First Chapter Disclaimers.

Yes, yes I know. Way too long without an update. And it is much too short.

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Hesitantly, James picked up the folder that lay open before him. The first time he had looked at it, he had dropped it back down on the table in shock. It could not be. It simply could not. Xenia had died. It was as simple as that. But a few months ago there had been some curious activity in the Atlantic Ocean of all places.

There had been nothing concrete enough that had warranted taking a closer look, but intelligence had kept a somewhat wary eye on the luxury boat out in the middle of the ocean for no apparent reason beyond some rich woman's pleasure trip.

It was when the ship had come into port that the picture had been taken. Xenia, or a woman that looked a hell of a lot like her, was being escorted off of the boat by the very wealthy and very influential Emma Frost.

In disgust, James tossed the file back on the table. All of this was meaningless paperwork. It was something he was given to do while recuperating from his latest mission. He was not any good at it, and M knew it. And even if that was Xenia, there was nothing he could do about it except put the file in a stack of situations that needed further investigation. After all, she had only been a bit player in a much grander scheme. One didn't go hunting down the hired thugs, one hunted to masterminds.

And that, James reflected, was the problem. Seeing this red headed variant of Xenia had brought back all the memories of Alec. The smiling face, the nights drinking in companionship, the nights hunting him down, the day he killed him and that one night when Alec had been more than just friend.

James' eyes closed for a second and he could remember the soft skin and hard muscle. He could remember the salty taste of Alec's kiss and the burst of sweetness that had mingled with that salt.

"Damn," he swore to himself as he glared at the not so menacing paperwork. How could a dead man still play such games with him?

James laughed mirthlessly. Perhaps he was finally going insane. Lord knew that he had been accused of it often enough. He was, after all, the top agent for destroying property. But he was also the top agent for getting results on any mission. At least he was the top agent after Alec defected.

There had always been a debate when the two of them had reached double O status. Who was better? Alec had won his status first, but just barely. Those who had debated the topic had decided that James must have been the better spy. After all, hadn't he succeeded in killing Alec?

Still, there was a part of James that wondered if Alec had let him win. It was a ridiculous thought. After all, the man had tried to kill James. Why would a defector die to save his enemy?

James sighed. That was a question he would never have an answer to, if one even assumed that it was a question at all. Life would be so much simpler if he could do what all the others did and put Alec neatly into the villain category.

But it was not that simple because life never is. And Alec never was.

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