When James Met Emma - Part 8

Summary: When M debriefs Bond on his test results, they both decide on a fresh start, which leaves M wondering if Bond has an ulterior motive.

Two days had passed since the incident with the CCTV footage and M had tried to forget about it ever since. The task had proven easier than what she had hoped for, thanks to the endless packing she had been doing in preparation for moving into her new penthouse. Tanner had offered to help, and she didn't take much convincing to agree to his offer.

When he came into her office, to inform her that he had managed to secure a viewing for later that evening, she felt once again in control of her life. If Tanner had suspected anything was wrong, he didn't voice his concerns for which she was thankful. She didn't want to explain to him what she had just witnessed or her feelings about how she felt as if Bond had just cheated on her with an agent. No, it was better if Tanner remained in the dark, she didn't want or need his pity.

She had been looking forward to the viewing of the penthouse, much so that when she saw it, she instantly fell in love with it. It was more than what the printout had shown or detailed. She didn't have to think twice about taking it, and now she was preparing for the move in two day's time. Everything was going well, she hadn't seen Bond since their little encounter, but now she felt the same dread creep into her stomach as she watched the clock slowly tick by, waiting for it to reach noon when she would have to debrief Bond on his results.

M had considered giving his file to Tanner to deal with, but she wasn't giving Bond the satisfaction of thinking he had got to her. She was determined to get through this debriefing, after all, it shouldn't last long. He had passed all the tests and was more than capable of being a Double-0, even though she had noted in the comments by 002 that he was prone to distraction, especially when Toner was in the vicinity. That piece of information didn't surprise her in the least; she had quite a few complaints from Carter as well about the recruit when she had debriefed him earlier along with Anderson. She had only Bond and Toner left to debrief before she could finally head home and finish the rest of her packing.

The knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts, as she told them to enter already knowing who It was.

"Ma'am." Bond gave her a nod of his head in acknowledgement as he closed the door behind him.

"Bond, take a seat and we can get this over with."

Not questioning her, he did as she ordered. Once seated, he gazed over at her, seeing her expressionless face, but there was an aura of what could only be described as calmness around her. He had expected at least some hostility from her, but she merely crossed her hands in front of her.

"I'll try and make this quick, as I have Toner's debrief to get through afterwards."

"Ma'am."

"Congratulations, Bond. You've passed the initial training stage though I'm sure you already knew you would."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Although, it has been reported by 002 that you are prone to distractions from time to time, especially when working alongside Mr Toner."

"Forgive me, Ma'am, but who is 002?" Bond asked confused, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.

"002, is one of the best female agents I have, and goes by the name of Laura, who also happened to be your evaluator." She looked down at the file, to hide her smile.

That certainly put a new twist on his plan; it seemed M had been two steps in front after all. He had hoped his little interlude with Laura would make M jealous should she find out, but it seemed it all of it had been planned from the start.

"I see. Well, I guess your little plan worked, M. You win this round."

Her head snapped up at hearing his statement, "I have no idea what you mean, Bond."

It was his turn to give her a smile, as she tried to feign innocence on the matter. "You planned this from the start, hoping if you put three female evaluators in that room that I would forget about…"

"I told you not to mention that night ever again Bond!" She warned him.

"Apologises, Ma'am. But I'm right aren't I?"

M narrowed her eyes, "I'm not discussing this."

"And you're avoiding the question, so I take that as a yes. You can relax, M. Whatever happened between us that night, you were right. I guess I just was caught up in the heat of the moment. I truly am sorry for my behaviour and I hope you can forgive me. For real this time."

"Why the change of heart, Bond?" She asked wondering if he was up to something.

"It was like you said, It would never work, and I can see now that your job will always come first. I just want a clean slate between us if we are to be working together."

M gave him a calculating look, before agreeing to his terms. "All right, apology accepted, for real this time. And I accept your offer to a clean start, but that doesn't mean I won't be keeping a close eye on you, Bond."

"Thank you, Ma'am and I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Very well. Is there anything you wish to discuss before I call this meeting to a close?"

"There is one matter, Ma'am and it regards Toner."

M inwardly groaned, was there not anyone in this building who didn't have a complaint about Toner whenever they came in contact with him?

"And what is this complaint, Bond?"

"It may just be me, but it seems he won't take this job seriously, and he may not only put himself at risk but others as well when he is out in the field. Then there is the fact t put it bluntly, I don't trust him."

M had a feeling that this was going to be the case, "You aren't the only one with that issue Bond. It has been brought to my attention on more than one occasion in the past few days."

"Just be cautious around him, Ma'am. It may not be my place to say…"

"I appreciate your concern, Bond. I have Tanner and 002 keeping a watchful eye on him. If he is up to something, we will know about it. Now, if that's everything, Bond. You will call at work tomorrow at ten sharp for your first mission. You will be paired with Carter. The two of you seem to get on rather well."

"He's a good kid. A bit nervous, but he will make a suitable agent."

"I know, which is why I paired him with you. Just don't teach him your other habits." She gave him a smile.

"Understood Ma'am." Bond rose from his seat and made his way towards the door.

"Bond."

He turned towards her, seeing the smile still on her face. "I trust you will make sure you both come back alive."

Bond gave her a smile in return, "Ma'am."

M watched him leave, wondering what on earth had just happened. She had expected the same cocky recruit she had met days ago, not the sensible one she had met here today. Perhaps this could work after all.

Putting Bond's file in the top drawer of her desk, she reached over for Toner's and placed it in front of her. If Bond was even complaining about him, then something was wrong. She didn't know what it was, but he had passed all his tests and she couldn't rule him out as another possible candidate for a Double-0 jut because people didn't seem to get along with him.

There was no evidence to go on, other than a few speculations and observations from Tanner, Carter, 002 and Bond. Anderson had surprisingly remained quiet about the man, then again it did seem him and Toner got along well. M wondered if she would need to keep an eye on Anderson as well. They weren't even on missions as of yet, and she already doubted her trust in both Anderson and Toner.

She would keep Toner on as a recruit, that way she could keep a closer eye on him, and his activities. If he were up to something, she would find out and put an end to it. Then there was Bond; she wondered what had come over him. He had found out about her plan in the end, but she had suspected he would at some point, just not this soon. She had meant what she told Bond; she would be keeping a close eye on him as well. It wouldn't surprise her if he were up to something that concerned them, but she would worry about Bond's behaviour later. She would enjoy not having to worry about Bond chasing after her for the time being. She could now put their little encounter behind her without worrying about the repercussions. While she had hoped he would, at least, put up a fight, a part of her was just elated that this whole mess between her and Bond was at least over for now.

/*\*/*\

Fifteen minutes later Toner walked out of M's office after his debriefing with a smug smile on his face. He was finally recruited as an agent and maybe a possible candidate for a Double-0 if his low-key missions were a success. He had been paired with Anderson, which worked even better in his favour. Anderson would be easy to manipulate, compared to Carter and Bond.

He had a feeling Bond could cause him problems further down the line, but none more so than M. He saw the distrust in her eyes, as she debriefed him on his results. He would need to keep a close eye on her. She could ruin everything they had worked so hard to accomplish. If she were a threat, then he would make sure she was taken care of, and anyone else who stood in his way.

Leaving headquarters, he walked along Vauxhall Bridge and pulled out his mobile from his coat pocket.

Pressing one on his call dial, he waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"Dryden."

"I'm in, but I sense M doesn't trust me. It will be difficult to obtain what we need if she will be watching my every move."

"M always has been too observant for her own good. Is there anyone who can help you?"

"There is one person who may be of use; another recruit called Anderson. He will be easy to manipulate. Bond and Carter, however, they already seem loyal to M. They won't be swayed so easily."

"They aren't a concern for the time being. If you can get Anderson on your side, then that's all that matters. As soon as you retrieve any government information from their servers I want you to pass it on to me. The sooner White gets what he wants, the sooner we can get the money and be done with him and his little organisation."

"Understood, Sir."

"Oh and Toner. You had best not fail me. If White doesn't get what he wants both of our lives are on the line."

"What about M? If she finds out…"

"If she does, take care of her. I'm sure White will be glad you have taken her out of the equation."

"Very well. I will be in contact in the next coming weeks."

"Watch your back Toner, and be careful who you trust. One wrong move and all of this will have been for nothing."

"Very well, Sir."

Hearing the dial tone, Toner hung up the call, placed his phone back in his coat pocket and decided to meet up with Anderson for that drink. He would make sure their plan was a success; failure wasn't an option. Toner had no idea what White wanted with government Intel, but whatever it was, it would ultimately bring the downfall of MI6.

/*\*/*\

Bond thought back to his meeting with M, and couldn't help but smile at how well the events had played out. He should have known M would have appointed a Double-0 agent as his evaluator. His conversation with Laura started to make sense, he just never put two and two together at the time. It was a rookie mistake on his part, but one he didn't regret either.

He was just thankful that they had managed a truce between them for the time being. No matter how far down the future, his feelings for her wouldn't change or disappear. But he would wait until she was ready to accept a relationship with him. That didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy, seeing her trying to figure out if he was up to something whenever they were alone.

As he opened the door to his apartment, he tossed his keys on the coffee table and poured himself a drink. Taking the glass, he sat on the brown leather couch and took a quick drink of his whisky drinking it one swallow. He couldn't shake the unsettling feeling about Toner. He dreaded the thought of that man being alone with M. If Toner posed a threat, he would gladly take care of him should a situation arise. He wouldn't let anything to happen to her. He would never be able to live himself if that were the case.

Although M had informed him that she had the matter covered, he decided he would keep his own eyes on the man. Not because he didn't trust Tanner or 002, but he would feel safer knowing should Toner try anything or threaten M, he could kill the bastard and be done with him.

Finishing his drink, he put the empty glass on the table and lay back closing his eyes as he thought about M. She remained a mystery to him; he didn't even know her real name or anything about her persona life. He would need to find that out at some point, but for now, it could wait.

As Bond felt himself drift off into a light sleep, he wondered what the future held for him and M. Whatever it was, he was determined to prove to her that she was the only woman for him. It didn't matter if he didn't know her actual name, or that she was his boss, because to him, she would always be his Emma.

Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this short story, I really appreciate it. This was the last part to this tale. I may continue this as a separate story in the future, but for now I hope you enjoyed the ending. :D