Chapter 11
Gibbs arrives at work the next morning to see Fornell sitting at his desk…this day is going to last forever.
"Tobias… what do we owe you for this visit?"
"The truth Jethro….what happened last night? I am being given the run around but domestic terrorism is on everyone's lips this morning."
"This is an NCIS case and the bomb area was cleared with no guest injuries."
"Then explain to me why there were bodies being removed Jethro?"
"They are in our morgue and are Marines…NCIS is leading this."
Vance enters the office and nods to the agents. "We have some questioning to do Gibbs."
"Yes…the team is meeting us there."
Jethro turns to Fornell. "There is nothing going on for the FBI to be concerned with Tobias."
"Well, then I thought I would give you the curtsey of telling you that I have a warrant to go search Dr. Mallard's residence this morning…at noon actually…high noon."
"Why do you need to do that?"
"Because Jethro… a suspected murderer was seen driving a vintage Morgan belonging to your doctor Mallard…the same blonde man who was seen leaving a room in a DC hotel and then shortly after your team was seen leaving with a body. Members of the staff at the hotel called us. This blonde man was not registered as a guest and the room he stumbled into the day before was guarded by two men dressed like the blues brothers and obviously packing heat…how is there absolutely no scuttlebutt about this? It was buried deeper than Jimmy Hoffa."
Jethro looks at his friend of many years and sighs. "Hold off on that warrant and come with me. You're never going to believe this so I might as well save us all a lot of torment and allow you in on our interrogations. Then we have a meeting with friends at Ducky's house."
"This sounds good…I will call about the warrant but this had better be worth it Jethro…I have to give something to the brass."
Fornell enters the observation room that already has McGee, Abby, Ziva and DiNozzo. "So who is Jethro intimidating today that everyone needs to be here?"
DiNozzo answers. "Vance and the boss are questioning a Colonel Galvin who's believed to be part of a large international terrorist group….there are so many agencies involved with this that the letters strung together could circumnavigate the globe."
"Now I am intrigued…I was beginning to think there was a femme fatal with red hair involved by the way Jethro was acting."
DiNozzo smirks. "Oh there is a woman all right…but she's…"
Ziva elbows DiNozzo and points at the two-way glass.
Vance and Gibbs open some folders in front of the Colonel.
Vance begins. "So tell us about Quantum?"
"What are you talking about?"
Gibbs asks next. "Ok why don't you tell us what you do know and why a group of your Marines attacked me last night even after I identified myself as an unarmed NCIS agent?"
"I have nothing to say and I want my lawyer."
"Why to waste time? Your men admitted they were acting on your orders…they told us of the CIA conditioning that you had them go through and they told us that you ordered them to take the target and remove her to a safe site. They did not know why…so tell us now WHY did you want her?"
Galvin crossed his arms and stared at them with a smirk on his smug face. Gibbs turns and looks at the glass.
McGee sends a text which Jethro looks at. Jethro waves at the glass and McGee dials his phone and waits to get an answer.
Fornell looks confused at the team and whispers to DiNozzo.
"Who is the she that Jethro is talking about?"
DiNozzo looks kind of wistful.
"Emma Peel."
"As in the Avengers?"
"Yes…see I told you Ziva…someones else gets it besides Ducky and me."
Ziva rolls her eyes. "Shush Tony…Emma Peel is a code name for the woman in question agent Fornell, or M as she is known."
"M…the letter?"
"Yes."
"Like James Bond's boss…M?"
DiNozzo laughs. "Exactly like James Bond's boss."
"I love Judi Dench as M."
"I know…that dame is one sexy…"
"Tony! I told you before…"
"Sorry Ziva…you will have to wait until the boss says it's OK for us to spill any more of this case."
Fornell turns back to the mirror to see Gibbs begin to ask more questions.
"Why her?"
"Why don't you say her name agent Gibbs? Did her majesty not tell you her real name…not very good friends now are you…she and Dr. Mallard are becoming close…I wonder if he will get to know her real name if they go to bed together…or perhaps she only sleeps with her agents...boy those Brits are an attractive lot I will give them that much. Bond is a piece of work...he was not suppose to accompany her."
"Bond did and that threw a wrench into your plans didn't it? You don't know her name either?"
"I have not been told…Emma Peel is the name she used last night."
"What is it that you want from Emma Peel then?"
"Nothing. I still want that lawyer. My lawyer will love to know that after I requested him…you continued to ask me questions."
"Actually no I did not."
"Yes you did."
"McGee come in here please."
McGee leaves the observation room and enters interrogation and places a smart phone on the table. He then stands back against the wall to wait.
"I did not ask you any questions…she did."
Colonel…I have been directing this interrogation and they did not ask you these questions…I did and you may refer to me as M. Why did you gather a group of Marines to kill or abduct me?
"Circumnavigating our legal process…tricky bitch aren't you? You convinced the lot of them that you are nothing to fear...well I know better!"
Really is that any way to talk…your mother should have raised you better…how is your dear mother?
"WHAT!"
So you are a traitor and a murderer for hire…how would the dear woman feel about that…perhaps I will ask her when she arrives for tea later. I do hope she is not as anti-English as you.
Galvin loses it and stands suddenly screaming at the room.
"You bitch! This is not over…there is more to come and you will not leave our shores…anyone around you that traitor Mallard…everyone will be dead by dinner this evening!"
Oh so there are more coming…I was unsure but now I know. Thank you very much for your cooperation in this and your mother…she will be my guest for the duration of my stay in America…anything that will happen to me or my associates will also happen to her. Good day to you Colonel Galvin…or should I say White.
Gibbs closes the link and looks at the Colonel.
"Tell us what we need to know and I will be with our group and our friends for the rest their stay here…I will make sure your mother remains safe once I am there. I will give you a phone to contact Gunn and stop the attack."
"How can you go along with that bitch?"
"All M did was invite your mother to tea…I can assure you that Dr. Mallard and M know how to make tea."
"Fine…this is what is going to happen…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
M wakes up in the comfort of strong arms. For a second she panics, thinking that it's Bond again but it's Ducky's arm around her middle. She rolls over and looks into his smiling face and smiles back.
"Good morning my dear."
"Good morning Ducky…how did you sleep."
"Well, once you returned to bed."
M frowned. "I couldn't sleep so I took a shower…you don't mind do you?"
"No of course not M…so…how is Bond?"
"Fine and so is the Morgan…I know you were concerned about her."
"Yes, but not so much as you sneaking off to meet your young man."
"Is this a problem…checking on my agent?"
"No…I am just trying to let you know that I do care and although I have tried to steer you in the direction of Bond… I wish you would move here and live with me….I know…I know you cannot but it doesn't preventing me from wishing that it could be possible."
M smiles at him and leans in for a kiss. The kiss quickly escalates as Ducky opens the buttons on M's silk pyjamas. M sits up to allow him to remove the top and assists with removing the bottoms as they continue exploring this new relationship.
Ducky enjoys kissing her beautiful neck and M giggles as his scruff tickles her delicate skin. They make love again before taking a shower and getting dressed.
M dresses while Ducky uses the shower. M is in black dress pants, a fitted blazer with a small black camisole under and a small healed boot that she finds comfortable. Bond will complain that it is too low cut...Tanner always says she looks nice when she wears this outfit.
M hands a phone to Ducky as exits the bath.
"Ducky I have your phone and I added my number. I would like you to come stay with me in London the next time you come home."
"I would be delighted and I assume that you have my email? Are we going to try to make this work…long distance?"
M pauses and considers his question.
"I think we are just friend…that have romantic interludes and we should not read anything more into it than that. We are too old to pretend otherwise and you were right…there is no point ignoring our hearts. When we are together we are together."
"And when we are apart we live our lives however we wish."
"Yes, that seems the best. I never planned on just taking you to bed and never speaking to you again Ducky. I am not one for one-offs."
"Me either my dear but I cannot help but lament that the woman who I just lost my heart to lives thousands of miles away in my homeland…making me more homesick than I have been in years."
M stands in front of Ducky smiling and reaches up to cup his cheek.
"So it is possible that you will come home?"
Ducky takes her hand from his cheek and holds it looking deeply into her lovely blues eyes.
"Possibly, but I still have things to accomplish here. I heard your men up, so shall we join them?"
"Yes…we must face the questions of the day and Tanner will be linking with NCIS during this mornings questioning."
They join Bond and Tanner in the dinning room drinking coffee looking at the computer when Ducky and M join them.
Tanner smiles at them with a grin that can only be described as knowing.
"Good morning ma'am you look very nice today, Doctor, I trust you slept well?"
M blushes as she realizes that she is still holding Ducky's hand.
Bond continued to stare at the computer and then at his phone acknowledging them with a grunt and nod of the head. M's wearing that outfit she has that looks like it is no more than a blazer done up by one button and nothing underneath. He loves this outfit...so does Tanner but today...not as much.
Bond's tried and being woken up by the sounds of them making love in the next room is like an ice pick imbedded in his head and heart. The worst thing was hearing M laugh and giggle…
"NCIS is questioning the prisoner soon and there is another department that has been alerted to this mess that we are all involved in. An agent Fornell from the FBI…a friend of Gibbs I assume."
Ducky nods. "Yes he is and he married one of Gibb's ex-wives."
The three from MI6 look up with shocked expressions at Ducky's information.
M looks to Bond. "I need you to go speak with this woman and ask her to tea. The moment Galvin asks for a lawyer I will begin the questioning so Tanner please open a line to McGee and let him know."
M hands Bond a slip of paper with the name and address, and leaves to get a car and do M's bidding.
Ducky's housekeeper telling them that breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes.
"Bond do have something before you go."
"No, thank you ma'am…I haven't much of an appetite this morning."
M frowns as Bond leaves and she follows to the porch of the house leaving Tanner and Ducky to set the table for breakfast.
"Bond…what…now?"
"You know exactly what my problem is M. I am fine…we are fine…Ducky is a fine man and you deserve that. I could never be that…no matter how much I want to be. You are right about the two of us. It would be absurd…you are too…"
"What? What am I Bond…."
"You are too old for me."
"Bond...yes...I'm glad you finally realized this."
"It's a fact and I still plan on filling your flat with flowers very soon."
"Bond watch it, because I can still have you eliminated"
"Yes, you can…but you won't because I'm the best you have and you love me."
"Bond…really now. I'm too old and now I love you? You do have the monopoly on confusing me on this mission...a mission that you inserted yourself into."
"Ok…M…let us agree that we have mutual admiration for each other…I will kill and die for you…protect you with everything I have because of these feelings and my duty. I came here to save you, you found another man and that is torture enough."
Bond moves back towards the porch standing beneath M on the steps and extends his hand to hers. Bond looks at her and runs his thumb over the top of her hand.
"Be safe while I'm gone…do you still have the Derringer?"
"Yes..you better manage bringing this woman to me without harming or destroying anything…hurry back."
"Yes, M…I will."
Bond gives her a wink and a quick kiss on the cheek and then notices that Ducky is standing at the screen door, watching them.
Bond releases her and turns to the car as M continues to watch him. Ducky exits the house and stands just behind her.
"Breakfast is about to be served my dear."
M starts and turns to him and levels a smile at him. She wonders how long he has been watching them. Ducky's brow is furrowed and he does look concerned.
"Oh…yes. Shall we eat and then speak with agent Gibbs?"
Ducky smiles back at her. All in trying to smooth over the uncomfortable feelings that seeing M interact with Bond are causing.
"My dear I know this is sudden but I would like to ask you something."
M's face falls in panic that Ducky is about to propose marriage to her.
"You may ask but I cannot guarantee that you will like the answer."
Ducky chuckles. "Don't panic…I know that you will never consent to marriage but I would like to know your name. The real one."
"Oh…Ducky…I'm sorry, of course this is not something that usually happens on a mission but you have definitely earned the knowledge of my first name."
M leans in to his ear and whispers her name to him as he holds her closely. "Olivia."
Ducky smiles. "Does Bond know it?"
It is a simple question that was not intended to cause problems but M stiffens in his embrace.
"Oh…he does…does, Tanner?"
"Actually I do believe he might, because he knew my husband and he was the only one to meet him."
"You did not want Bond to know?"
"Well, it is not for my employees to know but he found out."
"Bond does seem the industrious type…I take it that method and means that he used were not of your approval."
"No…they were not. Let's eat…I'm famished."
M needs to divert the conversation back to safe territory. Why did Bond have to show up and cause all this chaos...if he didn't she never would have met Ducky.
M needs to deal with Bond...she will wait until they escape the U.S. and are safely in the air or on home soil before she does.
Bond will show up at her flat and have a drink without invitation...why is he so bloody frustrating and intriguingly distracting.
After breakfast Tanner is in contact with NCIS and M begins to relay questions through Gibbs and finally hears the Colonel directly…which does not please her in the least.
M puts on her most irritatingly sarcastic tone to gently threaten the man's mother and family to get him to give them something. Galvin admits loudly that more are coming and M frowns as her brain begins to work through ideas to deal with the problems to come.
M hangs up the phone and hands it back to Tanner. "Well, I think I will go upstairs to pack…Tanner do the same and gather Bond's gear also. We may have to leave quickly to draw the danger away from Dr. Mallard and his home."
Tanner moves to do as instructed and alert the guards as M moves to follow Ducky grabs her arm.
"You don't have to leave yet…I find that I'm not ready to let you go."
M smiles wanly and takes his hand.
"I know…but I am unwilling to risk you and there is trouble coming…I can feel it."
"We will face it here. Jethro and the others will be here shortly and so will Bond."
"That is what I'm worried about Ducky. With him around your lovely home will get damaged. I think a hasty retreat and separation of targets is prudent and less devastating than making your home our last stand."
"You will wait for the others before you leave?"
"Yes I will. I am waiting for Bond to bring me Galvin's mother and for the CIA to report to me. Until then my guards will have to keep their eyes open."