The silence was deafening. When no one seemed to be forthcoming, Napoleon said, "In the interest of time, I have a suggestion: Angel, you and Wolf ask Illya questions. Angel, ladies first."

"Fine. Illya, you're married to the sister of a THRUSH Central Committee member?"

"Former Central Committee member. His twin. I am a widower, but Wolf and I have maintained our relationship."

Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Illya. Truly."

"Thank you."

Wolf cleared his throat to speak. "Illya, THRUSH believes Angelique DeChien is dead and I assumed UNCLE did, too. How did you find out she's alive?"

"I had a mission during which I unknowingly made the acquaintance of Angel's mother and then discovered Angel was staying with her at the time. She helped me complete my mission at a great personal cost." When Wolf's eyebrow shot up, asking the unspoken question, Illya said, "Joey, her mother, died while we were being held captive."

"Mein Gott! I am so sorry for your loss, Angel."

"Thank you, Wolf. Illya attended my mother's funeral as a favor to me. He was standing with me when I read a card on flowers that was from my father. That is when I realized he still lived and I decided to search for him."

"It was an honor to attend Joey's funeral. She was a fine woman and she loved you so much."

Illya and the two former THRUSH agents retreated into silence, each thinking of the loss they had endured.

Napoleon coughed. "I hate to interrupt, but Drew, Andrew, Andre, whatever his name is, will be here shortly. We need to clarify who we are. Illya and I have already been introduced as Eddie," and he pointed to Illya, "and Navarre" as he pointed to himself. "Ludwig Bowler is as dead as Angelique DeChien, so you will please refer to each other as Angel and Wolf, yes?"

"Agreed," Wolf said.

"Yes," Angel said.

"Good," Napoleon said, "because Drew just pulled into the parking lot."

Minutes later, the back door opened and Drew walked into the dining room with some more boxes. He was smiling until he noticed a woman sitting at one of the tables. Her platinum hair was cut into a shoulder length pageboy hairstyle. She was stylishly dressed in jeans, a long – sleeved cream – colored blouse and cowboy boots. Her nails were perfectly manicured and her polish was fire engine red.

His smile faltered for a second and then was back. "Good morning, young lady. My friends here know what time we open, so I'm assuming you're here to see about a job. Fellas, one of you want to introduce me?"

"'Introduce me?'" Angel repeated. "We've already met, mon cher. Take a good look."

"I'm sorry, your voice sounds familiar but…" Drew stopped speaking and stared. After a couple of minutes he said, "You sound like, you look like…Oh my god…Angel?!"

"In the flesh."

Drew continued to stare. "I haven't seen you since you were seven! Except for the hair, you look and sound so much like your mother did when she was younger."

"I take that as a great compliment."

"You should. Your mother was a beautiful woman when I met her. It was love at first sight."

"Then why did you leave?"

Wolf said, "I think Eddie, Navaare and I should leave."

Drew shook his head. "No, you guys stay here. I think Angel and I need more time to talk than we're gonna get here, so let's, you and me, go to my place." At her nod, he said to Wolf, "Do me a favor. When Curtis and Betsy show up, tell them something came up and I won't be coming in today. They should be able to handle the lunch crowd on their own. If not, tell Betsy she can call Joan, the evening girl, and ask her to come in early and if Curtis wants some overtime, he can take over the bar after he closes the kitchen at eight."

"Sure. And I can handle the bar if Curtis doesn't want to stay."

"Thanks. Let me just put this stuff in the basement and we can go in my car."

"I will drive my own car." The tone of her voice told everyone that was not a debate.

"Okay. I'll be right back," Drew replied as he picked up the boxes and turned to head towards the basement door.

Wolf waited a few seconds and then reached in his pocket and fished out the modified communicator Illya had given him years ago. He placed it in Angel's hands and said softly, "This communicator only connects to Illya's. if you begin to feel uncomfortable, call him and we will be there in ten minutes."

Angel smiled for the first time since she had arrived. "That is very thoughtful, Wolf, thank you."

Illya was about to say something, but just then Drew climbed the stairs and entered the bar. "I'm ready. Wolf, I don't know how long this will take…"

"Don't worry about it. Eddie, Navaare and I will be hanging out here for at least a couple of hours. If we go anywhere at all, we'll come back here, so you can call and leave a message if you miss us."

Angel and Drew left and the men could hear two cars start up and drive out of the parking lot.

Wolf moved behind the bar and grabbed the bottle of Johnny Walker Red. "I don't know about you gentlemen, but I sure could use a drink. Join me?" He took the ensuing silence as a "yes" and pulled three glasses down from the shelf, set them on the bar and poured three fingers' worth of scotch into each of them. Illya passed one to Napoleon before taking his while Wolf carried his back to the table he had been sitting at earlier. The two UNCLE agents sat with him.

"So, Illya, to quote one of the main characters of an old TV show Eunice got me into: You've got some 'splainin' to do.'"

"What I said is true, Wolf; I did not know Angel's whereabouts until I was on that mission."

"But you knew she was alive."

"I thought she might be alive, but I was not certain. We knew via the chatter our Communications picked up that THRUSH believed she had gotten into a gunfight with Napoleon and me and was presumed dead as she never returned, but for all I knew she had been killed while freelancing."

"Maybe I'm a bit envious that her 'death' was accepted by the Central Committee and mine wasn't. My life would have been so much easier if it had been."

"And my life would have been so much emptier. You would not have needed UNCLE and I would never have met your sister."

Napoleon sipped his drink in silence. His feelings were a jumble of emotions he wasn't even sure he understood. All he knew was that he was feeling a bit left out of the conversation and glad he was indulging in a little day drinking.

"Wolf," Illya said, "It was kind of you to offer your communicator to Angel. She is quite capable of taking care of herself; however, years ago I once told her that she brings a cannon when a flyswatter will do. I wouldn't want her to maim or kill Drew if he upsets or angers her."

"Do you think she would do that to her own father?"

"There was a time I would not have put anything past her. Now, I have seen a human being where before I only saw a monster, so I think perhaps she will not do harm to him. But one never knows."

Wolf sipped some more scotch. "Ah, to be a fly on Drew's wall right now."