Eve had spent most of her life avoiding dating men that her mother would like.

But, she had to admit, her mum would like Gabriel. He was smart, good looking, had a good job. Never been married before, no children. He was one of MI6's accountants. Accepting his invitation to dinner had been easy. Surprisingly, going out with him a few more times had been easy. He was easy-going and sweet. He opened doors for her. He paid for the meals.

She liked him. He just wasn't...

James.

He didn't set every inch of her skin on fire the way James did. But it's all part of moving on, she told herself. Give yourself time. He's a nice guy. You need to move on, remember?

He took her to a nice place for lunch that day. Christina was still at school, although Q or her mum had been keeping her at night when she went on dates with Gabriel. She knew James would keep Christina if she asked, but she wasn't ready to tell him she was seeing someone.

She almost choked on her wine when James walked up to her table. "Eve," his smile was as charming as always, but his eyes were unreadable behind his expensive sunglasses. "It's a surprise seeing you here."

The way he said it made it feel like it definitely WASN'T a surprise. "James," she smiled nervously at Gabriel. "This is my date, Gabriel. Gabriel, this is James...Christina's father."

The two men shook hands, exchanging polite how-are-yous. Gabriel looked a little dazed, possibly because he recognized Bond from MI6.

Eve wanted the awkwardness to be over. "Are you headed back to work?" she asked James pointedly.

He nodded, his smile a little too...pleasant. "I'll be dropping by to see Christina later."

"All right," she agreed quickly. "Bye."

He disappeared into the crowd and Eve turned back to Gabriel. "I recognize him from MI6. Is he an agent?"

"Yes," she nodded, fiddling with her earring.

"How long were you two together?"

"Oh, well...honestly, it was a fling that resulted in Christina. It wasn't really a relationship. He's great with her and we're friendly for her sake."

"He seems like a nice guy."

"He can be...but I'd rather talk about you," she replied with a charming smile of her own.

James was nowhere to be found, but Eve had the feeling the rest of lunch that he was watching her. Sure enough, when she kissed Gabriel goodbye and headed to her car, she found James leaning against it.

"James!" she groaned. "Are you following me now?"

He cocked his head to the side. "If I hadn't been following you, I wouldn't have found out about your new boyfriend."

"How would you like it if I started following you around on your dates?"

"Please do. And your welcome to join us for a threesome as well."

She hit him lightly as she unlocked her car. "You're unbelievable."

"What do you have in common with him? Isn't he like an accountant?"

"How did you- James, did you have a background check run on him?"

"I called in a favor just now. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any dark secrets I can hold against him."

She threw her hands up in the air. "You're not allowed to do background checks on the guys I date."

"Why not?" he shrugged. "If you want to date below you, that's fine with me..."

"Date below me?! And I guess you're more on my level? Accountant might not be dangerous and mysterious, but it's a good job."

"I didn't realize accountants were important enough to not wear panties for. And yes, I think you should be with me."

"How did you know that?" she asked in amazement, adjusting the back of her skirt and ignoring his comment about being with him. "Is that something they taught you in 00 school? How to know if a girl has on panties?"

"No, it's just a personal talent of mine."

"So, is this whole going away for the weekend thing a big step?" Q asked as he watched Eve pack her suitcase.

"I'm not sure," she held up a dress. "Would the green one be better?"

"I like the red."

"Okay. Well, Gabriel said it would be a chance for us to get away and spend some time just the two of us. So it's a step, but who knows how big it is."

"And your mum is keeping Christina?"

"At night. James is actually keeping her during the day."

"Whoa, whoa," Q held up his hands. "Wait a minute. Bond knows you're going off with Gabriel? I thought you said he keeps trying to get you back with him?"

"He does, but maybe he's finally coming around to the idea of me being with someone. He made a bunch of sarcastic comments about the whole thing, but I think he's looking forward to the time with Christina. He would have taken her for the whole two days, but it's just easier if my mum keeps her here at night, keep her in her routine and all."

"Your mum still over the moon about Gabriel?" Q laughed.

"Oh, yes. She wants me to marry him as soon as possible. She was never a huge fan of James. She wants to act like she's all progressive and everything, but I'm pretty sure the number one reason she was never been big on James is because he's white and she's always wanted me with a black guy. So, Gabriel is more up her alley."

"I'm surprised James didn't turn on the charm and make her like him."

"He tried, but I think her internal racism was stronger," Eve laughed. "Here, which pair of shoes?"

"Those. What do YOU think about Gabriel?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "He's very nice. Sweet, smart...he likes a lot of normal things. Like drinking wine or watching movies. But I still..."

"Miss James," he finished for her.

"Exactly. It's like I can't stop missing him. Plus, he's around a lot, for Christina."

"I think the most important question is: how is the sex with Gabriel?"

"It's fine."

Q made a face. "That awful?"

"No, it's not awful at all. It's fine, it's good. It's just that...I'm not used to having to...train a guy again, you know? I forgot it's like that with most guys. You have to tell them what to do, point them in the right direction. With James, I don't have to remind him where my clit is and what to do with it."

"Gabriel probably hasn't been with hundreds of women, either," Q pointed out.

"Yes, I know." She closed her eyes. "Thanks for reminding me the father of my child has probably been with hundreds of women. Also, Gabriel hasn't went down on me once."

"Ah, we come to the real problem here!" Q laughed. "It has nothing to do with his skills, it's that he doesn't provide an adequate amount of head."

"Oh, shut up!" she couldn't help laughing.

"So why don't you just ask him to do it? James did it all the time for you, didn't he?"

"Because asking him would be awkward. I never had to ask James, he just knew how to do it. Some guys just don't like doing it, ever. What if Gabriel's like that?"

Q shrugged. "You should just ask him. Maybe he doesn't know how to initiate it."

"Maybe." Eve shrugged.

"So beyond the oral situation, do you have fun with him?"

"Sure." She shrugged again. "I just can't seem to get James out of my head. And not just the sex either...just being with him. I told him things I've never told any man...I told him about my past, about being sexually abused, about my heart being broken in college so bad I never thought I'd date again...I opened up to him. I guess I'm afraid to open up again."

Q mulled over her words. "Maybe it's time to start trying to open up to someone else. Or..." he slid an arm around her shoulders, "make a decision if you even want to be with someone else. To decide between him or James. You have a weekend to really spend with this guy, to see what he's really like. Then maybe you'll know."

"How did you get so wise, Q?"