Like a Thief in the Night

I woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon being fried. At first, I didn't recognize where I was. Then I remembered Bond coming into the flat the night before and protecting me from Silva's men. After making the bed, I headed out into the living area.

Bond was standing at the electric range, preparing two small plates of scrambled eggs and bacon. "Morning, Miss Draco." Bond said, putting the plates on the table. "Have a seat."

"Thank you." I said as we sat down and I began taking a couple bites of scrambled eggs. "This is pretty good."

"My late housekeeper, May Maxwell's specialty." Bond said. "She used to make me this every morning for breakfast when I was growing up. I managed to get the recipe shortly before she died..." His voice trailed off. It was a sensitive topic for him.

"My mom used to make scrambled eggs and bacon for us every morning too." I chuckled, remembering the story Mom and Dad told me. "According to Dad, the first time he sampled Mom's eggs and bacon, he knew right away that he had met the woman he was going to marry. They were together for eighteen years..." Now I had come upon an uncomfortable topic. This was the most I had talked about my parents with somebody other than my closest friends. I hadn't even discussed my parents with my grandparents. It was just too painful...

Bond fortunately asked no more. We ate in silence, he only broke his silence when we finished and he picked up the empty plates to take them to the sink. "Gareth Mallory, the Head of Intelligence and Security Committee, will be taking you down to the inquiry. M had some business and won't have time to come get you before the inquiry. Oh, and before I forget..." He picked up an Anne Klein shopping bag hanging on the doorknob that I hadn't noticed before. "Because I don't think you want to go to the inquiry in your pyjamas, I've got some clothes and shoes here for you." He gave it to me.

I looked at the contents of the bag and then again at Bond. "That was very nice of you and I appreciate it, but what if they're not the right size?"

"Trust me, they are."

"What makes you so sure they...?" I realized what I was asking and began turning pink. Bond grinned mischieviously. "Forget I asked."


Bond was right, the knee length light brown shirt dress and matching penny loafers were a perfect fit. True, it had sleeves that stopped just past my shoulders and the neckline, while conservative, plunged until it stopped at my breastbone. But it actually looked pretty good on me. And he had gotten me a brown jacket ward off the cold and wet November weather.

By the time I got changed and pinned my hair up into a respectable twist, Mr. Mallory had arrived. He and Bond were waiting in the living area. Bond nodded approvingly. Mallory stood up, he was about Bond's height, with a prominent forehead, brown hair and dark hazel eyes. He looked as sharp as his dark blue suit. "Impressive work, Bond. Who knew you actually had conservative tastes?"

I smiled. "Since her grandmother and several MP's will be there, I thought it would be best if she didn't look like Lady Gaga. Miss Draco, this is Gareth Mallory. Mallory, this is Tracy Draco."

"Nice to meet you, sir." I said, offering my hand.

"The pleasure's mine." He took my hand in a firm and warm grip and smiled. "Shall we be off then?"

"Yes but first, I just want to say thank you, Mr. Bond for everything you've done for me."

"You're welcome." We shook hands. "I hope I'll be seeing you soon."


Mallory and I rode through the streets of London in his private car. We were quiet at first, that was until the radio began showing talk shows of the public inquiry.

"...she's a crazy old bat out of hell, a relic of the Cold War." A commenter said, spewing in a venomous tone. "I worked for her once, and pardon my French, but she's a cold and heartless bitch with more regard for numbers and statistics than human life." I grimaced, wishing with all my heart that I could march into that studio and punch the life out of the bastard who said that.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to that, Tracy." Mallory said as he turned off the radio.

"It's ok, you didn't know." I sighed and shook my head. "God, why are they doing this?!"

"You and your grandmother are close?" Mallory asked me as we stopped at a light.

I shook my head. "No, not really. It just...I mean, she does her best, risking her life for Queen and country and here they are crucifying her. It makes me mad when people get torn apart even though they did what they thought was right."

"Just like your grandmother." Mallory nodded in understanding before chuckling. "You two are very similar in personality and temperment."

"Maybe a little too similar. It's probably the reason we don't really get along. Put two equally stubborn and headstrong people in the same room and there's bound to be trouble."

"True, but I think she's very fond of you." I looked at him in surprise. "Don't give me that look, Tracy. I've known your grandmother from the time your mother was a little girl. There's more to her than you realize. As I'm sure there's more to you than what meets the eye." We drove past the courthouse where the inquiry was to be held. Reporters, camera crews and photographers were crowded outside like a flock of vultures waiting for carrion. "Go around, use the side entrance." Mallory ordered the driver. "Thought you didn't need to go through that." He explained to me as the car turned into an underground garage.

"Thank you for taking me, Mr. Mallory." I said after we got out and began walking to the security checkpoint.

"You're welcome. And don't worry, I know your grandmother won't allow us to destroy MI6's reputation that easily."


I sat in the gallery behind where Grandmother would be sitting. When she came in with Bill and another young woman, they offered me a little smile before sitting down. The young woman sat down next to me. Dressed in a conservative charcoal gray pantsuit, I thought she was pretty with her curly black hair and wide brown eyes. "I trust you're Tracy?" She asked politely.

She must work for Grandmother at MI6. "Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms...?"

"Just call me Eve." She shook my hand. We chatted politely about little things before the hearing was officially called.

True to Mallory's prediction, Grandmother returned the questions with ironclad answers. The worst of the Inquisition, MP Claire Dowar was ruthless. I gripped my arm rests so tightly that the blood seemed to drain out of my fingers and I almost bit my tongue off, holding back the angry words.

Through it all, Mallory watched, a wry smile on his face. After what seemed like forever, Dowar asked Grandmother. "Well, do you have anything to say before we close this inquiry?"

Grandmother took a deep breath and drew herself up like a queen. "Chair, members of the board. Today I've repeatedly heard how irrelevant my department has become. 'Why do we need agents, the Double O section, isn't it all antiquated?' I suppose I see a different world than we do. And the truth is that world frightens me. I'm frightened because our enemies are no longer known to us. They do not exist on a map. They're not nations. They're individuals.

"Look around you. Who do you see? Who do you fear? Do you see a face, a uniform, a flag? No! Our world is not more transparent, it's more opaque! It's in the shadows! That's where we must do battle. So, before you declare us irrelevant let me ask you this. How safe do you feel?"

A hush fell over the air. For once, Dowar looked chastised. Mallory gave a soft nod, silently proud of Grandmother. As she and Bill began gathering up their papers, Grandmother looked up. "Just one more thing to say. My late husband and granddaughter are great lovers of poetry. And some of it sunk in despite my best intentions. Yesterday, as I was getting ready for this inquiry, I remembered this from Tennyson's Ulysses. 'We are not now that great strength which in old days moved Earth and Heaven. That which we are, we are. One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.'"

I mouthed the words along with her, finally understanding my grandmother as she was. A small and fail woman with a heart and resolve as strong as iron. And I couldn't help to not only admire that but also be proud of the woman sitting before me.

BANG! The great doors flew open, crashing against the walls. We all turned to look. Standing there were three police officers. I could hear my grandmother gasp. The lead police officer began firing at the other police in the room. People began screaming and ducking under chairs and tables.

"Get down!" Eve hissed, yanking me down to the floor. Instinctively, I curled into the fetal position and watched helplessly. Because the courthouse didn't allow others to have firearms, I had left my Smith and Wesson back at Bond's flat. I studied the lead officer as he walked closer to Grandmother. He was much bigger than Grandmother in not only height but body. Thick dark blonde hair stuck out from under his cap. His long and pale face held a sadistic grin and his eyes were cold.

It's him...Silva...how the hell did he get out?!

Grandmother held herself up, a grim and determined look set on her face. She was ready to die. "No..." I whispered, wanting to get up and push her out of the way. Eve kept a firm grip on me, keeping me from rushing up and getting shot. Just when I thought it was all over, Mallory pushed Grandmother from behind. BANG! Silva fired at Mallory, striking him in the arm. He fell back, yelling in pain. Bill scooted Grandmother to the other side of the table.

Silva and his goons began firing off another round, striking the response team who had come. I caught the sight of a door off to the side opening quietly. Bond slipped in, holding his Walther PPK. He caught sight of Eve and me hiding by the witness table. Carefully, he slid one of the fallen officer's guns across the floor with his foot. Eve grabbed it, got into a safe position and opened fire.

I don't know what prompted Silva to look in my direction. But he did. Gone was my confidence when those cold eyes looked down at me. I saw nothing but evil in his eyes. He smiled at me, there was something sick and twisted about it. I couldn't move. I couldn't even scream. Come on, Tracy! Get out of there! But it was like I had been frozen.

BANG! Bond fired from his safe position at the doorway. Silva ducked. I took my chance and scrambled to find a new hiding place. Bond grabbed my jacket collar and gently pulled me into the doorway. "Get behind me." He hissed before firing at a fire extinguisher. WHOOSH! The compressed air rushed out, filling the room in a white fog. He fired at another on the other side of the room. More fog filled the room. Now Silva couldn't see a thing.

Using the distraction, Mallory and Bill rushed Grandmother over to us. I fought back the urge to hug her. She wasn't hurt, thank you, God. "Come on, you need to get them of here, Bond." Mallory passed me something and more or less pushed out of the door.

I took a look at what it was he passed me. It was his car keys. "The underground garage. Mallory's letting us borrow his car." I said.

"Remind me to send him a thank you note." Bond said, leading the way to the underground garage. I unlocked the car using the remote. Grandmother and I got into the back, Bond took the driver's seat. "Oh and Miss Draco?" He gave me my Smith and Wesson. "Try not to forget it next time?"

"Not like I could take a gun into the courthouse." I said as the car rushed out of the garage.

"Are you kidnapping us, Bond?" Grandmother said, relieved.

"That's one way to look at it." Bond said, turning into a busy street.

"Ok, I think I need a refresher course. Who is Silva and why does he want revenge on you so badly, Grandmother?" I asked.

Grandmother explained about Raoul Silva, how he was once an agent for MI6 who double crossed the Chinese and how Grandmother more or less turned him in. As I listened, Grandmother gripped my hand comfortingly. It was the first time I ever remember her doing that. "Too many people are dying because of me." She finished sadly.

"If he wants you, he's going to come get you. We've been one step behind Silva from the start. Time to get out into the front, change the game." Bond said.

"And I'm to be the bait?" Grandmother asked. Bond and I passed each other a look in the rearview mirror. I knew he would never put Grandmother in a situation where she was in danger. But we didn't have a choice. "All right." Grandmother sighed. "But just us. No one else."

A call came in on the car phone. "Bond, Tanner told me you're in Mallory's car." It was Q.

"Yes, I've got M and Tracy. I need help. We're about to disappear."

"What?!" Q sounded shocked.

"I need you to lay a trail of breadcrumbs impossible to follow for anyone except except for Silva. Think you can do that?" He asked.

There was a pause before Q whispered. "I'm guessing this isn't strictly official."

"Not even remotely." Bond turned another corner.

"So much for my promising career in espionage." Q mumbled. "Ok, I'll help."

"Thank you, Q." Bond said.

It was also at that moment I decided that was the last time Raoul Silva would see me afraid. I was going to fight back alongside Bond and Grandmother. If it cost my life, so be it.

I wasn't going to give the bastard anymore satisfaction the next time we met.


Bond drove us all throughout London before we finally left the city. Using back roads and major roads, we made way into the port city of Southampton. By this time, the sun had gone down and the car was low on petrol.

We stopped at a rental garage on the end of the city. Grandmother and I got out and followed Bond to a rental unit. "We're not hiding in there if that's your brilliant plan." Grandmother said sarcastically.

"We're changing vehicles. The trouble with company cars is that they've got trackers. We need to get something less conspicuous." Bond opened the garage door and flipped on the lights. Inside was a beautiful silver-birch 1964 Aston Martin DB5. Bond walked up to it, I could see a look of pride in his face. I couldn't help but smile with him.

Grandmother, however, didn't share our enthusiasm. "Oh now, I suppose that's completely inconspicuous." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Get in." Bond said. "Miss Draco, get in first, there's only two doors." He opened one of the doors and pulled down the driver's seat. I did as he said and got inside. Grandmother got in the front passenger seat as Bond replaced the driver's seat. Within seconds, the engine roared to life and we drove out.

Due to primitive shocks, the DB5 bounced on the asphalt road. "It's not very comfortable, is it?" Grandmother mentioned as we went through a light.

Bond flipped up the cover of the stick shift. Inside was a little red button...is that what I think it is? "You going to complain the whole way?" He asked, holding his thumb just above the button. Oh yes, it is.

"Oh, go on then, eject me. See if I care." Grandmother grumbled. After a few seconds, Bond lowered the cover.

"Aw, too bad. I wanted to see Grandmother learn how to fly." I couldn't help but grin ear to ear.

They looked at me through the rearview mirror. I saw the corner of Bond's lip turn into an amused grin. "There's one for the back seat too so don't get cheeky, young lady." Grandmother warned. "Where are we going?"

"Back in time." Bond said as we left Southampton. "Somewhere we'll have the advantage."

We were silent as we drove further north. The further we got into Scotland, the light pollution lessened and I could see more stars. I looked for Sagittarius, the teapot shaped centaur in the sky. Then I remembered that he wouldn't be seen until August.

For the first time in a long time, I remembered the stories Dad told me about the constellations, but Sagittarius was always my favorite because he was an archer like me. When I first competed, Dad and Mom even had a gold pendant shaped like his arrow made for me. It was my lucky charm...where was it? Oh yes, sitting in a jewelry box back in the flat. I hadn't worn it in so long...I guess it reminded me too much of Mom and Dad. I hadn't even practiced archery. They were the ones who encouraged me to take it on.

I was slowly getting tired. I lay down in the backseat, being bounced but still watching the skies. I drifted off.


The next thing I knew, I felt something thick and warm covering me. "...she's sound asleep." I heard Grandmother whispering. Part of me wondered if I was dreaming or half-awake. We had stopped moving. A warm hand rubbed my side gently.

"I often wonder how things could've been different." We started moving again. "Her mother was barely eighteen when she met and fell in love with a man with criminal connections in the States. I was worried about her safety so I forbade the match. Well, the first chance she got, she eloped with him. I never saw or spoke to her again. I kept my eye on them, from a distance of course. But I should've known there was nothing to worry about. They were happily together for eighteen years.

"Teresa was fifteen when her parents died in a road accident. The first time I met her was at the funeral. Understandably, she was a bitter and angry teenager. I was afraid to take her in at first. I was unsure how I could handle being with a granddaughter I barely knew. But Sean insisted...his cancer had been declared terminal. He had months left at most and wanted to spend time with Teresa before he died. I fear that any chance of my granddaughter and me being close died with him."

" And yet you still care about her very much." Bond said as we turned on a slow left curve.

Grandmother made a soft noise, almost like a scoff. "It's hard not to. She's been in my life six years. I see more and more of her mother in her everyday..."

Silence fell back over the car as I slipped into different dreams.


A/N: Again, here we are. I tried to do as much research on Bond's classic Aston Martin DB5 as I could. But I couldn't find out if it was a two seater or five seater (obviously I had to make it a five seater with two in the front and room for three in the back. I'm not great at cars at all, so if there's any problems, please tell me nicely and I'll fix it.

I'm also worried about M's talking to Bond about Tracy's past. Again, any constructive criticism would be much appreciated.