Okay, after finally getting the Man from UNCLE DVD, I decided to crack on with the Napollya series I've been thinking of.
Please enjoy, and read/review :)
…..
To be honest, Napoleon felt sorry for the poor Agent.
Having a five-year-old run towards him, clearly preparing to attack must have been a startling experience, and he was very lucky that Illya's reflexes were quick.
Before Lyov could leap at the Agent (who was only delivering a message to the couple), Illya managed to grab the child and hold him in a secure hold, muttering to him in Russian as Napoleon scolded the Agent for 'sneaking about in the woods, ready to give people heart attacks.'
As Illya calmed Lyov down (and it was concerning to see just how quickly Lyov could fly into assassin mode), the Agent stated that Waverly would like to see Napoleon, Illya and Lyov in his office.
So, with a pouting Lyov in his arms (his ears still probably ringing from Illya's scolding lecture), Napoleon and Illya made their way to Waverly's office, cautiously knocking on the door as the sound seemed to echo throughout the long corridor.
"Enter."
Slowly, Illya eased the door open, allowing Napoleon to go first, before entering himself. Seated at his desk, Waverly seemed engrossed in his paperwork, pen scribbling on the paper as the small family waited awkwardly in the doorway.
"You can sit down you know…" Waverly chuckled, "… I'll only be a minute."
As they sat down, Napoleon was forced to tighten his grip as Lyov wriggled, wanting to explore the new room. Eventually, Lyov settled down, just as Waverly signed the last signature on the last piece of paperwork.
"Now gentlemen…" the Head of UNCLE began, putting his pen down and giving the family a soft smile, "… now that we've established that the KGB haven't left us any surprises, and you two appear to have had a much-needed chat, it's time to talk about your future."
Napoleon blinked in confusion, "Our future Sir?"
"Yes. As agents of UNCLE. I assume the pair of you want to raise Lyov together?"
Feeling Illya tense up beside him, Napoleon was quick to answer, wanting to reassure his partner as quickly as he could. "Of course, if that's possible?"
"Oh it's perfectly possible…" Waverly stated, "… we're a very modern organisation. If you two want to continue going on missions together, then we can certainly arrange that."
"How?"
"Well, due to a number of women now being employed by UNCLE, I have decided to try and set up a nursery for any children who may be related to our employees. This will be where children will stay when their parents are working."
Illya frowned, "What about school?"
"Here I defer to you… how is his education level?"
"He speaks at least five languages…. That I know of."
"And what about Maths, Geography, History?"
"Yes, to the first two… but I think they would have only taught him Russian history."
Waverly frowned at this. "That's a bit… narrow-minded?"
"It is the KGB way. Russia must be seen as strong and righteous in every aspect, so they only present one side of the argument. With every other subject, it is important to know as much as possible, but with History… he may struggle."
"Alright… well we can get him enrolled in a nearby school if need be, which will take care of any daytime missions. During the evening, is there anyone who you trust to take care of him?"
The pair thought to themselves for a few moments, before Illya hesitantly answered. "Well… we were hoping that Gaby might help."
"Yes…" continued Napoleon, "… and if she's on a mission with us, then maybe… you could."
Waverly frowned in confusion, "Me? You would want me to take care of your son when you're on missions?"
Glancing at each other in slight alarm at the lack of emotion in Waverly's voice, Illya and Napoleon frowned. "Well…" began Napoleon, "… We do trust you Sir. I know that this isn't really in your job description, but you know all the details about Lyov. Yes, he's still a child, but he's a child who reacts a certain way when faced with a threat."
Almost immediately, everyone's thoughts turned to the scene back in the KGB safehouse and then, how Lyov reacted when faced with the perceived threat of the agent.
Waverly was clearly thinking to himself, forehead furrowed in thought as his eyes focused on an unseen point in the distance. "I'm… I'm not sure." He confessed, "I have very little experience with children… I can hire a nanny for the evenings that you two and Gaby are occupied, but as for my own involvement… it is something I'll have to think about."
Nodding their acceptance, Illya and Napoleon went to change the subject… only for the door to the office slam open and Waverly's personal assistant burst in.
"Sanders is here…" the poor woman blurted out, "… the doormen weren't able to stop him sir."
Waverly shot to his feet, a frown on his face as he made his way around the desk. "What?! We don't have anything scheduled!"
"We told him that Sir, but he said that he didn't need an appointment."
"Everyone needs an appointment! It's just rude otherwise!"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Napoleon resisted the urge to smile at Waverly's British-ness.
They did have a problem however.
If Sanders really was in the building, then he could really only be here for one reason.
Lyov.
"Sir, is there another way out of this room?" Napoleon asked, slight desperation in his voice, "Preferably one that takes us as far away from Sanders as possible?"
Sadly, Waverly shook his head, his eyes focused on the door as the sound of Sanders berating some poor UNCLE agent could be heard down the corridor. Lyov, who could clearly sense the tension in the room, huddled up against his Papa, burying his face into Napoleon's neck in an attempt to hide.
Carefully, Napoleon handed the small child over to Illya and moved to stand in front of them, hoping to shield his child from his old boss.
Literally seconds later, Sanders entered the office, only to come face to face with Waverly.
"I don't recall having a meeting booked with you today…" started Waverly, "… I'm sure if you actually speak to my assistant, rather than push past her, then she'll be able to check my schedule for the upcoming week… or month and fit you in."
Sanders just sneered, "Really? Are you telling me that I'd actually get to see you,,, or would you continue to find excuses until the problem went away."
"… What do you want?"
Sanders glanced over towards Napoleon and the two hidden behind him. "You know why I'm here. I'm here for the child."
"No!" blurted out Napoleon in protest, "That wasn't the agreement and you know it!"
"Agent Solo is correct…" Waverly sighed, "… as I recall, the agreement was that if Lyov showed no signs of being able to blend into normal society as a regular child, then the CIA could have custody of him."
"Precisely." Sanders seemed very pleased with himself, "Don't think that the news of a child who managed to take down two KGB agents hasn't reached CIA headquarters. It's obvious that he won't be able to just lead a 'normal life'."
"He was brought into this building only a few hours ago!" Waverly growled, his British politeness being thrown out the window, "You haven't given him the chance!"
"Surely the fact that a small child could take out two highly trained KGB agents is reason enough to take him. Imagine what could happen if someone shouted at him, or made him feel threatened? We'd have a murder case on our hands!"
"That's all hypothetical! You can't know that that would happen!"
"Even hypothetical situations may happen, and therefore, there is still a risk."
"I won't do anything…"
Everyone turned to look at the child huddled in Illya's arms. During the course of the argument, Lyov had twisted around to glare at Sanders… although he did keep a tight hold of Illya's jumper in case the CIA agent tried to grab him.
"… I promise." The five-year-old continued, "I won't be bad!"
Sanders just shook his head, "Kid… I can't trust your word. You don't know how you're going to react in the future, and the paperwork for a teacher with a slit throat is hell."
Lyov winced at the blunt way that Sanders highlighted his… vicious side. His fingers tightened on Illya's jumper as the Russian held him closer.
As Sanders stepped closer, Napoleon stepped forwards to meet him, his fists clenched in preparation for a struggled.
"Not one step closer…" he hissed, keeping his eyes on Sander, despite Illya whispering behind him that he himself "should take care of the cocky American."
Seeming to notice that he was severely out-numbered, Sanders stopped where he was and glanced around. "Do you really want to risk your organisation?" he asked Waverly, sneering as the Brit straightened up, "Because I know for a fact that the CIA has a lot of lawyers that could do with their cages being rattled… And I'd be happy to rattle them."
"You would sue us for custody of Lyov?" Napoleon exclaimed in shock, "You don't have a case!"
"Lyov is a project between the KGB and the CIA. With the KGB having forfeited their rights after breaking our contract, the CIA now have sole rights…. Lyov belongs to us."
