I Take Care Of Him

The room was dark.

Q couldn't see anything, could barely stand in the small space he'd been shoved into. His head aches, his face was slick with a mix of dirt, blood from a deep cut on his forehead and other cuts on his face. But that was nothing compared to how he felt.

He had betrayed him - Bond.

Even in his drug addled state Q could remember the needle sliding slowly into his arm, and only minutes later he betrayed him. Bond's secrets flying easily from Q's lips. The worst part was that he hadn't even been answering their questions; he knew how Sodium Pentothal worked, so he had started babbling about anything other than Bond. But then they hit him, again and again, and after some time Q couldn't take it anymore, telling the kidnappers everything without thinking.

He remembered their laughter as they hauled him away, and a snide comment about, 'Never trusting such a freak.'

Collapsing against the filthy ground, Q gasped for air. His stomach roiled and his whole body is shaking whether from the knowledge of what he's done or from the drugs in his system. Bond had trusted him with his life and he, Q, had betrayed him.

He didn't know how long he's been here. A blinding flash of light filled the small space around him. He heard frantic voices calling his name, but he couldn't bring himself to answer them. He belonged in the shadows.

"Q!"

He recoiled from the sound of Bond's voice, pulling back into the darkness. Bond's hands were on his shoulders, his forehead touches Q's.

"It's me, Q. It's me." Bond whispered gently again and again.

The words came out of Q in a ghostly whisper. "I told them. I told them all."

Bond let out a growl, and then there was a gentle shake on Q's shoulders. "Dammit Q, look at me!"

Q opened his eyes, blinked against the light. Bond's face came into focus, only inches from Q's away. His eyes showed no anger or disappointment, only relief and concern.

"You okay?"

Unable to answer him, Q felt wholly undeserving as Bond carefully picked him up from the dirty floor. Q buried his head in the crook of Bond's neck, breathing in his scent. Q's wondering if he ever be this close to Bond again once the agent realized what he had done.

A sob escaped Q's mouth as he said, "James, I told them your secrets."

Bond's arms closed more tightly around Q, and his voice was a low murmur against Q's hair. "You didn't have a choice, love. It's alright. We'll deal with it later."

The endearment startled him, Q pulled back to look at Bond's face.

"What… ?"

Q saw a momentary flicker of confusion roll across Bond's features, and then the corners of his mouth jerked up into a small smile.

"Maybe I got dosed with a little truth serum too."

An insistent voice broke into the space between them. "Is he okay?" another agent asked.

"He will be," Bond replied. Q felt Bond's lips brush gently against his forehead. "I take care of him."

And Bond carried Q out of the room, whispering words of comfort and love in his ear.