A.N. So I've pretty much written this whole story now and just to let you know it's about 16 chapters in total; I'm just working on the last one and then I'll publish them all within a few days of each other.

Hope you're all still enjoying; let me know in reviews 3

Vinciguerra Island, 1963

"She's my wife, Peril."

It was quite funny actually; how the Russian's eyes almost bulged from their sockets as his head whipped between the two agents.

"You're married?" It was Gabby who broke the silence that had fallen over the small group as she frowned at Eva. "You didn't say."

"Announcing that you're MI5 is dangerous enough in the middle of East Berlin, adding that you're married to an American CIA Agent?" She gestured to Napoleon. "Russian interrogation isn't something I'm particularly keen to experience." She shot Kuryakin a look as the burly man seemed to compose himself. "No offence."

"None taken."

"Yes...well…" Waverly glanced around the group as the subject of marriage seemed to drop. "…Like I said, excellent work everyone." He shot them all a grin before moving away to speak to the soldier in charge of inspecting the retrieved missile.

His departure was a silent 'at ease' and Eva watched as the three operatives relaxed. The brief report Waverly had had her read on her way over had mentioned that despite opposing backgrounds, allegiances and methods; the three had formed a tentative bond with poor Gabriella posing as Kuryakin's fiancée and Napoleon and the Russian frequently choosing to save each other's lives instead of leaving them for dead.

It definitely hadn't been the expected outcome when they'd been thrown together, but, Eva recalled from past experience that sometimes, it was the unexpected partnerships that yielded the best results.

With that in mind she turned to the only person on this scrap of land at the edge of the island that she could truly call her partner. She could still hear him calling her name from one end of a departure lounge even a year on. She'd wanted to run to him, to hold him and make sure he was alright but her cover demanded she ignore him, look straight ahead and play loving girlfriend to the brute she was accompanying whilst undercover.

They hadn't actually spoken in two years and until five minutes ago, she'd craved his voice. The surprise in it and the rest of his features when she'd descended from the helicopter was promptly replaced with something so stoic she found herself flinching. Though they'd parted on good terms, it was clear that all was not 'alright' between them and how could it be?

They'd been separated for half of their marriage with no word on how the other was. There was a period when she'd believed him dead and that was when the distance between them had really hit her. So, it was now, with him finally a matter of footsteps away from her that she had to do something; they were either going to save this or end this and she couldn't spend another two years flying across the globe and always just missing each other without knowing.

"Napol-"

"Agent Green, could you come here for a moment?" She let out a laugh of disbelief as Waverly cut across her – the man was stopping her from even saying his name now.

She shot Napoleon an apologetic look, noting that he had at least turned to her when she called, before stepping towards Waverly and the missile nestled into the islands grass.

"Commander?"

"Take a look at this weapon and tell me what's wrong with it." She frowned at his request before squatting in front of the missile and peering into it.

"I can't see anything." She said as her frown deepened.

"Neither can our men." He told her. "Fancy a challenge?" He offered with a grin and she rolled her shoulders before calling out for a screwdriver, a Geiger counter and a competent assistant.

"What's she doing?" Napoleon asked as Waverly re-joined the rag-tag group of operatives. "That's a live nuclear missile."

"I'm aware of that, Agent Solo, and that's why our Advanced Weapons Specialist is poking around inside it and not me." He said with a smile and Napoleon resisted the urge to march past him and pull her away from the thing that could explode and kill them all with one wrong move.

It hadn't taken a lot for him to figure out exactly who this man was. If his revealed association to MI5 wasn't enough, hearing his wife call this seemingly harmless man 'Commander' confirmed it all – this was the man responsible for taking her away from him.

And to think, he had started to like the sarcastic man.

As Peril and Gabby rattled off information about their retrieval of the missile and the goings on of the island he kept his gaze firmly on the blonde a hundred yards away from him.

She looked good.

Though he didn't expect less – in two years nothing had physically changed with him either but there were a lot more scars on his psyche that he'd be willing to let on about and he was guessing it was the same with her. After all, the ex-convict and the woman were always the ones people were hoping would slip-up or show weakness, it would be the perfect excuse to get rid of them but while the CIA's stance on him was still unclear after all this time, he could see that Eva was safe as long as this mysterious Waverly was keeping an eye on her.

He recalled how she'd been recruited and was slightly comforted that if this man had been watching her back since day one, he was unlikely to let her get hurt now.

He wasn't the only one who jumped when she unexpectedly stood and kicked the missile. His arms instantly moved to cover himself, as did most of the soldiers on this island, Kuryakin included as he tried to shield Gabby, but all arms fell when after a solid minute…nothing happened.

"Eva?" Waverly called out from beside him and he noted how he was probably the only one who hadn't moved to protect himself from an oncoming blast.

"Just confirming something!" She shouted back as she crouched again and began digging around inside the cylindrical case.

"If this were Russia…" Peril began as he finally released Gabby and caught Napoleon's eye. "…she'd have been shot for that."

He didn't add that the CIA would have likely shot too.

For the entire time he'd known this woman she'd either been alone or working with him. To see her with such a large group of Waverly's soldiers and not a single one reach for their guns when she attacked a live weapon…it was more than admirable.

She'd dropped subtle clues through her letters when she'd first returned home so he knew she'd been promoted and was finally receiving the recognition she deserved, but this was new; utter compliance from the soldiers, Advanced Weapons Specialist and a confidence that had been a mere spark when they first met compared to the inferno of it now.

He wondered if Eva Solo was still there, judging by the fact that Gabby knew her as Agent Green…he doubted it.

"Problem solved?" Waverly asked as the woman in question strode through the boggy grass and towards them.

"Very much so." She told him as she turned and addressed the three operatives. "Not to dismiss the fine work you did here…" She sighed. "…but there's a snag."

He watched Peril lean forward, expecting a critique of his work and Napoleon knew that the Russian wouldn't take it very well if this small blonde rubbished him.

"Wrong warhead."