Q said nothing for a long moment, taking off his glasses and using his shirt to clean the lenses.

"It's not real," he said quietly. "We've agreed on that already. It's not real- So it's fine. I'm fine," he lied, not wanting to admit how many times he'd seen those empty and unblinking eyes in his nightmares.

"Even if this is all madness or fiction though- Part of me still expected... He always comes through. He's a drunk and a bastard, and honestly the most irresponsible and ridiculous agent I've ever worked with- But he always comes through. Always."