A/N: Minor canon divergence, here's what you need to know - Olivia was never stationed in Hong Kong herself and she is promoted to M a little bit earlier than in accepted canon. Suspend your disbelief for a bit. For most of this story she is 51 years old and Tiago is about to turn 21.

I hope no one seems too out of character. I tried to capture them when they were young and naïve, before M was totally hardened and before Tiago was completely broken. I imagine they would have been much different people at that point. Title comes from the Cannons song 'Tunnel of You'.

1986

Tiago really had no idea how beautiful he was.

Sure, he knew girls liked him. He knew boys liked him, as well. He worked hard on his body, lifting weights every other day and jogging religiously. He was always coming up with reasons to take his shirt off and show off his abs, letting the other young agents run their hands over his hard muscles. But honestly, he didn't have to do any of it. People were naturally intrigued by him.

The other young agents weren't the only ones who noticed Tiago. Much to her dismay, Olivia wished she could get a hand on him as well, and wondered what that firm chest would feel like under her fingertips. He looked older than his twenty years despite that boyish sparkle in his eyes, and Olivia's mind sometimes wandered to inappropriate places when she thought of him. It had been years since she'd had such a childish crush, but she couldn't deny how captivated she was. The intrusive thoughts of him disturbed her, and it felt almost perverse that he often popped up in her daydreams on the train home from work. It was wrong to see him that way, she knew, since he was so young and still so inexperienced. When she first met him during his intake interview she had been attracted to him immediately, and had considered in the months since then if that was the biggest reason why she chose to go forward with hiring him though he was otherwise an unlikely candidate.

Sometimes when Olivia caught sight of him during meetings, she would feel like the wind was knocked out of her. He would look at her with those devil's eyes, so deep and dark that she wished she could drown herself in them like two endless pools. When he would smile it was like a vice grip around her heart, making her blood rush to her head, and he happened to smile at her often.

Other times when she would feel herself becoming flustered by thoughts of him she would excuse herself to the lavatory and throw cold water on her face, scowling when she looked into the mirror. Her blue eyes were as bright as ever, but her hair was turning more distinctly salt and pepper these days, and time was beginning to show itself on her face. Her prime was behind her now, unlike Tiago who was currently in his.

Months went on. Tiago trained with the new recruits and at first she heard nothing but good feedback from staff regarding him. It seemed like he had been a good choice despite his obvious accent and unusual upbringing. There had even been talk of him gaining the double-O ranks. Sure, he often showed up looking like a thug in ripped jeans and his old leather jacket, but he cleaned up well, Olivia knew that. And perhaps he spent too much time tinkering on the computer, but he was physically fit as well. It was only once the rumors started that Olivia began to doubt her decision. Rumors that Tiago was being a bit more than just flirtatious with the other agents and even some staff.

Summer crept in slowly, as it always did in England, and Tiago had traded in his trademark leather jacket for muscle shirts. It was highly inappropriate, she thought, that he should show up to briefings looking like that; but she would come to learn firsthand that it wasn't the only inappropriate thing about him.

One evening she was all alone after office hours had ended. She eyed her clock and was surprised it was 18:45 already. Surely her husband was expecting her, but she had been on the phone with the agents at Station H all day and had only now just finished up the paperwork she had to get finished. These days weren't totally common, but they weren't unheard of either.

Olivia sighed and shoved what was left into her briefcase, figuring it could wait for the morning. She finished off her half drank brandy and pulled herself up from her chair, smoothing out her now wrinkled mauve pantsuit. She caught sight of herself in a mirror and frowned. The unfortunate truth was that she always had to look good for this career, lest anyone take her less seriously. Most of the men on staff were already hesitant to give her any respect due to her gender, she didn't need to give them any other reasons to be insubordinate. After all, this association was full of older men who felt they should have been promoted to M instead of her. The bitterness around her was palpable.

She locked up her office and tried to make her way out of the building, but once she reached the stairwell, she heard muffled cries rising from the bottom floor. Hurrying down the stairs she came upon one of her new agents, a beautiful young girl with auburn hair named Claire, huddled against the staircase and weeping.

"Claire, dear, what is wrong?" she asked, putting her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. This was highly unusual for Claire, who was often stoic and quiet and kept to herself. Olivia had hired her for those traits specifically.

"Oh, it's nothing ma'am." Claire sniffled, and tried to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Surely something is bothering you to make you cry like this?" Olivia said.

With that Claire just burst into louder tears, and barely choked out, "He left me."

"What? Who, who left you?"

"Tiago!" she sobbed, "We - we were - I found him…" but she was too choked up on tears to elaborate more.

Of course it was Tiago, who else would it be?

"Miss Porter," Olivia started, "I understand you are upset, but I just want to take this moment to remind you that colleagues having relations with one another is against MI6 policy." she tried to say it as gently as possible, hiding her annoyance with the situation.

Claire balled her fists and nearly shouted, "I found him sleeping with Peter!"

Peter was yet another new agent. Olivia rubbed her temples.

"You mean to tell me Tiago has been having relations with both yourself and Peter?"

"Yes! At the same time!" Claire wailed, burying her face in her hands, "I walked in on them and he ended it with me!"

"Well, I will certainly be having a little talk with Mr. Rodriguez, in that case, and he will be reprimanded." Olivia said, squeezing Claire's shoulder in solidarity, "As long as this sort of thing doesn't happen again you're off the hook for now. Stay away from Tiago in the meantime."

Olivia sighed and went to leave, but as she reached the door that opened to the street she turned back, "It will be okay." she told the girl, "There are plenty of fish in the sea."

Claire only nodded, before trying to pull herself together. Olivia left on that note, her mind once again going back to Tiago. She wondered what the consequences for his actions should be. She certainly had to address these indiscretions, as they were highly unprofessional and frankly disruptive to the workplace. Not to mention being against MI6 policy. This was doubly true for someone like Tiago, who was being fast-tracked for a double-O position.

She stewed over the situation the whole tube ride home. Once she finally made it there she was greeted by her husband, Matthew, who making a small dinner for the two of them. She gave him a peck on the cheek and stood next to him as he bent to pull two fillets of salmon out of the oven.

"How was your day, dear?" he asked her innocently enough.

"Awful." she answered truthfully, and reached for an open bottle of wine, "I have been on conference calls with the Hong Kong office all day. Would you believe two of their agents have died within the last week? One was involved in an incident on the mainland, and one was involved in a boating accident in the harbor. Well, they think it was an accident but Hendricks has his doubts. It's unbelievable. They're scrambling to find replacements and I just have to figure it out for them." She frowned, "Then, it came to my attention that one of my new agents has been sleeping with two of my other agents, which is totally against policy. Frankly it feels so incestuous! I have no clue what to do with him! What would you do?" she asked.

Matthew pondered for a moment, "Well, you can exile him to Hong Kong and kill two birds with one stone."

It was actually the perfect idea.

"Ah! Great idea, and that reminds me," she started, "I am expected in Hong Kong in three weeks. I'll bring him along to see if he meshes well with the team there. An informal orientation of sorts. I'll be there for two full weeks though, do you think you'll be okay without me?"

Matthew shrugged but gave her a warm smile, "I survived last time. And the time before that."

The rest of the evening was uneventful; they ate dinner and watched some telly, talking about mundane things during the advert breaks. Olivia slept well that night knowing she had the solution to her problems. Tiago's mere presence would torment her no longer. It was the best sleep she'd had in months.

In the morning, once she had made it back to work, she made a beeline for the archival room which contained a number of their pertinent classified documents. Once she made it past the two guards manning the door she made her way through the maze of filing cabinets to the one she knew housed agent profiles. Flipping through the names until she finally found his; Roberts, Rodman, there it is - Rodriguez.

She grabbed the manilla envelope and headed back to her office. Once there she pulled out the file, glancing at the grainy polaroid of him on the front. He was smiling in it, something most others didn't do for their MI6 mugshot. Slowly she flipped through his file and read over the information.

Rodriguez, Santiago

ID Number: 90700303

Date of Birth: Nov. 03, 1965

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Blood type: AB+

Vision: 20/20

Citizenship: Dual – United Kingdom (Jus Sanguinis), Spain (Jus Soli)

Family status: Single, no children.

Significant Markings: None specified, some minor birthmarks and no large scars

Languages spoken: English, Spanish, Portuguese

Other notes: Right handed, proficient in C++

-Subject has passed all mental and physical exams with one exception; subject reported one incidence of major depressive episode during adolescence without suicidal ideation.

*Subject has been conditionally enrolled in field training exercises despite pending further review of prior mental health disorder.

-Subject claims British citizenship via maternal grandmother who immigrated to Portugal from Aberdeen due to marriage. Subject's mother retained British citizenship but later immigrated to Spain, also due to marriage. Subject claims his father was of only Spanish citizenship and originates from Málaga, where subject was born. Subject was raised from age nine until eighteen by custodial grandmother on paternal side after death of biological parents. No living siblings.

-Subject is currently enrolled in university courses studying in Computer Information Sciences with no plans of advancing towards graduate studies after graduation. Subject states he would like to work for MI6 indefinitely in either overt or covert operations.

Closing notes: Subject selected for field work due to fluency in multiple languages and proficiency in software development and computer networking. Due to prior history subject shall have a mental evaluation bi-yearly to determine fitness for work.

The report had been written over a year ago when Tiago was merely nineteen. Olivia could remember the intake interview with him, how he had been so charming and articulate with his alluring accent and boyish smiles. Of course, his mental evaluation had drawn up some red flags and the psychologist cautioned against hiring him. Olivia overrode the suggestion, and she supposed she was now paying for that decision.

She picked up her phone and paged security, and in quick order two burly security agents were at her door.

"Yes, ma'am?" the larger of the two asked.

"Bring me Tiago Rodriguez, I need to speak to him about a private matter. I do believe he's currently outside in a fitness class."

"Anything else you need, ma'am?"

"Not today, thank you."

Once they left she unpacked her reports relating to Hong Kong from her briefcase. Station H was somewhat of a mess these days and she felt it her duty to clean it up a bit. Most of the agents and even clerical workers stationed there were older and unwilling to change their habits. Perhaps a young agent would be just the breath of fresh air they needed!

As she was scanning a document regarding the boating incident that had taken an agent's life her door flew open, and there stood Tiago between the two guards. He looked quite perplexed, his brow furrowed, and was clearly bewildered as to why he had been removed from his training exercises.

"Mr. Rodriguez, take a seat."

Tiago sighed and sat down, careful not to sit all the way back and thus make his sweaty muscle shirt stick to his skin.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" he said in his charming Spanish accent. If he was flustered his voice did not give it away, despite his appearance.

"We'll get to that in short order." she then motioned towards the guards, "You may go, make sure the door is closed after you."

Once they were gone and the door shut, Olivia began her mock interrogation.

"Mr. Rodriguez, you know of a fellow agent named Claire Porter?"

He nodded, "Of course, I have been in training with her."

"Well, Ms. Porter let it slip that you two used to be something of an item."

"Ha," he laughed, "It was nothing all that serious, ma'am."

"Well, it sounded like it was quite serious to her." Olivia rebuffed.

She let a moment of silence hang briefly in the air as Tiago fidgeted a little in his seat.

"It was just a few dates, a few drinks - "

"A few shags?" Olivia said, cutting him off.

"You could say that." was all he said.

"Mr. Rodriguez, I'm also told you've been carrying on with Peter Daniels, is that not correct?"

Suddenly the color in his face drained, "That's none of your business." he quickly said, and though he hid it well Olivia could hear a slight undercurrent of fear in his voice.

She sighed, "Tiago, you were informed just like every other employee here at MI6 that there are to be no romantic liaisons with other members of the staff, and yet you violated this policy at least twice. Perhaps more!"

Tiago sat still, no expression on his face, but the sweat dripping from his forehead didn't lie and it was from more than just his previous physical activity.

She continued, "When you were hired it wasn't so you could prance around in skimpy clothes and play gigolo amongst the others. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Tiago ran the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead and shook his head, "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"That's it?"

He nodded, "It won't happen again."

"Consider yourself lucky if there even is an 'again'. I petitioned for you to be here. No one else saw your potential because of your accent and your birthplace, and frankly Tiago, most people aren't pleased that you took the position when there are many others who could have had it. You're making me look very foolish right now."

He still said nothing.

"So, you do admit to having relations with both Ms. Porter and Mr. Daniels?"

Tiago pursed his lips and looked at her as if trying to figure out what she wanted to hear. Ultimately he just agreed, "Yes. What you've heard is true."

"Well then Mr. Rodriguez I think your days in the London Office are over, since you've slept with a few too many of our agents here." she said.

Tiago started to protest, his eyes wide in shock, "Wait! Please, I swear it won't happen again!"

"Shh." Olivia put a finger up to silence him, "Station H in Hong Kong is desperate for agents these days. It's a good division, lively at least, and you'll get additional training in Mandarin and Cantonese if you desire it. Plus you're only a stone's throw from Macau, and I know your Portuguese skills will serve you well there."

"Hong Kong?" he said, "I really wanted to make London my permanent home."

"I understand that, but seeing as I don't feel comfortable with you being in our London office anymore, if you choose to stay in London a career with MI6 is not in your future."

It seemed like whatever he wanted to say died in his throat, and he just hung his head.

"Here's the deal, Mr. Rodriguez. In three weeks I am shipping out to Hong Kong to assist them in a variety of matters. One of which pertains to reverse engineering a Chinese operating system used by their military based on evidence we have found. Surely that appeals to you, no? You will join me on this trip and we will evaluate how well you will work with the team there."

"Three weeks from now? For how long?"

"Two weeks in the field. It should be more than enough time. Have you ever been to Asia, Mr. Rodriguez?"

He shook his head, "No. I've never left Europe."

"Well pack your bags then. Also note that this trip isn't to be spoken of to anyone else, it is a classified mission as of now. We will say that you've taken ill for the weeks you'll be gone. In the meantime, you're to undergo a screening test for venereal diseases and HIV, should any of them prove to be positive you will be let go from MI6 effective immediately. Is all of this understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." he said, but she could tell his mind was reeling with thoughts about what awaited him.

"You're dismissed for now. Oh - and Mr. Rodriguez, you are to stop seeing Mr. Daniels immediately, and keep as far away from both him and Ms. Porter as you possibly can."

Tiago's eyes went wide. Olivia would have laughed if she could, I bet he thought he'd get one last screw out of all of this.

"Yes, ma'am." he said, his voice sounding totally deflated, as he stood and left her office. Olivia groaned when she saw the sweaty outline he had left in her expensive chair. That was easy enough, at least, she thought to herself as she pulled out more documents from Hong Kong and spent the rest of the day trying to catch up on the situation that was currently unraveling there.

A/N: So I don't have a Brit picker, but I try my best. Feel free to correct me if I get something wildly wrong.