Q and Lily approached headquarters. He turned to her suddenly and cleared his throat.

"Uh, this is a top secret agency, so I'm going to have to blindfold you before we go in."

Lily grimaced. "O-kay."

He chuckled. "I'm only joking. Come on, let's hurry."

She followed and entered. The building was massive. Agents walked everywhere, holding briefcases and wearing tuxes.

"Are we in the right place?" Lily asked.

Q adjusted his glasses. "Yes, why?"

"Are all agents required to wear suits? The lot of them are wearing one."

"That's an excellent question. Come on, in here."

They walked into an elevator and Q pressed the button to go to the top floor. They stood in silence until Lily spoke up.

"I'm not plotting against him. I really am here to find him, my father."

Q smiled. "I know."

She raised both eyebrows. "You do?"

"Yeah, you don't seem like the plotting type. Just out of curiosity, how'd you know Bond was a spy? And where to find him?"

"He's left his mark in a few places."

"Ah. Why carry a gun?"

She shrugged. "When you discover your father's a spy, it felt necessary to have one on me. Never know how many goons can pop up."

The elevator stopped and they walked out. He led her across a hall and towards a door at the end of it. He knocked before he opened.

"Come in."

Q cleared his throat an opened the door. He motioned for Lily to walk and she did. It was a medium size office with a man sitting at a desk.

He was sitting in a chair, hands folded. He stared at Lily and stood up.

"Is this the girl?" he asked Q.

"Yes, sir."

Lily glanced at Q. "He was...expecting me?"

The man chuckled. "Indeed. You've got quite a name for yourself, my dear."

Lily blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Close the door, Q."

Q obeyed and stood in front of the door. The man approached Lily and scanned her from head to toe.

"Now, I want you to be a good girl and tell us why you were looking for Bond." he said.

Lily groaned. "For God's sake, pay attention because I'm really tired of explaining this twice."

Q raised his eyebrows and side-smiled. "Got quite an attitude. Seem familiar, M?"

M gave Q a look and looked back at Lily. "Continue."

"I was orphaned as a child an left without any of my parents names. When I turned 17, I ran away and tried to make my way in the world. One day, at a bar, I heard someone say that I reminded them of a constant customer of his. Bond, was the customer."

M glance at Q who shrugged. M grabbed a mug of tea on his desk and drank.

"I set out to look for this Bond character. Lo and behold, here we are. Janes Bond is my father."

M spit out the tea in his mouth and coughed. Lily rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"It's true, sir. I ran a blood test. She's Bond's daughter." Q defended.

Lily turned to look at him and he gave her a wink. M put his mug down and wiped his mouth.

"Daughter or not, that doesn't explain why those goons were after you tonight." M said.

"What is wrong with you people? Honestly, you think everyone's trying to kill you."

"They were after you and we believe it's because you're leading them to Bond." M said, ignoring her.

Lily's jaw dropped. "He's my father, for God's sake! Can you not hear me?"

"Where is he, then? Q?" M asked, looking at Q.

He stuttered. "Uh, well, sir, he told us to run ahead and take a cab here. He said he would be right-"

The door behind him opened and Bond stepped inside. He glanced at M and gave a curt nod.

"Behind us." Q finished, relieved.

"007, what news of the men who were after you?" M asked.

"I spoke with one of them, sir. He appears to be their leader."

Lily grimaced. "007?"

M cleared his throat. "You didn't get a name?"

"Duplin. Bastian Duplin, sir."

Lily's eyes looked as though they'd seen a ghost. Bond glanced at her and she looked away.

M glanced at her. "Ring a bell?"

She swallowed. "No."

M raised an eyebrow and looked back at Bond.

"We'll look up the name and see what his play is. Escort the girl to one of our safe houses, Q. Bond, stay."

Q motioned for Lily to follow him and she did. They left the room and Bond closed the door.

"Who's the woman we have to thank for bringing that girl into the world?" M asked, placing his hands on his desk.

Bond stared at the floor but did not cower. "That remains to be unknown, sir."

M chuckled. "You really are a man of surprises. I want her on the next available train, boat, plane, I don't care, out of London in the morning. Is that understood?"

Bond nodded. "Yes, sir."

M raised an eyebrow. "No lament for your only child? You know that you'll never see her again if she leaves, don't you?"

"I'm fully aware, sir. Is that all you wished to speak with me of?"

M walked towards the window and looked out at the city. "No. This Duplin character, if he's leading this whole mission after you-"

"He's not exactly after me, sir."

M looked over his shoulder. "Oh? Did happen to mention who or what he was after?"

Bond swallowed and shook his head. "No, sir. But, I think it's clear that if he were after me, he would've captured me tonight."

M nodded. "Yes. He must be after the girl. How is it that he happens to be in London when she arrives? He must be after her. Wouldn't you agree?"

"It seems to be the only logical theory, but we'll have to know for sure. I'll head back to the data room with Q and we'll track this man down."

"You do that. Notify the moment you find something."

Bond turned and held out his hand to grab the doorknob. He froze when he heard rapid footsteps from the other side. He waited a moment and turned the doorknob, opening the door.

Across the hall, he spotted an elevator with Q staring back at him with wide eyes before it closed.

"That was too close." Lily sighed as she leaned back against the wall.

Q shook his head and rubbed his temples. "Why did I even listen to you?"

"What? Did you think they were going to plan they're next blind date? They were going to tall about me like I'm a child. I may be 17, but I'm old enough to share what I think is right for myself."

The elevator dinged and Q led the way out. He led her across a rather fancy hallway. The carpet was ruby red and there were small tables hiding vases.

It looked like a hotel hallway. He opened a door and entered with her. It really looked like a hotel room! The room was glorious and beautiful.

"This is...are we in the right room?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Q smiled. "Indeed we are, madam. Your coat."

He held out his arm and bowed. She giggled and shook her head.

"Well, don't expect a tip." she said, looking around the room.

"I should head back." Q said.

"Already?"

He grimaced and blushed.

"Well, I mean...aren't you tired? Are they going to have you working at this hour?" she asked, rubbing her arm.

Q shrugged. "It's all part of the job. It isn't as ad as you think."

"You take your job seriously, then."

"Of course."

She lowered her eyes and side-smiled. "I can see why he's stayed here all these years."

She placed her hand on the marble kitchen counter and sighed. "They look to him like a...real hero."

Q nodded. "He's not always here, though. Mostly he's out, you know, saving the world. It's quite the career."

They both shared an amused smile but Lily frowned. "I bet. It must be a comforting feeling, knowing that you'll come here everyday and see him. You know that he'll always be there when you call."

Q felt a shed of guilt. "Yes. But, you-"

"Don't." she said, staring into his eyes. "It's not your fault."

"Nor is it yours."

He stared at her and quickly clears his throat.

"Forgive me. I need to...you know."

She nodded. "Yes, goodbye. Don't work too hard, it's been a long night."

They shared a soft smile and he opened the door, leaving her alone. But, he felt he should stay with her. She must've been so alone all those years without a family. He stood at her door for a few minutes and swore he heard quiet sobbing, coming from the inside of the room.

"Hang in there." he whispered.

Then, he turned on his heel and headed to the data room.

"Tired?" Bond asked.

Q shook his head and yawned. "No, no. Well, a bit. But, I'll be alright."

"So, what have you found?"

Q typed and stared at the computer. He shook his head with a sigh.

"Just as expected, nothing."

Bond nodded. "Of course. He'd never give us his real name but it was a start."

Q nodded. "Right. I'll stay here and keep trying to find some kind of connection. Lily's in the safe-house, third door on your right."

Bond adjusted his sleeve. "Let me know if you find something. Think I'll get some target practice."

Q blinked as Bond headed towards the door. "O-kay. Lily's in the safe-house, third door on your right."

Bond paused as his hand was on the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder at Q.

"Spectacular. I'll be at the shooting cages."

Q frowned. "What is the matter with you? Don't you care that your daughter is here? Has that yet occurred to you?"

Bond stared at Q, grimacing. "I can clearly see that it's occurred to YOU."

Q looked away and shook his head. "Maybe it's better this way."

"How?"

"It doesn't matter if you don't even care about her now if you didn't before." Q said, looking back at his computer.

"I didn't even know she existed."

Q shrugged as he typed. "Doesn't really make a difference, does it? You still don't care."

Q stared at his computer until he heard the door open and close. He peaked and saw that Bond was gone.

"How thick can you get?" he asked, shaking his head.

Bond straightened his tie as he took the elevator to the safe-house. It dinged and he stepped out.

Third door on the right.

He stood in front of the door and closed his eyes. Slowly, he reached up his hand and knocked.

Nothing. He leaned against the door, listening for some movement. Quickly, he pulled away when he heard footsteps. A pause and the door opened a crack.

Lily's blue eye peaked and he saw her frown. "Yes?"

He tried to find the right words. Why was he even there?

"I...are you...sleeping?" he asked, stuttering.

"I must be because there's no bloody way in Hell that you're at my door right now."

He licked his lower lip. "May I come in?"

"Why? Did you leave your jacket when you walked me up here?"

He grimaced. "I don't-"

"Oh, right. You didn't walk me up here." she said, mockingly surprised.

He began to get frustrated. "Would you just let me in, please?"

She opened the door and he stepped inside. He stood in the living room and saw that she was still wearing the same clothes she has earlier.

She stared at him as she sat on the couch. "Well, sit down."

He awkwardly took his seat an cleared his throat. "Aren't you uncomfortable in those clothes?"

"Yes, but I figured Q was too busy to offer me room service. So I just dealt with it."

He nodded. "So..."

"Look, if you're here to set some ground rules or make some sort of name for yourself, leave. I'm tired, it's late, I already have a name for you and it's not very appealing." she raised, rubbing her temples.

He shook his head. "No, no, I'm not here to...do any of those things. I just...I don't really know, honestly."

He stared at the carpet and sighed.

"Since you've got nothing to talk about, can I ask you something?"

He seemed to brighten up and he nodded. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell him? Your chief."

"Tell him what?"

"About me and Duplin."

He looked at her and gave a small shrug. He wasn't entirely sure himself.

"So, you do know something about him."

"I know that you shouldn't be dealing with him. He's a monster." she said, looking terrified.

"Who is he? How do you know him?"

She shook her head and stood up. "I should go. It was stupid of me to come here. He'll find me."

Bond stood up and grabbed her arm. "Sit down and answer me."

"I shouldn't have come here. Let go of me."

"Tell me about Duplin."

"Stop it!"

He grabbed her other arm and shook her. "Answer me! What do you know about Duplin?"

She shut her eyes and struggled against his grip. "No, please, just forget him. Forget me!"

"Lily!" he yelled.

She stopped struggling and he stared at her. He hadn't called her by her name before. The sound was more beautiful and precious to her than the finest tune or melody in the world.

"Say it again. My name." she said, quietly.

His mouth was slightly open. "Lily."

He released her arms and they stood in silence. She rubbed her arm and tuck of piece of hair behind her ear.

"I can help you, but there's only handful of people we can trust about this." she said, quietly.

Bond stared at her. "I'll call Q up here and we'll leave from there tonight. I'll contact M when we-"

"No, we can't tell him." she said, quickly.

Bond grimaced. "Why?"

"He's hasty. I don't like him. There's just-"

"He's basically my boss. I must inform him."

Lily sighed and shrugged. "Do whatever you bloody want, but sending the army won't do anything."

"We have to leave. But, you must answer me something."

She gave him a questioning look.

"Why is he after you? Does he know that we're...related?"

"I do not know if he's aware that you're my father. But, it's a long story and we don't have the time to tell it now. We have to go."

"Fair enough. But, you will explain this whole thing."

She nodded and they hurried out of the room together. He led the way to the elevator and they climbed in to find Q. When they reached the data room, Q raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Taking a nice stroll?" he asked, typing.

"We need to move. She says the goons from earlier are after her." Bond ordered.

Q grimaced. "They're coming here? But, they break in. I mean, it's not like they're going to walk through the front-"

An alarm went off and they all jumped. Q quickly typed up something and the security footage came up. Several men rushed in with rifles and began shooting. Lily covered her mouth as several agents fell dead to the shots. Bond also watched in horror and glanced at Q.

"Move, now!" he yelled.

"Right, then." Q breathed, stuffing his laptop into a satchel.

Bond hurried to a phone and heard no dial tone. "Blast it."

He reached up to his ear and spoke aloud. "Mallory? M, can you hear me?"

M spoke up. "What the bloody hell are you calling me for? Get down to the first floor and stop all the madness!"

Bond hesitated. "Sir, we must leave."

"Surely you're not taking the girl."

"We must. She's what they're after."

A pause. "Tell me what the devil is going on."

Bond glanced at Lily, who was helping Q pack his gadgets and such into his satchel. Bond sighed and turned away, continuing to speak with M.

"We're leaving. It's the only way to keep her safe." he said, quietly.

"Bond, I understand you want to protect her, but we still don't know why they're-"

Bond removed the ear piece and tossed it to the ground. He slammed his foot on it, crushing it to pieces. He looked over to Q and rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to pack toast and jam? Hurry the hell up! We have to go!" he demanded.

Q nodded and clutched his satchel. "Let's move! Follow me."

He ran ahead with Lily and James behind him. They rushed through a door and into an empty room with only a table and a chair. Q walked to a wall and placed his hand onto it. A beeping sound was heard and the wall opened to reveal a passage.

"Your idea?" Bond asked.

Q smirked. "Originally used it to get some alone time."

They rushed through and Q pressed a button on his watch. The door closed and everything went dark. Lily gasped when she felt someone take her hand.

"Stay close." Bond said, quietly.

"Over her, you lot." Q whispered.

He sounded close. They hurried and could hear more gunshots. Bond cringed at the screams and shooting, but pressed on. Finally, Q held out his arms and felt a wall.

"This is it. Stand back a bit." he whispered.

"I would if I could see." Bond replied.

Click!

Another wall opened and they entered the first floor. It was quiet. They walked in and saw the horror awaiting them. Dead agents were everywhere and one single person stood above them.

"Honestly, I'd think you'd have used a better exit with your cleverness and training." Duplin said, adjusting the sleeve of his frock suit.

Bond held Lily's hand tightly and Q swallowed, nervously. Duplin rubbed his hands, like he was trying to warm them, and walked over the bodies.

"Lily, darling, it's wonderful to see you again." he said, warmly, holding out his arms.

She stared. "It's been a while."

"Bit of an age gap, don't you think?" Q asked, almost cringing.

"Long story." Lily replied.

Duplin chuckled. "We have time. I've always enjoyed stories."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Well, I'd be happy to tell you the ending."

She took out a gun from her coat and aimed it at Duplin. He held his hands up and froze.

"Now, let's all just...calm down. There's no need to be hasty." he said, calmly.

"You'd better leave before my arm gets tired." she spat.

"My men are upstairs killing anyone who gets in their way, while they look for you, of course. So, I'd put that down for a moment and listen to what I have to say." Duplin replied.

Lily hesitated and lowered her gun.

"Now, I'll be brief. You come with me and with one word, my men will stop. Or, we can keep standing here and every second wasted will result in the death of another."

Bond kept his eyes on Duplin, but whispered to Lily, "You don't have to do this. They're trained agents and had a better warning than the ones down here. Don't do this."

"I have all night. There's only so many more people I can kill. You know me, my flower. Too well." Duplin said, smiling.

Lily trembled as she dropped her gun. It fell with a thud and Bond shut his eyes. Duplin held out his hand for her, like a man who is asking a woman to dance. She took a step forward but Bond grabbed her arm.

"Don't do this!" he insisted.

"I made my choice. I'm choosing this path. I chose it years ago, foolishly, now you choose yours." she said, staring into his eyes.

She pulled her arm away and walked towards Duplin. Q stared in disbelief as she took Duplin's hand. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his chest. He reached into the frock and pulled out a small device.

Raising it to his lips, he said, "I have her. Come back down."

Q glanced at Bond, who seemed lost in his thoughts. He scoffed and bent down, picking up Lily's gun.

"Q, stop!" Lily cried.

"Let her go!" Q said, aiming the gun.

Duplin chuckled. "And, who is this?"

"I said, let her go! Get away from her." Q demanded.

Lily pulled Duplin's arm. "Let's go, he's no one. Please."

"No, no. I like him. Very brave to be standing up for someone he just met. Or are their other reasons for his sudden act of bravery?" Duplin asked.

Lily glanced at Q, who was clenching his jaw. "He's no one. I don't know him."

Duplin shrugged. "Then, there's no reaons...for me not to do this."

He clicked a button on the device he had spoke into earlier and the gun in Q's hand exploded. He screamed in pain and Lily watched in horror. Bond turned to Q as he cried in agony.

Duplin grabbed Lily's chin and forced her to look at him. "You feel nothing. He's no one. Isn't that what you said?"

Lily fought back tears. "He's no one."

Several man with rifles appeared and began to rush out of the building. Duplin cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair.

"Come, Lily. The night is young." he said, turning to leave.

Lily glanced at Q and Bond as they tried to aid his hand. Bond had removed his jacket and tied the sleeve around Q's hand to stop the bleeding.

Lily was close to tears. "I didn't mean-"

Duplin grabbed the back of her hair and brought her towards him. His nose pressed against her cheek and he inhaled.

His lips almost touching her cheel, he sneered, "When I say we 'go', we go. Do you understand?"

He yanked her away and they left the building.

"We have to stop them." Q groaned.

"No. There's nothing we can do. They're armed and guns won't do anything." Bond said, sweating.

Q grimaced in disbelief. "What? Are you just going to let them take her?"

"Following them will accomplish nothing."

"But, how are we going to know where-"

Bond held up a tracking device the size of a cellphone and showed it to Q. "I placed a small one on her hand. I'll follow them. You need to get to the hospital to get that hand of yours looked at."

"I'm coming with you." Q insisted.

"With a blown up hand?"

"You need me. I can't help you if I'm not by your side. This time is different." Q argued.

Bond and Q looked out as they heard a few tires screeching. "We leave as soon as you get your hand fixed."