"You mind tellin' me what it is you're playin' at?" Eggsy snarled as he strode into the room without knocking. Delaware looked up from her computer at his words, and while she seemed initially startled, she didn't exactly seem surprised to see him. She sighed and closed her laptop, then regarded him without saying anything for a few moments before standing.

"Walk with me," she led the way out of the room. Eggsy scowled, but followed her. She didn't speak as she walked. He followed, wondering where they were going. Eventually they made their way into one of the auxiliary offices of the estate. The room had several large flat screens lining the wall far wall. She sat down at the computer desk and motioned for him to have a seat. He sat.

"I've known Galahad for more years than you've been alive, Excalibur. He's been a part of this institution for an incredibly long time, and he's been one of our most valuable agents during that time," she started.

"Funny way of showing him that, what with the "pass or die" incentive," Eggsy spat. Just because she knew Harry longer, didn't give her the licence to kill him if she desired.

"I'm sorry you see it that way," she replied coolly.

"How else am I supposed to see it?" he asked, dumbfounded. She went to work on the computer, eyes searching for something as she spoke next.

"The way a leader would see it," she said as three screens came to life, all with different feeds on them. The one in the middle he recognized immediately. That was the feed from Harry's glasses from Kentucky. The one on the left he didn't recognize at all. The one on the right seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"You're bright. You wouldn't be here if you weren't. I want you to watch these, and tell me the differences that you see," she hit play, and all three started. There was no sound, just video.

He didn't really need to watch the church video again. It was already engraved in his mind from the first time he had seen it. The first video was interesting. It was in an industrial building, and there were armed people everywhere. Not long into the video the armed people engaged whoever the feed belonged to. His gaze flicked to the final screen and he felt an unpleasant jolt as he realized that it was the building with the red door from Venezuela. It was Harry's feed.

That meant the first one had to be Harry's feed too. He wanted to watch the first feed, but he couldn't tear his eyes off of the last one. Harry was as competent as Eggsy had ever seen him. He recognized some of the people that Harry was killing, and he didn't feel remorse for it. They deserved what they got, in the end.

The church scene ended first, and began to reply. The second one to end was the feed from Venezuela. Then the one with the warehouse. Each time they ended, they'd start to loop again. He watched for a long time, each feed, not saying anything. Comparing, contrasting, gathering the data that Delaware wanted him to see with growing anxiety.

"Enough," he managed at last and she turned them off. She gazed at him, hands folded in front of her, waiting for his answer.

"He didn't kill anyone in the first one. Sure, he caused damage...kneecaps, elbows, hands, but he didn't take a single headshot. His fighting style was a bit less refined, and he took a long time too. Used diversion tactics. Distraction techniques. Still efficient, and brutal if he needed to be, if someone got too close...but he didn't take anyone out," he felt numb as he spoke.

"And in the second?" she asked.

"He was a pure killer...but that wasn't him, that was Va-" he stopped when she held up a hand.

"I am aware of what was done to Galahad by the device. Tell me what you saw," she prompted again.

"He killed everyone. Without hesitation, without mercy, without discrimination. Men and women," he replied miserably.

"And the third?" she asked.

Eggsy was silent for a while, thinking over what he had seen, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach long enough to be able to string together a coherent thought. He knew where she was coming from now, knew the conclusion she had drawn, but it didn't make him hate her any less.

"He killed everyone that wasn't an innocent. It was just as brutal as the church...and he even killed the men who were trying to surrender. The ones who had given up their guns. The ones who didn't want to fight anymore," he chewed on his lower lip, not wanting to continue. Delaware hummed in approval.

"I don't want you to get the idea that before the church that Galahad never took a life. That would be a blatant lie. He's always been one of our most efficient at getting the job done, whatever it takes. This, however, is not consistent with how he reacted to situations before Valentine's device," Delaware explained.

"He told me, before he went to Kentucky...that Kingsmen don't justify taking a life unnecessarily," Eggsy remembered Harry's words, so heavily tinged with disappointment as he chastised Eggsy for failing his final Kingsman test.

"Do his actions in Venezuela remain consistent with the words he spoke to you?" Delaware asked.

"No," he replied heavily.

"No," she agreed and he met her gaze when he heard the sadness in her tone. His gaze hardened a moment later as he remembered something else.

"It is consistent with the mission you sent me on though," he reminded her, "you specifically told us to take out as many of those bastards as we could."

"I told you and Nevada to take out as many as you could, not Galahad. Not an agent who hadn't been cleared for field duty. Not an agent that I was keeping an eye on for just this reason. He didn't just kill those people, Excalibur, he slaughtered them," she pulled up a still image onto the screen.

"Worst of all, he enjoyed it," she motioned to the still. Harry's likeness was reflected in a mirror, and there was a smile on his face. Eggsy closed his eyes briefly.

"I understand you two are...involved with each other?" she sniffed and he felt his stomach twist at the question. He considered lying, but what would be the point?

"Yes, we are," he agreed, wondering if he had just condemned them both.

"Then I pray that the reason he had the smile on his face was because he was hurting the people who hurt you, and not that he was deriving pleasure from taking their lives for the simple fact that he could," she switched off the image and met his gaze.

"My other concern is his field test results, couple along side his actual field work. He failed those tests, and he wasn't ready to go back into the field," she pulled up the results from his weapon tests, and Eggsy could see that his aim was all over the place.

"Yet when he was in the field, he showed none of the incompetencies that his test suggested. Not all of that can be attributed to adrenaline," she sighed as she looked at the results and then turned her gaze to him.

"You, of all people, should understand my concerns. You've seen the disaster that happens when an agent goes rogue. You saw it in Arthur, and you took care of it. We all owe you a debt of gratitude for that, but could you bring yourself to do the same to Galahad, if it comes down to it?" she asked.

He thought about it for a long time before answering. It was an impossible question, with no right answers. So he answered honestly.

"I don't think I could," he sighed.

"That is the very thing I am afraid of. Galahad is very close to most of the agents here. He's well liked, intelligent, good at what he does and he is kind. Most of all he is respected as both an agent, and as a person. My greatest fear in this situation is that he will turn and no one will be able...or willing to stop him," she explained.

"He won't though, I know he won't," he replied fiercely. She gave a sad smile in return.

"You are young and optimistic Excalibur. I hope you're right. I really do. We'd hate to lose him, especially to himself," she shook her head.

"Then what can we do?" he asked, at a loss.

"Exactly what I'm already implementing. I'm sending him to our top psychiatrist so he can get additional assistance working through this."

"Didn't know we had psychiatrists," Eggsy admitted.

"We have several in our employ. Taking care of our agents doesn't stop at physical health. It would be foolish to neglect the mental aspect of our job, especially when dealing with the often questionable moral nature of what we do," she informed him.

"Makes sense, I guess," he shrugged.

"I suggest you take the opportunity to seek out one of our psychiatrists for yourself," she stated.

"There's nothing wrong with me," he bristled.

"I never insinuated there was, and I made the same suggestion to Lancelot upon her return. You both have been through traumatic experiences on your last mission, I'd hate to see you suffer because of it. Our professionals are trained to handle these types of things, and I want you to know you have the option of using them, should you need them," Delaware assured him with a surprisingly gentle smile.

"Yeah, alright. I'll give it some thought," he stated, though he was unsure if he'd follow through with her offer or not. His thoughts returned to his panic attack, only three days ago. If he had another one of those, he might take her up on it. Maybe it would help.

"I know this is difficult for you both to understand, but I'm trying my best to protect what's left of our institution. It's not an easy job, and it doesn't make me the most likable person, but someone has to do it, and I was chosen as that person. Do you understand why I'm doing this a bit better now?" she asked, gaze steady on him.

"I do understand. I still think you're a bit mental...but I get it," he sighed, wishing he could have held onto that anger he had seethed with upon entering her office earlier. What she had showed him had made sense though, and he did understand it. He still didn't have to like it though.

"Good. I also want to formally apologize to you for pulled Kay from his post after the loss of Nevada. I...over reacted, thinking that you were a lost cause. You're still a new agent, and I assumed incorrectly that you would not fulfill your duty. It was a mistake I will not make again," she bowed her head for a moment and then looked back up at him.

"Yeah, well...you're frontin' my medical bills so I can't complain too much," he stated as he put a hand to his cheek. It was healing nicely. Talking was easier now than it had been, and in another day he could take off the bandage and let it air out.

"This is true," she replied with a small smile, "anything else?"

"No, that's it."

"Good. I expect a full report on your mission now that you've been released from the medical ward. No later than seven tonight. Dismissed," she stood and he took his leave.

He had an awful lot to think about...but his first order of business was to get that report written while everything was still fresh in his mind.

Eggsy stood at the door to his house, not entering or leaving, just staring at the doorknob, as if it would do something without his aid. He didn't know why he was so nervous to see his mother and baby sister, but he was. Maybe it was because he knew that what had happened in Venezuela had changed him, or maybe it was just that he still wasn't sure how he was going to explain the hole in his cheek. He took a steadying breath and then walked into the house.

He was hit with a warm waft of savory spices as he stepped into the foyer. His mother hadn't cooked a lot when Dean was around, they preferred going out, but it seemed that now she was back on her own, she had picked up her cookbook again. He found that his mouth was watering something fierce, and he realized that it was the first time he'd been hungry since his return. Not that he could eat much with his wound, but he could manage some things if he was careful and kept the food on the other side of his mouth.

Eggsy poked his head into the kitchen where his mother was pulling a large casserole dish out of the oven. She was humming to herself as she placed the dish on the stovetop, and she was doing a little dance as she did so as well. He grinned. He hadn't seen her this happy in years. Chasing Dean away from his family had been the best thing he had ever done.

"EGGY!" the tiny voice cried from the far corner of the room and he watched his mother start in surprise, an oven mitt covered hand going to her chest as she turned around to see him. Sophie had caught sight of him and toddled over to him as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. He knelt down as she tossed herself into his arms. He picked her up and spun her around, enjoying the shriek of laughter that bubbled out of her.

"My goodness, you're getting so big Soph!" he crooned as he rubbed a thumb over a cheek that was a lot less pudgy than it had been the last time he had done it. She was growing alarmingly fast, as only very small children seemed to do.

"Oh! Sweetheart what happened to your face!" his mother exclaimed as she caught sight of his bandage and swept over to him, tilting his chin with one hand to get a better look. Sophie caught sight of the bandage.

"Boo-boo!" she stated sagely as she looked at it with wide eyes.

"Yeah, a big boo-boo. Want to know how I got it?" he asked and Sophie nodded slowly, eyes fixated on him as he spoke.

"Oh, well you see, I had to go rescue a princess from a big, mean dragon. The princess was trapped in a big tall tower that had no doors. So, I had to get in somehow. You see, I had to climb up the vines on the outside, and I climbed up and up and up...and up and up until I got to the window. And do you know what was in the room when I got there?" he asked.

"Princess?" Sophie asked.

"No! It was the wicked old dragon! And he told me that someone else had already saved the princess, and that I was too late. He was the only one left in the tower, so I asked him if he could give me a ride back to the ground, cause I was sooooo tired from climbing the tower. Do you know what he said?"

"Noooo," she giggled.

"He said he had nothin' better to do so I climbed on his back and he flew me all the way home. Except I'm not a very good dragon rider, and he took a turn a bit too fast and do you know what happened next?" he asked as he hoisted her high in the air above him, pretending like she was the flying dragon. She giggled wildly.

"Well I fell off! Of course I did, I wasn't wearing my dragon seatbelt! So I tumbled all the way to the ground, and landed right on my cheek. Ouch!" He dropped his arms and she let out a shriek as she fell. He caught her before she hit the floor and she cackled as he scooped her back up onto his hip.

"So I patched myself up, and then took a taxi and I came home, and do you know what I found?" he asked, eyes wide. She shook her head.

"I found a princess after all!" he tickled her and she burst into giggles again. He thought it might be the best sound in the whole world. He glanced up to see the amused, but still concerned face of his mother.

"Well that sounds exhausting sweetheart. Does the brave hero want some supper? I made some shepherd's pie," she motioned to the stove. He swooped in and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

"That sounds fantastic mum," he replied. And it was.

After helping to clear the table he offered to give Sophie her bath and to put her to bed so his mother could have a night off for once. She took him up on it gratefully and poured herself a glass of wine before settling down with a book in front of the fireplace. As he made his way upstairs, he heard her ask if he'd be staying the night or if he was off again. He assured her that he'd stay for the night, and even offered to make breakfast the next morning. Pleased with his reply, she went back to her book, and he went to bathe the 2 year old.

Sophie was surprisingly well behaved for her bath, and after retelling her the story about his mishap with the dragon (embellishing things and making it more dramatic the second time) she dropped off fairly quickly. He quietly shut the door and slipped into his own room, then plopped onto the bed and sighed. He phoned Harry to let him know that he'd be staying the night at his own place, and tried not to smile at the disappointed sound Harry had made.

Harry had stayed with him each night in the medical ward, taking the bed next to his and every morning they had woken up hand in hand, in the space between the beds. He had originally planned on staying with Harry on his first night out of the hospital. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn't sure he was ready for sleeping next to Harry again. He wasn't sure if it was just that he was still bothered by the fact that Harry had lied to him, or if it was that he was afraid that he wasn't ready for being that close to someone again after what had happened in Venezuela.

Regardless, he had promised his mother that he'd stay and he didn't want to break that promise. He hadn't spent a lot of time at home since becoming a Kingsman, and his mother and Sophie both deserved better. After his last mission he realized what he was missing out on, and had promised himself that he'd make more time for them. Maybe he'd even get around to telling his mom about Harry, although he was fairly sure she'd go mental if she recognized Harry for who he was. They hadn't exactly ended on good terms the last time he had spoken with her, eighteen years ago.

He curled into his sheets in his favorite sleeping fashion, shirtless with sweatpants, and enjoyed the feeling of a warm bed, and familiar detergent smell. It wasn't the same room that he had grown up in, but it felt almost more like home than the other ever had. He suspected that it was because he'd never have to worry about Dean bursting through the door in a rage. He could let him guard down here. It was a good feeling, a comfortable feeling. Eggsy took a deep breath and let himself relax. Sleep took him surprisingly fast. The universe took pity on him for once, and left him without nightmares.