XXV
Music
He found it quite by accident.
James was late for their rendezvous in Edinburgh; the agent was meeting with a turncoat terrorist who was seeking political asylum in England in exchange for anything that MI6 desired of him. Q, meanwhile, was to assist in arranging the informant's escape. Q, to kill time as he waited for James to call him with the meeting location, decided to wander around a city that he had never visited before and even go as far as to look inside buildings that permitted tourists.
The piano was on the third floor of a bookstore, dusty and painfully out of tune when Q tested a few keys. Glancing around to make sure that the floor was deserted, he sat down at the piano bench, wondering if he'd be able to recall the years of piano lessons that he'd neglected once he'd gone to university. His mother had insisted, and he'd obliged her, but he hadn't hated the venture, just ran out of time once he came close to finishing school.
The first notes were hesitant, Q's brow furrowing as he tried to ignore the out-of-tuned sounds as he began to play; it didn't help that he didn't have sheet music and was relying primarily on hazy memory. Then, somehow, he recalled the faint strains of a tune he didn't think he'd ever heard before and found himself attempting to replicate it.
He completely missed James's arrival, only jumping when the agent slid into the seat next to him. "Keep playing," James said even as Q's hands began to still. A hand snaked around Q's waist, keeping a loose grip as Q began to pick up the tune again. James rested his head against Q's own as Q picked up the melody where he left off. "When did you first learn to play?" he asked, voice warm against Q's skin.
"When I was six. Mum wanted me to learn early so that I'd have something to do during the 'wild teenage years'. She needn't have worried, I spent my free time plotting world domination," Q said, grinning as he turned to nuzzle James as his fingers continued to dance across the keys. "I lost time though, to practice when I went to school, and, well, you know how it is with MI6," he said, making eye contact with James and silently marveling at the blue of the other man's eyes.
"World domination as a teen? You started early," James said, playfully nipping Q's earlobe.
"Yes, well, without that plotting, you wouldn't have half of the gadgets you enjoy today," Q said, nudging James playfully with a shoulder. He turned his head to kiss James, and the music stuttered for a moment as James held him in place. Then the music picked up again, Q closing his eyes as he tried to remember the name of this piece.
"What's this one called?" James asked after a moment.
Q shrugged. "I don't entirely know, I must have heard it somewhere and it meant something to me since I can remember the notes, I can see them on the sheet," he said, memories of a darker-lit room of a dingy hotel somewhere swam into his mind. He felt a familiar pang of pride at the completed score followed by a hollow sense of fury and disappointment.
"Q?"
He blinked, and saw James even as he tasted the bitter ash of regret on his tongue, a memory from another lifetime ago. "Sorry, zoned out a bit," he said, placing his hands on his lap in an effort to keep himself from continuing to play. Clearing his throat, he said, "The informant…"
"Is waiting at the hotel," James finished, frowning as he studied Q. "Do you have a means of escape?"
"Yes. Right now, the informant is registered to fly out of Edinburgh Airport for Heathrow tonight. He'll check out of the hotel tonight, and then you'll pick him up as an airport chauffeur. Then you'll drive him to where I'll be waiting, switch cars, and then the three of us will drive back to London," he said, pulling out a disposable mobile and pressing it into James's hand. "You will receive further instructions when you arrive to the airport's car park."
"All right." James pocketed the phone, and started to stand up when he paused, staring intently at Q. Leaning down, he brushed some of Q's hair out of his face and said, "Everything will be fine, this mission is tame compared to what we've done in the past."
"I know, I know." Q stood up to kiss him and then he stepped out from behind the piano bench. He hesitated, and then grasped James's coat lapels for one more kiss before letting the agent go.
Q waited for a few moments, staring at the piano for a moment, his fingers silently and unconsciously tapping the melody against his leg. Then he shook his head and headed for the staircase, mindful that he had to make sure there was enough petrol for the trip home.
A/N: Confession: this one had minor inspiration from Cloud Atlas.