One more chapter and it will probably be the end ;) Many thanks to MajoraDreemurr52 for the wonderful work as a Beta !

Enjoy !

The pain he felt upon regaining consciousness was nearly unbearable - his side was on fire and his head was just about to explode. It was exactly the same, as if he was back there and this simple though made him wanted to cry. The last thing he remembered was the briefing in the new Q-branch and the treat of a mole…

Mole!

If that was the case why the MI6 was in danger, he needed to do something! But the pain didn't seem to agree. It wasn't letting him think correctly and despite the saying of his logic, Gareth's fears brought him back in that cell.

James was in the kitchen when he heard small noises coming from his room. Earlier that evening he had put Mallory in his bed and took care of all his injuries - wrapped his ribs in gaze, stitched the wounds on his right side and his forehead –he could do little more for the concussion– and was now trying to prepare something for them to eat. Curious, and maybe a little bit worried, –but he would rather die than reveal that point to anyone– James decided to and check on his superior.

But he wasn't prepared for the sight waiting him in the bed. Mallory was sweaty, entangled in the shits and, for the first time, James saw an expression of true fear in his face. It wasn't hard for James to figure out what was in the head of the new M in an instant - as a double-oh agent Bond had his own part of bad memories.

Perhaps that was the reason why, in the next moment, he found himself at the head of the bed, with his hand on the shoulder of the injured man, quietly calling his name as in shushing him.

Gareth could hear a voice, calling him from the darkness of his cell. He was certain that he knew that voice, yet he couldn't remember the owner. Maybe it was Marc, maybe it was his friend, coming to free him, to tell him that he was sorry, that it was just an undercover mission, that in truth he would never betray him…

But no, it wasn't his voice. His friend had truly and definitely betrayed him and there was no escape from this cell or this pain. And with that thought all the fight and all the hope seemed to abandon him, leaving him alone, at the mercy of the darkness.

And maybe it was indeed a mercy, now he didn't have to fight anymore, now he could just welcome the numbness and the overwhelming fatigue. Maybe if he just closed his eyes few seconds everything could finally stop…

Gareth jerked awake with a shout, followed by a curse when his right side and his ribs reminded him that, for now, sudden movements maybe weren't the best idea.

James held back a grin – it was the first time his superior allowed himself to curse in his presence – and instead tightened his grip on his shoulder. The action only seemed to add to the unease of the older man who tried to escape the hold, still not entirely out of his nightmare.

"Calm down, it's okay now. You're safe."

Slowly, Gareth became aware of his surroundings and finally relaxed. The hand on his shoulder, which, at first, appeared so alien and alarming, was now comforting as he finally recognised the voice's owner.

"Where are we? And what happened?"

"In my flat. You fainted during the meeting with the others. I patched you the best I could, but you were in a pretty bad shape. Eve'll probably kill you herself for lying to her."

Even if he was out of the cell at last, Mallory's mind was still confused. Was it concern which he heard in 007's voice? And why was he in his agent's flat? Bond should be out, tracking the mole, not playing nurse with him! ...That is, if he wasn't the mole himself. At this moment nobody was trust worthy.

"And may I ask why I'm in your apartment ?"

Gareth felt tense again and was discreetly looking for a weapon. He didn't have a lot of chances against a double-oh agent but he be damned if he didn't put up a good fight. However, Bond seemed to understand. His next words were careful and said in an almost kind voice, visibly with an intention to reassure him –the concussion must have been really bad, since when was 007 nice with him?

"You have been unconscious for hours, so if I had wanted it, you would be dead already. And no offence, but right now you are in no shape to fight, would I decide to act," the agent stated with a slight smirk.

"I would like to see you try," snorted the head of the MI6

"I'm quite sure, but that's not the point right now. You were badly injured and with a mole within the MI6, we couldn't take the risk to take you to the medic. My flat is the most secured place we could think of and I know a thing or two about patching people up. And here we are."

"Thank you… I guess."

"Anyway, I was cooking something for both of us...," but Gareth didn't let him finish.

"Oh my God, the great James Bond, cooking? Now I've heard it all. I must have hit my head pretty hard."

"You know, when I bring home such guest, I can only make some efforts. So, now you will lay back and let me finish what I was doing if you want something to eat," replied the agent without any heat though. He stopped briefly at the doorstep.

"Your gun and your phone are in the nightstand if you need. I'll be back in a few minutes."

When James walked out the door, Gareth looked at the nightstand beside the bed. The gun and the phone were seated on top of it. With a little inspection, Gareth found that nothing was changed – the gun was loaded as it was before and the phone seemed untouched. To him, they seemed secured. He put both objects back on the nightstand and leaned back on his pillow.

Just as he closed his tired eyes, the mobile beeped. A new message.

Gareth reached for the device and unlocked it. The sender was marked as unknown. Nevertheless, he opened the message.

'The MI6 was just the beginning. I won't stop until I've got you. Will you let other innocent die for you ? Meet me ALONE at 2pm in Hyde Park, I'll be waiting for you.

Marc'

Gareth almost threw the mobile away in frustration. Of course the answer would be 'no', Marc knew him better than anyone else. The meeting was at 2pm, so he had at least three hours to make it, easy if he took a taxi or even several, but the hardest would be to escape the vigilance of a double-oh agent.

I hope you liked it !Reviews are my addiction so please let me know what you think of it ^^