Homeward Bound      Homeward Bound by Elise Madrid  
 

Illya leaned his back against the lamp post and pulled his coat closer
around him. Hed always been told about sunny California summers. No one
had ever mentioned cloudy California winters. Of course, it would have
been so much better if they had been able to wait inside. He glanced
longingly at the inside of the station not that far away. 

"They should be here soon," Napoleon said, without looking up from his
newspaper. 

"I dont know why we cant wait inside." 

Napoleon gave up fighting the wind that blew along the platform. He folded
his paper and tucked it under his arm. "Because Waverly told us to wait
for them here, though for the life of me I dont understand why. You would
think wed be a bigger target out here." 

"Perhaps Dr. Palmer has an aversion to train stations." 

Napoleon snorted. "Though, apparently, not to trains. Do you know how long
its going to take us to get to New York? Almost three days." 

"If we are lucky. Passenger trains may use these tracks, but freight takes
precedent. If there happens to be a conflict in schedules, this train will
have to wait until the freight train goes by." 

 "Oh, thats just great. Just when I really want to be home for Christmas."


"And why is that?" 

"Oh, I think you know why," Napoleon responded with a wink. 

Illya smiled. "Do you know, it will be the first time that we will both
have Christmas off." 

"That was the plan. We should have known better. Whats so important about
this guy, anyway?" 

"According to the report, he has perfected a way to precisely disperse
large amounts of viral or bacterial matter in cases of crop disease
without affecting any nearby vegetation." 

"And leave it to THRUSH to come up for some more nefarious uses for that."


"Exactly." 

"Is that all we know about this character?" 

"Oddly enough, yes," Illya answered with a frown. "Its unlike Mr. Waverly
to give us such paltry information." 

"I got the impression that the only reason we were chosen was because we
just happened to be in the area." 

"Thats never been an issue before." Illya nodded toward the other end of
the platform. "Here they come." 

Napoleon followed his gaze. Two men, with a third bundled up so much you
couldnt make out any features, walked toward them. "Thats Paul Collins on
the left, isnt it?" 

"With his partner, as always." 

Napoleon grinned. "Youve never particularly liked Ron Meadows, have you?" 

"No, not since I was shot due to his incompetence." Illya frowned. "Im
surprised that Mr. Waverly has entrusted so important a person as Dr.
Palmer to those two." 

"Collins is all right. And I really do believe that Meadows was just
having a bad day." 

"Is that why he ended up with a bruised jaw?" 

"Hey, I cant help it if his face got in the way of my fist." 

"I can take care of myself, Napoleon." Illya softened the criticism with a
smile. "Though I appreciate the gesture." 

"My pleasure." 

Illya felt his face heat from the look Napoleon gave him and lowered his
eyes. He was still getting used to their becoming lovers. It had been
completely unexpected, yet totally inevitable. 

"Paul, Ron, its good to see you." 

Illya looked up and nodded at both men. Neither man was especially tall,
but, standing between them, Dr. Palmer appeared tiny. The suitcase he
carried looked almost too heavy for him. 

"Not as glad as we are to see you," Collins responded. 

"Trouble?" Napoleon asked. 

"Nothing we couldnt handle," Meadows interjected. "A couple of THRUSH
agents tried to run us off the road on our way here. Needless to say, were
not the ones stuck in a ditchthough the car will need some repairs." 

"Can we get on with this, gentlemen?" Dr. Palmer asked. 

Illyas eyebrows shot up. Glancing at Napoleon, he saw the same look of
surprise on his friends face. There apparently was a great deal about Dr.
Palmer that they hadnt been briefed on. 

Collins grinned. "Dr. Palmer, these are agents Napoleon Solo and Illya
Kuryakin. Theyll be taking over your protection. Napoleon, Illya, meet Dr.
Avery Palmer." 

Dr. Palmer pushed back the hood of her coat. "Im sure its lovely to meet
both of you, but can we defer introductions until were in the car?" 

"Car?" Illya asked. 

Collins nodded toward the tracks next to them. 

"Is that wise?" Napoleon asked. "Putting other passengers at risk?" 

 Collins didnt say anything, only took the steps onto the back platform.
He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He motioned for
them to follow him. "Inside, gentlemen and lady." 

They let Dr. Palmer go first, with Meadows right behind her. Napoleon and
Illya grabbed their suitcases and brought up the rear. 

"This doesnt seem the safest way for us to be traveling, does it?"
Napoleon asked Illya in a low voice. 

Illya only shrugged. He hadnt liked this assignment to begin with. He
disliked it even more now. 

~~~~~ 

"This wasnt quite what I expected." Napoleon stood in the middle of the
car and slowly turned. "But it will most certainly do." 

Illya had to agree. From the outside, it had looked like an ordinary train
car whose curtains had been drawn. Inside, most of the windows had been
completely covered with metal siding and the entire car reconfigured. They
had entered into a good sized sitting area. Chairs and a small table sat
beneath one window with a long couch pushed up against the back wall. A
kitchen sat off to one side. Toward the back, Illya could see doors
leading off into three more rooms. 

"There are only two bedrooms, so two of you are going to have to double
up," Collins said, what with what Illya could almost think of as a leer. 

Dr. Palmer removed her coat and tossed it on the couch. "As long as it
gets me to New York, I wouldnt care if I had to sleep on the floor." 

"Im sure it wont come to that," Napoleon responded. He gave Dr. Palmer one
of his most ingratiating smiles. "It would be totally unacceptable for
someone as lovely as you to have to put up with anything less than the
best." 

Collins rolled his eyes. "I told you hed make a play, didnt I?" 

Meadows agreed with a grin. "Just on cue, Id say." 

Illya tried not to scowl. Hed thought this all behind them, Napoleons
skirt-chasing. 

"I find it quite appealing, myself." Dr. Palmer said. She approached
Napoleon and offered her hand. 

Napoleon took it and brought it to his lips. "The pleasure is all mine,
Dr. Palmer." 

"Avery, please. Were going to be in too close of quarters to be so formal,
dont you think?" 

"I couldnt agree more." 

"Well, you seem to have everything well in hand, so well be on our way,"
Collins said. 

Napoleon finally released the doctors hand and turned to his fellow
agents. "Dont let us keep you, gentlemen," he said as he ushered them out.


"If it wouldnt be too much trouble, what time does the train leave?" Illya
asked. He almost managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. 

"Oh, yeah." Meadows looked at his watch. "In about fifteen minutes. Have a
good time, you twoum, I meant you three," he added. This time, Illya had
no doubt about the leer. 

"If you two dont mind, Id like to freshen up, maybe take a short nap. Any
preference as to rooms?" Dr. Palmer asked. 

"You should take the one toward the back. Just in case," Napoleon said. 

"All right. Call me for dinner if Im not up by then." She picked up her
suitcase and coat and, with a small wave, walked toward the back of the
car. 

"I shall put ours away," Illya said between clenched teeth. He grabbed
both suitcases and started toward the second bedroom. 

"Hey, is something wrong?" 

Illya swung around. "Wrong? Why should anything be wrong?" 

"I dont know, thats why Im asking." 

"Nothing is wrong, Napoleon. Everything is exactly the same as its always
been." 

"Whats that supposed to mean?" 

The look on Napoleons face was that of true ignorance, which made Illya
that much angrier. "You figure it out," he snapped as he entered the
bedroom and soundly closed the door. 

~~~~~ 

Illya gazed out the window as the train took the curves through the Sierra
Nevada. He had seen plenty of snow in his life, been through plenty of
brutal winters, but all of that paled in comparison to what spread out
around them. The rugged terrain was overwhelming, and Illya couldnt help
but think if its ill-fated history. Especially since snow had been falling
for almost an hour. Somehow, the train carried on on its journey. Illya
hoped it continued to do so. 

He turned at the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing. Napoleon
walked out clad in sweatpants and shirt, his feet bare. He used the towel
in his hands to vigorously dry his hair as he came over to stand next to
Illya. 

"Its really beautiful, isnt it?" Napoleon asked. He dropped his towel onto
the table and placed a hand on Illyas shoulder. 

"And as so much that is beautiful, quite deadly," Illya said as he looked
up at Napoleon. He covered Napoleons hand with his own, but removed it
after only a few seconds and turned away from his partner. He didnt know
which he thought the most deadly, what was on the other side of the glass,
or the man who stood beside him. He certainly knew which could cause him
more pain. 

It had been rough, watching Napoleon charm Dr. Palmer. And while he had to
admit that Napoleon had toned down his flirting as the day had progressed,
the doctor had made it perfectly clear that she was more than interested.
Once again, Illya had found himself being the proverbial fifth wheel. Hed
tried to include himself by asking about her work, but she had been
completely reticent when it came to that. 

"Itll be fine. After all, the train travels these tracks all the time,"
Napoleon said, totally misreading the reason for Illyas mood. 

"Yes, except for the time in 1952 when a blizzard struck and the train got
stuck here for three days. The passengers had to wait until the nearby
highway could be plowed and then they were driven out by car." 

"How do you know that?" 

"I researched the entire route." 

Napoleon chuckled. "Why am I not surprised? In any event, well be out of
it soon." 

"Yes, and then there will be something else to worry about. It will be
much easier for THRUSH to make a move as we travel through the desert." 

"Im more inclined to think that theyll wait until were further east.
Theres a huge stretch of the country thats practically deserted. It would
be the perfect place for two UNCLE agents to conveniently disappear. I
think were safe, for now." He squeezed Illyas shoulder. "Im turning in.
Wake me up if the snow gets really bad." 

"Im not sure what good that will do, but I will appreciate the company.
Take it from me, blizzards can be quite boring." 

"Especially up here." Napoleon glanced back at the bedroom doors before
leaning over and quickly kissing Illya on the cheek. "Well, goodnight." 

"Goodnight, Napoleon." 

Once alone, Illya couldnt keep his thoughts from circling back to
Napoleons earlier behavior. Less than a month ago, Illya would have
ignored the entire episode. Well, he would have tried. He had wanted
Napoleon for a very long time. Had loved him almost as long. But at least
it wouldnt have seemed to be such a betrayal. Napoleon would have ended up
bedding the woman, while Illya tried not to hear too much. If that were to
happen nowno, Napoleon would never do that. 

He swore softly to himself. He never should have gone with Napoleon to
Napoleons Aunt Amys for Thanksgiving. Or, when he was shown to the one
guest room which they would share, he should have thought up some excuse
to get himself out of there. But he hadnt. Truthfully, he really hadnt
wanted to. They so rarely had time together when they didnt have to be
constantly looking over their shoulders. And he would practically have
Napoleon all to himself. 

The dinner had been wonderful, and they had both drunk their share of
wine. Enough, apparently, so that crawling into bed together with only
their briefs on seemed the most natural thing to do. 

Illya had fallen asleep almost right away. It was still dark when he had
been awakened to find Napoleons body pressed against his own, and
Napoleons cock pressed firmly against his back side. Somehow sensing that
Illya was awake, Napoleon had lost no time in wrapping his hand around
Illyas quickly burgeoning cock. Things had moved swiftly along after that.


Illya squirmed in his chair and tried to readjust his pants. He could
still remember the feel of having his cock buried deep inside his partners
body, still remembered the deep moans and quiet cries Napoleon made as
Illya slowly and thoroughly fucked him. 

The next morning, Napoleon had woken him with a kiss, and a smile of
happiness that Illya could have sworn was genuine. They had managed to be
together only three times since, and Illya had continued to believe that
what Napoleon felt was real and true. Until today. He should have known
better. A leopard does not change its spots. 

He heard the bedroom door open and close again. 

"Unable to sleep?" Illya turned, only to find that it was Dr. Palmer who
had appeared. 

"I think I may have drunk a little too much wine with dinner. I woke up
dying for a glass of water," she said as she walked through the sitting
area and over to the small kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water,
and then joined him at the window. She took the chair across from him,
sedately pulling her legs up under her and covering them with her robe. 

"Its so dark out there. What is it youre looking at?" she asked. 

"Nothing." 

She gave him a look. 

"It makes it easier to hear anything out of the ordinary if you are
looking at nothing." 

"Ah." She nodded her head in understanding. 

The silence between them grew awkward. Illya fell back on the only subject
he felt was safe. "I congratulate you on your work. It is not often that
there is such a large breakthrough in your field." 

"Yes," she responded with a nervous laugh. 

"If you do not mind me asking, what made you think to use that particular
enzyme as your catalyst?" 

She stared into her glass for a moment. "It just sort of came to me." 

Illya looked at her in surprise. "Enzymes are known to catalyze more than
5,000 biochemical reaction types. I find it hard to believe that the one
that actually worked just sort of came to you." 

"Well, your field isnt biology, is it?" 

"No, but I do have a working knowledge of it. Perhaps you could walk me
through the steps you took to get the effect you did, especially with so
little destabilization of the substrate ground state." 

"Im sure youll just be bored out of your mind." 

"On the contrary. I would truly appreciate knowing." 

She coughed nervously and then gave into a yawn. "And Id really love to
tell you, but Im really quite tired." She finished the rest of her water
and then stood. "I think Im ready for sleep now. Goodnight, Mr. Kuryakin."


Illya watched her hurry to her room and close the door. If he didnt know
better, he would have sworn that the woman hadnt understood his question.
Something wasnt right. It wasnt enough to make an issue of. Not yet. But
Illya was going to keep an even closer eye on the doctor. 

~~~~~ 

Napoleon stood and watched as the train ate up the miles. Mountains had
given way to desert, and they had left the snow behind, at least for now.
Maybe thats why it seemed warmer in the car. So much so that hed left off
his coat and rolled up his sleeves. Of course, the quick grope that Illya
had surprisingly allowed him this morning certainly hadnt helped. 

You shouldnt be thinking about that. 

He willed away the start of an erection. But it was hard not to think
about Illya, so warm and inviting under the covers. They hadnt had near
enough time together. Napoleon shook his head. They had known how things
would be. No use dwelling on his disappointment at the loss of their time
off together. 

"Good morning, Napoleon." 

Napoleon turned from his musings. "Good morning, Avery. I trust you slept
well." 

"Better than I would have expected." 

"I thought you enjoyed train travel." He motioned toward the kitchen area,
using the cup in his hand. "Theres coffee." 

She walked over and poured herself a cup before joining him at the window.
She sat, swiveling the chair toward Napoleon. "Not exactly." 

He gave her a puzzled look. 

"I dont exactly enjoy traveling by train. Its that I hate flying. Scares
the living daylights out of me." 

"That must be pretty inconvenient, given your standing in the scientific
community. I would imagine youre called on to do quite a bit of
traveling." 

"I am. Most of the time I drive, but given the situation." 

"You would be harder to protect under those circumstances." 

She nodded absently, her attention caught by the scenery. "Where are we?" 

"In Utah, somewhere. Illya would be able to tell you exactly where." 

"He seems to know a lot about a lot of things." 

"That he does," Napoleon said with a smile. "But dont tell him I said so."


She returned the smile. "I promise. Besides, I dont think he likes me very
much." 

"Why do you say that?" 

"I dont know." She shrugged. "I guess because hes always so proper. Always
Dr. Palmer. Never Avery." 

"Thats just the way Illya is. It takes him awhile to warm up to people." 

"How about you? How long does it take you to warm up to people?" She sat
back, looking over her cup as she took a drink of coffee. She crossed her
legs and let her robe slip open so that plenty of leg was on display. 

Uh, oh. 

"Probably longer than it used to. Being an UNCLE agent, we dont exactly
meet up with many people who we should warm up to." 

"But you are friendlier than your partner." 

"I suppose so." Napoleon took a swig of coffee, and then placed the empty
cup on the small table between them. He had wondered how hed react the
first time this situation arose. Now he knew. Not very well. "But Illya
has his reasons for being somewhat standoffish." 

"Somewhat standoffish? Thats been generous, I think. I cant imagine how it
would be to work with him." 

"It took us awhile to get used to each other, but hes the best partner Ive
ever had, not to mention my best friend." And so much more that Napoleon
didnt dare admit to. 

"Thats really nice of you, standing up for him that way. But then, you
just seem so very nice, in so many ways." 

"Thanks, but you dont know me very well. I have my days." 

"Well, I think youre just lovely." 

She leaned forward and placed her cup next to his, allowing the front of
her robe to billow open. Her sheer nightgown did little to hide the
rounded fullness of her breasts or how her nipples had peaked. Napoleon
felt his cock swell as he envisioned them completely exposed, his face
buried between them. 

She stood and came over to wrap her arms around his neck, her body pressed
along his side. "Very lovely, indeed." She tilted her head up and began
kissing along his jawline. 

"Um, you really shouldnt be doing that." 

"Why not?" She lowered her hand to the bulge in his pants and gave it a
gentle squeeze. "You like it, dont you? This seems to say you do." 

"Listen, I" 

She silenced him by bringing her mouth to his and pushing her way in with
her tongue. 

Her body felt good against his, and her hand was doing crazy things to his
cock. For a second, Napoleon found himself giving in. But only for a
second. He wrapped his hands around her upper arms and forcefully pushed
her away. "Stop it, Avery." 

"Why? Dont pretend you didnt enjoy what I was doing." 

"Its not that." 

"Then what? After everything your two co-workers told me, I certainly
didnt think youd mind." 

"You cant always go by a little gossip." 

"A little gossip?" She laughed. "I havent heard so many stories about a
mans conquests since Flynn was in." 

Napoleon tried not to scowl. After all, hed probably earned his
reputation. "Thats ancient history." 

 She gave him a speculative look. "Is there someone special?" 

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." 

"Really? Who is she?" 

"That, Dr. Palmer, is none of your business." 

"So, its Dr. Palmer again." She shrugged "You cant blame a girl for
trying. You were talked up so much, I was looking forward to finding out
if it was all true. Oh well, I suppose I better go get dressed." 

As soon as the door to her bedroom closed, Napoleon dropped down on the
chair. He rubbed his forehead and chuckled nervously. God, that was close.
But it proved that he was well and truly caught in Illyas web. He took a
shaky breath. Truth be told, he couldnt imagine a better place to be. 

~~~~~ 

"Ill take two cards." 

Illya dealt out the cards, eyeing Napoleon with suspicion as he did so.
"Youve been winning much too often for my taste." 

Napoleon grinned "The Solo luck, remember?" 

Illya gave himself three cards, then looked over at the doctor. "Doctor?" 

"Ill take three." 

Illya dealt out another three, then focused on his own hand. 

Napoleon wondered at the frost in Illyas voice. His partner had been
barely civil to the doctor since waking up and joining them. Illya tended
to be taciturn, but this was more than that. In a moment of horror, he
imagined that Illya had seen what had happened between himself and Avery.
He almost shuddered before realizing that it couldnt be that. No, if Illya
had seen that, Napoleon would have been frozen out, too. Or shot. 

He looked at his hand. "Ill bet ten dollars." 

Illya nodded toward Napoleons stash. "Youre running out of toothpicks." 

"Dollars, Illya. Dollars." 

Illya studied his cards for a moment before throwing them down in disgust.
"Fold." 

"So that leaves just you and me, doesnt it?" Avery gleefully noted. 

"What an astute observation, Doctor," Illya coolly responded. 

"Hey." Napoleon grabbed Illya arm, only to have his hand shrugged away. 

Avery looked from one to the other. She set down her cards and started to
rise. "I dont think I want to play anymore." 

"So much the better," Illya muttered under his breath. 

Napoleon stood and grabbed Illya by the arm again. "We need to talk." 

"So talk." 

"Not here." He pulled Illya from his chair. "If you would excuse us,
Avery." 

Napoleon hustled Illya into their room. He closed the door and turned to
his friend. "Would you mind telling me what the hells the matter with
you?" 

Illya nodded toward the outer room. "Theres something not right with her."


"Whats that supposed to mean?" 

"It means that I dont think she is who she says she is." 

"Thats not possible, Illya. Not unless shes managed to fool everyone in
UNCLE, starting with Mr. Waverly." 

Illya grimaced. "I realize that. But whoever she is, shes not Dr. Avery
Palmer." 

"Why do you say that?" 

"Because she doesnt know the things that she should know. I suspected
something was wrong yesterday when she was unwilling to speak about her
work. So earlier, when you were taking a shower, I started asking her
questions." 

"What sort of questions?" 

"Questions. Questions that every biologist should have no trouble
answering." 

Napoleon gave him an exasperated look. "Youre going to have to be more
specific than that." 

"All right, for one thing, she referred to Crick and Watson as Crick and
Wilson." 

"Okay, you got me, who are Crick and Watson?" 

"Just the winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine for the discovery of the
structure of the DNA molecule." 

"So she got one name slightly wrong." 

"She shouldnt have! There are probably no two more famous biologists in
the world. It would be like me not remembering Einsteins name." 

Napoleon rubbed his jaw. "I see your point. But its hard to imagine that
she works for THRUSH. She doesnt seem the type." 

"And what type is that?" Illya asked, the sarcasm heavy in his voice. "The
type that wants to take you to bed?" 

"Thats not what I meant, and you know it." Napoleon put his hands up in
surrender. "Fine, fine. Given everything, I suppose she bears watching." 

"Just as long as you dont watch her too closely." 

Okay, hed had enough of this. "If theres something you want to say, just
say it." 

"All right. I have seen the way she looks at you. And how you look back." 

"Thats crazy. Yes, Ive been friendly, but thats all Ive been." 

"Yes, you kiss every womans hand." 

Napoleon sighed. "I did that for Paul and Rons sake. After the comments
they made, I knew they expected me to make a play for her, so I did. But
it didnt mean anything." 

"This was a mistake." Illya shook his head. "We never should have started
this." 

"What? Being together?" Napoleon ran a hand through his hair. He couldnt
believe where this was going. "You knew how things would have to be." 

"I thought I could handle it. I may have been wrong." Illya looked away.
"Perhaps we should forget the whole thing." 

"No," Napoleon shouted. He glanced at the door, then forced himself to
calm down. "No. I dont understand. I havent done anything wrong, yet youre
willing to throw everything away on a suspicion." He studied his partner.
"Illya, is it me you dont trust, or yourself?" 

"Now whos speaking in riddles? Why would I not?" 

"I dont know. Maybe because you expect this to fail, so figure on getting
out before it does. Before you get too hurt, because its almost as if
youre just waiting for me to do something stupid like be with a woman. But
thats not going to happen. I would never hurt you." 

"You dont know that, Napoleon. Anymore than I know that Ill never hurt
you." 

"But thats a chance Im willing to take. I want to be with you, for as long
as youll have me." 

"There is so much that can go wrong." 

"Illya," Napoleon stepped forward and put his arms around his partner.
"Everything will work out." 

"We shouldnt" 

"A hug isnt going to hurt. And I really doubt that Dr. Palmer will walk in
on us." He smoothed his hand down Illyas back. "Weve both lost people
before, people that we cared for a great deal. But Im hoping that this
time will be different." 

Illya finally brought his arms up and around Napoleons waist. "You sound
so sure." 

"Maybe because I cant imagine my life in any other way. All I want right
now is for us to be home, together. I dont think thats too much to ask, do
you?" 

"No, I suppose not," Illya reluctantly agreed. "Yet I cant help but
believe that this will not last. There is so much going against us.
Society is certainly not on our side. And you have desired so many women.
I find it difficult, sometimes, to believe that you never will again, that
suddenly you desire only me." 

Napoleon chuckled. "Well, it wasnt exactly suddenly. Id wanted you for
quite awhile before I had the nerve to do something about it. Nerve, and a
generous serving of alcohol." 

"Ah, yes, I do rememberare we slowing down?" 

Napoleon stilled. "Maybe were approaching Denver." 

Illya pulled away and started for the door. "No, were still at least an
hour away from there." 

They both hurried out to the sitting area. Dr. Palmer was standing in the
middle of the room. Her attention was fixed on the ceiling. And she had a
gun in her hands. 

"Theres someone up there," she said without taking her eyes off the
ceiling. 

Napoleon unholstered his gun and joined the woman. "I take it youre not
really Dr. Palmer." 

"Agent Roberta Evans." She worked out her badge from her pocket with one
hand. 

"Theres a town up ahead. It must be why were slowing down," Illya said. He
stood against the side of the car, next to one of the windows, his gun
drawn. 

"Either that, or someone has commandeered the train," Evans said. 

"I wouldnt put it past THRUSH, but I think theyd try to take Dr. Palmer
with as little fuss as possible." 

The train continued to slow as they approached the town. It had almost
come to a full stop when the door to the car blew violently open. 

Napoleon and Evans used the kitchen table and chairs for cover as best
they could, while Illya rushed into the bedroom. When he returned, it was
with three gas masks. He huddled next to the other two. "Put these on," he
said as he handed them over. "Ill almost bet were going to get a little
surprise in the next few seconds." 

He was right. They barely had time to put the masks on when a gas grenade
was thrown into the car. It quickly filled with smoke, and Napoleon barely
saw the first person come through the door when all hell broke loose. 

~~~~~ 

"I hope I didnt cause too much difficulty," Evans said as she took
Napoleons hand. 

Her left arm was in a sling, where she had taken a bullet. 

"Id say you got the worst of the deal." 

She looked down at her arm. "Ive had worse. And may have had again if I
hadnt been with the two of you." 

The three of them stood on the train platform in Denver, next to the a
little worse for wear car. UNCLE had sent a crew to take the four THRUSH
agents, two dead, two alive, off of their hands. Napoleon had heard
stories about the main interrogator out of the Denver office. He didnt
envy the THRUSH agents. Evans would also be leaving them, taking the
opposing train back to California. 

"And the real Dr. Palmer?" Illya asked. "I assume she is already safely
ensconced at UNCLE headquarters in New York." 

"She arrived shortly before we were attacked. I received a call from Mr.
Waverly while the two of you were," she gave them both a speculative look,
"in conference." 

Napoleon felt his face flush, but tried to pretend a normalcy he was far
from feeling. Would he ever get used to what his life was now? He was
certainly going to try. 

"You did not fool us as much as you think you did, Miss Evans," Illya
remarked. "You are lucky that Napoleon was able to convince me in that
conference not to shoot you." 

Napoleon squelched a laugh. From the look on Robertas face, she half
believed him. "And us? Why the subterfuge? Why not just have us protect
the real Dr. Palmer?" 

"Mr. Waverly felt that thats exactly what THRUSH would think, that she
would automatically be placed in the care of Waverlys top team." 

"In other words, we were the bait." Illya shook his head. "Lucky that
things turned out the way they did." 

"Mr. Waverly was pretty sure that THRUSH would follow the two of you, and
allow the other agents to get Dr. Palmer to safety. And it worked," Avery
added with a smile. 

"So whats next for you?" Napoleon asked. 

"My partner is waiting for me in LA. After that, who knows? You know how
it is." 

"When will your train be leaving?" 

"Not until morning, but there are plenty of gift shops and bars in the
train station to keep me occupied. Or maybe Ill just get a room at one of
the nearby hotels and get some decent shut eye." 

The train whistle blew, announcing their departure. Since the car was
already paid for, Waverly had balked at buying them plane tickets. It
would take a bit longer, but they would eventually get home. 

"Thats our cue. It was nice working with you, Roberta." 

She gave him a wicked smile, and ran her tongue along her top lip. "It was
my pleasure, Napoleon." She looked over at Illya. "Same goes for you,
Illya. Its not often that I get to work with two such good looking men."
And with that, she turned and started down the platform and into the
station. 

"I knew she wasnt a scientist." 

Napoleon rolled his eyes. "Yes, you were right about that, but I was right
that she wasnt the type to work for THRUSH." 

"That was a lucky guess." Illya grabbed Napoleons arm and pulled him
toward their car. "Come, I think you will be lucky in other ways very
soon." 

Napoleon quickened his pace. 

~~~~~ 

Illya sat up in bed and pulled the curtain open. Outside, cornfields
stretched in every direction, their dead stalks powdered with snow. The
sun was a red half-ball at the horizon. He picked up his watch from the
shelf inside the headboard. Just passed six. 

Next to him, a warm and very satisfied Napoleon slept. Illya had spent the
first few hours of their journey fulfilling his promise. Napoleon had been
very lucky, indeed. But then, so had he. The movement of the train had
been a rousing counterpoint to his thrusts into Napoleons body. 

Afterward, he and Napoleon had talked about their relationship. It was not
going to be easy, hiding what they were. They would never be able to be
together except when no one else was around. That made Illya a bit sad,
but he had never been one to rail at the gods. They would be glad for what
they had, for as long as they had it. If it were up to him, it would be
for a very long time, indeed. 

He stretched, and then slid back down under the covers. He wrapped his arm
around Napoleons waist and gently pulled his body toward him. A plane
awaited them in Chicago, and they would be home for Christmas. Illya could
finally think in terms of home when it came to Napoleon. Think of it, and
know it to be true. But they had hours before they would arrive in
Chicago. All day. Plenty of time to be lucky again.  


  Please post a comment on this story. 
Read posted comments.