Chapter 2:

As the taxi drove Avery and Eggsy to Avery's house, Eggsy pondered his decision. Had he been too brash about recruiting her? Was she really Kingsman material? He shook the thoughts out of the way, refusing to trouble over them- just yet.

"I'll just sneak through the bedroom window, grab my stuff, and be down here in a few minutes," Avery said as the taxi pulled up in the driveway. He wasn't going to say anything about sneaking in through the window- it was something he'd done himself many times.

"Are you sure? You might want to think about this- surely there's something or someone you're leaving behind," Eggsy said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"There's absolutely nothing left for me here."

"Not even your mum?" Eggsy couldn't help but ask, thinking about his own mother. He still regretted leaving her alone with Dean for the short amount of time he had been training.

"My mum met the same fate as my sister, two years before," Avery whispered before closing the car door. He watched her clamber up the side of the house, easily finding footholds. It was well-practiced. Eggsy could only guess how many times she'd ascended the same path.

"My mum met the same fate as my sister, two years before."

Eggsy let her words sink in. He swore under his breath, marveling at how strong Avery had remained nonetheless. He tried to imagine himself in her shoes- Daisy, his little sister, and his mum, both raped and left for dead. He didn't even realize his hands and fingernails were clenched so tightly around each other until blood trickled out. Eggsy found himself vowing to do something, anything, to help her out.

A sudden, blood-curdling scream ripped through the night. Eggsy shot up from where he was sitting, and the taxi driver glanced anxiously at him from behind the glass separating them.

"I don't know what the hell is happening, but you are going to stay right where you are, okay?" Eggsy hissed. The man nodded briefly, before crouching beneath the dashboard in an attempt to hide the oncoming disaster. Eggsy leapt out of the car, and sprinted towards the house. The front door was locked, and he had no choice but to climb up to the second story floor window that Avery had disappeared into. He peered into the open window, snarling at what he saw.

"You fucking little bitch! You tell me fucking right now who was in that fucking store with you!" a man yelled. Avery's stepfather. He struck her across the face, and angry red marks had already surfaced on her olive skin. "Do you know who that was? That man's my buddy," he hissed. Eggsy resisted the urge to shudder. What kind of company did this guy keep? The man had her pressed against the wall, the neck of her blouse locked in his fist, pinning her in place. Eggsy felt a sudden sense of déja vu. But there was no Harry to stop this vile man- only Eggsy. Only Eggsy could stop this.

"I suggest you put her down," Eggsy interjected, cold calmness coating his voice. The man spun around, exposing his ruddy face.

"Who the fuck are you? Get the fuck out of this fucking house, or I'm going to fuck you up so badly you'll wish you were never born!" he screamed. Eggsy gritted his teeth. He couldn't pull off a triple M Harry move in this scenario (Manners Maketh Man)- most importantly because he didn't have his umbrella. So instead, he pulled an Eggsy. Grabbing a nearby flower vase, he lobbed it at the guy's forehead. Not as flamboyant, perhaps, but still effective. The man fell to the ground in a heap, knocked out cold.

Eggsy rushed to where Avery stood, panting. He took her face in his hands, and only for a moment beholding the tears pooling in her eyes, before wrapping her in a tight embrace. They stood silently like that for what could've been hours, as Avery sobbed into his shoulder, finally releasing all the pent-up anger and sorrow she had contained for years and years. It didn't matter that she'd only known him for a few hours. It was because she took one look in his dark eyes and known- he understood.

When at last her sobs ceased, she mustered a wobbly smile. Eggsy swept a stray hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She savored the gesture. For so many years she had been so... alone, so afraid. But she knew she had nothing to fear now. I will not be afraid, she promised herself. It would be her new mantra. I will not be afraid, she repeated.

"Alright?" Eggsy asked gently.

"Yeah," she replied with a hoarse chuckle. "I'm sorry I made a mess of your suit." Eggsy smiled.

"Not a problem. A gentleman should always be ready to provide a shoulder to lean on," he murmured. He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Come on, then. Let's get you out of this place. Got all your stuff?" he asked. Avery glanced around her bedroom. She grabbed a backpack, a sweater, picked up a small framed photo of the shelf, and three novels, which she carefully picked. She held up a finger and rushed out of the room. A moment later she returned with a heavy-duty safe.

"I can buy stuff, yeah?" she asked, a mischievous glimmer in her eye. Eggsy grinned.

"Revenge?" he asked. She nodded. "Fuck yeah." She took one last look around her room.

"That's all."

"You sure?"

"Everything could burn for all I care," she whispered, stroking the picture frame she held clenched in her hand.

"Wouldn't include this fellow, would it?" Eggsy asked, poking her stepfather's face with the toe of his Oxfords.

"He'd be the first to burn," she replied, anger radiating off her. Eggsy put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're good now, yeah? We can get out of this, together, you and me." She nodded. They walked out of the house and into the waiting taxi. Avery kept her gaze on the house as the taxi drove away into the night. She sighed and closed her eyes. A new chapter of her life was about to begin.

-agent galahad