Prologue: Shedding a little light on Ana and James
The Barton-Bond house was quiet. Typically this meant that neither one was home, but this silence was a loving one. The morning after James' return from a distant land on a mission, and Ana's welcome home from the office. James was straddling Ana's back, his hands moving in circles across her shoulders, up her neck to her jaw line, and back down the ribs. Ana let out a delighted squeak as he proceeded to find one of her more sensitive tickling spots. What was supposed to be a relaxing day away from the office fell apart as they both turned into a giggling mess of childlike playing. There was literally no room in the house that they didn't play in anymore, especially after something as bad as what had happened to James. Ana was his remedy for such things, and she was the one bright spot in his darkened world.
To anyone else, this wasn't an unordinary morning, but for Ana and James, it was an extraordinary morning. A morning massage, a quick shower, games befitting a couple of 5 year olds rather than to Double-O agents, and of course, breakfast shenanigans. After her shower, Ana usually just grabbed coffee and was out the door. But, in the rare occasions that neither one of them had to go anywhere, or report to anyone; it was paradise just to lie around in bed all day. Reading, telling each other stories of their missions, or even just holding on to each other to know that they are still alive, that was the order of the day. That was what was supposed to happen when James got called into a job, and Ana's world shattered.
