I pull on the door handle nearest me to get out of the car but it seemingly opens itself and when I look out I find the driver stood there, standing tall. One hand is placed on the outside door handle and the other is placed neatly behind his back.

"Ma'am," He says curtly and he brings the hand that was behind his back forward and outreaches it to me. I take a hold of it, a little disappointed it's not August helping me out of the car. I'm lifted promptly up into the air and placed gently down on my feet, the butler then quickly making his way up the small amount of stairs to the front door. August is suddenly by my side with an arm around my waist after noticing me wobble around on my bad ankle.

I have to say it's an odd feeling having a butler and August really didn't strike me as the type to have one.

We finally make it to the door where it's already opened wide and the butler stands there silent with an emotionless face. He actually gives me a strange feeling that I can't place but I never disregard such gut instincts, I make a note to keep an eye on the butler throughout my stay here. Once we're in, the door is shut behind me and I'm met with a much more standard looking house. It's not as grand on the inside as the out, which I'm a little grateful for. That way I wouldn't feel so out of place.

"I can show you around if you like?" August offers but I shake my head.

"If I'm going to be here for a whole week, exploring a place will at least give me something to do." I say seriously but August chuckles.

"Oh believe me, you're not going to have any spare time around here." His face amused. I frown at him, wondering what he means. "We have a case to investigate."

"No we don't, we have new lives to begin, away from this mess." I say heatedly.

"And we will, in due time. But, Willow, surely as an agent, you can't let yourself just leave everything we know to turn into nothing but dust? Don't you realise how big the case that rests in our hands is?" He asks, suddenly very serious.

"What do you mean?" I gather that he's talking about my organisation working with bad guys but what business hasn't been corrupt in one way or another? There's nothing a demoted agent like me and a guard like him can do.

"Don't you see?"

I can't take seeing him so enthusiastic over something we have no control over, no matter how he sees it.

"The police will never believe it, August." I sigh, shake my head at him. "Plus, I think in some ways, E.I.O are more powerful than the police." I add sadly.

"We're not taking this to the police, Willow. We need to create a big scene where the police will see all the evidence that they could ever need themselves. They'll have to do something or the public will feel unsafe. Do you at least see where I'm going with this?" He asks almost pleadingly.

I do and I slowly nod but I don't agree and quickly he sees that. "You'll be no better than them if you do this." I mutter, almost silently. His face shows that he's confused. "Deceiving and scheming, I mean."

His eyes widen a little. "What if it's being done for the greater good though, Willow? We can't just let them carry this on!" He exclaims before quickly trying to compose himself.

"Isn't that what they think they're doing, though? Doing it for the greater good? Throwing agents into the mix and allowing them to work for both bad and good, hoping it'll work in their favour?" I shake my head again and he shrinks back a little, his support around my body suddenly diminished. I wobble again but take hold of a wall near me, looking up in time to see August storming way down a hallway.

"Where are you going?" I call out.

"I need to think!" He replies without turning back.

*****

I end up spending the next few hours slowly exploring the beautiful place all on my own anyway though I was mostly preoccupied with thoughts that distracted me from being able to truly appreciate everything. Getting up the main staircase was an effort with my ankle but I was determined. It's a three storey house with at least five bedrooms and though grandly decorated, they're only small rooms in comparison to how I pictured them. I found Augusts and the butlers rooms pretty quickly but there was another room, very femininely decorated but full of dust and the door stiff, like no one had used it in a long time.

I wondered if it was his old family home and the room had belonged to a sister or mother but I found no photos throughout the whole house and if what August says about it being registered in a fake name is true, then surely he hasn't been here long. I also wondered perhaps it was a girl close to him, a partner or wife but surely something like that would be obvious? A ring on that finger or some sense of loyalty to another woman? He sure hadn't shown that seeing the way he's been treating me the minute we met.

I eventually make it to the kitchen where I find the driver in a different outfit more suited to cooking and his making something to eat on the oven. It's then that I decide he must be more than just a driver and probably more of a butler. "Uh," I clear my throat. "Hi." I say unsurely as I take a seat on one of the bar stools near where he stands.

"Afternoon." He replies with a tone as curt as before, without even looking at me.

"Do you know where August is?"

He pauses what he's doing but still doesn't look at me. "Have you checked the garden, Ma'am?"

The garden. No actually, I had been venturing around the house for so long that the thought of there being a garden hadn't even crossed my mind. I shake my head but then add, "No, I'll do that in a second," when I realise he won't see that as he's so focused on his cooking.

"Would you like a late lunch, Ma'am?" His voice ever so polite as he finally turns to face me.

"You know, you can call me Willow. I don't like ma'am. It makes me feel old."

"As you wish, Ma- Willow." He isn't giving me that weird feeling now like when he did back when I first arrived but maybe that was just nerves from such a change of circumstances. I tell myself to remain wary but not to be so critical from now on. Perhaps my gut instincts are just becoming a little worse for wear.

The door to the kitchen then opens and a frustrated looking August makes his way in only noticing me once he's stood centimetres from my chair. I realise that this is the one he probably usually sits in and I'm grateful he noticed I was in it before sat on me. I have taken enough beating from this terrible week already.

Look at my poor ankle for just one example.

He goes a little limp after looking at me, in defeat. "Willow," He pauses. "I'm sorry, you were right."

I expect to feel a little better hearing that but I don't. "It's fine, I guess you've seen everything from both the stand point of good and bad." I say, just as defeated as he just did.

"Such a corrupt system will run itself into the ground, I shouldn't have to be a part of it to make it happen." I notice his hand is absently making it's way onto the back of my chair and resting there, body language that shows he's comfortable around me.

"Exactly." I agree with a smile deciding that this was a good conclusion to the topic before it carried on and will most probably get out of hand again.

I pat the other bar stool near me. "Sit down, there's a delicious lunch here."

He questionably glances at the food the butler is preparing. "I think I'll pass."

My mouth falls open at him. The food does look amazing and smells it too, I can hardly believe his rudeness. "Really? Well then you're on your own. I'll just eat your share of it."

He the just starts laughing at me. "It's not that I don't like it but we haven't been able to go out to the shops for fear of being seen so we've been eating the same thing all week."

"All the same, more for me." I scoff as I scoop up my cutlery and shove a mouthful of pasta into my mouth. He remains quite but I'm not concerned about August right now, I'm suddenly plagued by a troubling thought. Whether that'll be the life for me once I go on the run. Constantly living in fear and not even being able to go out to buy food? Even worse, will that be the life my daughter will have to bear for the rest of her life? And my grand children? The thought leaves my stomach feeling tight and I suddenly don't feel like eating. I lower the fork down slowly as I try my hardest to swallow my first bite, not wanting to seem rude but the harsh lump forming in my throat makes it very difficult.

I can feel August's curious gaze on me as he chuckles, "Not so keen on pasta?"

When I don't say anything back but instead stare blankly at the table he just goes back to peering at me. I can tell he's already sussed that something isn't right all of a sudden. "You're looking a little pale, are you okay?" He asks, his voice full of concern. His hand is still on my shoulder so when I feel myself becoming a little light headed, he takes a stronger hold of me and helps me up. "I think you look like you need a little fresh air."

I just nod as he helps me up from the chair and we leave the room, the food left alone with the quiet butler.