When the alarm sounded, James sighed before slipping front the opulent bed, careful not to disturb his lover. The younger man was always difficult to deal with in the morning, preferring to stay up late and sleep in later, always typing away on that bloody computer. Not to mention that if he discovered James attempting to get ready for work he would try to lure him back to bed. James snorted at the thought. He would lure him back to bed. James had trouble saying no when faced with those stunning green eyes.

The clock read 6:45, giving him just enough time to shower and dress before going on duty. At least he didn't have a long commute, he smirked starting his shower. Showering quickly, he slipped into his suit and made his way downstairs to check in with the Chief of Security before reporting to his duty station.

"Good morning, sir," Bond smiled as he walked into the office. "How is the wife?" The Chief was a great man, one who cared about the people under him, taking the time to get to know them personally. It was that fact that encouraged Bond to stay on his good side. The Chief could make his life difficult if he ever saw fit.

"Lovely as always. Thank you for asking," Lestrade smiled, the happy grin of a man who had just married a sweet woman who worked at a nearby hospital. "And you Bond? Love life as active as always?" He smirked knowingly. Nothing that happened under this roof escaped his notice and while this was the most that was ever said on the subject, the implication was clear.

"A royal pain in my arse, actually, sir," Bond laughed, grabbing a quick cup of coffee before heading back up the stairs. Like every other day, it struck Bond how odd it was to leave the room as a resident but return as an employee. Not that he lived there officially. He kept his own flat a few blocks away but he had not seen the inside of it in several months.

He opened the door silently, coming to stand next to the bed, a tousled head of dark brown hair sticking out from under the covers. He smiled fondly before going about his usual morning checks and beginning to work on his paperwork while the young man in the bed continued to sleep. At one point, someone from the kitchen staff brought up their breakfasts, both the server and the bodyguard knowing full well the other man's breakfast would go untouched. Bond nodded at her before beginning to eat.

When the morning started to grow late, his lover still hadn't managed to pull himself from the bed. Using all the manners he could muster, he stood next to the bed and cleared his throat, eliciting no response from the man. "Good morning, your highness," he said loudly, his voice echoing in the large room.

The man in the bed stirred and groaned before pulling the blankets up over his head. James longed for the day when he could pull the blanket off him and pull him out of bed as his lover and not as his bodyguard. Yes, he was both but his duty to keeping the Queen and her family safe came before his desire to teach his insufferable young boyfriend the merits of rising before noon.

"Sire, you have a busy day. Either get out of bed now or I shall send one of your brothers in to fetch you." It was an idle threat they both knew but it spurred the younger man into action.

Throwing the blankets off, Quain stared up at him through half-lidded eyes. Reaching out a hand to James, he begged, "Come back to bed James. It's too early to be up."

"I'm sorry, my prince, but we both have our obligations and it would be highly unprofessional of me to keep you from them. Not to mention highly inappropriate given our respective stations." Bond attempted to keep a straight face as he spoke but the corners of his lips turned up slightly by the end.

"Get into this bed with me now, Bond. And take off that bloody suit though you do make it look good. That is an order," Q tried, looking put out at Bond's response.

With a sigh and a shake of the head, Bond smirked as he replied, "And that is sexual harassment, sir."

"Fine, fine. Have it your way, Bond," the prince griped, throwing the blanket off and pulling himself to standing, unapologetically nude. James' fingers twitched with the desire to pull Q into an embrace and kiss that sour expression away. Seeing his bodyguard struggling for control, Q's face softened as he stepped forward to put his hands on James' hips. "Why can't we just be together, James? Why does this have to be so hard?" he whispered, looking much younger than his thirty two years.

Relaxing slightly at the touch, James leaned his head forward against Q's. "Because of who you are, my love. And because of who I am. You may not be the direct heir but until Mycroft has a child of his own, there is a still a chance that you will be king. And it is my job to keep you safe. Unfortunately, I can't do that by keeping you in bed all day, as much as we both may like to do so."

Q's eyes fluttered closed and Bond could tell that he was thinking on his words. "But we all know Mycroft will have a child. Probably a whole mess of them. He and Anthea have only been married a few months now and we know they go at it like rabbits. I've walked in on them more times than I can count. There will be plenty of new heirs before Mummy passes." As Q spoke, James shuddered at the mental image of the next in line for the throne being caught having relations with his wife by his baby brother. "But then I will be free to do what I like and we can be together."

"Q, love, you will never be free. You will always be His Royal Highness, Prince Quain. Eventually they will give you other titles as well. This is your life, my dear. This is what you were born to be. And aside from being your bodyguard for the rest of my life, I see no way for us to be together." Bond was pleased he managed to keep his voice from cracking, though his heart broke as he said the words. It was something they both knew and understood but to hear it out loud was disheartening. There was no way someone of Q's status would be allowed to be in an open same-sex relationship. The Church and the family would never allow it. What they had now was the best they could ever hope for.

Pressing a quick kiss to Q's temple, Bond stepped back and resumed his role as bodyguard. "Sir, you have a meeting with MI6 at one this afternoon. As it is quickly approaching the noon hour, I suggest you get in the shower. You know how M dislikes it when you are late." Q glared but nodded begrudgingly before setting off for the bathroom, the size of which rivaled Bond's unused flat. Rolling his eyes slightly, Bond straightened up his paperwork and called for one of the junior members of the security detail to come pick it up for delivery to the Chief.

He laid out Q's clothes with a smirk, already anticipating the struggle with the young man that he would have upon Q viewing the attire. As expected, the moment he exited the bathroom, his eyes fell on the offending piece of clothing.

"Like hell I am wearing that, James. You may enjoy wearing the monkey suit all day, and heaven knows I enjoy taking it off of you, but unless it is an official function that Mummy has mandated that kind of attire, I am not leaving this room in that. "

To Bond it was a perfectly acceptable suit, beautifully tailored and the few times he had seen Q wear it the man had looked positively ravishing. But Bond knew him better than anyone else and knew there was no getting him to wear something he didn't want. Making a show of it, he sighed and picked it up to return to the closet. "I assume you have something else in mind, your highness."

"Piss off, James. None of that 'your highness' from you. It's just the two of us in here."

"Whatever you say, my prince," Bond smirked, hanging the suit in the closet. "Whatever you are going to wear, pick it out fast. The car will be here for you in ten minutes." After rehanging the suit, Bond returned to the sitting room to watch the young royal put on his normal outfit. His brothers preferred a more professional appearance, though Sherlock always tended to wear his clothes a bit tighter than could be recommended, but Q had always dressed more casually. Knowing that, James couldn't help but smile when he actually did choose a tie to wear but then covered it with a deep gold cardigan. With a resigned sigh, he simply shook his head and called down to make sure the car was waiting for them.

They walked at a respectful distance through the palace, James following two steps behind and always on the lookout, not that there was much to fear within the wall of Q's home but it was his job to be cautious. Reaching the door, he turned to Q, "Wait here, your highness." Q rolled his eyes in annoyance but did was he was asked. When James determined it to be safe, he led Q to the car, one hand on his weapon until they were safely inside.

"Well done, Agent Bond," Q smirked, trailing his hand up James' inner thigh once the car was moving as James leaned forward to tell the driver where they were going.

James' removed Q's hand, placing it back on the royal's own lap, since the window between the two of them and the driver was still open. "Just doing my job, sir," he said, trying to keep himself in a professional mindset and not snog his boyfriend senseless before his meeting with the top spy agency in Britain. "And if you promise to behave yourself during the meeting it would make my job that much easier."