Third Person POV:

Y/N was alive...right in front of M. And there he was, sipping scotch as if he had never left. The air in the room shifted, charged with a mix of emotions

Y/N: You didn't get the postcard? I mean, you should try it some time. Get away from it all. Really lends perspective.

M: They ran out of booze where you were?

Y/N: What was it you said? "Take the bloody shot."

M: I made a judgement call.

Y/N: You should have trusted me to finish the job.

Y/N's expression was a mixture of determination and weariness. The room held the weight of unspoken words, of actions that had repercussions. The walls seemed to echo with the past, reminding them both of the sacrifices and losses

M: It was the possibility of losing you or the certainty of losing all those other agents. I made the only decision I could and you know it.

Y/N shakes his head in disapproval

Y/N: I think you lost your nerve.

M: Well, what did you expect, a bloody apology? You know the rules of the game. You've been playing it long enough. We both have.

Y/N: Maybe too long.

M: Does your mother know about your return?

Y/N: No...I'm planning on talking to her. Just...not now 

M: Bronson didn't make it. 

Y/N: I figured. So...we're both played out. 

M: If you believe that, then why come back? 

Y/N: Good question 

M: Because we're under attack. And you know we need you 

Y/N exhales sharply 

Y/N: Well...I'm here

M: You'll have to be debriefed and declared fit for active service. You can only return to duty when you've passed the tests, so take them seriously. And a shower might be in order.

Y/N: I'll go home...

As Y/N exited the room, M was left alone, contemplating the return of an operative long believed to be lost

...

The next day...

A black staff car moves through the busy streets of London, heading towards the new MI6 headquarters. Y/N is in the back, looking out the window while Tanner briefs him

Tanner: The assailant hacked into the environmental control system, locked out the safety protocols and turned on the gas. After all that, they hacked into his files. They knew he'd be out of the building.

Y/N: They wanted him to see it.

The car continues underground, through a series of tunnels

Y/N: Where are we, Tanner?

Tanner: New digs.

They leave the car and head towards a metal door, which Tanner pushes through

Tanner: This was a part of Churchill's bunker. We're still discovering tunnels dating back to the 18th century. Quite interesting...apart from the rats.

Y/N: When do I see M?

Tanner: Tomorrow. You'll see M and Marshall too...if you're lucky.

Y/N: Who's Marshall?

Tanner: New Chairman of the Intelligence and Security committee. Charming man. You'll get along just fine.

Tanner opens one last door, revealing a room, buzzing with activity as the new HQ is set up

Tanner: Welcome to the new MI6.

The employees, engrossed in their tasks, paused momentarily, their attention drawn to the figure that had appeared among them like a specter from the past. Amidst the murmurs and whispers, Y/N remained composed, his presence a silent testament to the enigmatic nature of his return

After that, Y/N gets changed for his medical tests

Right now, he's walking on a treadmill with wires attached to him to monitor his heart rate

With each step, he moved forward, resolute in his commitment to serve, to protect, and to reclaim his place as MI6's number one spy

As Y/N moves on to sit-ups, Tanner keeps talking to him about the attack

Tanner: Q-Branch are doing their best to idnetify who did this. However, M and your mother received the same message on their phone on the day of the attack. We think it's someone from their past. Maybe an agent, due to the fact that your mother used to supervise them.

Now doing pull-ups, Y/N finds himself struggling, feeling the weight of his absence from the field manifest in the strain of his muscles and the shortness of his breath

He does one last pull-up before heading to the next station, the shooting range

In the hushed confines of the shooting range, the air crackles with anticipation as Y/N takes aim, his finger poised upon the trigger with the quiet assurance of a seasoned marksman

He fires, but misses. An awful shot

Regaining his composure, Y/N takes a steadying breath, his resolve unshaken by this initial setback. With determination, he adjusts his stance, recalibrating his aim

After doing so, he fires five quick shots at the target. Not great, but way better than the last

Psych lab

Y/N gets in the room to sit down with doctor Hall, an MI6 psycholigist. However, he knows he's being watched. That one-way mirror makes it obvious. 

Behind the mirror, M and Marshall watch

Dr. Hall: I'd like to start with some simple words associations. Just tell me the first word that pops into your head. For example, I might say "day" and you might say-

Y/N: Terrible.

Dr. Hall: Sun.

Y/N: Black Hole.

Dr. Hall: Hope.

Y/N: Lost.

Dr. Hall: Trust.

Y/N: Betrayal.

Dr. Hall: Family.

Y/N: Absent.

Dr. Hall: Home.

Y/N: Illusion.

Dr. Hall: M...

Y/N: Backstabber.

Dr. Hall: Adler.

Y/N: Cunt.

Marshall laughs from behind the glass

Marshall: He's quite a handful, huh?

(Played by Jason Isaacs)

Dr. Hall: Heart.

Y/N: Blood.

Dr. Hall: Mother.

Y/N: Dedicated.

Dr. Hall: Father.

Y/N: Soldier.

Dr. Hall: Bishop.

Y/N: Lousy shot

He laughs, touching the arrow wound from months ago

Dr. Hall: Picadilly.

Y/N stops and his eyes freeze over. He doesn't respond

Dr. Hall observes the sudden shift in Y/N's demeanor, recognizing the profound impact that the mention of Piccadilly has stirred within him. The echoes of past trauma resonate palpably in the room, casting a somber shadow over the conversation

Y/N: Out...

He gets up and leaves the room

...

Later that day, Y/N is changing his clothes when he feels a sharp pain on his shoulder

Moving his fingers over the gunshot wound the shooter gave him six months ago, he notices something strange

Y/N walks to the sink and grabs a pocket knife, cutting into his shoulder afterwards and trying to know what was in his shoulder after all this time

After that, he washes the blood away in the sink, revealing three small pieces of shrapnel

Y/N then puts on his new clothes and goes to Tanner, who was sitting in his improvised office and drops an evidence bag in front of him

Y/N: Get it analyzed...for his eyes only.

...

The next morning, Y/N was in a room in the new HQ wearing a suit

He's impatient, pacing and checking his watch when someone finally enters the room

Y/N looks up to see...Kate

Kate: Hey...Y/N.

Even though Y/N was alive, Kate still felt guilty about accidentally shooting him. All the pain she had caused to Natasha wasn't going to go away easily

Y/N: Kate...it's been a long-

Kate catches Y/N off-guard and hugs him

Y/N: It's okay...I'm not a ghost.

She laughs

Kate: I'm...so sorry. If I hadn't taken that shot, we'd have the list and I wouldn't have caused so much pain to your family.

Y/N: It's alright...I just broke four ribs and some of my less vital organs were pretty bad. Nothing major...

Kate: Sure...M's ready for you.

They walk up to M's office while chatting

Y/N: Had any interesting missions?

Kate: I wouldn't know. I got temporarily suspended...something about killing you.

Y/N smirks at Kate's remark, appreciating the touch of humor in the midst of their conversation

Y/N: Sorry about that...

As they get in M's office, they see Adler, Marshall and...Y/N's family

Natasha's gaze is steady, her eyes locking onto Y/N's with a mixture of emotions swirling within their depths. In that intense moment of connection, unspoken words hang in the air

Y/N: Hi mom...hi dad.

Natasha then walks up to her son and slaps him right in the face

The slap echoes in the room, a sharp punctuation to the charged atmosphere. Y/N, taken aback, holds the side of his face, his gaze meeting Natasha's with a mix of surprise and understanding. Natasha, however, wears a mask of anger, a mother's frustration unleashed.

Natasha: You left us, Y/N. You left without a word, without a trace. We mourned you, thinking you were gone. And now, you just stroll back in?

Y/N: I'm sorry...mother.

She then hugs him, a mix of emotions playing across her face. The son she thought was long gone was now back right in front of her

Natasha: Just...don't do it...ever again.

Y/N: I won't...I'm here now.

M: Good...Y/N, this is Anthony Marshall.

Y/N and Marshall shake hands

M: Me and Agent Romanoff have been reviewing your tests. It seems you've passed...by the skin of your teeth. You're back on active service.

Adler: Welcome back.

Y/N nods

Marshall: I'm terribly sorry, but I need to leave. Got a meeting with the PM.

Marshall shakes everyone's hands and gets ready to leave. But he has a final thing to say to Y/N

Marshall: Good luck, agent L/N. Don't cock it up.

He exits M's office

Tanner: Oh...and we've analyzed the shrapnel fragments. You're lucky it wasn't a direct hit, it would have cut you in half. It's a depleted uranium shell...military grade and only used by a select few. Recognize any?

He shows Y/N pictures of three different men on his computer

Y/N instantly recognized the man who was at Istanbul

Y/N: Him...

Tanner: Name's Patrice. No known residence or country of origin.

Y/N: How do we find him?

Tanner: Well, thanks to our friends in the CIA, we know that he's going to be in Shanghai in two days time. Probably a job.

M: Your ultimate test now that you're back. You're to go there and await further instructions. If he shows up, he's yours. Find out who he works for and-

Natasha cuts M off

Natasha: Kill him...for Bronson.

Y/N: With pleasure.

M: Report to your Quartermaster for your documentation. Good luck.

Y/N: Thank you, sir.

He gets up from his chair and leaves the office,making his father raise an eyebrow

Bucky: I didn't know Y/N passed the tests.

Natasha: He didn't...