2:15 AM Goodchild Mansion, France
Walking into the dimly lit drawing room of her quarters, Hera pulled on an old jumper and collapsed onto a low sofa, putting her feet up onto he coffee table. Her area of the mansion comprised of three rooms: her bedroom, ensuite and drawing room. Daniel had given her the freedom to decorate her quarters however she wished and, unlike him, she had stuck to the 18th century French decor that the architecture of the mansion reflected. With gold bordered cream walls and duck egg coloured curtains and cushions, the place looked suited to royalty. Vases were filled with pink peonies and mauve roses, filling the room with a floral scent.
On the sofa, with it's blue, silk cushions and gold tassels, Hera picked up an iPad and hit a few buttons on the screen, the painting of ballerinas on the wall in front of her slid smoothly upwards to reveal the TV. Hera clicked a few more buttons and settled on watching something that did not require her full attention.
Of course, her mind was preoccupied with the events of the evening. Her usual cold and composed demeanour was being tested by her employer and Daniel knew very well how to test Hera. Her bottom lip trembled thinking about it. How could she possibly ask Alex to go back into her line of work? He was torn to pieces by the end of it; a shell of the man he once was. By the end of their career as a duo, Hera would spend evenings tending to a traumatised and exhausted Alex. Unlike her, Alex was too good a person, too kind and innocent for the work he was forced into. Wiping her eyes quickly, Hera glanced up to the chandelier above her as it rocked with the creaking mansion.
"Hey." Hera jumped as Alex spoke from her doorway; she hadn't even heard the door unlock.
"Hi." She replied, spying him in the darkness, dressed in the same clothes he wore at dinner. She had changed into her nightclothes; a pair of cotton shorts and an old t-shirt. The jumper she had put on, she blushed as she thought about it, had once belonged to Alex- a dark blue merino wool. Her hair in a messy bun and a makeup-less face, Hera did not feel as though she were ready for company.
She had no idea that to him she looked quite sweet; eyes puffy from crying, lips pouting and pink. Hera looked just as innocent and unaware as she did at the age of sixteen. Alex walked into the room.
"What you watching?" As he spoke, so nonchalantly, about something so insignificant, Hera raised an eyebrow.
"Game of Thrones." She answered uncertainly, watching him approach.
"Really?" Alex smiled a little; Hera had never seemed the type to watch that show. The girl shrugged.
"Nowadays everything is about superheroes and bad guys, I get enough of that in my day-to-day work." Alex walked past her by shoving her legs off the coffee table with his knees, before settling on the sofa beside her.
"Change it." He instructed. As he caught Hera's eye, the two stared at each other a moment. Hera bit her lip; why was he acting so aloof? Had he given in to Daniel's demands? Alex stared back at her with a cold, hard look, one she recognised as the 2:05 look: Alex was not in the mood to talk about work. So Hera picked up the iPad again and changed the channel. A particularly bad spy movie was on, featuring one of the worlds most handsome actors and some of the worst dialogue Hera and Alex had ever heard.
"Mindless violence?"
"Fine by me." Alex shrugged in agreement and the two settled down to watch the movie, both awkwardly aware of where they put their hands. The scene playing was one the two teenagers knew too well; the villain monologue. Where the hero is captured with a sure-death ultimatum and the antagonist of the movie has to spend a few minutes explaining why it is they're doing what they're doing. Alex noticed a small smile spread over Hera's face; the two had been in this situation enough to write their own script-
"Because I was born in an Angolan prison." Hera dubbed over the villain in the movie, making Alex smile.
"Before escaping to Soviet Russia." He added.
"Where I was forced to eat my own hand to fend off starvation."
"And drink milk from a bowl on the floor…like a cat." Hera and Alex laughed together for the first time in years. After a few moments, Hera shot Alex a knowing smile.
"They all have sob stories." She said with a shake of her head.
"It's a twisted world." Alex added as Hera settled back into the sofa. A few moments of silence passed.
"So what's Daniel's story?" As Alex asked this, Hera rolled her eyes at him.
"Alex." She spoke his name quietly and leant her head back against the sofa, turning her gaze to him. He looked at her innocently, watching the gold light from the chandelier reflected in her eyes.
"What?"
"You really think I'd give anything away?"
"I know I'm stuck here. I know you're smart. You've been in this longer than I have; I know I can't win." Alex admitted. "I'm just asking." The girl took a deep breath as they looked at one another before Hera gave in:
"He's an orphan, British, father was a scientist, mother was a doctor, obsessed with blues music from the 30s, studied History of-"
"Jeez, you guys should get married. You're describing yourself." Alex scoffed
"By that logic you and I should get on like a house on fire." Hera retaliated before listing her and Alex's similarities. "Orphans, British, good looking, father working for the government, mother in medicine, terrible at school, good at espionage-"
"Murderers." With this single word, Alex bought the conversation to a standstill. The two went back to watching the movie in silence. Hera regretted her decision to turn to this channel; a spy movie was only reminiscent of all the things she and Alex used to encounter. After ten minutes of cold silence, the handsome actor suffered a hand injury and Hera suddenly remembered something. Once she had saved Alex from a maniacal doctor who took to breaking bones whenever someone irritated him. Alex, who was caught breaking into his home, had done just that and had to endure the doctor's torture for a brief moment until Hera found him. Remembering this, Hera turned to him.
"How's your…?" She moved the thumb of her left hand in front of Alex's face. The boy stared at her until he realised what she was asking.
"Oh, yeah," he held up his left hand and moved his thumb, "it still…" his thumb jumped into an upright position with a loud CLICK.
"It's been, what, four\five years?"
"Four. How's your shoulder?"
"It opened up again during the chase." Hera rubbed her shoulder gently, feeling the bandage beneath the wool of her jumper. Alex looked impressed for a moment.
"I missed a chase?" He asked as Hera nodded, wincing slightly as she patted her shoulder.
"Tom's Toyota versus a Range Rover and two Harleys." She answered. Upon hearing Tom's name, Alex's face darkened. He cleared his throat and tried, in his most carefree demeanour, to ask a question he was dreading the answer to.
"Did you sleep with Tom?" Hera turned to him slowly.
"Yes." They did not break eye contact.
"Why?"
"Why did you propose to Sabina?"
"Fuck…Hera," Alex closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, tugging at it slightly in exasperation. "I don't know." Hera sat forwards on the sofa and turned to him fully.
"You don't know?" She repeated, "that's the best you can do right now? You decided to marry someone and you don't know why?" Alex sighed
"That's the truth." As he answered, Hera stood with a laugh.
"Why don't you try; because I kissed you and felt so guilty about it and I'm such a fucking idiot that I thought rather than tell my girlfriend the truth, I'll cover it up with a grand romantic gesture?" She suggested
"That's not-"
"Because that is so much easier for you, isn't it?" Hera took a few steps away from the sofa and turned away from him, putting her hands on her hips.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked indignantly.
"It is so much easier for you to go on living a lie," Hera said scathingly, turning back to him. "To shack up with her, have kids with her, buy a house with her, than to even talk to her about how you feel about me."
"YES." Alex stood, making Hera jump as he shouted. "Alright? YES. It is easier to go on living a lie than to go through the pain of telling someone what you did to me." The blonde admitted, "it's easier for me to go to bed next to someone I care about and not be honest with them, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, than it is to tell Sabina how I feel about you!" But Hera was not having any of it:
"WHY?" She shouted.
"BECAUSE YOU BROKE MY HEART."
"What?" Hera's look of frustration turned to one of utter shock.
"I had dreams about us." Alex whispered to the floor, suddenly unable to look Hera in the eye. "About letting everything go. Dealing with the fucking misery MI6 left us in, together. We'd be torn to pieces but hold each other upright, keep each other walking straight." He swallowed hard and looked up at her. "I dreamt about you in my life every night. I loved you to the point where it was unbearable. To the point where I fucking hated myself because I couldn't go where you wanted to go. I couldn't do the things you wanted to do." The two looked at each other for a long time until Hera closed her eyes in frustration.
"I can't keep doing this." She muttered to herself before raising her voice: "I can't keep having the same conversation every time I meet you. I'm going to lose my fucking mind. I can't keep arguing with you. I'm supposed to be working with you for the next three months." Hera walked up to Alex and looked at him as though pleading. "I can't say sorry. Because it would be a lie. I can't say I'm sorry for not leaving MI6 with you. I'm not sorry." Her first love looked down at her, equally hopeless.
"Why did you do it? Why did you betray MI6?"
"You know my mother was killed by Scorpia and my father worked for them," Hera said darkly, lowering her gaze, "I have to know why things played out the way they did; why did they have to die?" A slow, round tear rolled down Hera's cheek. "MI6 said not to go near Scorpia for another two years at least. Daniel wanted them taken out as soon as possible," she shrugged as though that explained the matter. When Alex said nothing, she added: "It seemed a natural," she searched for the right word, "progression in my career." A moment of silence passed. "I had to get my revenge."
"Revenge tears people apart, Hera." Alex said quietly, not wanting to hurt her anymore than her past already did. "I should know." Alex put a hand on Hera's arm and squeezed gently to get her attention.
"You have to let this go." Hera batted his hand away. "You have to start thinking of me as your partner."
"What if I can't?"
"Daniel will Sabina and then he will kill you. He'll make me do it."
"Would you?" Putting a finger beneath her chin, Alex pushed her head up to face him. "Look at me, Hera." Her electric blue eyes flicked up to meet his. "Would you kill me?" Her hard stare softened.
"What the fuck are you asking me?" Of course she couldn't.
"Then let's escape together." Alex said, taking her hand. He was already trying to move, to drag her from the room. But Hera did not budge; her arm stretched out as he attempted to pull her with him.
"I can't, Alex. My plans are not complete." She whispered, Alex turned to face her. "I have to keep going, for my parents."
"We've had this exact same conversation three years ago." He sighed.
"But now you're mind is being made up for you. Unless, of course, you choose death." Taking her face in his hands, Alex moved close to her. Blue eyes locked.
"I'll stay, Hera." Alex actually felt her weight shift as she relaxed with relief. Her father's work would be safe if she had Alex on board. She looked up at him with a smile of faith; she would take care of him. Just as she had all those years ago. Alex shared her small smile.
"This is gonna be hard, huh?" Hera said suddenly.
"What is?"
"Pretending like none of it is there; like none of the past matters. Remembering that you're engaged." Alex's hands left her face.
"Hera-"
"I know. I know emotionally you're not prepared to marry anyone. But I know you love her. And I'm happy for you." Hera became angry that again her eyes were filling with tears; she was getting so fed up with crying. "She was the girl who gave you everything you could ask for. I respect her for that." She paused and smirked before she added: "Even if you are a little whipped." Even Alex smiled. "I just," a far off look, like she was daydreaming, played on the girl's face, "I never thought you'd ever be completely off limits." She watched as, quite clearly, Alex began to blush. "I guess a part of me thought you'd always be there at the end of it all, waiting. Sounds like me, doesn't it? Thinking the whole fucking world revolves around me; of course Alex will be there waiting, Hera, don't worry!" She laughed dryly. "But you're not exactly a saint either." He looked up at her, an eyebrow raised.
"What's the supposed to mean?"
"You could've given me a chance." Hera shook her head at the opportunity missed. "Told me you were going to ask her to marry you. Told me that I would have no more chances to be with you. I would've come running." Alex closed his eyes; this was the last thing he wanted to hear. "And now I don't know what I'm supposed to do at the end of it all. When I've finished and decided I'm ready for a normal life. I look at that picture and it's just…empty." Wiping her eyes on the sleeve of his jumper, Hera bit her lip. "You're so lucky-"
"Don't." She looked up as Alex's voice was suddenly serious. "Don't tell me that. Sabina doesn't understand what it is that keeps me up at night. Why I can't sit still if a door is slightly ajar. Why I can't look her in the eye after a bad dream. My life is empty." The two stood, reflecting on their lives. On how, once upon a time, it had been filled by each other. Now, there was nothing.
"We have each other for now." Hera said firmly. Alex nodded at her.
"We were pretty good together," he smiled.
Ugh, I know, I hate how much talking there is in these past three chapters. Next chapter exciting things will happen. PROMISE.
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