And now, we are back in the present! Yay?
I do not claim to own the James Bond franchise.
TapTap
Alice looked on in half distaste, half bemusement, as accountants were going over something inconsequential, half the double ohs missing even though attendance to the meeting was mandatory for all nine of them.
001 was present and correct, as ever, 008 was present and flirting with half the men present, (also as ever) but Alice's self-chosen big brother, best friend and said friend's wife were all missing, likely linked to them all having disappeared into the showers together after sparring. 005 was there though, looking unhappy, but Alec had seemingly chosen to run for it. At any rate, he wasn't there.
Q sat down heavily at her desk after the hour long meeting - which should have been an email - was finally over and done with. Looking at an email from Kate, she pondered the possibility of inviting her favourite cousin over. James would hardly be home tonight, but she couldn't invite her into the flat, not when it practically had her position written all over in.
She compromised by meeting Kate elsewhere, spending a number of hours at their favourite little cafe. It was a pleasant, lazy night of discussing the various idiocies their relatives had made themselves guilty of recently, and the upcoming Christmas holidays, all to the soundtrack of Christmas music playing and people dropping in carrying bags of gifts, taking a break from shopping.
"So, how's... James?" Kate's face was very sceptic, and Alice made a split second decision. "He's good," she looked at her clock, "possibly still having a threesome with my best friend and her wife, or they might have taken a break by now". She shrugged and took a sip of her tea, looking down but still registering the engineer's startled expression. "He's their only repeat boytoy that I know of. Maybe he's just that good. I can vouch for that he's very comfortable to sleep on..."
"Does he... stray because you're..." Kate bit her lip, obviously struggling here. "No, he's actually single," Alice shrugged, not bothering to explain, and her cousin did not ask for an explanation. She knew their family just as well, after all.
"So, you're really just...?" "Well, James think he's my big brother," Alice smiled, "and we live together. He's a very good roommate - he can cook!" Kate snorted, of course she knew Q couldn't cook to save her life. And she wasn't surprised to her the name "James" so casually referred to - she had guessed that was really his name, after all. She had also seen her usually so timid and reclusive cousin leaning into the man trustingly.
"Life is good for you now then. New family... new friends," Kate noted, remembering the words "best friend" being casually noted as if it was the most natural thing in the world, by someone who was once so alone. Her favourite cousin smiled, and replied simply, "Yes. Very much so".