Esperanza and Sam finished their tour of the museum and headed out to the parking lot, lunch the next item on their agenda. From a vantage point that allowed him to see who was coming and going through the entrance to the big building, Buck watched for any sign of his daughter.

"I see them, they're just coming out. I see the car waiting at the bottom of the steps…' Buck wanted to get this over with, but he knew it would raise an alarm should he try to snatch Samantha at this location.

"Follow them, please don't let them get away." His voice betrayed his concerns, but he needn't have worried. Four UNCLE agents were with him, equally determined to succeed at intercepting Esperanza and Samantha.

"We have you covered Buck, don't worry." Napoleon's assurances were welcome, easing Buck's concerns.

Esperanza and Samantha got into the back seat of the big limousine, settling in before it pulled away and headed for the restaurant indicated to the driver. Samantha noted something new about the man in front of her, a shiver of excitement suddenly animating her conversation as she distracted her mother from taking too much notice of him.

"Mama, where are we going? I am famished, just like you said. Please, tell me about the food there. Is it Mexican, or some other type of food?" Her voice was almost shrill in the excitement of this adventure, or so it seemed. Esperanza was pleased that her daughter should be so delighted with the day they were spending together. She didn't notice the driver's hair, tucked into the cap so that the color couldn't be seen.

Mark Slate pulled into traffic and headed in the direction of the restaurant. When he turned towards the airport the move was so smooth, so subtle, that Esperanza didn't take note of it. Samantha was doing a good job of keeping her mother occupied, something that made her feel both guilty and elated. She wanted to be back with her father, away from the abuelo she didn't want to know.

Illya and April were in a car following close behind the limousine, while Napoleon and Buck had sped ahead of them and were waiting at the airfield with the UNCLE jet ready to get airborne. It should be a simple thing now, getting Samantha and making one last appeal to Esperanza. Buck hoped against hope for a positive response for his estranged wife.

As Napoleon and Buck waited for the limousine to appear, their discussion turned to the next step.

"She removed Samantha illegally, so you have the law on your side. We just need to get her over the border and back on US soil.' Napoleon noted the sad demeanor, a sure sign of how this had affected Buck.

''It's going to work Buck, we'll get her back." The words were comforting, but there was so much more at stake here. Buck had to wonder if Alberto Gutierrez would ever be truly brought to justice, and if Esperanza would ever give up trying to gain custody, and control. of Samantha.

"You and Illya… all of UNCLE really, you have been good to me. For people who were formerly on opposite sides of things, at least in appearance, we have come a long way my friend." Napoleon slapped Buck on the back, a sincere sense of friendship truly did exist between them now. The journey had been long and winding, but there seemed an end to it now. It was in sight, almost within their grasp.

Esperanza looked out the window, the trip was taking too long. She tapped on the window that was between the front and back, trying to gain the driver's attention. It was then she finally noticed his coloring and features.

"Stop the car!" She banged on the window, but it was in vain. Mark kept going, turning at the opening in the fence that bounded the airfield. Esperanza could see the jet now, saw two men standing in front of it.

"Samantha, how…?" She didn't know how, but Samantha must have alerted Buck to their location. The girl cowered at the sight of her mother's disappointment and anger. She loved her mother, she truly did. Both of them thought their hearts might burst from the sadness they were each experiencing.

"Mama, I just wanted us all to be together again. Please mama, please…" Her tears came like a flood, and Esperanza held her tight, unwilling to let go of the daughter she loved so deeply.

"Ssshhh… mi hija, it will be all right." She didn't know it could be, but in spite of her aspiration to rise within the ranks of THRUSH, Esperanza could not, and would not sacrifice her daughter's happiness to it.

Mark pulled the car up to the jet with Illya and April close behind. There was no doubt now that this would turn out in Buck's favor. The door locks were released and Napoleon held open the door for Esperanza and Samantha to get out.

"Papa!" Sam ran to her father as he enveloped her in his embrace. Esperanza watched, unable to fight back tears as she recognized the bond shared between father and daughter. She wondered if hers was as strong, as unyielding.

Buck turned to face his wife, still unbelieving that the woman he had loved and tried to protect was the daughter of one of THRUSH's most dangerous chiefs.

"Esperanza? Por qué lo hiciste?" Buck needed to hear it from her.

"Por qué? Because I love her too mi esposo." That was it, she had nothing more to offer him by way of explanation. Did she regret it? Perhaps. Did THRUSH mean more to her than her daughter, more than Buck?

"And is this what you truly want Esperanza? Is THRUSH the life you choose, over Samantha and me?" Buck still loved his wife, still wanted a life with her if she could only denounce the Hierarchy and leave it behind, as he wanted to do. For Samantha's sake, could they still have a life together? Napoleon saw that more time was needed for this family to sort its affairs, so indicated to the couple to get aboard the jet to give them some privacy.

The UNCLE agents waited. Samantha sat in the limousine with Illya , her tutor and friend. April sat with them, hoping for the girl's sake that this story could have a happy ending.

Mark and Napoleon were discussing the next destination. Yuma was the just across the border from Mexico, and from there Buck would need to chart his course.

After an hour inside the jet, Esperanza and Buck emerged. Samantha slid out of the car and went to them, clutching them both with a grip so hard it seemed to meld them into one figure. Esperanza repented of her intentions to assassinate Buck. The environs of THRUSH made people do things that were unthinkable, and seeking her own father's approval had engendered a type of insanity from which she could only hope to emerge as a sane, loving woman.

Buck could forgive her, he understood as only one who had been part of THRUSH could. He loved Esperanza, and believed that she loved him. They had regrets, and life would probably not ever be normal, but they could be together. Hopefully, they could guarantee that Samantha lived a life completely free of the influence of THRUSH.

They tried to explain it to the UNCLE agents, all of whom marveled that a couple could come back from such egregious behavior. Illya thought he did grasp both the complexities and emotion of escaping a totalitarian mindset. THRUSH was not unlike the Kremlin in many respects.

"So, we will fly to Yuma and then…?" Napoleon wondered about Buck's many assets, his homes in so many locations. Would they live in one of those?

Buck was appreciative of how he had been treated, rescued even, by these agents. UNCLE had been kinder to him than he deserved perhaps, but the information he provided to them about THRUSH operations would now be augmented by what Esperanza could give them concerning her father's organization. She had to choose between her loyalty to Alberto Gutierrez and her love for Buck and Samantha.

"You will understand if we do not reveal our intentions, it would not be safe for you or us. We will find our way to safety, I assure you." Buck had a plan, but he would not share it, not even with these new friends.

"I understand. So, to Yuma?" Napoleon's didn't really understand, but he believed that the couple were sincere.

When everyone was aboard the jet, they headed for the town that would be a gateway to the future for the Darrow family. Against all odds, and in spite of what might have been a tragic end to things, Esperanza and Buck would make their peace and save their family. Samantha was nestled between her parents for the trip, once again happy and confident about the future.

Yuma was waiting for them, but it had company.