Harry knew something was up right away. From the time he woke up on the morning of his birthday, he knew something was up. The slight, sly smile on Maddie's face, the telling gleam in her eye. He knew she had something in her mind that she wasn't going to share. It amused and tickled him to watch her move about her day, about their home; thinking he couldn't read her just as well as she could read him.

"So..." He stretched out next to her on the couch after breakfast. "You're sending me to lunch with Bishop."

"I am," Maddie nodded, settling further down into her seat.

"And what are you going to be doing while I'm eating?" His hand dropped casually to her leg, tugging her knee up so that he could pull her leg over his.

"Nothing," she shook her head, an air of casualty around her. "I'm going to sit here in my sweat pants and maybe nap." She sucked in her breath and he knew she was lying.

"Nap?" His eyebrow arched, his lips twitching up.

"Mmmm," she nodded, leaning closer into him. "I've been exhausted lately."

"Is that so?" He chuckled, his thumb rubbing against her thigh.

"It is," she sighed and tried to turn the conversation. "So tell me. It's your birthday. Is there anything special you would like for dinner? A cake perhaps?"

"No, no," he shook his head, his eyes scanning her once more before he let it go with a shrug. "I told you before, a quiet night at home is perfect."

"Fair enough," Maddie mimicked his expression; shrugging her shoulders and dropping the subject. And Harry, turning his attention to the TV, was more certain of a hidden master plan than he had ever been.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

His best friend, however, was not nearly as transparent as his wife. Throughout lunch Bishop gave not even a slice of a hint that anything was up. He gave not one single clue to the effect that he may have been employed by Maddie to get Harry away from home. He was his normal, casual, relaxed, every day self. And as much as Harry was certain there was something going on when he left with Bishop—he was beginning to doubt his stance by the end of lunch. At least he was nearly certain Bishop wasn't involved.

"So...are you going to tell me?" Harry had asked about half way through lunch.

"Tell you what?" Bishop tossed back across the table as he reached for his drink.

"What's going on tonight."

"Ummm..." Bishop swallowed and looked around, confused. "Ella's not entirely unpacked so I think we're going to finish that up and figure out which room I want to sacrifice for a nursery..."

"What?" Harry's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah. The baby has to sleep somewhere..." Bishop chuckled at his friend's expression. "What do you think? Do I lose the room with the books or the room with the mirrors on the ceiling?"

"You don't have a room with mirrors on the ceiling," Harry rolled his eyes and laughed.

"How can you be so sure?" Bishop countered with a smirk.

"Seriously though...Maddie's not...up to something?"

"Like what?" Bishop sounded interested, like he wanted to know more. And it threw Harry.

"I don't know..." Harry shrugged. "Something for my birthday."

"How would I know?" Bishop leaned in, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I mean really. You think your wife would hand over secrets? To me? Come on..." Harry watched him for a moment; his wide eyes, confused expression.

"Yeah," he nodded; Bishop knew nothing. "You're right. You're right. Okay..." He took a deep breath. "The room with the mirrors on the ceiling..." With a bark of laughter, the conversation shifted and the men moved on to lunch.

It was a relaxed, casual afternoon. After lunch, the two men stopped by Leo's for a drink with him and Sean and then they called it a day. As Harry stepped from his car, he felt good; happy and at ease and actually looking forward to a quiet evening at home with his wife.

And then he stepped through their door and his suspicions were confirmed.

He had been right. Something was up.

"Madeline?" He called out as he shut the door behind him. He squinted as he looked around the entryway; darkened from pulled curtains. Moving to sit his keys on the table next to him, his eyes focused downwards and there on the table was a mixed Martini and a note. With a knowing chuckle, Harry pulled the paper into his fingers and read it with a smirk. "Have a drink and head to our room for your next assignment. You have one hour to be ready. Happy Birthday Captain." Harry traded the note for the glass and took a drink. His lips twisted just a bit as he swallowed and he looked towards the stairs; towards his next assignment.

Finishing the drink in a few large swallows, he abandoned the glass and took to the stairs; taking them two by two. His hands moved together in front of him as he hurried down the hallway; antsy to find out what was happening, to find his next clue.

"Maddie, baby," he called out loudly as he approached their room. "If you're in here dressed as a firefighter, you should know that it doesn't have quite the same effect on me as it does you!"

Though he laughed at the notion, he knew she wasn't there. There was something bigger than that happening and he loved the parallels it was drawing to their Valentine's Day plans not too long ago. When he stepped into their room, he sought and quickly found the next clue. Laying draped across their bed was a black suit bag and another note.

"Put this on. All of it. And meet the car waiting for you downstairs."

With a shrug, he unzipped the bag and found his tuxedo; immaculately pressed as always. He thought about it for only a second, letting his mind wonder for a beat, and then he laid it back down and pulled at his shirt. It was time to get ready.

Less than an hour later Harry was showered, shaved and dressed. He was ready—for whatever she had for him. He took one last look in the mirror, tucked his phone and wallet into his pockets and then, sliding his ring and his watch back in place, he moved down the stairs to meet the car. Though he wasn't surprised to find that Maddie wasn't waiting for him, he was a little disappointed. He wanted to see her, wanted to be with her. He had no idea what was about to happen, but he knew one thing for sure—he fucking loved his wife.

"Good Evening Sir," Jim, dressed similarly, smiled a nod to Harry.

"Jim, my friend!" Harry clapped his hands together in a jovial spirit. "What do we have here?"

"There's a note from the Duchess in the backseat."

"Of course there is," Harry grinned and moved past him and into the car. There on the seat was a slim, flat, gift wrapped box and a card. As the door shut behind him and the car rolled into motion, he read the card first. "I've trusted you. More than once. Now it's your turn." Harry flipped the card over, a tad bit confused and reached for the box. Pulling at the wrapping, he lifted the lid and then let out a laugh; amused and entertained.

There in his fingers was a long, black slip of fabric. A blindfold. And in the bottom of the gift wrapped box was a note. "Put it on."

Harry bit at his bottom lip, shaking his head at the piece of fabric as he chuckled to himself. Whatever it was, it was going to be good. Trusting his wife, trusting his security team, he threw caution to the wind, embraced the spirit of adventure, and he tied the blindfold around his eyes.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

At first Harry tried to follow the turns and stride of the car, trying to pinpoint where they were going. But eventually there were just too many, there was too much gap; he couldn't do it. So he resigned himself to be patient and wait—not something that came easily to him. It wasn't long until the came to a stop and, not knowing if he should remove the blindfold or not, he kept it in place and his ears perked up. The door opened and he waited for a beat before he called out.

"Can I take this off now or..." He chuckled at the sheer absurdity of it all, hoping like hell that there weren't any reporters nearby.

"Yes," a voice called out; a voice he recognized. With quick fingers, he pulled at the fabric. The blindfold fell from his eyes and he looked out through the opened door.

After a few quick blinks, he focused and...

"Bishop?" Harry stepped from the car, his face twisting up as he took in his best friend dressed in a tuxedo and a smirk.

"Who were you expecting?" Bishop lifted one eyebrow as he smoothed down the front of his tuxedo jacket.

"Really...anyone but you," Harry chuckled and looked around. "Finished taking mirrors off the ceiling?"

"I did," Bishop grinned.

"You want to tell me what's going on yet?"

"Nah," Bishop shook his head. "But I will tell you what we need to do next."

"And what's that?" Harry couldn't deny it; he was intrigued.

"We're getting in that," Bishop nodded to a spot over Harry's shoulder and Harry turned to see. Just beyond the car that was stopped behind him was a helicopter. Jim was already over speaking to the pilot and Harry's eyes went wide.

"Where are we going?" He swung his gaze back to Bishop.

"I don't know," Bishop shook his head, walking towards Harry, towards the helicopter.

"Bullshit," Harry called out as Bishop passed him; knowing better.

"Fine," Bishop shrugged, turning to look at Harry as he continued towards the helicopter. "You want to find out what's going on man? Let's go," he nodded his head to the helicopter. "I promise you're going to love it."

"Jesus..." Harry sighed, taking a second to look all around him, and then he was moving towards the helicopter at a quick clip—ready to find out what was in store for him. Climbing aboard with Bishop and two agents, Harry buckled in and watched as the ground disappeared. They were up and in the air and in no time, they were circling out over the water. He flashed his eyes to Bishop who shrugged with a smug grin on his face and before Harry could call him out, they were nearing a small, private island off the coast. And this time when he turned to look at Bishop, Bishop held something out to him.

"Go ahead," Bishop waved the card out to him. "You're going to want to read this."

Harry plucked the card from his fingers and, while the helicopter began to lower, growing closer and closer to the ground, he read his wife's handwriting.

"Once you touch ground, the game begins. Use that brilliant mind, that stunning charm, and that unmatchable skill of yours to bring the two of you to me. Look out for those who are after you and stay quick on your feet and know this...James Bond has nothing on you Captain."

Harry's entire face lit up, his grin stretching from ear to ear and he wanted more than anything to find Maddie and just kiss the hell out of her. But first—according to her note—there was a game to be played. Folding the card in half, he slipped it into his jacket pocket and, as they neared landing, Jim spoke up across from him.

"The island has been secured," he wanted to talk logistics, safety, before they jumped into the game that awaited. "All participants have been cleared..."

"Participants?" Harry's eyebrows lifted and Bishop chuckled next to him.

"All have been cleared and should be wearing a badge like this..." He lifted a bright, neon orange name badge. "You have your panic button in your pocket," Jim nodded to his side. "Mr. Bishop has one as well in case you need us as does the Duchess. I'll be on your tail the entire time but I'll give you some distance." He took a breath and leaned in. "It is imperative that you not try to leave this island unless I'm with you. It is imperative that if something seems awry, you come right back to me. It is imperative that if you think there might be a real threat, you let me know. And if you see somebody without the orange badge...game over."

"There are tasks along the way," Bishop spoke up, finally giving him more info. "We will have missions to complete all while under surveillance and enemy fire."

"What?" Harry laughed as the helicopter touched down.

"We need to get from here, to the other side of the island, to Maddie, without getting shot..." Bishop's smile pulled wide. "It's a paintball match my friend. A well dressed, espionage sleuthing paintball match."

"Over the island?" Harry's blood was pumping with excitement as he undid his seatbelt.

"Yes sir," Bishop clapped his hands together and did the same. As they all emerged from the helicopter, they approached a table already set up with a variety of paint ball guns, protective eye gear and other paraphernalia. Harry's face brightened like a child in a toy store given permission to run wild.

Jim stepped up next to him, nodding to Brad who had been waiting for them at the table. Turning to Harry, he gave one last warning. "A lot of work has gone into putting this together. Mr. Bishop knows how things are supposed to roll. So stay safe. Have fun and..." Jim's lips twitched into a grin, leaning closer as his voice dropped. "Don't get lazy. People are gunning for you. Stay low, stay alert."

"Will do," Harry grinned in return and Jim stepped back, letting Bishop and Harry take in the table. "Maddie did all this?" He spoke to his best friend as he began to collect items off the table, sliding his glasses into place; feeling the urgency and excitement in the air. He was more than ready to jump into this enormous game Maddie had orchestrated—more than ready to get to her.

"She did," Bishop grinned wide, sliding guns into place. "Now. What do you say we go find her." Reaching into his inside jacket pocket he handed Harry is first clue. "Happy Birthday man."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Three hours later, the sun was setting over the coast of the island and the two men; rumpled and well worked with a few paint splatters here and there; had finally reached the other side. They had taken a car, they had jumped on a train, they had even spent time on a speedboat in the water. With their guns still drawn and mile wide smiles on their faces, they hurried up the stone stairs towards the massive, beautiful, abandoned building where their clues had lead them.

"Okay," Harry's voice was low as they slipped in through the doors. Their heels clicked against the marbled floors and his eyes scanned behind them, checking to see if they were followed. "What's next?"

"I guess that would be me." Her voice sounded out, warm and inviting in the massive room. Harry and Bishop both spun towards the sound of her voice. "Well played gentlemen." And then they saw her and Harry literally took a step back as he took her in. Her hair was styled, her make up darker, smokier; sexier. Her dress—he sucked in his breath as he looked over her dress, cut low—and high—in all the right places and the heels she was wearing made her legs look amazing as she moved towards them.

"Oh my God..." Harry breathed and, without looking, his hand reached out beside him; searching to cover Bishop's eyes.

"What are you doing?" Bishop swatted at his hand with a laugh.

"This is my birthday and my wife. This is for me. Not you..." He clapped his hand over his friends face and pushed it to the side.

"You found me," Maddie smiled as she stepped up to him.

"Did you doubt that I would?" He lifted his eyebrows, his face full of charm and seduction and ego.

"Never," her grin tugged higher and her lashes lowered; her eyes scanning him from head to toe. Her fingers reached out then, running along his lapels and down the front of his jacket; wiping away dust as she went. Wrapping her hand tight around both sides of his jacket, she tugged him towards her. And Harry groaned. Without moving her eyes from his, she instructed. "It's time to tell Bishop good-bye."

Without turning his eyes, without blinking, Harry did as she asked. "Good-bye Bishop." And though neither of them looked, they could hear his laughter; a deep, friendly chuckle.

"Good-bye man," Bishop called out, patting Harry on the back and moving away from them; the sound of his shoes fading into the distance. Once Harry was sure they were alone, he moved in and dipped his face to hers; wanting to kiss that red lipstick right off her lips.

"No no," she pulled back with a smile, surprising him. "Not yet."

"Maddie..." He moaned, moving a step closer to her.

"We're not finished." She warned with her eyes and beckoned him closer with her hands on his jacket. As Maddie took a step backwards, Harry took a step forward.

"No?" He whispered, unable to hide how much he wanted her, unable to control his desire for her in that moment.

"No." She shook her head and then, with another appreciative look over him, she dropped her hold on him and reached for his hand; turning around and pulling him with her.

And then Harry saw the back of her dress—or more accurately, the lack of back on her dress.

"Holy Shit..." He groaned, his feet stopping, his hand pulling her back. But Maddie couldn't be swayed. She had a mission, a goal. And she was taking him with her. And he followed; like a child into Hamelin—he would follow her anywhere.

"Have you enjoyed playing Bond so far?" She called out to him, leading him by his hand through the room to the other side of the building; towards a door.

"You have no idea," he tugged at her fingers, wanting her to look to him. And she did, flashing her bright smile and her smoky eyes. "You really outdid yourself Madeline."

"Oh Captain..." She sighed and stepped closer. "We're not even finished yet."

With a turn of her heel and a pull to his hand, they were back in motion. And though Harry wanted to pull her back to him; to stop her in her tracks and take her in his arms and show her just how much he loved what she had put together, he followed. His curiosity, his trust in her, kept him moving. And soon they reached the door. Maddie turned around to face him, his hand still in hers as she leaned her back against the strong wooden door.

"Something wrong?" He asked; knowing the answer.

"Hmmm..." She smiled and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong." Leaning into him then, she pressed her lips to his; soft and gentle and too quick for him to trap them in his. "Happy Birthday Harry..."

With a push to the door, Maddie turned around and together they stepped outside. And Harry's eyes went wide.

"Oh my..." His voice trailed off as he took it in; his hand finding home over his heart. "Is that an..."

"Aston Martin?" Maddie supplied, stepping towards the black, slate piece of art. "Yes it is."

"And it's..." He couldn't find a way to put sentences together.

"Yours?" Maddie smiled wide and held out her hand; keys dangling from her fingers. "It is." She nodded and shrugged; coy and sweet and innocent as her other hand ran along the profile of the car. "Bond isn't really Bond without the car...is he?"

"Oh my God..." Harry moved towards it then, walking around it, looking it over. "I can't believe you did this. This is..." His eyes swung to her then and he grew soft. "Maddie...this is amazing. This whole thing has just been..." He lost hold of words and his fingers tightened against the fabric over his heart.

Maddie felt