Life for the Kuryakins couldn't have been more perfect. When Illya left UNCLE headquarters every evening, he eagerly looked forward to the aroma of Trina's delicious cooking and the joyful whoops of Lydia and Dominik as they ran to meet him.

In the meantime, a joyful event occurred in the lives of Illya's cousin Alexei and his wife Alison. The blond agent was relaxing on the sofa after work one evening when his cousin called him from the hospital.

"Our son is here!" the younger man exclaimed excitedly. "His name is Alexander Alexeievich Kolchin. He was born at a little after eight o'clock this morning, and he weighs four kilograms."

"Congratulations, moy dvoyurodnyy brat!" Illya exclaimed. "I am so happy for you! How is Alison?"

"She is fine. Just a little bit tired. And how is your Trinochka? Is she still doing all right?"

"She is fine. She has recovered well from her ordeal. She is a very strong and courageous woman, and I love her now even more than I ever did before."

Illya went to the hospital to visit Alison and her new son. He arrived to find her sitting up in bed, smiling and holding the sleeping infant, while her husband sat proudly at her side, grinning broadly.

"Would you like to hold him?" Alison asked Illya. Her eyes twinkled happily, and her face framed by damp blonde hair had a radiant glow.

The UNCLE agent took the small, warm bundle into his arms and looked into the tiny red face. Little Alexander so reminded him of Dominik as a newborn that he felt a tiny ache inside. The perfect little face grimaced as a balled fist came loose from the blanket in which the newborn was swaddled.

"He is beautiful!" Illya breathed.

"Thank you," said Alexei as he and Alison clasped hands, smiling adoringly at one another.

Illya felt just a little sad as he left the hospital. He couldn't quite put his finger on the reason. Trina smiled and greeted him as he entered the apartment, wearily tucking a loose strand of dark brown hair behind one ear. "I just got Domka settled for the night," she explained. "How did it go?"

"It went well. Alison is fine. He is a beautiful baby." Illya sighed. The sadness he saw in Trina's eyes told him she'd picked up on his melancholy.

"I'm sorry, Illyusha," she said softly. "I wish that I could give you another child."

"You have given me two beautiful children, Trinochka. That is all any man could ask for."

"But...'

He silenced her with a kiss.

Little did either of them know how quickly their lives were about to be turned upside down.


The day started like any other day. Illya had spent most of a slow morning catching up on lab work and organizing his notes when May Walker stuck her head into the room, a look of sheer panic on her face. Illya felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Please come in, May," he said cordially. "Can I help you?"

"I need to speak to you right away, Illya."

"By all means." Illya stood and locked the door so that they wouldn't be interrupted. "What is wrong, my friend?"

"Illya, that time in the motel room...'

The Russian felt his heart sink. "Please do not tell me..."

May nodded miserably. "I am."

"Dear God," Illya said softly. He knew that this was the number one reason UNCLE disliked using female employees as Section II agents. May's career could well be over, and it would be as much his fault as hers. And that was the least of his worries...

"What am I gonna do?" May looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

"I do not know." Illya's mind was spinning as he struggled to grasp the reality of the situation. "I suppose it would be best if you...got rid of it. I will pay, of course."

"I know a woman who did that!" May's eyes widened in fear. "She went to some guy in a back alley who claimed to be a doctor. He punctured her womb, and she bled to death."

"In countries where it is legal, such as my own, it is a very safe, relatively minor surgical procedure," Illya said thoughtfully.

"You know that by the time I got the necessary documentation, it would be far too late," May pointed out.

"There are other countries," Illya continued. "Sweden, I believe..."

"Why don't you and Trina take it and raise it as your own?" May suddenly suggested. "She can't have any more children, can she?"

"No, she cannot..."

"Well, then, that would be the perfect solution, wouldn't it? I'll keep working for as long as I can, then take a few weeks off on 'unofficial business.' Nobody will ever have to know anything."

"But what will I tell Trina?"

"Tell her that, through UNCLE, you've learned of a soon-to-be-born baby who needs an adoptive home.'

Illya shook his head. "I cannot deceive my Trinochka like that, May. I love her too much."

"But what she doesn't know won't hurt her, and you'll be providing a home for a fatherless baby and giving her the chance to be a mother again. If it makes her happy, it won't really matter where the baby came from, will it?"

"I am not so sure about that, May." Illya began to pace back and forth restlessly, like a caged animal. "I just do not know if I would be able to go through with it."