All in the Family Affair, the Lost Beginning
The MFU boys aren't mine, but I like to borrow them for a mission or two. Thank you to all of my friends that I borrowed their names for my made up characters! Part of my Lexi series. This was my original first chapter that I'd deleted from the story I posted.
Chapter 1
Napoleon Solo walked in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and stood near the doorway to look around. The famous hotel was hosting a charity event given by the Roth Corporation. It was strictly black-tie and by invitation only. The room was decorated like a winter wonderland: white shears draped around the room, giving it a tent feel; crystals and white lights crossing the ceiling twinkling and casting off beams of light into the dimly lit room; ice blue, satin table linens with frosted platinum trimmed wares on the big round tables; and a large band played at the end of the room with white coats on.
Solo took a moment to check his tux before he went in, tugging at his cuffs and then smoothing his black hair back with his left hand. He had to smile at the way he was invited to this event though his partner, Illya Kuryakin, the tightest skin flint at UNCLE headquarters. Taking a step towards the hostess, he showed the finely dressed older lady his invitation.
"Ah, Mr. Solo, you are at table ten. Quite a lovely spot to be in really, next to the dance floor, not far from the bar, but just far away from the band not to be over powered by it."
"Thank you, Miss?" Napoleon took her plump hand and kissed it gently, smiling at the lady whose committee was running the event.
"Gladys Fairbanks of the Newport Beach Fairbanks, my husband is in shipping."
"Mrs. Fairbanks, your husband is a lucky man to have won such a lovely young bride. Have you been married long or are you two still on the honeymoon?"
"Mr. Solo," she simpered at his charming manner and gave him a knowing look. "Flattery will get you everywhere tonight. Many of the ladies of the Hillgate High Society Club have available daughters if you're not married. You've arrived alone and your invitation said with a guest. Are you married?"
"No, I haven't found the right one yet," Solo smiled and nodded a silent "thanks" to her for the information. "I'm here because of friends, but if you should have a daughter as lovely as you, I'd love to dance with her later tonight."
"Only two boys, I'm afraid." Mrs. Fairbanks sighed. "Such a shame, I know that you would've made a good looking son-in-law..."
"I'm devastated," Napoleon said mockingly, bringing his hand to his heart, grimaced, and then straightened up. "Do you know if anyone else is here from my table is here yet?"
"Let me see…" Mrs. Fairbanks turned to her seating chart and held up a pair of ornate reading glasses to her face. "Yes, a Miss April Dancer, a Mr. Mark Slate, Mr. and Mrs. George Thompson, and now you. The only ones left are a Mr. Kuryakin? Is he from a rich foreign family? And Miss Christina Roth…"
"Christina Roth?" Napoleon asked, vaguely remembering one of Lexi's other names and watched Mrs. Fairbanks eyes widen when she hungrily reread the name.
"You know Christina?" She looked at him with renewed interest while she put her list and glasses down.
"Yes, I do. Do you know her as well?" Napoleon raised his eyebrows up in delightful surprise.
"Mostly by name, really, I've met her once at another charity event. She was sent to represent one of her grandfather corporation's trust funds; it's been over a year ago. I was hoping to meet her again to introduce one of my boys long before this."
"Are any of your sons here tonight?" Napoleon smiled to the idea of yet another man interested in Lexi, because many were.
"Alas no, but can you do me a favor young man and give her my phone number for me?"
"I would Mrs. Fairbanks, but I do believe that she's to meet someone special here tonight."
"It's not you, is it, Mr. Solo?"
"If only if it were. No. If I've a chance, so does one of your sons. Give me your phone number and I'll ask her to consider it when she shows up."
"Oh, you are a dear." She gave Napoleon's hands a squeeze with hers, quickly wrote her name and number on a piece of paper, and gave to him. He smiled; put it in his breast pocket and patted with his hand as he left to find his friends and table ten.
Napoleon Solo smirked while he walked up to table ten and saw April with Mark. They were chatting with George and his very pregnant wife. April was wearing a knock out dress; emerald green satin with a shimmer of iridescent lace on the shiny material with a form-fitting bodice and full shirt that fell to her shapely ankles. Her shiny red hair was up on her head with a mass of curls cascading down the back of her head intermixed with seed pearls.
April was the first one to notice the CEA. She got up and ran toward him with her hands stretched out to give him a hug. "Oh, Napoleon, don't you look handsome? I can't believe that we're actually here. Do you know who's here tonight?"
"April, you look marvelous." Those were the only words he could out before she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the table.
Once there, Mark and George stood up to extend their hands to Napoleon.
"Napoleon Solo, I'd like you to meet my wife, Cassidy," George said with pride and a gentle smile as Napoleon turned to greet her and took the offered hand.
"I hope that you don't expect me to get up. It takes a forklift now days to accomplish that feat," Cassidy said with a tired gasp and placed her free hand on her swollen tummy to pat it as if he couldn't guess her meaning.
Cassidy was a tall, medium built lady with a bright smile and dark, ash blond hair. Her green eyes sparkled up at Napoleon as if she knew a secret about him. A bit plain in the face for his tastes, but she appeared to be smart and pleasant person to be around. Her dress showed off her features and her pregnancy without looking like a tent.
"Not at all, Cassidy, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. George has told me so much about you." Napoleon smiled down at her and sweetly kissed her hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you too. I've heard things about you as well." They both chuckled. Napoleon turned to George, raising his eyebrows while the taller man innocently shrugged his shoulders and smiled weakly.
"Well, on that note." Napoleon cleared his throat, not too worried about what George had told Cassidy. Illya had told him that she worked as a Psychologist, but didn't seem bothered by it. "I'm going to get a drink. Anyone else want one?"
Napoleon returned to the table with his drink, with two others ones in his hands, and set them on the table. "Has anyone seen Illya and Lexi yet?"
"Hmm…not yet," April said as she accepted her drink from him and waited for him to sit down between her and Mark, who had taken the other drink.
"I thought that he was coming with you?" Mark asked nonchalantly while he started to scan the room for the familiar blond Russian. "I know you two had barely gotten back to New York two hours ago and didn't have much time to shower and change, let alone do anything else."
"Well," the Chief Enforcement Agent mischievously smiled, dropping his head. "It was his turn to check in and return the gear."
"Napoleon!" April huffed out loudly. "That was unfair of you."
"Hey! He'd lost the bet and now you're complaining more about it than he did. Illya doesn't like all this pretentiousness, remember?"
"Yeah, I know, but it's a chance for him to see Lexi all dressed up," April suggested. It was really her who wanted to see them as a true couple instead of just arguing co-workers they played so well at headquarters.
Illya and Monica Alexis "Lexi" Lane have been the talk around UNCLE headquarters for the first month or so. Ever since the end of her first mission when she was caught sleeping in the same hospital bed with Illya. The rumors have been racing around like wildfire at UNCLE. It was almost explained away because of the hypnotic drug she was given, but not entirely.
There are several women at work that had a crush on the rude, blue-eyed, ice-prince and watched his every move. It didn't help that he and Lexi spent all that time together with George in the chemistry lab while they were on light duty working on an experiment.
Napoleon had to laugh at some of the ridiculous rumors he'd had heard about Lexi from some of his dates who worked in the steno pool. Other times, the rumors came from a worker at headquarters commenting on how decent Lexi was despite what was said before they had actually met her.
Lexi, in turn, kept a sweet smile plastered on her face, even though like Illya, her eyes were hard as steel while trying to hide her anger and frustration caused from these petty office jealousies. Illya and Lexi did nothing to squelch or encourage these rumors. Instead, each of them specifically chose other people to date and have flings with at headquarters to play down their true relationship.
In less than a couple of weeks, things started to calm down. Both Napoleon and Illya were sent away a lot and Lexi was mostly kept to the lab, the gym, and was frequently sent by Waverly as a courier around New York. In fact, things were getting pretty dull at work real quick. Nothing new was said about the Section Two agents dating and then just as sudden, new rumors were started about another potential couple and that's all it took.
"April, I don't think that Illya cares what she wears, just so she's with him at the end of the night and the less clothes the better." Napoleon grinned at her with a knowing look.
"Just like a man." April rolled her eyes at him and Mark, who had been quietly listening as she look passed Napoleon at her partner. "I suppose you agree with that Mark?"
"Well, being "a man" like Napoleon here, yes I would have to agree with him. Clothes are optional, but because I am your partner, I know how important clothes and looking good for a man is for a woman. Especially if you want to look better than your competition; female competition that is."
"Mark are you saying that I'm doing all of this to impress other women?" April asked as she swept her hand gracefully up and down her body while she smiled seductively.
"Yes," Mark teased, ducking behind Napoleon to get away from her playful swipe.
"Hey! Don't get me in the middle of your spat with Mark." Napoleon laughed out, grabbing his drink in fear that she would knock it over. He noticed that George and Cassie were deep in their own conversation at the other side of the table.
Napoleon gazed at them with interest as he watched the intimate look they gave each other. George placed his hand lovingly on her stomach to rub it. Somewhere deep inside, Napoleon felt a pang of jealously twitched slightly. It was a small longing to be that close enough to another person to form a bond secure enough to create a child that somehow, right now, seemed out of reach and then he had to smile. There've been a few close calls. Nothing, but poor planning on his part and quickly found out to be a happy mistake of when Mother Nature's visit came to say the day.
As he took a sip of his drink, Napoleon had to remind himself that a wife and kids were not in his grand plan at this time of his life. That will come later, when he retired from Section Two and took Waverly's place if he survived that long.
Cassidy had noticed Napoleon's stare and unfocused eyes, deep in thought and she gave him a small smiled once she had caught his wayward attention. He blushed as if she knew what he was thinking when he realized he was staring at her extended belly.
"So, we know why Illya is late, but where is Lexi?" Mark asked more towards to George than the rest of the group. "If I read the program correctly, the meal will be served in ten minutes. I for one don't want to miss the appetizer of caviar..."
"You're just as bad as Illya." April scolded him with another light tap on his hand. "You'll probably want to eat my caviar as well."
"No," Mark said a reproving tone of a smart-aleck brother. "I want to see what she is wearing. I am a "man" after all."
"Lexi's running late, because Mr. Waverly called her into his office to meet with him just before she could leave to today. She told me that she's going to be gone for the next twelve weeks at Survival School and had to make some plans. She leaves right away in the morning."
"Oh, dear!" Cassidy was the first one to respond to the unexpected news. "She'll miss the birth of our baby. She was looking so forward in being there, George."
"I know, but it can't be helped." George said passively.
Dr. George Thompson was her work partner and the one who spent the most time with Lexi except for his wife, that is. Illya had told Napoleon that Lexi had spent much of her time outside of work with the Thompsons' when he was away or with his partner. They had taken her into their little family. Napoleon was surprised how little time Illya and Lexi actually spent together.
"Does Illya know yet?" April asked and took her turn to scan the ballroom, trying to look passed those crowed by the entrance to see if she could find Illya or Lexi. The room was starting to fill as the dinner time was drawing near.
Many of the people here were from the upper crusts of New York High Society; very rich and powerful. There was the Governor of New York in the dark blue tuxedo over by the punch bowl. April saw and pointed out at least two well-known senators, a congress man, and the Vice President of the United States. All with their wives, talking to potential financial backers about their campaigns for the next election year and hoping for support.
"I don't think so," Napoleon said after some careful thought. "Illya went through the back entrance. He wasn't planning on going up to Waverly's office…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lexi walked into the ballroom on the arm of an older man. He looked old enough to be her father with a thicker waist and silver hair. They stopped at another table to talk with a lady who appeared to be the older gentleman's wife.
"There she is," George said and pointed. "Who is she with?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's her grandfather's company's CEO?" Mark threw out the question the rest of the group at the table, sat back down, and watched with interest to what Lexi was doing.
Napoleon first noticed Lexi's dress. Its black satin with a single strip of shimmering white silk running down the middle of the open yoke of her bodice to her belted waist and then it fell to the ground as ties to a bow. She had short, black, shiny gloves that flared at her wrists and her hair was up in a tight bun with bangs and a black bow. Lexi was an Audrey Hepburn look-a-like, but with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. She looked younger than her age and so innocent, but Napoleon knew better.
Lexi talked and smiled with the older couple when they looked around the room, pleased in how all the decorations and activities were handled. Then the man grabbed a big bottle of champagne and handed it to female UNCLE agent, took his wife's hand, and went to go sit at another table.
While Lexi looked down at the huge magnum, a hand wrapped around her waist and another grabbed the neck of the bottle to place it back on the table from where it had been sitting. She leaned back into this half-hidden person with laden eyes and brought her arm up to caress Illya's cheek when his chin rested on her shoulder.
He took her raised hand in his, brought her palm of her offered hand up and sensually kissed the inside of her wrist softly. A smiled escaped her face; the hand around her waist tightened. Illya whispered something in her ear and she nodded.
Lexi leaned forward to the table, breaking from him, and took a pure white rose from the flower spray on the table, turned back to him, broke the stem, and proceeded to attach it to his tux with a hairpin she seductively pulled from her hair.
While smoothing her hands over the lapels of his suit, Illya raised his right hand up and a golden chain dropped with a simple gold band spinning on it in front of Lexi's face. Her eyes and face lit up as she practically jumped up and down. She grabbed the chain and hugged him. Illya just smiled with sheer satisfaction.
"Did I just see what I thought I saw?" April asked Napoleon and Mark in surprise. "Did he give her an engagement ring?"
"No." Napoleon said with more certainly than he truly felt. "That's her ring and chain left to Illya when officially Alexana Kuryakin had died in Kiev. Illya had forgotten it in one of his coat pockets."
"Oh, yes, she told me about how she got back to New York," April now remembered. She tried to keep what all Lexi had told her straight. "Gosh, Napoleon, you sure know a lot of what's going on between those two. Must be that partner thing…do you and Illya share everything?"
"I don't know as much as you think," Napoleon said with a tone to tell her to watch what she was insinuating. "There are a lot of things that are kept just between the two of them. Very secretive, just like a couple of spies. Only wanting you to know what they want you to know; different names and people…"
He didn't know why Lexi relied on different names and personalities to feel safe and Illya was no help either. He'd only say the bare minimum about her on their recent missions. Mostly responding only when Napoleon asked him direct questions and then it was only one or two sentences. It was as if he was breaking a secret is he told anyone about her.
Lexi herself was pretty tight lipped about why she let Illya boss her around unless she was in one of her outgoing characters. She could be as quiet and stubborn as her counterpart.
Once, Napoleon had spent an evening with Lexi and Illya at one of her current apartments and she acted like dotting housewife. She cooked a great meal, poured the wine, and cleaned up while he and Illya sat in the living room listening to jazz music. She did insist on sitting next to Illya whenever possible. Illya in return had an arm or hand on her whenever she was near.
Napoleon did noticed that they smiled, laughed, and playfully argued with each other more freely when they were around trusted friends, but never at work. There, they didn't touch, smile as brightly, or talk in terms of being together. They stilled argued with each other and appeared as they were just friends or "cousins".
What bothered Napoleon the most was how easily she seems to fit in his life with Illya and UNCLE, except for one thing, he wanted her as well. Not just physically, but all of her. Even with her different personalities and strong will.
Napoleon felt this daily struggle, not to try and sweep her away from Illya and that disturbed him. Illya's his partner, his best friend and he won't do that to him no matter how much he wanted Lexi. So, that's where Napoleon deep desires and thoughts sat.
"Earth to Napoleon…" April nudged him in the ribs. "You were way out there. What are you thinking about? Oh, look! I think that Lexi's telling Illya about going off to Survival School."
Napoleon looked back to Illya and Lexi. Illya just finished putting the necklace around her ivory smooth neck and let his fingers linger. They were facing each other when Lexi took his hands in hers and leaned forward to talk in his ear.
No one had to guess what was said, because Illya's soften face hardened to his usual work game face as his body stiffened and then he forcibly relaxed. He grabbed her hands, squeezed them roughly, and pushed her slightly back to have her face him again while he spoke.
"What do you think Illya's saying to her?" Mark generally asked to any of them.
"I think that he wants to ditch this party and spend the rest of the night alone with Lexi. Their time is short and he wants Lexi all to himself."
Everyone turned to look at George in surprise. He had only been a member of this tight nit group as long as the other new comer, Lexi, but he could already read the other agents so well. Each of them wondering how easily they showed their emotions when they were in their little group of friends here and at work. George just shrugged his wide shoulders atop of his lanky body.
"Now, she's telling him that they should at least stay and have dinner with everyone, because they would want to see them as well. Maybe, for an hour or so?"
Now everyone looked at Cassidy, who was reading Lexi's thoughts even though she could only see her from the back and she smiled, taking George's hand and looked at him.
"Sorry, guys." George said seriously. "It's a gift Cassidy and I have. We can read body language, simple enough. It's been kind of a game for us since we met in college. Watching the popular people and how they acted at parties. We made up some of the funniest dialog as they moved their lips. Good thing they didn't hear what we said."
"Did anyone tell you that you would make someone a great spy one day, George?" Mark asked with a devilish smile.
"Sure, Lexi tells me all the time." George nodded with his head behind the three agents while Illya and Lexi slinked over to the table without much notice.
"I told you what, George?" Lexi said, catching only the last part of the conversation and gave him a hug.
"That I could become a great agent." George laughed and turned her simple hug into a big bear hug, pulling her off her feet. It was easy for him to do because he was over a foot and a half taller and outweighed her by about hundred pounds. Lexi laughed breathlessly until he put her down.
"You are a great agent. You're my partner after all." Lexi smiled and then turned to Cassidy, who took this time to awkwardly get up from her chair to greet her.
"My God, Cassidy! You're even bigger than when I was you two nights ago. When are you going to pop that thing out?"
Lexi hugged Cassidy and then she let Lexi slid her hands on the tummy. Lexi's face brightened when she felt the baby kick, she smiled happily, and then gazed at her tummy forlornly.
"I know." Cassidy took Lexi's face in her hands, pulled her head up, and looked at each other eye to eye. "One day, you will have one too. Just not yet, right?"
"Right." Lexi nodded and hugged Cassidy again, more fiercely this time.
"Alright Lexi, you've hugged her long enough. I want my turn." Illya growled when he put his hand on her shoulder. "You go give those despicable people over there a hug instead."
Cassidy and Lexi laughed, letting go of each other, and looked at Mark and April who put on a great display of being wounded by Illya's terse words.
"Well, if you insist." Lexi said seriously with a smile tugging at her lips, walked over to Mark and he gave her hands to kiss. Mark then took her hand, spun her around, and planted a kiss on her cheek while he had her in a quick dip.
"Hey! You had better watch it, Bub! You try to take advantage of me and I may have to hit you again." Lexi set herself in a fighter's stance and then relaxed.
"Duly noted, Luv." Mark laughed. April came around him and gave her a hug.
"You look great! Sorry to hear that you have to leave in the morning."
"Leaving in the morning?" Lexi asked April in surprise.
"Yeah, for Survival School, right away in the morning." April went on to blurt out the rest as if it was common knowledge by now.
"George!" Lexi turned around with a raised eyebrow to catch George helping his wife back down in the chair. "Does the word "confidential" mean anything to you? At least until I had told Illya first?"
"But you did tell him first. I just told the rest while we were waiting and watching you two by the door."
"Everyone was watching us?" Illya said, placing the magnum of Champaign down and helped Lexi with her chair.
"Yes," they all said at the same time, except for Napoleon who was coming back from the bar with several shot glasses stacked together and a bottle of vodka under his arm.
"Illya, help me, you're still standing. Grab the vodka, it's freezing my armpit."
Illya took the bottle from Napoleon, looked at it, set it on the table, and then proceeded to help set out the glasses while Napoleon magically freed the clear liquid alcohol from its frozen trap. Every glass was filled and placed before every member of the table.
"To surviving Survival School!" Napoleon raised his glass towards Lexi, waited to everyone else to follow and winked at her.
"To surviving Survival School!"
"Thank you, all." Lexi smiled and she lifted her glass, looking around the table. Her eyes finally rested on Napoleon and they sparkled. Her cornflower blue eyes were magnetic to him and it was hard to resist them as her pink lips were.
A firm strong hand squeezed his shoulder and he instantly knew it was Illya beside him. Napoleon stiffened slightly, he was beginning to worry that his friend knew about his inner turmoil.
"Thank you." Illya said softly so no one else could hear him. "I know that it's been tough on you. We're only going to stay for dinner."
"That long, eh?"
"Time is precious right now. You're lucky to get that much."
"Not as lucky as you it seems."
"You'll have this too; you just haven't met her yet. Besides, what about your grand plan for waiting six more years?"
"It hard to remember that when I see those eyes of hers. Who do you think is my true love?"
"I've met her, but if I told you, then you wouldn't have the opportunity to discover her on your own. But, I'll help you out by giving you one clue."
"You are all heart, but I'll take any hint to my future wife I can get. If you're wrong I get yours instead?"
"You can only wish, she's trouble to have around as you know. Besides, how do you know that I won't marry yours instead? I'm already getting tired of Lexi, we've been together now for a whole five minutes this week." Illya rolled his eyes and pulled back from Napoleon to take his seat while everyone in the ballroom was called to take their places at the tables.
"Well?" Napoleon asked. He sat down by his partner with Lexi, April, and Cassidy sitting across from them.
"She lives here in New York," Illya matter-of-factly said.
"That's hardly comforting, Illya. Could you narrow it down a little more?"
"No," Illya said firmly, everyone watching the waiters bring out trays with the first course with caviar on it. "Not while I'm hungry."
"Then I will never know now, because you're always hungry." Napoleon sighed, taking the folded napkin on his plate, flourished it with a skillful wave, and drew it across his lap.
Just as everyone around the ballroom was settling into their seats, a loud thunderous crash of breaking plates came from across the room. Startled people looked toward the direction of the noise to hear a man shouting as he stood up, waving his arms, and trying to avoid the hands that were grabbing at him while he smashed into one of the waiter's tray of food.
"No! I won't let them get me! You're all in on this! No, I don't need to calm down! Leave me alone! No, I don't want to go with you! They know that I was going to tell! I refused to be quiet! I don't care if I'm making a scene! Let go of me!"
The average built gentleman in the tux struggled against those who were trying to subdue him. Their voices were hushed as they tried to talk him out of the ballroom, but he wouldn't have any of it. Like a child with a stolen piece of candy, he wiggled out of their grip with uncoordinated grace. His look on his face was wild as he was finally caught by one of his pursuers and then dragged out the room by two burly security guards.
The room was stunned silent, everyone tried to make sense of what had just happened as they looked around at each other. All the agents at table ten had watched the action with interest and silently placed their hands on their guns.
"Attention! Ladies and Gentlemen, sorry for the interruption, I am the clinical director at Hillgate Sanitarium, Dr. Andrew Heaford. Mr. Delaney had a bad reaction to some medications he has been taking and forgot that he shouldn't drink while on them. He will be fine. They took him back to the Hillgate Hospital and Sanitarium to get better."
"This reminds us why we are all here tonight. To support the Hillgate facilities with a special thanks to the lovely ladies and gentlemen at the Hillgate High Society Social Club of New York and Newport Beach for running this wonderful charity event. The decorations and location are superb and I know the meal with be just as wonderful. Other heartfelt thanks go to the Roth Corporation for providing their financial support so that the entire price of your tickets can go straight to helping Hillgate meet their patients' need."
"Now, without further ado, enjoy the evening's meal, the music, the dancing, and all the pleasant company throughout the room. Thank you all again, for your continued support for our hospital and sanitarium."
People around the room applauded and went back to their own conversations while the plates from the first course were placed on the tables.
"That was interesting." April raised her eyes and lowered her skirt to hide the small gun she had strapped to her leg. "Do you think that there'll be a second act to this dinner show?"
"Let's hope not." Napoleon said, straightening his coat out around his holstered gun as he leaned back in his chair.
He noticed that Illya and Mark still had their guns on their laps and under the cloth napkins. Cassie's eye widen with the unnoticed, cautious display by all the agents sitting at the table. George gripped her hand and nodded that it was okay.
"So, George? Are you going to practice with your gun while I'm gone?" Lexi asked with modest interest and a gaze from him to Cassie.
"Well, umm…" George sat up straighter, trying to swallow his big bite of food in one attempt and let go of Cassie's hand to grab a napkin to cover him mouth for a brief second. "I hadn't got a chance to tell you…"
"You got a gun? How long, Lexi? You seem to know more than me." Cassie glared from him to her.
"All's fair in love and war, partner." Lexi mischievously grinned. "Cassie, I bought him a gun. He's to take lessons in how to handle it and he's to pass several requirements to bring it home with him. It's part of UNCLE requirement to help out Section Two agents. A gun at home is good have if you're knowledgeable. George told me he has a secured, electronic lock box already. All there's to do now is to get you through the safety program."
"You mean that I get to shoot a real gun?" Cassie said grudgingly while she thought about it and then smiled while she looked at Lexi and April. "Sounds like fun. George should've told me about it sooner."
The rest the meal went on without further incident while everyone pleasantly enjoyed the meal. True to what Illya told Napoleon, he and Lexi left right after the meal to spend some "quality" time together before she had to leave in the morning.
Lexi had promised that she would say a proper goodbye to everyone in the morning before she left except for Cassie which Lexi gave her a big hug. She promised that she'd find out when the baby was born and that she already had a surprise waiting for her and George waiting. They waved a quick salute to the group at the table and quickly left hand in hand. April watched them leave with a sense of satisfaction that they were indeed in love with each other.
"Now are you happy, April?" Mark asked with silly grin. "Mother hen got to see her chicks all dressed up for dinner before they flew the coop? I don't think that dress will stay on too much longer if I know Illya."
Before April could start to chastise Mark, Napoleon knew just what to do.
"April, I do believe that you owe me a dance." Napoleon stood up and extended her hand.
"Yes, I do."