Just a little Idea I had while sitting at the doctors office. See what happens when my mind is allowed to wander.

"Whatever it is, It is not my fault, I didn't do it!" said James rather defensively as he sat next to M waiting to be called into Mallory's office

"No one said you did" replied M, slightly annoyed by is comment

"Then why do you suppose we have been summoned here at this unholy hour by himself the elf?"

"I have no idea." she replied with an edge to her voice "It isn't as if we've had any missions that have gone balls up lately, in fact, things have been relatively quiet as of late"

"Well it's probably pretty safe to say that we're not being fired. He could have just as easily done that in your office" he quipped "Maybe we're being promoted"

"I highly doubt it" snapped M as her patience was beginning to wear a little thin

"Then what do you suppose he wants?"

"007, do stop asking me the same question over and over again, I've already told you I DON"T KNOW"

"Well it must be pretty big to..."

"007, One more word out of you and I'll put you on desk duty for a month" she said glaring at him

"Ok...Ok I get it" he replied as he fidgeted in his chair

"Are you nervous?"he asked as he studied her face for some sort of reaction

"Not especially...Why. should I be?"

"No"

"007...for the remainder of our wait do you suppose that it would be possible to practice your right to remain silent?" she asked sarcastically

"As you wish Ma'am" he replied with a grin

The clock on the wall almost seemed as though it wasn't working at all as the time was passing ever so slowly. It had been almost an hour before Mallory's secretary finally came to collect them.

"Mr. Bond, M..he's ready to see you now" she said as she motioned to the door

"It's about time" said M under her breath as James followed along behind her into the office, closing the door behind them. He knew M well enough to know that she had one hell of a poker face, but he could tell that underneath, she was apprehensive about this meeting.

"M...007...Thank you for coming on such short notice" said Mallory as he motioned to the chairs across from him

"Good Morning Sir" replied James

"I'll come straight to the point. A situation has come up and I was hoping that you might be able to enlighten me as to the details" said Mallory as he looked directly at M "Does the name Anton Mirrinov mean anything to you?"

M sat in silence staring back at Mallory with a rather curious look on her face.

"Your silence speaks volumes" replied Mallory as he stared back at her

"It's just that I haven't heard that name in a very long time" she said quietly "Why do you ask?"

"Because apparently he is back on the radar, so to speak"

"He must be at least 80 years old by now" said M

"81 to be exact"

"So just what makes this a problem? He's an 81 year old ex-KGB agent, a true relic of the cold war" she said bluntly

"He has information, and he's willing to share...for a price"

"Oh this ought to be good...What's he asking for this time? the crown jewels?"

"No" replied Mallory as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair "He wants you"

"HE wants WHAT?" said James with a hint of both panic and disbelief in his voice

"You heard me, He will only talk to M"

"Well, that's bloody well out of the question" snapped James angrily

"What does he want with me? I'm not an agent anymore" said M sounding slightly confused

"Who knows, Perhaps he wants to reminisce about the "good old days", the point is he wants you and only you, and we are prepared to give him what he wants, in exchange for..."

"Over my dead body" shouted M

"Now M, Just listen for a minute..."

"I've heard all I want to hear. Do you have any idea who this man is or rather was? I nearly got myself killed trying to capture him years ago and I have no intention of doing a repeat performance for you or anyone else thank you very much!" she said sharply

"M...we need that information" said Mallory in a firm tone

"Well there are a lot of things I need, but I'm not willing to dance with the devil himself to get them" she replied angrily

"Does he have any idea who she is?... I mean who she is NOW?" asked James curiously

"To the best of my knowledge, Anton Mirrinov has no idea that M is the head of MI6 if that's what you're asking" snapped Mallory

"And just who's idiotic idea was this? You can't just send the Head of MI6 off on some damn fool mission by herself" said James as he stood up and began to pace angrily about the room before finally stopping with his hands firmly resting on the back of M's chair in an almost protective stance.

"Ah yes well you see, that's where you come in" said Mallory with a nervous smile "You see she wouldn't be alone, you would be with her"

"I see" hissed James

"Now look, this is a ridiculous . I haven't been out in the field in God knows how long and my certifications have long since expired..."

"That's why we want to put you through a somewhat scaled down version of training before you leave." replied Mallory

"Are you completely out of your tiny mind" snapped James, clearly un-amused "You want to put her through what amounts to spy camp at her age, no offense M" he said glancing at her "and then send her out there?"

"007...It's not as if I've never done this before" said M defensively "It's just been a long time"

"What the hell is wrong with you? You almost sound as though you are actually considering agreeing to this incredibly stupid idea"

"007...It's not like she's going into this completely blind, she was an agent at one time so this is just more or less a refresher course to sharpen her skills"

"And just who did you plan to lead this little refresher course?"

"Well I was hoping you would." replied Mallory

"Me?"

"Who better?...That is if M has no objections" he said turning to M for her approval

M just rolled her eyes at the thought of James as her instructor.

"And just what is my role in this little mission anyway?...I mean am I to be visible or invisible?"

"Oh visible of course. We wouldn't dream of sending her in alone with no protection No your cover will be...err...well...I suppose you could call it her escort" replied Mallory

"Her escort?...Oh I see so I am to be her toy boy...is that it?"

"Well...Yes. We can't have Mirrinov thinking that he can take liberties with her, so this was a way to ensure that he will leave her alone, physically" said Mallory

"And if I refuse?" asked M as she glared at Mallory

"Refusal is not an option. This request comes from the top"

"I see" replied M quietly

"007..I suggest that you commence with your training immediately as the two of you leave in 3 days"

"Right" said James, still not completely sure this was a good idea "Anything in particular you want me to concentrate on?"

"Make sure she can shoot straight, make sure her mental skills are sharp, that she can defend herself in necessary, and...if you two are to be believable as a couple, you might want to try working on acting like you actually like each other instead of arguing with each other all the time"

"Well then this shouldn't take long at all. She's already sharp as a tack, and she can cut you off at the knees without so much as lifting her little finger so that just leaves shooting...and the other thing" said James with a smirk

"Then I suggest you get to it." said Mallory as he rose to escort them out of his office

As James and M left, James instinctively put his arm around M and guided her down the deserted hall.

"007...What do you think you're doing" she said as she attempted to pull away from him

"Just following orders Ma'am" he said with a smile

"The Things I do for Queen and Country" she said as they continued down the hall.

TO BE CONTINUED...