Chapter 08
**Olivia Mansfield**
Olivia survived another wave of excruciating pain thanks to Bond's surgery and stitches. Yes, she did have a tracker inside her, but Bond removed it and followed Q's instruction on how to deactivate it. Q wanted it for evidence and at this point she just wanted to sleep for another bloody week. The tracker had been carefully added to the scar tissue, so she wouldn't have known it was there.
Bond must have let me sleep for a couple of hours and then we were on the way again. He didn't want to give them time to figure out where we are.
Bond drove for hours with M laying on the seat, trying to sleep and forget the pain from his impromptu surgery. He covered her with the blanket and kept the heat on high, just to keep her warm. He didn't want her to go into shock.
It was nearing dawn the next day, when he stopped driving on a small side road and got out of the car. She knew he needed the break, but it really wasn't the best spot for it. They were out in the open with no cover should anything happen. M managed to sit up and watch him from the window. He was a few meters from the car, gesticulating wildly while he switched between speaking and yelling into his mobile. He looked furious, reminding her of a pacing lion in a cage. She just couldn't bare seeing him like this.
With determination, she slowly pushed the passenger door open and got out of the car. Not a very good idea, but she had a motivation.
"I don't care. I need you to find me something secure. I need to put her to bed and let her heal...Yes...I know...But you're not here, Q. I can't drag her from one place to another while they are trying to kill her. I need to put her somewhere safe. She's been through enough."
There was a long pause as Bond stopped pacing, sighed and looked up into the cloudy sky. Looking for divine intervention no doubt.
"I can't," he whispered. "I can't let her out of my sight...No….Not again. I lost her once...I can't...Yesterday was...not good, Q...Because I wasn't in the damn room! She could have..." his voice broke. "Yes...I understand. No I will not find someone else you and Mallory trust, 003, I've known him the longest.
Olivia stopped behind him, but he didn't even register her company. This wasn't the fearless, furious agent she knew. This man was terrified and shaking with nerves. Oh god. They were in a messy situation and he wasn't in any control of it. The longer they stay together, the worse it will get. She was becoming his achilles heel. It would destroy the both of them if he couldn't clear his mind of these thoughts and feelings.
She carefully put her arm around his torso to gently lean on him. This in itself could have been a very dangerous move on her part. He could easily flipped her over and hurt her, but he must have known she was there after all.
"I'm fine, James." Maybe now he will listen, she used his Christian name and she rarely does that. His back tensed and he didn't relax like she thought he might by her physical attempt to sooth him.
"Give me the mobile and go back to the car." M spoke low and very soothingly.
She slowly extricated the mobile from him and took advantage of his shock at her touching him.
"Q!" Her voice surprisingly held a stern and collected tone. "What is our status?"
"Ma'am?"
She could almost picture his awe. "Yes, it's me. What's going on? It can't be Mallory, please tell me he is clean?"
"I don't think so. As I was saying to Bond..."
"Well, repeat the whole thing to me. We don't have much time. I assume he wants us to go dark, soon?"
"It is the best course in your situation. Bond wanted me to find you alternate shelter from his original plan. I suggested some help. There are still plenty of people here who would do anything for you M."
"I take it Bond didn't agree?"
"Tanner could be there with a few hand picked agents to guard you. Then Bond could go to find these men and eliminate the threat. He's not happy with that solution."
"I know. I am very well aware of his sense of guilt about my injury at Skyfall. He won't leave me for five bloody minutes now. Not that I entirely blame him for that, as I did almost get shot the last time he did." M angled her body to have a view of Bond standing beside the car looking impatient. "I will consider your suggestion. We need may need more trustworthy people here. He's not…" How could she put this?
"Not himself when you're out of his sight, ma'am?" Q helped her.
"Yes, that's an understatement if I ever heard one."
"He was lost without you, ma'am. I'm sorry if I'm overstepping my boundaries, but he was..."
"I know, that now Q." she interrupted quietly. She wasn't blind and now she knew her agent had feelings for her. She wasn't fully aware of how deep the affection went and doesn't want to know, right now. Unfortunately, ignoring the situation was not going to make it disappear like she would like it to.
"Sorry, to bring such a delicate personal matter to light ma'am but is it wrong for him to want to protect you? In a way isn't that part of his job?"
"Yes...yes I suppose you are right. I will have to deal with his overprotective nature until this is solved. Send Tanner and two others that he knows are trustworthy and won't be surprised, by Bond's unwillingness to leave my side."
"I will contact Tanner and give him this number if you feel he is the most trustworthy in this matter."
"Very well. I will speak with him later. Please send some painkiller and a regiment of antibiotics from the impromptu surgery Bond was forced to perform on me."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh and Q...send me a decent tea. I need to finally drink something other than lukewarm brown water from a machine."
"Yes, ma'am. Anything else?"
"That should be all for now." She could hear the amusement in Q's voice from her request.
"Ma'am..."
"Yes, Q?" His voice sounded unsure.
"It's good to hear your voice."
This was sweet to hear from the young man, who she hadn't known all that long before all this happened. Yet, she was instinctively confident of his abilities and trustworthiness.
Now, she wanted focus on the bastard actively trying to murder her. She would eventually like to go back to MI6, letting everyone know she was alive and well. However, the current situation was a bit dramatic and she was still in a hell of alot pain. She would prove to them all that she was still a fighter, and definitely not a quitter.
"Yours too, Q," she said before she ended the call. M turned back towards the car and of course James was there opening the door for her. He helped her lower to the reclined front seat. Bond had arranged a blanket over the seat for her to sit on with another to cover her as they travelled.
"Alright?"
"Yes. Bond why did you tell Q that you would not let me out of your sight? Refusing his and Tanner's help without discussing the situation with me first?"
"You were not fit..."
"Oh, I am well enough to bloody well think for myself. Do you really think me that incapable?"
"No, M...but…"
"But nothing Bond! I've accepted Tanner and few men as a backup. And before you object, yes, you will stay as my personal bodyguard and I won't leave your sight. I hope you're happy with the arrangements."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Don't make me regret my decision."
"No, ma'am."
"And stop with that bloody ma'am, this and ma'am that!" she replied briskly. "I don't want to hear another word from you about not letting anyone else in on this situation." She hated how much she was backing away just to let him feel better.
"Yes...M." Bond said with a smirk as he drove them farther away from London and a safe place for them to gather their resources and allow M some time to heal.
M could see his smirk in the reflection of the glass. This fondness he has for her- it had to stop. Yet, at the same time, it felt good to be needed and to finally have decided something for herself.
