The Modern Knight

Repaying a Debt

The 19th of June, 2014

Nicolette arrived in front of Harry's home as she said she would. She knocked on the door and waited. Behind the door, she heard yelling.

"No, I shot my dog, and then brought him home and continued to care for him for the next eleven years until he died of pancreatitis," Harry said sternly before opening the door to his home.

Tori walked right in, having been to Harry's home many times before.

Eggsy looked from the taxidermied Mr. Pickles, to Harry, to Tori, to Nicolette.

"What?" Eggsy asked, thoroughly confused.

"It was a blank, Eggsy," Harry explained, "It was a fucking blank."

"Remember Amelia?" Nicolette asked, closing the door to Harry's home behind her.

"Yeah," Eggsy said.

"She didn't drown. She works in our tech department in Berlin. She's fine."

"Limits must be tested, Eggsy," Harry explained, "A Kingsman only condones the risking of a life to save another."

"Like my dad saved yours even though your fuck-up cost his?" Eggsy asked Harry, his voice laced with bitterness, "Or have you got him stuffed here and all?"

"Can't you see that everything Harry and my father have done has been about trying to repay him?" Nicolette asked, getting angry at the audacity that Eggsy had.

"What's your dad got to do with this?" Eggsy asked, looking at Nicolette.

Nicolette was about to give Eggsy an answer when a soft beeping interrupted them. The young woman pulled down her glasses from atop her head.

"It's not a page for me," Nicolette said quietly, putting her glasses back on top of her head.

Harry opened the glasses in his hands and put them on. He looked out the window in the bathroom for a few moments before saying anything.

"South Glade Mission Church," Harry muttered, "Merlin, get the plane ready," Harry then took off his glasses and turned around to face Eggsy.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I'm gonna do ev-," Eggsy started.

"You should be. You just stay right there. I'll sort this mess out when I get back," Harry said sternly before starting to leave, "Nicolette, make sure he stays put. I don't need him causing more trouble."

"What? Babysit?" Nicolette asked, stunned.

"Essentially, yes."

"But-."

"This isn't up for debate, Nicolette."

And like that, Harry was out the door.

Nicolette let out a sigh before turning to face Eggsy, "Guess that means we're both here for at least the next two days."

With that Nicolette started towards upstairs.

"Where are you goin'?" Eggsy asked.

"Well, I was going to rest before Uncle Harry called me over here. So I was going to go upstairs and rest for a little bit," Nicolette said, looking down the stairs at Eggsy.

Nicolette made her way back up the stairs, finding Tori sitting outside Harry's study.

"Tori, come on girl," Nicolette said before going towards Harry's guest room.

Nicolette was about to close the door to the guest room when she heard a voice behind her.

"Nic?" Eggsy asked.

Nicolette let out a small sigh, "Yeah, Eggsy?"

"What did you mean when you said that both Harry and your dad were tryin' to repay my dad?"

Nicolette drew a deep breath before she turned sideways, gesturing for Eggsy to enter the guest room. Once Eggsy was inside the room, Nicolette closed the door.

"Did you ever wonder how your mother was able to pay the tuition for school for you?" Nicolette asked as she walked over to the dresser in the room, setting her glasses on top.

Nicolette's father had convinced Harry to have a few changes of clothes for Nicolette at his place "just in case."

"Not really? I mean, I did a bit, but not much," Eggsy said as he sat down on the double bed.

"Well, your mother wasn't the one paying your tuition. It was my father," Nicolette said as she pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms.

"Your dad paid for me to go to school? Why?" Eggsy asked.

"Like I said, he was trying to repay your father," Nicolette said, starting to unbutton her blue button-down shirt.

She didn't mind people seeing her in her underwear. To her, it was like being seen in her swimsuit.

"Both of our fathers were in the running for a position in Kingsman. Your father saved the lives of Merlin, Harry, and my father. To try and repay him, my father resolved that he was going to try and give Ben and I the best lives he could give us. And, he wanted to make sure you'd have the same chance at a good life, since your father gave his to allow my father to come home to his kids," Nicolette explained as she finished unbuttoning her shirt.

"So our dads knew each other?"

"Yeah. When I joined Kingsman, my father told me stories about when he was going through the recruitment process. He and your father got on as well as you and Roxy do, from what I've been told," Nicolette said, taking off the button-down and putting on the cotton tee, "Maybe then it only made sense that you got along so well with Ben and me."

Nicolette took off her black Oxfords before grabbing them and placing them near the door. Walking back towards the dresser, she unbuttoned and unzipped her slacks. Then, without thinking about it, Nicolette took off the slacks.

Eggsy quickly turned to look away, pink dusting his cheeks.

"Aw, you really are more of a gentleman than you think," Nicolette cooed as she grabbed the pajama bottoms.

"It's just common sense," Eggsy said, his face getting a bit more red.

"Still. I would bet my flat Charlie wouldn't have looked away," Nicolette said with a chuckle as she pulled on the pajama pants.

Nicolette then fell back onto the bed beside Eggsy. The young woman started to pet her dog, who was laying on the bed.

Eggsy looked down at Nicolette, watching her play with her dog while in a t-shirt and pajama pants.

"That's more like the Nic I know," Eggsy said with a chuckle.

"She was never gone, Eggsy," Nicolette said, looking back at Eggsy while petting her dog, "A spy's got to be able to adapt. By the way, this is Artoria. I call her Tori for short."

"Tori?"

"Yeah. And she's very well trained. After all, I'm the one that trained her," Nicolette said before looking at Tori, "Tori," Nicolette said sternly, getting the dog's attention. She then pointed to Eggsy, "Eggsy. Ally."

At hearing "ally," the husky stood on the bed before jumping onto Eggsy, wagging her tail.

"What did you do?" Eggsy asked, taken aback.

"It's a command I taught her. 'Ally' means someone she can play with, not someone she needs to guard me from."

"Oh, I see," Eggsy said, petting the dog that was now half in his lap.

Eggsy continued to play with Artoria for a few minutes before Nicolette changed the subject.

"You know, your father was as much a Kingsman as mine," Nicolette said, sitting up on the bed, "Harry knew that, and my father knew that. And that's why they both tried so hard to repay him. You could almost say that, Harry giving you that medal, and you coming here, was all thanks to your father."