The communicator began to trill like it knew Illya had just finished dinner. He relaxed when he realized it wasn't his official communicator, but rather, the special one that only connected to the one The Old Man had given to Wolf Schmidt, the former THRUSH Central Committee member who had defected some time ago and whose sister Illya had married.

Assembling the device quickly, Illya made the connection. "Hello, Wolf! Are you and Angel back in the States?" The last time he and Napoleon had visited Wolf in Colorado, they met Wolf's friend in Utah who turned out to be Angel LeDeux' estranged father. Illya had introduced the former THRUSH agent Angelique DeChien to the former Ludwig Bowler and against all odds, the two former super spies had fallen in love.

"Brother-in-law!" Wolf exclaimed. "How are you. Angel and I have been in Colorado for about a month and we're leaving town tomorrow; we've decided to spend Christmas in the Caribbean."

"I'm good. You're not going to St. Martin, are you?"

"No, no, no. THRUSH probably still has a presence there and we can't take the chance of being recognized. I bought a small island in Granada. We'll be staying there."

Illya's eyes widened. "You…bought an island."

"It's a small island. Only 155 acres."

"Who else lives there?"

"No one, Illya, and we like it that way." Illya could hear a long sigh come through the communicator. "When Angel and I decided to pursue this relationship, we talked at length about what we wanted; not just from each other, but from life."

"And what was your consensus?"

"We both said that we wanted peace. Peace and quiet. We want to be able to enjoy our lives, our life together, without constantly looking over our shoulders to see if we've been made."

"I can understand that, Wolf."

"Can you? Before I left the Central Committee, before Angelique became Angel, we lived and breathed The Game. We loved living on the edge, measuring our lives in minutes, sometimes seconds! Overcoming obstacles, succeeding where others had failed, one adrenalin rush after another. Sound familiar?"

"A little," Illya said dryly.

"When Angel and I were both betrayed by our respective Chairpersons, we each made the decision to step away from THRUSH. We relearned how life could be and we liked it. We love living in Ouray. We're discovering that we don't need that adrenalin rush anymore."

"It sounds like a good life, Wolf, but how are you not bored at times?"

"I guess we just enjoy being together. We travel around the world at our leisure. Mainly, we go to small towns and out of the way places. When we do decide to go to a large city like Rome or Barcelona, we use our aliases and disguises. So far, we have not encountered any problems."

"But we also enjoy staying home and being with each other. We can sit in the same room for hours reading and not saying a word and feeling no need to say a word. It's one of the things I love about our relationship."

Illya was silent for a few moments as he thought about what Wolf had said. "Perhaps," he said, "if Luti had lived, she and I would have led a similar life if I lived long enough to retire from the field."

"I think about my sister every day, Illya. Yes, I believe you are correct: Your lives would have mirrored mine and Angel's. We might have even traveled together. What I wish, Brother-in-law, is that you could have experienced with Luti what Angel and I are doing."

"So do I," Illya whispered. "Wolf, I loved, I love your sister so much and I have to admit, if I am being honest with myself, that I am a bit jealous that you and Angel are enjoying the quiet love that I wanted to share with Luti. I wanted to enjoy the world with her; to see places I had been through her eyes. I had dared to wish for that 'someday' and now, it will never be."

"Illya, listen to me. My sister loved you; she would want you to be happy. While it is true that you will never have time with Luti again, it is also true that if you survive the field, you will still be a young man. I knew my sister very well; I know she wants your happiness. Do not dishonor her memory by thinking she would want you to be lonely and unhappy. I see Angel driving up to the house. I will speak with you later, okay?"

"Yes. Please tell Angel I said hello." He heard Wolf break the connection after which he disassembled his device. He checked his watch; Napoleon would be arriving soon to watch the fights on the television he insisted the Russian buy so that he would stop coming to his place and monopolizing his. He shook off the melancholy he was feeling to fill bowls with popcorn and potato chips to go with the beer he had bought.

Right on time, Napoleon's coded knock sounded on his front door. "Hey, Partner! I brought some more beer for…" His voice trailed off as he took a closer look at his friend. "Illya, what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

Napoleon stepped into his partner's space and put his right hand on Illya's shoulder. "Who do you think you're talking to: A stranger? It's me. So, I'm asking, as your best friend: What's the matter?"

Illya sighed. This man knows me so well. Sometimes, too well. "I was…just missing Luti."

Napoleon's hand moved to the smaller man's other shoulder and pulled him into a half – hug. "Did something happen?"

Illya accepted the hug and then, moved to go sit on the couch. "Not really. I had a conversation earlier with Wolf. He and Angel are very happy together."

Napoleon grabbed two beers from the six – pack he brought and put the rest in the fridge and turned on the television. Once the picture appeared, he changed the channel to the fights and then sat on the opposite end of the couch he called "The Little Bear." "I know it's nowhere near being the same thing, Partner, but I love you. You're not alone."

A small smile graced Illya's face. "I know. I love you, too. Now, shut up and let me watch the fight."