Chapter One

Broken Souls

Crossover- 24/James Bond
Pairings-Jack/Blond Bond

Summary- The new 007 has proved himself worthy of his name, but there is still much he needs to learn, and an embittered widow and his daughter seek to escape the tragedy that has saturated their lives. M offers Jack and his daughter a home in England if he will agree to be a mentor to the new MI6 agent.

This is a standalone story that will eventually be connected with my other story, Neverwhere. It can be read alone, this part of the story does not mention the Neverwhere-verse. The rest of the crossovers, including BTVS, will not appear in this story, this is a background story that takes place before Neverwhere.

Eventually James Bond and Jack Bauer will be added into Neverwhere, but I thought they deserved their own story. This goes AU directly after season one on 24, and the movie Casino Royale. If the response is good to this story, I might contemplate a series of prequel stories that lead up to Neverwhere and it’s myriad of crossovers.

I do not own 24 or James Bond, and I am making no profit off of this.


Chapter 1

“You did well.” M said as she clicked the briefcase full of money shut. “I had almost thought you were a lost cause 007, but you redeemed yourself in the end. It may have been a painful lesson, but I hope you have learned that you can never let love interfere with your work.”

“Yes.” A subdued James Bond replied. “You have no need to fear on that account. From now on nothing will get in the way of my duty to Queen and Country.” He looked over at the money that had cost him so much. It had been worth what he had done to get it back even though the screams still echoed through his nightmares.

“James, don’t make rash promises you probably won’t be able to keep. I know you will do your best to try, but you are still human, not a robot. Completely denying your emotions might get you into just as much trouble as overly relying on them.” M paused as she looked at her newest special agent, “I want you to find a balance.”

James didn’t reply. He just looked out the window at the sunset. The smog in London made for the most magnificent sunsets. It looked as if the whole city was in flames.

M sighed, she knew that no matter what advice she gave, he would just follow his own council in the end. James would object to her new plan of action, but she had no choice…not if she wanted her agent to stay alive and sane.

“ I have arraigned for a special…consultant for you. He is a counter-terrorist specialist from America who has recently taken an early retirement. He was looking to move, so I offered him a job here so we could take advantage of his expertise. He will not be a field agent; he will simply help with MI6 training. However, I decided you let you pick his brains first since we don’t know when we will have to send you back out into the field.”

James felt resigned; he knew he would have to ‘consult’ with this person until M was satisfied that he had learned something. He could only hope that another mission came up soon. “When will I meet him?”

“Tomorrow, I would imagine. We had them moved over here while you were still on the mission. I suggest you get a good nights sleep as I am sure that you will have a busy day tomorrow.” M replied.

James nodded at the clear dismissal and turned to leave.

“Oh, and James…I expect you to play nice.”

James gave a wry smile, how well she knew him. “I will do my best.” He said as the door shut behind him.

M hoped she was doing the right thing by putting these two wounded lion together…but seeing someone else who had gone through something similar might help ease some of the pain James was going through.

!@#$%^&*

Jack Bauer looked around his new flat with dismay. The unpacked boxes from the move had seemed to multiply when he wasn’t looking. For every one he unpacked, three more took its place, and he couldn’t find anything. “Kim, have you seen my navy blue blazer? I want to dress up a little for my first day of work tomorrow.”

“Why would I have any idea where your stuff is?” A surly voice replied. “It wasn’t my idea to pack up and move us halfway around the world.”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. It was no secret that Kim wholly disapproved of the move. He knew it was hard for her…leaving the house she had always known, losing all of her friends, and moving to a place where nothing was familiar. She thought he was betraying the memory of her mother by moving so far from where she was buried.

But that was part of the reason behind the move. L.A. contained too many memories. The house he had shared with Teri and Kim felt bleak and haunted now. Everywhere he went he saw something that reminded him of Teri. Another reason behind the move was that living in L.A. was no longer safe. His name and face had been broadcast all over the news, and now he could be the target for anyone who had a beef with the CTU. As he had so painfully discovered, if he was a target, then his family was as well.

He went to the door to Kim’s room. It was closed and the Emo music she had taken to listening to was seeping through the wood. “Kim, I know you didn’t want to move, but it was too dangerous there. You know that.”

The door opened and Kim stuck her head out. “I know you say that, but why didn’t you just get another job so that you would no longer be a target?”

“Because that wouldn’t have worked. They still would have come after me, I would have been one of the only targets they had.” In a quieter voice he added, “You would have been one too. I would move to Mars if it meant keeping you safe.” He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “I know you are angry with me right now, and I don’t entirely blame you, but just think about this for awhile, ok?”

Kim looked down and wouldn’t meet her father’s eyes. “I’ll try. I just…I just miss mom, you know?” She said in a sad voice.

“I know honey, I miss her too.” Jack pulled her into a hug and relaxed when she hugged him back. Maybe things would be ok after all. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow is your first day at school and I know that the system here is a lot different, so you will probably need to be on your toes.”

Kim looked up at his as she pulled back. “Speaking of school, why do I have to go to private school? The uniforms they have are positively atrocious.”

Jack chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, everyone has to wear the same thing, so it isn’t like you will be alone. And you are in this private school because it has the best security in the city. You would want me to worry about you while I am at work would you? Now go to sleep.” He said with a final short hug. He turned to walk down the hall towards his bedroom.
Kim also turned to go back into her room. “And Dad?” She said over her shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“I put your blazer in your closet earlier today.”

As the door shut behind her Jack allowed himself one small smile before guilt stole it away from him again. For the thousandth time that day he wished Teri were here with them as well.

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TBC...

Well, that should get things started. I know, I should be writing more Neverwhere, but I got side tracked...and well, this will be a part of it too someday.

^-^

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