Prompt: 344 - murder
Napoleon paused outside the bedroom of his oldest grandson and listened. Alex had started playing the guitar last year and was making steady progress. He waited until the end of the song and then stepped through the doorway, applauding softly.
"That was very good, Alex."
"Thanks. I wanted it to be perfect when I play it for Irina and Poppy this afternoon. That last time I played it, Poppy said I murdered it." He set the guitar aside and rose. Walking to the window, he murmured. "I sure miss them, Grampy. It's weird having them gone."
"Me, too, kiddo."
"And I never got to say good-bye."
"None of us did. It was very sudden."
"How do you do it, Grampy? Don't you miss Poppy?"
"You do the best you can and hope it's enough." Napoleon held the suit jacket out to Alex. "Now finish getting dressed or we'll be late."
"Yes, sir."
Napoleon watched Alex awkwardly pull on the suit jacket. Genève had altered it from one of Illya's old suits. Napoleon was sure Illya's wouldn't have minded. He didn't have much use for them anymore.
The ride to the airport was fairly quiet, or what passed for quiet these days. Ginny never stopped talking. It reminded Napoleon of when Irina had been Ginny's age. She had been one question after another after another. Illya figured she'd make a first class scientist but that wasn't in the cards.
Peter and Inessa stared out the window and pointed out this or that, part of some game they were playing. It took longer to drive into the City than Napoleon remembered, but he contented himself with memories and daydreams. He thought about all the things he and Illya were going to do when they got older. Now he was older and many of those hopes and dreams were still unrealized.
They walked though the terminal, Napoleon leading the way to the International terminal out of memory.
"Boy, it's been a while since you been here, huh, Dad?" Leon looked around at the gates as they passed. "Lisbon, Spain, London, England." As a Section Three, Leon didn't travel much farther than upstate New York these days.
"We want Gate 78," Peter said, holding Inessa's hand. It was not unusual for the twins to become very connected when going through something new and a little scary.
"I remember meeting your dad's plane," Napoleon said to Lisle. "He came off that flight wearing this suit that was two sizes too big for him. He couldn't have weighed more than 150 pounds soaking wet. If I knew then what I know now."
"What would you do differently?" Lisle slipped an arm around Napoleon's waist and for just a moment Napoleon saw a flash of Angelique in her eyes.
"Not one single thing."
"There's our gate!" Peter and Inessa took off with Ginny running behind them, desperate to keep up with them.
"Me, too," she shouted and Inessa paused and held out her hand.
"Come on, Ginny! Let's fly!"
"Where do they get the energy?" Leon ran a hand though his hair.
"They suck it from us when we are asleep." Lisle swapped Napoleon for his son. "That's my only hope and I'm sticking by it."
Napoleon wandered to the plate glass window as the plane taxied up to the gateway. Once the plane stopped, people started to scurry about it, throwing in chock blocks, unlocked the luggage doors.
In the terminal, the arrival crew made arrangements to welcome their passengers. A harried looking business man rushed out, looked left and right and raced away.
"That guy's trying to make a connection," Napoleon murmured to no one in particular. He remembered when he and Illya running the same way, often with THRUSH at their heels. It seemed like a hundred years ago. Were they living life to its fullest or just murdering time? Napoleon didn't know anymore.
"Here they come, Grampy!" Peter grabbed Napoleon's hand and dragged him over to where the others were already gathered.
There were several people who exited, running to see people or to get to their next gate. Some entered looking dazed and confused or just exhausted – the flying dead.
Then Napoleon spotted a familiar face, lined with jet lag and a life well lived, but the eyes were anxious and searching the crowd.
"Poppy," Ginny squealed and ran to Illya. He knelt and scooped her up.
"There's my girl! Did you miss me?" He laughed as she kissed him. "Why is it the one with the smallest hugs always gives the biggest hugs?" She giggled and twisted happily in his arms.
Behind him walked a young woman and Napoleon swallowed. "Who are you and what have you done with my granddaughter?"
"Grampy," Irina said, laughing. "Этонастолькохорошо, чтобыбытьдома (It's so good to be home)."
"We're glad you're home, but you might want to stick with English so your parents can understand you," Napoleon whispered in her ear as he hugged her.
"Whoops." She giggled, sounding much like her baby sister, and kissed his cheek. "After two months, I forgot."
She then ran to her siblings as Illya turned Ginny loose and gave Napoleon a hug. "I am so tired," he murmured into his partner's neck.
"Well, suck it up because the kids have something planned." Napoleon kept his voice low. "You can sleep on the car ride home."
"How did we ever do this?" Illya pulled free of Napoleon's embrace and rubbed his eyes.
"We were young and stupid."
"Who's young and stupid?" Leon demanded as he shook Illya's hand and then embraced his daughter. "You are all grown up, Irina."
The girl blushed. "Not really, Daddy." She kissed her mother happily. "Oh, Mom, I've got so many stories to share with you and wait until you see the fabric I brought you and Genève!"
"Me, too?" Ginny grabbed Irina's hand.
"I brought the best present of all back for you. They're called nesting dolls"
"Let's see!" Ginny was over-the-moon excited.
"It's in my suitcase, silly." Irina picked her little sister and started towards baggage. "And I learned a new song just for you!"
"Where do they get the energy?" Illya watched after his traveling companion. "She was on the same flight with me. I slept, she watched the movie. I slept, she played games and read. I'm exhausted and she's ready to take on the world."
"As I told Napoleon, they suck it from us." Lisle laughed and followed. That's when everyone realized that they were short one. Alex was standing there, looking anxious and a bit angry.
"Alex." Illya went to him and reached out, but Alex evaded his touch. "What's wrong?"
"You never said goodbye."
"I know, but the seats to the earlier flight opened at the last minute."
"What if you'd died or got murdered or something?"
"Alex!" Lisle started to scold, but Illya held up a hand and shook his head gently.
"No, he's got a right to be angry." Illya gestured towards the others already halfway down the concourse. "Why don't you go and we'll catch up with you in baggage?"
After a moment, Lisle nodded, kissed him, and ran after her family. Illya placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and directed him to an abandoned gate, its travelers long gone.
"So why don't you tell me what's wrong, Alex?"
"You left me here!" Alex blurted out, then he sniffed and looked away.
"Alex, if you remember, I asked if you'd like to come, but you didn't want to. You said you wanted to stay home with your friends."
"You didn't even try and talk me out of it."
"No, because I felt you were old enough to know your mind. You didn't want to travel to Russia with me and Irina did. I would have taken you both if you'd told me the truth. Next time when I ask you something, don't play games with me."
"I didn't mean…" Another loud sniff and then a softer admission. "I was scared."
"And that's okay too. Irina had a couple bad days, too. There's nothing wrong in being homesick or not wanting to travel. Your grandfather is finished traveling, but I wanted to go home at least one last time."
"But this is your home."
"Not always. Once, I was a young man, not all that much younger than you and I was being placed on a plane by my parents. It would be a long time before I saw them again and there were times when I was so homesick, it was all I could do to breathe. I remember coming to New York for the first time and it was so different and confusing. I spent much of my free time in Little Russia the first few months, desperate for anything that reminded me of home." Illya offered Alex his handkerchief.
"What happened?"
"Your grandfather happened. I was assigned to Napoleon as his partner and a whole new chapter in our lives began."
"Yeah, Mom and Dad."
"Well, they came along a bit later, but yes. If I'd turn tail and run home, not only would I have been a disappointment to my family and my government, I never would have met an incredible man, my best friend, and eventually my child." He ruffled his grandson's hair. "Still friends?"
"No, not friends. We're family." Alex hugged him and Illya hugged him back.
"You got that right in one, Solo. Now let's go. I bet they're all waiting for us."
Alex took Illya's hand and squeezed it. "Let 'em wait. So where do you think you'll go next, Poppy?"
"I was thinking maybe to France to see some old friends. Why? You interested?"
Alex nodded and grinned. "Mais oui."
Illya draped an arm around his grandson's neck and they walked side by side.
Happy now, Alex proudly walked down the concourse holding his Poppy's hand and thinking about the wonders awaiting him.