Notes: Well... It's been a while, I guess...

I am so absolutely sorry about the whole thing. I got caught up in a thousand different stories and I didn't make it back...

Anyway. Thank you for the kudos and everyone that still follows this story.

Today we're going to see a lot more about Valentina's past as a Kingsman and where it went all wrong.


Chapter 6

25 years ago…

Valentina had never felt anything more painful in her life. Her lungs were burning, as if someone was pouring boiling water down her wind pipes.

"Valentina!"

Her vision was blurry and her head was spinning. She felt like she was freezing and burning at the same time.

Why am I not dead?

"Valentina!"

She finally managed to focus her vision properly. "Robert? What are you doing here?" She asked him, totally confused.

"We have to go!" Robert said, pulling her, instead of answering.

Valentina got to her feet, still completely confused. What was going on? Why was Robert here?

And why the fuck did she feel like she should be dead?

"What are you…"

Then everything came back to her: the room filling with water, Merlin's voice… The Kingsman!

"Robert, get the fuck out of here!" She demanded, pulling her hand away from his.

"You have to come with me." He told her urgently. "I had to save you and now…"

"Guinevere?"

Fuck. Fuck!

This wasn't happening. This was a nightmare.

Robert made it worse, by pulling a gun on Galahad and Lancelot. "Stop there." He ordered.

Valentina had protested when they announced that Robert was going to be her support on this mission. He was a good agent, but he saw her as a kid that needed protection.

And he'd just blew her cover because of that.

Galahad and Lancelot pointed their weapons at Robert. "Let her go." Galahad demanded.

Valentina hoped that Robert got the idea and followed it.

"She's coming with me." He declared. "That's enough of this."

"Don't you dare!" Lancelot took a step forward, gun pointing at Robert.

Valentina cursed him a thousand times in her head, but she couldn't let him die. She put herself between him and the two Kingsman agent.

"Guinevere?" Galahad called, and his voice nearly broke her resolve.

They'd become friends. She shouldn't have let that happen, but then again, she shouldn't have let herself fall for Merlin the way she had.

Maybe this was good. Maybe she'd screwed this mission up and it was time to let it go. She was in over her head.

She'd failed.

"I guess this cat is out of the bag already." She was proud of her voice, how it came out clear. Her mask was perfectly in place, she was going to make them all hate her.

"Guinevere?" Galahad called once again, his voice unsure and weak by the end.

"Sorry, Harry, but that'd be Agent Valentina Rizzo, with the MI-6." She gave a simple shrug like it didn't matter to her.

"What?" Lancelot demanded, turning his gun to her. "What did you say?"

"Sorry, boys." Her voice was dismissive, even if her insides were twisting. It wasn't supposed to end like this.

But how did she think this would end?

"I'm a MI-6 agent."

"This isn't possible." Harry shook his head, refusing to believe her.

"It's quite possible, love." She gave him a smile. "But I've gotta go now. Send Merlin my goodbyes."

Merlin. Oh shit. Was he seeing this? What did he think?

Then it happened. Maybe he finally understood, maybe he was just panicking, but Harry pointed his gun at her. "I'll shoot you." He told her, but his voice was shaken.

Valentina felt like her heart was about to explode out of her chest. He probably should shoot her, but she didn't believe he could.

"Will you?" She arched a brow, her voice dry. "Be my guest."

She turned her back and started leaving. Harry could shoot her if he wanted. What did it matter now? The mission was destroyed. Robert was a longtime agent; the fault would be hers and nobody else's.

She couldn't go back to the Kingsman and her career on the MI-6 was over.

But Harry didn't shoot her. She knew he wouldn't.

Eventually Robert caught up to her. She just focused on putting on feet in front of the other. Her clothes were soaking wet and it was cold outside; maybe she could pretend this was the reason her hands were shaking.

She'd have to think of an excuse for the tears, though.

XxX

"Oh my god."

"Yes."

"Fucking hell."

"That too."

"She was…"

"Since the beginning."

Roxy and Eggsy traded looks.

Gareth, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine with this whole conversation. "I wasn't even old enough to be a Kingsman at the time, but I remember it all because my father was pissed. Well, they all were, actually."

He took a sip of his drink. "Chester -who was already Arthur back then -never liked her. Misogynist pig." Gareth scoffed. "But most of the others adored her, including my father. She was Harry's best friend, they were as thick as thieves. And then, there was Merlin, of course…"

"Were they…" Roxy started, then stopped, unsure of how to continue.

"As far as we all know, they weren't." Gareth answered the unfinished question. "But it was clearly obvious they wanted to be."

"So Merlin was into her." Eggsy commented, shocked by the idea.

"He was mad over her." Gareth informed them. "They were always together, talking, laughing. She flirted with him like there was no tomorrow."

"But she was faking it." Roxy indicated.

Gareth hummed. "You know, they all seem to think so… But I don't."

"Why?" Eggsy wanted to know.

"Since my father worked for the agency, I spent a lot of time here." Gareth told them. "It's not exactly how it's supposed to be, but, you know me, I do whatever I want."

Eggsy scoffed. "Ain't that the truth?"

"When Val was around I was 18, almost 19, but I was already quite sure I'd eventually become a Kingsman too. So I liked to come around the house and see what was going on." The older agent explained. "One night, I came here just because I had nothing better to do. I was on the gallery that oversees the ballroom, when I heard their voices."

Gareth had a far away look on his face, the glass almost forgotten on his hand. "Val came in with Merlin, they were just talking about normal stuff, she was trying to convince him to take her out of dinner or something… Merlin was laughing. Can you believe that? He used to laugh a lot."

He sighed. "They said their goodbyes and Merlin left, but Val stayed behind, and I stood there watching her. And the look on her face as she watched him going…"

"What?" Roxy pressed.

"It wasn't fake." Gareth spoke, his voice colored by conviction. "Whatever lies she told us, whatever game she was playing… I don't think that whatever she felt for Merlin was part of it. Maybe it was a problem…" He conceded. "But it wasn't pretending. There was something there."

Eggsy didn't look one bit convinced. "Maybe she knew you were there."

"Well, in that case, I applaud her commitment to her lie." Gareth shrugged once again.

"Merlin must've been destroyed." Roxy commented softly.

"He was. Chester wanted to kick him out for a while, said he was compromised." Gareth snorted. "Merlin just dove head first on work. He refused to talk about it and about her."

"You don't seem as offended as everybody else does." Eggsy indicated.

"That's 'cause I'm not. Look, sure, it sucked that she lied to all of us the way she did. Val was a great person, I liked her a lot. Had a crush on her and all. But seriously? We're spies, we lie for a living." He indicated. "They were just pissed she lied better than they all did."

"So you don't mind that she's here?" Roxy asked confused.

"That I do, but not because of her. Because of her bosses. The MI-6 is a viper nest."

"Well, that makes her a viper too." Eggsy indicated.

"True." Gareth conceded. "But it also makes this so much more interesting."

Roxy rolled her eyes. "What do you think we should do?"

"Us? Buy popcorn, enjoy the show. Take bets."

"Bets?" Eggsy repeated incredulous.

"Yes. How long do you think Merlin can resist Valentina?" Gareth said with a smirk.

"He would never!" Roxy protested.

"Is that your bet?"

XxX

They were there training for a week, before Rebecca relaxed a bit around the MI-6 pair. She wasn't sure what they were playing at; it looked like they couldn't care less about the training and the Kingsman in general.

They did all that was asked of them, they were nice to her, they never talked shit… They were strangely well behaved, but not like they wanted to be teacher's pets. They had bizarre conversations, most of which were regarding weird theories about movies and TV shows. (Manuela insisted that there were raptors on a boat, in "Lost World" and Rebecca had no idea what she was talking about)

And still…

There was something weird about them. Perhaps it was how fucking good they were at everything: Richard was a genius, he could do anything: shoot, fight, run, plan… He was like a real life James Bond.

Rebecca wasn't so sure about Manuela. Yes, she was very good too, but sometimes it looked like she wasn't putting on any effort on anything they did; she was just going through the motions.

However, they never ganged up against her, or made her feel like they were just waiting to cut her throat during the night. Manuela was damn chummy to her, like she wanted to be best friends; and it wasn't pretending -or Manuela deserved a fucking Oscar.

Most of the time, Rebecca was just pretty sure they were both completely mad.

"Do I have a bruise on my arse?" Manuela was asking Richard, said arse almost pressed to his face.

"For fuck's sake, Ella." He rolled his eyes and pushed her.

Rebecca watched the scene from her bed, once again trying to understand what the hell went on between those two. Manuela was only wearing panties -honestly, they were lucky she was wearing this much -standing by Richard's bed, while he was sitting on it. And she was trying to get him to check her for bruises.

"Ok, what's the deal between you two?" She asked, before she could stop herself.

"What do you mean?" Manuela asked bemused.

"Are you fucking, is he your queer-friend, are you childhood friends, in love, do you enjoy playing doctor?" Rebecca offered.

"We don't fuck, and he isn't 'queer'." Manuela offered. "He's celibate."

Richard pinched her thigh. "Not nice." He growled at her.

Manuela rolled her eyes. "Ok, sorry." It sounded sincere. "Asexual." She corrected herself.

Rebecca turned her eyes to him, completely in shock. "Really?"

Richard sighed. "Yes, really." He replied a bit stiffly.

"Are you sure?" Rebecca insisted. "Maybe you just…"

"What?" Richard snapped, a bit impatient. "Haven't met the right person? Like maybe you're a lesbian because you haven't met the right man?"

Okay, she deserved that one. "Sorry." She replied sheepishly. "How do you know…"

Richard pointed at Manuela. "She has a radar. Oh, and just to make this clear… I'm not okay with her being naked all the time because I'm asexual. It's because I have no choice. She has no shame."

"No, I don't." Manuel replied happily. "But I'll put something on if it bothers you two."

Manuela went to her bed and pulled a shirt over her head. Rebecca had already started this conversation, she might as well finish it. "And you? I don't think you're asexual."

Manuela snorted. "Nope. I'm pan."

Rebecca sighed. "I'm starting to think I'm not as open-minded as I thought." She concluded.

"Don't worry, love." Manuela seemed way more comfortable with this conversation than Richard had been. "Most people only think that you can be either straight or gay. Some will accept the idea of bi, but barely. Not many people accept or even try to understand everything else. They'll put labels, they'll create 'truths' about it… 'Maybe you're just confused' or 'you're just selfish', and my personal favorite 'that's just your excuse for being a slut'." She shrugged.

Rebecca made a face. "Heard that one a lot?"

"You have no idea." She rolled her eyes, but it was playful. "I'm lucky I have mom. She was really supportive of me finding myself. Not everybody has the same luck." She didn't need to look at Richard, it was obvious she was talking about him.

"Yeah, I know." Rebecca sighed.

Manuela arched a brow. "Problems at home?" She guessed.

"Mom." She admitted. "She understands it, but she can't accept it." She repeated the sentence she heard many times.

Manuela snorted again. "How nice of her."

Rebecca would rather not talk about her mother. It was a sore subject for many reasons.

"And here I thought I had you two figured out." Rebecca said, more to change the subject. She didn't have them figured out, not even close.

"We're a box full of surprises." Manuela winked at her.

"More like full of nightmares." Richard grumbled.

"Don't mind him." Manuela grinned. "We aren't friends for his sunny disposition."

"Good to know."

XxX

Merlin was trying to understand what was the deal with Valentina's daughter. He'd been observing the recruits -as it was his job -and he noticed a lot.

Mostly, he kept his eyes on Rebecca; he was fucking proud of her. Bors was a great agent, and it was obvious his daughter would be just as good: she was smart, talented and learned fast. She was also dedicated and someone they could trust. He was happy to see her thriving on this training, and he hoped she destroyed the other two, even though -technically -they didn't have to choose just one of them. They could, actually, keep them all.

Richard Jones… Merlin had some doubts about him. Especially since he didn't exist. There were no records of a child with that name and age and his prints weren't anywhere. This could be good -it meant no criminal record -but it could also mean that MI-6 was hiding this boy from something. He was good -Merlin could give him that -but maybe he was too good; too good for someone this young that had no records of ever serving.

Now, Manuela… She was something else. There was a part of him whispering that the only problem was that she looked too much like Valentina. And sure, she did. It was a bit strange, to be honest. They had the exact same shade of brown on their eyes and hair, and the same shape of mouth. Manuela's charm was more aggressive than Val's, but when she smiled… She was her mother.

But that wasn't the problem. Merlin wasn't looking at Manuela and searching for Valentina -he wasn't crazy. The thing was, he got the feeling that she didn't want to be there at all. Every task that was given to her, she did -and did well -but he got the feeling that she was holding back. He might not know her well, but he felt like he was watching an A+ student purposely getting Bs and Cs.

He didn't understand why; and since she was Valentina's daughter… He thought it might some kind of ploy. But for what?

He could ask her directly, but he decided to wait a bit more, watch her more.

He could ask Valentina… But that wasn't a conversation he was willing to have.

Which left him… The other two MI-6 agents: Simon and Melissa.

He tapped a few keys on his computer, and found both of them at the gym, alone.

This was a great chance. He was going there now.

XxX

Melissa didn't particularly like working for MI-6. She didn't hate it either. It was just a job.

She thought it would be the same if you asked people that worked in banks, supermarkets, schools… Not everybody loved the job, but it didn't mean they hated it.

Melissa had a very particular set of skills. She couldn't work in a bank, much less a school… She'd rather stay away from jail, so law enforcement was what was left. Army… That didn't work very well for her.

She was good at this whole spy thing, even if she wasn't passionate about it. Simon was. Simon believed in doing what was right, protecting the common folk and all that bullshit.

She just needed a job.

That was how she met Valentina. She was lost in a bar in a location now considered classified. At the time Melissa was working as a mercenary, because it was what paid the bills.

She was sitting on a bar when a bunch of foreigner army kids that thought they were so hot came in and started harassing the locals.

She gave them one warning, because Melissa didn't really believe in second chances. If a person heard the first warning, then it was fair game to kick their asses for being stupid. That was what she did to those six kids.

Valentina just happened to be at the same bar at the same time. She was impressed, she gave Melissa a card and, eventually, a job.

Melissa might not be passionate about MI-A6, but she considered Valentina more than a mentor; she was friend, a sister. She didn't like this bullshit assignment they'd given her, so she'd stick around to guard Valentina's back. She also knew she didn't have to say it: Simon felt the same and they got an understanding between them.

Which meant she didn't like Merlin dearest on principle, and seeing him walking towards her made her want to punch him.

Just a little.

"Agent Murdock." He called as he approached her.

Simon gave them a curious look, but for once in his life, chose to remain silent.

"Yes?"

"I've heard you were the one that trained the new kids." Merlin said.

"Yes."

"Can you take a look at this?" He passed a tablet to her.

Melissa arched an eyebrow, but took the tablet.

"What is this?" Simon asked, curiosity finally getting the best of him.

"This is Manuela during training." Merlin informed them.

Melissa watched as the girl run drills, with a few cuts to her shooting and sparring with Richard. She passed the tablet back to Merlin. "I want to talk to her." She told him, deadly serious.

"Why?" The technician asked, clearly fishing.

"I've trained that girl myself. This is shameful."

"Wow. She's talking." Simon spoke dramatically. "Manuela is in trouble."

"I'll talk to her first, since this training is my responsibility." Merlin told Melissa. "But I'll tell you what she has to say, and send her to you if necessary."

"Do that." Because if she saw Manuela… The little devil would have a lot of explaining to do.

XxX

When her phone rang, Valentina answered mostly because she had to, not so much because she wanted to -but, if she were to be truly honest, it'd been a while that she felt like that in relation to her work.

"Agent Rizzo speaking."

"Valentina." The charming voice on the other side greeted.

Great. It was Timothy. As if she needed this kind of bullshit in her life. "How can I help, sir?"

"How are things over there?" He asked, clearly uninterested in the answer.

"Just fine, sir." She told vaguely. She was sending in reports, and he should be reading them.

"Great, great." He immediately accepted, proving that he couldn't care less. "Something came up. Your contact, Bristol?"

"Yes, sir. What about him?"

"Well, he has information we need, but he refuses to talk to anyone that isn't you." It was also obvious that he hated that. "So you need to meet him as soon as possible."

"Of course, sir."

"I'll send you the details soon." He told her dismissively.

"I'll need backup." She pointed out.

"Oh please, Valentina. Are you losing your touch? You can handle this alone. No need for backup." And he hung up.

So this was how things were going to be now? It was good to know.

Valentina had had luck so far that she wasn't easy to kill, but clearly the agency had grown tired of her. They'd be forcing her to retire very soon.

Or they might just get someone to retire her for them.

XxX

Merlin called Manuela to his office and was waiting for her. He reviewed her actions during training and Agent Murdock had -quite reluctantly -given him more information and stats about the younger woman.

There was knock on his door, and Merlin bid the person to come in. Manuela crossed the door, closed it behind her and stayed right there, like she was waiting to bolt at any minute.

Merlin arched an eyebrow. "Agent Rizzo. Why are you standing there? Come closer."

"With all due respect, sir, no." She told him quite simply.

Her immediate and direct denial gave him pause. "No?" He repeated.

"You were quite infatuated with my mother and I look too much like her." She informed him simply. "I'm not getting closer."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. Sir." The last part was clearly an afterthought.

"This has nothing to do with your mother."

"I heard that one before." She scoffed.

That wasn't what Merlin expected to hear. For her to be this cautious, something must have happened, and the idea that it had didn't please Merlin at all.

He was going to ignore why it didn't, but he was going to focus on work.

"Miss Rizzo, this is about your training." He told her seriously. "I'm not looking at you and thinking about your mother. You two are very different."

She looked at him in silence for a long moment, as if she was deciding whether she could believe him or not. Finally, she sighed. "Fine." She came closer. "What about the training, sir?"

"Why are you holding back?" He asked directly.

She seemed surprised by the question. Perhaps she didn't think he'd noticed it. "Because I don't want to be here." She answered, once again quite simply.

Merlin was starting to realize she was really direct. A thing that Valentina had never been; she was a true charmer, and always knew the best way to say something. "You don't?"

"No. I'm only here because my mother is, and I hope she can leave as soon as I do."

Merlin was intrigued. It made sense, though. If she didn't want to stay, she wouldn't put any real effort into her trials. "Why?"

"Because this isn't good for her. They're punishing her sending her here. They're testing her, but they hope she fails."

"The MI-6?" He guessed.

"Yes, sir. Was that all?" She inquired, clearly ready for this conversation to be over.

"I want to see your full potential, Miss Rizzo." He gave her a firm look. "Don't make me call your mother and Agent Murdock here."

She shuddered and he had to imagine it had more to do with Agent Murdock than her mother.

"Yes, sir." She turned to leave.

"Miss Rizzo." Merlin called before he could stop himself.

"Yes?" She gave him a look over her shoulder.

"Why would they set her up to fail?" He asked, even though he was calling himself an idiot for doing it.

Manuela was clearly surprised by the question, but she turned to him all the same. "They never trusted her again after what happened here. She took the blame for the mission failing, even though it wasn't her fault. And then she…" She stopped.

"Yes?" Merlin pressed.

"She's my mother, sir." She concluded. "My loyalty is to her. That's all I can say."

Merlin nodded and she left, but Manuela's words kept spinning around his head.


Notes: So we finally learned what happened to Valentina, and how she felt about the whole deal.

Also, the raptors theory is about "Jurassic Park: The Lost World". Some people believe that there were raptors on the boat that brought the T-rex to the US (Which would explain better some of the things that happened on said boat). I don't particularly buy it, but Manuela and Richard love to discuss those things.

Anyway, I hope you liked it.

Let me know your feelings.
And remember, you can always find me on tumblr madamebaggio