PLEASE READ.
The events of this story have been changed dramatically. If you're reading from where you think you left off, you WILL BE CONFUSED. Please re-read to understand. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
To say training started the next morning was an understatement. They had all been woken at four in the morning for a panic drill, suited up and went for a twelve-mile run in full gear. Sam, as well as the two Air Force officers and a Navy man, had all shared comments about even Kingsman having a hell week. Breakfast followed shortly afterwards, all of them shuffled outside after receiving proper uniforms to wait for instructions. Wind picked up the ends of her ponytail, everyone in line sniffling from cold.
Not a one of them looked like they had gotten any sleep the night previous, though there was no wonder as to why. Everyone had remained on high alert after the flood, not wanting to fall into deep sleep and miss something. Samantha doubted they would flood the room again, or at least not while they were all expecting it.
Merlin appeared from a door behind the stairwell, not even bothering to glance at them as he approached. Sticking his ever-present clipboard under his arm, Merlin stuffed his hands into his pockets and did a quick survey of them. They looked like hell-good. "As some you will have learned last night, teamwork is paramount here at Kingsman. We're here to enhance your skills, push you to the limit." Nodding off to the side, the man standing next to a pyramid of crates pulled on a string, the black covering dropping to reveal the best thing Samantha had ever seen in her life. "Which is why you're going to pick a puppy."
There were twelve of them, all shaking from the cold and fear of being taken from their mothers. Sam's mind immediately crossed out ones that she knew for a fact wouldn't and couldn't be a disability dog. It'd be her luck and they wouldn't be allowed to keep them, but she could use the help while she was here. "Wherever you go, your dog goes. You will care for it, you will teach it, and by the time it's fully trained, so will you be. Those of you that are still here, that is."
Scanning his eyes over the trainees, he noticed that they were already pulsing from excited energy. That was one thing he would say in their favor; they wouldn't stop until the day ended. "Do you understand?" A few measly nods, and Merlin took out his clipboard once more. "Choose your puppy."
Within ten minutes, they were all back in line, dogs huddling around their legs and feet nervously, her own puppy already asleep next to her. Her sights had initially been set on a bear of a dog, but when it was snatched out of her reach she had to reevaluate. A small Dalmatian puppy had been huddled in the bottom corner of his cage, happily approaching as she held out a hand to him. Collars and leashes were handed out to the now owners and given the promise of name tags.
"If you aren't naming it Pongo, I'm afraid I can't speak to you anymore."
A smile twitched at the corner of Sam's lips, and she felt her puppy lay his head on her foot, warmth radiating off of him. She had had him for less than ten minutes and the dog had already stolen her heart. "Rocky, actually. I'll keep Pongo in mind." Quentin's nose wrinkled in mock disgust. Eyes twitching over to the ground where his dog sat, she let out a snort. "What the hell is that thing?"
Quentin broke his stance, glancing down at his dog before looking at her. "He's an English foxhound, thank you very much. Used by kings as hunting dogs, they have an amazing sense of smell and can kill a man in one bite if done correctly." He tilted his head at the sleeping Dalmatian. "Don't know that the same could be said for him."
Shuffling her boot to wake the pup, they watched as Rocky opened his eyes sleepily, blinking as he rolled onto his back to continue sleeping in the sun. "I think you're right."
Out of the few times she's been woken by being licked, this was one of the least favorable.
Eyes snapping open from confusion, she nearly flung Rocky into the floor, diving and grabbing him as he wiggled around on his back. "Shh," she hissed, clutching the squirming pup to her chest as he tried to lick her cheek. A sigh escaped her chest dejectedly, and she rubbed behind his ears. "Scared the fuck outta me."
Setting the pup down at the end of her bed, she started to lay back down when Rocky pawed at her foot. She cracked one eye to glance at him, barely visible in the darkness. Tail wagging happily, the dog made a small whining noise as the back of his throat, and she started to lay back down when he made it again. "What?" She hissed once more, only to receive more wiggles. A disgruntled groan came from her, but she threw off her covers and swung her legs over the side. "Fine."
Bending down, she took the shaking mass under her arm, trying to move as quickly and quietly through the door as she could. "You're going to get me in trouble." She grumbled, setting him on the floor and walking down the hall barefooted. Unsure of what he wanted, Sam was somewhat convinced that he needed to go outside. Not like it bothered her, she'd just have to train him to be on a schedule. He'd be a bit of a pain when he was older, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Plus, she liked the way his feet clicked against the tile floors, just like—
Freezing mid-walk, Sam looked down at her feet to find that he wasn't trailing behind her anymore. Spinning around, panic struck her when she couldn't find him in the hallway either. Far, far, off in the distance, she could hear the familiar click of his feet against tile, the jingle from his collar a sweet melody. Realizing she'd be screwed if he was caught without her, she dashed down the hallway and lowly called his name.
"Rocky!" She whisper-yelled, creeping down the hallways and glancing around corners, listening intently for any sign of the pup. "Rocky, this isn't funny!"
Her eyes scanned the hallway to her left as she turned right, not looking where she was going. Samantha felt herself ram into something warm, but she hadn't seen a wall. Orienting herself and beginning to mutter a word of apology to the other candidate, a man with blonde hair and glasses muttered a curse and turned towards her. The color drained from her face slowly as she took in the face of the man before her, eyes zeroing in on the puppy in his hands. Fuck! She was going to be kicked out of Kingsman, all because of some stupid restless puppy that wouldn't go to sleep. "I'm so sorry," she eventually stammered out, having backed herself into a figurative wall. "I didn't mean to—"
"Woah, love, it's alright." The man assured, not entirely sure how to react to the girl who was clearly a bit shaken. The hell was she afraid of him for? "Deep breath, I'm not gonna hurt you." There was a bit of a pause as they stared at each other, Sam still frozen in fear.
"Please don't kick me out of Kingsman," she said in one breath, all of the words coming out in a rush.
Shuffling on his feet, Eggsy gave her a strange look. "Why would I—look, I'm not gonna kick you out a Kingsman. You gonna be alright?" After a very hesitant shake of the panicked girl's head, he realized that the puppy was still in his arms. He had just finished his shower and was preparing for bed when he heard something scratching outside of his door. "He yours?"
Realizing how ridiculous she must look to him, Samantha attempted to hide the shake in her hands and calm her breathing. "He-yes. I was trying to take him out, but he ran off before I could-"
"Well, if you're trying to get outside, you're going the wrong way." Handing her the dog, he placed his hand on her elbow gently and turned, leading her along with him. One of the agents had done something similar to this when he had first arrived. Only he'd been looking for a place to get as far as he could from everyone. Sam didn't question him as they walked, still embarrassed that she'd been caught. "What's his name?"
It took her a moment to figure out what he was talking about. "Rocky." She said, muttering a quick word of thanks as he held the door open for her. She was surprised when he followed her outside. Samantha took a moment to recompose herself, aware that even when she was supposed to be sleeping, tests and calculations on her behavior were being taken. The mass of fur wiggled under her arm, and she set him down to scamper off. "He's usually not this troublesome." She said to the man next to her, feeling the chill of the earth beneath her feet as she followed her floppy puppy.
He followed her into the grass, hands shoved into his sweatpant pockets. "He's just little. Takes a bit a time. You've only had him for what, a week?" J.B. had taken a good three weeks to master 'sit.' Out of any of the other knights, he understood the struggle of not being able to train a dog the most.
Samantha nodded, making sure she kept an eye on her dog. "Nearly. Did you have a dog during training?" She'd tried to place what sort of dog it was with him, taking in his features and stature. He looked like the guy who'd own some sort of massive and pretentious dog just because he could.
"J.B." Eggsy responded with a smile, thinking of how the dog would be waiting in his suite when he returned. Every Kingsman available had been informed to spend the night inside of base that night, part of a major debriefing that had been absolute hell to sit through. "Pug, though. Won't get nearly as big as Rocky." Upon hearing his name, Rocky turned from sniffing around a bush to staring at them, tail wagging excitedly.
"A pug? Wouldn't have taken you as the type." She said with a smile, liking the image of a superspy with a little dog much more.
"Me either. Thought he was a bulldog."
Samantha laughed at this, and the noise took Eggsy aback. Of course, there wasn't a ridiculous rule about not laughing during candidacy, but it was the fact that she had laughed. Whenever Merlin chose a candidate, the responsibility of off-base training was shuttled to someone else. Roxy had already volunteered the two of them, meaning he'd had to do secondary research on a candidate. He'd only glanced through it once or twice, but one thing had stood out to him. On her file, it mentioned that PTSD survivors sometimes had trouble processing genuine emotions. Laughter was about as genuine as it got. "Your name's Samantha, right?"
"Samantha Eveline Ackart, at your service." She said with a mock salute, bending down to pick up the pup that had been scratching at her leg. "I'd ask for yours, but I know it's against protocol."
Eggsy raised an eyebrow at her, the smirk on his face growing playfully. "So is ignoring orders, but you're the one out of bed."
She laughed nervously, motioning at him with her left arm before correcting with her right. Muscle memory always got the best of her, despite the fact that her hand had been gone for some time. "About that," Samantha started, but was stopped with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I've never seen you in my life." Eggsy assured with a wink, a relaxed air falling around them. There were a few more words exchanged before they walked back into the headquarters, Eggsy leading the two of them down the halls and towards the candidate barracks. "Just keep a leash on him during the day, alright? I'll try 'n bring him back if he ever comes around again."
Rocky made an attempt at a bark when Eggsy scratched his head, but it came out as more of a squeak. "Thank you." She said, smiling at him as he stood before her. There was something about him that made her feel comfortable, but she hadn't been able to tell if it was simply Kingsman training or the man himself. "For everything, Agent…?"
Sticking out a hand for her, he nodded. "Galahad. At your service."
Samantha stared at his hand for a moment, setting her jaw and knowing that he would see the passion in her eyes as she took her hand in his own and shook it firmly. "Bedivere." The word rolled off her tongue, as if made for her. "Pleasure to meet you."