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I Know

Together Harry and Eggsy composed three different types of emails to be sent to the various members of their Guild and those to whom they were allied with. One was for the people they were close to or who were at the very least good people that both of them were inclined to think well of. The second version of their email was sent to those they trusted about as far as Daisy could throw them. Which was to say not at all. Their letter was a great deal more formal and full of thinly veiled reminders of just what the Keepers had made clear to them all earlier in the day. But no outright threatening, at least for now. Though that had certainly been tempting in some cases.

The last set was for those individuals, mostly from other Guilds, who Eggsy and Harry didn't know well enough to judge their motives or possibly intentions just yet. So for now they sent messages only to those who had contacted them or had been there for the demonstration, that message meant to be reassuring and open the lines of communication for the future.

And speaking of reassuring, they now had armed guards situated around their house. Just in case. He and Eggsy had been just over halfway through editing their messages when they'd gotten the call from Edward, who was calling to them that he'd arranged for the humans currently acting as their bodyguards.

Edward, it seemed, had connections within the military that meant he'd been able to find men within hours who were apparently dangerous enough that they could potentially take on dragons in human form. Naturally if said dragon was stupid enough to take his or her actual form...well it was very hard to miss the presence of a dragon. Particularly in London. The odds of someone being that stupid were incredibly low, though still possible. Desperation could make people do the stupidest things. But odds were they'd come in as human at the very least, and they wouldn't be expecting the elite soldiers who would get in their way. Who would, one assumes, hold that dragon or dragons off long enough to alert Eggsy and Harry to the danger coming their way.

Harry doubted he and Eggsy would be able to sleep as easily as Edward wanted them to, but the gesture was still muchly appreciated and did make the both of them feel somewhat better.

So there was that...and the emails still to be sent which was something they couldn't ask someone else to handle for them. Well they could-there were plenty of people who would probably jump at the chance to help them with this-but at the end of the day this had to come from them in their words.

Not to mention the fact that they were doing this by email, which was impersonal enough already without them waiting until morning to get someone else to do it. Ergo after a lot of second, third and so forth thoughts on their wording and messages they finally gave up and hit send. The messages were now out of their hands and on their way to various email boxes all over London and Europe.

God but Harry hoped that none of the addresses he'd had were out of date.

Anyway it was done, Harry reminded himself sternly, and that was what was important.

Once they were sure that no notifications were going to pop up and tell them that their messages hadn't gone through the two of them had cleaned up and prepared to call it a night.

Eggsy let J.B. out for a bit in the backyard, keeping a wary eye out as he did so despite the two guards hiding in the shadows of their small garden. Harry stood beside his mate the entire time, leaning against Eggsy as they watched the little dog wander around in the night air, giving the guards warning growls in between doing his business.

Harry could all but hear the little pug telling the men that that he'd use them as chew toys if they failed to protect his people. So tough, their little dog.

Thankfully the weather was unusually cool and the presence of the unknown men distracting, both things that made J.B. less inclined to stay outdoors for long. He came trotting back in all on his own and after thanking their guards and locking up behind them-and double checking to make sure that everything was as locked up as it could be-they all headed back upstairs to bed.

J.B. stuck close to their heels the entire way up and to their bedroom.

Their little sentinel, Harry thought fondly.

Intending to say as much Harry looked over at Eggsy, the words catching in his throat as he looked at his mate's profile. At the strain and tension Harry could see written all over Eggsy's face. The way the younger man held himself.

It seemed Eggsy's ability to look on the bright side and maintain a positive outlook was wearing thin.

And what could he say to fix that? Nothing. Not until they had a better sense of what was coming and how successful the Keepers had been in their plotting. He wanted to believe that they'd be left alone...but Harry had lived far too long to be unaware that people routinely did things that harmed them and others. Greed, money, and power were seductive lures.

But Eggsy was his rock and so he must be Eggsy's, Harry reminded himself sternly. So he needed to hurry up and come up with something to distract Eggsy with before those lines etching themselves into his mate's face became permanent.

Thinking about how Eggsy had done his best to distract him earlier had Harry remembering something he'd been thinking about earlier in the evening but had ended up pushing to the back of his mind when the timeline of his and Eggsy's relationship had distracted him. The idea that he and Eggsy were mated, yes, but in the eyes of humans they were simply living together. Partners, perhaps, but they weren't the human equivalent of mated. They weren't married.

Marriage.

Same sex marriage was still new enough in Britain that it wouldn't seem unusual if he and Eggsy didn't get married. Eggsy had never really brought it up despite the fact that his parents had been properly married back in the day. Of course Eggsy's mother was human too, which meant that she and Lee had never really been recognized as mates by the Guild. Michelle really hadn't been recognized at all, come to that. It had legitimized Eggsy's birth, but that was about it in dragon terms.

He had never really had any reason to think about marriage for himself. Why would he?

Well perhaps when he'd been very young and impressionable he might had wondered, Harry mentally amended, supposing that most small children naturally thought about it thanks to Disney and other fairy tales. But once his sexuality and status was known, well marrying to placate the humans in his life wouldn't have occurred to him.

Had Eggsy always imagined that he'd marry someday? Was that something he might want but hadn't mentioned because the younger man had the annoying habit of always putting Harry first. Not asking for what he wanted for fear Harry wouldn't want it or that he might pressure Harry into something.

Did Eggsy want to get married? To him? It wasn't like he'd be wearing a white dress or-

"Wot ya thinkin bout so hard?"

)

Blinking in reaction to Eggsy's concerned question, the words taking a minute or two to really sink in, Harry was tempted to curse himself out for letting his mind wander so completely when he'd meant to be thinking about how to make Eggsy feel better. Instead he'd started obsessing over something that would probably only cause Eggsy's more anxiety and maybe cause a fight which was the last thing they needed seeing as-

'Just shut up and ask him.'

His dragon's voice was just audible over Eggsy's question of if he was okay, his mate's face full of concern.

"Harry?"

"Sorry. My mind wandered and then-nevermind."

"Wot was you thinkin about? You were making some pretty funny faces, Luv."

'Ask him. He wants you to.' Harry dragon side whispered again in his mind. 'Let him know you would bind yourself to him willingly. That you want ALL to know he is yours and you are his.'

'Do you really think so?' Harry asked his non-human half.

'NOW.' Wad his dragon's response.

"Harry?"

Fuck it. The worst Eggsy could say was no. And it was something to talk about that had nothing to do with the people who might be plotting to steal their son or kill them, wasn't it?

"Eggsy, do you know how long it takes to acquire a marriage license?"

Surprise and confusion flashed across Eggsy's face. "Wot?"

He actually already knew the answer to the question, but Harry played dumb as he repeated his question. It seemed as good a way to broach the subject as any. Especially since he was flying by the seat of his pants on this, so to speak.

"Why would ya...?"

"I was thinking...well...about earlier and our talk about how our relationship is viewed. Particularly in the human world. We already know we're planning to get our names, our last names, joined, and, well, I'm thinking that I'd like to be Mr. Harry Unwin Hart when our son is born. And maybe-well it would make sense, wouldn't it, if we were to, well, get married."

The way Eggsy's eyes bugged out as his mate's jaw dropped was not attractive. Or reassuring. But fuck it, he was going for it. In for a penny, in for a bloody, fucking pound.

"We don't have to of course. It was just a thought and really, I get that It's not the time. We wouldn't want to even try to throw together a wedding last minute. We had that with our mating and this time it would be about us, not politics and all that-"

Imaging the problems that would arrive if they even attempted to do a real wedding before their son was born had Harry realizing something else. Which was that if they were to get properly married with a ceremony and everything he was bloody well going to look good in their pictures. Not like he'd recently developed a potbelly or swallowed a beach ball. They we're only going to have one set of wedding photos unless we renewed their vows at some point and everyone knew that wedding photographs were the sort of pictures that haunt a person for life.

Harry shuddered just thinking of some of the pictures he'd seen over the years. Not to mention at weddings and matings he'd intended. Especially in the eighties when-

Eggsy's hesitant next question interrupted Harry's new mental rantings.

"So ya want to get married? Like...a real one?"

Right. No point in obsessing over photographs and whether bridesmaids were still required just yet.

Focus.

"Well if you think it's a good idea, well I thought-we could get a license and arrange for the name change." Harry decided on the spot, warming up to this idea as he hastily thought it through. "That could be done within a month or two, I'd think. Before Lee arrives. And then next year, possibly on our first anniversary, we could have an actual wedding. One your mother and Daisy could attend. No one invited for form, just an intimate gathering of friends and family we WANT to share our wedding with."

"Ya want ta marry me." Eggsy said slowly, like he was struggling to get the words out.

Did he want to marry Eggsy now that the possibility had been raised? Harry only had to think about all that marriage was supposed to symbolize to know the answer to that question.

"I would, yes. If the idea is agreeable to you."

Dear God. What was he going to do if it wasn't agreeable?

"If it's agreeable ta me. Seriously, Harry."

Eggsy laughed, his stunned delight obvious as his face quite simply lit up. As Eggsy PICKED him up and twirled him around like they actually were in a Disney movie.

Not for long of course, they'd had a long day and Harry wasn't exactly small or light, but enough to make Eggsy's point about just how bloody happy and thrilled Harry had made Eggsy with his suggestion.

"Course I want that that. Fuck ya." Eggsy framed Harry's face in his hands and gave his a loud, smacking kiss. "I can't believe ya fuckin proposed to me!"

He'd...

"Dear God. That was the worst proposal in the history of proposals." Harry actually staggered back as the realization of what he'd done hit. Only Eggsy's quickness as his mate grabbed him round the waist kept Harry from ending up on his arse.

That Eggsy was laughing at him did NOT help matters.

"It's not funny! That was like...like Han Solo saying 'I know' instead of 'I love you.' to Princess Leia. Or...or being one of those utter berks who proposes at a sporting event on a big screen so that everyone watching the game somehow is bearing witness to it. And you know probably thousands of those poor women take back their 'yeses' once the eyes of the world aren't on them. And who could blame them? Poor things."

"Harry. Ain't nothin about our relationship's been normal. For us, that was the perfect proposal."

His mate was looking at him like he was the most adorable thing ever. And Harry rather wanted to smack him for it.

"That's all the more reason I should have-I don't even have a ring, for fuck sakes. Though actually, in the safe-but I don't know if any of Father or Andrew's rings would fit..."

"We'll get rings and the license." Eggsy informed him, all amused and indulgent as he tugged Harry a little bit closer. "We'll get the ball started on the license first chance we get. And on our first anniversary we'll have a right proper wedding and we'll do it however ya want. As perfect as can be. But for me...for me as long as it's you I don't care bout the rest. Swear down."

Clearing his very choked up throat, Harry managed to get some words out.

"Now that. That was perfect."

"Thanks." Another beaming smile. "I love you Harry Unwin Hart."

"And I love you, Eggsy Unwin Hart."

And yes, Harry thought as they kissed. Yes, that was all that mattered.

)

Hours later true sleep eluded Harry as he lay in bed, Eggsy spooning him from behind. He was fairly sure that Eggsy was asleep or at least catnapping a little. A state he envied. After they'd celebrated their engagement with a very enjoyable but ultimately exhausting round of lovemaking Harry had dropped off like a stone. Only to find himself wide away a few hours later with his thoughts consumed by thoughts of planning a wedding, being pregnant and all that went with that, AND the events of the day and what it could all mean for their futures.

You'd have thought it would all be exhausting enough to send him back to sleep, but no such luck.

So yes, despite his best efforts Harry was pretty much wide awake still when Eggsy's cellphone went off in the darkness.

A glance at his own beside table revealed that it was just after three in the morning as Eggsy woke, pulled away, and rolling over to his other side shuffled over to the edge of the mattress so that he could turn on his bedside lamp. That accomplished Harry's mate picked up the phone, tapped on the screen, and then after a moment's pause accepted the call, not a trace of sleep in his voice as he asked Roxy what had happened.

Sitting up as well Harry started to move closer, jumping a little when Eggsy's next words were spoken at a yell.

"Are you fucking serious?"

Harry had no idea what to make of Eggsy's shocked expression. Or how it boded for them and their child. Tugging on the hem of Eggsy's T-shirt Harry gave him a questioning look when Eggsy slowly looked over in his direction, face still comically slack.

"Give me a mo, Rox." Pulling the phone away from his ear Eggsy shook his head for a moment like he needed to align his brain cells before looking Harry dead in the eye. "Someone killed im. King. He's dead. His security found im less than an hour ago. Someone ripped his head clean off."

Harry stared at him, his brain unable to process that.

Putting his phone back to his ear Eggsy reached out with his free hand to take Harry's, giving it a squeeze as he spoke into the phone again. "I'm back, Rox. Is Veronica still alive?"

A moment for Roxy to answer, then Eggsy nodded in Harry's direction to confirm that she was.

Veronica was certainly not his favorite person, not by any stretch of the concept, but Harry was glad she wasn't dead. She was a stupid, spiteful witch, one who he'd dearly love to bitch slap into the next century, but he didn't want her dead. Most of the time.

Bloody hell. Who could have done this?

Thinking about it rationally Harry thought he wasn't wrong to think most people would assume Eggsy had done it. He would have the most reason to in the eyes of their Guild. Which was wrong, but most people wouldn't realize that of the two of them Harry was by far the one who would most enjoy decapitating his former mate. For so very, very many reasons.

Neither he nor Eggsy had done it though. They'd been together this entire time and they even had a security detail outside who could swear to the fact that neither of them had left the house since entering it. Though the detail was made up of humans so their words wouldn't carry that much weight in Guild circles. And of course one mate would lie for the sake of another. But they actually hadn't done it. Nor had they paid someone because Eggsy was the only person Harry would have let take the pleasure of killing King away from him had he decided to eliminate the bastards.

So who had done it?