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I sat at my desk biting my lip. Sitting was better than the pacing I had been doing earlier, but I couldn't focus on anything right now. I kept looking up at Q every few minutes, and every time he never looked up, but always said, "Still nothing." After a few hours of this, I was starting to get anxious, and, frankly, I think I was making everyone in Q Branch feel a little on edge too. At one point Q had to ask me to stop snapping at the interns that were delivering interdepartmental memos and requests. I was only a little stressed. Were we wrong? Had we missed something? Was this exactly what James had planned?

Suddenly Q stopped typing on his computer. "He's on the plane." I looked up, wide-eyed.

"You're certain?" He had to be certain.

"Absolutely. I'm contacting Tanner as we speak," Q said as he typed quickly on his computer.

"Show me." I got up and walked across the room to stand behind him at his desk as he replayed the camera footage for me. There he was. After months of wondering, James was walking onto a plane, and walking back into my life.

I stood back and put my hands on my hips. "Well I guess we'd better get ready, hadn't we?"

"What exactly do we need to do to get ready?" Q said as he turned around in his chair to look at me.

"Well he's going to need a place to stay, and he's likely to need some new clothes."

"Should I look into getting him a hotel reservation?"

I started to walk back to my desk. "Of course not, he'll stay with me."

I turned back around when I heard something knock over from behind me and saw that Q had accidently pushed a stapler off the edge of the desk. Q's face turned red and he quickly picked it up and looked up at me. "You never did tell me how exactly you know 007."

I smiled softly. "We've known each other for a few years. We have a mutual friend."

Q looked slightly embarrassed for a moment. "I hope you don't think me too out of bounds, but what exactly is the nature of your relationship with Bond?"

"He helped me out during a difficult time. He's a really important friend."

Q seemed relieved, which made me smile. I looked at my wristwatch. "What time is James supposed to land?"

"Erm, let me check. . . . If he arrives on schedule, he should land at 8:30 this evening."

"Well, I guess I'd better get going so I can clean up and get things ready for him. I'll need to run a few errands, certainly." I paused and looked at Q. "Is it alright with you if I take off a bit early today?

"Yes, that should be fine. I'm sure we'll be able to manage for an afternoon without you."

I laughed. "I'm not so sure about that. Just try not to burn the place down. Luckily for you half the branch is out on lunch."

Q smirked. "I sent half the branch home after they emailed me saying they were too afraid to come to your desk to submit their work. After they saw you interacting with the interns from HR they decided it would be better to wait."

I sheepishly looked down. "That's fair. I've been pretty anxious."

"Yes, I'd certainly say so. Jane, go home. Do what you need to; 007 will be here soon. I'll be sure to call you when I know more."

Pulling on my coat, I slung my bag over my shoulder and logged out of my computer. I waved goodbye to Q with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." Q, who had an oddly contemplative look on his face, simply nodded in response. I walked out of Q Branch, but before I could get to the exit of MI6, I paused and turned back to Q Branch.

Q looked up, surprised, when I walked back inside. "Forget something, Jane?"

I walked up to Q, bent down, and planted a light kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for helping me when you didn't have to. I know you're busy, and this is just another thing on your plate, so I appreciate this more than I can say. Thank you for trusting me."

Q looked exceedingly flustered. "It's my pleasure. Really."

I smiled. "Alright. I'm leaving for real this time. I'll see you tomorrow." I walked to the doors and turned around to see Q staring at me. "I promise that there isn't anything romantic between me and James if you're worried. However, I'm free for dinner Thursday evening if you need more convincing." With that, I sent a wink towards Q, and started for home.

I was browsing the aisles of the market trying to decide what to buy. Does he drink skim or 2% milk? Does he drink milk? Is he lactose intolerant? I shook my head. No, of course he wasn't lactose intolerant. Just buy the damn milk. I then proceeded to repeat the same process with cereal, coffee, and biscuits. I made a quick stop at a local clothing store to get some spare clothes to hold James over for a few days before heading back to my flat.

"Jack, I'm home!" The grey kitty came sauntering into the kitchen where I was putting things away and I rolled my eyes at his attitude. "Let's get you some food, huh?" I quickly filled up his bowl and scratched his head before getting back to work.

I put everything away, and filled up a watering can. I walked over to the pots where I kept my various herb plants. I liked to make my own tea, and usually the plants were outside on the balcony, but lately it had been too cold and too blustery, so I brought them inside.

I walked around the apartment straightening things up, and making the bed. I did some laundry and made sure there were fresh towels. Eventually I walked to the microwave and threw in a dinner to heat up while I sat down on the couch and looked for something to watch to pass the time.

Around 9 my phone rang. "Q?"

"Hello, Jane. James just cleared customs and is en route to, what I strongly suspect, is M's home."

"Thanks for keeping me updated. I appreciate it."

"Of course," Q said. He paused for a second. "Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need any help or...anything?"

I smiled and bit my lip. "I'm alright. I think I've got everything ready to go."

"Good, good. Just one more quick thing. Do you have any dietary restrictions or preferences?"

"No, why?"

"I've got to impress on the first date, haven't I? Can't take a vegetarian to a steakhouse." I laughed, and was, quite frankly, mildly surprised that he even brought that up. "Take care, Jane. Please call if you need anything."

"I will. Goodnight, Q."

I hung up the phone, and leaned back on the couch. Jack jumped into my lap and stared at me expectantly. He began to purr as I pet him, and I turned my attention back to the television. At 10 I got a message from M telling me that James had left her home. I began to get a bit anxious again. At 10:20 I started to pace, and at 10:33 I heard a soft knock at the door.

I flung the door open to see James standing there with his blue eyes shining brightly against his ragged appearance. He had a small smile on his face as he walked into my flat and dropped his bag on the ground.

"Hello, Jane. It's been a while."

My eyes felt moist as I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. "James, I hope you enjoyed retirement because you're never allowed to do that again."

He stroked my hair and chuckled. I could feel the deep rumble in his chest and it was wonderfully comforting. "I promise." He stepped back from me, and I wiped my eyes.

"Do you need to eat? Are you tired? Want some coffee?"

"All I need's a shower and a place to sleep."

"Well luckily I've been expecting you. Arrangements are all the same as usual."

He smiled at me. "Perfect." Jack rubbed against his leg, and James bent down to scratch his head. "Still have that damn cat I see."

"I know you've got a soft spot for Jack." I said as I walked into the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee.

I turned around to see Jack lying on his back purring. I could faintly hear James whispering to him. "Hey there, pussy. Miss me?"

"I'm really glad you're home, James. I missed you. You're all I've got."

James stood up. "You know I couldn't have stayed away forever."

"Not forever, no. But you certainly stayed away too long for my liking."

"Well I don't plan on leaving again without contact." He walked over to me and grabbed my coffee, helping himself to a long sip. I rolled my eyes. "I think I will take some coffee. I'm certain that I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and I'm sure Q Branch is as messy as ever." He started walking down the hall towards the spare room. "How's the new Quartermaster?"

I couldn't help but smile a little bit thinking of Q and his perpetual bedhead. "I'm sure you'll meet him soon. He's quite special." James turned to raise an eyebrow at me. "Goodnight, James."

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