Secrets
***
For me, Lois Maxwell will ALWAYS be Jane Moneypenny. This is set after "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". I don't own anything.
***
They kept up their flirtations long after their secret marriage, not wanting anyone to suspect their relationship had changed. When, a few months after his wife was killed, they married in Kenya, they did not inform anyone, least of all M.
He had been sent to Kenya to recover, and she had joined him, at his request, three weeks after he arrived. She had told M that she was going to South Africa to visit her sister, which, indeed, she did – for two days, at least. After that, she took the train across the Transvaal, through Rhodesia, to Kenya.
James was waiting for her at the train station, and, as soon as she saw him, she was glad she had come. He had a desperate, sad look in his eyes, his face was haggard, and it looked as though he hadn't slept for days.
She gathered her bags together and stepped off the train, kissing his cheek lightly when she joined him.
"I'm glad you've come, Penny," he said quietly, taking her bags from her. She wanted to comfort him but did not know how.
"I'll always come if you need me, James," she replied, taking his proffered arm.
***
The house where he was staying was small, with two bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, and a verandah instead of a living room. It was the property of the British government, a house that was used quite often during the height of the colonisation of Africa. Now, though, the government was looking to sell it, as it was rarely used any more.
As soon as they arrived, he showed her to her bedroom. While she unpacked, he made tea for the two of them. She joined him on the verandah after freshening up.
They sipped their tea quietly, not talking. He stared into his teacup, not wanting to speak about his sorrows just yet.
***
She made dinner for them while he went for a walk. It was obvious he hadn't eaten in quite a while – he had lost a significant amount of weight. So she took her time cooking, making a meal that she hoped would tempt his appetite.
He came in just as she finished cooking, and, once again, they spent the time in silence. He cleaned up, wanting to keep his mind off Tracy's death by absorbing his attention in meaningless tasks. She went to bed – she was tired after her long journey.
***
Later that night he came into her bedroom. She stirred as he entered her room.
"I need you, Penny," he whispered quietly, the light from the other room casting his figure into shadow.
She got out of bed and stood in front of him.
"I'm here for you, James," she replied, her voice tender and caring. He reached out and caressed her cheek softly, stepping closer to her.
"Penny..." He bent and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body closer to his. Slowly they stepped backwards to her bed and he pressed her down among the sheets. She reached up to stroke his hair tenderly. He began to undress her, focussing all his attentions on pleasing her. He needed to lose himself in her, needed to forget his sorrow.
She couldn't believe what was happening – finally, after all these years, James Bond was making love to her. She lost herself in her own pleasure, moaning his name all the while. Finally she drifted back down from the heights of pleasure.
He was staring down at her, trying to memorise her face in that moment.
"I love you, Penny."
She smiled up at him – she had longed to hear those words from his lips for more years than she'd care to admit.
"And I love you, James – I always have."
***
Their relationship advanced quickly, James seeking comfort in her arms every night. She gave herself to him without reservation – she had waited so long for him, and while she believed that their relationship would end when they returned to England, she wanted to have all the memories she could make.
But he surprised her, as he always did, a week before she was set to return to England.
"Penny," he said, "I want you to marry me."
She stared at him in shock. "Wha-what?"
"I want you to marry me," he repeated, lowering his lips to her collarbone, tracing the delicate line of her shoulder.
"We can't," she whispered, "they'd never allow it."
"No one has to know," he replied, gently nipping the base of her throat. She gasped quietly and he smiled, beginning to trail his hands down her sides. As he began, once again, to caress her, she cried out.
"Yes, James!"
He paused in his caresses, looking up to her. "Yes, you'll marry me?"
"Yes," she agreed. "Yes, yes!" He captured her lips with his and resumed their previous activities.
They were married the next day at the small church in town. She wore a light blue sundress; he wore a white polo shirt and slacks. Their wedding was a quiet affair, witnessed by the organist and the choirmaster. Afterwards, they returned to the little house.
***
"I've bought the house," he said as he drove her to the train station. "I thought that, when we are able to take our vacations together, we can come here.
She smiled at him. "That sounds wonderful."
They arrived at the train station, and he turned to her.
"I'll miss you, Penny."
"You'll see me in a few days," she replied.
"It won't be the same, though."
"No, it won't."
"I want you to know that, well, while I might have to sleep with other women, it will only be for Queen and country – I won't do it if I don't have to."
She laughed quietly. "I don't expect you to change, James – I've come to terms long ago about your... shall we say, 'extra-curricular activities'?"
He smiled, stroking her cheek tenderly. "I can promise you, Penny, that I don't love them. I love you."
She smiled at him, stepping into his embrace. He tilted her chin up for a final kiss as the train whistle blew.
"I'll see you in England, Jane," he whispered, calling her by her first name for the first time. It said more than any other word could.
"Goodbye, James," she said, and, picking up her bags, stepped onto the train. She waved as the train pulled out of the station. He stood there, watching until the train was nothing but a memory on the dusty plain. He took off his wedding ring and slipped it onto his right hand.
***
On the train, Jane Moneypenny Bond looked down at her plain gold wedding band, twisting it on her finger before removing it and slipping it onto her right hand.
It would be difficult, when they returned to England, to pretend that nothing had happened between them. But they would have to pretend... it would work. It must work.
And she could not wait for the next time they could escape to their little house in Kenya.