Napoleon woke up in his own bed for the first time in what seemed like years, but had actually been about six weeks between time away on a mission and then time spent in Medical. Dr. Jameson released him to recuperate at home yesterday after he had threatened to walk out of Medical in his gown with his backside proudly displayed to whoever cared to look.
Illya had been home with Leona Nicole for the past week; adjusting his schedule so he could take her to daycare in the morning and then picking her up on his way home. When the two of them came back to HQ to pick him up, he had swallowed his discomfort to hug and kiss his daughter and tell her how much he had missed her. His face was fairly unscathed, but he had deep bruising along his ribs and lower back as a result of a rather severe beating he had endured before the Russian was able to effect a rescue. By the time he had eaten the dinner that Illya had bought (he still wasn't a very good cook) and headed to his bedroom, he had been in quite a bit of pain; so much so, that he decided to take a couple of Percocet to ease his body's throbbing so he could sleep.
Taking a quick self – inventory, he realized that he felt better than the day before. Throwing his bedding off him, he sat up and slipped his feet into his slippers and took his robe down from the hook on his closet door. Glancing at his clock, he noted it was 6AM. I'm going to make some coffee, he thought after he came out of his bathroom and walked out of his room and down the hallway. On impulse, he opened the door to Leona Nicole's room to check on her. He walked to her bedside and stared down, a frown forming on his face. She wasn't there.
The house was quiet and he knew he was the only one awake. She probably went to the bathroom and fell asleep on the toilet. Again. Smiling, he went to the four year old's bathroom and gently pushed the door open. The smile faded when he saw the bathroom was empty. He went into the living room, the dining room and the kitchen. No Leona. He checked the front door. The alarm system was untouched. There's no way she got out of that door!
He went back to her room and looked under her bed and in her closet to see if she perhaps had fallen asleep in there playing Hide and Seek with Papa. He was starting to feel panic and then it occurred to him: She's in Illya's room. She must have had a bad dream and went to sleep with Papa. He turned around and went to the Russian's room and carefully opened the door.
Illya was curled on his side snoring lightly. Alone. "I need you, Illya, wake up!"
The blond's eyes snapped open as he pulled his Walther from under his pillow as he sat up and looked around before settling on his partner. "What's the matter?"
"I can't find Leona. Illya, I can't find her!"
"What?" Illya cried as he shot out of bed. He had taken to wearing boxers to sleep in since Leona came into their lives two years earlier as she sometimes would come into their rooms as they slept and get into bed with them after they awoke. "Where have you looked? Have you called her?"
"No, I thought she was with you. I've looked everywhere on this side of the apartment. Come help me look."
They moved to the other half of the apartment that used to be the penthouse next door until Napoleon bought it and had the walls knocked down to accommodate their growing family. They opened closets and cabinets, all the while calling her name. The alarms on the door on that side had not been disturbed. "Oh my god!" Napoleon gasped, "Do you think she went out on the terrace?"
Both men bolted to the nearest terrace door. It was locked, but they went outside anyway and ran in opposite directions on the wraparound terrace. When they met up again, they looked at each other helplessly. "If she had fallen over, there would be a huge commotion below and there is not," Illya reasoned. "We better get dressed."
They jogged back to their bedrooms while Napoleon was pulling off his robe. As he came back into his room, he threw it onto his bed before turning to his closet. At the last second, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He whipped back around and snatched the robe, the sheets and his bedspread that he had thrown off him when he got up back to cover where he had been lying. Lying asleep underneath the covers on the other side of his bed, Leona slept, blissfully unaware of what had been transpiring.
Napoleon was so relieved, his knees actually buckled and he sat heavily upon the bed. "Illya! Illya, come quickly!" was all he could manage to say before all the panic and fear he had been holding at bay started leaking out of his eyes and he laid down next to her and allowed himself to cry. When the Russian appeared at the door he sobbed, "She was here all along" before wiping his face with a trembling hand.
Illya bent over Leona and kissed her temple three or four times before kneeling down beside the bed. "I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" he breathed as he stroked her hair, "I didn't know what to think! How did you not know she was in bed with you?"
"It had to be the drugs. I was in a lot of pain so I took two Percocet so I could sleep."
Just then, the little girl's eyes fluttered open. "Hi!"
"Good morning, my sweet. Did I wake up when you came into my room last night?"
Leona giggled, "Yes, Daddy, you were funny! I said 'Daddy' and you said 'Huh?' and I said 'I had a bad dream' and you said 'Get in bed' and when I got in I said 'Do you want to hear it?' and you didn't say anything so I went to sleep, too." She sat up and pulled her legs out from under the covers. "I have to go to the bathroom."
The Russian stood up. "Now that you mention it, so do I. You use your bathroom, I will use mine and I will meet you in the kitchen. I will make breakfast for us all. Daddy needs to rest."
The toddler slid off the bed and walk – ran to her room. The two men, limp from relief, watched her go. "You're making breakfast?"
"I will feed Leona cereal and milk with banana. I will boil eggs and make toast for us. Then she and I will get dressed and go to the park for a couple of hours so you can have some time to de – stress."
"Thanks, Partner Mine; I need it. I'm sure that scare shaved a year off my life. Here." He reached into his wallet and handed some bills to Illya. "Bring lunch back with you. I doubt I'll be up to making lunch and I know eggs and toast aren't going to hold us for very long."
"Good idea. I will bring your breakfast to you," Illya said as he left the room.
Napoleon pulled the covers back and got into bed. He offered up silent prayers of gratitude to Saints Pancras and Rita for keeping Leona Nicole safe and asking for their continued help for his and Illya's parenting skills. As he dozed off he thought, I really do love that little girl.