The next morning finds the recruits at attention facing Merlin and… puppies? He addresses the recruits, "As some of you will have learned last night, teamwork is paramount here at Kingsman. We're here to enhance your skills, test you to the limit. Which is why you're gonna pick a puppy." He gestures to the stack of cages behind him. "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 who are still here, that is. Do you understand?" The recruits nod in response, all eager to pick a puppy.

Clara walks up to the cages, filled with excitement. Harry never wanted to get another dog after Mr. Pickles died, so needless to say she was overdue for some puppy love. She carefully looks over all of the puppies, finally settling on an adorable golden retriever. Putting a leash on the little pup, she gets back in line while the other recruits choose their dogs.

Eggsy gets back in line beside her a few minutes later. Clara looks down at the small pug by his feet and crouches down, holding her hand out to the dog and giving him some pets before standing back up. "What's the little guy's name?" Clara asks.

"JB." Eggsy responds, crouching down to give Clara's puppy a few pets. "An who's this?"

"His name's Bowie." Clara says, proudly introducing her pup. Harry's taste in music had definitely rubbed off on her over time, both of them being huge David Bowie fans. She knew he'd definitely get a kick out of it. Eggsy smiles up at her, seeing how genuinely happy she was right now. He was glad to see she was feeling a little better after what had happened last night.

A moment later Roxy joins the two, standing on the other side of Clara, who crouches down to pet the black poodle she had chosen. Eggsy glances at the dog before looking at Roxy with an eyebrow raised, "A poodle?"

Roxy looks at him, "What? They're gun dogs. Oldest working breed. Easy to train." She looks at JB, "A pug?" She returns his snide remark.

Eggsy looks at her in confusion before turning to Clara who only gave him a smile, suppressing her laughter. "It's a bulldog, ain't it?" Roxy gives him a look. "It'll get bigger though, won't it?" He looks at Clara who just shakes her head mouthing a "no". Eggsy looks down at JB thinking he had screwed himself. "Shit."

Once all of the recruits are back in line with their puppies, Merlin walks toward Clara looking slightly troubled. "Clara, could I speak to you in private?"

"Of course, Merlin." They walk a few feet away from the other recruits. Bowie immediately laying down at Clara's feet. Briefly smiling at the action, Clara then looks up at Merlin, noticing the troubled look he still wore on his face. "What is it?"

Merlin sighs, "There's been an accident, Clara. Harry's hurt."

Clara takes a breath, trying to remain calm. "Is he okay?"

"He's unconscious, but once he wakes up he should be fine. You can tell Eggsy what happened, and the two of you can visit him later. But stay focused, okay?"

She gives him a shaky smile and a nod, "Yeah, I can do that."

~8~

Eggsy and Clara make their way down the hallway to the infirmary to see Harry. Upon entering the room, they hear Merlin speaking. "…If and when he comes around, you might want to have a word with him about sharing his password."

Clara scoffs, "Oh, let me have a crack at it. The old man isn't as secretive as he thinks." She looks down at Harry's unconscious form, "How is he?"

Eggsy chimes in, "Is he gonna be alright?"

Merlin tries to calm the concerned pair. "We need to have patience you two. But there's hope, okay? If I were you lot, I'd concentrate on your training. Make it through the tests. Make him proud." Eggsy and Clara nod in response. "Now, your next task starts at 2 o'clock sharp, I'll see you then." With that, he walks out the door. Arthur, who had remained quiet since the recruits walked in, follows him out, placing a comforting hand on Clara's shoulder as he passes.

Once she hears the door shut, Clara lets out a breath and all but collapses into the chair at Harry's bedside, taking his hand in hers. Eggsy stands behind her and places his hands on Clara's shoulders, gently massaging them in an attempt to soothe her.

~8~

A few hours later finds the recruits running down a path with rifles in one hand and their puppies' leashes in the other hand. Clara was next to Roxy, both girls keeping a steady pace as to not tire themselves out too quickly. She reaches a hand up and wipes some sweat off of her forehead before turning and looking behind her to check on Eggsy having heard him shout.

With an exasperated sigh, Eggsy looks down at JB. "Come on! I'm not coming last cause of you." He points his gun at JB, "I'll shoot you! Goddamn you, I'll fucking shoot you!" JB whimpers in response. Seeing this, Clara nudges Roxy with her shoulder, getting the girl's attention then nodding her head in Eggsy's direction. They look just in time to see him scoop up the pug and tuck it in his shirt, both girls laughing at the sight.

Clara decides to irritate him a little more, she shouts over her shoulder, "Come on Eggsy! At least try to keep up!" This earns a giggle from Roxy, which turns in to full blown laughter when Clara receives a disgruntled "fuck off" in response.

~8~

In the middle of the night Clara is suddenly woken up from a deep sleep. The reason being Eggsy's sudden shout, "Water!" Feeling a bit of water hit her face, she immediately scrambled out of bed and turned on her light, only to see a sopping wet Eggsy being laughed at by Charlie and friends. Clara could put two and two together pretty quick. Eggsy stands up and tries to get in Charlie's face, "Come on, then!"

Clara steps in front of him and places both of her hands on his chest, keeping him from attacking a smug Charlie. "Eggsy, forget it!"

But of course, Charlie has to open his mouth again. "Oh, what's wrong mate? You can't take a joke?"

Roxy takes a step towards Eggsy, trying to help Clara calm him down. "Seriously, you'll get thrown out, and it's just not worth it.

"Maybe I don't give a fuck if I get kicked out!" Eggsy snaps back, trying to get past Clara. For a small girl, she was pretty damn strong though.

Charlie continues to egg him on, "Come on, you pleb."

Clara turns towards Charlie and gets in his face, "Charlie, fuck off!"

"Aw." Charlie teases, before turning around and walking away with his posse in tow.

"Yeah, go on, walk away. Dickhead." Eggsy scoffs, before turning back to his bed and picking up JB. "Come on, JB. Come on, good boy."

Clara offers to hold JB while Eggsy changes into dry clothes. When he gets back, he grabs JB and walks back over to his bed. He pauses upon seeing that his bed is still drenched.

Seeing this, Clara calls him over. "Eggsy, come on." She pats the space next to her. He tries to ignore the feeling he gets in his stomach and walks over to her. Clara lifts the sheets so he can slide under the covers and Eggsy settles in next to her. Luckily the bed is big enough for the both of them to fit, just barely that is. Clara snuggles into his side, feeling Bowie readjust himself by her feet as JB does the same at Eggsy's feet. Eggsy wraps an arm around Clara's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. None of this goes unseen by Roxy who's in the bed next to Clara's. She whistles just loudly enough for them to hear, and winks once she has their attention. Clara rolls her eyes, "Roxy, don't make me go over there. You know, unless you want me to." She says with a wink, causing Roxy to blush and making Eggsy laugh.