'You see, I spy for a living, and I specialise in revenge. In taking the things I know will cause you pain,' 'I Spy', Pulp.
*
As they staggered through the compound, Alec revelled in the sensation of being close to her again, the softness of her body as she pressed against him, the scent of her hair that brushed his face as they moved. She was waking up, and not relying on him so much to support her, and he was surprised at how much he missed her warmth when she finally moved completely away from him.
'Where is he?' she murmured, peering through a door. There was no point in keeping quiet, there were guards all over the place, making more than enough noise, a bit more wouldn't hurt. 'James? James?' she cried, then listened. For a moment there was nothing but silence, and Alec started to say, 'He's not...'
'Shush.' She waved a hand at him, insisting on silence. She heard it again, a muffled shout. 'This way,' she dashed off down a corridor, Alec following as well as he could. His body ached, he wished that this was over and done with and he could rest. As if taunting him with her youth she ran easily, pausing to wait for him to catch up with her. She wasn't even breathing heavily, instead she was bright eyed, her cheeks flushed, enjoying the thrill of the mission, in the same way that he had in years gone by. He knew the adrenaline was pumping through her; she was on the edge, ready for anything. And again he felt a flicker of envy that she was living the life he once had.
She was reaching for his hand, holding it gently her thumb brushing across the back of his hand. 'I know you're doing this for your own reasons. But thank you.'
She was sweet, he decided, her naiveté was strangely appealing, she still was fighting for the world, still believed in what was good. Just as David had...
She had gone again, running ahead, she was peering through the door. 'Give me your gun,' she was insisting, her hand already outstretched for it. He had no choice but to hand it to her.
'James? Stand back from the door.' She called to him, and then quickly fired off three shots into the lock. The shots echoed down the corridors, the lock to the door was a mangled mess, and with a sharp kick it broke through. In a second James was out, definitely more rumpled than Alec was ever used to seeing him, wild eyed and ready to move.
He stopped dead as he saw Alec. His blue eyes met Alec's grey eyes, and the hatred was clear to see. Without a word, James launched himself at Alec, who found himself pinned to the wall, and James looked ready to kill.
'What the hell is he doing here?' James roared at Ashleigh, still holding Alec in a vice like grip. Alec to his credit decided not to struggle and simply gazed back at James with a wary look in his eyes.
'He's here to help, James,' Ashleigh tried to persuade him. 'He can get us out of here.'
'Why?' It wasn't clear if the question was directed at Alec or Ashleigh. 'When has he ever done anything that wasn't for his own gain?' James tightened his grip on Alec, who grimaced slightly in pain.
Enough was enough, Ashleigh decided. She grabbed James, trying to haul him off, surprised by how much strength her godfather had, she could do little more than tug at his shoulders. 'James, listen to me, James!' With a colossal heave she managed to lever one of his arms away from Alec, and finally Bond noticed her. She still held his arm, she had never seen him so cold before, she had to get him away. 'James, we have to get out of here. Alec has gotten us this far, we have to trust him,'
'You think I could ever trust him?' James snarled.
'He just saved my life!' she shouted. 'And any minute we're going to be overrun with guards, we have to get out of here. They've killed Dmitrov, do you think they'll hesitate to kill us any way they can?'
