xii. INTERLUDE

TWELVE.

INTERLUDE

It was getting colder.

The sun made rare appearances, but for the most part the sky churned with gray clouds that boiled over into a fine layer of mist that clung to everything. Snow began to dust their rifles during target practices, and early morning runs were infinitely hazardous because of the slippery ice on the paths. At night, fires lit the rooms and the candidates snuggled under flannel blankets, but in the morning they were forced back out into the frost and icy winds. Merlin was an unstoppable force, only postponing their nighttime missions once Roxy wound up in the hospital wing with hypothermia from the below-zero temperatures.

The months were quickly slipping into winter, and Harry still hadn't woken up.

Bex visited when she could. After weeks of her and Eggsy devising new and increasingly elaborate plans to sneak in to see him, Merlin had given up and granted them visitation rights. Sometimes Eggsy came with her, and they sat by his side together. Those visits weren't so bad. The ones that hurt were the ones where when she sat alone, silent except for the beeping of the heart monitor, wondering if he was ever going to wake up at all.

Instead of worrying, she threw herself into training. Between Merlin's constant exams and combat sessions, she barely had time to breathe, nevertheless think about Harry. She collapsed into bed every night exhausted and covered in new bruises, but it was worth it. She could feel herself drawing closer and closer to the finish line.

Christmas was coming to the complex as well. Rose had strung lights over every available surface, laced the hallways with holly, and stuck bows to all their pistols. There was a little tree next to her computer, decorated with pieces of metal and circuit boards. She had even placed menorahs into every alcove.

"That way no one will feel left out," she had explained brightly, placing a sprig of mistletoe tied with a red ribbon over Bex's cot.

Bex had ripped it down with a glare.

She didn't celebrate Christmas. She hadn't since her dad died. Last Christmas had been mopping up her mother's vomit after she had stumbled home and passed out, the Christmas before she had been in a cell, and before that she had spent the night in the freezing snow after her mother had locked her out. Christmas was childish. And Bex had stopped being a child a long time ago.

Still, for the first time, it was hard not to get in the holiday spirit. The kitchens had started serving hot apple cider and latkes, and Roxy smuggled Christmas cookies out for Bex and Rose almost daily. The normally gloomy hallways glowed with warm light, and space had been cleared out in the bunker for an enormous tree that dripped with frosted tinsel and glass ornaments. Merlin had given them Christmas Day off, and Bex swore she had heard him whistling carols in the hall the other day.

When Christmas morning finally arrived, Bex woke up to an elbow in her face. She opened her eyes groggily and found a blur of black hair and what looked like a very ugly bathmat sitting on her chest. Something sharp was poking her in the stomach, and the bed was shaking. Bex yelped.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Rose was shrieking.

She was leaning over Bex as she jumped up and down on the bed. There was an urgent look on her face, but Bex was momentarily blinded by her sweater. It was fuzzy and neon green, like nuclear mold. It was decorated with red stripes and tiny, shiny snowmen that had been stitched on rather badly. At least, Bex thought they were supposed to be snowmen. They looked more like melting disco marshmallows.

"Rose? Ugh, what the hell is on your sweater? They look like festive gremlins," Bex said, squinting. "Dear lord, do they light up?"

Rose left off the bed, dragging Bex up with her. She had a fervent look in her wide eyes.

"Number one, I made this sweater myself. It took me a month, plus a week for the electrical rigging in it, and if you insult it I will skewer you. Number two, I really need you to come right now."

Bex's sleep-addled brain finally register the urgency in her voice, and she hauled herself to her feet.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly.

Rose looked up at her and smiled.

"Harry's awake."

Bex looked at her her a moment, her mouth moving without sound. Then she blinked and the words clicked in her head.

Harry was awake.

Without another thought, she took off in a sprint towards the hospital wing, Rose following closely behind her. She wrenched the door open and skidded down the hallway until she got to Harry's room. The blinds were closed, and she couldn't see into the room.

Without hesitating to think about what she might find inside, Bex pulled the door open. She fell forward into the room, stumbling over her pajama bottoms in her haste. She looked up, and her breath caught in her throat. Harry was sitting up, a grin on his pale face. Merlin and Eggsy were at the foot of his bed, but she pushed past them and flung her arms around Harry. He let out a wheezing noise, but wrapped her arms around her as well.

Bex squeezed him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. She felt a lump forming in her throat, and closed her eyes for a moment. She drew back with a smile on her face.

"You're awake."

"So it would seem," he said in a voice that was hoarse from disuse. "And just in time for Christmas, too."

She plopped herself down at the end of his bed.

"You cheeky ass. I bet you planned this so everyone would remember you waking up as a Christmas miracle. Plus, you didn't have to get anyone any presents."

"Yes, it was very clever of me to bring myself out of my medical coma on purpose," he said sarcastically.

"Good to see you've retained your delightful wit," she grinned.

"I've retained all of my functions, thank you very much. Merlin says I'll make a full recovery."

Merlin nodded in the corner. His drab gray tie was still painfully tight and his fingers were gripping his clipboard, but Bex thought she could see a hint of a smile.

"Speaking of which," Eggsy piped up. "How did this even happen?"

Harry hesitated, his eyes sliding over to Merlin's who's smile had vanished, replaced by a look of warning.

"Harry, that is a private conversation," he said, furrowing his brows.

"Oh, come off it Merlin. They're not kids. They have a right to know. Might even learn a thing or two."

"Fine," Merlin sighed grumpily. He mumbled something under his breath and turned away huffily.

He turned to the screen on the opposite wall and tapped something on his clipboard, projecting an image onto the wall. When he pressed play, it sprang into action. It was filmed as though through Harry's eyes. Bex watched as a short, older man squirmed under Harry's grip. He shrieked and then, without warning, his head burst into a shower of gore and the screen went black. Everyone except for Harry winced collectively, and Bex stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"God, Harry, did you really have to blow up his head?" she said, wrinkling her nose.

"That is rank, Harry," Eggsy agreed, a similar look of disgust on his own face.

Harry cast them a noncommittal glance, then directed his eyes back towards the screen.

"Actually, the explosion was caused by an implant in his neck." Harry pointed to a small scar under the man's ear as Merlin zoomed in. "Right here. Did my hardware mange to pick up the signal that triggered it?"

Merlin glanced down at his clipboard. "Fortunately, yes. Unfortunately, the IP address I traced it to is registered to the Valentine Corporation."

"That's not much of a lead. He has millions of employees worldwide."

Eggsy's eyes widened at the sound of Valentine's name. "Richmond Valentine? He's a genius!" he exclaimed.

When he received three blank stares, he grabbed the clipboard out of Merlin's hands, who looked scandalized.

"Look at the announcement he made two days ago," Eggsy said, pulling up a news clip of Valentine speaking at a press conference.

"We each spend on average two thousand dollars a year on cell phone and internet usage," he announced from a podium lit with camera flashes. "It gives me great pleasure to announce that those days are over! As of tomorrow every man, woman and child can claim a free SIM card compatible with any cell phone, any computer, and utilize my communications network for free. Free calls, free internet...for everyone. Forever."

Valentine was a tall, lean man with dark skin and a grin so wide it almost looked maniacal. He spoke with a heavy lisp, which Bex hadn't expected, and was dressed in a tracksuit so bright it would've put Rose's Christmas sweater to shame. There was a baseball cap placed sideways on his head and copious amounts of gold jewelry hanging from his neck, which made Bex raise an eyebrow.

"This is the billionaire tech genius everyone's been talking about?" she said doubtfully. "He looks like an extra from a bad nineties hip hop music video."

"Look at the scar under his assistant's ear," Harry said, ignoring Bex.

He grabbed the clipboard from Eggsy, making Merlin roll his eyes in exasperation. He narrowed his eyes as he zoomed in at the faint crescent-shaped mark under her left ear.

"She and the professor both have the same implant scar."

Bex's stomach gave a sudden jolt as the small scar under her own ear prickled. She raised her hand to touch it, then stopped herself and lowered her hand.

Just a coincidence, she told herself firmly.

"I think Mr. Valentine and I should have a chance to meet face to face," Harry mused, interrupting Bex's uneasy thoughts.

"He's having a gala dinner next week. I'll get you an invitation. You need to be careful, though. Since you've been out, hundreds of VIPs have gone missing. No ransom notes, exactly like Professor Arnold from the video."

"Then I suggest you make my alias somebody worth kidnapping," Harry replied easily.

"Harry, what should we do?" Eggsy asked.

"Nothing," he said with a smile. "Leave the dirty work to me and enjoy your day. It is Christmas, after all."

"Cheers, Harry," he said brightly and turned to leave.

Bex opened her mouth to protest, but Eggsy was already dragging her from the room.

"You heard the man," he said.

When she glared, he grinned. "C'mon, Bex. It's Christmas. We have the day off, let's not spend it worrying about weird scars and Richmond Valentine."

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bex, Christmas is my favorite holiday. But it won't be if my best friend doesn't celebrate with me," he said, pouting.

She narrowed her eyes at him

"I heard they made waffles for breakfast," he said tantalizingly, poking her in the arm.

"Okay," she said quickly. "I mean, well, I guess. Fine. Whatever."

She grumbled, trying to disguise her delight, and let him lead her by the hand to breakfast.

☂

Christmas Day slipped past too quickly in a blur of golden waffles crusted with sugar and snowball fights. Soon the sun began to set, casting a brilliant silvery-pink over the hazy sky. As they tumbled inside after building a snowman with a carrot placed in a way that made Roxy blush, Eggsy threw Bex over his shoulder. She shrieked, kicking snow from her boots onto him.

"I can think of at least four maneuvers right now that would snap your neck from this position," she threatened.

Eggsy laughed. "Oh, come on Bex. You already ruined our snowball fight. You're too competitive."

"The snowball fight was fun. I won."

"You built a four foot snow wall and waited a ridiculous amount of time until we came looking for you and then ambushed us yelling 'I hope you worked up an appetite because I am about to shit down your throat. Come back here so I can beat you, you potato skins!' Then you made a lot of inappropriate Christmas puns and cackled. It was horrifying."

Bex kicked more snow on him.

"Whatever," she grumbled. "I still won. And it's not like anyone got hurt."

"You kicked me in the shin," offered Rose cheerfully.

"No one got seriously hurt," she corrected.

Bex let out another shriek as the world tipped upside down and Eggsy plopped her back down on her feet.

He grinned as she stamped the snow off her boots. She unwound her scarf, sending a tiny flurry of snowflakes fluttering to the ground. She shivered slightly, peeling off her damp, freezing coat. The icy air had stung her cheeks until they were bright pink and half her hair was frozen to the side of her head thanks to a branch of snow Eggsy had dumped on her head.

"You have some snow on your shoulder," he said, bushing it off her sweater.

His palm was warm as it brushed her shoulder. Eggsy's dirty blonde hair was sticking up in damp tufts and his cheeks were pink, eyes sparkling as he laughed. She shivered again, even though she wasn't cold.

She blinked, then turned to the fire. She stuck her hands out to warm them, ignoring the now familiar lurch her stomach gave.

Roxy and Rose stepped into the room, and Bex was grateful for the distraction. They were talking in low voices, although every so often Rose would throw her head back and laugh at something Roxy said. Their hands were hanging at their sides, almost touching.

Bex watched the way they looked at each other. They sat down on Bex's bed, and Roxy helped Rose take her jacket off. She swapped it out for a wool blanket, which she carefully draped over Rose's shoulders. Roxy smiled at Rose, who turned crimson, and the both turned to look at Bex. She immediately looked away, feeling as though she been intruding on something private.

The feeling faded fast. "Eggsy, Rose and Roxy look awfully cozy. What do you say we join in on this tender moment?"

Bex smirked, exchanging a meaningful look with Eggsy. Then they both dove onto the bed, piling on top of Rose and Roxy. Roxy shrieked, and Bex sat on top of her.

"Bex, that better not be your ass on my head. Take it off or I'll break it off!" Roxy threatened, her voice muffled.

"Aw, come on, Rox. Where's your Christmas spirit?"

She thrashed, arms flailing to seek out Bex.

"Where's your face? I want to hit it!"

Bex propped herself up on an elbow, ignoring Roxy's muffled grunts, and shot Eggsy a grin. He had belly flopped onto Rose, who was squirming wildly. He scooted over to sit at near the headboard, releasing her from a wool blanket death trap and ending her cries of bloody murder.

Bex climbed off Roxy and graciously offered her a hand up, which Roxy took begrudgingly. Bex sat next to Eggsy, leaning her head back against the wall. She watched as Roxy and Rose gravitated back towards each other, sitting down close to one another. The bed was small enough that the four of them were forced into a tangled pile of limbs, but Roxy and Rose didn't seem to mind.

She looked down at Roxy, whose pretty, elfin face was lit up by the fire and who was curled up against Rose with her hands hidden inside her chunky knitted sweater. She cast a glance at Rose, whose blinding sweater was almost as bright as her smile as she gazed down at Roxy. Bex looked up to her side where Eggsy sat, his grey eyes crinkled up at the corners and his fingertips resting only an inch from her own.

Bex couldn't help but smile.

"I love you guys," she said cheerfully.

Roxy sat up quickly, holding up a hand to her ear. "W-What was that? Was it-? No, it couldn't be. Is Bex...getting into the Christmas spirit?"

"Alert the presses! Forget that squirrel that can jet ski! Tomorrow's headlines will be Reformed Scrooge Bex Alden Forgets That She Hates Everyone and Admits She Has Human Emotions!" added Rose.

Bex responded by throwing a pillow at her face. "It's way too long."

"That's what she said," Eggsy grinned.

Bex high-fived him while Roxy and Rose looked on in disgust.

"Being friends has somehow made you both even more immature," Roxy sniffed.

"I am not immature!" Eggsy protested. "I am an adult man who does adult things."

"You made Bex breakfast the other day and you burned the orange juice. I didn't even know the laws of physics allowed that."

"Okay, fine, I'm not Gordon Ramsey. I can do other things! I can shoot things."

"Like yourself in the ass, for example."

"It was an accident! It could've happened to anyone. I'm good at stuff, I swear. Like, um, I'm incredibly romantic!"

Bex snorted.

Eggsy turned to glare at her. "What are you laughing about?"

Bex raised an eyebrow. "Incredibly romantic, huh?"

She turned to Roxy. "On Eggsy's last date he took his girl to a cement plant."

"Yeah, to see how rocks are made!"

"That's not how rocks are made."

Eggsy crossed his arms. "Whatever. She loved it, but then she had to abruptly move away."

Bex patted his shoulder. "Eggsy, it's much more likely that she walked into the River Thames and accepted death with open arms. I'm not being dramatic when I say I would rather sit on a hot grill naked than go on a date like that."

"I'd hate to see you be dramatic then," he muttered.

Roxy was watching them with a wide grin.

"Listen, I hate to interfere with the massive amounts of sexual tension between you two-"

Eggsy made a strangled choking noise.

"-But, I think it's time for presents."

Rose let out an excited gasp and bounced off the end of the bed, dashing out the door. Bex's face was burning, but she managed to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Presents? Oh no, I didn't know we were giving presents! I haven't got anything for you lot."

Eggsy grinned at Roxy. "It's okay," he said. "We decided to do this for you. Since it's your first real Christmas and all. No need to give us anything in return."

"B-But-" Bex spluttered.

Roxy patted her hand. "Just enjoy the fact that we're infinitely better friends than you-."

"-What she means, is that we just really wanted to make you happy," Eggsy cut in, shooting Roxy a glare.

Rose skipped in, clutching a lumpy package that had been badly wrapped in shiny, lime-green wrapping paper and beaming. She plopped herself down at the end of the bed and hugged the package to her chest tightly.

Roxy grinned. "I'll go first!"

She leaned over to her own nightstand and pulled out a small box that had been wrapped with a crimson ribbon. She held it out in her palm towards Bex, who took it tentatively. Bex held the box in her hands, looking down at it and biting her lip. The cream colored box had fine ribbons of gold embossed around the edges. It was easily the prettiest thing she had ever held, hopelessly out of place in her calloused, scarred hands with dirty fingernails.

"Thank you," she said softly. "No one's ever...Thank you."

"Open it!" Roxy said, rocking forward or her heels with an excited look on her face.

Bex pulled the ribbon off carefully, taking care to place it down next to her on the side. She slipped the lid off the box gently. Inside, nestled among a bed of sapphire velvet, was a gold chain. The light bounced off of it, making it gleam like it was lit with candlelight.

"I thought you could put your ring on the chain so it wouldn't get beat up and dirty during training," Roxy smiled.

"Roxy, this must've cost a fortune."

She flapped a hand. "Who cares, Bex. It's Christmas. Now, are you going to put it on or not?"

Bex tugged the Kingsman ring off her finger, sliding it onto the gold chain. She looped it around her neck, feeling the weight settle between her collar bones. The spot on her hand where the ring had been looked empty, but Bex didn't mind. She reached up a hand to touch the ring, feeling herself smile.

"My turn!" Rose said, pushing her lumpy present into Bex's hands.

She tore the wrapping paper off to reveal what looked like a woolly bladder. It was a horrible orange color and poorly knit, with bumps and pieces of yarn that were unraveling. As Bex pulled it out of the wrapping, she realized what she had mistaken for cabbages were actually supposed to be Christmas trees. They were topped with puffy gold stars that looked vaguely rash-inducing.

"Wow, this is really, er...Well, it's really great, Rose," Bex managed, ignoring Eggsy's chuckles.

"Knit it myself," Rose beamed. "I've gotten really good with patterns now. See the tinsel on the trees? I used pipe cleaners and everything!"

"That thing looks like a traffic cone mated with a second grader's art project," Eggsy muttered.

Bex elbowed him in the stomach, sending him look as he grunted in pain.

"I love it," she said firmly.

"A few more weeks and I could've gotten it rigged to light up like mine..." Rose said wistfully.

"Ah, no. I think I love it just the way it is," Bex said hastily.

"Well, if there's a blackout we can put Bex and her new sweater in the window to ward off low-flying planes," Eggsy grinned.

She elbowed him again.

"There's one more thing in the wrapping," Rose said, biting her lip. Her brow was furrowed.

Bex felt around in its lime green depths until her fingers brushed a piece of paper. She drew it out, holding it up to the light. Rose was sitting with her hands clasped anxiously.

"Harry found it. I-I thought you might like it," she said softly.

Bex gazed down on the photograph. It was faded and the edges had been stained, but the faces were unmistakable. A young Harry beamed up at her, looking strangely naked without his sharp glasses or crisp suit. His face was unlined, and his eyes were crinkled up with laughter. He was perched on a sofa, leaning back with ease, and two people sat on either side of him.

Kilian Castillo and Patricia Alden sat on the same faded floral sofa.

Bex couldn't remember ever seeing them looking so young and happy. Her father was wearing a t-shirt from some obscure band and faded jeans, his curly hair flopping into his eyes. She could see his dimples, even in the grainy photograph. He was holding hands with her mother, whose blonde hair was braided back to reveal her bright blue eyes and wide smile. And in her mother's arms, in a swath of fabric printed with tiny ducks, was newborn Bex.

Bex watched their faces, frozen forever in time. Her pulse thrummed as her hands began to shake slightly. Something in her chest opened up, threatening to swallow her whole and leaving a hollow ache behind her ribs. She had never longed so deeply for something in her whole life than to be back in that moment. She had never wished so hard for anything than to have her family back.

"Bex?" Eggsy asked gently, laying a hand on her arm.

Bex flinched when he touched her, snapping back to reality. Everyone was looking at her in concern, and the room suddenly felt too hot. Her throat ached, and she swallowed hard.

"Sorry. I-I think I need some air," she said in a hoarse voice.

She wrenched back the blankets covering her legs, tripping out of the bed. She held up a hand when Roxy opened her mouth, stumbling towards the doorway. As soon as she left the room she pressed her palms to her face, trying to slow her breathing. Clutching the now-crumpled photo in her fist tightly, she blindly made her way outside. Bex shoved the door open, feeling the icy blast of the snow outside wash over her face.

Ignoring the the snow on the ground, she sank to the floor.

Immediately the ice soaked through her jeans and sneakers, but she barely felt it. She was numb on the outside and numb on the inside.

She leaned her elbows on her knees and put her head in her hands. She gripped her hair tightly as she stared at the stone step in between her shoes. Bex watched the wind send the snow swirling into tiny gusts, bright white against the dark marble. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying desperately to think of anything other than the photo clutched in her fist.

Bex wasn't sure how long she'd been out there when something warm and soft had landed on her shoulders. She looked up to see Eggsy draping a jacket over her shoulders. He squinted out into the dark, cold night, wrapping his arms around himself to stay warm. Before she could stop him, he was leaning down and sitting down next to her.

He didn't say anything, just draped an arm across her shoulders and pulled her close to him. He flinched when he felt her icy skin.

"Bex, you're freezing."

She clasped her hands together, ignoring the bluish tinge her fingertips had taken on. Bex sighed.

"I'm fine."

"Bex-"

She rubbed her eyes. "I hate feeling like this."

"Bex, I wish you would come back inside."

She kept staring straight out into the snow as if she hadn't heard him.

"I don't know why I thought this Christmas would somehow be less shitty without my mom. I'm still alone."

"Bex," he said firmly. "You're not alone. You have Harry and Roxy and Rose a-and me."

Her shoulders trembled and he hugged her tighter. "But you won't always be there, don't you see?" she implored.

"Bex, I promise we'll always be there."

"You should stop making so many promises all the time."

"I promise I'll never stop," he said with a smile.

She kept staring out into the trees.

It had starting snowing again. She turned her face upwards to watch the flakes drift down slowly. The moon above made the snow look like it was glowing. They dusted her hair and nose and lips. A lump had formed in his throat.

He swallowed hard. "I almost forgot to give you your present."

She opened her eyes and turned to him. He opened his coat and groped around until his fingers brushed paper. He pulled out a book.

Bex took it from him. The pages were yellowed and the cover was worn. As she flipped through it she could see pages with corners that had been bent down and scribbles in pencil.

"A Tale of Two Cities?" she asked, struggling to read the faded title.

Eggsy felt his face get hot. "It's my favorite book. That's my own copy so it has a lot of, um, notes and stuff. Sorry."

She traced the edge of the book with a finger. "Don't be. It's brilliant."

"I know you mentioned earlier you had started it and never finished."

"Yeah, I never found out how it ended."

"I thought maybe you could give it another chance and tell me what you think."

"Eggsy, I..."

He felt like he was edging towards the edge of precipice, about to tumble into the unknown. The end of that sentence could mean nothing at all, or everything. The air froze around him for a moment.

But she didn't finish. She hugged the book tightly to her chest and stared out into the winter night again instead.

"Never mind. It's nothing."

She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, Eggsy."

"Merry Christmas, Bex."

They sat and watched the snow bury the world around them in a layer of white, hiding the old earth and replacing it with ice that glimmered like moonlight.

───────

a quick note:

this chapter is called interlude because it's exactly that. it's a happy filler chapter with snow and snuggles and waffles. and i hope you all enjoyed it, because shit will soon hit the industrial sized fan