You're My Best Friend

Ana was tapping her fingers on the table in an uneven and undriven tempo.

Washington cleared his throat and she stopped, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He turned and met her gaze and she looked back to the table.

She felt like a kid in detention, and heard Washington sigh as though he was a teacher who'd had enough.

"What?" he asked, but she only shook her head, "I'm making it an order, Lincoln. What?"

"It seems we're obviously waiting for someone, or someone's, and I'm pretty sure I know who - but I thought I'd be here early for a slap on the wrist for what happened at the... safe house..." she faded off.

Washington raised an eyebrow.

"A slap on the wrist for beating up your partner for what seems to be the umpteenth time, you mean?"

"He's not my-"

"The sooner you accept Agent Galahad as your partner for the time being will not only help us all, but especially the two of you as a team. As to the situation that happened, I have no repercussions for it. Agent Galahad explained the situation."

Ana raised her eyebrows at that, surprised.

"And though I have added more mandatory sessions with Mrs. Beltran due to the fight, a part of me has to say I... understand."

Ana's mind reeled at that, and she opened her mouth to ask many more questions but was interrupted by Arthur and Eggsy coming in, slightly out of breath.

"Never mind," Ana said, and Washington's mouth twitched as Eggsy took a seat across from her, Arthur standing next to Washington,

"Apologies, to the both of you," Arthur started, but Washington shook his head.

"Now that we're all here, we can get down to it," Washington said, turning to look at Arthur, who nodded, looking solemn.

Ana spared a glance at Eggsy, who was also looking at her. She turned her head to their leaders, ignoring the feeling of his gaze. It had been at least a few days since they'd last seen each other - something of both of their doing - both still fragile from the fight, from Ana's words after. She still wasn't ready to face him with civility yet. She wasn't worried what he would say - but more of what she would say, or do, to further damage their already fractured relationship.

And they had one. However indescribable, they had a connection of some kind. From being bested by each-other to working together, from Harry's grave to her nightmares, from physically fighting over a part of herself; normal relationships didn't carry such weight.

Not that what they did or even who they were was anything close to normal.

Washington and Arthur both drew a deep breath, but Arthur was the one to speak.

"We're putting a brief hold on the Marsha Valentine mission."

It only took a split second before Ana and Eggsy exploded, jumping out of their seats.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" she exclaimed at the same time he yelled "You're jokin' right?"

Washington held up a hand and they both fell silent and sat back down.

"It seems that Marsha Valentine won't have need for your stylistic tendencies for a while - as she told you in an email herself - which I have need to mention, Lincoln, you omitted from your recent report," he said, giving her a pointed look, "Maybe if you had consulted with us before going on a rogue mission, we might've created a better cover; one that had more face time with the target."

Ana only raised an eyebrow. She wanted to acknowledge that the slow actions of her own Kingsman Branch were what led her to taking her the matter into her own hands, and that since then they'd learned more than ever before - and even had more man and woman power and Kingsman resources now that they'd connected with the UK branch but she sucked in her lips to keep her retort in.

"If it wasn't for Agent Lincoln, we wouldn't have the information on Marsha Valentine that we do now. Cause of her I'm here, we're all here, workin' together to bring her down. And now ya tellin' me we're puttin' a hold on that?" Eggsy asked.

"Agent Galahad," Arthur said tersely as Ana gaped at Eggsy. She'd never seen him act with such insubordination, ever.

They all stared at him, but he turned to her head to kook at him.

"I'm surprised you're not up in arms beside me, love."

She frowned at the nickname but shook her head, knowing it was just a British thing as she turned to her superiors.

"What does this mean?"

Washington paused, as Arthur stood still, staring at Eggsy, and then glancing at her.

"It means the both of you are open to accept any other mission that comes to hand. The Valentine mission is, as of now, no longer the primary directive, that is until something comes up."

"So it's all quiet on the Marsha front, is that it?" Ana asked. Eggsy gave a snort and she turned her head to see him cover his mouth, unsuccessfully hiding a smile. She felt fuzzy at that but grinned nonetheless.

"Interestingly put, Lincoln, but that's the gist," Arthur said.

"This might seem like a setback, but it could be a silver lining," Washington started, "As Agent Galahad stated, the two of you have made strides in the main mission; the bugs the both of you implanted have proved very helpful. Marsha Valentine's network is bigger than we thought – we've learned that from both of your successful missions – who knows what other missions could bring us more connections, bringing us even closer?"

Ana and Eggsy met gazes, and Eggsy was the first to shrug.

Ana couldn't help but frown.

"Lincoln, not only do I need to say this due to your past history, but also due to the look on your face right now," Washington started and then paused, as though waiting for her to look at him.

Once she met his gaze, he continued.

"If there's even an inkling: a research of files, a background check, hell, I'll even consider a license plate check - if there is any sign that you are ignoring direct orders and you are trying to start a mission of any sort that involves Marsha Valentine without my own approval… you will be removed from this agency. It has never been done before, but I can reckon you understand what that entails."

Ana visibly gulped, and nodded.

"Understood, sir."

What Washington said was true – no agent had been forcibly removed. And the only thing that was known were rumors; entered into witness protection to a small town, some even said you were to be killed, and, Ana's favorite, which she heard from a potential recruit in her Interview group, was that Kingsman injected a stronger version of the amnesia dart that would erase your memory for however many years, like the Men In Black movies – and you'd find yourself at home, disoriented.

"Agents, you are dismissed," Arthur said.

Both she and Eggsy stood up, Eggsy thankfully leaving the room briskly followed by Arthur, but Ana stayed behind.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Agent?" Washington asked curtly.

She cleared her throat, knowing what she said could end either terribly or very well.

"Since things have quieted down, and it seems I'm still under 'probation' with no end in sight, I'd like my companion to join me, sir."

Arthur seemed confused and looked at Washington, who had a pensive look.

"It's been a while now, and I'm sure he misses me, just as much – if not even more – than I miss him."

"You are still under probationary leave-"

"I understand, sir. If you would allow it, I can take care of him here… I would be solely responsible."

"Of everything," Washington said.

"Of everything, sir."

Washington hesitated, but then nodded.

"I will consider it, Lincoln. You'll know my answer soon."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."

A few days later, Ana was outside, watching the empty road. It had been a dull few days. It seemed Washington and Arthur were right to put a hold on the MV mission (what Ana had dubbed the Marsha mission), but Ana wouldn't acknowledge that anytime soon.

She'd avoided Eggsy expertly yet clumsily, sometimes meeting his gaze in a room before turning around to leave it, or seeing him down the hall and walking backward to not make any sudden movements. The first few times he even gave chase, calling her name and following her, but then he just stared at her as she walked away, staying silent. As though he knew she needed it; needed not to see him, needed more time to calm herself down after everything.

She'd had sessions with Mrs. Beltran every day since, sometimes even two sessions. And even though Mrs. Beltran knew that Ana wouldn't admit it out loud – they helped. A lot.

But now as she stood outside, she felt one thing and one thing only; excited.

Washington had agreed to her request. Apollo was finally coming to her.

She heard footsteps on the dirt come up, and saw Roxy stand next to her.

"Expecting someone?" she asked.

Ana grinned.

"Yeah, you could say that."

They stood in silence before Roxy cleared her throat.

"Is that what you've been waiting for?" Roxy asked raising her hand to point in the distance. Ana snapped her head and smiled when she saw a cab kicking up dust as it entered the grounds.

"Finally!" Ana cried out, leaving Roxy and starting a soft jog down the driveway, catching up to the car a couple yards away.

She jumped on the balls of her feet as the cab finally slowed down. She didn't wait for the driver, throwing the door open and dropping to sit on the ground as Apollo jumped out of the cab, his low, guttural barks echoing across the grounds as he jumped onto Ana, his body wiggling as his short stub of a tail wagged out of control.

Ana hugged him tight, welcoming the slobbery kisses and snorts before she pulled back and stood up, smiling and thanking the cab driver as he handed over a duffel bag. She hoisted it over her shoulder as she walked back towards Roxy, Apollo at her heels, the cab driving off again.

Ana frowned as they approached, noticing Roxy. Roxy stood stock still, her mouth open, curled up at the corners; but her eyes were wide, as though disbelieving.

They finally reached her and Apollo let out another deep bark at the new human.

Roxy bent her head down to watch him, still unmoving.

"Roxy, this is Apollo. Apollo, this is Roxy, try not to drool," she said hopelessly. With his scrunched up face and a tongue that most of the time hung out the side of his mouth, drooling was an occupational hazard.

Apollo snorted as he sniffed around Roxy, nudging his back side against her legs before coming back to her, snorting and letting out another deep bark. Ana shrugged as she reached down and de-clipped the leash. Instead of running off, Apollo just walked around, staying close but doing his doggy duties of checking the surrounding area, lifting his leg here and there to mark his territory.

Roxy still looked stunned, which had Ana worried.

"Roxy? You're not allergic or anything are you? I thought it was a Kingsman staple…. You're okay with dogs, right?" she asked.

As though her question had broken open a damn, Roxy let out a loud laugh, which had Ana jumping back and Apollo barking in surprise.

Roxy just kept on laughing, though, fading away but then looking at Apollo, then at Ana, and Apollo again before another round of laughter erupted.

Ana frowned.

So yeah, some might call Apollo funny looking even though he had a vicious face with the heart of a two-year-old. He had more skin than fat which resulted in small rolls around his body. He was mostly white, with a few spots of brown fur splattered with black dots, one over his left eye, which Ana called his eye patch.

Apollo had gotten his name the first night he was hers. In the main room the recruits slept in, Apollo had gotten into a fight with a German Shepard puppy, one twice his size – yet it was him that ended up on top, the other dog on his back whimpering.

Ana gave Roxy time to calm down and opened her mouth to say something but then Roxy looked down at Apollo and started laughing yet again.

Ana frowned, taking a step forward, Apollo coming to her side, growling as he sensed Ana's unease.

"Okay, that's enough!" Ana snapped, one of her hands curling into a fist. She never imagined fighting Roxy unless during training (something she was still meaning to ask but never got around to), but at that moment, she was ready.

Roxy held up a hand, shaking her head as she finally calmed down.

"I'm… ohhh…. I'm sorry, Ana," she said, still recovering from her laughing fit.

Ana only raised an eyebrow.

"It's just… oh, can I walk with you?" she said, still catching her breath as she knelt down, holding her hand out to Apollo. He let out a huff and a small snort as he walked forward, sniffing Roxy's hand but then letting her pet him. She smiled, scratching the top of his head before she stood up.

"Can I walk with you?" she repeated, bringing out her cell phone.

Ana raised an eyebrow but shrugged.

She let out a low whistle and Apollo came to her side again, almost leaning against her leg as they walked into headquarters, Roxy typing away quickly on her phone.

Ana looked down at Apollo, raising an eyebrow.

She was still irked about how Roxy thought this all to be so funny. As though her last semblance of family, the one thing that kept her sane after losing Nat, was some sort of joke. But she knew that was her own anxiety talking; that there had to be a reason Roxy was so... amused by Apollo.

As per Kingsman tradition, during the 'interview', they were to chose a puppy.

And as soon as she and the others formed a line in front of the cages, she'd met the gaze of a small puppy made of wrinkles, and it was kismet. She was even ready to fight the others for him but whenever one of her competition reached for his cage he let out a deep growl. And when it was just the two of them left he let out a whine and his tiny body shook with the wag of his tail as she approached his cage; that was all she needed. He was hers.

"This is too good," Roxy said, her voice still recovering from her laughing. Ana only frowned as they entered the main hall.

"I don't know what you're-" she started, her voice tense, but she stopped when Apollo let out a deep bark, staying next to her but on his guard. She followed Apollo's line of sight to see Eggsy walking down the hall, the grin on his face at the sight of her and Roxy falling as he looked down at Apollo.

His face then turned disbelieving, almost comically, his footsteps slowing as Apollo continued to bark.

Roxy started laughing again.

However Eggsy was still staring at Apollo, that stupid look on his face.

Ana shook her head, letting out a low whistle. Apollo immediately stopped barking and sat down but let out a small, almost inaudible growl.

She let out another whistle and Apollo quieted with a small whine, looking up at her. She bent over and scratched behind his ear.

"Good boy," she muttered before standing up straight, looking at Roxy who was almost bent over she was laughing so hard, and then to Eggsy who was still looking at Apollo, and then at her, then back to Apollo.

She opened her mouth to ask what the fuck was going on, but Eggsy beat her to the chase.

"A bulldog?!" he cried out incredulously.

She raised an eyebrow, looking down at Appollo, staring back up at her with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Well yeah, that's the breed…" she said, looking back up at him. Roxy had just started to calm down from her laughing fit. "What breeds did you guys get? I'd love to see some pictures," she said smiling, still confused, but brushing it off.

Roxy let out a few ending laughs but nodded.

"Yeah, it's universal Kingsman staple I believe. I've got a poodle, Athena is her name, and Eggsy's got…" she faded off, and they both looked over to him.

He was still frowning at Apollo, which had her tensing up again.

"A pug," he said, a smile breaking his frown as he shook his head, "named him JB."

"Jack Bauer?"

Eggsy blinked, moving his gaze to look at her in surprise.

"Yeah."

"Nice. But I'm still confused as to why Roxy is dying over here."

Eggsy winced and raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck.

"Yeah, thing is I wasn't very… attuned to dogs before, and I uh, I picked JB thinking he was," Eggsy knelt down and Apollo let out a soft growl, circling Eggsy twice before deeming him fit for a pet as he sat down within reach. Eggsy smiled as he pet Apollo, scratching in the right place to make Apollo's left leg kick out before he looked up and met Ana's gaze.

"I thought JB was a bulldog."

Ana blinked, and then opened and closed her mouth.

"Are you telling me you mistook a pug for a bulldog?"

Eggsy frowned and stood up straight.

"I mean come on, man, pugs might have the same face, but the coloring is different, bulldogs have more skin…" Ana said and Roxy let out another laugh but then covered her mouth.

"It was a happy mistake, alright!?"

"I won't know until I see pictures…"

Eggsy faltered but then reached into his pocket and brought out his phone, taking a moment as his finger moved across the screen… he then stopped and turned his phone towards her. A picture of a stout little pug on a bed was shown, and Ana couldn't help but ket out an 'Awww!'

"It's just their little faces! Oh wow, he's a looker."

Apollo barked and Ana smiled.

"Okay okay, let's get situated and then we'll take a jog, alright?"

"Who's been looking after him?"

"Well usually Kingsman has someone to take care of the dogs when we're away on missions, but when I was… forced to stay here, I decided to hire my own sitter. He loves attention and people, I didn't want him sitting around all day, alone except for feeding time."

Apollo let out another bark.

"Well, the man has spoken, we're gonna wind down, I'll see you guys later," she said, walking away, Apollo following.

"Do you know the difference now?" she heard Roxy say.

"We were all sleep deprived when I chose JB!"

"Excuses, excuses."

She had a good jog around the headquarters, Apollo having a blast as he ran around and sniffed the grass, marked the territory as his, and even found a squirrel or two to chase before finally accepting defeat when they escaped up a tree.

She was lying in the grass, eyes closed against the warm sun when she heard a bark – different from Apollo's.

She sat up to see Dylan walking and Ellie running towards her. She smiled as the chocolate lab jumped on her, giving her kisses. Apollo was immediately there, and the two dogs ran away to play with each other; like old friends seeing each other again.

Dylan sat next to her, grunting.

"Thought Apollo could see another friendly face."

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

"You know I could've taken him in."

"I do know, and thank you, but he can be a lot. I also didn't want him alone for so long. Even you've got missions too."

Dylan nodded.

"Rox told me of the introduction, it's quite a story."

Ana grinned at that.

"Happy mistake, he said. And I can't blame him, JB is a looker."

Dylan gave her a weird look, but cleared his throat to change to subject.

"You seem to be taking the Marsha Valentine hiatus well," he started.

She shrugged and put her hands behind her, arms taught, to bask in the sun.

"Pure will, really. And I've been good at acting happy in the past, it's helping even more now."

"But won't it be good, to take a break? After the V-Day anniversary, after going back to real bullets, after Eggsy finding out about Natalia… it could be a good chance to take a breather."

She frowned.

"She's still out there, Dylan. Who knows what she's planning, and she definitely planning something. Her own beliefs are now driven even harder by the death and public damnation of her own son. She's not taking a breather. Why should I?"

"Because if you don't you'll be fired? It'll be better for your mental health? I dunno, take a card, any card."

She sighed and let her arms drop, falling back onto the grass.

"If you bring this up in any future conversations I will kill you – but I kind of agree. It's been… a lot."

Dylan followed, laying down next to her. Apollo and Claire came over and lay down with them, mouths open and tongues out as they rested.

"I thought it was gonna work."

"I know."

"I thought I was going to gain her trust quickly, find out what she was doing, and smile down at her before I either killed her or arrested her. Isn't that messed up? My endgame wasn't even decided yet."

"You would've been willing to kill her?"

"Yeah. I still think about it."

"You said it yourself with Valentine… people didn't get closure with his death. The same would've been for Marsha."

She took a deep breath, lifting her hand and feeling around before she found Apollo's coat, scratching it and petting it, smiling softly as he licked her hand once, for comfort.

"I was only thinking about my own revenge in the moment."

"When did it change?"

She closed her eyes.

She was out of breath, aiming her tranq gun at a breathless and equally mussed Eggsy after their first fight in the hallway.

"Jesus, Galahad, she's one of us!" Roxy shouted, trying to dissuade the situation.

Who'd've known that moment would have brought her here?

"In the hallway."

"What hallway?"

"The night in New York, when I came across Roxy and Eggsy. Roxy even said that we were part of the same team, but I just acted on instinct to get away. And then after seeing them again, knowing that we were going to be working together to take her down…"

"That's when killing her became a question, not a certainty."

"Yeah," she said on a deep breath.

"Well, now that we have that settled, you aren't going rogue again, right?" he asked pensively.

"No," she said on a sigh, more from tiredness than anything, "I'm gonna follow orders, even if it kills me."

"Jesus Christ, don't say that!" Dylan shouted.

She smirked and glanced his way.

"Don't do that, Ana."

She shrugged.

"Can't help it."

Ana was walking towards her room - she'd stopped calling it her 'cell' by now. Now that Apollo was with her, she didn't hold such resentment staying at Headquarters now, it felt just like she when she was a recruit. In fact, she could now see the benefits of her probation; she was at the head of the action. She could travel down to the tech branch and ask for updates, or take a few floors up and train in combat with any weapon she chose, or walk to the gun range and catch up on her training with real bullets.

She was grinning to herself when Apollo let out a soft 'woof' and she stopped, looking up and meeting Eggy's gaze across the hall.

She stopped, her feet shifting to the balls and toes, ready to turn run.

"Don't you dare, I'm comin' after ya this time," Eggsy called across the hall.

She raised an eyebrow, unsure if he could see her reaction. But nonetheless, she felt like challenging him, just like old times, and slowly turned on the balls of her feet before she started quickly walking.

She heard him running, the thumps of his footsteps radiating on the floor. She stopped and turned her head to watch him coming straight at her. Apollo let out a loud bark and ran forward, but Eggsy jumped over him, still coming towards her.

She braced herself for impact but instead of tackling her, he slowed and grabbed her arms, turning her towards the wall and caging her in.

"You let me catch you," he said almost disbelievingly.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Doesn't your ankle hurt?" she asked, looking down at Apollo, whose jaws were clamped around Eggsy's leg.

He looked down and laughed. Ana laughed as well, and Apollo opened his jaw and stepped back, letting out a single bark.

Ana snapped her fingers and Apollo fell quiet, sitting down.

"Why'da you keep on runnin'?"

She tilted her head.

"I thought you knew me by now."

He frowned for a second, before leaning his head in closer, making her catch her breath.

"I do know you... probably more than the other agents do, except for Dylan. That's why I'm stuck scratchin' my head as to why you keep runnin'."

She kept his gaze, and stayed silent, watching as it slowly hit him.

"That's why, then?" he asked, frowning and letting her go as he took a step back. "Because I know you more now? I know about..." he faded off, his body turning still as though bracing for another fight.

But she didn't start one. She only shrugged.

"I'm messed up, what can I say?"

"Don't do that, Linc."

She stopped, and frowned.

"You're not messed up," he continued, "You're still grieving."

"You sound like Mrs. Beltran."

"She's smart, and has a lot of good points. Even helped me realize that I had my own reservations towards the agency when I showed defiance to Arthur while I was defendin' you."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. He only grinned.

"What, ya thought I could turn to only Roxy after you led me to Harry's grave?"

She could only shrug her shoulders, she didn't know what else to do.

"Stop runnin' from me, Linc. If you let me or if you don't let me, I'll always catch you. Ya get me?" he asked softly, almost a whisper.

Her whole body shivered, but she nodded.

He searched her eyes before nodding and taking a step back, his warmth leaving her.

"Good. I'll see ya around, Linc. Whether ya like it or not."

You're My Best Friend by Queen

*I had to make Apollo a bulldog - I couldn't help it!