Hi, friends! Sorry for posting this late, but I'll try and keep the times between posting relatively short (hopefully). I'll be posting progress updates on my profile, so just look on there or feel free to message me with questions or other such comments!
"You need to call it in," Roxy said to Eggsy in hushed tones. "This could be Callisto."
"No, it's not…" Eggsy paused, searching for the soundest argument. "It was sloppy. An international Terrorist organization would have had more intimidating ways of threatening her. I mean, Elaine had barely spent a few months in that tiny apartment, Rox. What would be the point of smashing up stuff that didn't mean anything to her? An' if Merlin brings her in, the trust is lost."
Roxy turned to the whistling kettle and pulled a mug out of the cupboard.
"You know the director wouldn't pull Evie out after a robbery," she said, looking through her tea selection and pulling out a black tea.
"Peppermint."
"Huh?"
"Elaine likes peppermint tea," Eggsy said, pointing to the lonely herbal tea packet amidst an array of pomegranate green and breakfast blends.
Skeptical, Roxy dropped the black and opened the peppermint.
"You can't possibly expect to keep this from Merlin, do you Galahad?"
Eggsy gave the woman next to him a trying look.
"I'm jus' trying' to keep the mission," Eggsy said in his defense, crossing his arms.
Rozy poured the water into the mug and mumbled to herself.
"If this is even a mission to you anymore."
"What's tha' supposed to mean?" He said more harshly than he had meant to say.
Roxy scoffed.
"It means that I think you're a little too fond of Evie." Roxy turned to face him.
"Her name is Elaine and too fond? Rox, I visit her occasionally and, yes, I have been talking to her more, but as you should remember, that's my bloody mission," Eggsy defended crossly.
Roxy rolled her eyes and picked up the mug.
"What I'm saying is that you have known about this mission for barely a week. You've been buying flowers from the pretty little rosy-eyed flower girl for months."
"My mum likes Columbia street flowers. What's wrong with tha'?"
"Only that you're mum hardly accompanies you and the train ride from Kensington to Bethnal Green is at least 40 minutes with 14 stops and train change," Roxy looked at him pointedly. "14 stops, Eggsy."
Giving his colleague a sharp glare, Eggsy grabbed the mug from Roxy and walked out of the kitchen. Once he stepped into the sitting room, he spotted the rosy-haired floweress at Roxy's bookshelf, running her fingertips over the classics the Kingswoman kept. Clearing his throat, Elaine turned at the sound and her anxious eyes melted at the now familiar sight in front of her.
"If I remember right, peppermint is your poison."
He said it with a smile that made Elaine's heart jump a beat. Having lost his jacket and tie, Eggsy handed Elaine the mug of tea with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up and his top buttons undone.
"Thanks," Elaine said, taking a sip. She took a step forwards when Roxy stepped into the room. "And thank you so much for letting me stay here. I can't imagine letting a stranger stay in my home."
"Eggsy explained what happened and I'm grateful to help in any way I can. And I would hardly call you a stranger, Eggsy has told me plenty about you."
While Elaine was blushing into her tea, Roxy shot Eggsy a steely glare.
"All good things, I hope."
"I assure you, it's been nothing else. And I really need to go out to Bethnal Green more often, the first and only time Eggsy took me there it was nice."
"Well, there's a never-ending supply of flowers so don't worry about missing anything," Elaine joked, inwardly kicking herself. Here she was, in an unknown house at least five times larger than Elaine's apartment, standing in front of one of the most flawless women Elaine had ever seen. This Roxy that Eggsy had brought Elaine to was obviously someone dear to his heart if the way he looked at her was anything to go by, and she was tall and lean with legs that seemed to go on forever. Not to mention her complexion was smoother than a cloudless sky.
This was the woman Eggsy bought bouquets for.
"I called my Uncle and he'll be stopping by. You'll be back in your apartment in no time." Eggsy assured her.
Roxy excused herself when her phone rang, leaving Elaine and Eggsy alone. Elaine hesitated a moment before setting her mug on the coffee table beside her. A bit awkwardly, Elaine started wandering around the room, looking back at Eggsy now and again.
"She's charming. Are you two…?"
"Together? No. Rox is a friend and a colleague."
"Roxy's a tailor?" Elaine asked, surprised.
Eggsy shifted and laughed at something.
"Yeah. In fact, she's one of the best tailors I've ever come across." He said it in a way that made Elaine think there was an inside joke she was missing.
The smile on his lips made her heart hurt, and not in a good way. That smile wasn't for her. His smile was for the rich tailoress with the flawless skin and endless legs and whom he bought bouquets for. There was a silence between them. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Eggsy hesitated before taking a step towards her.
"She's also a good listener, so don't bother worrying about gabbin' her ear off," Eggsy said, no doubt referring to all the times she went on long-winded explanations and monologues.
"How does she feel about sobbing?" Elaine joked, more to herself than Eggsy, but she saw him shift and she was embarrassed at how unfunny the joke sounded.
Eggsy's smile vanished in place of concern and he seemed to struggle a moment on how to help her.
"I know this is a shitty situation, but Imma make sure you come out on top. Yeah?"
Elaine tried to keep the doubt out of her eyes but took a step closer to him, nonetheless.
After trying to decide what to say, she simply held up her pinky finger. Eggys looked at her with a funny smile for a moment (probably thinking about how childish she was), then intertwined his own pinky with hers.
"Eggsy," Roxy said, barging into the room and raising an eyebrow as she caught them quickly stepping away from each other, hands falling apart. "The director is on the phone and would like to have a word with you."
Clearing his throat, Eggsy gave Elaine a last look before stepping out of the room, leaving Elaine alone with his pretty friend.
"So," Elaine started awkwardly. "Eggsy told me you're a tailor."
"Yes, I am. It's a profession that's been a tradition in my family. Granted, it has mostly been my male relatives that have picked up the business, but I'm all about breaking boundaries." Roxy said politely. So polite.
"What tailoring shop are you with?" Elaine asked.
"Savile Row," Roxy said.
"Savi… Savile Row? Are you serious?" Elaine asked, leaning forward at the unexpected answer. Roxy gave her a humorous smile. "Savile Row is big."
Elaine felt stupid for stating the obvious.
"It is. Eggsy likes to pretend I'm some big player in the business but, to be honest, it's a bit scary working with the legends and I feel a bit small."
Elaine was caught off guard with the honesty Roxy had just given her and offered her reassurances that if she had Eggsy's support, then she wasn't that small. It was at that moment the Eggsy walked back into the sitting room and approached the two women.
"There's a situation at the tailor shop," Eggsy said, he seemed to put more stress behind his words than Elaine would have expected him too, but it was Savile Row he was talking about. Elaine was sure whatever problems with the situation he was alluding to was well founded. "Are you okay staying here?"
"Yes, of course. Go take care of your tailoring situation." Elaine said.
"We'll try to be back soon." Eggsy squeezed her arm gently before leaving the room and grabbing his coat and black umbrella.
"You're free to anything in the kitchen," Roxy said, following Eggsy.
"Thanks," Elaine said, feeling awkward as the two of them rushed out of the apartment. "I'll just be here… alone."
They shut the door behind them with a resounding click and Elaine suddenly felt the pristine walls of Roxy's apartment become a bit more intimidating and lonely.
Letting out a huff, Elaine dropped into an armchair. Surveying the bookshelf beside her, she pulled out The Count of Monte Cristo and flipped through its pages. Figuring if anything in the kitchen was free, Elaine reasoned she was free to borrow a book, as well.
When Eggsy walked into the darkened apartment behind Roxy, night had fallen and Elaine was presumed to be asleep. Well past 1 in the morning, the hostage situation at the American Embassy had been drawn out and tedious but Eggsy's shoulders relaxed the farther he walked into the apartment.
Setting his umbrella and jacket aside, Eggsy stepped into the sitting room to find Elaine curled up in an armchair. Laying with her legs draped over the side; arms loosely holding a forgotten book, she softly snored. Eggsy bit back an endeared chuckle.
Turning off the lamp beside her, he gently slid the book out from beneath her arms and marked her page. Careful not to wake her, Eggsy lifted Elaine from the chair and carried her to her room.
"How's she doing?" Eggsy asked as he stepped into Roxy's apartment on the third day after the robbery of Elaine's place.
Gawain was sitting in the living room chatting with her, him being the only Kingsman old enough to pass as Eggsy's uncle.
"I sat with Elaine for the first bit, but she's taking everything in stride. I'm impressed." Roxy said with honesty. "We need to get this straightened out before Friday. I'm flying out to Milan again for the next two weeks and unless the Kingsmen instigates a safe house for Elaine, we'll have to set up another arrangement."
"Her apartment should be secure by tomorrow. The cleaning crew came in and swept the place. Not a bit o' rubbish anywhere. We've set up a team opposite the street, as well."
Eggsy brushed his shoes on the rug and shrugged off his coat before stepping into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He looked at Roxy, who stood next to him and leaned against the counter. She was dressed more casually than usual, sporting a well-tailored pair of beige trousers with blue flats and a loose fitting white button-down blouse, and of course, had her hair tied up in her signature bun.
"I've tried my best to get her to open up about who she thought robbed her apartment," Roxy said, picking up an apple from the island in front of her and polished it off with the sleeve of her blouse.
"And?" Eggsy questioned.
"And nothing." Roxy took a bite of the apple. "That girl knows how to stand her ground."
Eggsy was going to agree before Gawain walked into the kitchen. The eldest Kingsman was hardly old at all. Perhaps tipping the balance between forty or fifty, Gawain was well built with strong shoulders and a posture reminiscent of a medieval portrait. Even with being the eldest Kingsmen, Eggsy knew him to be quite the ferocious adversary in a fist fight as he had been the receiver of his blows in mock sparring.
Greying here and there along his temples, Gawain unbuttoned his suit as he joined Galahad and Lancelot in the kitchen discussion.
"Ms. Daniella is an abominable liar, but I must give her due respects to holding her ground so vigilantly." He said, his accent prim and posh, decidedly through years of practiced composure. In his hand, Gawain held the file that, unbeknownst to Elaine, held all the intelligence the Kingsmen had gathered on her.
"She had to of given away somethin', yeah?" Eggsy said.
"Quite," Gawain said. "When I mentioned the possibility of an Ex-lover, she seemed very agitated."
"Devron?" Roxy proposed.
"No," Eggsy intervened. "Whoever she suspects is someone before Callipso. She told me 'bout a bloke tha' made her run from Minneapolis. I think it's Gregory."
"I'll have Bedivere look through surveillance," Roxy said. "Goodbye, Gawain."
"Lancelot," Gawain said back.
Roxy excused herself and departed to contact the other Kingsman.
"Thank you, Gawain." Eggsy said, gripping the man's hand in a tight shake.
"Always a pleasure, Galahad."
Picking up his briefcase and hat, the older Kingsman departed from Roxy's apartment, leaving Eggsy alone in the kitchen.
Downing the remnants of his water, Eggsy entered the sitting room in which Gawain had just left and found Elaine standing at the window. He stayed silent as he watched her watch the cars drive lazily along the road through the shower of rain. She let her temple rest against the pane, trinkets of rainwater flowing down the outer side of the window, her strawberry locks falling out of her bun. Out of courtesy, Eggsy cleared his throat.
Looking up from the window, Elaine looked surprised.
Stepping closer, Eggsy could see unfallen tears hanging in her eyes. She turned away and tried to hide the fact that she wiped her cheeks, but he had already seen her smudged mascara under her eyes and the way her nose was red and runny.
"How are you?" Eggsy asked.
"Fine." She said with an unconvincing smile. She looked tired.
Silence hung between them for a beat, and all Eggsy could think to do was stare at his shoes. It appeared that that was also all Elaine could think to do, as well.
"What say we go out for the day?" It was only one in the evening and while he knew him and Roxy were there for her, Eggsy could see that Elaine was getting restless.
"Where do you have in mind?" Elaine asked.
"Well, Hyde Park is beautiful no matter the weather."
"Hyde Park sounds nice," Elaine said with a smile; her real smile, not the unconvincing one she used to cover up her fear.
"Let me go get my coat."
As they walked down the stretching pathways of the park, the autumnal leaves of the trees lining the path made a golden-orange canopy above Eggsy and Elaine. Eggsy had brought his umbrella and a dark blue overcoat, but the rain had subsided to a manageable drizzle.
"It's beautiful here," Elaine said, tying her coat sash tighter around her waist.
Eggsy agreed. The pathway they walked along was slick with rain and reflected the little light that shone in the cloudy sky. She buried her hands deeper into her pockets, feeling winter in the misty breeze.
"Do you come here often?" Elaine asked as they stopped at a forking of the path.
One of the forks in the path led to a garden that looked bare and brown, crunchy leaves peppering the shrubbery.
"I try to," Eggsy said as he overlooked the park. "My job can be a bit stressful and here is the perfect place to forget."
"What, your tailoring job?" Elaine laughed. "I guess it would be exhausting pinning tweed jackets and climbing through the ranks of international espionage." She smiled as she saw Eggsy rise an eyebrow out of the corner of her eye. She smirked.
"Care to explain tha'?" Eggsy said, turning towards her.
"Well, I'm convinced you're a spy," Elaine said, holding back a laugh at Eggsy's expression as she resumed their walk beneath the canopy of autumn trees.
"I'm not a spy," Eggsy said after a beat, following her.
"That's what a spy would say," Elaine said, giving him a silly look.
Eggsy laughed at the insinuation, shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath Elaine couldn't quite hear. After that, they both walked side by side together in comfortable silence, the air growing chillier as the evening dimmed. After an hour or so walking through Hyde Park and exchanging silly looks and jabs at one another, Eggsy lead Elaine into the avenue of shops restaurants a few blocks away from the park.
"Thank you," Elaine said as she and Eggsy walked past the glass display window of a vintage dress boutique. Eggsy was silent for a moment.
"You're welcome. I figured you could stand to have a leisurely day." Eggsy said, looking at Elaine. "And just so you know, I'm always there for you."
Elaine mumbled that she knew, giving him a smile as they walked past the dress boutique and towards a fountain.
"How did the meeting go today with my uncle?"
"Good. I don't know why I was expecting someone intimidating, but he was very kind and was patient enough with me." Elaine said with an unexpected laugh. "I can tell you and him are related."
"Really?" Eggsy asked.
They both stopped in front of the fountain, Elaine taking a penny out of her coat pocket to throw into the water. She wished for her sister to forgive her.
"Yeah, I think he's even more mannerly than you," Elaine said, turning back to Eggsy after making her wish. "Which is saying a lot and you dress similarly."
"I'll take it you also think he's a spy?"
"Naturally," Elaine said with a mischievous smile.
Eggsy was about to respond when a lightning bolt flashed across the overcast sky, followed by a crash of thunder. Both Eggsy and Elaine waited for a second, after which the sky started pouring, the rain falling in buckets.
Squeaking, Elaine put her hood up as Eggsy opened his umbrella over them. Laughing loudly and without hesitation, they both ran to the nearest shop to escape the torrential downpour.
"That was crazy!" Elaine laughed, shaking the rain dropped clinging to her hair and coat. Once they were inside the dim shop, the smell of old paper and vinyl filled her nose. Her eyes adjusting to the change in light, Elaine saw that she and Eggsy had run into a records shop.
Eggsy set his umbrella and overcoat against one of the shelves that held the boxes and rows of covered vinyl records. Shrugging off her own coat, Elaine did the same.
Curious as to where the owner was, Elaine walked to the side of the shop and found an old, rotund man with unruly hair sleeping at his desk. Snoring away, Elaine decided not to bother him and walked around the shelves.
"I've called us a cab." Eggsy said, finding Elaine admiring a stack of Louis Armstrong.
"It's really coming down out there, isn't it?" Elaine asked, looking towards the door they had just run in from. Even from across the room, Elaine could hear the heavy pattering of the storm raging outside.
Elaine ran her fingers over the stacks of records.
"Does it always rain so much here?" She asked, her nose buried in the Jimi Hendrix selection.
"I thought you loved the rain?" Eggsy said, teasing her.
Before she could think of a response, she spotted the classics pile. Kneeling down to shuffle through the dusty, torn vinyl folders, Elaine found a Maria Callas record.
"Are you a fan?" Eggsy asked, standing to the side of her, studying the record in her hands. Elaine hadn't heard him walk up behind her.
"Not really," She mumbled. "That's more my sister's terrain. She was into the classics. Puccini, Verdi, Rachmaninov." She put the Callas record back, careful not to further tatter the folder.
"Was?" Eggsy asked. Elaine turned to find him studying her.
"Still is, actually. We don't really… talk anymore." Elaine walked around the other side of the records shelf. "It's a long story, but before you ask, I'm fine and I don't feel like talking about it." She gave him a soft smile over the shelf.
"And you knew I was going to ask because…"
"Because you're a gentleman."
He scoffed.
"I try."
"I think you do more than try," Elaine said, resting her arms on the record stakes between them. Eggsy came up and did the same. Their arms barely touched.
"So if the classics aren't your terrain, what is?" Eggsy asked.
She thought for a moment, swinging her weight from one hip to the other.
"The classics are my terrain. Just not the classics my sister likes," she said. Curious, she looked at her feet and found an example of her musical terrain.
Pulling out a vinyl of Edith Piaf, she lifted it up for Eggsy to see and turned to put it in the old record player in the corner. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien filled the shop. Trumpet bouncing off the walls. Happy with the clarity of the record, Elaine went in search for other examples of her musical taste, but Eggsy's hand wrapped around her waist and spun her around. Laughing at the unexpected move, she smiled and swayed along with him. Dancing between the narrow shelves of dusty vinyl and dimmed fluorescent light, the melody danced through them. Elaine's plain and faded canvas shoes followed his wing-tipped Oxfords as he led her around, wood planks creaking below their feet.
Eggsy's arms wrapped around her waist, palms resting at a respectable position on her lower back and her arms hung over his shoulders.
"Do you speak French?" Eggsy asked.
"Nope." She muttered, resting her temple on his shoulder. For once in her life, she was grateful for her height because she fit perfectly against him.
There was something about his scent that clung to him that Elaine couldn't figure out; something metallic. Gunpowder?
Shaking her head and forgetting about that improbable scent, Elaine lost herself to the song and his arms wrapped tightly around her.
His suit felt smooth against her cheek, her fingertips running along his back where her hands fell as she rested her arms on his shoulders. "Do you speak French?" She asked, bringing her eyes up to his.
She liked to think the smug smile that rose on his face meant he was planning on impressing her.
"Oui," He said with a wiggle of his brow. "Je parle aussi Germain, Espagnol et Russe."
"Are you trying to impress me?" Elaine asked, holding back a laugh.
Before responding, Eggsy tipped her back then swung her up, resuming the dance. Elaine started laughing and before long, Eggsy was cracking a smile, as well.
"I'm really glad that worked," Eggsy said. "I've only seen that in the cinema."
The record scratched as the next song came on. La Vie En Rose started and Eggsy twirled Elaine out and back towards him, prompting more laughter from Elaine.
Still laughing, they waltzed around the shop through the dimming light and in each other's arms. Slowing to a near halt, Eggsy moved his hand from her waist to her neck, taking his time in dragging his fingers up her spine and to her jaw. Heart beating faster, Elaine held her breath as Eggsy leaned down to press his forehead against her's; their lips breaths away.
The door clanged as it opened and Elaine heard the rainfall louder outside then fade back down to a soft pattering as the door shut. She didn't pay attention and neither did Eggsy; she liked to think he was just as enamored with the thought of kissing just as much as she was.
Only until the music abruptly ended did Eggsy break away from her.
"Oi. You gotta problem, mate?" Eggsy called, taking a step away from Elaine. She immediately felt the absence of his arms around her.
"You tell me."
Elaine froze, recognizing the voice. Turning around, the world stopped as the man standing by the record player stared accusingly at her. She took a step back.
"How the hell did you find me?" Elaine asked, surprised her voice didn't waver. Eggsy moved to stand between Elaine and the man.
"Elaine, why don't you go wait outside. The cab should be here." Eggsy said, grabbing his umbrella from where it rested against the shelves. His calm, overly composed voice scared her. Unable to move, Elaine froze, stuck between gawking at Eggsy and the man she had desperately hoped never to see again.
"Lainey's not goin' anywhere," The man said, his words bitter with anger.
"Don't you dare call me that," Elaine said, her voice shaking. Surprising herself, she took what she hoped to be a threatening step towards Greg, but Eggsy stopped her with one arm.
"Elaine. The cab." Eggsy said and Elaine saw his shoulders tighten as he faced down Greg.
Her breath caught as Greg took a step towards her.
"Elaine," Eggsy said, harsher than he had the first time.
Feet moving of their own accord, Elaine hesitantly walked out of the records shop and into the rain, refusing to look back. Just as Eggsy had said, the cab was waiting for her and Elaine jumped in before the rain could soak through her clothes.
The driver greeted her and asked about a Mr. Unwin. After a moment or two, Elaine realized Mr. Unwin was Eggsy. Thinking about Eggsy and the man he was facing in the shop she had just run from prompted a cold shiver to run down her spine.
"Would you like me to fetch Mr. Unwin for you, Miss?" The driver asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror. Elaine hadn't realized she started crying.
"No," She choked out. "I'm sure he'll be out in a minute." She hoped. Gregory was a fighter. Elaine didn't know how much a sharply dressed tailor could do against a boxer.