Max sat at his desk at home with a piece of paper in front of him and pen in hand. He was in a sort of daze, however, and stared off into space, his mind a million miles away. He was supposed to be filling out paperwork from his last assignment, but all he could do was think about the horrible things that had happened.
Max swore to himself that he would never let 99 be in any danger because of him right after they became engaged. He carried out his vow faithfully and protected his wife in any danger. When the twins came along he applied his promise to them as well. Maxwell Smart would never let it be said that he didn't take care of his family. But despite his efforts and unrelenting will, he had found himself breaking his vow.
"Max?" 99 said as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Max shook himself out of his trance and looked over his shoulder at 99.
"Hello, Love," he said sweetly, kissing her hand. 99 smiled.
"It's getting late Max. Don't you think you should be coming to bed soon?" Max was touched by 99's concern for his welfare.
"I'll be there in a minute, 99. I need to get some of this paperwork done before tomorrow."
"Okay Max," 99 said. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips before returning to their bedroom. Max returned to his paperwork after silently vowing once more to protect his family, no matter what the cost.
Fast-forward
"I never knew my father," Zachary Smart wrote. He struggled for a minute to find the right words to describe the unique situation he was in. "He left when I was very young. My mother tells me that my sister and I were only about one year old when he left. Our mother's always been a mystery to us as well. We grew up told she was a greeting cards salesperson, but we never really believed her. For some reason, Mom always seemed in too much danger to just be in the greeting card business. She worked long hours, keeping us with a babysitter until she got off work. She would even be called in to work at 2 or 3 in the morning. Maxine and I never found out what went on, but we always suspected something.
"From the information just given to you, you might feel that you would be safe to assume that we have bad parents. However, our mother was always there for us. She came to every parent/teacher conference, every PTA meeting, and always seemed to have time to help us with our homework. Our mother also never fails to defend our father. Every time we ask why our father left she would reply, 'Don't think badly of your father. He was confused and felt that you would be better off without him. He only left because he felt it was what was best for you.'
"The only other person who ever seemed to know about my father and why he left was our "uncle" the Chief. He's our mother's boss and comes over every now and then. He's always at our birthday parties, or Christmas, or Thanksgiving. The only information the Chief ever gave Maxine and I about our father was that he was a brave and determined man, destined to serve the side of 'niceness and goodness.' Seeing as this only made us confused, we never asked the Chief about our father much. And so we were left to ponder the mystery that is Maxwell Smart. That is, until our sixteenth birthday."
Flashback
It was Saturday morning, and Max would have much rather been sleeping, but the memory of his last assignment kept nagging at him. He sat up in bed, placing his head in his hands. He had tried so hard, but apparently that didn't matter. Apparently, you're efforts aren't what your grade is based off, it's the outcome.
Max looked over at his sleeping wife. He smiled at her and bent over to smell her hair. Max savored the scent and sat back up. It won't happen again, he told himself, it won't happen again. His mind churned with possible ways to protect the ones he loved. There had to be a way.
Max got out of bed and went into the next room. He walked slowly over to the cribs where his two children lay. Max always thought it was a miracle to look at his children. He had been blessed with a beautiful baby girl and a bouncing baby boy, and never seemed to understand how he deserved them, but they were his nonetheless.
"Hey Zach, Maxine," he whispered as quietly as possible. "I love you guys, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you." He smiled down at them. "No sir. I'm not gonna let any nasty KAOS agents get a hold of you. I promise."
Zachary started to squirm in his sleep, kicking the covers off of his body. Max reached in and placed them back over his son, helping him get back to a peaceful sleep. He kissed his cheek and turned to do the same to Maxine. "Goodnight," he whispered as he left the room.
Max returned to his bedroom where 99 still lay sleeping. He tiptoed back to his side of the bed and climbed in as gently as possible while 99 turned over in bed. 99 opened her eyes slowly to find him sitting up in bed. "Max?" she said as she propped herself up with her elbows. Max looked down at her. "What's wrong Max?"
Max shook his head. "Nothing's wrong 99. Go back to sleep." 99 raised her eyebrows.
"Are you sure?" she asked. Max nodded.
"I'm positive. Now, go back to sleep." He kissed her and then remained sitting.
"Goodnight Max," 99 whispered softly.
"Goodnight 99," Max replied. He watched as 99 turned her back to him and returned to her dreams. Max sighed, knowing there was no going back once it began. He had decided.
Fast-forward
99 sat down and sighed. Everything was in order. Finally, after countless hours of planning and preparation, everything was ready. The twins were going to have the best birthday party yet.
"Everyone hide!" 99 heard someone call out to the crowd of people in her apartment. "They're coming!" There was a slight rustle throughout the room as the lights went out and everyone started seeking shelter. Eventually, everyone was hidden and a hush came over the room.
"Looks like no one's home Maxine," Zachary Smart said as he opened the door.
"Maybe Mom went out shopping for a minute," Maxine suggested. "She'll probably be back soon."
"You're probably right," and with that, Zachary reached inside the room and turned on the lights.
"Surprise!" the party shouted, coming out of their hiding places. The Smart twins smiled and glanced over the room as the crowd began calling out their congratulations. Maxine rested her eyes on 99 for a minute and then raced to her.
"Thanks Mom," she said, hugging her. 99 chuckled.
"You're welcome Sweetheart. Now go enjoy your party," she demanded. "After all, it's not every day that you turn 16." Maxine smiled and turned to her friends from various activities.
99 watched her children laugh with excitement and noticed the door open. The Chief walked in and over to her. "Hello 99," he greeted her. "Sorry I'm late. I had an assignment to wrap up and it took a little longer than I expected."
"It's alright Chief. Here, come into the kitchen with me." Together they walked into the kitchen where 99 began preparing food for the party in the living room.
"Are you going to tell them tonight 99?" the chief asked. 99 froze for a moment but then continued working.
"Tell them what Chief?" she asked, as nonchalantly as possible.
"You know what 99." 99 spun around to face him, a pleading look in her eyes.
"I can't Chief," she argued. "It's still too painful. I don't know if I could stand it." The chief squeezed her arm and gave her a little smile.
"You owe it to them 99. They have the right to know what really happened. They can't go their entire lives not knowing who their father was." 99 looked down at the floor, feeling helpless. There was a moment's pause and then the chief decided to change the subject. "I talked to him today." 99 looked up again, hopeful.
"How is he?" she asked desperately.
"He's fine. He misses you 99." 99 felt her heart smile.
"I miss him too Chief… Tell him that. Please." The chief nodded.
"I asked him to come see you, to talk to Zachary and Maxine, to come back." 99 gave him an inquiring look. The chief shook his head. "He said he wouldn't come, that it was too late." The chief saw tears form in her eyes and tried to sound hopeful. "I think I almost had him though," but there was no fooling her.
The chief hated seeing 99 like this. She was like a daughter to him, and he felt desperate as he stood there, knowing there was nothing he could do or say that would console her. There was only one person who could do that, and he would never come back. Defeated, the chief pulled 99 to him and patted her back as she cried on his shoulder.
Flashback
Normally, Maxwell Smart hated Mondays. He despised them, and wished they would go away. This time, however, Monday couldn't come soon enough. The weekend passed slowly, but finally, it was Monday morning. Max knew what he had to do.
"Hi Max." Larabee greeted him when he entered the chief's outer office.
"Morning Larabee. Is the chief in?" Max asked.
"Yeah, go on ahead," Larabee said, pressing a button that operated the door opening device.
"Thanks," Max returned, walking into the chief's office. "Chief, I need to talk to you," he began.
"What's up Max?" the chief asked. Max sat down in the chair in front of the chief's desk and inhaled deeply before continuing.
"Chief, you remember that last assignment I had right?"
"How could I forget?" the chief said.
"Well, in light of that assignment, I think I've come to a decision Chief." The chief of CONTROL smiled.
"Good Max. What's your decision?" Max paused and then answered.
"I want you to relocate me." The chief's brow furrowed, as confusion began to set in.
"What did you say Max?" Max sighed, knowing perfectly well that the chief heard everything he said.
"I want you to relocate me, transfer me, whatever. Just get me out of Washington," he demanded.
"Why do you want to relocate Max? I thought you liked Washington." The chief had known Max since he first became a CONTROL agent and though he had seen many strange things out of 86, he had never seen anything like this.
"I'm endangering 99 and the twins," he stated simply. The chief raised his hand to the bridge of his nose.
"You want to be relocated but you don't want to take 99 or the twins with you. Is that what you're saying?" the chief asked.
"Because I'm putting them in danger, yes sir. That's correct." Max looked at the chief intently. "So what do you say?"
"Have you talked to 99 about this?" he asked. Max shook his head.
"No Chief. I don't want her to know yet. She'd just protest and I don't want to tell her until I'm leaving."
"Talk to 99 about it, Max. You'll feel differently after that."
"You're not taking me seriously Chief!" he protested. "If you won't help me, I'll get away some other way!"
"Max, be reasonable," the chief begged. "What made you get this silly notion in the first place?"
"Well, from my last mission Chief. You know how they captured 99. She wasn't even on the case. I couldn't stand it. Please Chief help me out," Max pleaded.
"I'm sorry Max, but I need you here in Washington. You'll feel differently later anyway. Transfer denied." Max stood up and headed for the door.
"I'll find a way Chief. I'm not gonna put 99 and the twins through any more danger. I promised."
Fast-forward
"Bye!" Maxine called as the last guest left the party. She shut the door and turned around to look at Zachary, 99, and the Chief sitting on the couch. She joined them with a sigh while the Chief nudged 99 with his elbow. She looked at him pleadingly, but he nodded telling her go on.
"Well kids, I hope you've had a good birthday," 99 began. Zachary and Maxine told her that they had. "Good," 99 said. She looked at the chief once more who nudged her slightly. 99 gulped.
"Zachary, Maxine, I have something to tell you both." The Smart twins turned to look at their mother. "It's about your father," she told them. They eyed at her skeptically, but said nothing. "You see, your father wrote a letter the day he left. He wanted me to read it to you when you were old enough, and I think it's about time you heard it."
99 got up from the couch and went to the desk. She pulled out a book and opened it to reveal an envelope, slightly faded yellow from old age. She sat back down and tenderly opened the letter. Tears came to her eyes as she recalled the familiar words before her. Slowly she began to read.
"Dear 99,
I don't know what you're going to think of me, but I've left you 99. Please believe me, it's not because I don't love you. In fact, it's because I love you that I'm leaving. I really do love you though. More than I ever thought was possible.
I don't blame you if you hate my guts now. I'd probably hate me too if I were in your shoes. I just want you to understand. I left because it's what's best for you. You're in too much danger as it is 99, I don't want to put you under anymore. When KAOS captured you on my last mission, I realized what horrible danger I could cause you. They used you as a hostage, and you weren't even involved. No 99, I can't let it happen any more. Not with you, not with Zach, not with Maxine.
I'll divorce you if you want. The chief can contact me to get the paper work done. But 99, I told you once that I'd always protect you, and I don't intend to break that promise. I'll always be watching out for you. I want to thank you for sticking with me no matter what happened to us. You were always there, and no one could ever take your place. Thank you for the wonderful year we spent together as husband and wife, and the two beautiful children you gave me. Please read this to them when they're old enough. Let them know why I left. Let them know I love them.
Let them know I love you, too.
Max"
99 found herself sobbing as she finished the letter. The chief wiped away a tear as well and placed his hand on her shoulder. Maxine and Zachary looked at each other and then to their mother. 99 controlled herself and then looked at her children.
"Mom," Maxine started, "why are we in danger?"
Flashback
This time it was Wednesday night and Max sat at the bar in his apartment with a scotch in the glass before him. 99 came in from the kitchen and sat beside him. She poured herself a drink as well and looked at her husband who was lost in thought. "Max," she purred. "Max."
Max looked at her, his expression blank and unchanging. He picked up his drink and walked to the couch where he chose to relocate himself. 99 followed and once again sat next to him. "Max what's wrong?" she asked resting her head on his arm.
"Nothing's wrong 99," he told her. "I'm just thinking." 99 nodded.
"I see. What are you thinking about?" she asked. Max sighed.
"Just things 99," he replied.
"Oh. Things." 99 pretended she understood. "Max what's wrong," she repeated.
"I told you 99, nothing's wrong!" Max said. There was an awkward pause.
"I talked to the chief today," 99 began casually. Max immediately tensed up.
"The chief?"
"Mmmhmm. He said you requested a transfer." Max cursed under his breath.
"99, I don't want to discuss it," he stated. 99 sat up and looked at him.
"Maxwell Smart, we're going to sit here and discuss this right now!" she demanded. Max gulped down his scotch and returned to the bar to fix himself another one.
"I'm not going to talk about it 99, so you're wasting your time." With that he took the scotch and headed up the stairs.
"What's wrong Max?!" she called after him, climbing the stairs herself. "Max please!" she begged as they entered the bedroom. Max took off his jacket and hung it up. He removed his tie and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. "Max," 99 almost whispered. "I love you."
Max looked up and saw tears forming in 99's eyes. He stopped undressing and turned to her. "I love you too, 99. That's why I've got to leave. Don't you understand?" 99 shook her head and collapsed in his arms. Max held her for a moment and kissed her cheek.
"Max, don't leave," 99 asked. "I don't think I can go on without you." Max let his body relax and sighed.
"I won't," he said defeated. He held her for a while, trying to reassure her, but his mind was elsewhere. He didn't like lying to 99, but it was for her own good.
Fast-forward
The chief cleared his throat and began to tell the twins every bit of information denied of them since their birth about their mother's business and their father. The chief knew this wasn't going to be easy for him to do, but it was his duty.
"You see kids, a long time ago, a secret international organization of evil called KAOS was formed. They were thieves, murderers, and evildoers of every kind. Our government felt that there should be an organization to help fight against KAOS and CONTROL was born.
Ever since then CONTROL and KAOS have been at each other. We're a top secret organization made of spies and we do our best to defeat KAOS and make sure the world remains free. Your mother and father are spies who work for this organization, and I'm the chief of CONTROL," the chief ended his story and looked around the room at Maxine, Zachary, and 99.
"So wait a minute," Zachary began, "you're telling us that our mom is a spy and that our dad left us because he thought some international organization of evil called KAOS would kidnap us?" The chief nodded.
"Precisely." Maxine and Zachary looked at each other.
"That's ridiculous," Maxine said.
"It's true," 99 told her.
"Here let me prove it to you," the chief said reaching for his wallet. He took out an identification card and showed it to the twins. Maxine gasped and Zachary's eyes opened wide.
Flashback
It had been a month since that Wednesday night, and Max was ready to make his move. He had been planning it out ever since then, savoring every moment with his wife and his children. He would miss them, but at least they would be safe. Max was ready. It was time.
"Are you coming to bed Max?" 99 asked from the top of the stairs. Max looked up at her. She was wearing his pajamas and her hair was let down. He smiled at her.
"I'll be right there 99," he told her. He took his last drink from the bar and walked up the stairs for the last time. He entered the bedroom and crawled into bed next to 99. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately.
"I love you Max," 99 breathed.
"I love you too, 99," he replied and kissed her again. When they pulled apart 99 rested her head on his chest. "Goodnight Darling," Max whispered. "I love you."
"Goodnight Max." And the two fell into a comfortable sleep. They didn't move at all, until Max woke up at 4 am.
Max crawled out of bed and packed his things into a suitcase. He was just about to kiss 99 goodbye, when he stopped. He had to let her know why. Max got out a sheet of paper and started to write. He couldn't remember when the words had flown so easily for him. He poured out his emotions and spoke from the heart. When he was finished he placed it in an envelope, sealed it, and kissed it as he set it down.
CONTROL trained all their agents to become unattached from everything around them and not to show any emotions, but all of Max's years as a CONTROL agent could have never prepared him for what he had to do. Nothing could have ever prepared him to stop the tears from falling that night.
Max decided to say goodbye to the twins first. He entered their bedroom and looked down at his miracles. "Goodbye Zachary," he started. "You'll never know me, never remember me, but I love you more than you could ever understand. Take care of the girls. I love you son." He turned to Maxine. "Goodbye Maxine. I wish I could see you grow up into the beautiful woman I know you'll be. You'll probably look just like your mother. Don't settle for just anyone. You deserve the best. I love you Maxine." Me kissed them and then walked back into his bedroom.
It was the hardest thing he ever had to do. 99 looked so peaceful, he just wanted to crawl back into bed with her and be at peace as well, but he would never be at peace as long as he was endangering her. "Goodbye my love," he said. Max bent down and kissed her forehead, leaving a single tear on her pillow. He picked up his suitcase and walked out the door. Maxwell Smart was gone.
Fast-forward
"I can't believe it," Zachary said, examining the identification card. "I just can't believe it."
"Why didn't you tell us Mom?" Maxine asked.
"Well, this is all top secret information. No one is supposed to know I'm a secret agent. As far as everyone else is concerned I'm in the greeting card business," 99 explained.
"And you couldn't tell your own children?" Maxine said.
"I wanted to, but the chief wanted to make sure you were old enough to understand how secret this has to be kept," she replied. There was a pause in the conversation.
"Okay Mom, Chief, you got us. You scared us for a while, now the joke's up," Zachary said.
"This is no joke Zach," the chief told him. "It's all very true. Every bit of it. I can have the president assure you if you'd like."
"Now just a minute Chief," Zach began. He opened his mouth to continue but the door bell rang just then.
"I'll get it," the chief said, getting up. The others resumed their conversation, while the chief opened the door. He got a good look at the visitor and then gasped.
Flashback
99 yawned as she woke up. She turned over lazily to face Max's side of the bed and opened her eyes. When she didn't see him she sat up. Max normally slept in on Sundays and she wondered where he could be. She threw on her bathrobe and slippers and walked outside the room. 99 looked everywhere. She looked in the twin's room, in the living room, in the kitchen, even in the bathroom, but Max was no where to be found. She sat walked around the living room, thinking, when she saw the note on the desk.
Racing to the desk she opened the envelope in a hurry. She pulled out the letter and started to read, tears forming in her eyes. She blinked and tried to keep the words in focus. When she reached the end of the letter she ran to the telephone. 99 waited as patiently as possible before the chief finally picked up.
"Hello," she heard him say.
"Chief! It's 99. Listen, Max left during the night. He said you'd know where to find him," she explained quickly.
"Well… yes 99. I do know where to find him, but I can't tell you where. I promised Max I wouldn't. It's in the CONTROL handbook that I can keep secret the homes of my agents if they request it. I wish I could help 99," he told her. 99 felt her heart break inside of her chest.
"Please Chief! I've got to find Max!" she demanded. The chief sighed.
"I can't 99. It's my duty." 99 began to sob.
"Yeah right, duty! This is my husband we're talking about!"
"I know," he said. 99 had had enough. She slammed down the receiver and began to cry. That was it. She was all alone.
Fast-forward
"This is stupid Mom," Maxine exclaimed while her mother tried to explain it to her. She and Zachary looked at each other and rolled their eyes. The chief on the other hand, was smiling. He stepped aside and let the visitor inside. The twins looked up to see a strange man standing in the apartment. They fell silent. 99, however, continued talking, her back turned to the door.
"99?" the man asked. 99 stopped and turned around.
"Max!" she exclaimed, and ran to him. They held each other for a while, not speaking, but saying things that the each longed to hear. The twins stared at each other in disbelief at the tears running down the man's cheeks. Finally, they pulled apart.
"I've missed you 99," Max said. 99 smiled and his heart melted.
"I've missed you too, Max," she replied. The couple looked at each other for a minute before meeting in a passionate kiss. When they separated, Maxine spoke.
"Dad?" she asked timidly. Max looked over at her, his eyes twinkling.
"Maxine," he said quietly. She raced to him, falling in his arms. Inside of him, Max felt a satisfaction beyond words. "You're so beautiful," he told her, pulling back to look at her. "You look just like your mother. I thought as much." Maxine smiled. Zachary stood up.
"So, this is the famous Maxwell Smart," he said sarcastically.
"Hello son," Max said solemnly.
"Zach! This is our father!" Maxine reminded him
"I know this is our father, Maxine, but he deserted us. Why should we take him back now?" he asked.
"Zachary Smart!" 99 exclaimed. Max shook his head.
"No 99. He's right, I shouldn't have come back," he agreed.
"Of course I'm right!" Zach said. "Give me one good reason we should take you back," he told Max.
"One good reason," Max repeated to himself. "Yes, well, I don't exactly have one, but I just came to tell you something." 99 looked at him.
"What is it Max?" she asked.
"I just came to say…" he paused, "that I love you, and I'm sure you'll both make me proud. I just came to say… happy birthday." Max looked over at 99. "Goodbye Love. I'll miss you." The chief smiled solemnly at him and Max started to walk out of the apartment.
"Wait!" Zach said. Max turned around. "That's a pretty good reason," he replied, embarrassed. Max smiled and ran to hug him. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. The Smart family was together again.
Fin.
A/N: Just so I don't get sued for some idiotic reason, all of the characters aren't mine. Duh.
Also, I know it doesn't matter much, but I want to dedicate this story to Don Adams. I never really properly mourned your death, but you made a difference in my life. I don't have any cool websites or an exact replica of the Sunbeam Tiger, but I love you for what you've done for others as well as me. We never met, and if I had my life to do over again, that would be one thing I change. You're amazing Don, and I miss you. Rest in peace, Max.