A/N: Here it is! The sequel to When He Smiles! I'm excited for this one guys!
For those of you who haven't read When He Smiles, they aren't directly related. So you don't have to read that one first... But I'd appreciate it if you would! Let me know what you think!
Also, a shout-out to my betas: maryclumsykatherine and Shakespeare's Puppet.. Thanks so much!
Rebecca Baxter was known for many things: her acting, her natural talent as a spy, her death threats each time a foolish person said her full name. But one thing about Bex stood out more than anything else: her fighting skills. She was the metaphorical bull in the china shop, ruthlessly taking out anyone she perceived as a threat.
Those skills were what made her different, what made her vital to her friends during missions. Cammie was the shadow, a perfect sidewalk artist who blended into crowds. Lizzie, the stereotypical computer genius who could hack into anything. And Macey was perfect when it came to disguises and boys (a very important skill that most underestimated. Only a Gallagher Girl could truly appreciate it). But Bex could kick butt like no one else. Together, they made an amazing team, practically unbeatable. They were best friends who told each other everything. Well, almost everything.
Cammie had once made a comment to Zach: "Tell me or I'll yell for Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, and you can find out how Bex became Bex." But there were a few things about Bex Baxter that not many people knew.
She wasn't a strong and stubborn fighter because she was a Baxter. In fact, being a Baxter had almost nothing to do with it. Her tough combat skills stemmed from something else.
She was not an only child.
The Baxters almost never talked about it. It was a taboo subject, an elephant in every room. After the incident was over, the whole event was kept quiet, until most agents forgot all about it.
But try as she might, Bex could never forget. As much as she tried to only concentrate on previous, happier memories, the event was always on her mind. It weighed on her, a damper on any happiness she might have felt. She remembered it when the Circle attacked Macey and Cammie on the rooftops of Boston. She was reminded of it when Macey ran away. And it plagued her each and every time the Circle chased, captured, or tortured Cammie.
She had been nine years old- a young, tender age when most girls were more interested in their newest Barbie doll than in the best way to knock a man out using the aforementioned Barbie doll's plastic hair brush. But Bex was a Baxter. She had never been like most girls.
Mason was a small chubby toddler, just past his first birthday. He looked just like his older sister, his favorite person in the world. He followed her everywhere she went.
It had seemed like a beautiful day, but in hindsight, was one of the worst days of young Bex's life. They burst in through the windows of the Baxter house, grabbing both children. The Circle of Cavan. Her parents rushed in, but no matter how hard they fought, seemingly endless agents kept flooding in. Then, one of the agents grabbed Mason.
That moment right there. It was that moment, years later, that Bex regretted the most. The moment where the Circle took Mason, and she was held back by two agents. The one where she failed to help. Failed to save him.
And worst of all...It was the last time she saw her brother. The final memory she had of him. The scared expression on his face as he shrieked and reached for his family…
And that was it. Nothing more was done. Try as they might, Bex's parents returned from every mission with the same defeated look on their faces. Nothing. There were no leads to follow, no subjects to interrogate.
It was then that Bex truly became Bex.
For the following six months, Bex was unstoppable. Every moment of her day was consumed. Hours were spent in the gym, training, exercising, fighting.
She hacked into every website the MI6 had ever used and scanned through all of their files. Especially the ones about the Circle, the few there were. The Circle was an enigma, a mysterious society that few knew about. Silent killers, assassins that struck quickly, quietly, and left few clues.
And then Bex found her first lead, scrolling through the Washington Post website. An article about a small car crash that had gotten some news attention. But it wasn't the article that interested her. It was the small black and white photo posted at the top of the page. In the corner of the photo, standing near one of the cars, was a man holding a small little boy. Mason.
And so, like the Baxter she is, she went after them. No back-up, no assistance. Bex told no one.
She tracked down the car using the license plate and the MI6 database. The vehicle led her to an abandoned warehouse, less than a mile away from a MI6 headquarters. It was truly abandoned, nothing inside. However, there was plenty going on underneath.
But once she managed to get into the base, there was hardly anything to be found. Only a body. The small body of a little boy, waiting for his big sister to come rescue him.
Bex walked out of the base with a new mission on her mind and a small body in her arms.
As she walked through the door of MI6, she promised she wouldn't cry. While she watched the agents and physicians rush to gather around Mason, she told herself not to show fear. And as she watched her parents approach their son, she vowed to avenge her brother.
Bex never cried again. Not when she broke her arm. Not when her dad left for a 6 month mission. She didn't show any fear when she faced off against the best fighters MI6 could offer. But the opportunity to avenge her brother never showed up.
She was admitted to Gallagher, the first student in the school's history that wasn't a U.S. citizen. She became somewhat of an enigma there. No one could best her in a fight, teacher or student.
She made a few friends. A pavement artist. A computer genius. And later, a misunderstood socialite.
But she never got her revenge on the Circle. She wasn't able to save her brother, or even see him alive one last time.
When Cammie left, willingly left, she swore she'd make them pay. Make them pay for hurting her family. Her friends. For manipulating them. She'd get vengeance for Cammie and her memory.
And she would personally destroy every single person who ever claimed to be part of the Circle.
A/N:...I'm nervous! Hope you guys liked it! Please leave a review... as a graduation present! :D Thanks!