M had an anything but restful night, waking every so often just long enough to open her eyes slightly and have James kiss her back to sleep, and James' constant itching and scratching and thrashing about trying desperately to get comfortable. By the time 6:00 am rolled around, James couldn't stand it anymore and finally got up.

"Sweet heart, I'm going to go down and make some coffee" he whispered as he gently kissed her temple

"Mmmmm...Ok" she mumbled as she rolled over and went back to sleep

Once downstairs, James put the kettle on and then phoned Tanner

"Morning Bill" he said quietly

"Christ 007, do you know what time it is?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do, and what does it matter, you're already at work"

"Yes I know, but..."

"Did you have any luck with M's children?" interrupted James

"As a matter of fact I did, and you will never believe where Joanna works" replied Bill in an astonished tone

"Let me guess...Buckingham Palace" said James sarcastically

"No, but your close. M always thought that Joanna kept her distance because she hated her, but it's because she works for MI5" replied Bill proudly

"You're kidding"

"Nope. She goes by the name of Joanna Barnes and it has been kept a secret for obvious reasons"

"Is she an agent?"

"No, she's an analyst and she's been assigned to a branch in Canada for the last few years. She knew that her mother worked for MI6, but until last night, she had no idea that her mother was M. The whole thing has been carefully orchestrated to keep them apart so that their identities would not be discovered"

"I guess we have a lot more to worry about than just having M mad at us then don't we?"

"Well, not exactly. When I found out where she works and believe me I had to jump thru a lot of hoops just to get that far, I contacted Mallory and explained the situation and he phoned and got the clearance to contact her and tell her what has happened."

"Brilliant, it's the least that moron could do after causing all this in the first place. So you've contacted her then?"

"Yes, late last night. She happens to be in Paris at the moment, but she was taking the first flight out and will be here at 8:00 am"

"Bloody hell, that's only two hours from now. Can you arrange for a car and have her brought directly here to M's flat?"

"Consider it done...007...Do you think that's wise? I mean M's going to know you're behind this..."

"How mad can she be with her daughter standing here?"

"I hope you know what you're doing" replied Bill not sounding the least bit reassuring

XXX*********************************************** *****************XXX

James took a quick shower as quietly as possible, dressed, and then waited for Joanna to arrive. He had become an expert at watching both the front door and the sleeping M simultaneously. The last thing he wanted was for Joanna to ring the bell, waking M in the process. As soon as the car pulled up, James bolted out the door and down the stairs to greet Joanna.

"You must be Joanna?"

"And you must be James or should I say 007" she replied eyeing him suspiciously

"Err yes, anyway, right this way" he said motioning toward the front door

"What is the rush? Is my Mother alright?" she asked with panic in her voice

"She's fine, just asleep, and I thought it would be nice if you were the first thing she saw when she woke up is all" he answered in a hurried tone

"I see" she said as she looked at him as though he were slightly unhinged

"Would you like me to take you to her?"

"Thank you, but I think I can find her unless she has completely redesigned the entire second floor" she said with a smile as she began to climb the stairs.

Joanna walked down the hall to her Mother's bedroom not knowing what to expect. When she opened the door, she saw M curled up on the bed and she was struck by how small she looked. M had never been tall, but to Joanna, seeing her like this brought back so many memories of visiting her in the various hospitals when she was a child. M stirred and called out for James and was startled when she heard a different voice. Her eyes immediately flew open and she stared at Joanna with a confused look.

"Mum" said Joanna quietly

"Joanna? What are you doing here?...where is James?" she asked

"You mean your handsome bodyguard? Judging by the expression on his face when I arrived, he is probably downstairs bumping into the walls like a windup toy" she replied with a grin

"He isn't my bodyguard" snapped M as she began to blush slightly

"Oh I see" replied Joanna with a grin

"Why are you here? Not that I mind the occasional visit from you"

"Tanner called, or rather Mr. Mallory's office left a message for me to call Tanner"

"Why would Mallory's office call you?" asked M suspiciously

"Well, it's because of where I work..."

"Which is where exactly?"

"Mum, please don't be mad, I know that you never wanted me to follow in your footsteps, but I work for MI5..."

"Oh my God, please don't tell me you're an agent!"

"No nothing like that, I'm a mission analyst."

"But why didn't you tell me?" asked M sounding a bit hurt

"For the same reason you didn't tell me what it is that you do so don't go getting your knickers in a twist, for God's sake Mum you're the head of MI6 and I didn't even know it" snapped Joanna

"I couldn't tell you for security reasons. My God, my daughter works for MI5 and I knew nothing about it?"

"Well how do you think I felt when I found out that my Mother is one of the most powerful women in England, and that she put her own life on the line for Queen and Country without so much as a word..." replied Joanna as tears began to form in her eyes "Christ, you could have been killed and I never would have known"

"Oh Joanna" replied M as she reached out and pulled Joanna to her "I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you"

Joanna quickly crawled up on the bed and snuggled up next to her mother like a small child with her head resting on her mother's shoulder.

"So this is the real reason we had to visit you in so many hospitals when we were young isn't it? Dad always told us that you were not well and required many surgeries for your condition, but it wasn't true was it? It was because you had been injured in the line of duty"

"Yes" replied M quietly

"And when you took a desk job? Why weren't we told what you do?"

"It was for your own protection. Why is it that you never told me what you do?"

"For the same reason I suppose, to keep YOU safe" she shrugged

"Looks like the apple didn't fall far from the tree" said James from the doorway watching the two of them

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" asked M curiously

"Oh nothing, just that you are both very good at keeping secrets, especially from each other"

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that I don't have to worry about you killing me when you've got your strength back" he replied with a smile as he crossed the room and leaned down and gave her a kiss "I've got breakfast ready downstairs if you're feeling up to it, or I could bring it up if you like"

"I'm not an invalid for Christ sake, we'll be down in a minute" she replied as she reached out and took his hand

"I'll see you both downstairs then" he said as he turned and headed back downstairs.

As James walked back down the hall, he couldn't help hearing the giggling that was coming from M's room.

"Is he always this attentive?" asked Joanna curiously

" pretty much" replied M with a grin

TO BE CONTINUED...