I'm sorry for the cliff-hanger, *Cough* Enjoy!


He felt dizzy, like he'd hit his head and only just woken up. He couldn't quite comprehend what Eve meant.

He didn't turn back as she walked out the flat and down the corridor with Eve at his side.

'What do we know?' he asked her sharply

'Not much, she was brought in with a man, we got a call from headquarters as and headed to the hospital, but the doctor won't pass on any information about her condition. We need to get to the hospital incase' She swallowed hard and Bond turned a hugged her tightly, probably as much for himself as her.

She had a taxi waiting for them and it took them quickly over to St. Mary's where Moneypenny led him straight up to the private section. Tanner was standing midway down the corridor and they both practically ran to him.

'Where is she?'

'In the room at the end'

Looking down the corridor Bond could see the familiar face of a security guy Bond had seen regularly but couldn't remember the name of, standing guard on the door. He walked up but the guard acknowledged him with an apologetic smile.

'Don't ask mate. You want in, you need to speak to her'

Bond's vision followed the direction the man was pointing and fell on a tall, rather skinny doctor in their mid 40's glaring at him.

'You here to see Olivia?' she barked as she squared her shoulders and stormed straight up to Bond, without a fear in the world.

'Yes... Are you aware of who she is?' Bond asked, already pissed off he couldn't see her.

'It's why I'm here. Amanda Wearing' She introduced herself coldly

'Bond, James Bond' he shook her hand, Amanda trying to crush Bond's to assert the control

'You haven't told us anything, what's going on?' Bond asked, trying to stay calm but angry at being kept in the dark.

'My protocol is to only inform her next of kin, unluckily she has no contact for one, all we can go on is the information of the man found in the car with her' Bond moved so he could look through the open door the Doctor was pointing at, he felt a sense of satisfaction seeing Greg, unconscious and attached to several machines, looking so broken and weak. However seeing him in that condition made him dread what M's would be, whether she could pull herself through it.

'Excuse me?'

Dr. Wearing snapped him back to the conversation and Bond glanced at her before eyeing both Eve and Bill who were standing behind the doctor.

'Frankly, I have no clue who I inform on her condition and I am unsure exactly who to trust anyway regarding her wellbeing.'

Bond knew what the doctor was referring to and knew Eve and Tanner were listening intently.

'This man is her husband, Greg Mansfield, they have a daughter in Leeds called Lucy, you could call her, she is the closest living relative' He breathed in, calming himself 'Can we go somewhere private?'

'Your colleague already informed us you work together and have her interests at heart but from what I've seen, she was'

'I know' Bond said abruptly, refusing to let this idiot spill her personal life to the others, however close they may be. 'I know' he repeated softly 'We need to discuss this somewhere private?' His eyes flickered to the others before boring into the Doctors eyes.

Amanda stared hard at him for a minute, weighing her options, she turned and marched halfway down the corridor and opened her office. Turning, she inclined her head to him; once he was in the office she shut the door and circled the desk.

'Let's be frank, Olivia may die tonight'

Bond bit down hard and closed his eyes, feeling the pain of having the full brunt of all his fears now confirmed. He swallowed hard and looked back up,

'What happened?' he asked, trying to be calm and detached like he was on mission,

She stared at him again then ignored his question and asked her own,

'Who caused the bruises?' She asked calmly

'Greg' he spat his name out, anger bubbling close to explosion, Amanda only nodded.

'And you were aware of what she was going through?' Bond winced

'Yes'

'And you did nothing' the doctors anger was unsuppressed, a stark contrast that took him by surprise, triggering a flare of anger.

'I tried!' Bond nearly shouted, 'I gave her options out, I gave her a place to stay, I… I tried' he knew the doctor believed him, but the guilt had already set in.

'Are her...' his voice broke and he swallowed again, composing himself again

'Has he put her here?' He asked quietly

'Not intentionally. They were involved in a car crash, on the Harrow road bridge over the Paddington Branch Canal, the car ended up going through the barrier and fell into the river'

Bond's head snapped up

'The car was only partially submerged, due to works they are on the locks and there were a number of witnesses that called it in and assisted in getting them out, Greg was unconscious and Olivia while being stable at the scene fell into a coma while being brought here. The MRI scan revealed she hit her head and has mild conclusion. No real swelling of the brain or brain damage from what we can tell, she has cracked ribs and numerous superficial injuries but I cannot differentiate between those caused by the accident and those caused by… Our main concern is if she doesn't wake, until she does we have no understanding of her mental state. All I can tell you is her condition is serious but fairly stable; we won't know the full extent of damage until she wakes up… If she wakes up'

Bond rubbed his jaw hard

'What state is Greg in?'

'Worse than Olivia, the car was crushed on his side, he has a broken leg and internal bleeding; he underwent emergency surgery and is stable, for now. It is vital we call their daughter, I am unsure how much time they may have, they are fairly old, sometimes they might not have the fight they need to recover, I would recommend that the family come as soon as possible.'

'Was he drunk?'

'His blood work hasn't come in yet, so i cannot comment'

'Can we see her?' He pleaded as she moved back to the door,

'Let me call her daughter first' with that she disappeared down to the nurse station and began explaining the situation to the nurse.

Bond looked around and saw Tanner standing a doorway Bond assumed was the family waiting room. As Bond approached he stormed up to him and pushed Bond back against the wall, taking him completely by surprise.

'Bill' He pushed himself back up and towered over the other man, his anger near breaking point,

'What did you do?' Tanner demanded,

'Me! What… I didn't do anythi…'

'Something happened Friday. She refused to talk to anyone, even the PM. She cried in front of Eve. She was devastated the entire day' Bond jaw tightened, 'She told Roy she wouldn't be in Saturday, no one could contact her and then I get a call from MI6 saying she's been brought into hospital!'

'Her and Greg were in a car crash' He gritted out

'Greg? When did M have a husband? And what the hell happened Friday?'

'We argued, she was going back to him and I… I tried to convince her to stay' He said quietly,

'If you have an affair you have to be prepared for them to leave' Tanners righteous tone made Bond want to kill him,

'It was not like that!' He spat 'You told me you knew her life was difficult, that you could tell but you never asked. Well maybe if you would have you may have understood what he was putting her through, what she had to go home to each night. And then maybe you would have tried to stop her' Eve appeared at their side, looking weary.

'James, what's happened? Will she be okay?'

Bond and Tanner shot each other a look that clearly said this conversation wasn't over but they both moved to the waiting room and Bond explained what Dr. Wearing had told him.

'Why would they have been driving over there anyway? Why hadn't she called for the car like usual' Eve questioned tearfully,

'She left her phone at home.' Tanner mentioned, 'She never leaves without her phone, part of the M protocol'

They fell into a silence as they all pondered M's condition; the doctor entered and approached the three of them

'We've called Lucy, luckily her partner was still awake. They are on their way now although it will take them 3 hours at least to get here. I have considered your request James and we will allow you to see Olivia however when the family do arrive you will need to back off, this is not strictly conventional but… It may help her to hear voices she knows. I hope you are aware though' She addressed the other two aswell, 'She does not look well. Before I show you to her room however you will need to fill these out' She handed over forms to each of them which Bond huffed and turned to argue before Eve piped up,

'These are MI6 forms James so don't dispute it'

They filled the forms out quickly as Tanner and Eve both asked their own questions regarding the accident, Bond stayed quiet, mulling things over in his brain, as soon as the forms were completed they followed the doctor down the corridor, she nodded to the guard and he stood aside. They practically flew into the room, where the wall of shock hit them all, there she lay, their strong, determined boss, lying weak and small in a bed surrounded by machines. Her face was marred, there were several cuts which had required butterfly stitches and the colour was almost completely gone.

Bond approached shakely, collapsing into the chair beside her bed as he felt the tears in his eyes. He held her hand and kissed it, noticing the cuts across it and the knuckles which were bruised. Nobody said anything, Tanner stood in the corner with his arms wrapped around Eve, neither had dry eyes.

Bond swallowed hard, fighting to say what was needed, 'Grace' he choked out, struggling to maintain composure, he knew the others were looking on, but he didn't care 'Don't let this be goodbye, I need you… Please, Fight and come back to me, Darling…Please.' He stood from the seat to stroke her cheek, trying to avoid the sore cuts that peppered her skin. He whispered to her, his lips close to hers 'You're safe Gracie, just fight… I love you.' He kissed her softly and fell back into the chair, holding her hand tightly and rubbing the sore knuckles with his thumb.

They stayed like that for close to an hour, just watching and waiting. A nurse came in to take down her vitals but none of them seemed to notice very much. Tanner finally said he was going down to get some proper coffee and maybe some food, he asked Bond who only shook his head and Eve offered to accompany him. They left and Bond was left alone in the clinical, dark room.

He turned her hand, laying the palm flat while making sure not to disrupt the IV in the crook of her elbow; he kissed her wrist and began to draw shapes across her skin. He watched his hand skate across her skin, the tears returned to his eyes and he allowed them to fall.

'Ohh Gracie… I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. Don't leave me' He kissed her palm again,

'It shouldn't have been like this, I should have held you and wrapped you up so nothing could have hurt you, I should have protected you better. You don't deserve to be here, you don't deserve any of it.' He allowed the pain and fear and regret to release itself into the surroundings something he was sure only her being in that situation could bring out. When Eve and Tanner came back he stood and began to pace, he felt a fidgety energy at not being able to do anything or help, both tried to start conversation but he was that distracted that his answers didn't make sense. He felt Tanner's hand on his shoulder,

'Go get some coffee.' He said firmly,

'I'm not leaving her.' He argued

'The walk will do you good, just take 10 minutes. It will help.'

Bond thought about arguing but instead nodded and walked out of the room. He didn't go for coffee, he paced the corridor instead, breathing deeply and hardly focusing on those around him. He stopped by Greg's door, looking in that the elderly man lying there, how could someone so evil look so normal. Bond looked down the corridor, the doctor was somewhere else and M's guard was looking down at the floor, he made a flash decision and stepped into the room and shut the door. He approached the bed slowly, keeping the rage he felt under tap. He stood silently, hands gripping the bed post just to keep his hands from finding Greg's neck. He waited there a long time debating what to say.

'you are one malicious bastard for what you put her through'' he finally spoke, his voice dangerous but calm 'Do you have any idea the damage you've caused her, so you can have your sick fill? How can you enjoy it? You treat her like nothing and yet you demand so much! She deserves to be loved, to be treasured and treated like a god damn queen. I want to treat her like she deserves until I die. Whether that's this week, next month or in 30years I will show her everything you took away from her. She is still beautiful and desirable and you looked straight past that. You felt that you weren't enough, and instead of working to keep her you forced yourself onto her, countless times'

Bond huffed and twisted his hands around the metal pole he was clutching,

'If you survive this I will make you pay for everything you have done to hurt her. I will make you feel as much pain and humiliation as you made her feel and I will take as much pleasure as you indulged yourself. I will make your life Hell because that is what you did to her. And when I find out exactly what happened in the last 24hours I may kill you before you're even conscious but mark my words, you will Never, Ever lay another hand on her'

He turned his back and left the room, moving back to M's doorway. He moved back to his seat beside her and took her hand, he considered the others in the room, who had been quiet and supportive.

'We need to make arrangements with work, Bill get on the phone to the PM, we need a stand-in while she recovers. Eve, find the doctor; see if she has any more news on what happened.' His tone was businesslike and numb, and neither argued with him, they needed something to keep them distracted. As soon as they left Bond reached up to M's face and kissed her lips hard.

'Come on Grace. Remember. Remember how it feels when it's just , how you can feel when you know someone loves you because I love you so much… And if you go, I might just have to follow you. Please, please come back to me.'

The others entered and disappeared, relaying information and making sure he was okay. He sat with her in silence for almost another hour before he heard a voice he didn't recognize, but instantly identified in the corridor, they were arguing with the security guard on the other side.

'Please, she's my mother! If you'd done your job she wouldn't be here!' Came the tearful female plea, he heard the muffled argument of the guard and stood angrily, he rushed to the door, opening it and surprising both the guard and the couple Bond didn't know. Bond looked into the face of the younger women, she had so many of M's features but her eyes were the same as Greg's.

'Lucy?' She nodded

'Bond?' He pulled her into the room, with the other man close behind. Bond squared up to the guard as he attempted to argue.

'They don't have forms!'

'Then get them.' Bond snarled and shut the door

Lucy had already moved to M's side and was crying into the shoulder of the man Bond assumed was her boyfriend, even he looked stricken and worried. The doctor entered and gave Bond a glare before turning to Lucy and introducing herself,

'Before we move on, you need to fill these in.' she said apologetically, 'Part of your mothers protection'

'How are their conditions?' Lucy sniffled,

'The same as before, we're still waiting on blood reports, your fathers blood pressure keeps dropping but Olivia seems quite stable. As I explained on the phone until either wake up we will not know the full extent of damage.'

The doctor went on a little longer, explaining various outcomes and how they would treat them, Bond looked at Lucy, she had quite a bump on her and Bond assumed she must be about 5 months gone by the size of her. She rested the hand that wasn't holding M's on it almost by default. She looked tired and worried, but she carried herself well and stood strong, he saw how she had inherited her mother's spirit.

'Can we see my father?' She asked when the Doctor had explained all she could about M's situation

'Yes, of course. Follow me' they walked to the door before Lucy turned to Bond,

'You work with her don't you? I know what she does and what you do too. I know i shouldn't but, she's mentioned you a few times, I just wanted to say. Thanks for being here with her, I wouldn't have wanted her alone, if anything had happened.' She turned to follow the doctor and went to see Greg, Bond stayed put where he was looking at M lying there, swallowing hard.

'She's definitely your girl Grace, and she'd going to have a little one soon, you want to meet them don't you, you need to fight so you can see you first grandchild, because that baby will be so excited to meet you!' He kissed her hand again, nuzzling his face against her palm, her felt colder than before.

There was a knock on the door and Eve entered,

'The Doctor wants to speak to us all'

'I don't want to leave her' He said, his voice cracking as he squeezed her hand, 'Eve… If she dies… I, I won't…' She moved around to him and hugged him, pulling his head to her shoulder in an almost motherly gesture

'Shh, shh. She's not going anywhere, just give her time.' They sat like that for a minute until Bond regained his composure,

'I'm sorry' He began,

'Don't. I understand. Could you imagine if it was Bill there, I'd be inconsolable' She flicked a few tears away, 'And you'd be here, it's what we do.'

He nodded and turned back to M, squeezing her hand and offering a silent 'I'll be back'. Everyone was in the waiting room with the doctor, Bond stood leaning against the wall between the sofas. Eve and Tanner on one, and Lucy and her boyfriend, whose name he couldn't remember, sat on the other.

The doctor began to explain the treatment options for both and the ricks and factors to consider if a decision needed to be made quickly, halfway through M's a high pitched prolonged beeping began to fill the room, Amanda looked down to her pager,

'Shit' she murmured and took off out of the room and down the corridor, the others in hot pursuit, with Bond and Lucy in the lead. There was more noise in the corridor, a collection of running feet, whirling machines and shouts between the nurses, fear filled him as they moved further and further down the corridor, Amanda turned into Greg's room, Bond caught Lucy as she tried to get in the room and nurses bustled around them, yelling instructions and demands in some organised chaos. He held her up and tried to calm her as her boyfriend caught her around the waist and pulled her back against him, she turned in her arms and buried her face in his neck, still holding Bond's top as he stood in front of her, blocking her view into her father's room. They ushered Lucy over to the side of the corridor where she sobbed into his neck, Bond pulled away and stood in the hallway, watching with cold resolve as they tried, and failed, to save Greg Mansfield: He was pronounced dead at 2348 due to a stroke brought on by trauma to the brain.

He stood against the wall staring at the ground, the doctor and nurses were working quickly and efficiently around they, explaining what had happened and offering their condolences, most of them moved back into the family room but he didn't notice, just stood thinking. Greg was dead, but M still wasn't safe. Bond felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Eve with a coffee for him, he took it gratefully and moved back towards the seating area. Tanner stood by the window, looking deep in thought. As Bond sat on the sofa, that was unoccupied, he watched as Eve approached Bill and touched his elbow, the touch was so different to the one she had given him in the hall, and the touch lingered there as Tanner turned his head to face her, he watched as words he couldn't make out were exchanged and felt a stab of misery as Tanner wrapped his arm around Eve's waist and they held each other tightly. This was then amplified when he looked over to Lucy who was still crying into her boyfriend's shirt as he rubbed his hand across her stomach, tears in his own eyes at the pain the woman he loved was feeling. They all had each other to hold them and keep them strong, he had no one, and the only someone he would want was the one whose life was balanced on a knife blade.


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