A spontaneous bond occurs between 007 and Q at their first meeting at the National Gallery. Can James, a diabolically independent Guide with abandonment issues accept a bond with his high-strung Sentinel Quartermaster?

Title: Commune
Author: Chestnut NOLA
Fandom/Genre: Skyfall
Relationship(s): James Bond/Q
Content Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 14,394
Warnings: Canon-level violence, explicit sex

Chapter 1:

His new Quartermaster was a cheeky little bugger, James concluded. He had no doubt the young man had picked meeting in front of Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire as a not so subtle dig at James’ age. He had yet to trip over his fortieth year, though it was close and granted he took M’s assurance of his readiness for the mission with a grain of salt. He was nowhere near ready after escaping into drink, gambling and women for his three-month convalescence on Turkey’s golden shores.

As they bantered back and forth about Q’s spots and James usefulness in the field, he unrepentantly thinned his empathic barriers to scan his Quartermaster’s aura and motivations. He didn’t get much of a read, which surprised him, only a sense of high intellect with an abundance of creativity. Q had a lovely aura of swirling purples, yellows, and greens in a balanced combination surrounding his being. He abruptly turned dark jade eyes on James, as if he had felt Bond’s scan. Curiosity and amusement flowed over James’ mental touch and he suddenly realized he was sitting next to a powerful unbonded Sentinel.

It was distressing to have not immediately determined what Q was as he approached for their first meeting. James was a strong Guide; able to use his empathic abilities to better influence his marks during missions and pinpoint potential threats. The Sentinel had complete control of his mind and had a misleading persona. Why else, James pondered would he be wearing glasses, dressed in checked trousers and corduroy jacket topped off with a wrinkled Anorak coat? Either it was a deflection or Q just didn’t have any fashion sense.

They finished their ribbing of each other; James satisfied the little snot recognized his usefulness in the end.

“Q,” James said gruffly smirking as he held out his hand.

“007,” was Q’s gracious reply as their hands met.

A ribbon of blue burst from James’ empty bonding space in the core of his mind, meeting with a bright ribbon of yellow from Q’s. They braided together in a cornucopia of perfect green; the bond snapped taunt between their minds.

****

Q’s nose was buried in the back of James’ neck, arms around the Guide like an octopus, as he fumbled with the key card to open his hotel suite. The bond was pulsing between them in time with their heartbeats and the ache in their groins. The need to consummate it was intolerable. James finally got the door to open and the pair practically fell into the room.

Breathing heavily James manhandled Q against the wall burying his hands in the Sentinel’s dark flyaway locks. The kiss they shared consumed them. Q’s taste was ambrosia on James’ tongue a dizzying combination of citrus and honey. The Sentinel was working to get James’ pea coat off his shoulders, muttering in displeasure at the delay as his lips were released.

“007, off, off, OFF!” Q demanded making James take his hands out of his Quartermaster’s soft hair.

“James,” he replied.

He received a distracted, “What?” As James applied his lips to the Sentinel’s long pale throat and shrugged his coat off his shoulders leaving it in a heap on the floor.

“My name is James,” he said pulling off Q’s Anorak and jacket; they landed on the floor with a thump. He then gripped a pair of small pert buttocks in his hands, encouraging the lanky man to wrap his legs around James’ hips.

“Oh, fuck yes!” Q hissed their cocks ground together as James bodily pressed the Sentinel against the wall. He chuckled softly against Q’s throat at hearing that posh voice swear.

“It’s not funny, you twat,” Q stated making James groan as a pale long fingered hand boldly reached down to grasp his hot prick through is trousers. No it wasn’t funny at all. James’ smile diminished as want, both his and Q’s rose in a wave between their minds. With his empathic barriers down James was revealing his true self to another person for the first time. He was laid bare before the Sentinel, whose mind was a beautiful array of mathematics and code in churning tones of imagination and instinct.

Q’s lips took his again in a deep kiss, tongues caressing each other as James was squeezed between lean thighs. He tightened his hold on Q’s behind as he pulled them off the wall to stagger to the bed. The Sentinel was unsuccessful in clutching James to himself as he was thrown onto the bed. His Quartermaster was the picture of debauched with lips swollen, cheeks red, and glasses askew.

“Take your clothes off Q,” James rumbled as he started to discard his bespoke suit. He got as far as opening his tie and the buttons of his shirt, when Q scooted to the edge of the bed to bury his nose in James’ groin, taking in his scent while his hands explored the taunt muscles of the Guide’s chest. James buried his hands in Q’s hair as his head tipped back in pleasure as another wave of lust from the Sentinel’s mind burned into his own.

Q had a dazed look in his eyes as James lifted his face up to encourage him to get undressed. James undid the button and flies on his trousers looking into jade eyes hazy with want as he removed the rest of his clothes.

“You’re beautiful James,” he said as his eyes focused enough to run up and down the length of James’ physique. The possessive tone and touch made James’ shuddered in bliss as Q gently explored his hard cock working fingers around the sensitive head and down the shaft to cup the silky balls beneath in his hands.

James was tired of waiting for Q to get over being lust addled in order to undress and pushed the Sentinel’s hands away kneeling down to start removing Q’s shoes and socks. Running his hands up slender thighs to slim hips, James reached up to gently removed Q’s glasses setting them out of the way on top of his suit jacket on the floor. Q’s eyes were distracted as he caressed James’ torso, paying no attention as the Guide removed his tie and shirt. He cupped Q’s cheeks in his hands to kiss swollen lips and bring the Sentinel’s attention away from his touch sense and back to James through taste.

They kissed for what seemed an age to James, immersed in the taste of each other. The bond was rippling in anticipation between them as their arousal grew. James wrapped his arms around Q’s naked torso enjoying the feel of satin skin under his palms and pulled the young man up further onto the bed. He groaned at the feel of the lean body beneath his, the heat rising between them as he worked to get Q naked. He finally released the Sentinel’s lips to pull off Q’s trousers and pants.

He was gorgeous, pale and lightly muscled, bones delicate with a wiry strength to his frame. James’ cock throbbed as he perused Q, massaging the splayed thighs as he leaned down to nuzzle the lovely full cock displayed before him. Q’s skin was fragrant at his core, musky and sweet. James gave in to the temptation to taste; licking a strip up the side from base to head gently sucking around the glands to be rewarded with a taste of salty pre-cum. Q gave a high pitched squeak his hands flailing around James’ shoulders to finally grip his prominent ears as he took the cock deep into his throat though not quite able to bury his nose in the silky black curls at its root.

James closed his eyes enjoying the taste and feel of the cock in his mouth. His hands fondled Q’s trunk stopping to pluck at pink nipples for a moment before continuing one handed up the long neck to map out the shape of the jaw and face under his palm. Silken skin under the start of evening stubble teased his fingers, before an agile tongue and lips wrapped around their tips. James had to stop his worship of Q’s prick to catch some air. He groaned loudly at the feel of those lips and tongue dancing over and around his digits.

Q tugged more forcefully at James’ ears, pulling him up to ravish his mouth. The Sentinel was mindless with lust, clutching James’ back and buttocks to encourage contact as he writhed underneath the Guide. He moved his grip under Q’s shoulders to better rub his body against soft skin dusted in fine hair his nipples peaking at the friction.

“My Guide,” Q stated and abruptly wrapped his long legs further up James’ sides flipping him over onto his back with a swing of his hips. He pushed James’ hands away from his shoulders holding them against the bed, sitting astride the Guide. Breathing heavily his eyes glowed with resolve to imprint on his Guide.

James internally recoiled from the possessive words. “No!” he didn’t belong to anyone! The bond strained for a moment with his resistance, pain lancing through his head before the instinct to preserve the connection took over and allowed James to calm easing the ache. Q released his hands and sat back on James’ thighs and waited.

Breathing was heavy between them in the quiet of the room as Q awaited James’ decision to continue. The arousal hadn’t faded and the need to finish their communion hadn’t lessened. As he gazed up at Q, James’ realized his spirit wasn’t strong enough the resist the call of the binding. His solitary life was over the moment the bond had coalesced between them at the gallery. Q’s beautiful aura glowed purple and gold with threads of green throughout as he sat naked in body and mind on James. Q was James’ perfect match and how could he resist that.

“Yes,” James whispered in defeat more to himself than to Q placing his hands on his Sentinel’s slim flanks. He sat up to wrap his arms around Q, softly kissing the pale neck in acceptance. Q took a shuddering breath and returned the embrace his hands caressing the back of James’ neck and shoulders before taking his Guide’s head in hands lifting it for a soft kiss.

“It’ll be alright,” he murmured against James’ lips. James really didn’t believe it would be, but didn’t reply knowing Q could sense his trepidation anyway.

They held each other for a time exploring skin starting to shimmer with sweat. Q felt wonderful in his arms, the sleek build a compliment to James’ solid frame. He felt Q’s need to imprint his senses onto his Guide surge within his mind. The boffin’s inquisitiveness to explore James’ body titillated his empathic senses stroking the center of his psyche. The feeling was at once blissful and amusing.

James’ smiled against Q’s skin before he said, “You need to imprint.” He gave Q a squeeze before he released him to lay back on the bed in supplication.

“Finally!” Q replied tartly. James could tell his Sentinel was not a patient man and had been restraining himself for to long. The jade eyes were at half-mast gazing at him as if he was a feast. He supposed he was, James mused a feast of the senses for his Sentinel.

The slight body shifted as Q started his imprint at the top of James’ head inhaling deeply along his hairline and behind his ears. Little expressions of satisfaction were rumbling out of Q’s throat as he worked his hands and lips over the contours of James’ face and down his neck nuzzling into the crook under his left ear to take in more of his scent.

Having a partner so focused on him was a novelty. The bulk of James’ conquests had been women on and off mission who expected to receive his undivided ministrations with little acknowledgement of his needs in return. He’d had the occasional man, but those encounters had been rough and quickly done with little pleasure to be had.

Q worked to explore every inch of him, taking special care to explore the many scars James’ had acquired. The fresh scab on his right shoulder from the removal of shrapnel received in Turkey got a lick and a kiss before the musk of James’ armpit distracted his Sentinel. The cock rubbing against his abdomen hardened further as Q enjoyed the scent. His nose ticking James’ caused his muscles to clench to keep still for the boffin to continue. Q moved away from the fragrant nook and continued down James’ body, his long fingers petting everywhere as he worked his way down.

James clenched his eyes closed, fists clutching the pillow under his head as waves of pleasure from Q’s hands, lips and tongue built a fever of need radiating from the core of his mind to the root of his cock throbbing in time with his heartbeat. He felt a warm tongue dip into his belly button and the proximity to the head of his cock made his back bow trying to bring that smart mouth where it belonged. The long fingers where gliding bands of heat from his hips around to this buttocks as Q’s mouth finally settled on his prick with a satisfied hum.

James’ eyes popped open to take in the image of Q’s lips and tongue exploring his cock while dark locks brushed the sensitive creases at the top of his thighs. It was an exquisite sight and James’ couldn’t resist placing his hands in the soft curls.

“Oh, God,” he gasped as Q’s mouth took his cock almost to its base and pleasure streaked from the tip through the shaft into his balls drawing them up tight against his body.

Q abruptly pulled off and clamped his fingers around the base of James’ cock to stave off the crest of orgasm. Taking in great gulps of air to calm himself, he was slightly embarrassed. James’ glowered as he took in the smug look of satisfaction his cheeky Sentinel was giving him. He hadn’t prematurely come since he was a teenager.

“Get on with it, Q” he growled.

Q hummed in contentment as he released James’ prick to rub his hands down and up the Guide’s strong thighs. The admiration and delight his Sentinel was taking in his body washed over him. It was a gratifying feeling to receive and James’ was amenable to Q’s insistence on spreading his thighs, opening himself further for the imprinting to continue.

His breath hitch as Q leaned down to tongue his balls while brushing over his sensitive perineum and entrance with his fingertips. Q’s tongue followed and the pleasure of it was perfect. His Sentinel spent time exploring James’ cleft and the nerve endings thrummed unbearably to the point he was writhing under Q’s hands and mouth. Finger’s clenched in fine hair as moans erupted from his throat around the gasps bursting from his lungs. He was no longer able to keep still.

Q removed James’ hands from his hair holding them in his as he retreated to sit primly between the splayed thighs. His Sentinel was such a little cock tease, James reckoned as Q’s smile curled from a slight grin to a full on laugh at James’ frustration. James’ grabbed the slighter man flipping him over onto his back to take that sassy mouth in his for a deep kiss enjoying the taste of himself on Q’s tongue. He roughly spread Q’s thighs to settle between them cocks rubbing together slick with copious amounts of pre-cum.

“Please tell me you’re a prepared agent who has lube,” Q snarked as James released his lips.

“Lube and condoms in the drawer on your right,” James replied as he moved to suckle Q’s left nipple while running his hands down the supple form of his Sentinel. He heard Q fumbling in the drawer for a moment before the necessities where unceremoniously shoved under his nose. He lifted himself to sit between Q’s long thighs admiring the pale form for a moment while green eyes glinted with want.

He explored the delicate skin of Q’s perineum with his fingers, the skin soft and supple below a pair of testicles that complimented the size of the cock above them. For such a slight man, Q had nothing to be ashamed of in that department. James used one hand to opening the bottle of slick as they both breathed heavily in anticipation. Q’s breath hitched as James’ slick fingers found his opening, pressing lightly to loosen the muscle enough to gain entrance with the tip of a finger.

His Sentinel was hot inside and James groaned at the feel of muscles clenching around his digit. Q was going to feel fantastic around his cock. He felt his own pulse as a drop of pre-cum beaded the head and shuddered as Q reached down with his fingers to take the drop from his cock into his mouth with a pleased murmur. It was a filthy and erotic sight. James continued to loosen his Sentinel’s entrance with his fingers breaching him with two in quick succession.

“Fuck!” Q swore as James worked to stretch him. A third finger was worked in with the rest. The muscles clamped down tight holding James’ inside for a moment before they relaxed enough to allow movement. Q was writhing as James worked him open clutching at his Guide’s broad shoulders to bring him down to ravish his mouth again. They panted into each other’s mouths as James’ fingers went deep to hit Q’s prostate.

Q threw his head back to gasp, “Now, Now, NOW.” Fingers scrambling for the condom that had fallen on the bed, he tore it open with his teeth and reached down to take James’ cock in hand. James’ was unable to resist pumping his cock into Q’s hands seeking much needed pressure before he was stilled for his Sentinel to roll the condom on.

James’ removed his fingers, wiping them on the covers before placing Q’s right leg over his shoulder to snug the head of his prick against the loosened hole. Q was ridiculously flexible and impatiently slapped James’ buttock with the bottom of his left foot.

“Little shit,” James grumbled as he gripped Q’s left flank and sunk into the soft heat. Q gave a grunt as James breached him to the hilt. His breath left him in a rush and his eyes clamped shut to removed the image of Q’s face soft with rapture. His Sentinel was enthralling and beautiful the image burned into his brain as he worked to stop from coming.

They were still–feeling each other’s heat–the bond pulsed between them at their joining. James opened his eyes as the need to thrust overwhelmed him. Q was hot and tight and perfect squeezing his cock in time to the pulse of the bond. He started to move gently, not wanting to hurt his Sentinel. But, Q had other ideas as he reached down with his left hand to grasp one of James’ plush buttocks pulling the Guide tight to him.

“Fuck, fuck,” James, swore under his breath leaning down to steal another kiss from Q’s agile mouth. He removed Q’s leg from his shoulder as he sat back on his heels, pulling his Sentinel onto his lap with a tight grip on slim hips. Q threw his arms back over his head in ecstasy as James’ started pumping into him with force, his thrusts going deep.

The pleasure built between them and James saw that Q’s aura had become a swirling mass of deep purple. He could see his own aura for the first time, an indigo blue. The colors were merging into a deep red at the base of their loins radiating up their torsos’ as the joining of both body and mind neared completion.

The slapping of their bodies was a distant sound as tingling set in behind his balls radiating upward through his cock. James reached down to take Q’s prick in hand. His Sentinel was making the loveliest noises—grunts, groans, and squeaks—he’d ever heard from a bedmate before as he wallowed in the pleasure he was receiving from his Guide. Q suddenly gasped back arched as his muscles went ridged and the crest of his orgasm flowed over James, interior muscles gripping his cock tight as cum erupted between them. James’ own orgasm burst from him and he shouted to the ceiling as he spilled into Q. His vision had gone red. Their aura’s combined as Q’s pleasure radiated in his brain.

Their communion as Sentinel and Guide was complete.

Chapter 2:

The door to the suite clicked quietly shut as Q watched his Guide leave for the mission to Shanghai. All Q could do as he sat naked in the middle of the bed was wish James luck and remind him to bring the equipment back in one piece. He wanted to cling to his Guide, but the needs of Queen and Country would always trump every other consideration. He followed James down the elevator and through the hotel with his hearing until the cab he’d taken to Heathrow was too far away to continue.

“Well, shit,” he said to himself. James Bond was an amazing Guide and he wanted nothing to do with the bond he now shared with Q. It was disheartening after waiting so long to find the right Guide to bond with. Now he had a wayward Guide who was also a Double-O agent and womanizer who was too independent, too untrusting, and one of the most intelligent people he’d ever met in his head. It was a nightmare.

Q heard the chime of his phone coming from the pocket of his coat still on the floor of the hallway. Multiple chimes from the beast had awoken him from his post-coital nap. He’d been squeezing James to his chest in a possessive embrace like a toddler with a teddy bear. It was ridiculous, particularly after he perceived his Guide working out the best way to extradite himself from Q’s arms.

Q wasn’t sure what to do about the situation. It had been a long time since he had given up his search for a compatible Guide. To tolerate someone of average intelligence in his mind was impossible. He acknowledged that it made him a bit of a snob to dismiss most Guides out of hand. But, he was a child prodigy, a genius; arrogant and irascible most of the time and his sentinel abilities often exacerbated his character flaws. Q had no illusions about his personality. It would take a special Guide to endure being in his mind.

Now he had a unique Guide with a strong spirit resistant to the idea of being bonded to anyone let alone Q.

****

Q was in his spacious office coding when he received the summons from Moneypenny to report to M’s office. The new M, Mallory had not confronted Q yet about his new bond. There hadn’t been time during the Silva incident and MI6 was still recovering from the damage the mad man had caused. It had taken all of Q’s considerable energy to get Q-Branch sorted out. It was still a work in progress, giving him an excuse not to spend too much time worrying about his Guide or dealing with the executive branch.

He was pleased with his minions as he made his way through his domain. They were a brainy bunch, working industriously trying to keep the office gossip at a minimum. They were aware their new overlord could hear everything that happened in the branch. But, Q tried not to discourage them too much. Everyone needed an outlet to handle the stress of the work. And if gossiping about the field agents and double-ohs helped, Q would keep his opinions to himself and keep being amused by their antics.

It had been three weeks since Q had felt James’ grief as M had died in his arms at Skyfall and two weeks since he had attended her funeral. Q figured M would have hated the sentiment; she had been such a pragmatic leader. The service had been well attended with dignitaries, politicians, high-ranking military officers, and of course many from MI6.

He’d been dismayed when he hadn’t seen James at the funeral. Q wanted to comfort his Guide, who had lost everyone he’d ever cared about in his life. It had been a sickening sensation when James’ grief for M had flowed over his mind almost bringing Q to his knees in the middle of his branch. He’d barely been able to push the grief aside to get the job done and the retrieval teams on they’re way to Skyfall.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened to the executive level. Q made his way to Mallory’s new offices; the quiet of the executive branch adding to the gloom of London’s overcast sky barely allowing light through the windows. He gave a knock on the door before entering Moneypenny’s domain. Grimacing at the dark and traditional décor. Honestly, was it too much to hope that the new M had any taste, Q mused. Seriously, brown leather padded doors in an already masculine space were just grotestque. Q didn’t know how Moneypenny could stand it with her bright feminine style.

“Good morning Miss Moneypenny,” Q greeted with a small smile. They didn’t yet know each other well, but Q liked Eve very much. She was a vivacious personality, pleasant to be around. And she always smelled nice, which was a plus in Q’s book.

Eve looked up from her desk with a smile, “Quartermaster, how are things in Q-Branch this morning?”

“Fairly well,” Q replied with a sigh. “The wiring is almost finished. I’m hopeful the bloody electrical grid will stop being total crap.” The new bunker location of Q-Branch had not only needed new fiber optic cabling for the network, but a complete overhaul of the electrical systems dating from the 1940s. The electrical surges were bad for the tech and often startled the minions, since it would go pitch black until the backups kicked in. They were already a high-strung bunch, having them root around for torches on a regular basis just added to their anxiety.

“You’ll get everything settled, Q,” she stated.

“As long as the double-ohs don’t start terrorizing my tech’s on a regular basis, I’ll be happy. It causes inefficiency when they bless us with their presence,” Q replied.

Eve laughed, “Have you met them all yet?”

“No, 006 and 009 have been on assignment, but the rest have stopped by to introduce themselves.” Well, all except James much to Q’s displeasure. “They’ve already started sniffing around R & D on a regular basis for toys,” Q stated as he shoved his glasses back up on his nose.

Eve was still giggling a bit when she said, “M will see you now, Q. Best not keep him waiting.” Q heard her click the locking mechanism under her desk and the padded monstrosity’s hydraulic locks hissed open.

Q gave her a wave and a grin as he started for the door, “Thank you, Moneypenny.”

He pushed the eyesore away from him and froze in the doorway as the scent of his Guide’s pheromones rushed from his nose into his brain. Q’s reaction was visceral, a possessive rumbling started in his throat, his body flushed from the top of his head down his chest, and an urgent arousal settled in his groin. His Guide was here, finally after weeks of separation. Q’s hindbrain took over as his senses wallowed in James’ presence.

James’ heart beat and breaths were steady as he sat facing M’s desk. His short blond hair glistened in the light from the windows. His prominent ears flushed red complimented his light blue shirt and navy suit. Q lost himself in the sight of the smooth skin at the base of his Guide’s neck and the scent of gun oil, scotch, and James’ unique musk.

“Well, that answers that question,” M stated as he stood at his desk. M said his name a number of times, before Q was able to pull himself out of his light zone and focus on his superior.

James made no move to acknowledge his Sentinel as Q worked to control himself. He was sure from the strength of James’ empathic barriers and the grip he had on the arms of the chair he was sitting in, that he wouldn’t appreciate Q’s nose being buried behind one of those ears in front of their boss.

He was a bit embarrassed as he got a hold of himself to finally meet M’s eyes. M was a strong bonded Guide, though Q had yet to meet the man’s Sentinel. He was still wearing a sling on his left arm from being wounded at the hearing three weeks before. Q took a steady breath as M gestured for him to take the chair next to James in front of the desk.

James’ gave him a stoic look as he sat down in the chair. Q couldn’t read much from his Guide, but there was worry and warning in the blue eyes pinning him to his seat. Q pushed his irritation with James outward, pleased to see his Guide twitch a bit from it bouncing off the barrier keeping him from his Guide’s mind. This was not the way bonded couples were supposed to be. Q wanted all of James, and he was use to getting what he wanted. Q took comfort in the thought. His Guide was on the losing side of this battle. If James hadn’t figured that out yet, Q was quite willing to educate him on how tenacious, single-minded, and just plain stubborn he could be when he had an objective.

“Quartermaster, the powers that be are delighted you are now bonded,” Mallory started as he sat back down. “As you know the executive branch and intelligence committee was hesitant to promote an unbonded Sentinel to replace Major Boothroyd. However, your talents as a cyber security and engineering specialist trumped that concern.”

Q had known that there had been a debate about his ability to lead Q-Branch after the explosion. There was always a fear that he would zone while working either guiding missions or during weapons testing. But, there had been little time after Silva’s attack and Q had been the best choice as Boothroyd’s second. Though he was territorial of Q-Branch he had never had a zone during his time as R.

“Now, 007 I am also pleased that you are finally bonded,” M continued. “I am hopeful that Q will be able to better assist you in the field as both your bonded and Quartermaster. Perhaps the mayhem and destruction that seems to follow you will get tempered a bit.”

James’ aggravation with M’s words spiked and leached through his barriers sending a zing of pleasure up Q’s spine. If only he could get his Guide to allow him in his mind. After weeks of separation, Q would enjoy any feelings he could get from his Guide, even anger.

They both remained silent. Q wasn’t sure what to say now that the bond was out in the open. It was probably best not to let on to his superior that their bond was unsettled. Q figured James’ wanted to keep that secret if his aloofness with his Sentinel was anything to go by.

M studied them for a moment before asking, “007 is there a reason you have yet to cohabitate with your Sentinel?”

James’ flinched at the question. Q could see his Guide was choosing his words carefully. “M, the bond was so sudden…” the hesitant words trailed off for a moment before James continued, “I never intended to bond.”

To Q’s relief, he stopped. He wasn’t going to admit to M he didn’t want the bond. It was professional suicide for both of them, if James’ openly refused the bond with Q. Q interrupted, “I think what 007 is trying to say is that with everything that has happened, we needed some space to adjust our mindset after being bonded so unexpectedly.”

“Perfectly understandable,” Mallory replied in relief. “However, you both need to settle into your new bond. MI6 cannot have unstable operatives working in the field and you both need time to become accustom to each other and your bond.”

“I agree M,” Q replied. “Perhaps 007 could retrieve his things from his hotel and come home with me this evening? We have a lot to talk about.”

James’ irritation with Q was evident in his expression and the thinning of his empathic barriers. He probably should have felt bad instead of smug for using M’s concerns to maneuver his Guide. But, the man had been in London for the last two weeks and hadn’t made the effort to see his Sentinel during that time.

James’ features smoothed out to his normal unconcerned mask as he addressed the question, “Of course, that would be fine.”

“Excellent, you’ll have some time to settle in,” M said as he handed each of them a file. “Moving on, Q was the list on Silva’s computer?”

Q straightened in his chair as he perused the file, “No, nor was it on any of the servers found on the island. I have determined that the list was only partially decrypted and without Silva’s skills who ever has it will have a hard time gaining access to the rest of the names.”

“Finding the list is a priority for both of you,” M replied. “We cannot have any more of our operatives exposed. Many of them have deeply infiltrated a number of terrorist cells and crime syndicates, it will be almost impossible to pull them from the field.”

James’ looked over at Q, “Do we have any idea who has the list now or where it is?”

“At the moment no,” Q acknowledged much to his chagrin. “I am working to create a search algorithm to infiltrate various hacker bulletin boards and networks to search for anyone trying to hire out to decrypt the rest of the list. At some point, someone will have to be hired to gain access and there are very few people that can do it.”

“In conjunction with Q’s work, MI6 operatives and our intelligence networks will be searching for it as well.” M asserted. “Silva had a second by the name of Anthony Davros, though from our intel he is not as skilled with computer security protocols as Silva was.”

Q perused the file on Davros for a moment. The man was of Italian origin having made his way up through the ranks of the Rome mafia until he was recruited by Silva. He seemed to be of northern Italian decent with his lighter skin and medium brown hair. He was handsome at 45 years old, never married and no children. Other than that there was little additional information gathered on him beyond some capability in computing.

“Do you recognize him Q?” James asked.

“No, but I wouldn’t,” he responded. “If I knew his hacker handle, then I would have more of an idea of how he fits into the community and whether or not he’s an elite.”

“Elite?” M inquired.

Q glanced up, “Oh, sorry sir, an ‘elite’ is a person who has the highest skill level in the hacking community.”

“Like you?” James questioned.

Q preened a bit under his Guide’s gaze, “Yes, I’m one of the few and thanks to you 007, Silva is dead, so that leaves us an even a better chance at finding the list before it can be decrypted further.”

“Q, once you get a lead, would you be able to offer yourself for hire to decrypt the list?” M asked.

“Yes, my hacker persona is well known,” Q started.

“No! M he’s not a field agent,” James interrupted. “It’s too bloody dangerous.”

Q gave his Guide a frown, “I’ll have you know 007 I have had the required physical training to do this.”

“Basic training is not good enough Q and you know it,” James retorted. Q felt James’ barriers ripple as worry and possessiveness leaked through into his mind. It was good to know that Q wasn’t the only one struggling with their feelings. He probably shouldn’t be satisfied, he mused that James was having difficulty. But he wasn’t the one resisting the relationship, so Q figured James had only himself to blame for his problem.

“Normally, I would agree with you 007,” M cut in. “It’s not ideal to have MI6’s Quartermaster out in the field. However, our options are extremely limited unless we get a definitive location on the list.”

“We’ll have to table further planning until the list or a lead on it comes to light,” Q said.

“Agreed,” M replied. “For now 007 you have some down time to get settled in with Q and prepare for the mission while we wait.”

Chapter 3:

James was lounging in the bullpen of Q-Branch waiting for Q to finish up for the day. His Sentinel was consulting with R at the main screens, messenger bag on his shoulder and Anorak in hand ready to go. Q’s hair was tousled as if he had been running his fingers through it in frustration all day. He had another ensemble on that screamed geek chic, with muddy brown and yellow plaid trousers and pea green cardigan. It was a wonder his Sentinel didn’t zone out on the clashing patterns of his breeches.

The minions were watching him warily as if he were a fox in the hen house much to his amusement. He needed something to amuse him or he was likely to either storm out of MI6 to find a distraction using explosives or throw Q over his shoulder and find a nice cozy tunnel to defile his Sentinel in. If he could have continued to get away with avoiding Q he would’ve. It was difficult to keep Q out of his mind, his empathic barriers thinning when in close proximity to the man. It was frustrating that his normal control over his gifts lacked in such a way.

“Ready, Q?” he asked as his Quartermaster caught sight of him.

Q gave him the index finger with a crisp, “Just another moment, 007.” He turned back to R bending over the keyboard to type some sort of code into the workstation. Those ridiculous trousers pulled tight over his pert behind, which James couldn’t help but ogle.

This was a disaster; he ached to sink into Q’s body and mind. He was one of the best of MI6’s field agents; he couldn’t afford to get attached to anyone let alone his lanky Quartermaster. James’ knew his ability to put his trust in anyone was a thing of the past. And that trust had been shaken again by M in Istanbul. Now his mind was open to another and he knew if Q had his way, his heart would open as well.

James’ stared down a minion who was smirking at his perusal of their boss’s backside. The tech immediately wilted under the glare ducking back down behind his monitor.

“007, stop bothering my tech’s please,” Q said he finished up with R.

He gave Q his most innocent smile, “I’m not doing anything, Q.”

Q snorted as he straightened up and moved toward James, “Come along then, 007. I see you have your things.”

James’ hefted his suit bag wheeling his suitcase behind as he followed Q out of the branch and up through security into the car park on the main level.

“I use to take the tube, but with the promotion executive branch insists I drive or take the car service,” Q said as they continued passed a row of company cars. They were headed toward a large navy blue Land Rover at the end of the row. James’ stopped at the boot to prepare to load his bags, but Q kept moving passed the vehicle.

“Over here,” Q called. James’ moved around the large utility to see a bright red-orange Mini in a space three times too large for it. He raised an eyebrow at Q opening his mouth to comment.

Q cut him off, “Not one word, 007. Esther is a vintage 1978 Mark IV and I can park her anywhere in London.”

James’ held his hands up in supplication and couldn’t help but laugh at Q’s choice in vehicle. It was the type of car he would never have been caught dead in. “Esther?” he continued to chuckle as he moved his things over to the space behind the little thing.

Q’s prim reply, “Yes, she was the only car I could afford in uni and I have put quite a bit of work into her. A traditional name for a traditional British made vehicle. And since you don’t yet have a car, you’ll have to treat her with respect or you can take the tube home.”

His Sentinel was full of surprises, James mused. Q unlatched the boot and James barely managed to fit his things in the space available. He was surprised he had enough legroom once he moved the passenger seat back all the way. The car’s interior was excessively neat and clean with leather seats in a light butter shade. Q obviously loved his car, so he resolved to say only nice things from now on.

The engine roared to life. It was so close in the car, their arms brushing with every movement. Q had his eyes closed and his nostrils were flaring. Q’s scent was teasing his own nose and James’ knew he was throwing off bonding pheromones. He’d felt Q’s reaction in M’s office and had had to restrain himself from getting out of his chair to go to him. The closeness of the car and their scents mingling ratcheted up the slow burn of arousal he’d been dealing with all day since their meeting with M. James’ rolled down his window to get some much-needed air, while Q shook his head as if to clear it before pulling out of the space.

The air helped James to clear his head enough to realize they were heading toward Kensington-Hyde Park. “Where do you live?” he asked.

“I just moved to Bayswater,” Q replied. More than likely he lived in a studio or small one bedroom in that area, James thought. A lovely neighborhood and centrally located, but extremely pricey with many of the Georgian terrace houses converted into flats. They were going to have to find a bigger place for the two of them. At least this time, if he went MIA again his home wouldn’t be sold out from under him.

It was a short drive and before long Q was pulling in to a space in front of a four story red brick terrace house on a tree lined residential street. The house was part of a row of eight with Q’s being the third one from the corner. It looked to James to date about the mid-1800s with original glass windows, ironwork and heavy wooden front door. It was just going dusk with families out walking children and dogs.

“Come along then,” Q said getting out the car. They retrieved James’ things from the boot before heading up the four steps to the front door. It was surprising that Q had no security system in place. Coming into the warm interior through a second door the hall led to a staircase with an arch opening on the right leading into a double parlor.

“You own the whole place?” James asked in surprise as they hung their coats in the hallway.

Q smiled, “Yes, I inherited it a few months ago from my great uncle Charles. It’s been in my mum’s family since it was built in 1840.”

James left his things in the hall as Q showed him the ground floor. The front parlor was mostly empty of furniture the space highlighted the fireplace while the back parlor seemed to be a library with warm wooden shelves on three sides and a sitting area in the center with antique chairs, small tables and a sofa.

“There’s a loo through the hallway in the back that heads out to the garden. My uncle Charles’ guide Robert used these front rooms as his office until he retired. He was an accountant,” Q said as he led James through the rooms.

James’ itched to take some time to look at the books. Books and reading were often a solace for him when the job became too much. The wallpaper throughout the space was a bit dated, but not garish. Everything seemed to be in good condition, though the floors needed refinishing.

“The entrance to the basement is under the stairs. I was thinking I’d set up my workshop and office down there. My uncles only used it for laundry and storage.” he said as James followed Q’s pert behind up the stairs to the first floor with doors leading into another double parlor with a living room in front and kitchen in the back.

“There’s a full bath off the kitchen,” Q said as he led James through the rooms. There was little in the way of furniture beyond a beat up sofa, small tables and empty bookshelves on either side of the fireplace.

It was amazing to see the eat-in kitchen still had working appliances from the 1940s. James appreciated the space for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him to check the bath. It was also vintage with a black and green art deco pattern to the tiles he enjoyed and a deep claw foot tub with shower fixtures prominently positioned.

“It’s brilliant that there’re so much of the original details in tact,” he said as he admired the space.

“I’m glad you like it,” Q replied. “It needs a bit of work to make it our own and I gave some of the antiques to my sisters, but that will make it easier to refinish the floors and take down the wallpaper once we decide on what we want to do.”

“There is a small bedroom down the hall there,” Q pointed passed the bath. “The whole of the second floor is the master bedroom and on suite. The attic rooms I’m currently using for storage until we get things sorted down here before I finish unpacking.”

James roamed into the small bedroom, which had an antique double bed, chest of drawers, and wardrobe squeezed in the small space. It would do for now James reflected, “I’ll take this room.”

“So you’re not going to even try to accept our circumstances?” Q challenged.

“Q, I’ll accept them to a point because I have to,” James replied. “Besides we barely even know each other!”

Q huffed, “I think after fucking like rabbits, we know each other pretty well.” Gob smacked at Q’s turn of phrase, James could feel his mouth hanging open for a moment before he closed it to give Q a look of extreme aggravation.

“Fine! Let’s talk and get the unpleasantness out of the way,” Q said rolling his eyes and flapping his hands at James. “Do you want some scotch? I found my uncle’s stash of McClelland the other day.”

“That sounds just fantastic,” James returned with an irritated growl and moved to the lone sofa. Q rummaged around the kitchen for a moment muttering about stubborn Guides and double-ohs under his breath, and then brought the almost full bottle and two tumblers over. He poured the rich amber liquid and handed one off to James before he sat down at the other end with his legs under him.

James avoided Q’s eyes to look into his glass for a long moment. He really didn’t know what to say and he already knew what Q wanted. Accepting their bond, their communion was something James just wasn’t prepared to do. Something he couldn’t do if he was honest with himself.

Q signed, “Look, I know our bond was sudden and it will take time to get use to it and each other, but it’s a done deal. It’s so rare to have a bond like ours. You know there is no breaking it.”

Q’s eyes were a bright green in the soft light of the room. James hated himself, he was going to dash Q’s hopes that their relationship could be more than what it already was.

“Q, I’m a field operative and there’s always the chance that I’ll be killed every time I go on a mission,” James answered. “There are things in my head, ugly things I’ve experienced and done for the service. You don’t want those things in your head.”

“Don’t you think I should decide for myself the risks I’m willing to take?” Q asked. “I’m not naive you know.”

“Perhaps not, but I’m not willing to take the risk of having you get too attached to me only to end up dying on you. You know as well as I do that double-ohs usually don’t make it to retirement,” James asserted, a lump in his throat at the look of sadness in Q’s eyes.

Q took a sip of his drink before saying, “So, you’ll relegate us to a half-life rather than fully be my Guide and partner.”

“Q, I can be your Guide when I’m here and hopefully…eventually your friend. But, that’s all I can offer you,” James replied. The scotch burned as he finished off the drink. Q’s disappointment tickled the edges of his mind for a long moment before being replaced by determination.

Q visibly shook himself and the feelings dissipated. “Well, I’m not going to badger you about accepting the bond,” Q huffed as he got up from the sofa to head into the kitchen with his glass. At least not now, James thought as he watched Q rummage around in his messenger bag on the table where he pulled out a pile of papers. He brought them back over to the sofa and unceremoniously dropped them in James’ lap.

“Either way 007 we have a Guide-Sentinel bond, so you’re my family whether you want to accept it or not,” Q asserted.

James started to look though the sheets as he replied, “Q, I think you can call me James at home.”

Q ignored the remark. “Read through and sign where I’ve marked,” Q continued. “There’s papers to have you put on the deed to the property, joint bank account, and medical power of attorney so you can make decisions for me if I’m unable.”

James’ couldn’t believe it, “This is too much, Q.”

“I’ve had the papers ready for weeks,” was Q sharp reply. “If you insist on being just flatmates, fine. But, that won’t change my feelings on the subject, so sign them and get settled in while I make supper.”

“Bossy,” James said under his breath.

“Obviously, get use to it,” was Q’s tart reply. Dismayed James glowered at his Sentinel as he watched Q return to the kitchen.

****

Q had quirks. Q had a lot of quirks.

Q was not a morning person, incoherent until he’d had his second cup of tea in the mornings or whenever he happened to get up. So his assertion about the damage he could do in his pajamas before his first cup of Earl Grey was in question.

Q could cook practically anything and make a satisfying meal. Q got up an hour earlier than he needed to in order to get his first two cuppa’s in his gullet, so he had time to make a full breakfast. James had been on the receiving end of hot full English breakfasts, homemade quiches, buttermilk pancakes–a recipe from a southern American friend from uni–waffles, and other assorted homemade pastries for the last four weeks. Sunday was the day for grocery shopping and bread baking.

Q worked long hours and got little sleep, but when he did sleep he slept like the dead. For the first time in his adult life James was sleeping well, the gentle emanations of Q’s dreams–mainly about coding and cats oddly enough–caressed his psyche throughout the night.

Q had a wardrobe full of cardigans, checked and plaid trousers all in varying shades of colors that James wanted to take out to the garden and burn. Q had no taste in colors either for his clothes or for the house. James had taken over the tasks of working on the house, removing wallpapers, refinishing the floors, and painting. All of these activities Q happily handed over to James to do as he wished, while Q concentrated on setting up his basement workshop and installation of the security system.

Q wore glasses most of the time even though as a Sentinel he had perfect vision. James had found out that Q had designed the lenses himself to filter UV light to protect his eyes, as well as filter the bright swirling colors of his computer monitors for working long hours.

Q was surprisingly easy to live with, fairly neat and willing to give James his space if needed. James was relieved that Q was a relatively neat person; it fed into his ingrained need for order resulting from his Navy service.

Q was able to converse on a variety of topics and if he didn’t know something he researched and read until he did. Their evening conversations about a wide array of subjects some well known and some esoteric were captivating to James. Q on politics was a sight to behold in James’ opinion and endlessly entertaining with Q’s sharp tongued posh voice and waving hands.

Q was a creature of habit and Q would go into a strop if anything interfered with his schedule. Q in strop was cute and James was finding many of Q’s quirks cute. It was upsetting.

Q wanted the bond and had no compunction in tempting James into giving in to the arousal that had become a constant companion when they were together. Q was shameless in his masturbatory routine and was quite happy for James to feel his arousal and release. James hadn’t wanked so much since he was a teenager though he waited until Q was out of the house, not wanting to give his Sentinel the satisfaction of feeling his release. He tried to work off his frustration by training at MI6 in the mornings and then working on the house in the afternoons, but there was little success to be had in dampening down his lust for his Sentinel. And Q the impertinent little shit was unrepentant about it.

Q’s feelings of affection, attraction, ardor, and caring for James battered against his empathic barriers nonstop. The worst was the yearning he felt from Q. There had been very few people in his life that had really cared for him and all who had were dead. James worried he was becoming addicted to what he was feeling and the need to be in close proximity to his Sentinel was escalating.

The more James was around his bonded the more content he became and the fear that it could be taken away at any time grew in the back of his mind.

Chapter 4:

“I’ve set the servers to show the video feed from three nights ago on a loop for the next five hours,” Q stated. He set his glasses aside as the glare of the equipment so close surrounding him in the van was reflecting off the glass in his periphery.

“Good,” James replied, looking up at Q as he checked his palm print encoded Walther before sliding it into his left shoulder brace. “Any news yet from Q-Branch on the number in the building?”

Q shook his head in the negative before answering, “The satellite should be in position in two minutes.”

Finally after weeks of searching and networking Q had gotten a lead through one of the hacker bulletin boards. He’d been negotiating with Davros for decrypting the list under his known handle, TimeLord63. They were scheduled to meet in Prague in two days time to finalize the transaction. Q was pleased with his minion’s efforts to track down the list. Through their monitoring MI6’s operatives and counter intelligence efforts the best possible location of the list had come to light. Q’s hacking of Davros’ network supplied the conformation they needed and with a worm virus Q had uploaded, MI6 now had the ability to mine data from the servers. Q had determined that the list was located on a standalone server, not connected to the network and the only way to get access was to be onsite.

Now he was sitting in a non-descript van a few blocks from the building that housed the bulk of Davros’ syndicate servers in an old textile factory on the outskirts of the Smichov neighborhood of Prague west of the river Vltava. His Guide was not at all happy that Q was mission essential, required to be on site in case something went tits up with accessing the server. James had protested the plan vehemently with M before Q nipped the tantrum in the bud with a few choice words. The sulk afterward didn’t dissipate until Q’s fright during the flight to Prague made James let it go to sooth his Sentinel and prevent Q from going into a feral episode on the plane.

“There are twenty heat signatures in the building,” R responded through their earwigs.

Q swiveled in his seat to grasp a metal case from under one of the consoles. “The rest of your equipment 007,” Q said. “One USB stick with a virus that once plugged into the server will allow me to hack into it remotely. Once I’m in I’ll install a program to mine the data, destroy the list and replace it with a dummy file.”

“Anything special I need to do once I plug it in?” James asked as he took the drive and placed it in the interior pocket of his coat. Dressed in dark colors with a hip length navy blue wool coat, a tight black waffle patterned thermal shirt and jeans with heavy black boots, his Guide was dead sexy. Q wished he had the time to better appreciate the effect of seeing James out of a suit.

Q worked to ignore his senses, but James smelled so bloody good. “Hopefully, the machine will already be turned on. If not, and if Davros is smart he’ll have set it to release a signal when it boots up,” Q answered.

“If it does send out an alert, how do you want to proceed?” James asked as he was handed a small electronic lock picking kit placing it into another coat pocket.

“You won’t have a lot of time to get out,” Q considered. Worry for his Guide’s safety was in the back of his mind, but he knew the job came first. James had to continue to be who he was regardless of the bond and Q’s feelings. He didn’t want to chain his Guide to him. James would wither under such restrictions. Being a spy was part of who he was, like being a technophile was for Q. He loved James too much to confine his Guide by trying to force him to take a desk job so he’d be safe and home with Q all of the time.

Q thought for a long moment before making a decision, “Leave the stick in and get out while I work to burn the information off the drive.”

“And you’ll have time to finish the job?” James inquired.

Q smiled, “Yes, they’ll be too busy trying to capture or kill you to pay attention to what is happening in the server room.” James huffed out a laugh at Q’s response.

James smirked at Q, “I’ll try to stay one step ahead of them.”

“Please do, 007,” was Q’s brusque reply. He pulled out two more things from the case to hand over to his Guide. A silencer for his PPK and a sheathed seven-inch K-Bar combat knife sharpened enough to split a hair. “That should do it for now. I’ve hacked into their security feeds and will have eyes on you.”

James smirk grew into a full on smile as he clipped the blade to his belt, “You always have eyes on me, Q.”

“Well, yes… you have a great arse,” Q stated, making James snort out a laugh. He could hear R and the minions snickering in his earwig. “Let’s stay on topic, shall we 007? I should be able to open doors remotely from here, but you have a backup in the kit I gave you if you need it.”

James gazed caressed Q for a few moments a soft smile on his face. “Thank you,” he said and stood to move to the side door to exit the vehicle.

Q’s voice and hand on the Guide’s arm stopped him from opening the door fully, “007?”

James turned back, “Yes, Q?” Q surged up from his seat to press his lips against James’. His Guide stiffened for a moment before he softened and clutch Q to him as his hands moved up to grasp soft dark curls. Their lips and tongues ravished each other for a long moment before they pulled off to breathe each other’s air. Their bond blazed between them and Q couldn’t help projecting his love into James psyche. James shuddered as he received the force of the feeling. Q buried his face in James neck breathing him in. James relaxed further into the embrace nuzzling Q in return along his hairline.

Q reluctantly let James go with a sniff, “Good luck, 007 and please bring back your equipment in one piece this time.”

James just smiled at Q as he got out of the van to head toward the building. Q sat back down in front of his screens to prepare to open the exterior door. “R any change?” Q said.

“Negative, still twenty heat signatures within the building and no movement detected around the exterior,” she replied her voice dry with amusement. Q cleared his throat to cover the embarrassment of forgetting Q-Branch was listening in on the mission.

“007, let me know when you are at the door,” Q said bringing up the building schematics on one of his screens. He had them memorized, but always preferred to have them on hand in case he needed them.

“Acknowledged,” James replied.

He kept his senses focused on James; his Guides’ heartbeat was a reassuring tone in his ears. Their bond was a golden light in his mind. Q knew James could perceive it too, though his Guide tried to keep his emotions to himself as much as he could. To Q’s satisfaction James wasn’t always successful. It had added a bit of spice to their interactions. Though at this moment more spice between them could be detrimental to the mission, Q mused. So he shook himself and removed his focus on the bond from the forefront of his mind.

“I’m at the door, Q,” James whispered. Q typed a few quick commands and heard James’ give a satisfied hum as the locks clicked open. “I’m in,” he said.

“Very good,” Q said. “You want to go fifteen meters down the corridor, there will be a stairwell on your right. You’ll need to work your way up to the third floor. Currently, there are five guards patrolling the first floor, with ten on the second. Five are on the mezzanine of the second level and five are on the server floor, so please try not to alert them to your presence, 007.”

James’ amused voice came over his earwig, “I’ll do my best, Q.” Q huffed in response. His Guide was a cliché. The epitome of the old adage ‘Calm in the Face of Danger’ Q could only shake his head in consternation. The more danger James’ perceived the calmer he got. It was irritating.

He kept an eye on his Guide over the camera feeds, as well as where the guards were located. It was comforting to hear James’ steady breaths in his ear as the worked his way up the stairwell to the third floor.

“007, the stairwell is clear to the top, once there hold a moment and I’ll let you know when to proceed,” Q stated.

“I do have a silencer, Q,” James responded.

Q replied crisply, “Silencer’s aren’t silent enough for this mission, 007. As you know we are hoping for stealth not unnecessary pandemonium.”

“Yes, Q,” James said in a placating tone. Q could tell from the tone that James was just screwing with him.

James’ breaths and heartbeat picked up a bit as he made his way up the stairs. Q was watching the guards on multiple screens to make sure they wouldn’t come across his Guide by surprise.

“I’m here,” James said with a few deep breaths.

“Hold for a moment,” Q replied as he waited for the guard to turn the corner at the end of the hall. A few more keystrokes and the door was unlocked, “Go now.”

Q watched James quietly open the door, PPK in hand, before saying. “Move down the corridor to your right for ten meters, then left to a junction. The server room will be on the right. There are two guards outside the door, so your silencer should come in handy.”

“Acknowledged,” James replied. All amusement was gone from his Guides’ mind, as he got closer to the goal. Q could perceive him preparing himself for a possible altercation. James paused at the end of the junction before swiftly turning the corner. Two headshots in quick succession brought down the guards, the whisper of the silencer and the thumps of their bodies hitting the floor the only sounds.

Q worked to open the door to the room, keeping an eye on the locations of the three other guards on the floor. It didn’t seem that they had heard their comrades go down. The door locks hissed open and James’ pulled the bodies into the room. His Guide couldn’t do anything about the blood on the floor, but James just needed to get the stick plugged in and get out. The concern was having his Guide trapped in the room.

“Q will any port work or do I need to use a specific one?” James questioned. Q perused the set up via the camera feed for a moment, while James sat down at the main console. There were multiple machines in the room surrounding a central monitor. It took a minute for Q to determine that the various machines were connected to the central computer that dominated the middle of the room.

“Use the central console, 007,” Q replied. “It doesn’t look like the machine is on, so plug the drive in and boot up the computer. Once done wait for a minute while I see if an alert is going to go off.”

James plugged in the drive, while Q’s hands hovered over his keyboard in preparation.

“How long will you need to get the data?” James asked with a deep breath, finger’s hovering over the button to power the machine up.

Q responded, “Unknown possibly upwards of twenty minutes.”

“Ready, Q?” James replied.

Q huffed under his breath, “Just get on with it 007.”

James looked up at the camera in the corner of the ceiling and gave Q a wink and a smile before he hit the on button. Of course his Guide would flirt at a time like this. A half second later Q received confirmation of access from the drive.

“I have a connection,” he said and started the process of uploading the virus with a few clicks of his keyboard. Thirty seconds later an alert signal came from the machine coinciding with the alarm in the building going off.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Q muttered. “007 get a move on now!” Q verified that James was up out of his seat before turning his attention to start burning the information off the hard drives as it was mined to his own machines. He felt James’ adrenaline spike as he ran down the corridor. Q’s second console started beeping.

“007, they’ve detected the hack. I’m going to lose eyes on you in a minute.” Q stated.

“Acknowledged, just concentrate on the data Q” James replied before the video screens went dark.

“Fuck it,” Q said. “R have a retrieval team on standby.”

“Ready and waiting for your signal Quartermaster,” she replied. “They are ten minutes out from your location.”

“Good,” Q returned. His keystrokes were furious as he continued to work on the server. His Guides’ heartbeat and breaths were elevated, but he was calm as he worked his way through the building with the occasional spike of excitement as individual guards confronted him. Q had to concentrate on keeping his focus on his job rather than James. The download and burn had ten more minutes left. Q’s coding was fluid even with the occasional flinch when he felt an echo of James’ pain as he was hit during hand-to-hand fighting.

It was quiet as he continued to work except for the infrequent sounds of fighting coming over his earwig. James’ heartbeat a soothing resonance in his ears before he heard, “I’m almost out Q.”

Q didn’t acknowledge the information, but he let the tension in his body relaxed a bit as he finished off burning the drives. He had just set off the small explosive he’d installed in the USB stick to destroy any chance the virus he’d created could be accessed when he felt a lance of pain shoot through his mind. He almost fell off his chair as the connection to his Guide was cut. James had been brought down.

Chapter 5:

The shock of cold water hitting his face woke James abruptly. Pain throbbed through his head from his temple and he felt the drip of warm blood course down the side of his face as he grimaced at the pain. There was a distracting urgent buzzing in the back of his mind as he worked to take stock of his situation before opening his eyes. His wrists and ankles were immobile adhered tightly to a chair he was sitting on. He could hear the scrape of a heel on the wooden floor on his left, soft murmuring to his right and at his back. Another wave of cold water hit him again causing him to finally open his eyes. The taste of metallic blood was sharp on his tongue.

James’ sight was blurred for a minute until it cleared enough to see his circumstances. He was experiencing déjà vu as he looked at the bank of computer servers and wires that formed two long rows in front of him in the large open room. Even a well-dressed captor was present with henchmen behind and to the side of him. He really didn’t want to deal with remembering that crazy blond fucker, Silva at a time like this and shook himself to better focus on the current threat.

“Who are you and who do you work for?” It was Davros in an ill-fitting designer suit the color of gunmetal. The man’s aura was a sickly shade of dark mustard, not a good sign that the man was at all sane. It made him doubly dangerous.

James kept quiet for now, knowing as soon as he opened his mouth they would deduce he was from the UK. It was a short leap from being a British citizen to being an MI6 agent after that.

His empathic barriers were a bit of a mess with the pain in his head. But, he worked to get a read on Davros’ state of mind. It wasn’t pretty, anger, rage, and killing hatred brushed over James’ mind from the man. Davros’ henchmen were nervous; as if they had seen him lose his temper before and were untrusting they wouldn’t be punished in a severe fashion for their mistakes. Davros turned to a table to the side that held a laptop and other tools. He pulled a stock prod from the pile and James worked to remain calm as the man approached with the implement in his hand.

“Again, who are you and who do you work for?” he said and without waiting for James to reply jabbed him in the right shoulder with the weapon. The burn of the electricity was agonizing as it shot down his arm and up the side of his neck causing him to barely break off a shout at the pain.

Fury blazed in his mind washing away the pain from the stock prod. It was not his own. Q was on the move. Fear spiked in James chest, Q was not an agent or soldier. His Sentinel could be killed. The building alarms went off startling Davros into stepping away.

“See what it is,” he ordered to a hulking henchman on James’ right. For such a big man the guard was quick on his feet as he turned to leave the room leaving four others and Davros to surround James.

James strained to loosen his bindings and his panic rose as he recognized Q was in a feral blood lust charge. James delved into Q’s mind along the bond and relaxed slightly as he realized that Q’s higher brain functions where totally focused on the task at hand. He didn’t dare try to calm the blood lust in Q’s mind or encourage him to stop his advance. Q would be in more danger if James caused him to lose his momentum. He opened his mind to blanket the building with his empathy. Guards were dropping like flies as Q moved at astonishing speed through the building.

A door on the mezzanine level surrounding the room burst open with a loud bang. Q was a blur as he shot the guards surrounding James from above with precision. Davros turned his gun on James as Q flew down the stairs thirty meters from where he sat. The man’s eyes widened as he realized the threat wasn’t going to stop the Sentinel. Panicked he swung the gun toward Q, but it was too late. Q dropped his own PPK and leaped two meters into the air bringing a K-bar held in this left hand down into Davros neck. Blood sprayed over both of them sticky hot as the man’s corpse collapsed onto the floor.

Q stood over Davros’ body panting for half a minute before he looked to James. His jade eyes were glowing with power, his aura a deep swirling violet with golden tones surrounding him. He was a gorgeous ethereal creature with his ridiculous clothes askew, hair a disheveled mess and blood on his face. Love burst from James running along the bond to cause Q’s breath to hitch for a moment. His Sentinel blinked, his gaze sharpening to focus on James. He reached down and pulled the K-bar out of the body wiping the blade on the man’s suit before primly stepping over the corpse to crawl into James lap.

Q was crushing James to him, running his lips up his neck and across his face before nuzzling his Guides’ hairline. The blood lust was slowly receding and a trembling relief worked its way into James’ mind. He opened his empathic barriers allowing Q to fully commune within his mind. His Sentinel shuddered at the pleasure of being blanketed by his Guide’s psyche for the first time.

James nuzzled Q back as much as he was able before trying to get his attention enough to be cut loose from his bindings. It was so easy to get distracted by his Sentinel’s beautiful mind, so brilliant in intellect and love. James’ perfect match in both body and spirit.

“Q…Q…Q,” James murmured trying to get his Sentinel’s attention. “Oscar!”

Q started at the sound of his real name coming from James lips and pulled back enough to look into his Guides’ eyes. “Cut me loose, Oscar,” James said.

Q moved away only enough to reach behind and down to cut the ties to James’ hands and feet then he dropped the knife. Finally, he was able to hold the slight body tight in thanks and amazement at his Sentinel. Q’s mind and body a balm to James’ battered soul. They stayed in each other’s arms for a time, before James heard sounds tinning from Q’s ear. He pulled his Sentinel’s earwig out and placed it in his own to listen to R’s frantic questions coming through the device.

“Quartermaster, status…what is your status…” R high pitch voice making James flinch as his Sentinel continued to ignore everything around him as he caressed his Guide with his hands, body and senses.

“R, we’re fine. It’s all over send a retrieval and clean up team,” James said.

R’s sigh of relief was audible as she replied, “Oh, thank goodness, Q wasn’t responding.”

“Make sure the teams know they cannot touch either Q or myself when they come in,” James replied.

“Acknowledged, 007. ETA eight minutes.” R returned.

“I’m taking us off line now, R,” James replied between the kisses he was receiving from Q. He hugged his Sentinel tight to him as they waited for the team to arrive.

***

The water of the shower sloughed sweat and blood from his Sentinel’s fine skin. Q was pliable in James’ hands, quiet and calm as he worked to assuage the remnants of the blood lust his Sentinel had experienced. He would have been worried about Q’s state of mind if he’d been unable to access it through the bond. Even though his Sentinel had killed for the first time, there was no guilt in his psyche. The safety of a sentinel’s guide trumped all other concerns and guilt over killing to protect one’s guide was impossible.

The retrieval teams had found them still cuddling on the chair surrounded by the bodies of the dead, wary of approaching the pair too soon. James had finally had to threaten to carry Q like a child out of the building in order to get the Sentinel to move off his lap. Q huffed his displeasure at being moved from his Guide, but acquiesced enough James could finally get out of the chair. They’d cleaned themselves up with what was at hand so as not to cause panic as they walked through the lobby of their hotel in Prague’s Old Town.

James shivered in pleasure as Q ran his hands up and down his body, exploring the many bruises that adorned his skin from the fighting. Overall he’d come out of the mission with minimal injuries that were barely a blip on his radar. Q didn’t have a scratch on him; his Sentinel’s adrenaline response had been an amazing sight to see. To James’ relief, Q’ had been so quick as he stormed through the building that none of the guards had even laid a hand on him.

“Q?” James questioned. His eye’s half lidded, Q responded with a questioning hum. Tilting his Sentinel’s head back to rinse shampoo out of his dark locks, James smiled at Q’s distraction. “Time to get out now,” James stated.

“If we must,” was Q’s prim reply.

“The sooner we get done, the sooner you can fuck me,” James challenged. Q’s eyes popped open and he immediately turned the water off, pushing James out of the shower stall. James chuckled as Q threw a towel at him in a rush.

“Get a move on 007,” Q ordered, rubbing his own towel briskly over himself and through his hair. He looked like a demented hedgehog when he was done.

James slowly dried himself as Q was practically vibrating in the doorway. Enjoying giving his Sentinel a slow tease, James rubbed the towel up and down his cock for a moment. His arousal and Q’s a rising burn in his mind. Q huffed in impatience while James finished up. As soon as he was finished Q pulled him out of the bath, letting go of his hand to run and jump onto the middle of the bed sitting with an expectant look. Legs crossed, back straight at attention, and cock hard as James sauntered over.

James reached in the bag at his feet to retrieve the lube before crawling up the bed to place a kiss on Q’s supple lips. Q’s palms were soft and delicate as he pulled James overtop his lean body cradling him between his slim thighs. Their kisses were languid and unhurried as they gloried in the feel of each other. Q’s adoration flowed over James’ mind the bliss of their communion joyful.

“Sentinel,” James murmured in Q’s ear.

Q returned with a soft, “Guide.” His urgent arousal assuaged by the connection of their minds. “Love you,” he said.

James trembled with the power of the words. Words that hadn’t been spoken to him since his childhood. He deepened his kisses as want flared bright in his mind at the words. Q’s green eyes were soft as James pulled back from the kiss, hands in his Sentinel’s fine hair as he took a moment to gaze at the beloved face below his own. “I love you too, Oscar,” he said. And Q closed his eyes in pleasure at the words and his name on James’ lips.

James rolled them over relaxing in supplication under Q to allow his Sentinel to do as he wished. Q’s breath hitched as their cocks rubbed together, his pleasure at James’ hands running up and down his back and buttocks apparent in mind and expression. His Sentinel seduced more kisses from James before moving slowly downward to enjoy his Guide’s skin with his lips, tongue and hands. James arched as Q’s attention to his nipples caused a streak of aching lust to settle in his groin.

Q eased between James’ solid thighs running admiring hands up and down the hard muscles dusted in fine hairs. His eyes were glowing in the soft sunlight coming in from the windows. He looked ethereal again, like a mage of old full of magic and mystery, before running his tongue softly up James’ cock to the tip tasting the pre-cum there with a please hum only to plunge down capturing it almost to the root. James had to close his eyes as the feel of Q’s smart mouth on his prick overwhelmed his senses. Q settled in for long moments swirling his tongue and brushing the sides with his teeth as his hand rubbed over James’ belly and sides. His Sentinel was overdosing his senses on his Guide and the pleasure of it on James’ body and in his mind caused him to go into a satisfying stupor.

He was brought around with slick fingers softly exploring his entrance. James looked down, his hands playing with Q’s wild curls admiring the look of his pink lips stretched around his cock. Q’s finger breached him easily and the burn of it caused a grunt to leave his throat. It had been awhile since he’d been on the receiving end with a man. The burn eased as Q’s fingers brushed against his prostate.

The resulting jolts of the stimulation quickening his arousal to an almost unbearable amount. “Yes!” The word hissed from his lips was involuntary.

Q pulled off his cock with a final kiss to the tip to sit gleefully between James’ thighs leaving no room for reply as he settled another finger in alongside the first.

“Q, don’t be a cock tease,” James panted. Q’s grin just widened into a gratified smile as a third finger worked to loosen his entrance. Slick fingers rubbing strongly against James’ prostate, the pleasure of the act was almost more than he could handle.

James’ breaths were leaving him in a rush by the time he finally couldn’t take it any more. “Enough! Get in me now,” his voice cracking at the last word, much to his embarrassment. Q was going to give him a heart attack if he wasn’t more careful.

“As you wish… Guide,” Q stated in his most snotty posh tone, James could’ve done without the Princess Bride reference.

“Oh, shut up Q and get on with it,” James said exasperated. The little shit just smiled wider at him before using the slick on his cock.

James sat up and grabbed Q by the shoulders to settle his saucy Sentinel over him, Q’s cock snug against his entrance, his thighs cradling the slighter body. He ravished Q’s mouth as he pulled Q’s prick into him with a tight grip on his small splendid buttocks. Q’s hands clamped down on James’ shoulders as his prick was sheathed gasping into James mouth. The heat and stretch of his Sentinel’s cock inside him was perfect.

Their minds were joined, love and pleasure emanating between them as their bodies moved together in physical communion.

***

James stood at the window over looking Old Town and the historic bridges crossing the river Vltava. His body ached pleasantly from Q’s love making. The bond was thrumming with contentment between them. He’d come to terms with the bond and his new relationship much to Q’s satisfaction. There was still the chance that he would be killed in the line of duty, though he vowed silently to himself that he would make every effort to come home to Q in the future.

His ruminations were interrupted with a pendulant request, “I need tea.” He turned and could only see the top of his Sentinels dark head peaking out of the nest of the bedclothes surrounding him.

“Order tea and bring your fine arse back in bed,” the lump ordered in a prissy tone.

He chuckled as he made his way back to his Sentinel. His lover was going to be a handful and James was going to enjoy every minute of it.

The End