I was going to post this last night, but unfortunately a small matter of the football got in the way. I am, of course, devastated by England crashing out of Euro2004.

Much thanks to Io for reading this through for me before hand.

Working late at MI6 was a common occurrence. There were far too many people there whose lives simply revolved around their work. Sometimes it was easier to simply stay late, and arrive early, rather than face the emptiness, and the loneliness of their homes. At work there was a sense of forced family, a sense of belonging. Colleagues were the closest things to friends.

It had been late when Ashleigh had left her desk and headed for the gym in the basement of the building. She nodded at those she recognised before losing herself in the intense workout that had been coordinated for her.

As she pulled and stretched on the rowing machine, she was amused to find herself mentally counting in Italian. Too many recordings, she laughed to herself. She had thrown herself into the translations, but the days seemed endless, and had begun to blend into each other. The gym was the way of regaining some sort of sanity at the end of the day. Or evening, she realised, checking the time on her watch, although even that description was pushing it.

Quickly she showered, dressed, and made her way through the winding corridors towards the car park.

Her car was on the far side of the near empty car park. Even though most agents liked to leave late, this was beyond that. The car park was in near darkness, as she began her traipse along row after row.

She didn't notice the official marked car, or if she did, she didn't pay attention to it.

'Agent Kain.'

Turning, she saw the rear door was open. She recognised the voice.

'Sir?'

'Get in the car, Kain.'

Ashleigh hesitated, looking around the empty carpark. Her own car was parked less than twenty metres away.

'Yes, sir.'

The sign of a good agent was that they obeyed when they were ordered.

Ashleigh had been born in London. She had lived there until she was eleven years old when she had left for school in the rolling, lush, green countryside of South West, but she had always returned to London and her home for the holidays. When her father had died, she had stayed in the West Country, until she had finished school. Even then it had seemed too soon to return to the capital city she still thought of as home. So she had applied for university in Bath, and for three happy years she had been content in the ancient Cathedral city. Returning to London had been strange, but she had felt as if she had come home.

Staring at the familiar sights from the back of M's official car though, the city felt alien and strange. Her skin prickled with tension, she clenched and unclenched her hands as they were driven over one of the many bridges over the Thames. The water looked like ink in the darkness, glittering with thousands of reflected light.

'You're keeping well, Kain?' M asked, staring out of the window on her side.

'Yes, sir.'

'Good. And the translating?'

'Almost complete, sir.'

'Excellent.'

Silence fell again. It seemed easier to simply stare out of the window than to attempt more polite conversation. M would speak when she felt ready, she would just have to wait. Whitehall; half covered in scaffolding, reared over the river proudly. Ashleigh stared up at the illuminated walls, trying to ignore the feeling of dread that settled somewhere just beneath her rib cage.

'This is for you,' M held out a large manila envelope to Ashleigh.

Curious, Ashleigh made to tear it open, but M stopped her. 'Not yet. Listen to me first.'

Ashleigh nodded mutely, her fingers tracing over the sharp corners of the envelope.

'You've been on my mind for some time, Agent Kain. I find myself asking myself the same question over and over again. But before I can answer that, I have to ask you something.'

'Anything, sir.'

M turned to face her at last, the headlight of oncoming cars picking up the silvery highlights in her close cropped hair. 'How badly do you want to be a double 0 agent?'

'Sir?' Ashleigh frowned. 'You know I want that promotion.'

'Do you?' Shrewd blue eyes glinted in the dim light.

Ashleigh bit her lip and turned away from the penetrating stare.

How badly did she want it? The New Year had brought changes that she had never expected, most of all within herself.

'I don't know, sir.' The admission crept slowly from her.

M nodded as if she had been expecting the answer. Carefully she crossed her legs in the narrow space behind the passenger seat, and smoothed her skirt over her knees. Ashleigh gripped the envelope tighter.

'When I informed you of your leave of absence, I fully intended to make good on my promise. If you were still set on that course of action, then I would be ordering your assessment right now. But you're not, are you?'

'No.' Why lie any longer? The nagging suspicion that had been growing since Russia had finally manifested itself. She didn't want that life. She didn't want the loneliness of that life. Perhaps, in his own selfish way, Dan had been right.

'Have you given any thought to what you were going to do instead?'

'I hadn't thought that far yet, sir.' Ashleigh coloured in the shadows.

M paused thoughtfully. 'What I say next, Agent Kain, is entirely off the record.'

'Yes, sir.'

'We currently are in contact with a man who is an extremely valuable asset to our organisation. His identity is known only to those with the highest security clearance. At this moment in time, he is attempting to infiltrate the network of an underground arms dealer with potential terrorist connections. Unfortunately, we have reason to believe that his cover has been blown, and we require an agent to assist in getting him out.'

'Yes, sir.'

'If you accept this mission, Kain, then I'll discharge you from MI6.'

Ashleigh gave a gasp of pain as her hands slipped, the edge of the envelope slicing quickly into the soft pad of her finger. 'Sir?' she protested.

'Before you try and sue me for unfair dismissal, I suggest you continue to listen to me. This is the matter of the utmost importance. If this man is terminated then we lose an extremely important contact. But there is more than that,' M's voice softened, and dropped to a hushed whisper. 'You and I stand to lose someone, that for some strange reason or another, we both care about. Open the envelope, Ashleigh.'

Puzzled, but intrigued, Ashleigh slid her finger under the seal and tore the envelope open. There were a series of documents inside, along with several photographs. She tilted them towards the window so she could see them in the harsh glare of the streetlights.

M watched as the blood drained from the younger woman's face. After several moments, Ashleigh slowly laid the photographs on the seat between them.

'I don't want anything more to do with that man.'

'That's a shame,' M said lightly, examining the top photo. 'Because he certainly wanted to see you again.'

'You've seen him?' There could be no denying the way her face lit up.

'Three days ago.'

'And he asked for me? He definitely asked for me?'

M paused. It would be wrong to mislead her. But at the same time, if it made Ashleigh more agreeable to the idea then surely a small white lie would be forgiven in the greater scheme of things. 'Yes. He asked for you.'

Ashleigh couldn't hold back her smile. Frightened what she might admit to if she opened her mouth, she simply sat and watched the strangely empty streets of Westminster as they slipped past.

The smile faded suddenly. 'I still don't understand one thing, sir. Why will you discharge me if I accept this?'

'Our mutual friend is a law onto himself, as I'm sure you know. While he is co-operating now, and has agreed to co-operate in the future, I want to make sure that he sticks to his side of the agreement. A constant MI6 presence should do that. I need more than just surveillance though. I need someone who knows him. Someone who can get close to him.'

'You're asking me to spy on him,' Ashleigh said in an appalled whisper. 'I can't do that. I won't do that.'

'I will be discharging you officially from MI6. Unofficially, you will be working directly for me. If I give you an order, you will obey it.' The coldness in M's tone left little room for argument. 'Your complete orders are contained within that envelope, along with your travel documents.'

'Yes, sir.' Ashleigh glanced down at the envelope, the stark whiteness stained by a smear of blood from her finger, and then outside once more. They were no longer in the heart of the city, but travelling north through increasingly suburban streets. Streets that Ashleigh was beginning to recognise.

'It's quite simple,' M continued in her brisk, efficient tone. 'If you accept the assignment, then you'll proceed in accordance with your orders. However, if you present yourself in my office at 8am on Monday morning, then I shall immediately recommend that you begin your assessment for 00 status.'

'So if I'm not there...'

'Then I'll accept that as your official resignation from the service.'

They had stopped. Confused, Ashleigh saw they were on her street. 'Oh,' she murmured.

'You have time to consider your options. Choose carefully, Kain.'

'Yes, sir.' She seemed to remember something. 'What will I tell James?'

The question threw M, a sensation she didn't enjoy. She had hoped that Bond's name would not come up in the conversation. 'Whatever you want to tell him. Or, if you prefer, I could have a word in our dear 007's ear.'

Ashleigh nodded slowly. 'There's so much to do...' Her voice trailed off, and she stared blankly into the distance. 'So much to explain...'

'Ashleigh?' For a second, M wondered if she'd done the right thing. The girl simply seemed overwhelmed. At the sound of her name, Ashleigh jumped slightly, and seemed to come back to reality.

'Sorry, sir. Goodnight, sir.'

She snatched up the photographs, and then fumbled for the door handle.

A hand on her arm stopped her. She turned slowly.

'You've been alone for too long, Ashleigh. I'm giving you a chance to be happy. It's up to you if you take it.'

There seemed very little Ashleigh could say to that, even less so in her increasingly confused state. It seemed sensible to fall back on the simplest reply.

'Yes, sir.'

Inside, Ashleigh walked into the kitchen. Carefully she placed the envelope on the table, before reaching for a glass.

Her hand shook as she reached for the cold tap. Outside the trees in her garden swayed gently back and forth.

Water poured over the rim of the glass into the sink.

She didn't notice.