Dark side of light

21.In the name of United Kingdom

"Harry what's XOX17?" was my first question when we sat down in the kitchen for breakfast. Harry looked at me and than down at his bowl of cereal, carelessly moving the spoon around. The pain in my stomach disappeared over the night and I've been feeling much better since I woke up. Better enough to start a conversation about Harry's job of a professional killer. This is most probably going to end with an argument.

"I hoped you did not remember this term" he muttered.

"Harry at least tell me what that thing is. Actually no. Tell me about your job. No past, no family involved. Just job" I said, looking at him with no hint of hesitation. He run his hands through the mess of thick hair on his head and sighed loudly.

"I could be killed for giving out any information." He said.

"I would never tell anyone. Whatever you'd say, would stay in this very house." I said.

"Why are you so desperate to know?" Harry asked, but it wasn't an outburst, it was just curiosity lingering in his voice.

"Because we are...." I almost said together, but bit my tongue in time to stop myself from saying it. I felt my cheeks grow red.

"We are what Ella?" He pressed.

"Friends" I finished and watched as the sparkling in his eyes died a little as soon as the word 'friends' left my mouth.

"Oh. Of course" he confirmed.

"Harry I..it's not like I want us to be only friends, but you confuse me. You take me on a date than kiss me whenever you "feel like it", than I got tangled into some unfinished business with Ga...." I couldn't pronounce the word in fear of vomiting onto the floor, so I just skipped the name "you know who, and you don't even trust me enough to tell me what you do. I already know anyway, thanks to that bastard, so why all the fussing over the fact wether to tell me or not. Besides you were pretty quick to tell me about your sister's death and how it happened, but now you're having d..."

"It's a liquid bomb!" He shouted.

"What?" I choked.

"It's a liquid bomb. That thing he said was running through your blood system was exactly that." I stood up from my chair without any particular reason. That's why he was holding a detonator in his hand. He was trying to get me blown up. The thought itself was making me sick. "There. You wanted to know, here's the truth. That's what XOX17 is. A weapon. The fines of them all. It is what MI4 has been working on for years now".

"MI4?" Too many informations, too little space in my brain to proceed it.

"You must have heard of MI6" I nodded my head. Who hasn't tho?

"MI4 is an agency I work for. It's under the strict jurisdiction of MI6. It was created to track and exterminate any individual potentially dangerous for The United Kingdom." He said. As soon as his mouth shut to let the words sink into my brain, something changed. He looked as if someone took a massive weight off his shoulders. "Ella there is no backtracking now. I told you now you must live with that" he said.

"And what role do you play it this?"

"I am a part of a group that specialise in exterminating the target. We find, kill, deliver to the government and never leave traces"

"You say that so casually. Like it doesn't even phase you that you kill people on daily basis" I said, slowly backing from him. Harry noticed my attempts and moved forward, closer to my body. Images from the night I was kidnaped and the way Gabriel was moving closer to me in my kitchen, like a predator flashed through my mind. The situation now was awfully familiar. The difference was, Harry didn't look like he was trying to scare me away, his movements were cautious. As if he was more afraid than I was.

"Ella I swear I've never killed a person who didn't deserve it. Please believe me." He clasped his hands together and fell to his knees in front of me in a praying manner. His eyes has never looked more sincere.

"Harry stand up" I said and tugged at his hands, but he wouldn't budge. "Get up from the floor, it's cold, please just...stand up"

"No" he shook his head frantically "no until you say you believe me"

"I believe you, now stand up from your knees" I put my hands under his armpits like a mother would do to a little child and used all my strength to lift him up. Surprisingly I managed to do it.

"Swear you believe me" he said sternly."please Ella I must know you trust me".

"I swear I believe you" I said, meaning every word. He sighed in visible relief and his lips found their way to mine. And just like that our conversation on such a serious subject was completely forgotten as our lips melted together.