Chapter One: A Father's Love

"Sometimes I think it was selfish of us, to have a child..."

James Bond sat bolt upright in his bed, his bare chest catching the light that came through his apartment window. Vesper's words plagued his dreams as he tried to catch the first sleep in almost a week of tracking down a suspect. Pushing a hand through his now damp, dark blonde hair, James tried to banish the dream away, something he had worked so hard to forget.

Vesper Lynd had been Bond's first and possibly greatest love; A while into their relationship, Vesper had discovered she was pregnant with their child- a little girl- sometime later. It was a suprise to both of them- especially Bond himself- but they had to change their priorities in order to allow themselves to be able to experience this new part of their lives. Bond had given in a resignation to M in order to be with Vesper so that they could attempt to have a stable family, but the couple were not out of danger yet; Someone Vesper had been trying to get away from was nearby and waiting for the opportune moment to strike but for a moment, they waited.

In early June, in Venice, Vesper and James' daughter Kaley was born a week premature. The couple were suprised at the new overwhelming emotions which they experienced over the course of the day from the labour and from holding their little girl who was wrapped up like a small package as Vesper passed the little girl to her father, who marveled at her delicate features to the small things like her nose wrinkling up when she yawned. Vesper had been exhausted and had fallen asleep watching the exchange between father and daughter, who had gripped into James' little finger as she too had begun to fall asleep after her busy day.

The first night of Vesper and Kaley's discharge a few later, James had booked a hotel and the family spent their first night together in peace.

Flashback

Vesper lay on the bed, her head on James' shoulder as he held their young daughter in his arms; her blue eyes watched and scrutinised him before looking off in different directions, taking in this strange new environment- Something James knew he would have to get used to.

When M had found out the baby, she had congratulated them both and their little girl. It had come as a shock to the MI6 chief of the Special investigative Service of the service but it seemed that James and Vesper were both happy.

Tiredly, Vesper watched their young daughter sleep as Bond planted a kiss in her dark, curled hair and mumbled quietly so as not to disturb the little girl in her father's arms.

"Sometimes, when I watch her and remember everything that's happened since we first met, I think it was actually selfish of us to be able to have a child; it wasn't apart of the mission any of us had signed up for."

Bond listened carefully but remained silent as he drank in her words, knowing in some way, it was true.

End Flashback

But then, Vesper had betrayed him. She had been a double agent and died as a building had collapsed in Venice, leaving James with their daughter was now barely Two Months old. He had later discovered that while he had been tortured by Le Chiffre, she had made a deal to save him because she had truly fallen in love with him

He had returned to London with Kaley a short time later- M assigning a young agent, Aidan Combs, to take care of Kaley and to be a surrogate mother to the little girl while her father went on missions- and had gone on a revenge path to the man who had planned the entire situation with Vesper and Le Chiffre.

At that thought, Bond pulled the blanket off his toned body and swung his legs over the edge of the bed before getting up and switching on the ensuite bathroom light as he went in and splashed some ice cold water onto his face to clear the fog off his mind- he wished to forget the dream but he knew that this was unlikely to happen.

"Daddy,"

Bond looked up to the mirror, his hands gripping the sink top, and turned to the door to see a little girl of around Four or Five years of age standing in the doorway, rubbing sleep from her tired blue-green eyes as her head was turned to the side with an innocently quizzed look on her face; her shoulder lenght brown hair pushed behind her ear as the tips reached the collar of her baby blue pyjamas.

Kaley watched her father as he switched off the tap and came over to her, reaching for a towel to wipe his face.

"Is everything alright?"

Bond asked, lloking down at the little girl as he dried his face with the towel. Kaley, her eyes cast down syly, mumbled quietly,

"Had a bad dream,"

Bond sighed as he put the towel down on the side as awkwardly bent down on one knee to meet his daughter's eye level.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The Four year old shrugged as she continued to keep her eyes down as Bond watched her with his piercing Blue eyes- at first his expression was neutral and unemotional but he then showed a side which he never allowed people to see.

Bond gently pushed a stray wisp of the girl's medium brown hair behind her ear and gently lifted her chin in order for them to make eye contact; Kaley was always a quiet child around him, and this was mainly due to the fact that after Vesper had died, James had wanted nothing to do with his daughter because anytime he looked into the girls eyes and saw her rosy cheeks, he saw Vesper. He had buried himself in misions which left Kaley with Aidan- This only changed when M had ordered him to have some leave and spend time with his daughter- Bond later giving M the priviledge of being his daughter's Godmother- and because of Bond's abandonment, Kaley was always distant toward him, even though Bond was attempting to make an effort.

"Come on, you should get back to bed."

As Bond stood up, Kaley hesitantly put her hands out parodying to be carried- Something which she had never done toward him before. With strong arms, the Double 00 agent bent down slightly and picked her up under her arms and raised her up, Kaley then putting her small arms around his neck and leaning her head into his chest with her head under his chin, James sitting her on the crook of his arm as he looked at her curiously before carrying her through back into his room and over to the double bed with now crumpled sheets.

Gently, James held Kaley with one hand while he pulled back the covers on the tidy side of his bed to gently set the little girl down between the covers and pulling the blanket back up to her chin as he bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Go to sleep,"

Bond mumered as he came around to his normal side of the bed and climbed back into the bed, pulling up the sheets. Exhaling slowly laying on his back with one arm under his head with the other draped lightly across his chest, Bond tensed suddenly as he felt a small body come up beside him. He lifted his arm off of his chest to get a clear view to see Kaley cuddle hesitantly up to him with her eyes closed as she placed her head lightly on his chest as she returned almost instantly to her sleep, unaware of her father's nightmare. Bond relaxed when he knew that there was nothing wrong after Aidan had told him that Kaley sometimes did that when she fell asleep beside the young woman on the couch and that she was beginning to relax around her.

Akwardly, James put his arm around the little girl and rubbed her small arm gently as he felt her brown hair tickle his bare chest slightly as soon, Bond himself began to fall asleep once more.