by Joseph Anderson
[email protected]

Sequel to Thunderjilly.

I don't own James Bond and no copyright infringement is intended with this fanfiction which may not be sold, may be copied for personal use only, and must contain all notices of copyright. Jilly and Langland belong to the author.

"Thanks, James."

Bond looked over at the figure who had taken a seat next to him, and brought him a drink.

"Jilly..." James Bond said with a slight smile. His eyes flicked around the casino at the other men in tuxedos like himself. She laughed again.

"He's not here. Something at MIT to do with cold fusion or a quasar or something equally boring." The slender blonde in a beautiful white low cut dress said to the dealer, "20 million franks."

The table got silent and the croupier froze but a moment later a casino manager had stepped up and said with a Belgian accent, "Always an honor to see you, Mademoselle." He nodded at the the dealer who took some mauve colored chips from a drawer and pushed them over to her.

Jilly said, "May I?" and sipped Bond's vodka martini then placed half her chips on a number.

The cards fell and the croupier took her chips. The table groaned but Jilly shrugged and looked at Bond. "I'm lousy at this stuff. Langland's great of course but it's not really gambling for him. Place a bet for me, James."

Bond pushed a quarter of her pile out.

"Baccarat," the dealer said.

A huge pile of chips came over to her. She eyed it. "You too..Jeez." She pushed the entire huge pile of chips out. The cards fell and it was taken away. The table was silent. Jilly stood up and put her hand on Bond's shoulder. "I'm in room 2669. Come in ten minutes." She disappeared into the crowded casino.

Bond stood up. "Cash me out." He looked up where he knew the surveillance cameras were and smiled. Then he began walking around the elegant room watching for anything suspicious before it was time to go to Jilly's room. When he stepped into the elevator two men got on with him.

The doors opened and James Bond stepped out looking carefully around. The two figures on the floor of the elevator had staring lifeless eyes. He quickly grabbed their arms and pulled them out and down the hallway to room 2669, which he knocked on. The door opened and Jilly was in a transparent black negligee. She looked with irritation at the two dead men and pulled one inside as Bond did the other.

"Shitheads," she mumbled under her breath.

James Bond said. "If you were anyone else I'd think you set me up. You'd do it yourself though."

She looked up at him and walked over to mix him a drink. As she was shaking the martini she said, "I wanted to seduce you. I saw you and figured, 'hey, it's 007, go for it.' See what all the hoopla is about. These guys are Russian mob. They were gonna try and kill me tomorrow but I guess they thought I was seeing you on business."

Bond accepted the drink and looked at her. She was beautiful, charming ...deadly. "What about your better half?" he said carefully. He had no idea whether this was some plot of Langland's or Jilly really was acting on her own. There was something between she and him that both had felt before. Langland being who he was, she could be acting on her own but it could still fit into his plans.

Jilly's brown eyes got wide and she got that crazy smile. "He wouldn't care. Science means more to him than I do."

James Bond could hear the pain in her voice she was trying to mask. He walked over and put an arm around her shoulder. She began to kiss him but he stopped her. "No, Jilly...you don't want me. You want to hurt Langland."

The woman made an incoherent snarl and slapped him. Bond didn't react. He knew what Jilly was capable of. If she'd wanted to hurt him he'd be dead. That could well be the first time she'd hit anyone in her life and not at the least knocked a few teeth out. She did that in her sleep..literally.

Bond looked in her wide brown blank eyes and repeated, "You don't want me. Come on, Jilly. Let's dispose of the bodies and go for a walk. You knew what Langland was like when you got with him, right?"

She said tearfully, "Goddamnit! I just want him to act like a normal guy once in a while. Is that too much to ask? Is it?" Ignoring him, she walked over to a chair and stripped her nightgown off and stepped into a pair of blue jeans and pulled tie-dyed T-shirt on. Bond didn't look at her but could tell she didn't care. Now she was being herself. This was the Jilly he really was attracted to. In frustration she walked over and began kicking the bodies. Bond winced at the crunching sounds. Finally she got tired and returned to lean against him. "You really are my friend, aren't you?" she said wonderingly. "I haven't had many since Callisto. Not who really know me."

Bond sipped his martini and said, "I suppose I am. Come on, let's dispose of the bodies."

"Okay, 007," Jilly answered and went in the bathroom to wash the blood off her feet before she put her Italian shoes on.

After walking for two hours with Jilly along the waterfront Bond finally said good night to her. He stepped into his own room and said coldly, "You don't deserve her."

The slender handsome man in a cashmere sweater looked up from the scientific journal he was reading. Although he had his usual soft smile Bond saw there was something new flickering in his eyes as he rose from a chair.

"Did you and Jilly have sex after you disposed of those Russians for me?"

Now James Bond smiled. "Jilly's not here to protect you now, Langland." He moved in quickly with a kick. Langland tried to avoid it but was caught, and then 007 hit him with a slashing backhand blow to the face that dropped the long haired man. Langland was far more capable than he looked, but that still left him a long way from being able to fight an operative with a double-0 designation. The agent studied the genius as he unsteadily got to his feet. Bond knew Jilly would kill him to avenge Langland's death.; it was worth it.

"Did you have sex with Jilly?" the man repeated as he dabbed at his bloody mouth. "I know she's been thinking about it."

"No. We talked," the agent said.

Bond frowned but Langland acting comparatively human didn't change what his duty was. He stepped forward intending to finish the job but felt dizzy and fell to his knees. He looked up and said, "When I hit you...you poisoned me."

Langland took a hankerchief, put something on it from an eye dropper, then wiped his face and hands. He didn't bother answering for a moment then looked at Bond and said, "That's right. Why didn't you have sex with Jilly? Here's the antidote." He reached into a pocket and brought a vial out.

James Bond fell on his back. He said, "Because she's my friend. Something you wouldn't understand." He tried to reach for his gun but found he couldn't move.

Langland began to say something when the 50 story window looking out on the French Riviera crashed in and a blonde figure in jeans, T-shirt and Italian shoes was standing there holding a little Beretta.

"What the fuck is going on here?" she demanded in an outraged voice. Then a second later said, "He's poisoned and that's the antidote. Give it to him, Langland. NOW!"

"He tried to kill me, Jilly. Why should I?"

The Beretta fired. Langland dropped the vial as he stumbled back with a wounded arm and Jilly caught it before it hit the ground. She opened it and held to Bond's lips.

"Thanks," he could barely whisper. Sensation began coming back to his limbs and Jilly helped him up. Langland was holding his arm and staring coldly at them.

Jilly walked over and said, "Lemme look at that arm, Langland. I made sure to miss a bone."

He pulled away from her. "Don't bother...take care of your FRIEND there!"

Jilly stared at him. "My god, my god...you're jealous! You actually are jealous. I didn't think you were even capable of feelings like that. " Her voice changed, "What am I saying? You're playing me."

Langland didn't answer but reached into a pocket to take something small out. He pointed it out the broken window and a moment later the chop chop chop of a helicopter could be heard.

Bond saw no one was flying it. Langland, still holding his wounded arm, walked over to the window.

"Careful..." Jilly said and took a step toward him.

The too handsome man leaped out to catch the door of the helicopter. He seemed to briefly lose his balance but then swung inside and the chopper disappeared from sight.

James Bond said, "I'd say he cares all right."

Jilly was still looking out the window.

Bond said, "He won't be far. He'll wanna make sure we're not being too friendly."

Jilly said hesitantly, "Langland? He's probably working on the next generation cyclotron by now. You don't know him like I do. We'll do something and think its our idea and it will help him deflate the dollar or corner the market on soybeans or something."

Bond began slowly walking over to retrieve his martini but Jilly got it for him. The chop chop chop of the helicopter could be heard again. The blonde grinned at him and as the chopper was briefly visible she ran and leaped out the window. Bond quickly went to watch and saw her hanging by one arm to a landing strut. He saw the blonde figure swing up, open the door and clamber inside. The unmarked helicopter disappeared against the rising sun. Bond could swear he saw a crimson-limned cloud in the shape of a heart surrounding them.

THE END