End Tales

M and Tanner stand vigil, watching the activity around Olivia in the emergency area. A nurse approaches to tell them that James' all cleaned up and sedated. They managed his scrapes and minor wounds while drugs calmed him after his outburst.

"Thank you and once she's clear of trouble they need to be in the same room." M tells her.

"That is not normal procedure?"

"I know." M shows her his badge. "There may be guards outside the door of their room depending on the length of their stay. No one other than appropriate staff may be in to see them unless Tanner or I approve."

"I will tell my supervisor." The nurse leaves them to continue waiting for good news.

"How can you be so sure she will pull through?"

"Tanner she has to. After all this. To lose her and the baby will crush Bond, and her children. Moral at MI6 has been dismal since she died the first time. I don't want to deal with it again. Besides, M's the strongest woman I have ever met."

"True. She survived two months under the thumb of that maniac, so a dip in the Thames in winter should be a walk in the park." Tanner says with a look of admiration that M has always noticed when he speaks of Olivia.

"Yes. She did. I hope that she will be willing to speak to someone about her captivity, eventually."

"You're not going to make her create a report are you?"

"No...she's not an employee, only Bond will need to. I just dread telling Judi."

"Leave it to Olivia. It should come from her."

"I know that Tanner, but Judi has a way of pulling information from me faster than she should. Just by my tone of voice over the phone, she knows something is going on. I hope to god she's not a double agent or my career really is done."

Tanner laughs. "No, she's just her mother's daughter."

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Judi blushes as she winks at her husband, who has move to stand beside Tanner and her mother. "Good thing we can both keep our mouths shut, right Ryan?"

"Yes and now Andrew and Victoria have to keep their mouths shut or mum will make them disappear."

"Come on! We just learn the coolest thing we could ever learn about our parents and we can't say a thing?" Andrew throws his hands up in the air.

"Not a word young man." Olivia says with her best glare. "Only with the people in this room plus the two Q's and Séverine, who will be here tomorrow. After we die, and the official secrets act wears off you may, but you will be old by then."

"Dad what about Blofeld? Where did Madeleine end up and did she get over her love for you?" Victoria asks.

"Blofeld and Madeleine? I thought you wanted to know what happened in the hospital?" Olivia asks.

"Ok; hospital and then we'll see." Bond says sternly.

Olivia laughs and moves to the kitchen. "I will make snacks while you finish with what happened when I was unconscious. Then you two need to go to bed, we all do. I swear getting ready for Christmas is more exhausting than work."

"I will help Olivia." Eve says as she leaves the group.

"I think we all need a break before continuing." James says as he begins mixing more eggnog for the guests.

"Dad can we have one of those?" Andrew asks.

"Just because you're old enough finally to hear about how I met your mother does not mean you get to have rum and eggnog."

"Come on James let them have one weak one." Judi says.

Bond frowns and makes two extremely weak beverages for his teen children. Olivia and Eve return with snacks.

"Ok where were we? Oh yes. I remember." Mallory says.

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"Eve just texted." Tanner says to Mallory.

"Judi and Ryan are on their way to the Bahamas with the children and Quinton took Séverine to a hospital to have her checked over. Q went home to have a cup of tea and go straight to bed. I told them to take the day off tomorrow and we would call them in as needed."

"Good. You and I will be at Whitehall first thing, I doubt we'll get any sleep but it can't be helped."

They're both relieved to find out everyone is still breathing. The two of them sit down and continue waiting to find out if the same can be said of Olivia.

A doctor comes out of the room followed by another doctor. "Hello, I am doctor Smith and this is doctor Tennant. I am dealing with Olivia and doctor Tennant is dealing with the baby. First off; we had a small scare but Olivia's heart started again very quickly."

Doctor Tennant speaks next. "Are either of you the father of the baby?"

"No, he has been seen to, and sedated. I am M. This is mister Tanner, and all access to the patients must go through us."

"Oh, yes...a nurse did mention SIS. Fine that is not our concern. There seems to be a steady heartbeat of the child and I conducted an ultrasound. The fetus is about 10 to 11 weeks along and doing well."

Doctor Smith continues. "As for the mother we do not know if there is any permanent brain damage due to lack of oxygen, but once she wakes up we will do more tests. Having familiar faces around her is a good thing. If recognition is there upon waking, that is a very good sign. She has just been moved to her own room down the hall."

"Thank you doctors." Tanner says. "I will take first watch M. Why don't you call and see if Judi's landed and tell her the good news."

"I will and I will make sure they roll Bond's bed over to her room now." Mallory walks down the hall to Bond's room and waves over some orderlies and nurses while he makes some calls.

Tanner enters the room. Olivia still has a oxygen mask on and look so small and incredibly pale lying there sleeping.

"Well, M you gave us all quite a scare. I do hope you wake up soon and remember us...maybe all the good things and none of the bad. 007's fine and everyone escaped injury, but you. I don't know if you can hear my ramblings M, but the baby...the baby is going to be fine."

Tanner takes her small hand in his and looks down on his former boss, who now looks younger than him. Her hair is back in the style he's most accustomed to on her and other than her pallor, she looks good.

Blofeld must have fed her at least. Tanner wishes that Blofeld died in that bloody crash with the pilots.

A Nurse arrives and ushers Tanner into a seat while she checks Olivia's vitals. The orderlies arrive with a bed with a sleeping James Bond, all patched up. Even in a drug induced sleep James looks like he's about to jump into action.

M joins him and brings him a coffee. It's past 2 now and there is little chance of sleep tonight anyway.

The two of them take up their vigil and tell stories of their first meeting with M. Tanner laughs when M tells him how she was hit on outside his office by a minister and scared the shit out of him for the presumption.

Eventually M dozes off in his chair and Bond tosses. Tanner moves to him. "James, everything is alright. You can go back to sleep. Olivia and the baby are fine."

Bond blinks in response and looks to his left to see her. His body visibly relaxes and he falls back to sleep.

Tanner watches over them until the morning when he eventually wakes Mallory as the nurses and doctors change shifts and come in to introduce themselves.

Bond wakes and puts up with questions from the doctors as Tanner and M go take a break elsewhere.

Within the hour M wakes and bats the oxygen mask away from her face. James is at her side in an instant. M shivers as he climbs into the bed with her and faces her.

"James...I had a dream that I was floating and you saved me...but then you became Tanner?"

"Tanner carried you up to the ambulance, my love. How do you feel?"

"Cold and tired...what about the baby?"

"Strong heartbeat like her mother."

"Her...aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"

"No...I'm not."

The nurses and doctor come in and frown at the sight of Bond in bed with her.

Tanner and Mallory come back to the room and speak with the staff about making an allowance.

"Tanner?" Olivia says as he comes closer. "Thank you and you too M."

Tanner comes to kiss M on the cheek and shake Bond's hand before leaving and giving M room to say his hellos and goodbyes.

"Olivia you gave us all quite a scare. They told us that you remembering us upon waking is the best possible outcome of your dip in the Thames." M says.

Bond smiles. "How could she forget me?"

"Yes, how could she. Judi and Ryan are safely at Quinton's beach house in the Bahamas with the children. James you better hide when they come home. They are not happy you lost your wife after only a month of marriage."

"You're the one that didn't tell them."

"Yes; and I will have to deal with that. I did not include that they're going to become siblings again."

Olivia laughs but it turns into a painful sounding cough. "No I will do that." She manages to whisper. What of Franz?"

"In custody." M says.

Olivia frowns looking from James to M. "Watch him carefully."

"He has a severely broken leg, and we have him at a military hospital just in case. We will all be back to see you later. The Prime Minister needs to see us soon. Bond you are able to leave today but I have asked them to let you stay to guard your wife."

"Thank you M."

Tanner hands his gun to Bond before he and M leave to go deal with the aftermath. The Prime Minister wants to know of C's death in the Centre for National Surveillance building.

Bond lies next to his beautiful wife caressing her arms and face. At peace now that he has her back in his arms again.

Bond takes her chin in his hand and tilts her face to him as he kisses her gently, making her sigh in bliss. She may be in some discomfort, but that seems to all melt away when his lips are on hers. They enjoy a few minutes of gentle kisses and caresses as Olivia slips back into sleep for a few hours.

Bond slips out of her bed to find a mobile. He calls Eve and asks her to find and drop off some clothing from Olivia's flat for them to change into.

Séverine and Quentin arrive within an hour, with Eve and Q in tow. They are ecstatic that the baby is fine and everything can begin again.

A complete reset and restart as Q calls it.

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"That is the end of it. The end of the story." James says.

"No way...that can't be the end." Victoria says. "What of Madeleine and Blofeld?"

"Time for you two to go to bed." Olivia says sternly.

"What are you not telling us?" Victoria asks.

"Yeah...you included all the gross kissy...kissy stuff but you won't tell us what happened after that."

"That is a story for another time. I retired and your mother was already retired, so there were no more adventures but the two of you."

Victoria looks at her older siblings who start staring at the Christmas tree all of a sudden. Then she looks at Gareth. He just smiles at her. "You know a lot more of the story and so do the rest of you." She says accusingly.

"I am not at liberty to say anything of what my job entails. That you learned this much is remarkable but your parents have been retired over 15 years. The time limit for Olivia's secrets act expires soon and an exception can be made for a family this close."

"Very diplomatic M."

"Thank you M." Gareth says with a smile.

Andrew and Victoria Bond stand to leave the assembled guests and go upstairs.

"Eventually I want the rest of the story." Victoria says as she levels a glare at both her parents. "After all, I could be the daughter of a evil genius."

"Genius...you're nuts and there's no way you're a genius. Much better to be the child of a super spy, like me."

Victoria hits Andrew on the arm hard. "Ouch! Mum!"

"Enough out of both of you. I do know that you are both my irritating children, so stop being stubborn and get to bed. The rest of us would like to sleep tonight also."

The two teens lumber up the stairs grumbling about being kept in the dark and how something cool is likely about to happen the moment they leave the room.

The adults remain silent until they hear the closing of doors.

"James I can't believe you did that!"

"They are old enough and I want them to begin training to look after themselves this year. I had to have them understand the importance of why I was doing it."

"Training them...in what exactly?"

"Hand to hand combat."

"Oh I see. This has everything to do with the fact that Victoria possibly has a boyfriend doesn't it?" Olivia slides up to James and puts her arm around him. James rests his hand on her hip.

Judi laughs. "Oh my. James as the father of a dating teenaged daughter."

Ryan nods. "She's at that age...I hated that age. When mine began dating...argh...I wish I had a licence to kill."

They laugh together but James scowls.

"James it will happen no matter how vigilant you are. She's growing up and she's a beautiful girl."

"I know and I've seen the way men of all ages look at her now and I want to gouge everyone of their eyes out!"

Eve laughs. "James it's like all those women are coming back and torturing you for doing the very same thing to them. They all had fathers somewhere too. After a few years and a couple of boyfriends you will get over the fact she's no longer your innocent little girl and relate to her differently."

"No...no...no I will just keep them all away from her!"

Tanner laughs. "We could all help but that may be a bit much for a former group of spies from MI6 to manage. Q could monitor her mobile and if we hired a bodyguard."

"Tanner, don't encourage him." Olivia says. "Let her grow up and become the woman she's meant to be. Without you inserting yourself in every relationship she has with men. I think she will make wise choices and after tonight she will be scared not to."

"Fine!" Bond huffs.

"The children are sharing a room. So you divide up the rooms you want for the evening. Ryan since your wife and children don't come until tomorrow, you get the sofa."

"Great...I get to be the first up when Andrew blows up the room with all his gifts."

"Poor baby brother." Judi mocks as she clears away dishes and snacks.

Olivia kisses her eldest son as the rest of the couple head upstairs to finally find some peace and quiet this Christmas eve.

Olivia and James enter their bedroom and gets ready for bed. Bond stands behind Olivia as she brushes her teeth looking at her through the mirror.

"How is it that I am still so in love with you?"

Olivia rinses her mouth and laughs. "I don't know. I guess it was meant to be."

"Are you mad I want to train the children?"

"No more than I was mad at M for making Judi do the same. Ryan's the only one who steadfastly refused."

"What if they choose this life?"

"Who would I be to say no. I devoted a lifetime to Queen and country and I don't regret that. I will never regret that."

"Are you sure? Did it bother you that I told them of Franz?" Bond has his hands on her hips as she leans her back up against him. He begins to run his hands up and down her sides.

"No. I hope the details you gave them were scant, but the core understanding is there. I was his plaything for two months and no...it wasn't fun. However terrible that time was, I never lost hope and that's the main thing. I never gave up trying to get away."

"I know that they will wonder about Spectre and what happened to the organization and Blofeld."

"Yes, James they will. That's a story for another time."

"Yes my love. Let's go to bed."

"There's a great deal of family in the house James...no hanky-panky."

The look of disappointment that crosses his face makes Olivia laugh. Bond spins her around in his arms and kisses her passionately.

James Bond releases her mouth to look down on her face. "Are you sure M?"

"Oh...you haven't called me that in a while. Is all this talk of the past getting to you 007?"

James growls. "I think we had better take this talk to the bedroom."

"007 I told you...too many ears in the house."

"M you tease. I would say to do it here in the bath, but it echoes worse than the bedroom. I can keep quiet if you can." James say with some very expressive eyebrow wiggling.

"James Bond, what am I going to do with you?"

"What you usually do with me love, make me the happiest killer agent in the world."

The end...for now.

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Note: Thank you for all the lovely reviews of this story that was written in two parts almost two years apart. It is my very first fan fiction and to have it so well received is wonderful.

A special thanks to detectivecaz for assistance on Chapters 55-57.

This story may continue with these altered AU characters after the next Bond film.