Yes, I'm back… My apologies for the break. I'm basically working on two projects at the moment; this story and another one I hope to get published relatively soon (soon being years?) Unfortunately, this fanfic, while I love it, doesn't make me any money so I diverted my energy for a couple of months towards a book I hope will be a success. One can only hope!
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I've made it twice the length of my normal chapters to make up for my absence. Thank you for sticking with me!
It was a dreary evening in Lower Manhattan when a secretive meeting was scheduled to take place. After work hours and after all of his co-workers had left, Antony Gunman stayed in his office. He starred out of his window into the rain looking not at all pleased with the meeting; but at 30 flights up, the skyline offered no calming city view, only a fogged pane of glass obscured by the storm. In lieu of a vista, he clicked his pen annoyedly at his mahogany desk and checked the security feed again.
The first to walk into Antony's office was a sleek woman with iron-straight black hair that fell to her waist. Silver bracelets clinked at her wrists as she walked and every step she took was punctuated by a stiletto heel. Immediately following her was a man looking intently at his phone.
The woman sat down in the chair closest to Antony's desk and her follower stood directly behind her.
"How are you, Siobhan?" Antony asked, not out of genuine concern, of course.
The woman ran her hand through her hair, straightening it until it lay smooth against her side.
"Fine, I guess," Siobhan said dispassionately. "Devron is getting on my nerves, though. This grand plan of his is something from a sci-fi book."
"He's always had a flair for the dramatic, but I can't drag his ambition," Antony said, leaning back and checking the security footage for the next guest. "And where is Leonard? He should have been here by now."
"Retirement," Siobhan shrugged as an explanation.
The man behind her checked his phone and showed it to her. Siobhan looked at the screen and nodded. Then he stepped back again and typed something before looking up and scanning the room.
"Why don't you tell your lackey to sit down," Antony suggested.
"I prefer him to stand," she said in a rather bored tone as she studied an acrylic nail. "I want him to be ready for anything. You know how those Kingsmen can be."
Antony nodded with a frustrated frown. He thought of his own workers who had recently been taken out by the do-gooder agents. After a moment of brooding, he looked over at the security feed and his expression went even more sour.
"Here comes the old fart now," Antony said, standing up and taping his knuckles on his mahogany desk.
Siobhan turned her cheek an inch towards the door as an old, stout man with deep laugh line wrinkles into his cheeks walked into the conference room. To make matters worse for Antony, the newcomer had shown up wearing what can only be described as tacky golf attire; bright green knickers, plaid vest, and a gold golf hat, to boot. He rubbed a bulbous nose as he approached Siobhan.
"Good to see you, Leonard," Antony said, not even bothering to hide the mocking tone.
But Leonard ignored the tone and sat down opposite Siobhan.
"My apologies for being late, the game ran over a bit," Leonard said, huffing as he sat back in his seat. He patted his stomach and then adjusted his hat.
Antony visibly glared at the newest guest.
"We're just glad you made it, Leo," Siobhan said.
"You are at least convincing," Leonard said, shooting a humorous look towards Antony which made the latter look even more displeased.
"As you know, Devron wants us to figure out what to do with the Evie situation," Antony said, folding his hands on his desk.
"Because you had your people teach her out to beat Devron's plan?" Leonard prodded.
Antony stood up and slammed his hand on his desk.
"She was his wife at the time and how was I bloody well supposed to know what she would do?" Antony yelled.
"Calm down, both of you," Siobhan said, not bothering to hide her eye roll.
"Why are you even here, Siobhan. It's not like you're useful, you little bitc-"
"I'm here because Devron wants me to keep an eye on you," Siobhan said, his words bouncing off her. "And I would hate to give him a bad review."
Antony closed his mouth into a rigid line. Leonard looked amused. Taking a deep breath, Antony sat back down and folded his hands again on his desk.
"I've decided to sent Bill to Elaine."
"Are you stupid?" Leonard scoffed. "What's the sister got to do with this? She's not the one threatening the whole operation!"
Antony bit back an insult. Instead, he put on his half-assed diplomatic smile.
"Evie knows what Bill can do. We'll send him to draw her out. Fear is the way to go. And once we have Evie, we can dispose of Elaine."
"Then just kill Elaine, for fuck's sake!" Leonard yelled, throwing his arms up. "Just get her out of the picture. Her death will be a gut punch to Evie and she'll be weak. Problem solved. Why do we have to go through with this manipulative nonsense? Time and efficiency are the key."
Siobhan nodded.
"I'm sending Bill," Antony said, mentally counting to ten.
"Why? He's fuckin' useless," Leonard said.
"He's not called Mr. Death for nothing," Antony quipped, trying to level his opponent with a glare.
Leonard just huffed and rubbed his belly again. Siobhan spoke up when it was obvious the two men were having a silence match.
"Did Devron approve this?" she asked.
"Devron gave me the authority to deal with this," Antony snapped. "And a spoiled whore and a bag of bones won't change my mind!"
Leonard stood up, stepped to the desk in front of him and pointed a wrinkled finger at Antony.
"I may not be Devron's right-hand man anymore, but twenty years of loyalty has more sway than you think," he said, glaring at the man before him. "You've never held half the power I've had and I doubt you ever will. And this spoiled whore can have you shot between your greedy eyes. Show respect when respect is due, you little twat."
Antony's mouth closed again in a tight, angry line.
"I think that will be all," Antony said, folding his hands on his desk.
Leonard just shook his head and left the room with a huff. Siobhan followed, her bodyguard a step behind her.
Seconds later, he and Siobhan rode the elevator to the bottom floor.
"I don't understand that kid," Leonard muttered. "He's got something coming to him, let me tell you. Maybe we should frame him?"
Siobhan could hear his teeth gnashing.
"Really, Leo," She sighed, leaning against the side of the elevator. "Don't you think you're being a bit melodramatic?"
"No," Leonard snapped.
Siobhan leaned over to see what news her guard had on his phone. Seeing nothing of interest, she turned back to Leonard.
"If you're really so upset about it, you should take to Devron."
"I did. He said to discuss all ideas with the new kid on the block. But that 'honcho' isn't fooling me. And I don't care what anyone says; Bill can't do anything right. 'Mr. Death' my arse."
Siobhan wrapped a lock of black hair around her finger.
"That's not true," she said, moving to adjust a silver bracelet. "I think Bill has gained some true respect from the projects he's helped with."
They were silent for a moment.
"I'm going to do this my way," Leonard suddenly decided.
"What do you mean?" Siobhan raised a sculpted eyebrow.
"I'm going to get to Elaine before that oaf completely fucks up his plan. I'll teach him what efficiency can do."
"Do you already have a plan?" she asked.
"Abduct her and make a spectacle of her death. That'll show that little turd," Leonard said, then pausing to think for a moment. "And if that doesn't work, then machine guns will have to do."
Siobhan just sighed and shook her head at the drama of the old man.
Blissfully ignorant of the plots of her murder, Elaine started her day with relative normality. Despite the sky being a little too gray and the London drizzle weighing down her curls, she made it to work on time and seeing as how this was the first day with her memory being out of commission, she considered it her first day on the job.
Stepping into the shop, Elaine took off her coat and tried to keep the frizziness of her hair at bay.
"I see you made it in just fine, Miss Elaine," Mr. Brown said, walking around the counter and taking her coat from her.
"Um, yes," Elaine said, still not used to the unknown in which her amnesia had thrown her. "It was a little rainy, but I've always loved the rain."
At least she remembered most of her life.
Mr. Brown agreed.
Once her coat was put away, Mr. Brown suggested walking through the layout and organization of the atelier since she had forgotten her time working there.
"Our little shop is held to high standards, so naturally there are many rules you must abide by," Mr. Brown said as they walked.
"Of course," Elaine nodded, clasping her hands in front of her and taking everything in. The shop was small but very classy.
"Savile Row is the premier outfitter for the modern gentleman and this specific shop is frequented by many powerful players; both men and women. You are not expected to dote or wait on any customer. Space is key."
"Right," Elaine nodded again.
"Good," Mr. Brown nodded back. He turned to a room to the far left of the shop. Opening the door, he waited as Elaine walked in. "This is the accessories room."
Her gaze was caught on all the odds and ends a gentleman would need; watches, cigarette lighters, oxford shoes, and sleek black umbrellas. She reached for one of the watches when Mr. Brown stopped her.
"I think it is prudent that you focus more on the tailoring than the accessories," he said, taking a step closer to her and looking wearily at the watch she was reaching for.
"Yes, of course," Elaine said, dropping her hand from the elegant men's watch, completely unaware of the poison darts it held.
"I know it seems a bit odd," Mr. Brown said, his shoulders relaxing now that Elaine wasn't reaching for any of the gadgets. "But this is one of Savile Row's most important policies. The designers and tailors stay in the atelier and the stylists stay with the accessories."
"I understand," Elaine nodded again. Not that she actually did, but this was Savile Row; they could have as many strange policies as they liked.
Mr. Brown seemed pleased with her understanding.
"Now, let's go back to the suits," he said, leading the way to the other side of the shop.
As the orientation went on, Elaine couldn't stop the suspicion that this wasn't a normal tailor shop. Her suspicions were peaked when she noticed a golden insignia on a door; a horizontal 'K' inside a circle. When she asked Mr. Brown about it, he just gave her an answer she didn't quite believe. Elaine could have sworn she'd seen it before. She let the matter drop, but her suspicions kept rising at every turn.
Mr. Brown kept telling her what things she couldn't poke her nose into, almost as if ordinary objects were bombs in disguise, not to mention the fact that a lot of suited men entered the shop, but didn't appear to leave. It was like they were disappearing into a hidden layer or something. The possibility of the tailor shop being a front for a gang crossed her mind, but she immediately shook it away. But again, the day just got weirder when Mr. Brown showed her one of the suits.
"Why do we use a flat-fell stitch for the hems? That's a pretty strong stitch for just taking up a hem. A herringbone stitch would give more flexibility and space to the seams," Elaine said, inspecting the jacket closer in her hands, pulling at the hems. "And this interior lining kind of feels like kevlar. Isn't that used in like, I don't know, military clothing, or something?"
Mr. Brown seemed to hesitate for a moment. Elaine put down the jacket and looked to him for an answer.
"We cater to our client," Mr. Brown said after a moment of hesitation. "While some choices are odd, we design the piece the client pays for."
"Bulletproof suits?" Elaine asked, raising her eyebrow at the kevlar-lined pinstripe suit in her hands.
Before Mr. Brown had the chance to explain to Elaine, the bell at the entrance ringed. Elaine knew they would just disappear in the back of the shop, though.
"Better go see the clients," Mr. Brown said.
Elaine knew it was only an evasion, but she knew better than to argue with him.
Stepping into the main room of the shop behind Mr. Brown, Elaine saw two faces she'd seen before.
"Elaine," Gary said.
The other man was talking to Mr. Brown by the counter when Gary pulled Elaine to the side of the room.
"How's it going?" he said.
Elaine paused, thinking of all the details of the day that made her doubt everything. But with Gary standing beside her, his hand on her arm, eyes searching hers to make sure she was alright made all the doubt and suspicion fall away. Elaine was safe with him.
"It's been a lot, but I can see why I loved it here," Elaine said, inching towards him.
"Really?" Gary said his smile widening. "Everything is alright?"
Elaine smiled to match his own.
"Yes. Really, really," she said.
For a moment, it looked like Gary was about to embrace her; as he stepped closer and leaned towards her, Elaine was sure her heart stopped. The urge to kiss him washed over her like a wave.
Gary stepped back and cleared his throat.
"Good, that's… that's good," he said in a business-like tone.
Elaine hesitated as well, unsure of what went wrong.
"Um, thanks. I better go back to work," Elaine said, gesturing to the other room.
"Of course," Gary nodded.
Elaine turned to walk back to the room she entered from to catch the curious glances of Mr. Brown and the other man Gary had come with. Pausing for a moment and looking back at Gary, she saw he was no longer paying attention to her, so Elaine quickly entered the other room and escaped the stares.
"Well, that was a mess," Eggsy said, shaking his head at himself.
He and Bedivere were in the tube en route to HQ and Eggsy was internally kicking himself for his encounter with Elaine.
"What do you mean?" Todd asked.
"I don't know," Eggsy mumbled, thinking about how pretty Elaine looked. "This whole thing is a mess. I don't think I know how to distance myself from her."
He thought back to the moment between them, how he almost leaned in to kiss her, to wrap his arms around her.
Todd was silent for a moment.
"If you think it's the best thing you can do for her, you'll figure out a way to distance yourself."
Eggsy nodded, not that Todd's advise made him feel any better.
"Mr. Brown mentioned that Elaine is getting suspicious about the shop," Todd said, changing the subject.
"Already?" Eggsy said, his mind rolling over all the things that could go wrong with this plan. "I should have known she would call our bluff."
"Not quite. Mr. Brown said it wasn't anything too drastic; just skeptical looks and questions about certain policies."
Eggsy nodded.
"And you're not botching this up," Todd said after what looked like a moment of deliberation. "Would it help if I said you're in your head too much?"
"Maybe," Eggsy shrugged knowing Todd was right.
When Eggsy sat down in the conference room in HQ, he was sure he wouldn't be able to make it through without throwing a glass of water or pulling his hair out. Roxy glared at him five different times in the hour to try and make him stop tapping his foot. The other three times he was glared at was by Merlin for not paying attention. The discussion ranged from new recruitment to updated tech to a couple of French Curators staying in London for a couple of days.
Attempting to listen to the news without worrying about his own mission, his foot tapping and restlessness only got worse once the last subject came up.
"What are we going to do about her living arrangements?" Roxy asked. "If she's not in a safe house, she needs to be in a place that is more secure than where she's living now."
"What about the security team?" Kay suggested.
"Good, but not good enough," Bedivere said.
"I would imagine the best course of action is to keep her where she is," Percival said.
"Is that safe enough, though?" Merlin challenged.
"Evie's made her life even more endangered. We have to think about the possibility of Evie interfering with her safety, as well," Roxy brought up.
Eggsy looked over at Bedivere and saw his eyes darken at the sound of Evie's name. At least, Eggsy thought, he wasn't the only one suffering from a heavy heart.
"Callisto has known about Elaine's location for who knows how long. Maybe even as long as Evie was in the group," Eggsy said, leaning back in his hair and scowling out the window.
"That's why," Merlin said, "the best course will be posting a security detail back where they were until she is moved to a safer location. I want her moved into Kensington within the week. Galahad, you will be her handler."
Eggsy frowned but didn't say anything.
Merlin moved on to another mission at hand, primarily involving Kay and Gawain. Eggsy just put his worries to the back of his mind and tried to keep up with the details of missions he didn't care about.
After another tedious hour, Eggsy's fellow agents filtered out of the conference room and left only himself and Gawain.
"It looks like you have a heavy heart," Gawain said, walking around the table to sit by Eggsy.
"Yeah, I guess. Just wondering if I'm the best man for the job," Eggsy said.
Gawain nodded.
"What makes you think any different?"
"Because of how badly I messed up the last time I was supposed to protect her."
Gawain sighed, leaning back in his chair. Saying nothing, Eggsy spoke up again.
"I'm just… just worried about how bad the nuclear fallout will be once she remembers
everything."
"She's not a bomb, Galahad."
"Might as well be," Eggsy said. "We're uprooting her life; lying about everything she was before. We're making her think things that aren't true. Gawain, we're not just messing with her life, we're messing with her reality. How pissed would you be if you woke up tomorrow and learned that you've been manipulated into a life that isn't actually yours?"
Gawain looked away, tapping his fingers on the table in front of him.
"Pretty damn pissed."
Eggsy nodded and let the silence hang between them.
"What will you do?" Gawain asked.
Eggsy looked up towards the ceiling as if he would find answers or validation up there.
"Go along with the plan. It's the best course of action for her survival, so I'll do it. But when she's out of the woods with Callisto and her sister, I'll tell her everything."
Gawain stood up.
"I wish you the best of luck, Eggsy,"
Eggsy nodded.
True to his word, Eggsy followed the current plan. He showed up at the apartments in Greensboro and 8 o'clock sharp and scanned the street. Climbing the steps to the apartment across the street from Elaine's, the weight of the world seemed to settle on his shoulders. He didn't like this vulnerable feeling; the danger of having the other half of his heart out in the world and under fire. At times he wanted to be mad at Elaine. It was reckless of her to be waving the other half of his heart around so carelessly, but then again she had no memory of ever stealing his heart; it was sitting in her back pocket, forgotten, and there was no way Eggsy could steal it back.
Shaking his head before walking into the apartment-turned-surveillance-setup in which the security team sat, he took a deep breath; something he found himself doing often when Elaine was on his mind.
When he did eventually walk in, he only got a nod in acknowledgment.
"Nothing has happened," the agent on the tablet said, only looking up sparingly. "Stephanie called her about the move."
"How did she react?" Eggsy asked.
The agent put his foot against the chair next to him. Eggsy couldn't remember if his name was Jake or Jack.
"Surprised, but we went into her apartment before she got home from work and packed some things in boxes to stage a move in progress. She didn't question it when Stephanie told her, only asked for the new address and dates she needed to be out of this apartment and into the new one."
Eggsy nodded. A sick feeling settled in his stomach.
"Where is the other agent? Reynolds, right?" Eggsy asked, looking around the bleak, bare apartment.
The agent in front of Eggsy nodded.
"Michael had business at HQ, so it's just me."
Eggsy looked over the setup; a couple of chairs at a table with a computer, two guns, and a deck of cards. This was all that was protecting Elaine. That, and himself.
"I'll go over there," he said. "Keep me posted, though."
Jake or Jack or whatever his name was agreed.
Elaine was aimlessly walking around her apartment, staring at the boxes she had no memory of packing. The apartment was familiar. Well, perhaps familiar wasn't the right word, but she felt the shadow of memories cast over these walls. She could catch the outline of a memory, like washing dishes, or painting the picture on the wall by the sofa. The blue splotch on the wood floor by the sink was because of that painting. She also felt the absence of a little creature; a cat? Elaine knew herself well enough to know she loved cats, and she only hoped that wherever her forgotten pet was, they were safe. She remembered so many little, insignificant details; but the move wasn't one of them.
Her new landlord had called to tell her move-in date had changed due to her accident, and at least she could trust that she knew about the move previously; after all, she had packed these boxes now cluttering her apartment.
Elaine had just started packing up her dishes when a knock came at her door. Leaving the plate in her hands at the counter, Elaine walked to the door and peeked through the narrow window. She barely managed to see the wrist of a suit and a hand on a black umbrella.
"Gary?" Elaine greeted as she opened the door. The nervous look on his face made her smile.
"Hey," he said, his hand on the back of his neck.
Elaine opened the door wider. Feeling unsure of what to say, Elaine floundered for something to say when he spoke first.
"I heard you're moving," he said.
If Elaine weren't as conflicted, she would laugh at his unsure expression.
"I guess I am?" Elaine answered, leaning against the door and studying the man in front of her.
"Right, well," Eggsy started again. "I was just wondering if you needed any help."
Elaine paused. Her heart fluttered in her chest whenever she saw him and she didn't want to make a fool of herself, but she figured if Eggsy went out of his way to help her move and looked so nervous about it, his heart must be fluttering, too.
Nodding, Elaine held the door open.
"Actually, I do," she said, stepping out of the way to let him in.
Eggsy stepped in and stopped when he saw all the boxes.
"You're making good progress without my help." Eggsy turned one of the boxes around.
"Yeah," Elaine said, sitting on the arm of her couch. "Must have done all this before the accident. But what's weird is that I didn't label any of the boxes, which doesn't sound like me."
Eggsy searched her eyes for any skepticism or suspicion, but he found only confusion. Leaving the box, Eggsy stepped over another one to sit by Elaine.
"How can I help?" Eggsy said.
Elaine smiled. Despite all of the uncertainty drowning her, she was sure that she wanted him here.
"Dishes."
"Dishes," Eggsy nodded.
After packing a good portion of dishes and pans; Elaine wrapping them in newspaper and Eggsy packing them in boxes, they took a break. Elaine sat on the counter as Eggsy ate a handful of popcorn.
"Tell me what's actually wrong, though," Eggsy said, finishing his popcorn and passing the bowl to Elaine.
"Just… everything, I guess?" Elaine shrugged, taking the bowl and eating her own handful only to hand it back to him.
Eggsy took the bowl but didn't eat out of it. Instead, he just set it aside and stared at her. Elaine raised an eyebrow. She waited another moment for him to break the stare. But he didn't.
"Stop that," Elaine said.
"Stop what?" Eggsy said, playing dumb.
"That," Elaine said, motioning to his eyes that seemed to x-ray through her. And obviously, she couldn't tell him how he was making her heart race for no apparent reason.
Eggsy just squinted his eyes and said nothing.
Elaine didn't want to laugh, but she was ashamed to say he made the corners of her lips twitch up.
"I'm just… I don't know… confused," Elaine said, picking up a dish by her hands and absentmindedly wrapped it in paper.
"About?" Eggsy asked, his x-ray eyes no longer scanning her.
Elaine shrugged.
"Hey," Eggsy bumped her foot with his own. "You can talk to me."
Elaine nodded, looking down at the dish she was wrapping. The thought seemed silly in her brain, all these doubts.
"It just seems like this is the first time hearing about my move. Which, I know, sounds stupid since I got all the memories knocked out of me."
He turned the popcorn bowl around in his hands.
"Doesn't sound stupid," Eggsy said, looking away.
Elaine scoffed.
"It does to me," she said, putting down the wrapped dish and reaching for another one. Eggsy stood up and took the dish out of her hands. Still sitting on the counter, Elaine wrapped her arms around herself and pulled at the sides of her sweater. "It just seems like something isn't right. Like this move and the unlabeled boxes, and… everything. Sometimes even Savile Row seems weird; like I'm not supposed to be there. I mean, I guess nothing is right," she paused. "All I know for sure was that car crash, laying on the road. It was snowing that night. Just for a moment, I think."
Eggsy watched her confusion morph into sadness, verging on fear. A cold, distant look settled into her eyes and he saw her start to shut down. Deciding staying in her apartment that she never intended to move out of was a bad idea, Eggsy put his hands on the counter at either side of her.
"We are going out," he said. Grabbing her waist, he pulled her off the counter and onto her feet.
She was caught off guard and Eggsy worried for a moment he'd overstepped his boundaries, but the distant look in Elaine's eyes turned to ease. But the lightness in her eyes dimmed for a moment as she looked around the disarray around her.
"Leave now? I still have so much to pack and the apartment is basically a disaster," she protested, motioning to all the dishes stacked at her counter and the pile of clothes in her living room.
"Nope," Eggsy said, gently pushing Elaine out of the kitchen. "Sorry, love, but you need a break."
Sighing, Elaine let him win.
"Fine. Where are we going?" Elaine asked, slipping on her boots and pulling on her jacket.
"How about an art museum?" Eggsy said.
Eggsy put on his overcoat and opened the door for her.
"Really?" Elaine smiled. "I would love that!"
Secretly, Elaine thought about how men took women to art museums to impress them. Eggsy was thinking about how art museums would be a good place to hide from bullets.
Walking to the museum, Elaine watched Eggsy.
"Were you helping me move before the accident?" Elaine asked.
Eggsy hesitated.
"Yes," he said, only for the lack of knowing how to lie to her. Distancing himself, he'd begun to realize, was not something he was good at.
Elaine bumped his shoulder.
"Thanks for helping me before. And thanks for helping me now," Elaine said. "You must be a very good friend to have helped me out. Both then and now."
Eggsy got the hint that Elaine was trying to figure out exactly where they stood. But he was resolute. Barely acquaintances.
"It's what a gentleman does," Eggsy shrugged, his eyes remaining forward. In his peripheral vision, he saw Elaine look at him curiously. "And here we are."
They came to the art museum and Eggsy was grateful that Elaine's inquisitive eyes were no longer focused on him.
Eggsy looked back again at Elaine. She was being led around the exhibit by one of the French curators. He seemed okay; always leaving a foot or two between himself and Elaine, smiled nicely when Elaine asked him questions. Eggsy had never seen him before so he was reluctant to leave him alone with Elaine, but talking to Lukas was the priority at the moment.
"Lukas," Eggsy greeted, walking up to him as he admired a painting. "That's one of you're guys, right?"
Eggsy motioned towards the man guiding Elaine around the exhibit.
"Oui, Jonas is one of mine. She'll be fine with him," Lukas assured quietly, studying Eggsy. "I heard what happened to her. To Elaine."
Eggsy said nothing, just turned away from Elaine's direction and looked at the piece Lukas was admiring. He didn't really see the appeal of modern art, but Elaine liked it, so it was a nice place to escape to.
"She's on the mend," Eggsy said.
"What happens once she's mended?" Lukas asked, carefully approaching his words. "You cannot string her along like this. Not again."
"You don't think I know that?" Eggsy hissed. "I'm just trying to keep her alive through this."
Lukas said nothing, only turned to watch Elaine and Jonas.
"She'll be safe with me if you ever have the need," Lukas said.
Eggsy's shoulders dropped the tension he didn't know he was carrying.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "Hopefully I'm just being paranoid. And the other Kingsmen are doing everything they can, but…"
"But, in this line of work, precautions are an unfortunate necessity," Lukas nodded, his gray eyes morose.
"Thank you, Lukas."
The Frenchman nodded.
The two men staring at a painting neither of them understood didn't know the terrors that would soon befall them. The unfortunate precaution was a safety net Eggsy would be thankful for in the days to come.
When Eggsy dropped Elaine off at her apartment, he stood at the bottom of the steps leading to her door. She had turned around and held his gaze. Time stopped for him. She had waited for him to speak, to follow her up the steps, to stay and return to the way they were even though she had no memory of how they were before.
Clearing his throat, he said goodnight and turned away, unable to miss the disappointment in Elaine's eyes.
Instead of going back to his place in Kensington, Eggsy instead walked across the street to the apartment facing hers. Knowing he had no sleepwear, nor a toothbrush, he fully intended on staking his place and watching over her throughout the night.
Unaware that Eggsy was camped out in the apartment across the street and that it pained him not to follow her up to her own apartment, Elaine walked into her darkened entryway and kicked her shoes off; defeated.
"I don't even know what he wants!" Elaine groaned. She didn't know why, but she was fully expecting four furry paws to come trotting towards her, mewling.
Ignoring the tugging sensation at the back of her brain, Elaine went to her couch, purse in hand and pulled out her phone. Falling into the cushion, she put her feet up on one of the half-packed boxes in front of her.
The phone rang two times before someone picked up.
"You're finally awake!" Maisey said over the line.
A wave of guilt washed over Elaine. Honestly, she had only considered tonight that Maisey had probably heard about the accident and was worried sick.
"Yeah, I'm so sorry, I should have called you the moment I woke up, but I've been in this weird therapy center and…"
"Of course! Don't think I'm mad at you," Maisey said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "I was so worried and when I flew over there you looked so pale… like you were gone…"
Maisey cut off when her voice cracked.
"I'm fine, Mais," Elaine said.
Elaine heard Maisey blow her nose and sniffle through the connection.
"I'll fly over there again," Maisey said, her voice stuffy.
"No, I promise, I'm fine now," Elaine said, pulling her legs below her, the cardboard box now had a dent where her feet were.
"Sure," Maisey said, unconvinced.
From what Elaine knew of her best friend, Maisey was probably looking up tickets as they spoke. Trying to convince her, Elaine spewed some nonsense about how she had gone for a run she didn't actually go on.
"Are you sure you're fine, though?" Maisey asked. "Ellie, that crash was brutal."
Elaine hesitated, picking at the frayed seams of the couch below her. Every time the crash was mentioned, a thick metallic taste filled her mouth.
"I know," Elaine said, recognizing the irony of the situation. "That crash is about the only thing I remember."
"What do you mean?" Maisey said, her voice quieter.
Elaine hesitated again, pulling the frayed seam off the couch with a nervous tug.
"My memory has kinda gone incognito after the crash. I don't remember anything since… I don't know…" Elaine searched her brain, a little scared of how tiring it was to do so. "Since I bought the ticket to London after Evie's botched wedding."
"That was over a year ago," Maisey said, her voice coming through the phone connection quiet and unsure.
Elaine brushed off any insecurity, doubt, or fear that nagged at her mind and instead thought of brighter things.
"That's life, I guess," Elaine shrugged. "And talking about how unfair it is will only make me feel worse, so catch me up on everything so I can return to the land of the living."
Elaine's consolation seemed to cheer Maisey up. Without much more hesitation, Elaine's best friend was talking a mile a minute about embarrassing stories and how her family was and Daniel and every nuanced thing that seemed to pop into Maisey's head.
"I've missed you," Maisey said. "A girl can't survive in this world without her basic bitch to complain to."
Elaine laughed, moving her feet to the cardboard box in front of her again.
"What about Jenny? She's a basic bitch," Elaine said, stuffing her mouth with the popcorn left behind when Gary was over. She shifted, holding her phone between her shoulder and ear as she shook the bowl.
Maisey gagged.
"If our lives were Gilmore Girls, Jenny is Madeline."
"Who am I?" Elaine asked through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Rory, obviously. Except you're running after Chanel and Givenchy, not politics."
"And you're Paris?" Elaine clarified.
"Obviously. So, it makes sense that Jenny is orbiting me like a little fruit fly."
Elaine scoffed.
"You're meaner than usual," she observed.
"Ugh, she's driving me crazy. I knew it was a mistake to ask her to plan my bachelorette party," Maisey choked at the end of her sentence as if she knew she made a mistake.
The handful of popcorn that Elaine brought up to her mouth froze. Dropping it back in the bowl, Elaine tried to remember if she heard Maisey right.
"Bachelorette party?" Elaine asked.
There was a telling pause on the other end of the connection.
"I didn't want to throw everything on you at once," Maisey said.
"You're getting married?" Elaine clarified, her heart sinking and raising at the same time. Of all the wonderful things, Maisey was finally tying the knot with Daniel… and Elaine missed valuable time in the life of her best friend.
"I told you before you got hurt. I flew to London, asked you to be my maid of honor," Maisey sounded deflated. "Daniel proposed to me last August, and I visited you shortly after that. The wedding is this March. It's on the 10th."
"So soon?" Elaine said, her heart falling. She'd missed the dress shopping, the fittings, the planning brunches, the bridesmaid dress drama, bridezilla moments for blackmail. Everything Elaine should have been there for, she was absent. Shaking away the disappointed tears that were threatening to fall, Elaine put on a smile Maisey wouldn't be able to see. "I'm definitely coming back for your wedding, then."
"My bachelorette party is this weekend! Come back for that!" Maisey nearly yelled through the phone. "And I know you'll yell at me for this, but I haven't gotten my dress tailored yet and-"
"Maisey!" Elaine shook her head. She would be speechless, but the need to tell Maisey how stupid she was outweighed her shock. "Your wedding is under a month away! Like, two and a half weeks away! What the hell are you thinking?"
"I know! Everyone has been nagging me about it, but I just had it in my head that you were going to do it and I cried every time I made an appointment with someone who wasn't you."
Elaine sobered, her shock at Maisey's stupidity dissipating.
"Mais," Elaine said, quieter.
"I won't be happy with my dress if anyone but you tailors it," Maisey said. "And besides, the dress doesn't have any beading or lace so it'll be easy-peasy."
Elaine recognized that tone. Maisey was resolute and she was going to get her way or raise hell. Sighing, Elaine gave in.
"I'll be there for the party and the wedding, and I'll tailor your dress. And even though I love that you want me to tailor it for you, it was sheer stupidity to wait for me."
"I knew it would all work out," Maisey said.
Elaine smiled.
"So catch me up on your life. Is that cute brit still in love with you?"
"What?"
"You know, blond guy who always wears suits and carries around an umbrella even on sunny days."
"You mean Gary?"
"Yes? Doesn't he go by some stupid nickname though? Like egghead or something."
Elaine paused, another memory tugging at her.
"Um, yeah. He's still around, but I'm pretty sure he's not in love with me. He said we're acquaintances."
"Acquaintances that run off to Paris together?" Maisey said.
Elaine chewed her lip, Eggsy said they were just friends, but the way her heart stopped when he walked into a room, how he seemed to lean towards her when they talked, Elaine knew he was something more. Somehow, she knew exactly what his lips felt like on hers, how good it felt to have his arms wrapped around her waist, fingers twisted in her hair.
Elaine cleared her throat when certain thoughts were getting too surreal.
"All I know is that he said there's nothing between us," Elaine shrugged, trying to ignore the bubbles of hope in her stomach.
"Maybe. Or maybe he doesn't want to throw everything on you at once?"
Elaine thought about this, but couldn't decide what to do about it. Should she confront him? Lay low and just be friends?
Pushing the matter aside, Elaine and Maisey wrapped up the call after talking about the little odds and ends that popped into their minds.
The next day, after Elaine had worked the full day at the tailor shop, she lingered, hoping to see Gary. Mr. Brown was cleaning in the accessories room, so she decided she could do some picking up as well. Inventory, ordering, labeling, she didn't spend too much time on the menial tasks before she heard Gary walk into the shop.
Mr. Brown stepped out of the accessories room to say a greeting to him but disappeared immediately after.
"Gary," Elaine called, catching him just as he pushed open the front door.
He paused and looked back, his tired eyes warming a little as he looked at her.
"Hey," he said, dropping his hand from the door. "How's the life of a tailor?"
"Fabric purchaser," Elaine corrected, taking a few steps towards him. "It's good. Mr. Brown told me we're going to a convention on Wednesday, which is daunting but exciting."
Gary nodded and smiled.
Deciding to dive right into the question, Elaine took another step towards him. Maisey said he was in love with her, and if he was scared of throwing everything at her, he shouldn't be.
"Do you want to get coffee sometime?" Elaine asked, fully expecting him to glow.
What she wasn't expecting was his warm eyes to turn distant, for him to back away from her.
"My schedule is pretty busy. I don't think I have time."
In an instant, Gary had put up a wall. Businesslike and taciturn, Elaine knew instantly she had made a mistake. Maisey was wrong.
"Of course," Elaine nodded.
Gary opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he just closed it and walked out of the shop.
Defeated, Elaine packed up and left, ignoring her deflating heart.