Agent Chetiri

Chapter 8

Love does not begin and end the way we think it does.

-James A. Baldwin

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Twelve days had gone by and the events in Switzerland (now nicknamed the Maxwell Affair) had come to pass. Sherlock and John had busted the weapons dealing ring and it had turned out that 003 had bargained with more countries other than Switzerland. He had connections with Germany, The USA, Iran, and Russia. Thomas Maxwell had given them sensitive MI6 information in the form of an external hard drive, in order to secure their allegiances in the event of a world crisis.

The nature of the information that he relayed was not entirely clear; there were a fair amount of things said and transferred, so it was hard to keep track of everything that had been revealed. However, it was to everyone's understanding that it could be potentially consequential and to keep a sharp lookout for any complications that might arise from it. Nevertheless, the matter was quickly resolved and with the help of Dr. Watson, the two were able to imprison the weapons dealers in Switzerland and recovered the stolen drive. With that, the Maxwell Affair soon winded down to a close and most assumed that was the end of it. However, a cloud of doubt still remained, as if it were a prelude some unforeseen calamity.

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Back in London, several people had other things on their minds. Christmas was in only three days, which meant that the annual MI6 Holiday Celebration was approaching. It was not your typical run-of-the-mill office party; the whole affair was rather extravagant in nature and was typically held in the esteemed Dorcaster Ballroom in the Dorcaster Hotel. It was quite an elegant affair and also what Joy and Eve believed to be the perfect place to get Alexa and Q together. They both figured that it was a lovely situation for both of them, but the trouble was getting any of it set up. In fact, they were unsure if the two could be a couple or if they were set on remaining close friends.

Likewise, Alexa frequently thought of the same situation as well. There was a lot to love about Q and she thought that maybe, just maybe, they could be more than friends. Although it had only been a few months since her hiring, Alexa had come to fully appreciate Q in his entirety, from his disorganized yet organized mind to his strange and somewhat fascinating quirks. She thought he was genuinely funny, with a rather ironic sense of humor, and in turn, he thought she was witty (if not, borderline sarcastic). As she spent more time with him, she found that she felt differently now. Every time she saw him, the most curious feeling would arise in her and she found that her heart beat a little quicker whenever she saw him. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but it wasn't unwelcome. The feeling bewildered Alexa to some extent and she soon began to wonder- could this be what love really felt like?

She would not deny that she was attracted to him. What was there not to like? He was undeniably handsome, not to mention the fact that he was quite funny and really nice as well. However, what she loved about him most was the fact that he would stop at nothing to make sure that everything was alright. If Q saw something wrong, he would state it outright in a simple and respectful manner. If conflict was occurring, Q would immediately correct it, whilst making sure that both parties were treated equally. The way that he could fix things like that was an admirable trait, if not, one that she lacked.

The fact that he was her boss was not the thing that was holding her back now. It was really that small ounce of fear she possessed, that he would think of her differently if he found out about her past. In the event that something did happen and the Agency found her, she didn't want Q to be harmed in any way. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt on her behalf, so she tried to stamp out and ignore her growing attachment to him.