Notes: Thank you for the reviews!
I'm glad you're enjoying this.
Chapter 4
26 years ago
"Chris!"
Merlin turned on his chair and smiled at the woman. "Guinevere." He said, with an arched brow.
Valentina was absolutely unrepentant, as she crossed the space of his lab to sit on his table. She always did that. Well, she always did exactly what she wanted and Merlin was always powerless to stop her.
He was such an idiot, acting like a teenager with a crush every time Val came around.
"Can I help you with something?" He asked, instead of telling her to get off his table, because that never really worked.
"I want to run an idea by you." She explained. "About shoes."
Merlin felt completely confused by the statement and his eyes automatically fell to her feet, looking at the black pumps she was wearing. "I like yours." He offered carefully.
Val snorted, making him feel like a fool once again. She wasn't cruel, she never purposefully made him feel like an idiot, he did it all on his own.
"No, darling." She laughed. "I'm talking about me getting some interesting features on my shoes. Like a blade, for example."
Merlin shook his head. "Of course." He cleared his throat, once again embarrassed. "You are our first female agent. We'd have to get some special things done for you."
"That would be awfully kind of you." She teased, using the too formal language. "I'm tired of using these big ugly masculine watches." She shook her wrist to him, where said watch was.
It was true that there had been no other women in Kingsman before her, and Valentina had been a good sport about using most of the gadgets made for the other agents, but it did look like she was going to the field with disadvantages.
"I'll make a couple of designs for you and work on those shoes." He promised her.
"Oh Christopher, you spoil me so." She said dramatically, hand on her chest.
"Hardly." He spoke dryly, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I'd just rather you to be safe."
Her hand went to the collar of his shirt, which she pulled gently. "I'd rather that too." She bit her lower lip. "You know what else I'd rather?"
Merlin arched a brow. "Valentina…"
"Uh… My name." She teased softly. "Am I in trouble?"
Merlin chuckled. "You'd love that, wouldn't you?"
"Being in trouble with you?" She arched a brow, a smirk on her lips. "Oh yes, I would. Wanna make it a date?"
"Oh Lord, you're not gonna fuck here, are you?"
Merlin groaned. "Can I help, Galahad?"
Harry smirked at the other man, all charm and over confidence. "I thought this was a working place."
Valentina huffed and got up. "I'll talk to you later, Merlin." She informed him. She passed by Harry, completely ignoring the other man.
"That woman…" Harry pointed at the door she had just left through. "Is way too much for you. Only the Lord knows why she wants you anyway."
"Shut up, Galahad."
Present day
"So… Valentina."
Merlin sighed. "Do you all feel the need to talk about her with me?"
Percival shrugged and came closer. "You two were awfully cozy when she was an agent." He indicated.
"Yes, then she betrayed us and left." Merlin pointed out. "We aren't about to get cozy again."
Percival didn't look like he believed in that, but he chose not to comment. "I'm just saying, we remember how you were after…"
"Percival." Merlin cut the other man. "Are you trying to make me feel bad? Stupid? Perhaps nostalgic?"
At his tone Percival arched a brow. Merlin was hardly ever that expressive with what he felt or thought. Valentina's return must have really shaken him.
"I'm not trying to make you feel anything, Merlin." Percival assured him. "However, I was the one there that night. After everybody else left, I was the one that stayed behind."
Yes, he had and Merlin would never not feel humiliated by that. He couldn't forgive himself for how heartbroken he had been over Valentina's betrayal. Through the years Harry sometimes would say they were young and everything seems worse then, but it wasn't an excuse. Merlin had acted like a scorned lover, a betrayed spouse, when the truth was that nothing ever happened.
He knew that most of them didn't believe in that, even Chester –Arthur at the time –doubted him when he said it.
He had wanted -God, had he wanted – he'd been completely infatuated by her, her smiles and her words. Valentina had got them all in her web, all of them wrapped around her finger.
So yes, once she left he felt like the biggest idiot in the world, got way too drunk and punched a wall. Unfortunately, Percival had seen it.
"It was a long time ago." Merlin finally said. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"No, you aren't." Percival conceded. "But Valentina betrayed us all when she was a 'kid'. Imagine what kind of damage she can cause now that she's a grown woman and a veteran MI-6 agent."
"I'm not in any danger of forgetting this, Percival." Merlin finally snapped, tired and sick of all of them treating him like he was a 15 year-old girl with a bad crush.
"Just make sure you don't." Percival nodded at him and turned to leave. That was when he saw Valentina there, standing by the door.
"Should I pretend I didn't hear that?" She asked, arching a brow.
"What do you want?" Percival demanded, crossing his arms.
"Arthur wants one of you to give me a tour of the mansion." She informed Percival, completely unaffected by his manners. "I suggested you, because you're unlikely to fall prey to my wicked ways."
Percival arched a brow. "Really?"
"You never liked me all that much." She shrugged.
"Apparently I had good reason not to." Percival spoke dryly.
Valentina's smile was beatific. "Shall we go?" Her eyes turned to Merlin. "Unless you want to take me?"
Merlin pressed his lips together, but Percival prevented him from speaking. "You'll have to be satisfied with me."
Valentina nodded. "Let's go then."
Merlin only felt like he could breathe again when the door closed behind them. This was going to be a nightmare.
XxX
"I'm pleased to see you've grown so much since the last time I was here." Valentina commented, as they looked at the hangar.
"Despite your best efforts to put us down, you mean?" Percival said dryly.
Simon and Melissa traded looks behind their backs, but didn't comment. It was pretty obvious to them that this man resented Valentina and he was making no effort to hide it.
Valentina, on her part, seemed pretty much impervious to his constant jabs. She'd been expecting this, of course.
Simon and Melissa had protested –a lot –when they were given this mission. Not because they couldn't do it - they could and they would –but Valentina didn't deserve this.
The MI-6 was testing her. They knew how she'd be received, how she'd be treated, and they still insisted it had to be her.
The heads of the agency hated the Kingsman, mostly because they got the job done, and made all the other agencies look like idiots.
Simon understood the problems with the "tailor", though. Yes, they did what had to be done, but they also answered to no one but themselves. They respected no borders, no jurisdiction and followed their own sets of rules.
What was there to stop them for becoming the next big threat?
Simon believed in the mission they were in now and he believed this was the right choice, even if the Kingsmen were feeling all betrayed and wronged. However, he didn't agree –for a second –with what their own agency was making Valentina do, especially bringing her daughter along.
Melissa agreed with him on that. Not that she said so. God knew that woman hardly ever opened her mouth, but he knew she agreed anyway.
"Are we to receive cute knight names?" Simon said, attracting Percival's attention to him. "I always wanted to be a knight in shining armor."
Melissa snorted. "More like useless sidekick." She murmured.
"You aren't Kingsman." Percival informed them, matter of fact. "You can keep using whatever name you use."
"Bond. It's always Bond." Simon replied cheekily.
"Melissa, is your last alias burned?" Valentina asked the woman.
"No."
Percival was looking at Melissa, like he expected some extra information. Poor fool, he'd wait the rest of his life.
"So it's Bond and Bourne." Valentina informed Percival.
"You're joking." He said flatly.
"I'd love to be." Valentina admitted. "But I gave up on them a long time ago."
Percival took a long breath, like he was trying to believe in all of this. "Let's just keep going." He finally said.
XxX
"How are the new recruits doing?" Harry asked, stepping behind Merlin's chair.
"They don't have anything to do, so they're talking." Merlin pointed to the screen.
Harry observed Manuela and Richard, who were laying on one of the cots. She had her back against the headboard, and he was sitting between her legs, his back against her chest, a book on his hands.
Harry arched a brow. "Are they fucking?"
"Not from what I can see." Merlin shrugged. "I think they're just very good friends."
"What are they talking about?" Harry wanted to know.
"Well, unless this is the most bizarre coded conversation I've ever heard in my life, they just spent one hour discussing who should Jon Snow end with."
"Who?" Harry asked, beyond confused.
Merlin pointed to a second screen where a Wikipedia page was open. "It's a book and a TV series. Not sure the difference between them." And from his tone it was obvious he didn't care. "They have different opinions and have debated at length."
Harry looked back to the screen incredulous. "These are the recruits they sent us?"
"Apparently." Merlin commented dryly.
"I want to hear them." Harry decided.
Merlin pressed a button.
"You're ridiculous, Ella." Richard was speaking. "I'm right and you know it."
"Ridiculous is this theory of yours! They're siblings!"
"Cousins." He informed easily.
Manuela huffed and fell against the headboard. "We'll wait and see them."
"We shall." He teased, squeezing her knee. His eyes turned to the third bed. "Who do you think is the last recruit?"
"Don't care." Manuela informed. "I just hope he –or she –is hot."
Richard rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Ella?"
"At least we'll have something interesting to look at." She joked, her hands going to his shoulder. "Now get out from between my legs, would you?"
Richard snorted. "I'm pretty sure this is the first time you say something like that." He got out of the bed.
"You'd be surprised." Manuela replied cheekily.
Richard was laughing as he walked to the toilets, and Merlin pressed the button to mute the video again.
"Have you figured out who's her father?" Harry asked.
"No." Merlin sighed. "No information at all."
"I'll ask Valentina." Harry decided.
"Why? She's probably going to lie anyway." Merlin grumbled.
Harry shrugged. "It's part of it. I want to see her, face to face, and see what she has to say for herself."
Merlin pressed his lips tighter. "I think you're making a mistake." He said seriously.
"We don't have a choice, Merlin. I might as well see how cocksure she feels once I put her on the spot."
Merlin just nodded, but he knew that it'd do no good. Valentina always had the upper hand on them.
He just worried that she'd get one over Harry if they talked alone.
Harry owned his life to her and Merlin knew he never forgot that.
Notes: Little by little we're getting more information on Valentina and Merlin, and all that could have happened back then. Please don't judge her too harshly!
Next chapter you'll get a chance to see what is going on in her head.
Manuela and Richard were discussing if Jon is going to end with Sansa or Dany (I wrote this way before this last season started...) Manuela ships Jon with Dany, but Richard is a JonSa fan! lol
Let me know your feelings!
