A/N: Thank you for the reviews!
M was taken aback for only a moment when she saw the man who opened the door. How is that her doppelganger just happened to be married to a man that looked exactly like the bloody Admiral Roebuck that she still scowled at when they crossed each other's paths? And how had she not known this before she appeared on his doorstep?
"Jean?" Lionel said her name. "Why didn't you use your key? And where is your shopping?"
M stepped inside and closed the door behind her before turning to look up at the man. "I'm not Jean, Mr. Hardcastle. I just happen to look like your wife."
Lionel frowned. "Jean, what sort of nonsense is this? Did Alistair or the girls put you up to this?"
Touching the man's arm, M felt sorry for him, knowing how confusing this must be. "Can we go through to the living room? I have some things to explain to you and I think you should be sitting down."
Lionel studied the woman in front of him. She looked like his wife, sounded like his wife, but the love he always saw shining in his wife's eyes wasn't there. "You really aren't Jean," he whispered as he led her into the other room. "Where is she? What's happened?"
"She's been kidnapped, Mr. Hardcastle. Some people are trying to hurt me, and your wife got caught in the mess. In a rare coincidence, we wound up dressed alike and at the same place and they mistook her for me. I'm so very sorry."
"Who are you?"
"I can't tell you who I am. All I can tell you is that for the next little while, I'm going to be your wife. Your Jean. I have to be to keep her safe."
Lionel blinked in surprise. If the woman sitting in front of him couldn't tell him who she was, was going to pretend to be his wife…good lord. SIS? Damn and blast. "They'll," he started then took a deep breath. "Do we tell the others? Jean's daughter and secretary also live here."
"No, we don't tell anyone else." Jean smiled kindly at him. "I only told you because I wanted you to know that I'm not your wife. I don't want you to break vows you made to her, even if it would have been unwittingly."
Lionel nodded. "Thank you for that."
"I could tell that you believed me after you looked into my eyes. If whatever you didn't find gave me away to you, then we have to keep me away from your step-daughter and the other young lady that lives here. Is there anyway we can do that?"
Lionel thought a moment. "The girls are gone for the weekend so that's covered. There's always the house in the country. The girls have been telling Jean she needs a break. They would think nothing of it if I phoned to tell them I'd convinced Jean to go to the country for a week."
M nodded. "Alright then. Is there anyone we need to worry about there?"
"My father is off somewhere with his wife, so we won't have to worry about them dropping in. Mrs. Bale will be there, but she leaves us alone except for meal times." Lionel rolled his eyes. "Well, unless something's going on in the village."
"We'll worry about that if it happens." M thought a moment. "Would it be possible to convince this Mrs. Bale to take the week we're there off? I assume your wife can cook."
"She can, as can I." Lionel bit his lip. "I don't know how easy," then he stopped and looked down at his hands.
"What is it, Mr. Hardcastle?"
"It's just that Jean seemed to know something was going to happen." Shaking his head, he looked back up at M. "I think I could convince Mrs. Bale to leave us be for the week. Jean's and my anniversary is coming up."
"I'll try my best to have her home to you before then, Mr. Hardcastle." M reassured, hoping against hope she could do just that.
MJJL
James stood watching Q as he tried to find any sign of who it was that had taken the woman they thought was M. "Anything?"
Q sighed in frustration. "Double-o seven, do stop questioning me every five seconds."
"I'm sorry, Quartermaster." James apologized to the older gentleman.
"It's quite alright, double-o seven." Q looked at the screen and smiled when he got a hit on a face. "Ah, we've got at least one. Here."
James looked at the face and name. He was still reading when another screen popped up with the info on the other man that had taken Mrs. Jean Hardcastle. "Who can we trust, Q? At this point, I'm at a loss."
Q looked at James in surprise. "The great double-o seven at a loss?"
"This is M we're talking about Q."
"How do you know it isn't me behind all of this?"
"Quartermaster." James scowled at him. "I know you."
"That doesn't mean it isn't me."
"Damn it, it isn't you. You would never do this. You could never betray us like this. I know it in here." James tapped his heart.
"Then that's how you'll know who to trust." Q patted James on the shoulder. "Trust your instincts like you always have, James. Don't let your feelings for M get in the way."
James blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not blind, double-o seven. Give an old man some credit."
"I'm sorry, Q." James sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "It's best left here between us. She's married."
"Is she?" Q asked. "You'd be surprised, double-o seven." Q handed James a couple of gadgets. "Now, go see if you can find these men."
James put the gadgets in his pocket as he nodded, his mind too busy trying to work out just what Q had meant to actually say anything. Walking to the secret passageway's door, he pushed the button to let himself out.
First things first.
Contact M.
MJJL
Jean blinked against the bright light, shivering in the cold air of the room she was in. Realizing she was tied to a chair, stripped down to nothing but her undergarments, she closed her eyes again and tried desperately to calm the frantic beating of her heart.
Forcing herself to concentrate on the training she'd had as a nurse, though it was something she'd not used in years, she assessed each part of her body going by the way it felt. Pain still radiated from her side, and she realized with startling clarity that she could feel something warm and sticky on her skin – blood.
"Let me go!" she yelled as she struggled against her bindings.
"I will when you tell me what I want to know, M."
Jean scowled and rolled her eyes. "My name is Jean! Do you need an ear horn?"
"Sarcasm. So very like you, M."
"Jean!" she yelled at the disembodied voice.
"Who is the Phantom?"
"The only Phantom I know anything about is The Phantom of the Opera." Jean answered.
A figure appeared, and a hand rained a stinging slap to her cheek. "Enough, M. That isn't going to work. I want to know who the Phantom is."
Jean worked her jaw and sighed, "My name is Jean."
Another slap, this time bloodying her lip. "I know the training you've had, M. I know how to break you. Keep it up if you like. I'll eventually get what I want."
"Training?" Jean asked, clearly confused, her face hurting. "What has my training as a nurse to do with this?"
A growl rumbled in her ear. "Keep playing games and you'll never see the light of day or your precious MI6 again."
Jean blinked in surprise. MI6? They think she's a bloody spy? "You have the wrong woman," she muttered but got no response. Working her lower lip back and forth, she tried to work out the pain. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander to Lionel. He had to be terribly worried. Did he know what had happened to her? Then she sighed, she didn't even know how long she'd been here. If she hadn't been gone long enough, Lionel would simply think she'd gotten busy shopping and lost track of the time.
"Oh Lionel," she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. Now she understood the feeling she'd had after they made love. Somehow she'd known something bad was going to happen.
MJJL
"Have they sent any word as to what they want?" M asked James who had suddenly appeared in the room Lionel had made up for her.
"Are you sure it's safe to talk here?"
"He's not even in the house, James." M sighed and rubbed her eyes. "The man is upset. He's spent most of his time in the gardens since we arrived here. He's very much in love with his wife, and he's learned that she's been mistakenly taken. I didn't tell him who I am, but I believe he's guessed that I'm involved in intelligence."
James reached out and squeezed M's hand. "There's been no word, Ma'am," he whispered, holding her gaze when she looked up at him.
M was startled at the contact, and it clearly showed in her eyes, but she didn't draw her hand away. It was comforting. Shaking the feelings off a moment later, she took her hand back. "I'm married, double-o seven."
"Are you?" James asked, remembering what Q had implied.
M blinked in surprise. "Of course I am," she insisted in a warning tone.
"I saw that look, M. Are you really married? Or is it just a cover?"
M sighed and turned to look out the window. "Can we not have this discussion now, Bond? I've more important things to think about right now." Spotting Lionel, she felt her eyes water. "Look, Bond. Look at that man out there. He's sitting in the cold mist, completely lost. Bringing his wife back to him is all that matters now."
James moved to the window, staring at the man M had pointed out. "Alright," he whispered. "Maybe you should go bring him inside. No need for him to get sick."
M nodded. "Just get me some information, Bond. I promised I'd do my best to get his wife home to him before their anniversary."
"I'll do my best, Ma'am." James told her quietly as he watched her slip into her coat. "I won't call. I'll just show up again when I have something."
"Fine." M told him just as she disappeared out into the hall.
James could hear her footsteps on the stairs then the door opening and closing and he turned to watch out the window as she made her way to the lonely man sitting in the garden. He'd never really seen a softer side to M, and it rattled him a bit to see it now. Would it affect the way she handled this mess?
"I suppose only time will tell."
MJJL
"Mr. Hardcastle." M whispered Lionel's name as she neared him. "It's rather chilly and wet to be sitting outside. You'll catch your death."
"Jean was a nurse," he whispered.
"She was?" M asked, though she already knew that about the woman. No sense giving the man anymore reason to believe his suspicions about just who she was.
"During the war when we met."
"I'd like to hear more, but let's go inside and warm up. I don't think your Jean would appreciate another woman who's supposed to be watching out for her husband letting him get sick."
Lionel shook his head and looked up at M. "She wouldn't appreciate another woman looking after me, period. Especially not another woman that looks exactly like her."
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Hardcastle. I know that doesn't make it better, but it's all that I have." M held out her hand. "Come on then. Let me help you inside. I'll fix you something warm to eat while you change clothes. You can tell me all about your Jean and how you met."
Lionel looked at the outstretched hand so much like that of his wife's and swallowed as he reached out, shuttering when he touched the soft skin. He felt scars on a few of the fingertips and looked down at the woman next to him as they walked back to the house. "What happened?" he asked as he turned her hand up and caressed the worst of the scars.
"Touched something that was much too hot." M answered vaguely, not lying, but not telling the complete truth.
Opening the door for her, Lionel helped her off with her coat once he'd closed and locked the door behind them. "Barrel of a gun, I suspect."
M blinked up at him in surprise. How had he guessed that? "Really?"
"Saw it happen to a few of the men in my regiment. They were young and inexperienced with guns." He studied M. "Although I suspect you were anything but inexperienced."
"What would you like for dinner?" M asked to change the subject. The man was getting a bit too close to the truth for comfort.
"I'm sorry, I won't ask anymore questions. Soup would be nice."
"Soup it is. Now go on, change out of those wet clothes."
Lionel nodded and trudged up the stairs. "You're more like her than just your looks," he whispered just before he disappeared from view.
M blinked, tears filling her eyes. She could hear pain in that whisper. There was something that had happened to Lionel and Jean in the past that was similar to what was happening now. At least in the part of pulling them apart. He'd said they'd met during the war, but yet she knew from everything her people had been able to find on Jean Hardcastle, that she and Lionel had only been married a year. Something had pulled them apart, kept them from marrying.
"I suppose you'll learn over dinner. If you ever fix it." She rolled her eyes at herself as she moved into the kitchen which was thankfully well stocked with a variety of things already prepared. "Soup must be a favorite of the Hardcastles," she muttered as she stared at the different types sitting in containers in the refrigerator.
"Mrs. Bale made all of that up for us. She told me she didn't want us to have to cook all the time we're here." Lionel spoke up as he came into the kitchen a few moments later, watching as M stirred the simmering meal.
"She must think a lot of the two of you."
"She'd never say, but she's quite fond of Jean."
"Tell me more about how you met." M turned to smile at him before moving to slice some bread.
"I asked her for directions to Curzon Street."
M raised her eyebrow at that. "Curzon Street? Whatever for?"
Lionel smiled as he looked off, back into the past. "She was so very beautiful, she took my breath away. I knew I had to get to know her. I walked up to her, and the first thing out of my mouth was, "Do you know the way to Curzon Street." She had me completely,"
"Befuddled?" M supplied the word with a smile.
"I suppose so. I was never very good with words to begin with and there was just something about her."
"You fell in love with her that day, didn't you?"
Lionel nodded as he took his seat at the table. "Thank you," he said when M sat a bowl of soup in front of him with a plate holding two pieces of buttered bread.
"You're welcome." M told him as she took her own seat and picked up her spoon. "Now go on with the story."
"Yes, I fell in love with her that day. We spent as much time together as was possible due to her nursing schedule and my regimental duties. Any time I got a pass, I spent the time with her."
"Then what happened? Why have you only been married for a year?"
"I was sent to Korea."
"But surely she loved you enough to wait."
"She did love me, but the postal service didn't."
M frowned. "What?"
"Jean and I were torn apart by a lost letter. I wrote to her, but she never received the letter. While I was brooding, thinking that she hadn't cared as much for me as I did her, that absence hadn't made her heart grow fonder…she was broken hearted thinking that I had only been playing at loving her."
"Oh my. But surely you wrote again?" M asked before sipping at her soup.
"No, I didn't. Pride and stupidity I suppose kept me from it. I finished my service and then after coming home to visit my parents, I went to Kenya. I spent over thirty years there."
"Didn't she try to find you?"
"No. She was hurt and just as prideful as I was. She met and married Judy's father about a year later."
"How did the two of you meet again after so many years?"
Lionel smiled then took a bite of his bread. Swallowing, he looked up at M. "Her secretarial agency."
"Really?" M shook her head and chuckled. "So?"
"I took her daughter out for dinner."
M spluttered at that. "You did what?"
Lionel laughed at her reaction. "I did. Of course, the date didn't go well because when I went to pick Judy up, I met her mother."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh. All through dinner I kept asking questions about Jean to the point of exasperating Judy. I finally told her to ask her mother."
"And did Jean remember you?"
"Yes, she did. I had a very angry Judy visit me at the hotel the next day."
"Why was she angry?"
"Because I'd hurt her mother."
"I'm confused."
"Jean told her side of the story. And then when I was confronted by Judy, I told my side. Judy is the one that realized that something wasn't adding up. I went to see Jean but she had left her office to find me. We finally managed to meet and as we talked, we realized what had happened."
"And you married."
"No. It wasn't as simple as that. Judy developed a crush on me, and my boy publisher developed a crush on Jean. We had to take care of that before we could fix things between us." Lionel finished his soup and drink, then stared at his hands. "Once that was taken care of, we began to see each other. After a few missteps along the way, we began to live together and then married." Looking up at M, he reached out and clasped her hand. "You have to find her. I don't want to be lost again."
