No daily entry just yet. I have just received a letter from Illya. I'll let it, or rather him speak for himself.

My dear Cecily,

I owe you a debt of gratitude that I can never repay for taking such good care of my daughter. Believe me, that right at the beginning, after that Code Red Affair when she was first brought here to New York, I was quite ready to leave UNCLE to take care of her, and had secretly even begun thinking about what line of work I should consider going into, to earn a living.

I would say that even now, our arrangement is not perhaps the most ideal, but your kindness in taking such good care of my child whilst I cannot, allows me to fulfill my duties to UNCLE. That is important to me, for reasons I am not at liberty to specify at this moment. It may appear that I am putting myself and my employment ahead of my personal duties as Katarina's adoptive father, and perhaps that is so, but aside from the official reasons that I have alluded to, I have seen the evil and devilry that result when THRUSH is left to work their poison. Dedication, duty and sacrifice on the part of a few people such as myself are the only things that stand a chance of putting an end to their mischief. The alternative is a world that I cannot bear to contemplate, and believe me, you would not wish to live in a world dominated by THRUSH. Katiya has become a victim to both THRUSH's ire, and my possibly arrogant determination to put them out of business. She lost her own father to THRUSH, and her maternal grandfather also. They have already wreaked much havoc in her life, and although I am the only blood relation she has left, I am unable to offer her the stable home she so desperately needs as a little girl.

Cecily, I am finding this part difficult to write, because speaking about myself is hard enough for me. Dredging up the past is harder still. I did once have a loving and stable family myself, but I was only a few months older than Katiya when I lost it all forever. In one night, when the Nazis invaded my homeland, they swept through our village, and killed my family in one night, save for my brother Mikhail and myself. Our adopted uncle Dimitri was in prison at the time, and so Mika and I lived on the streets for a year or more before Dimitri returned. Even so, we were only with him for three months or so before the authorities dragged us away, separated us and threw us into their orphanage system. That both Mikhail and I survived into adulthood was little more than fortunate chance. That we made it completely sane…well in Mika's case I am wondering if he was completely sane? The Mika I knew would never have done the things he grew up to do*. I am the exception rather than the rule. I want my daughter to experience life as it should be, as it could be.

My dear Cecily, you know I am not talking about giving her lots of toys and holidays and treats. I am talking about having a mother and a father, people who are always there for her regardless of anything. Always having someone there that she can go to in the middle of the night when she is feeling alone or afraid. Someone that is not always in danger of losing their lives. You have become her true parents, Cecily. Believe me, you are her mother now. Winston is doing the job I cannot do; he has become her father. If she ever chooses to call you by those titles…I will not object, neither will I be overly upset. I am only grateful that my dear friend and partner Napoleon has relations like yourself who have been so open-hearted to my little girl.

Do not misunderstand me, I have no intention of giving up my rights to Katiya. She is my blood. I am not only her only living blood relation…she is mine. She is the only other being in this world that carries the same blood as myself. Family is important to me. When I am free to give her my undivided attention, then nothing will keep her from my side, or me from hers. However, please do not be shy about giving her whatever she needs…discipline as well as anything else. You have done a very good job with your daughter Polly. You are doing a good job with Katiya too. Do not ever doubt it.

Right at this moment, Katiya and I are in Devon, England, staying at an Inn in a little village called Widecombe situated right in the middle of Dartmoor. We have been snowed in here almost since we arrived. The only decent sized road into the village is extremely steep and winding, and with the snow and ice, it is exceedingly treacherous to even attempt to walk it. With any vehicle, it would be impossible. Napoleon had been planning to join us for a few days, but the snows put paid to that. Katiya and I are in seventh heaven, of course. We are both quite accustomed to the cold and snow considering the winters we are both used to, so the villagers have put aside any suspicions they might have had of our nationality, and put us to work helping to keep the village itself clear and relatively snow free. The weather has started to change, the cold is not so penetrating. The villagers think I am mad, but I am quite confident that the snows will soon start to melt. Within about…three days I predict the access roads will be safe for vehicles, and my daughter and I will be able to leave.

I apologise that I am still unable to give you any information about the case Napoleon and I were working on. It is still classified, but believe me when I say that we succeeded in preventing what happened to us from being inflicted on an entire South American country. That is all I can tell you, and the cost, on the whole, although expensive, was worth it for the results. I will, however, be taking Darkly and Fielding out for a thankyou meal when we get back to New York. I am sure Napoleon has already expressed our gratitude in his own way; but my way is through food.

Whilst I was lying there unable to move my body, I cannot express how frustrated I was, how fearful that it would never be reversed. When my daughter was first brought into the room I was overjoyed, and yet unexpectedly upset. I so much wanted to open my eyes and see her, but I just could not. There was one moment, when I felt a set of fingers force my eyes open, and for that split-second I saw Katiya staring at me, looking so beautiful and so grown up, and yourself Ce, looking so worried. Then the next moment she bellowed at me, right in my ear to open my eyes. I remember desperately wishing that I could. But that was when I found that I was able to slightly control the twitch of my left eye. I never dreamed that Katiya would be so quick to pick up on that. I also cannot tell you how relieved I was when I heard Waverly speak to me. Despite his tongue-in-cheek threat to have me dressed in a pink tutu of all things, it meant that finally I was in touch with the outside world. That was a massive relief. I have not yet had the chance to speak with my partner about his impressions of the whole experience. I think that will be my first priority on our return.

Katiya and I have talked a great deal during our time here. We have grown to know one another a great deal better than either of us could have dreamt. We both learned things about each other that came as a complete surprise. She told me about how scared she was when I went missing and failed to communicate, and she confessed that she started to scream and rant. She is very ashamed of herself I think, although she has not said so.

You may think me odd, Ce, but in a strange way I was oddly relieved that it happened. I do not condone such behaviour of course, but at least I am reassured that she is a normal child. I was beginning to wonder a little about her. I know she is always on her best behaviour when she's with me, because she sees me so little, but she gave me the impression that she has been that way with you, too. I think things will change slightly after this incident. She has been regarding her life with you as temporary, and only whilst she behaves herself. She had some feeling that I would find a way of having her living with me permanently at some point. I have made it clear to her that, however much we might both want it to happen, the reality is that it would be too dangerous for her to live with me even if it was allowed. I have to resign myself to being just a weekend father to her, and she does too. She was not happy about it, but at the same time she confessed that she has learned to love you and Wint and Polly, and happy to know that she will not have to worry about you getting tired of her and making her leave.

It is possible that I may reach home before this letter does, and if so, I hope it helps to tell you some things I may not be able to tell you in person. I know I am not the most loquacious individual, and I am disinclined to self-revelations. However, as the foster-parents of my daughter, you are entitled to more than the usual consideration.

I hope to be with you once again very soon to make use of the room you have so kindly set aside for my occasional use, and believe me, my dear Cecily, I am forever in your debt.

Illya

*Reference to The Lake Of Tears Affair