Ack! I have been sadly remiss in my duties! I have been reminded at last however that I have readers patiently waiting (and that patience is truly admirable given the length of time that has passed) for me to update, so here goes. Hope everyone likes this as well as they have previous chapters, and once again, thank you for all the reviews.

The office had changed, Alec noted with a mix of relief and disappointment. On the one hand, he did not think that he could have lasted through the interview if the old M had been sitting there in front of him with all the familiar trappings of the Head Intelligence Officer's office around him. On the other hand the office had lost a great deal of its old charm; everything here positively screamed authority and severity. Looking at the new M, Alec could not help but think that the office matched the woman.

"Take a seat." The two agents did not look at one another as they complied, M noted with interest. No agreement there, even perhaps a faint touch of animosity. No longer friends, then. She remained silent a moment more, studying the men before her before, with a sigh, she asked,

"Would one of you care to explain how Mr. Trevelyan is sitting in this office at this late junction?"

"Well…" Bond began; Alec sighed internally. He had a feeling it was going to be a very long afternoon.

He was not proven wrong. By the time Bond had finished the debriefing, he had managed to make Alec sound like the modern-day equivalent of Jack the Ripper and now M was looking at him as though he had two heads. Alec resisted the urge to squirm in his chair; those eyes could pin you to the wall if you weren't careful. She turned her gaze to Bond again after a moment.

"You still have not answered my question, 007. Why is Mr. Trevelyan sitting here and not in a high security holding cell after all that he has done?" It was Bond's turn to fidget now.

"He has…" He looked to Alec and for a second the old pleading look flickered in his eyes from the days when they were still partners. His request could not have been any clearer; Alec smirked and for a moment the past nine years were forgotten. Alec looked away and the moment passed; he cleared his throat softly.

"What James is trying to say is that I have information, the sort that I believe you could use. There is just one catch." M frowned.

"You are not in a position to make conditions, Mr. Trevelyan." Alec smiled grimly, his expression suddenly very serious.

"Oh but I am. Did you want that information or didn't you? It's not written down anywhere, and unless you can read minds…" He let the sentence dangle. M's eyes narrowed.

"We'll see. Name your terms first." Alec took a deep breath and looked her in the eye.

"I want to return to MI6." There was dead silence in the room for a moment.

"You're joking, aren't you?" M asked finally, an incredulous expression on her face. "You can't seriously…how on Earth could I trust you after you betrayed us…?"

"When have I ever betrayed MI6?" Alec asked, a little more heatedly. "Have any agents gone missing in Russia since Archangel? Were there any leaks of intelligence shortly after my capture? Look back through your files, madam, and I think you'll find that there weren't." M stared at him. But this time it was a thinking stare. She had been with MI6 a long time. She would have remembered any such occurrences as Alec spoke of and, though she hated to admit it, he was right; there had been nothing. But to take on such a dangerous man when he had already defected once… how could she risk her agents and her country in such a fashion?

"I'll agree to any restrictions you place on me; I simply want my job back," Alec said quietly. It was as though Bond was not in the room; this was between himself and M. If he could convince her, he was home free. She looked up from her desk and straight into his eyes. He did not look away, and she read her answer there. She did not trust him, oh no, not yet, but she was willing to give him another chance, if only for the information he offered. She nodded slowly.

"Very well, 006." Alec breathed a sigh of relief.

"There will be conditions," M said sternly. "You will report to the medical officer for the standard mental and physical examinations and, providing you pass those, you will work beside 007 until such time as he tells me that he feels he can trust you." Bond grimaced; Alec nodded. He had expected something of the like. He stood to leave.

"And Mr. Trevelyan," M said quietly, "one foot out of line, one hint that you are betraying us as you did before, and I shall see you executed for treason. Do I make myself quite clear?" Alec inclined his head.

"Inescapably," he answered. M nodded.

"Dismissed."