Sacrifices for the Greater Good

Recovery X

"And that's just about everything." Gaby finished the story. "The rest you can guess- we started working here, and I think we've been doing pretty well."

"Extremely." Waverly reassured her.

With everything out in the open, Napoleon felt a little better about being deceived, but not much. "I understand why you did what you did." He said slowly. "But I'm still struggling to come to terms with it." Gaby bit her lip and looked away, clearly disappointed and a little upset about how he felt.

"We understand how you feel." Illya said when he noticed that Gaby was having some difficulty speaking. "Alex, if you don't need us anymore we might head home." Waverly nodded in assent and Illya turned his attention back to Napoleon. "You know where we live." He said a little drily. "If you want to talk or see us, you're welcome to stop by. Gaby?" Brushing at her dress, she rose and moved over to her husband, casting one last sad look at Napoleon before the two of them walked out of the office.

Napoleon breathed out a loud breath as he and Waverly were left alone, and one hand went to his forehead to massage his temple.

"I'm sorry Alex, but I'm going to need some more time to think before I can accept the job." He managed to say.

"That's fine. You've had quite a serious shock. Maybe you should go back to your hotel and sleep on it?" Waverly suggested gently.

"How did you react when you found out?" Napoleon asked, raising his head from the hand he had used to support it, Waverly looked thoughtful as he answered.

"I was surprised. I wasn't expecting to see Illya when I went to Scotland to visit my friend, he wasn't as disguised as he is now so he was still fairly easy to recognise. I thought I had gone mad." He shook his head slightly as though to dispel the idea. "And then I saw Gaby next to him and I realised that they had survived somehow. When I went to their house and I heard the baby, Eric, crying. I knew immediately why they had done what they did. Parents will do extreme things to protect a child, I can't say I would have acted any different if I imagine myself in their shoes."

Napoleon nodded, it was good to hear someone else's opinion on the same emotional blow. He was suddenly grateful that he was not the only one who had been duped by the couple intent on disappearing.

"Did you ever think I was in on it?" He asked curiously.

"For a short while, yes." Waverly admitted. "After all, you were the one who told me what happened." Napoleon remembered it well, he had been an utter mess that day. With hindsight he was amazed that he had managed to give Waverly a coherent explanation. "But when I thought it over, I realised you were not that good of an actor." Napoleon was nearly offended by the sudden joke at his expense, but he sobered as he realised it was very true. "Your reaction was too genuine to be an act." Waverly added.

"I wish they had told me what they were planning." Napoleon said mournfully. "If they told me the reason I would have helped them."

"I'm sure they knew that." Waverly said kindly. "But if your reaction had not been so convincing I might have become suspicious. I would have had a duty to report it."

"You know now, why didn't you report it when you found out?"

"Circumstances change." Waverly said with a slight shrug. "If I knew they had tried to pull something as blatant as faking their own deaths under my nose I might have become angry and done something stupid. Having all that time to grieve and think put it into perspective for me. At the time I might have sacrificed them to save UNCLE, knowing there was still plenty of good that could be done with such international cooperation. With what I know now I realise that would have been a mistake. I'm running an organisation that is very effective, and I'm grateful that I don't have to bear the guilt of ruining two people's lives just because they wanted to stay together."

"I want to forgive them." Napoleon confessed. "But it's difficult."

"I don't think they're expecting you to, not so soon after everything today."

"Gaby seemed to expect it." Napoleon noted with some acid. "From the way she was acting it appeared she thought I would be overjoyed when I found out." Waverly shifted awkwardly at that.

"She is not herself at the moment." He explained carefully. "They had a bit of a surprise after the party you crashed, and Gaby is feeling a little emotional."

"What kind of surprise?"

"It's not my place to say." Waverly said and switched topic before Napoleon could press him further on the subject. "I think you should take some time, maybe a few days, to think everything through. When you're ready, go and speak to them." Napoleon agreed that taking a few days would be the best course of action, his mind was full of conflicting thoughts and he couldn't allow himself to make a rash decision while emotions were running high.

Waverly's advice was sound and he found himself in a much better position after taking a quick trip to Paris to clear his mind. Walking through those streets in the evening, with the cool night air brushing across his face helped him to put things into perspective. Yes, Gaby and Illya had lied to him and put him through emotional hell. But, they were alive. Alive and well from what he could see, Illya slightly less so after his initial violent reaction. At the end of the day, it was an outcome he had never dreamt of but one that he had to admit he was pleased with once the initial anger wore off.

Their friendship would never be the same as it had been, as strange as it was to think, they now had a child and that would change things. There would be no more all-night drinking sessions or sudden trips out, but perhaps there would be some new things they could do together. He was destined for a life of bachelorhood and thus was unlikely to ever have children of his own, not that the thought of parenthood was in any way tempting. He could imagine himself as an eccentric uncle figure, and he had to admit he was more than a little curious to see what sort of child his two friends had created.

Strolling past the Parisian designer shops, he nearly entertained the idea of picking up a dress for Gaby. He pushed down the impulse, the idea had initially been received with some enthusiasm which had dissipated quickly. He was not yet ready to make such a gesture, not until he felt more secure with his place in their friendship. While a dress may have been too much to buy when everything was still shaky between them, he remember what Waverly had said about how she was currently feeling and felt a twinge of guilt that he had probably deflated her mood, and he didn't resist buying a red silk scarf thinking that it might cheer her up.

Napoleon returned to London and stopped by his hotel again to drop off his cases, he hadn't bothered checking out for his brief sojourn across the Channel and it occurred to him that if he made the decision to stay in London and work for Waverly he would need to find more permanent housing. He wondered if his old flat was still available.

He waited until evening and took a cab to the Barrow estate, Napoleon was surprised at how apprehensive he was. They had not parted on the best of terms at their last meeting and he was worried that he may have soured the atmosphere between them. The gate of the estate opened to permit the taxi and Napoleon exited by the entrance to the house. He was greeted by a butler and led into an empty sitting room, the butler left after informing him they would be down soon and Napoleon busied himself by looking around. He couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face when he spotted a chessboard on a table nearby with only one chair set. Another hint as to the identity of the buildings occupants was a large playpen which appeared to have been modified by hand in order to further secure the door to prevent escape.

"Napoleon." Gaby greeted cordially, she held a small squirming blonde person in her arms who suddenly ceased movement to stare at Napoleon. The little boy looked startlingly like Illya.

"Gaby." He returned, looking back into the blue eyes that examined him unflinchingly. "I gather this is Eric?"

"Yes." She walked over to the playpen and placed the child in it, securing locking the door once she had closed it in such a way to avoid trapping any small fingers.

"Interesting piece of equipment you have there." He commented.

"He's managed to escape three other types of playpen." She explained. "And every time he does he usually breaks something. Illya took matters into his own hands and modified this one, it seems to have worked so far."

"Where is Illya?" The tall Russian was conspicuous by his absence.

"He'll be down in a minute, he was just finishing off a report for Waverly when we were told you had arrived." She narrowed her eyes and looked as fearsome as he remembered. "You're not going to attack him again, are you?"

"No. I-" he swallowed uncomfortably, "I could have reacted better." He said eventually, she snorted.

"That's an understatement." She said derisively.

"I picked up something for you in Paris." He said suddenly, and handed over the small box he had brought with him. "To apologise for the other day."

"You shouldn't have to apologise, if anyone should be sorry it is us." She accepted the package and opened it, her eyes lighting up when she saw the fabric, but the expression could not compare to the one that appeared when she saw her ring nestled among the silk. It immediately returned to her finger, and she smiled over at him warmly.

The sound of the door opening distracted them and Illya appeared, the intimidating aura he normally cast was hindered by the stuffed elephant toy he carried which he immediately dropped into the caged off area much to its inhabitant's joy. Illya looked better than when Napoleon had last seen him, bearing in mind the last time he had made a decent effort at hurting him, he still can't but feel a bit of shame about it.

"Are you feeling better today?" Napoleon asked awkwardly, Illya shrugged nonchalantly.

"I recover quickly. The Russian said simply. "And I have had much worse." The statement made Napoleon wince, he had heard a read of a few 'motivational' beatings in Illya's file, his handler had a lot to answer for and Illya's desire to disappear made all the more sense for it.

"I'm sorry."

"Forget it." Illya said with a headshake. "We move on now, if we can."

"I would like that." Napoleon said quietly. "Maybe we could all go out to dinner together? Bury the hatchet."

"That would be wonderful." Gaby said brightly. "Just as long as there is no seafood involved." Napoleon blinked in surprise.

"You like seafood!" He said accusingly.

"Not at the moment she doesn't." Illya said. "Or anything that even remotely resembles fish." He sounded oddly amused about Gaby's sudden aversion to certain kinds of food, Napoleon wondered if it had anything to do with what Waverly had told him.

"Is something the matter, Gaby?" He asked, brow furrowing slightly. "I know it's been a few years, but you do seem to be acting a little strange. Are you ill?"

"Not quite, Illya made me pregnant again." She shot an accusing look over at her husband. "It seems fresh starts are in the air at the moment." Illya looked like he was about to protest the clear placing of the blame, but at the last moment thought better of it. Napoleon felt a bubble of laughter rise in his chest at the antics, and thought that perhaps reconciliation would be easier than he had predicted.

With the awkward tension finally destroyed, chairs were pushed together so the three could talk properly. This time not about big revelations or exploding houses, but about the regular everyday changes that had come about. Anything from the past few years was wisely not said as it was clear to all involved that bringing up such stories was only a recipe for more pain on both sides. He no more wanted to hear about their time in hiding than they wanted to hear about his misery and inability to move past their apparent deaths. The more they talked the more Napoleon realised everything was going to be okay. There was still a lot of work that needed to be done to mend their friendship but it seemed salvageable. Things had happened, things that could not be taken back. But this result: the three of them sitting and laughing together, was far preferable than the alternative.

THE END

Author's Note: That's the story finished finally! It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but I hope you guys have enjoyed it. There's been some ups and downs, but we got there in the end. Thank you to everyone who has read and supported the story! If you haven't already read them, I have some other 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' fics on my profile: a completed multi-chapter titled 'Six Months' which is an AU take on the film where Gaby and Illya previously knew each other, a currently incomplete multi-chapter titled 'Deception' which is also an AU of the film where the two of them are married, and a drabble series. I will probably get back to the incomplete works once my exams are over.