Even Death Can't Keep Us Apart

Chapter 2

"I'm the money, darling."

Those four words she said were enough to send him back. Back to trains and witty banter, back to poker and showers, back to beaches and Venice. The train and the two of them analyzing each other, in the cold shower after he'd killed that man, when she saved his life, in the hospital, on the beach, and Venice. Their entire relationship flashed before his eyes, the love he felt with her, and her betrayal.

"Vesper?"

Blood red lips, and a mischievous glimmer in her dark blue eyes. He thought he would never see her again, he thought he'd left her behind forever. But here she was, right before him. Breathing and alive rather than drowned on a Venetian rooftop.

"No. No, you're dead. I saw you drown, I tried to save you." He said, trying to deny the situation he was in. The woman he had loved like no other, the woman he'd wanted to spend his life with, the death that changed his life, whose death swam before his eyes every time he slept, was sitting here beside him.

Vesper shrugged and said, "Well I'm here aren't I? I've been stuck here in Rome for years." She said the last half slightly bitterly, as if she had no choice in the matter.

"I'm going to go make a call." James said abruptly, getting out of the car and walking a bit away.

"Moneypenny."

"Bond?" The ex-field agent said from the the other end of the line.

"Moneypenny, Hamburg, Tunisia, Mexico City, they're all linked. It's all one organization coordinating multiple attacks." James said.

"So she was right." Moneypenny said, remembering the message M had left him.

"Of course she was."

"I ran that check." Moneypenny said.
A voice on the end of the line said something along the lines of, who is it? She replied something about her boss' credit card being stolen, then told the person to go back to sleep.

"Who was that?" James asked.

"No one." Moneypenny defended.

"No, it wasn't." He said, slightly accusatory.

"It's just a friend." She said.

"At this time of night?" James said, fully aware of how hypocritical he was being.

"It's called life, James. You should try it sometime." She said, in a scolding tone of voice.

He looked over at the black car at the other end of the parking lot, staring at the woman inside for a moment, thinking, oh, don't I know it.

"The pale king. It looks like you've had dealings with him before. Quantum."

"Of course, Mr. White." James said, looking back at the car, and knowing what he would need to do.

"That's him. Last unconfirmed sighting, Altaussee in Austria, four months ago." She said.

"Can you run a couple more names for me?" James asked, curious to what MI6 had.

"Okay. Go."

"First, Vesper Lynd. Second, Franz Oberhauser. Check their files before and after their deaths."

"After their deaths? What are you talking about?" Moneypenny asked, confused.

"Just, please. Thanks Moneypenny." He said, hanging up and walking back to the car.

"So, are we going to Mr. White?" Vesper asked, looking at him with her piercing blue eyes.

"How did you know that?" James asked, wondering how she was able to hear his conversation.

"Honestly James, it wasn't that hard to hear you. So are we going? Because I have a few choice words I would like to say to that bastard." She said, eyes darkening. She looked terrifying, so much different than the accountant he'd met on that train all those years ago.

"I'm going, I don't know about you though." He said, reloading the pistol.

"I'm going. I've spent the last nine years dealing with these people. So, are you driving or am I?" She said, her tone leaving no space for discussion.