuck.
He was not paid to deal with this kind of shit.
Except that… He was. Kind of.
This was a mess.
Could he die again? Please?
Harry took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was not a little boy, to be whining about things. He was the leader of this damn agency and he was going to act like one, goddamn it!
His pep talk lasted for about 50 seconds, just enough time to enter the meeting room and see the other agents there, looking at him with the utmost trust.
Shit.
After the V-Day they found out just how deep the corruption of the agency ran. After the dust had settled they looked for the other agents and found 4 of them dead, heads blown.
Another knife in the back.
So there were only eight of them left and it was not enough, not with the mess that was left behind, not with an agency that had lost its faith on its values. Arthur needed more, but his agents had run dry. They had nothing else to give.
He couldn’t ask for anything more, and yet…
Here he was, about to ask anyway.
Lord, Merlin was going to kill him.
“We have a situation.” He declared directly, choosing not to waste anyone’s time with long speeches.
“Fuck’s sake, Arthur.” Eggsy groaned. “What now?”
After everything the boy had done for the agency it seemed only logical that he deserved his place among them. Harry was to become Arthur anyway, so the boy took the name of Galahad.
Fair was fair on Harry’s book.
Besides the boy they had Lancelot, Urien, Gareth, Bors, Percival, Dagonet and Caradoc left. Urien and Caradoc had almost killed each other during the whole V-Day thing and weren’t on speaking terms at the moment, but at least they were here.
Merlin was also there, not sitting at the table, just on the corner, like he always did. “What’s the problem, Arthur?” He asked, his voice so calm, so focused. Harry had been leaning heavily on Merlin these days. He couldn’t do all of this if his friend wasn’t there with him.
“The MI-6.” Harry spoke softly.
“What?” Bors demanded, standing up.
“What do they want?” Urien asked, incensed.
“What they always wanted, obviously.” Percival spoke, his voice carefully unconcerned. “To control us.”
“The problem is that now they can.” Harry informed them all.
“I beg your pardon?” Merlin arched a brow.
“What is going on exactly?” Roxy asked Harry.
“We always had a bit of a problem with the MI-6.” Harry informed the youngest agents. “They’ve been trying to control us for many years. They want to use us.”
“And we’ve managed to escape that so far, so what has changed?” Gareth demanded.
“V-Day.” Harry sighed. “And the fact that Arthur was part of it.”
“Shit.” Bors cursed.
“So what are they saying?” Merlin wanted to know.
On the outside he looked pretty calm, Harry observed, however he knew Merlin better than anyone else. His voice was cold, bordering on freezing. His friend was pissed and he knew exactly why.
“We have no idea who else was involved on this on their side.” Harry explained. “They said that there wasn’t anyone, but we know that’s bullshit. Either way, they insist that this is the result of them being ‘too complacent’ with us.”
“Being too what?” Eggsy sputtered.
“If we don’t accept their terms we’re going to be considered criminals and they’ll do whatever it’s necessary to destroy all of us.” Harry finished. “With the Interpol and CIA’s full cooperation.”
“What the fuck?” Eggsy got up and slammed his palms on the table. “They can’t do that.”
“Technically they can.” Dagonet, who had remained silent until then, finally said. “We have no ties with governments or any kind of supervision. From a different perspective we’re nothing but a bunch of vigilantes at best and terrorists at worst.”
“So what, Harry?” Roxy asked, clearly worried. “What are they asking of us?”
“Our full cooperation.” Harry informed, sarcasm heavy on his voice. “They didn’t actually ask anything, per se. They mostly offered help.”
Nobody spoke a word, but it was very obvious their opinion on the matter.
“Help?” Percival prompted him.
“They offered to ‘lend’ us two experienced agents and two candidates for new positions.” Harry couldn’t keep his frustration of his voice anymore. “They made a point of saying that we don’t have to keep the candidates if we don’t want to, but that they are great assets.”
“And that way they have four agents inside our house.” Caradoc rolled his eyes.
“Actually…” Harry cleared his throat. “Five. They’ll send in a handler for them, as well as a liaison.”
Bors was observing Harry very carefully and Gareth and Caradoc traded looks, but it was Dagonet who asked. “Something wrong, Arthur?”
“We know the handler.” He admitted.
Merlin finally stopped pretending he was looking at his tablet and looked at Harry. “Who is it?” He demanded.
“Merlin, I tried to…”
“Harry.” His voice was a blade.
Roxy and Eggsy were looking at him in shock, because they’d never seen Merlin act like this, especially towards Harry.
“It is Valentina.” Harry said at last.
Gareth was spluttering from his place and Bors was yelling that ‘no way in hell’, while Roxy and Eggsy just stayed there, mostly confused, and Merlin…
Well, Merlin had no expression on his face. He didn’t move, didn’t say a word. Then he just started walking towards the door without saying one word. He left the room and slammed the door so hard that Harry thought it was going to fall from its hinges.
“Shit.” Harry grumbled under his breath.
The other agents were looking in shock at the door, even Dagonet, who most of the time was impossible to be read.
“Is this a bad moment to ask who is this Valentina?” Roxy asked.
“Valentina Rizzo?” Urien’s voice was full of derision. “Just the only Guinevere we’ve ever had in here.”
Eggsy and Roxy looked at each other. “Well, fuck.” Eggsy murmured.
Fuck indeed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Harry Hart was invited for a “job interview” with the Kingsman he was just 23 years old; eager to serve, thirsty for adventure, dying to prove himself.
Two years after that Merlin came in: a quiet young man, already considered a genius. They were an unlikely pair: Merlin was so quiet and focused, while Harry was the perfect charming spy.
Harry had been a bit too cocky back then and Merlin had cultivated a certain pleasure for putting him on his place. They had hated each other for a few years.
Then, one day, Merlin saved this life. No hesitation, no questions asked, Merlin just jumped in on a situation that had nothing to do with him and saved Harry.
In the world they lived it was very hard to trust people, but Harry knew that Merlin had his back. He’d had it for many years now, surpassing that stupid rivalry and becoming a true friendship.
Now Harry couldn’t repay all these years of trust, because the fucking MI-6 had put a fucking leash on him and he felt like he was letting his best friend down.
It had taken him some time to calm the other agents and even more time to fend off Eggsy and Roxy’s questions. The younger agents finally dropped the subject, but only after he promised he would explain it better later.
He kind of wished that this “later” never arrived.
Now he needed to talk to Merlin and he wasn’t looking forward to it. He owned him this much, though.
Harry took a deep breath before knocking on the door of Merlin’s office. There was no answer, but he went in anyway.
Merlin was sitting in front of his computer, working.
“I am busy.” The man said dryly.
“No, you’re not.” Harry spoke softly. “Merlin, I am sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Merlin’s voice was perfectly calm. “And it is of no consequence.”
“That’s not true.” Harry indicated. “I know how you feel about Valentina.”
Merlin became completely still. Then, “I don’t feel anything. It was a long time ago.”
Harry wanted to say that it was a lie, but there was no need to rub it off. Not right now.
God knew what would happen when Valentina actually arrived in three days.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Harry asked, concern covering all of the words, besides the frustration of being unable to solve this. “Anything at all?”
Merlin sighed and finally turned his chair around to look at Harry. “There’s nothing we can do. I’ll be fine. Professional.”
Somehow, Harry found that very hard to believe, but all he said was, “I’m sure you will.”
XxX
“What are you thinking about?”
Bors turned his head in Urien’s direction and raised a brow. “Do you actually care?”
“Not really.” Urien admitted without shame. “But all of this situation has already bored me, so I might as well ask about something else.”
Bors rolled his eyes. “You’re not concerned about the MI-6?” He asked, completely skeptical.
“I am concerned.” Urien insisted. “But there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it, I have no idea who this Valentina person is. She is from before my time in here.”
“I didn’t meet her personally as well. But I was here for the aftermath.” Bors said. “She left a mess on her wake.”
Urien shrugged. “Not our problem then. What is in your head?”
“I wanted to recommend my daughter for the training.” Bors finally said. “I was just wondering if I can still do that now. Or if I should.”
“Why the hell not?” Urien arched a brow. “Better her than some snot-nosed kid from the MI-6. I’m sure Arthur would agree.”
Bors watched the other man, somewhat surprised. Urien was a prick at best and he hardly ever thought of anyone that wasn’t himself, much less gave any kind of relevant input to any conversation. “I will.” Bors nodded.
“Good.” Urien got up, satisfied with himself for whatever reason. “I’m leaving now. This place has been downright depressing lately. I need a drink.”
Bors rolled his eyes as the man left. It figured.
XxX
“It doesn’t make sense to me.” Eggsy sulked later that same night.
Roxy, who was used to the boy’s moods by now, just rolled her eyes and decided to humor him a bit. “What?”
“This whole Valentina story that Harry told us. I think he lied.”
Well, Roxy thought the same, if she were honest. Harry had asked to talk to them and explained the situation. She didn’t think he lied about everything, she actually thought he told mostly the truth, but not all of it.
“Why do you think so?” She asked, instead of agreeing, just to see what Eggsy had in his mind.
“I believe that she was a Kingsman that jumped to the MI-6 on her first chance.” Eggsy spoke. “But that this is the whole story? No way in fucking hell. Merlin looked pissed! I’ve never seen him like that before.”
“I agree.” Roxy sighed, sinking deeper into her armchair. “This Valentina isn’t just a turncoat. She did something nasty on her way out.” She chewed her bottom lip.
“What?” Eggsy prompted. “I know that face.”
Eggsy had learned to read her so easily. It would be offensive if she hadn’t done the same with him. They were open books to each other.
“I have a theory, but it’s kind of gossip…” She spoke carefully.
“Sounds interesting.” Eggsy grinned. “Tell me.”
“Once, some time ago, uncle Percival told me that he really missed the days when Merlin wasn’t so grumpy.” Roxy started, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say. “I told him I couldn’t imagine Merlin in any different way and he said that Merlin was a funny guy when they were younger. Seriously funny.”
Eggsy looked disturbed by the idea. “I can’t even picture that.”
“Neither can I. So I asked him what had changed. Percival was quiet for a while, then he shook his head and said ‘what happens to every man for better or worse: a woman’.” Roxy tapped her fingernail against her lip. “I knew he wasn’t about to tell me more, but that got me thinking… What kind of woman would tie Merlin in knots like that?”
Eggsy arched a brow. “Maybe a woman that betrayed the whole agency.” He completed her idea.
“Harry looked like he felt really bad about this person being back here and he is Merlin’s best friend.” Roxy continued. “It kind of makes sense.”
“And he’d never tell us that, because he wouldn’t do that to Merlin.” Eggsy was thinking pretty hard about this.
“Should we do something?” Roxy asked, a bit worried. “I feel like we should help somehow.”
“We can’t help without more information.” Eggsy indicated. “But who can we ask?”
“Percival and Harry wouldn’t ever say anything.” Roxy sighed. “Urien and Caradoc are from after that time.”
“Bors probably wouldn’t gossip as well, much less Dagonet. He probably thinks it’s beneath him.” Eggsy snorted.
They traded looks. “Gareth.” They said at the same time.
XxX
These had been hellish days. Merlin was barely talking to any of them, Urien and Dagonet were being bigger pricks than usual, Lancelot and Galahad were up to something else and nobody else was useful in this agency.
The only bright thing recently had been Bors indicating his daughter for a position. Harry was actually quite satisfied with that and told the man to bring her to the mansion at once.
The last time he had seen Rebecca she was a smartass teenager. She had grown up to be quite a lovely smart-assed young lady. Harry was very interested in seeing her during the training.
There was a soft knock on his door, then Roxy put her head inside the room. “Arthur… They’re here.”
Well, fuck.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Merlin wanted, more than anything else in the world, to be completely unaffected by Valentina’s return.
He wasn’t, not by a long shot.
He truly hated how much she had messed him up on her way out. Especially because she hadn’t even looked back; she had turned and left. No hesitation, no last glance over her shoulder.
Merlin liked to think that he had only been that upset because he’d been young and stupid; stupid enough to believe that Valentina actually cared about him and that they were friends.
He’d been so stupid.
“Hey, Merlin.” Eggsy had the look of a messenger just waiting to be shot. “They just crossed the gates.”
He nodded stiffly and got up from his chair. Merlin was going to be superior and professional if it killed him.
It just might.
The Scotsman walked to the front of the house, Eggsy a couple of steps behind him. Harry was already outside with all the others. His friend –and boss –gave him a tight nod, but Merlin felt no need to react to that as well.
At least Urien looked like he was having fun. Arsehole.
Eggsy had put himself besides Roxy and they both looked like they were about to crawl out of their skins with anxiousness, but Merlin would remain calm. He would not react.
He had just positioned himself by Harry’s right when the black SUV came into view, approaching the house. Eggsy snorted and Roxy elbowed the boy.
The car finally stopped a few meters in front of them all. The driver’s door opened and a woman with long light brown hair and skin tight jeans came out.
“I’m joining MI-6 too.” Eggsy murmured. This time Roxy’s elbow hit him with real force.
The back door from the same side opened and a young man, who seemed to be Korean, came out, then turned and offered his hand to help a young woman to climb down.
Finally the shotgun door opened and a man got out. He opened the back door of his side and gave his hand to someone.
Eggsy and Roxy had tried to picture Valentina Rizzo a thousand times after they failed to find an actual picture or to talk to Gareth. Nothing came remotely close to the reality.
She was wearing a pure white power suit, like she was a powerful CEO, not a MI-6 agent. Everything about her screamed money and class: from the heels of her black Manolo to the tips of her perfect chocolate brown hair. Nothing on her was messy or out of place, all she wore was obviously expensive. If she was nervous about being there, it wasn’t showing.
She walked up to them with firm steps. “Arthur.” She nodded to Harry as she came closer. She wasn’t smiling, just professional and polite.
“Agent Rizzo.” Harry was giving as good as he was getting, and his expression revealed nothing. “How have you been?”
“Well, thank you. I hope the same can be said about you.” She gave him a polite smile. “Let me introduce you to our agents. This is Melissa Murdock and Simon Landen.” She indicated the two older agents. “They’ll be the ones temporally working for you.”
Harry shook hands with both of them. “It’s a pleasure.”
Urien snickered somewhere behind him, but Harry ignored him. Melissa’s face was carefully neutral, but Simon seemed to be fighting off the urge to smirk.
“And these are our junior agents, the ones to be trained.” She indicated the younger couple. “This is Richard Jones.” She indicated the boy.
Eggsy frowned and opened his mouth to comment on something –probably highly inappropriate –but Roxy stopped him again.
“And this is Manuela Rizzo.” Valentina pointed to the girl.
Harry arched a brow. “Daughter?” He asked despite himself.
“That’s what she tells me.” Manuela quipped from her place.
Urien snickered again and Harry thought he’d heard Bors gasping, but he wasn’t sure. “Interesting”, was all he commented.
It was Valentina’s turn to arch a brow. “Are you going to introduce us?” She asked, indicating the Kingsman with her head.
“Of course.” Harry was the perfect gentleman. “These are Galahad and Lancelot, our youngest assets.” He indicated them. “Our older agents: Urien, Dagonet, Bors and Caradoc.” He indicated the other men. “You might remember Gareth.”
Valentina turned to the Kingsman. “Adrien?” This time her smile was a bit more genuine. “The last time I saw you, you were still an annoying teenager.”
Gareth –whose real name was Adrien Watson –gave her an easy smile. “You actually look hotter than I remember, Val. Like good wine, I’d say.” And the fucker winked at her.
Melissa arched a bow behind Valentina’s back and Simon stopped trying to hide his smirk.
Valentina just shook her head, a grin on her lips and turned to Percival. “Percival. It’s been a long time.”
He gave her a pleasant smile. “Fortunately.”
Valentina, far from looking troubled, finally turned to Merlin. “Hello, Merlin.” She nodded in his direction.
“Agent Rizzo.” On the outside Merlin looked perfectly fine, but if his back got any straighter his spine might snap.
It seemed like the moment dragged on forever. Perhaps, in truth, they just stared at each other for seconds, but it felt like so much more. All those years, all those feelings just came crashing down on Merlin.
And then Valentina blinked.
“Someone else here is like wine.” She smirked softly. Before Merlin could even open his mouth to say something, she was looking back at Harry. “Where can we leave everything?”
Harry had to clear his throat before speaking. “Galahad and Lancelot will guide Miss Rizzo and Mister Jones. Gareth will take the rest of you.”
She nodded her acceptance and they went back to the car to get their things.
“Any chance the kid is yours?” Urien whispered from behind Merlin.
The scathing look Merlin sent him was answer enough.
XxX
“You’ll be staying here for as long as you’re training.” Roxy explained as she watched the two agents leaving the bags by their beds.
“Whose bed is this one?” Manuela asked pointing at the third bed.
“We have a third recruit coming in tomorrow.” Roxy explained.
Manuela arched a brow, but didn’t comment.
“So, how come your name is Richard Jones?” Eggsy asked to the boy. “Is it fake?”
“Eggsy!” Roxy said before she could stop herself.
Richard arched a brow. “Apparently you aren’t in a place where you can judge, Eggsy.”
“Hey, you listen…”
“Ok, that’s enough.” Roxy pushed Eggsy’s chest. “We’ll let you two settle. Bye.”
She had to shove Eggsy out of the room before she managed to close the door behind herself. “Seriously?”
“What? You can’t tell me you weren’t curious.” He argued.
“I don’t care about his name, Eggsy.” Roxy rolled her eyes. “Besides, that was a rude assumption.”
Eggsy crossed his arms, completely unrepentant. “I don’t like them, so I don’t care.”
Roxy sighed and started walking down the hallway. Eggsy trotted to catch up to her. “But, apparently being hot is a family thing, right? Cuz that Valentina lady is hot and her daughter is smoking.”
Roxy turned to him with an arched brow. “So Richard is a problem, but Manuela is hot, so it’s cool?” She asked dryly.
“Pretty much.” Eggsy confirmed.
Roxy huffed and just left him there. “Hey, Rox! What did I say? I was just joking! Come on!”
XxX
“Rebecca is asking me if you want her to take off her twist braids.”
Harry looked up from his newspaper and arched a brow. “I’m sure your daughter isn’t asking my opinion about her hairstyle.” He observed. “Which means that the problem is something else.” He guessed.
“It’s because of the training.” Bors informed.
“I have no idea of what is a twist braid.” Harry admitted. “Or how this could affect her training.”
Bors rolled his eyes and pulled his phone from his pocket. He scrolled down through his pictures, until he found a picture of her and showed to Harry. “These are twist braids.”
Harry picked the phone and looked at Rebecca. She looked so much like her mother: the same beautiful dark eyes, the same smile with straight teeth, same cheekbones. Her resemblance to Miranda was remarkable. Bors was probably going through a difficult moment with her right now.
After all, during V-Day, Rebecca had almost killed her mother.
“I like the hair. I don’t understand why she’d have to remove it, unless she needs to go to the hairdresser every weekend or something.” Harry gave the phone back to Bors.
“No. She doesn’t have to.” Bors put the phone away.
Harry gave him a look. “Were you testing me or something?” He asked.
“Do you remember what Chester told me when I was training?” Bors asked.
Harry sighed and rested his hands on the table. “That you were too ‘street’ to be a Kingsman. I also remember he told Urien and Dagonet that it wasn’t acceptable for them to have a relationship, and that he told me I was a disappointment once he found out I was a ‘faggot’. Chester is dead and good riddance.”
“I just…” Bors cleared his throat. “She has to face a lot on the outside. I don’t want to bring her here to be humiliated like I was.”
“I always knew you finished that training out of spite.” Harry smiled softly at the other man.
“You can bet your arse I did.” Bors straightened his jacket. “I’ll let her know about the hair.”
“You do that, Bors.”
XxX
“So… That Merlin is way more handsome than I thought.”
Valentina rolled her eyes, but it was Melissa that replied. “Handsome? Are you getting blind?” The brunette was sitting by the vanity table, feet threw on it.
Simon chuckled. “Okay, perhaps handsome isn’t the right word. Not for him.”
Melissa looked like she’d rather be on an exploding building than listening to this. Fortunately, they were the only ones listening, because Simon had found and destroyed all the hidden devices in the room.
Valentina hoped the Kingsman didn’t think them that stupid.
Simon was lying on her bed, arms crossed behind his head, ankles crossed as well, like the place belonged to him. This had always been his talent: Simon took over every space he entered and made you feel like he really had the right to.
The fucker.
“Handsome works better for pretty boys, like that Caradoc figure or even Arthur.” Simon said, like he was giving this some serious thought. “He’s more…” He hummed, searching for the word. “Tough, virile. Intense.”
“Careful, Simon. Don’t use all your vocabulary at once.” Melissa called from where she sat.
Simon ignored her. “Are you sure you never tried him on for size, Val?” He teased.
“Don’t be tiresome, Simon.” Val sighed, before turning from the window. “You know I haven’t.”
“Not for lack of wanting, I reckon.” He smirked at her.
Valentina chuckled. “No, not for lack of wanting.” She admitted. “But, right now, I think this is a good thing.”
Melissa and Simon traded looks. “Can you really do this?” The woman was the one to ask, because Melissa was always blunt.
“I don’t have a choice, in case you’ve forgotten.” Val indicated.
“Should we keep Merlin dearest away from you?” Simon asked.
“No and I’m the only one that gets to call him that.”
Simon arched a brow, amusement covering his whole face. “Valentina… What are you up to?”
The woman just shrugged delicately. “Just doing my job.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

26 years ago

“Chris!”
Merlin turned on his chair and smiled at the woman. “Guinevere.” He said, with an arched brow.
Valentina was absolutely unrepentant, as she crossed the space of his lab to sit on his table. She always did that. Well, she always did exactly what she wanted and Merlin was always powerless to stop her.
He was such an idiot, acting like a teenager with a crush every time Val came around.
“Can I help you with something?” He asked, instead of telling her to get off his table, because that never really worked.
“I want to run an idea by you.” She explained. “About shoes.”
Merlin felt completely confused by the statement and his eyes automatically fell to her feet, looking at the black pumps she was wearing. “I like yours.” He offered carefully.
Val snorted, making him feel like a fool once again. She wasn’t cruel, she never purposefully made him feel like an idiot, he did it all on his own.
“No, darling.” She laughed. “I’m talking about me getting some interesting features on my shoes. Like a blade, for example.”
Merlin shook his head. “Of course.” He cleared his throat, once again embarrassed. “You are our first female agent. We’d have to get some special things done for you.”
“That would be awfully kind of you.” She teased, using the too formal language. “I’m tired of using these big ugly masculine watches.” She shook her wrist to him, where said watch was.
It was true that there had been no other women in Kingsman before her, and Valentina had been a good sport about using most of the gadgets made for the other agents, but it did look like she was going to the field with disadvantages.
“I’ll make a couple of designs for you and work on those shoes.” He promised her.
“Oh Christopher, you spoil me so.” She said dramatically, hand on her chest.
“Hardly.” He spoke dryly, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’d just rather you to be safe.”
Her hand went to the collar of his shirt, which she pulled gently. “I’d rather that too.” She bit her lower lip. “You know what else I’d rather?”
Merlin arched a brow. “Valentina…”
“Uh… My name.” She teased softly. “Am I in trouble?”
Merlin chuckled. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
“Being in trouble with you?” She arched a brow, a smirk on her lips. “Oh yes, I would. Wanna make it a date?”
“Oh Lord, you’re not gonna fuck here, are you?”
Merlin groaned. “Can I help, Galahad?”
Harry smirked at the other man, all charm and over confidence. “I thought this was a working place.”
Valentina huffed and got up. “I’ll talk to you later, Merlin.” She informed him. She passed by Harry, completely ignoring the other man.
“That woman…” Harry pointed at the door she had just left through. “Is way too much for you. Only the Lord knows why she wants you anyway.”
“Shut up, Galahad.”

Present day

“So… Valentina.”
Merlin sighed. “Do you all feel the need to talk about her with me?”
Percival shrugged and came closer. “You two were awfully cozy when she was an agent.” He indicated.
“Yes, then she betrayed us and left.” Merlin pointed out. “We aren’t about to get cozy again.”
Percival didn’t look like he believed in that, but he chose not to comment. “I’m just saying, we remember how you were after…”
“Percival.” Merlin cut the other man. “Are you trying to make me feel bad? Stupid? Perhaps nostalgic?”
At his tone Percival arched a brow. Merlin was hardly ever that expressive with what he felt or thought. Valentina’s return must have really shaken him.
“I’m not trying to make you feel anything, Merlin.” Percival assured him. “However, I was the one there that night. After everybody else left, I was the one that stayed behind.”
Yes, he had and Merlin would never not feel humiliated by that. He couldn’t forgive himself for how heartbroken he had been over Valentina’s betrayal. Through the years Harry sometimes would say they were young and everything seems worse then, but it wasn’t an excuse. Merlin had acted like a scorned lover, a betrayed spouse, when the truth was that nothing ever happened.
He knew that most of them didn’t believe in that, even Chester –Arthur at the time –doubted him when he said it.
He had wanted -God, had he wanted – he’d been completely infatuated by her, her smiles and her words. Valentina had got them all in her web, all of them wrapped around her finger.
So yes, once she left he felt like the biggest idiot in the world, got way too drunk and punched a wall. Unfortunately, Percival had seen it.
“It was a long time ago.” Merlin finally said. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
“No, you aren’t.” Percival conceded. “But Valentina betrayed us all when she was a ‘kid’. Imagine what kind of damage she can cause now that she’s a grown woman and a veteran MI-6 agent.”
“I’m not in any danger of forgetting this, Percival.” Merlin finally snapped, tired and sick of all of them treating him like he was a 15 year-old girl with a bad crush.
“Just make sure you don’t.” Percival nodded at him and turned to leave. That was when he saw Valentina there, standing by the door.
“Should I pretend I didn’t hear that?” She asked, arching a brow.
“What do you want?” Percival demanded, crossing his arms.
“Arthur wants one of you to give me a tour of the mansion.” She informed Percival, completely unaffected by his manners. “I suggested you, because you’re unlikely to fall prey to my wicked ways.”
Percival arched a brow. “Really?”
“You never liked me all that much.” She shrugged.
“Apparently I had good reason not to.” Percival spoke dryly.
Valentina’s smile was beatific. “Shall we go?” Her eyes turned to Merlin. “Unless you want to take me?”
Merlin pressed his lips together, but Percival prevented him from speaking. “You’ll have to be satisfied with me.”
Valentina nodded. “Let’s go then.”
Merlin only felt like he could breathe again when the door closed behind them. This was going to be a nightmare.
XxX
“I’m pleased to see you’ve grown so much since the last time I was here.” Valentina commented, as they looked at the hangar.
“Despite your best efforts to put us down, you mean?” Percival said dryly.
Simon and Melissa traded looks behind their backs, but didn’t comment. It was pretty obvious to them that this man resented Valentina and he was making no effort to hide it.
Valentina, on her part, seemed pretty much impervious to his constant jabs. She’d been expecting this, of course.
Simon and Melissa had protested –a lot –when they were given this mission. Not because they couldn’t do it - they could and they would –but Valentina didn’t deserve this.
The MI-6 was testing her. They knew how she’d be received, how she’d be treated, and they still insisted it had to be her.
The heads of the agency hated the Kingsman, mostly because they got the job done, and made all the other agencies look like idiots.
Simon understood the problems with the “tailor”, though. Yes, they did what had to be done, but they also answered to no one but themselves. They respected no borders, no jurisdiction and followed their own sets of rules.
What was there to stop them for becoming the next big threat?
Simon believed in the mission they were in now and he believed this was the right choice, even if the Kingsmen were feeling all betrayed and wronged. However, he didn’t agree –for a second –with what their own agency was making Valentina do, especially bringing her daughter along.
Melissa agreed with him on that. Not that she said so. God knew that woman hardly ever opened her mouth, but he knew she agreed anyway.
“Are we to receive cute knight names?” Simon said, attracting Percival’s attention to him. “I always wanted to be a knight in shining armor.”
Melissa snorted. “More like useless sidekick.” She murmured.
“You aren’t Kingsman.” Percival informed them, matter of fact. “You can keep using whatever name you use.”
“Bond. It’s always Bond.” Simon replied cheekily.
“Melissa, is your last alias burned?” Valentina asked the woman.
“No.”
Percival was looking at Melissa, like he expected some extra information. Poor fool, he’d wait the rest of his life.
“So it’s Bond and Bourne.” Valentina informed Percival.
“You’re joking.” He said flatly.
“I’d love to be.” Valentina admitted. “But I gave up on them a long time ago.”
Percival took a long breath, like he was trying to believe in all of this. “Let’s just keep going.” He finally said.
XxX
“How are the new recruits doing?” Harry asked, stepping behind Merlin’s chair.
“They don’t have anything to do, so they’re talking.” Merlin pointed to the screen.
Harry observed Manuela and Richard, who were laying on one of the cots. She had her back against the headboard, and he was sitting between her legs, his back against her chest, a book on his hands.
Harry arched a brow. “Are they fucking?”
“Not from what I can see.” Merlin shrugged. “I think they’re just very good friends.”
“What are they talking about?” Harry wanted to know.
“Well, unless this is the most bizarre coded conversation I’ve ever heard in my life, they just spent one hour discussing who should Jon Snow end with.”
“Who?” Harry asked, beyond confused.
Merlin pointed to a second screen where a Wikipedia page was open. “It’s a book and a TV series. Not sure the difference between them.” And from his tone it was obvious he didn’t care. “They have different opinions and have debated at length.”
Harry looked back to the screen incredulous. “These are the recruits they sent us?”
“Apparently.” Merlin commented dryly.
“I want to hear them.” Harry decided.
Merlin pressed a button.
“You’re ridiculous, Ella.” Richard was speaking. “I’m right and you know it.”

“Ridiculous is this theory of yours! They’re siblings!”

“Cousins.” He informed easily.
Manuela huffed and fell against the headboard. “We’ll wait and see them.”
“We shall.” He teased, squeezing her knee. His eyes turned to the third bed. “Who do you think is the last recruit?”

“Don’t care.” Manuela informed. “I just hope he –or she –is hot.”
Richard rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Ella?”
“At least we’ll have something interesting to look at.” She joked, her hands going to his shoulder. “Now get out from between my legs, would you?”
Richard snorted. “I’m pretty sure this is the first time you say something like that.” He got out of the bed.
“You’d be surprised.” Manuela replied cheekily.
Richard was laughing as he walked to the toilets, and Merlin pressed the button to mute the video again.
“Have you figured out who’s her father?” Harry asked.
“No.” Merlin sighed. “No information at all.”
“I’ll ask Valentina.” Harry decided.
“Why? She’s probably going to lie anyway.” Merlin grumbled.
Harry shrugged. “It’s part of it. I want to see her, face to face, and see what she has to say for herself.”
Merlin pressed his lips tighter. “I think you’re making a mistake.” He said seriously.
“We don’t have a choice, Merlin. I might as well see how cocksure she feels once I put her on the spot.”
Merlin just nodded, but he knew that it’d do no good. Valentina always had the upper hand on them.
He just worried that she’d get one over Harry if they talked alone.
Harry owned his life to her and Merlin knew he never forgot that.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

26 years ago

“God damn it, Galahad, open your eyes!” Valentina all but screamed at him.
“Don’t shout.” He said, but his voice came out slurred.
“Then don’t be a lazy arsehole.” She snapped back. “Blood loss is no excuse to die.”
Harry tried to laugh at her stupid logic, but it came out a coughing fit. He had been shot in close range, on the stomach. The bullet was still lodged inside him and he was bleeding.
Valentina had managed to half drag him into this storage room, but they wouldn't be able to escape from there, especially in the condition he was in. Their extract point was almost a kilometer down.
“Give me a minute.” She declared picking his gun. “I’ll be back. Don’t die.”
Harry wished he could give her some smartass answer, but he was so fucking heavy and tired. She left the room and he heard gun shots and yelling, but it felt like it was too far away from him. He felt the vibrations of an explosion, but he barely heard the noise. This couldn’t be a good sign.
He didn’t know how long he was there alone, but eventually the door opened and Valentina came back. She had a bloody gash on her forehead.
“I thought you’d left.” He murmured, fighting to keep his eyes open.
“It did cross my mind.” She answered, holstering her weapon. “You’re a pain in my arse.”
“Merlin likes your arse.” He mumbled with a grin.
“Everybody likes my arse.” She commented approaching him.
“You should go.” He told her. “I can’t make it. I’m bleeding.”
“Stop the drama.” She rolled her eyes. “We started this together, we’re finishing it together.”
“Didn’t know you cared.”
She held his face between her hands. “I do. Now fight to stay awake. I am not leaving you behind.” She told him forcefully.
Then she picked him on a fireman carry and started moving.
“Guinevere!” He was surprised. “I’m going to slow you down.”
“You always do.” She snapped, her voice a bit breathless because of the effort. “I’m still not leaving you behind.

Present day

Harry sat across from Valentina, the memory of that day still fresh on his mind. She carried him for one kilometer, until their extraction point.
After, when he was recovering, he found out that she’d gone back outside to kill the guards, so she could come back for him. She carried him over her shoulder with blood dripping from her forehead and three cracked ribs.
Everybody knew how badly Merlin had taken the news of Valentina’s betrayal, but nobody ever thought of how Harry felt. It was like the whole world had crumbled under him. He liked her, he’d trusted her, she became a friend and a confident.
Merlin had only heard about her leaving. Harry had been there. He had pointed a gun to her head, watched her turn her back and leave.
Sometimes he wished he had shot her that day. But he couldn’t.
“So, your daughter.” He started.
“What about her?” Valentina asked easily, legs crossed, elbow on the arm of her chair, face resting on her hand.
“Who’s the father?”
“Mexican agent.” She informed him. “He was infiltrated on a cartel. It was a one night stand.” She shrugged. “He’s dead, if that’s what’s worrying you.”
“His name?” Harry arched a brow.
“Miguel Martinez. You can check with his agency.” She was absolutely calm.
Harry took a deep breath. “What are you doing here, Valentina?”
It was her turn to arch a brow. “Working.”
“I don’t believe you.” He said.
“I don’t expect you to.” She told him sincerely. “It doesn’t change a thing, but I understand. You don’t want me here, but I don’t want to be here. I had no choice.”
“Do you expect me to feel sorry for you?” He asked dryly.
She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I don’t want your pity, Arthur.” The name was sarcastic on her lips. “I just want to do my job in hopes I can leave soon.”
Harry looked at her, unsure if he should believe her or not. There was a time he thought he could read Valentina like an open book.
Now he didn’t know if he’d ever actually understood her.
“Stay away from Merlin.” He warned her. “You might be here against your will, you might be working, but if you mess with him again…”
“Merlin has nothing to worry about.” She snapped, finally showing a bit more of emotion. “I don’t have any intention of making this harder on him.”
“Or making it harder on you?” Harry replied without an ounce of sympathy now.
“You don’t need to believe me.” She told him brusquely. “He doesn’t need to believe in me, and I don’t expect he’ll ever again. But whatever you think of me as a terrible person, as a traitor, I’ve never lied about…” She stopped and snapped her lips closed.
“About what?” He insisted.
“I’ll stay away from Merlin.” She informed him getting up. “Now if he’ll stay away from me…” She shrugged delicately. “We all know he wasn’t very good at that before.”
Harry stood, pissed about the low blow. “It’s different now.”
“If that’s what you want to believe.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand and left the room.
Shit.
XxX
“You’re so fucking stupid, Valentina.” The agent thought to herself, because there wasn’t anyone to say it to her and she needed to hear it.
She had provoked Harry in that office. She wasn’t a kid, much less a teenager; she had no excuse to behave the way she did. No fucking reason.
Well, that was a lie. She knew very well why she’d said what she did.
Merlin.
It had always been him.
She’d come back prepared for all of the attacks and the mistrust. She was quite aware that she deserved it all from their perspective. As soon as she got her orders, Valentina knew what it would be like.
However, she wasn’t a baby agent -she was too fucking old for this bullshit -she could handle the hostility and even smile at their faces, while they barked at her.
She was a professional and she’d done things they couldn’t even dream about. She would do whatever she had to.
Fuck Merlin for ruining it all.
Apparently, he and Harry had become besties somewhere in the last twenty years, and now Harry wanted to protect Merlin from her!
If anyone needed protection, it was Valentina.
She hadn’t thought that seeing him again would be that hard. She had time to prepare before actually coming here, years to convince herself that she didn’t care anymore, but it was all for nothing. The moment she saw him it all came crashing down. It was like not even one day had passed.
Merlin would always be the one that got away.
Whatever he felt for her back then was gone and it had probably been easy for him; he could focus on her betrayal and the hate he felt for her and let go. She left knowing she’d lost the trust of a great man.
Merlin had had years to get over her.
Valentina had never even managed to try.
XxX
“This is it, then? Hogwarts?”
Bors chuckled. “I did ask if you preferred to go to Disney.”
Rebecca smiled at her dad. “No. Hogwarts, always.”
Bors took a deep breath. “Are you really prepared for that? Once you go inside, I can’t do anything…”
“Dad.” She touched his left hand, that was grasping desperately at the wheel. “I am ready. Are you?”
Bors gave a strained chuckled then let his forehead fall gently against the steering wheel. “Why did I let you talk me into this?”
Rebecca arched a brow. “Talk you into this? Dad, you trained me on how to pick locks when I was seven.”
He cleared his throat. “You said you were bored.”
Rebecca chuckled. “You could have taught me how to play cards.” She indicated.
Bors smiled at her. “I’m proud of you, Becca. Remember that always.”
“Thanks, dad.” She hugged him.
“Now, that’s Merlin.” He indicated the man at the top of the stairs. “He’ll take you to meet the others.”
“Ok.”
“Destroy those MI-6 babies.”
Her grin was feral. “I will.”
Merlin was a distant sort, but Rebecca had been expecting that. Her father had alerted her that there would be no favoritism just because she was his daughter.
That was what she wanted.
He took her to a door and indicated she should go in.
She entered a room with three beds and two people, who were sparring. They stopped once she entered.
The girl was ridiculously good looking, with her perfectly straight hair and hot body. Even sweaty she looked more like one of those models in sports wear commercials than a normal human being doing exercises. The guy had Korean traces and was red faced, but was also good looking.
MI-6…
“Hey, the new kid is here.” The girl grinned at her. “I’m Manuela.”
“Richard.” The guy said.
She cleared her throat. “I’m Rebecca.”
They came closer and Rebecca waited to see what they would or say. Manuela looked her up and down and she just waited for the comments. She was used to them.
“Just one question.” The woman arched a brow. “Who’s going to be sitting on the Iron Throne?”
Well, that was unexpected. “Daenerys, obviously.” Rebecca rolled her eyes.
“That’s my girl.” Manuela grinned, clearly satisfied by the answer. “Do you know how to play poker?”
“Yes…” She answered carefully.
“Great, because I’m dying of boredom.”
Those MI-6 people were so weird…
XxX
Gareth looked from Roxy to Eggsy. “Why do I get the feeling you two are looking for trouble?”
“We are not!” Eggsy defended immediately.
“We just want more information.” Roxy was quick to say.
“On what?” He arched a brow.
“Valentina.”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but she’s from before my time.”
“We know.” Roxy assured him. “But we also know that your father was a Kingsman and you know a lot.”
“Well...” Gareth drawled. “I might. What do you know about her?”
“Just what Harry told us.” Eggsy admitted. “But we feel that he left something out.”
Gareth sat on the closest armchair and picked his glass up. “What did he tell you?” He took a sip of his brandy.
“That she worked for the Kingsman, then left and went to work for the MI-6.” Roxy told him.
Gareth snorted. “He said that?”
Eggsy and Roxy were confused, but nodded. Then they were even more confused because Gareth started laughing, then guffawing.
“What did we miss?” Eggsy asked Roxy, but she just shrugged, equally confused.
“Oh Harry…” Gareth said amidst his laughter. “Didn’t know he was still that upset over it.”
“Over what?” Eggsy demanded.
“What happened with Valentina was the shame of the agency for a long time.” Gareth was still chuckling. “I shouldn’t be shocked that they were still lying about it.”
“About what?” Roxy asked, starting to get frustrated.
“Harry told you that she worked for us, then betrayed us and changed teams, right?” He checked.
“Yes.”
“Well, he kind of lied.” He spoke amused.
“What do you mean?” Eggsy asked shocked.
“Valentina was never a true Kingsman.”
The two were looking at him, truly confused now.
Gareth rolled his eyes. “She was a spy. She was already MI-6 when she entered the Kingsman. She came here to spy on us and report back to them. And we only found out when she told us and left.”
Both the younger agents had their mouths hanging up, but Eggsy recovered first. “Explain that. NOW!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

25 years ago…

Valentina had never felt anything more painful in her life. Her lungs were burning, as if someone was pouring boiling water down her wind pipes.

“Valentina!”

Her vision was blurry and her head was spinning. She felt like she was freezing and burning at the same time.

Why am I not dead?

“Valentina!”

She finally managed to focus her vision properly. “Robert? What are you doing here?” She asked him, totally confused.

“We have to go!” Robert said, pulling her, instead of answering.

Valentina got to her feet, still completely confused. What was going on? Why was Robert here?

And why the fuck did she feel like she should be dead?

“What are you…”

Then everything came back to her: the room filling with water, Merlin’s voice… The Kingsman!

“Robert, get the fuck out of here!” She demanded, pulling her hand away from his.

“You have to come with me.” He told her urgently. “I had to save you and now…”

“Guinevere?”

Fuck. Fuck!

This wasn’t happening. This was a nightmare.

Robert made it worse, by pulling a gun on Galahad and Lancelot. “Stop there.” He ordered.

Valentina had protested when they announced that Robert was going to be her support on this mission. He was a good agent, but he saw her as a kid that needed protection.

And he’d just blew her cover because of that.

Galahad and Lancelot pointed their weapons at Robert. “Let her go.” Galahad demanded.

Valentina hoped that Robert got the idea and followed it.

“She’s coming with me.” He declared. “That’s enough of this.”

“Don’t you dare!” Lancelot took a step forward, gun pointing at Robert.

Valentina cursed him a thousand times in her head, but she couldn’t let him die. She put herself between him and the two Kingsman agent.

“Guinevere?” Galahad called, and his voice nearly broke her resolve.

They’d become friends. She shouldn’t have let that happen, but then again, she shouldn’t have let herself fall for Merlin the way she had.

Maybe this was good. Maybe she’d screwed this mission up and it was time to let it go. She was in over her head.

She’d failed.

“I guess this cat is out of the bag already.” She was proud of her voice, how it came out clear. Her mask was perfectly in place, she was going to make them all hate her.

“Guinevere?” Galahad called once again, his voice unsure and weak by the end.

“Sorry, Harry, but that’d be Agent Valentina Rizzo, with the MI-6.” She gave a simple shrug like it didn’t matter to her.

“What?” Lancelot demanded, turning his gun to her. “What did you say?”

“Sorry, boys.” Her voice was dismissive, even if her insides were twisting. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

But how did she think this would end?

“I’m a MI-6 agent.”

“This isn’t possible.” Harry shook his head, refusing to believe her.

“It’s quite possible, love.” She gave him a smile. “But I’ve gotta go now. Send Merlin my goodbyes.”

Merlin. Oh shit. Was he seeing this? What did he think?

Then it happened. Maybe he finally understood, maybe he was just panicking, but Harry pointed his gun at her. “I’ll shoot you.” He told her, but his voice was shaken.

Valentina felt like her heart was about to explode out of her chest. He probably should shoot her, but she didn’t believe he could.

“Will you?” She arched a brow, her voice dry. “Be my guest.”

She turned her back and started leaving. Harry could shoot her if he wanted. What did it matter now? The mission was destroyed. Robert was a longtime agent; the fault would be hers and nobody else’s.

She couldn’t go back to the Kingsman and her career on the MI-6 was over.

But Harry didn’t shoot her. She knew he wouldn’t.

Eventually Robert caught up to her. She just focused on putting on feet in front of the other. Her clothes were soaking wet and it was cold outside; maybe she could pretend this was the reason her hands were shaking.

She’d have to think of an excuse for the tears, though.

XxX

“Oh my god.”

“Yes.”

“Fucking hell.”

“That too.”

“She was…”

“Since the beginning.”

Roxy and Eggsy traded looks.

Gareth, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine with this whole conversation. “I wasn’t even old enough to be a Kingsman at the time, but I remember it all because my father was pissed. Well, they all were, actually.”

He took a sip of his drink. “Chester -who was already Arthur back then -never liked her. Misogynist pig.” Gareth scoffed. “But most of the others adored her, including my father. She was Harry’s best friend, they were as thick as thieves. And then, there was Merlin, of course…”

“Were they…” Roxy started, then stopped, unsure of how to continue.

“As far as we all know, they weren’t.” Gareth answered the unfinished question. “But it was clearly obvious they wanted to be.”

“So Merlin was into her.” Eggsy commented, shocked by the idea.

“He was mad over her.” Gareth informed them. “They were always together, talking, laughing. She flirted with him like there was no tomorrow.”

“But she was faking it.” Roxy indicated.

Gareth hummed. “You know, they all seem to think so… But I don’t.”

“Why?” Eggsy wanted to know.

“Since my father worked for the agency, I spent a lot of time here.” Gareth told them. “It’s not exactly how it’s supposed to be, but, you know me, I do whatever I want.”

Eggsy scoffed. “Ain’t that the truth?”

“When Val was around I was 18, almost 19, but I was already quite sure I’d eventually become a Kingsman too. So I liked to come around the house and see what was going on.” The older agent explained. “One night, I came here just because I had nothing better to do. I was on the gallery that oversees the ballroom, when I heard their voices.”

Gareth had a far away look on his face, the glass almost forgotten on his hand. “Val came in with Merlin, they were just talking about normal stuff, she was trying to convince him to take her out of dinner or something… Merlin was laughing. Can you believe that? He used to laugh a lot.”

He sighed. “They said their goodbyes and Merlin left, but Val stayed behind, and I stood there watching her. And the look on her face as she watched him going…”

“What?” Roxy pressed.

“It wasn’t fake.” Gareth spoke, his voice colored by conviction. “Whatever lies she told us, whatever game she was playing… I don’t think that whatever she felt for Merlin was part of it. Maybe it was a problem…” He conceded. “But it wasn’t pretending. There was something there.”

Eggsy didn’t look one bit convinced. “Maybe she knew you were there.”

“Well, in that case, I applaud her commitment to her lie.” Gareth shrugged once again.

“Merlin must’ve been destroyed.” Roxy commented softly.

“He was. Chester wanted to kick him out for a while, said he was compromised.” Gareth snorted. “Merlin just dove head first on work. He refused to talk about it and about her.”

“You don’t seem as offended as everybody else does.” Eggsy indicated.

“That’s ‘cause I’m not. Look, sure, it sucked that she lied to all of us the way she did. Val was a great person, I liked her a lot. Had a crush on her and all. But seriously? We’re spies, we lie for a living.” He indicated. “They were just pissed she lied better than they all did.”

“So you don’t mind that she’s here?” Roxy asked confused.

“That I do, but not because of her. Because of her bosses. The MI-6 is a viper nest.”

“Well, that makes her a viper too.” Eggsy indicated.

“True.” Gareth conceded. “But it also makes this so much more interesting.”

Roxy rolled her eyes. “What do you think we should do?”

“Us? Buy popcorn, enjoy the show. Take bets.”

“Bets?” Eggsy repeated incredulous.

“Yes. How long do you think Merlin can resist Valentina?” Gareth said with a smirk.

“He would never!” Roxy protested.

“Is that your bet?”

XxX

They were there training for a week, before Rebecca relaxed a bit around the MI-6 pair. She wasn’t sure what they were playing at; it looked like they couldn’t care less about the training and the Kingsman in general.

They did all that was asked of them, they were nice to her, they never talked shit… They were strangely well behaved, but not like they wanted to be teacher’s pets. They had bizarre conversations, most of which were regarding weird theories about movies and TV shows. (Manuela insisted that there were raptors on a boat, in “Lost World” and Rebecca had no idea what she was talking about)

And still…

There was something weird about them. Perhaps it was how fucking good they were at everything: Richard was a genius, he could do anything: shoot, fight, run, plan… He was like a real life James Bond.

Rebecca wasn’t so sure about Manuela. Yes, she was very good too, but sometimes it looked like she wasn’t putting on any effort on anything they did; she was just going through the motions.

However, they never ganged up against her, or made her feel like they were just waiting to cut her throat during the night. Manuela was damn chummy to her, like she wanted to be best friends; and it wasn’t pretending -or Manuela deserved a fucking Oscar.

Most of the time, Rebecca was just pretty sure they were both completely mad.

“Do I have a bruise on my arse?” Manuela was asking Richard, said arse almost pressed to his face.

“For fuck’s sake, Ella.” He rolled his eyes and pushed her.

Rebecca watched the scene from her bed, once again trying to understand what the hell went on between those two. Manuela was only wearing panties -honestly, they were lucky she was wearing this much -standing by Richard’s bed, while he was sitting on it. And she was trying to get him to check her for bruises.

“Ok, what’s the deal between you two?” She asked, before she could stop herself.

“What do you mean?” Manuela asked bemused.

“Are you fucking, is he your queer-friend, are you childhood friends, in love, do you enjoy playing doctor?” Rebecca offered.

“We don’t fuck, and he isn’t ‘queer’.” Manuela offered. “He’s celibate.”

Richard pinched her thigh. “Not nice.” He growled at her.

Manuela rolled her eyes. “Ok, sorry.” It sounded sincere. “Asexual.” She corrected herself.

Rebecca turned her eyes to him, completely in shock. “Really?”

Richard sighed. “Yes, really.” He replied a bit stiffly.

“Are you sure?” Rebecca insisted. “Maybe you just…”

“What?” Richard snapped, a bit impatient. “Haven’t met the right person? Like maybe you’re a lesbian because you haven’t met the right man?”

Okay, she deserved that one. “Sorry.” She replied sheepishly. “How do you know…”

Richard pointed at Manuela. “She has a radar. Oh, and just to make this clear… I’m not okay with her being naked all the time because I’m asexual. It’s because I have no choice. She has no shame.”

“No, I don’t.” Manuel replied happily. “But I’ll put something on if it bothers you two.”

Manuela went to her bed and pulled a shirt over her head. Rebecca had already started this conversation, she might as well finish it. “And you? I don’t think you’re asexual.”

Manuela snorted. “Nope. I’m pan.”

Rebecca sighed. “I’m starting to think I’m not as open-minded as I thought.” She concluded.

“Don’t worry, love.” Manuela seemed way more comfortable with this conversation than Richard had been. “Most people only think that you can be either straight or gay. Some will accept the idea of bi, but barely. Not many people accept or even try to understand everything else. They’ll put labels, they’ll create ‘truths’ about it… ‘Maybe you’re just confused’ or ‘you’re just selfish’, and my personal favorite ‘that’s just your excuse for being a slut’.” She shrugged.

Rebecca made a face. “Heard that one a lot?”

“You have no idea.” She rolled her eyes, but it was playful. “I’m lucky I have mom. She was really supportive of me finding myself. Not everybody has the same luck.” She didn’t need to look at Richard, it was obvious she was talking about him.

“Yeah, I know.” Rebecca sighed.

Manuela arched a brow. “Problems at home?” She guessed.

“Mom.” She admitted. “She understands it, but she can’t accept it.” She repeated the sentence she heard many times.

Manuela snorted again. “How nice of her.”

Rebecca would rather not talk about her mother. It was a sore subject for many reasons.

“And here I thought I had you two figured out.” Rebecca said, more to change the subject. She didn’t have them figured out, not even close.

“We’re a box full of surprises.” Manuela winked at her.

“More like full of nightmares.” Richard grumbled.

“Don’t mind him.” Manuela grinned. “We aren’t friends for his sunny disposition.”

“Good to know.”

XxX

Merlin was trying to understand what was the deal with Valentina’s daughter. He’d been observing the recruits -as it was his job -and he noticed a lot.

Mostly, he kept his eyes on Rebecca; he was fucking proud of her. Bors was a great agent, and it was obvious his daughter would be just as good: she was smart, talented and learned fast. She was also dedicated and someone they could trust. He was happy to see her thriving on this training, and he hoped she destroyed the other two, even though -technically -they didn’t have to choose just one of them. They could, actually, keep them all.

Richard Jones… Merlin had some doubts about him. Especially since he didn’t exist. There were no records of a child with that name and age and his prints weren’t anywhere. This could be good -it meant no criminal record -but it could also mean that MI-6 was hiding this boy from something. He was good -Merlin could give him that -but maybe he was too good; too good for someone this young that had no records of ever serving.

Now, Manuela… She was something else. There was a part of him whispering that the only problem was that she looked too much like Valentina. And sure, she did. It was a bit strange, to be honest. They had the exact same shade of brown on their eyes and hair, and the same shape of mouth. Manuela’s charm was more aggressive than Val’s, but when she smiled… She was her mother.

But that wasn’t the problem. Merlin wasn’t looking at Manuela and searching for Valentina -he wasn’t crazy. The thing was, he got the feeling that she didn’t want to be there at all. Every task that was given to her, she did -and did well -but he got the feeling that she was holding back. He might not know her well, but he felt like he was watching an A+ student purposely getting Bs and Cs.

He didn’t understand why; and since she was Valentina’s daughter… He thought it might some kind of ploy. But for what?

He could ask her directly, but he decided to wait a bit more, watch her more.

He could ask Valentina… But that wasn’t a conversation he was willing to have.

Which left him… The other two MI-6 agents: Simon and Melissa.

He tapped a few keys on his computer, and found both of them at the gym, alone.

This was a great chance. He was going there now.

XxX

Melissa didn’t particularly like working for MI-6. She didn’t hate it either. It was just a job.

She thought it would be the same if you asked people that worked in banks, supermarkets, schools… Not everybody loved the job, but it didn’t mean they hated it.

Melissa had a very particular set of skills. She couldn’t work in a bank, much less a school… She’d rather stay away from jail, so law enforcement was what was left. Army… That didn’t work very well for her.

She was good at this whole spy thing, even if she wasn’t passionate about it. Simon was. Simon believed in doing what was right, protecting the common folk and all that bullshit.

She just needed a job.

That was how she met Valentina. She was lost in a bar in a location now considered classified. At the time Melissa was working as a mercenary, because it was what paid the bills.

She was sitting on a bar when a bunch of foreigner army kids that thought they were so hot came in and started harassing the locals.

She gave them one warning, because Melissa didn’t really believe in second chances. If a person heard the first warning, then it was fair game to kick their asses for being stupid. That was what she did to those six kids.

Valentina just happened to be at the same bar at the same time. She was impressed, she gave Melissa a card and, eventually, a job.

Melissa might not be passionate about MI-A6, but she considered Valentina more than a mentor; she was
friend, a sister. She didn’t like this bullshit assignment they’d given her, so she’d stick around to guard Valentina’s back. She also knew she didn’t have to say it: Simon felt the same and they got an understanding between them.

Which meant she didn’t like Merlin dearest on principle, and seeing him walking towards her made her want to punch him.

Just a little.

“Agent Murdock.” He called as he approached her.

Simon gave them a curious look, but for once in his life, chose to remain silent.

“Yes?”

“I’ve heard you were the one that trained the new kids.” Merlin said.

“Yes.”

“Can you take a look at this?” He passed a tablet to her.

Melissa arched an eyebrow, but took the tablet.

“What is this?” Simon asked, curiosity finally getting the best of him.

“This is Manuela during training.” Merlin informed them.

Melissa watched as the girl run drills, with a few cuts to her shooting and sparring with Richard. She passed the tablet back to Merlin. “I want to talk to her.” She told him, deadly serious.

“Why?” The technician asked, clearly fishing.

“I’ve trained that girl myself. This is shameful.”

“Wow. She’s talking.” Simon spoke dramatically. “Manuela is in trouble.”

“I’ll talk to her first, since this training is my responsibility.” Merlin told Melissa. “But I’ll tell you what she has to say, and send her to you if necessary.”

“Do that.” Because if she saw Manuela… The little devil would have a lot of explaining to do.

XxX

When her phone rang, Valentina answered mostly because she had to, not so much because she wanted to -but, if she were to be truly honest, it’d been a while that she felt like that in relation to her work.

“Agent Rizzo speaking.”

“Valentina.”

The charming voice on the other side greeted.

Great. It was Timothy. As if she needed this kind of bullshit in her life. “How can I help, sir?”

“How are things over there?”

He asked, clearly uninterested in the answer.

“Just fine, sir.” She told vaguely. She was sending in reports, and he should be reading them.

“Great, great.”

He immediately accepted, proving that he couldn’t care less.

“Something came up. Your contact, Bristol?”

“Yes, sir. What about him?”

“Well, he has information we need, but he refuses to talk to anyone that isn’t you.”

It was also obvious that he hated that.

“So you need to meet him as soon as possible.”

“Of course, sir.”

“I’ll send you the details soon.”

He told her dismissively.

“I’ll need backup.” She pointed out.

“Oh please, Valentina. Are you losing your touch? You can handle this alone. No need for backup.”

And he hung up.

So this was how things were going to be now? It was good to know.

Valentina had had luck so far that she wasn’t easy to kill, but clearly the agency had grown tired of her. They’d be forcing her to retire very soon.

Or they might just get someone to retire her for them.

XxX

Merlin called Manuela to his office and was waiting for her. He reviewed her actions during training and Agent Murdock had -quite reluctantly -given him more information and stats about the younger woman.

There was knock on his door, and Merlin bid the person to come in. Manuela crossed the door, closed it behind her and stayed right there, like she was waiting to bolt at any minute.

Merlin arched an eyebrow. “Agent Rizzo. Why are you standing there? Come closer.”

“With all due respect, sir, no.” She told him quite simply.

Her immediate and direct denial gave him pause. “No?” He repeated.

“You were quite infatuated with my mother and I look too much like her.” She informed him simply. “I’m not getting closer.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me. Sir.” The last part was clearly an afterthought.

“This has nothing to do with your mother.”

“I heard that one before.” She scoffed.

That wasn’t what Merlin expected to hear. For her to be this cautious, something must have happened, and the idea that it had didn’t please Merlin at all.

He was going to ignore why it didn’t, but he was going to focus on work.

“Miss Rizzo, this is about your training.” He told her seriously. “I’m not looking at you and thinking about your mother. You two are very different.”

She looked at him in silence for a long moment, as if she was deciding whether she could believe him or not. Finally, she sighed. “Fine.” She came closer. “What about the training, sir?”

“Why are you holding back?” He asked directly.

She seemed surprised by the question. Perhaps she didn’t think he’d noticed it. “Because I don’t want to be here.” She answered, once again quite simply.

Merlin was starting to realize she was really direct. A thing that Valentina had never been; she was a true charmer, and always knew the best way to say something. “You don’t?”

“No. I’m only here because my mother is, and I hope she can leave as soon as I do.”

Merlin was intrigued. It made sense, though. If she didn’t want to stay, she wouldn’t put any real effort into her trials. “Why?”

“Because this isn’t good for her. They’re punishing her sending her here. They’re testing her, but they hope she fails.”

“The MI-6?” He guessed.

“Yes, sir. Was that all?” She inquired, clearly ready for this conversation to be over.

“I want to see your full potential, Miss Rizzo.” He gave her a firm look. “Don’t make me call your mother and Agent Murdock here.”

She shuddered and he had to imagine it had more to do with Agent Murdock than her mother.

“Yes, sir.” She turned to leave.

“Miss Rizzo.” Merlin called before he could stop himself.

“Yes?” She gave him a look over her shoulder.

“Why would they set her up to fail?” He asked, even though he was calling himself an idiot for doing it.

Manuela was clearly surprised by the question, but she turned to him all the same. “They never trusted her again after what happened here. She took the blame for the mission failing, even though it wasn’t her fault. And then she…” She stopped.

“Yes?” Merlin pressed.

“She’s my mother, sir.” She concluded. “My loyalty is to her. That’s all I can say.”

Merlin nodded and she left, but Manuela’s words kept spinning around his head.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"
Something came up.”

Harry looked up at Valentina, a look of mere polite interest on his face. “Something?”

“I have a contact; Tony Bristol.” She informed him.

“You know him?” Harry asked, clearly interested.

“Yes.” Valentina explained. “He has information, but he’ll only share it with me, so the MI-6 told me to go meet him.”

“What’s it about?” Harry wanted to know.

“I wasn’t informed.”

That was odd. Why would they send her in with so little to go by? “What do you need?”

“My alias is a high roller that goes by the name of Angelica Murs, and she loves young men. I need you to allow Richard to come with me, since he’s your recruit.”

Harry hummed. “He’s a recruit, he can’t go on missions.”

Valentina sighed, as if she was waiting for it. “In that case…”

“Galahad could do it, right?” Harry continued. “He’s young and pretty enough, I guess.”

Valentina laughed. “You used to prefer them a bit on the scruffy side, Harry.” She spoke without thinking, spoke about things they’d discussed a long time ago in confidence.

Harry was startled, looking at her as if she were a completely different person who’d come in and slapped his face.

The smile vanished from Valentina’s face. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate.” She hurried to say. “But yes, Galahad will do.”

“When do you have to go?” Harry asked, his face stone cold.

“As soon as possible. We have just enough time to debrief him while you get the jet ready to take us to Monaco.”

***

Roxy watched the meeting with a certain curiosity. Valentina needed to go on an assignment and Eggsy was going to accompany her.

The mission itself seemed pretty straight forward: she had a contact that would only talk to her, Eggsy would be there as a support -apparently many people wanted her dead, and Eggsy would keep an eye out while she talked to Bristol.

She’d share the information given to her with the Kingsman, and Eggsy seemed pretty interested in going -way too interested for him not to be up to something.

Merlin was strangely quiet during the whole conversation, but it wasn’t him that Roxy was looking at.

Melissa and Simon were by far the most interesting people right now.

Roxy couldn’t get a read on them since they arrived. Simon seemed to be the type to hide behind easy smiles and jokes, but he couldn’t be an agent if he wasn’t smart and lethal. He probably liked to show this easy-going side so people would underestimate him. Melissa, on the other hand, seemed a bit more easy to read in a way. She was serious, focused, clearly the type of woman that could kill someone with a spoon or something. She didn’t seem interested in creating a different impression on people.

From what Roxy had observed since they arrived, Simon and Melissa were loyal to Valentina, but she couldn’t grasp their relationship. Melissa seemed to be annoyed by Simon most of the time, but they were always together.

They were really different from each other, but now they had the same expression on their faces: they were both furious. It was quite clear once she was looking at them. Simon was obviously fumming and Melissa looked the same as usual, but she had murder in her eyes.

They weren’t happy about this.

However, Roxy had the impression that they weren’t angry at the Kingsman or Valentina. It was something else.

“When do we leave?” Eggsy asked.

“As soon as you get ready.” Valentina told him. “We’ll likely stay for two nights, no more than that. Pack a suit.”

“Will do.” Eggsy got up and practically skipped out of the room.

Yup, definitely up to something.

***

“So this Bristol fellow knows who you are?” Eggsy asked as he watched Valentina unpacking her suitcase.

They’d gotten on the jet and arrived in Monaco in time to order dinner in their very fancy room.

“Yes, he knows I’m a MI-6 agent.” Valentina confirmed. “The alias isn’t to fool him. There are other people here that don’t know my real name and profession.”

“I see…” He commented, sitting on the bed. “So I should keep an eye out for other people.”

“Yes. You play the cute, dumb sugar baby and watch my back.” She had her back to him, as she was hanging her dress.

“Sure thing…” Eggsy replied as he put his glasses on the side table and turned the camera on.

***

“Do you get a feeling that something isn’t right here?” Bors asked Harry.

“Nothing’s been right lately, Bors, so you’ll have to be more specific.” Harry grumbled as he drank his whiskey.

“There’s something wrong about those MI-6 agents, and I don’t mean what we previously thought.” Bors clarified.

“What can you possibly mean by that?” Gareth asked, twirling his glass.

Before Bors could explain himself better, the screen on Merlin’s monitor came to life, showing Valentina’s back through Eggy’s glasses.

“Can I ask you a question, Agent Rizzo?”

Eggsy was talking, somewhere out of frame.

“You can call me Valentina, Galahad.”

She replied, without turning.

“Thanks. I don’t mean to be rude, but… How come you’re still an active agent?”

“I’m going to kill Eggsy.” Merlin growled.

***

Valentina threw a look at Eggsy over her shoulder. “Are you suggesting I’m old?” She grinned at him.

“For a field agent at MI-6, yes you are.” Eggsy pressed without any shame. “I mean, you’re what? 49?”

Valentina chuckled. “Charming of you, darling. I’m 54.”

“Shut up.”

She laughed at that. “Thank you, I guess.”

“But that’s my point.” Eggsy insisted. “You shouldn’t be an active agent. I mean, with your time at the agency, you should be in a different position, team leader or something.”

Valentina was quiet for a minute, her back firmly turned to Eggsy, before she started fiddling with the clothes on the closet again. “I’ll never get this kind of position in MI-6 for the same reason I’m still an active agent at my age.”

“And that is?”

“They don’t trust me.” She told him simply.

Eggsy snorted. “You’re taking the piss. After all you did for them? I mean, you spied on the Kingsman for them.”

She turned to look at him at last. “Why do you think they don’t trust me? It was because of that. They thought I was ‘turned’ while I was there. I got blamed for the failure of that mission and my career on the MI-6 died before it could even really start.”

“You don’t seem all that broken up about it.” Eggsy pointed out.

Valentina shrugged as she sat down on the bed too. “I’ve had many years to come to terms with what happened. I’m too old to be bitter about it.”

Eggsy narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t doing this to hear her sob story about the MI-6. There was only one thing he wanted to know, and he wanted the others to hear as well.

He was going to make sure they never trusted her again. “How could you betray them like that?” He didn’t need to say who ‘they’ were. She knew. “Was it easy?”

Valentina sighed, something in her expression clearly telling him that now she was a grownup humouring a child. “In this world we live in, Galahad, we can’t see things as black and white. It’s all shades of grey. Everything.” She was looking directly at him as she said that, and Eggsy refused to be intimidated by her. “What I do, what you do, it’s not good or evil; it’s necessary, mostly damage control. If you insist on seeing things only as black and white, you won’t survive long in this world.”

Before Eggsy could ask what was her point, she continued. “When I went to the Kingsman, I went to spy on them. You already know that. I had every intention of doing so, because I believed it was the right thing to do. I completely agreed that they were dangerous and should be monitored.”

“Black and white.” Eggsy murmured.

“Yes, exactly.” She nodded. “Then I got there, I met them and it all changed. Not all, mind you. You met Chester and he was always an arsehole.” Valentina scoffed. “But Galahad, Lancelot, the Bors of that time, and even Merlin, they were the shades of grey. Brave, amazing men that were there fighting for a safer world and I couldn’t believe that they were the bad people I was led to believe they were.” She sighed again. “But I still had a job to do, and that’s what I did. I spied, I lied and I took advantage of all of them.”

It was a curious thing seeing her talking about it. Valentina was likely a great asset; it was really hard to guess what she was actually feeling, but there was something in her voice when she mentioned the Kingsman.

Eggsy didn’t want to sympathise with her, he didn’t want to see her side of the story. He wanted her to be bad. “Even Merlin.” He spoke, just to see what her reaction would be.

The corner of her mouth tipped up. “Merlin.” His name was a soft whisper on her lips. “Merlin wasn’t part of the plan.” She confessed. “He was… Sweet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eggsy wanted to know.

Valentina shook her head, as if she’d just come back from a dream. She smirked at him. “Now, I can’t tell you all my secrets, can I?”

***

Merlin turned off the feed and there was a really awkward silence between the four men.

Gareth let out a low whistle. “Naughty Galahad.”

“But that was my point.” Bors cut back.

“What? Merlin sweetness?” Gareth asked, ignoring the technician's glare.

“No.” Bors rolled his eyes. “There’s no lost love between Valentina and her agency. They don’t trust her and she isn’t too fond of them. Her daughter is here just because her mother is and the other agents mostly seem to be going through the motions. If they wanted to control us…”

“They wouldn’t send them.” Merlin finally understood.

“Exactly. So what the hell is actually going on?” Bors wanted to know.

***

Eggsy narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think you’ve told me any secrets.”

Valentina chuckled. “A woman has to keep a certain mystery to herself.” She said, clearly teasing him.

“You have enough mystery around you.” Eggsy grumbled.

“I’m sorry I’m not helping you dislike me even more.” She offered as she got up from the bed.

“What?”

“You don’t like me on principle, because I’m the evil bitch that betrayed the Kingsman.” She said simply as she took off her shoes. “It’s fine. But I won’t cackle like the Wicked Witch and tell you about my imaginary bad deeds.” She walked to the bathroom. “Sorry about that.” She closed the door after herself.

Eggsy was glad she did, because he was probably pouting.

***

Harry really just wanted to go home and pretend -for a few blissful hours -that this wasn’t happening to him.

This was a mess of epic proportions and he didn’t want to be the one handling it. He didn’t know if he could do it.

That one moment in his office, when Valentina had laughed and teased him about his taste in men, Harry had been catapulted back to the past. He saw flashes of forgotten nights, when they’d eat take out and bitch about Chester being a pig, Harry would tease her about Merlin and she’d ask him about his love life. Those days when he’d believed he could trust her with his life.

Remembering that had been more painful than Harry wanted to admit. How dare she act like not a single day had passed? How dare she remind him of all that had passed?

He couldn’t handle Valentina being there. It was the sad truth.

Therefore, Harry was going to grab his computer and go home, and just…

“We need to talk.”

Simon Fucking Landen was waiting for him on his office.

Great.

***

Eggsy was laying in bed when Valentina came out of the bathroom wearing pyjamas. She pulled the covers and laid down beside him.

“I’m a cuddler.” Eggsy informed her.

She snorted, then grabbed the bolster from the floor and gave it to him. “You can cuddle this.”

Eggsy grinned and did exactly that, throwing his arm over the bolster.

“Hey.” He called once she turned off the lights. “Have you and Merlin ever…”

“What?” She dared him.

“You know.” He pressed. “Done the deed.”

She snorted “No. It wouldn’t have been right.”

“It’d be like a honey pot.” Eggsy pointed out.

“You’re not supposed to like your targets in honey pots.”

That gave Eggsy pause. “And you liked him?”

She was silent for a minute. “Goodnight, Galahad.”

***

“Can I help you, Agent Landen?” Arthur -what a silly name -asked.

He was pissed at Simon for being there.

Tough luck.

“We need to talk about Valentina.” Simon told him.

Harry groaned. “I feel that’s all I ever do these days.”

“Oh poor you.” Simon cooed, making Harry throw him a glare. “I don’t particularly care about your comfort.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed.” Harry said dryly. “Fine. What do you want?”

“I’ll assume you’re smart, since you’re the leader of this little cult.” Simon started, as Harry took a seat behind his desk. “So you can probably see there’s something really wrong going on here.”

“It has come up in conversation.” Harry replied carefully.

“We both know this isn’t what MI-6 claims it is.” Simon leaned forward. “They don’t trust Valentina, there’s no reason for her to be here.”

“What exactly are you suggesting?”

“What do you think, little prince?” Simon scoffed. “Valentina is sent here, with the only two agents she actually trusts and her daughter.”

“You think this is some kind of set up.”

“I know it is.” Simon leaned back against the chair. “They’ve been trying to get rid of her for years. I think now they figured out how.”

“What does that have to do with us?”

“Not sure yet.” Simon admitted. “But she wasn’t sent here by chance.”

Harry pressed his lips together. “Do you think… They thought we would kill her?”

“No.” Simon dismissed it immediately. “If they’d thought of that, there’d be no reason to send all of us. It’d be easier to send her in alone. This is something else.”

“So you have no answers.”

Simon narrowed his eyes at Harry, then got up. “Listen,

dear

.” He put his hands on the table. “I might not have answers -yet-, but I’m not here to help you. I’m here to warn you.”

Harry snickered. “Charming.”

“If you do anything to Valentina, I’ll burn this little house of yours to the ground. Capisce?”

Harry arched an eyebrow at him. “You can try.”

Harry watched Simon leave without another word. When the door closed behind the agent, Harry threw his head back and sighed.

“Great.”

***

“Now, be a good boy, and wait for me here.” Valentina patted Eggsy on the cheek.

He snorted. “Easy there, lady.”

She smirked at him. “Play cute and dumb, but keep an eye out.”

“Sure thing.” He winked at her.

Valentina left Eggsy by the bar. She could see Bristol sitting alone on a corner table, so he could watch the whole place.

He saw her entering and he was keeping his eyes on her, even while she talked to Eggsy.

“Darling.” He got up, a charming smile on his face. “It’s been so long.”

Valentina offered her hand, because she knew he liked this type of silliness, and Bristol kissed her knuckles exuberantly. “Bristol.” She smiled at him. “How are you?”

“Fine, fine.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Take a seat.”

Valentina sat down. “I was told you were looking for me.”

Bristol smirked at her, clearly smug that he knew something she didn’t. “I was.”

“So?” She arched an eyebrow. “How much?”

“Oh no. I won’t charge you for this one.”

That was suspicious. “Why?” She wanted to know.

“Do you know why I like you?” He asked.

“Because I’m charming?” She offered dryly.

“That too.” He chuckled. “But also because you are one of the only people in this business who keeps her word.”

“Thank you.”

“So what I have to tell you is a courtesy for all the times you helped me.”

Valentina was getting worried now. “I appreciate it. So what is it?”

“MI-6 is going to get rid of you.” He informed her.

Valentina kept her expression blank. “They’ve been trying for a while.”

“Yes, but this time they have a plan. A good one, actually.” Bristol seemed a bit too happy about this. “If all works well, in a week you’ll be a traitor to your country.”