Hi everyone!

I'm so excited for this haha. This is the sequel to The Guardian and builds up a lot from it, so if you haven't read that story yet, I would strongly suggest you read that first!

I'm currently looking at about 15 to 20 chapters for this? It'll be drama packed, much like my other ficlet Unexpected Secrets. Haven't decided where the Sam/Scam direction will go, but it'll definitely be Sam/Scam.

Anyhow...Here's the prologue, hope you'll enjoy!


Keeper of His Heart

Prologue

He walked slowly down the dimly lit hallway. He was tall and well-built, with enchanting orbs the colour of sea-foam. Dressed formally in a crisp black suit and a dark tie, he appeared groomed and charming in every sense. Each step he made with his newly polished black shoes made a tapping sound against the stone floor. The echoes came bouncing back to his ears, proving that he was the only occupant wandering around the corridor.

Some part of his mind knew that he was late, late for the ceremony which everyone was attending. Yet he took his time, his steps slowed and measured. The sea-foamed eyes that usually held alertness (and a tinge of aloofness) were brimming with emotion. The man's silent musings were the only thing keeping him company amidst the otherwise eerie and quiet surroundings.

It was exactly a year ago today

When W.O.O.H.P had fallen, taking hundreds of other lives with it. When Terence Lewis had started (and gained) the upper hand in a sick and twisted game none of them wanted to be a part of. But most of all, it was the day when she had selflessly traded her life for his, giving him a second chance at life. It was the day where his presumptions on life had been abruptly tossed out of the window, a day where his life took a turn for the better (or for the worst, depending on what angle you looked at things).

A year ago today, W.O.O.H.P's best superspy had… perished, murdered in cold blood by the diabolical leader of the LAMOS. A rigged explosion had killed her, and hundreds of other innocents with it.

The horrors of watching W.O.O.H.P blow up before his very eyes, with the knowledge that the object of his affections had been stuck in the building, would haunt him forever.

An image of the redhead woman floated into his mind, sending an all-too-familiar jolt of pain through his heart. It has been a year, but the pain and the loss were still raw, cutting deeply with each yearning and brooding thought. Unconsciously, his fists curled up tightly. The raw emotion and anger coursing through him were so strong that his knuckles quickly turned white.

The man allowed the emotions to consume him for a few moments longer before he mentally pushed them aside, concealing themselves in the deep recesses of his mind. There would be time for self-pity and reflection later. Masking his true feelings were a second nature to him after many years of spy and villainy work, and he did just that. Few had come close to glimpsing his true self; one of the closest being the young woman who evaded his thoughts day and night (when he was not throwing himself in his work).

But before the cool and calm fa?ade kicked in, the man allowed just one more thought to fill his entire being.

We'll get him Sam. Rest assured we will.

Squaring his shoulders, Tim Scam walked with renewed determination to the meeting hall.


A sensor at the door beeped, signalling that someone had just tapped in their card at the scanner. Standing near said door, Clover Ewing waited to see who it was. When she spotted the recognizable brown hair and the tall physique, she managed a small smile, although it faltered almost immediately. Without wasting a second, Clover walked over to the newcomer.

"Hey Tim." She greeted the man casually. "Thought you weren't gonna make it." Once one of W.O.O.H.P's best superspies, she was clad in a long-sleeved dark blouse and a pair of black trousers. Her hair done up in a professional updo, she appeared older than her twenty-three years.

It was her eyes however, that spoke volumes of the pain and suffering she had witnessed in her short time on earth. There was a hardened, warrior-like look in them, an emotion Tim has seen in many of the survivors of the W.O.O.H.P HQ tragedy.

"Hey Clover." The man might have appeared stoic, but his stance relaxed slightly in her presence. "I wouldn't miss it." He added on as an answer to her question, scanning the room quickly. "Has it started?"

There were about a hundred people in the middle-sized hall. Rows of chairs were arranged close to a raised platform at the front of the room that would serve as a makeshift stage. Everyone was dressed in some black or dark coloured clothing, proving that the event was a solemn one. A handful were conversing quietly among themselves at the back like what Clover and Tim were doing at that moment. Others sat at the seats, lost in their own thoughts. The atmosphere was tense.

"Almost." The blonde said, snapping Tim out of his observations. "Jerry said he'll be starting shortly. He requested for us to seat up front. Alex's saving us some seats."

Wordlessly, Tim followed his companion down the row of chairs to the front. They were both stopped a few times on their way by other fellow comrades and colleagues; some whom he had not seen since the tragedy.

Jerry had provided the fifty survivors with the option of cutting ties completely with W.O.O.H.P after the event a year ago. In consideration of the wellbeing their families, some had taken up on his offer. But most had chosen to stay, fuelled by an innate need to right the wrong that had been committed. Regardless of their choices, Jerry had invited all fifty survivors to the memorial ceremony as a form of closure.

I'll never have closure until I see Terence Lewis and his side-kicks locked up behind bars. Not after what they did to W.O.O.H.P. Not after what they did to HER.

Tim exchanged pleasantries with the few he saw on a daily basis, but otherwise kept to himself.

A minute later, Tim sat down on an empty chair next to Alex Vasquez, the final member of W.O.O.H.P's former superspy trio. Clover took a seat on Alex's other side. By then, Jerry Lewis was already on the makeshift stage. He spoke into the microphone and asked for everyone to settle down.

Tim sent a brief nod and a half-smile in Alex's direction as a way of greeting. The female superspy returned the gestured without hesitation before lowering her head. However, that did not stop Tim from witnessing the obvious red-rimmed brown eyes belonging to the young woman, or the slight quiver of her lips when she smiled at him.

The man sighed inwardly. Who could blame her? He wondered, trying his best to stop his mind from conjuring the image of the one person he yearned to see again. We're all hurting. God it's been a year, but the pain never stops.

On stage, Jerry cleared his throat. The room soon fell into deathly silence. From their seats right at the front of the stage, Tim, Alex and Clover all could see that their boss was straining to maintain his composure as well. The older man took a deep breath, before he began his speech.

"My fellow colleagues, agents and spies... We are gathered here today to honor and remember our fallen comrades in the tragic incident that happened a year ago today…"

As Jerry addressed the crowd, Tim's mind started to wonder, reflecting on how much his life had transformed drastically since the incident a year ago. After the fiasco, the responsibility had fallen onto Jerry's shoulders to rebuild the organization that he had painstakingly founded.

No one was more surprise than Tim himself when the older man had asked him if he wanted to be on board. Him, one of W.O.O.H. P's most notorious criminals and pain in the butt to everyone.

It was a gamble, the trust and faith that Jerry Lewis put in him on the basis of his contributions to W.O.O.H.P back in the day. Yet, Tim had readily agreed to participate in their quest to bring down Terence Lewis for good. The ex-villain's perspective of life had been altered by the actions of one of their fallen, and the thirst for revenge had never ran deeper.

Tim had switched sides without looking back.

With the bunch of ragtag agents that had been 'saved', Jerry founded O.R.A.I.C- Organization to Remove all Insidious Criminals.

Tim's participation in the group had angered many at the start, particularly the two young women who were currently seated next to him. But after some time, determination and a couple of close shaves that involved Tim saving the lives of Clover and Alex, had led to the creation of a strong bridge of trust and working relationship.

The two were mostly still in the dark about Tim's complicated relationship with their best friend, and the man preferred to keep it that way. Even Jerry knew very little about it, save for the briefest details Tim had divulged when the current head of O.R.A.I.C approached him with his proposition a year ago.

Now, Tim was one of O.R.A.I.C's best field agent and a Weaponry Department specialist, playing a crucial role in ensuring the day-to-day running of their small, but united organization. The ultimate goal was clear- to take down Terence Lewis- but they were also committed to keep ordinary citizens save from harm, much like the goal of W.O.O.H.P.


"I would now like to invite everyone to rise, while we honour a minute's silence in remembrance of our fallen colleagues, friends and partners." Jerry's solemn words sent Tim back into reality. Numbly he rose, joining Alex, Clover and other former W.O.O.H.P agents in solidarity.

All throughout the ceremony, everyone had been holding it together as much as they could. But in the minute of silence, when the thoughts of the wonderful people lost in the act of unwarranted violence filled everyone's minds, people inevitably started sniffling and sobbing.

At the corner of his eye, Tim could see Alex visibly shaking with sobs, while Clover was furiously swiping at the traitorous tears running down her face. Tim closed his eyes, struggling to stay strong yet failing miserably. O.R.A.I.C was his home now, and the people around him were as close as he would call to a family. For just one minute, the man allowed himself to grief openly in public.

For the bright lives lost, for the few criminal friends he had made while in jail, for the grave injustices served to so many brilliant people he knew- that had been dedicated to the fight for justice.

But most of all, like the two young women next to him, Tim grieved for the loss of a beautiful and brave soul. Tim grieved for what could have been, if he hadn't been so stubborn and headstrong, if Terence Lewis hadn't butted in and ruined everything.

Tim grieved for the light that was Samantha Simpson.

We'll get him Sam. Rest assured we will. Rest in peace...


Shortish prologue and a bit sad...But things will pick up in the next chapter.

Any thoughts? Comments? Feedback? Always happy to hear from you guys :)

Thanks for reading! Stay safe!

Until the next chapter,

TrixieNancy