Notes: So... I guess Creagan brought some conflicting feelings, hm? hahaha

That was the idea from the beginning, I'll admit. I loved him so much that I started writing a Narnia fanfiction with a guy that's basically him, but way more decent as a human being. Richard Armitage didn't help at all with this guy... hahaha

We have a brand new character being introduced today! Hope you love her as much as I do.

Also... Not beta-read, be gentle with my grammar... hahaha


Chapter 8

"Hello?"

"Susan, you have to come to the shop now." Harry's voice said without delay. "Gawain is dead."

Susan stood in shock for a second. Gawain was dead? He was one of the older agents, even older than Harry and Merlin. He was rude and didn't "mix" with anyone, but he was a father, he had a family and his daughter was pregnant.

Now he was dead.

Susan left for the shop almost in a state of shock. When she arrived Harry was already sitting at the head of the table and Roxy, Eggsy and Bors were already there was well. She sat almost in a shock.

"Put your glasses." Harry commanded softly.

They all took a deep breath and did it. Roxy was very tense and Eggsy had a frown. Once they put their glasses they could see all the other Kingsman at the table, with only one place vacant.

"I wish we could have gone longer without opening this decanter again." Harry said, eyes on the small glass in his hand, filled with the amber liquid. "To a good man and a good Kingsman. To Gawain."

"To Gawain." They all saluted together and drank the brandy.

"We will start the selection process for Gawain's replacement the day after tomorrow." Harry continued in a very somber tone. "Whoever wants to present a candidate can do it no later than 9 pm GMT. Training will be conducted at the UK HQ, as per usual."

They all agreed and took their glasses off, letting only the five of them at the table.

"Was he on a mission?" Roxy asked after a long silence.

"He was. Dirty bomb in Vienna." Harry sighed tiredly. "He defused it, but he was shot and bled out."

"I won't be recommending anyone." Eggy said suddenly. "Can't think of anyone."

"It's fine, Eggsy." Harry assured him.

They had nothing to tell each other in that moment, so Eggsy left and Roxy followed him. Bors got up to leave and Susan followed him.

"Bors." She called.

"Yes, Susan?" He asked gently.

"You have a contact in the military, don't you?" She asked him.

"Yes."

"Would you mind terribly lending him to me?" She asked carefully.

"No, not at all." He grabbed his mobile and sent her the contact information. "Looking for a candidate?"

"Yes."

"Good luck."

XxX

Bors contact was Colonel Turner, who was a smartass if Susan had ever seen one. He had chatted with her by phone as if they were friends already and promised to finder a perfect candidate.

He called her less than twelve hours later to tell her he had struck gold.

He asked to meet her in person and chose a Starbucks close to Piccadilly Circus. As previously said, he was a smartass.

"So, what have you found?" She asked as soon as she took a seat.

"Well, hello to you too, darling." He said sarcastically. "Why don't you order something?"

"I refuse to drink whatever they sell here." She said shrugging.

He rolled his eyes and waved a folder in front of her. "I found two perfect candidates for you." He said at least. "But I have a feeling you'll want the second one."

She arched a brow. "Why's that?"

"You look like that kind of lady." He answered without explaining what kind of lady he meant. "So, door number one has a girl from Oxford, went to Army, brilliant family, blah blah blah."

He was quite an entertaining person. "And the second one?" She asked.

"Your future protégé?" He asked cheekily, then threw the folder open in front of her. "Meet Alicia Beckett."

"What is so special about her?" Susan asked with cool interest.

"Mother's from Barbados, dad was a star in the British Army. Met her during some vacations and brought her back already married and pregnant. It drove his good family up the wall and they disowned him. They were together when he died of a heart attack. Sudden and quick. There wasn't even time for the paramedics to show. After that the family left fell a bit on hard times. Little Alicia decided to enter the Army to honor daddy."

"So far, I see nothing interesting." Susan indicated. "I can sympathize over losing a parent, but that's it."

"It gets better now." He promised. "She goes into the military, -starts doing brilliantly, by the way- and then the problems start. She goes to her superiors with complaints about sexual harassment. The man dismisses her. She insists on the accusation, tries to talk to someone else. The problem persists."

Now Susan was more interested. "What happened?"

"Let's say she decided to take matters in her own hands." He smirked. "And that five boys had to spent some quality time on the hospital."

Susan was impressed. "What happened to her?"

"Was kicked out, punished for her behavior. Funny, right? They were quick to dismiss her complaints without investigating, but fast as fuck to solve that incident."

"It doesn't shock me at all. Quite the contrary." Susan commented, more than a bit disgusted.

"So?" Turner had a small smile on his lips.

"Where does she live now?"

XxX

Alicia's family lived in a rough neighborhood. After the father died they had hard times and had to move. The mother and the eldest son worked a lot to keep the family together. Alicia wasn't a problem, but she could be. She had gotten in some trouble before and Susan thought that it was stupid luck that she hadn't been actually arrested yet.

In a way, Alicia was very similar to Eggsy.

Susan had read her files, had talked to some people that knew her from her school days and from the Army. She was a smart girl and she had a big heart. One of her teacher, a very gentle old lady, said that Alicia hated injustice and would always stand up for those in need. Susan's only concern was that so much idealism could take a bad turn eventually.

The world was not a fair place.

Today was the day to present the candidates and Susan wanted hers to be Alicia. She would give the girl this one chance. It was only fair.

As she walked down the streets of the neighborhood many people stared at her. She had proposedly dressed up, she looked very chic on her smart suit and high heels. It was quite obvious she didn't belong there.

Some guys cat called her, but Susan ignored them all. She had found Alicia.

She was hanging with some guys and a couple of girls and someone was rolling a joint. Susan decided to call her before she started smoking, because then God knows if she could have a decent conversation with Alicia.

"Alicia Beckett." She called coming closer.

Alicia turned to her and raised the sunglasses that covered her amazing hazel green eyes. She checked Susan out with obvious distrust. Susan kept her sunglasses firmly in place, but she was also checking Alicia out. She was wearing very low ridder pants –they actually looked just about to drop –and a top that didn't cover much of her belly or her boobs.

"Who're you?" Alicia demanded.

"Susan Pevensie." The agent said without wasting time.

"Maybe she wants a hit, hm?" One of the boys said, waving the joint in front of Susan.

Susan waved her hand to disperse the sickening sweet smell. "I would like to have a word with you." She said ignoring the boy and looking at Alicia. "I have an offer." She took off her sunglasses and let her eyes show she meant business.

One of the girls snickered. "Must have gotten the wrong girl, lady." Alicia said dismissively. "Walk away. This is no place for someone like you."

"Please, I just had a long day." Susan rolled her eyes. "So if you are the girl that excelled at school, tried to join the army and felt a little bit of the taste of this ridiculously patriarchal society and gave up, you're the one I'm looking for."

Alicia turned on her so fast it would have shocked Susan, if she hadn't been expecting it. "If that's what you think, you're just a dumb bitch." She said through clenched teeth. "You think you can come here, with your pretty blue eyes, perfect hair and expensive clothes and tell me something about giving up?"

The other boys had already closed around her protectively. Susan pretended to check her watch.

"Wow. That was quite the inspired answer." Susan said mockingly. "I want to give you the chance to shove it up their throats, to thrive where they tried to stop you. But pay attention, Miss Beckett, this is a onetime offer and I won't beg for your attention. Now, can I have a minute of your time?"

Alicia –and her friends –was looking at Susan in shock and mistrust -a bit more than before. The agent turned her back and started walking away. She hadn't taken ten steps before she heard someone running to catch up.

"Who the fuck are you?" Alicia asked confused. "And how do you know about me?"

"I paid an officer in the military to find you for me." Susan said offhandedly. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

Alicia seemed to think a bit. "You want to put me back in the Army?"

"I want to offer something better than the Army." Susan replied honestly.

"Come with me." Alicia said, her hand touching Susan briefly on her shoulder.

Susan walked with the girl until they came upon what looked like a small restaurant. It was still early for lunch, but there was an old man sitting in one of the tables, reading a newspaper and a woman on her late forties cleaning the counter. "Oh, hello, Alicia." She smiled at the girl. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Susan." Alicia said quickly. "She wants to offer me a job, do you mind if we talk inside?"

The woman's eyes twinkled in pride. "No, no! Of course, go ahead!"

"Thanks, Nani." Alicia smiled kindly at the woman and made a gesture for Susan to follow her.

Alicia took Susan to a small room when there was a table with eight chairs, probably used for more intimate meals.

Susan took a seat on a chair where she could keep an eye on the door and the window, then turned her eyes to analyze Alicia Beckett. The picture she had was the one on Alicia's military register. It showed exactly the same hazel eyes and full lips, but it failed to show the gorgeous mass of curls that was her hair –even if it was colored in that atrocious shade of red – or the ring in her nose. Her skin was a beautiful shade of dark caramel that made Susan think she was meant to be living in somewhere sunny.

"So, miss Pevensie…" Alicia said with no little sarcasm. "I'm listening."

"I want to offer you the chance to get the most dangerous job in the world, if you survive the interview." Susan said calmly. "Tell me, would you like to be a Kingsman agent?"

"A what?" Alicia asked shocked. "Are you asking me to become some kind of super secret agent?"

"Something like that." Susan agreed.

"You're shitting me." Alicia said flatly.

"I shit you not." Susan replied primly. "And I know this is going to sound very hard to believe, but I'm an agent as well."

"You don't look like any agent I've ever seen." The girl looked her up and down. "I'd believe if you told me you're a call girl, though."

"Sometimes I have to be." Susan didn't rise to the bait. "I have to be many things and most the time I'm a liar. You do this nobody can know what you do, not even your family. You will leave a life of lies from this point on."

"If I survive the interview and get the job." Alicia reminded her.

"Exactly."

"Wow, that sounds tempting." Alicia rolled her eyes and laughed sarcastically.

"I thought you weren't a quitter." Susan arched a brow.

"You just told me I might die!" Alicia protested.

"What do you think you were going to be doing in the Army?" Susan pointed out.

"This is a terrible idea."

"Do you have a better plan for the rest of your life?" Susan asked calmly. "Because I'd love to hear it."

Alicia ran her hand through her hair. "So… Job interview?"

"And training." Susan completed. "And you have to get that thing off your nose. It's a hazard."

Alicia huffed. "Anything else?" She asked sarcastically.

"Give all those preppy boys hell."


Notes: I have pictures of Alicia on my Pinterest board! Go check her out, she is awesome.

Hope you liked it!

xoxo