Hey all. So, chapter 2 is ready. Honestly, I'm addicted to Spy x Family. It's reigniting my love of anime and manga. I currently have a pretty bad headache, so I'll keep this AN short. I've taken a few liberties based on assumptions which you'll be able to figure out. I know the odds of two different shadow services from opposite countries seems farfetched, however there are instances in history where it has happened. Honestly, I can see WISE and GARDEN having worked together in the past, especially as both share the same goal. The State Security Service however... I don't know as they seem more like the secret police in WWII and... well, you get the picture. I like the idea of them having a history of joint missions. And as for Sylvia... well... I think honestly, she would have a sense of humor if she knew Twilight was married to Thorn Princess. Though I did take liberties with Shopkeeper based on what little we've seen of him so far.

Chapter 2: I Spy

Twilight frowns as he removes his mask. He'd been conflicted about this. But he needed to make sure Yor wasn't working against him. That she wasn't some counterintelligence operative, especially after realizing her brother was a member of the State Security Service. What was he feeling? He should feel relieved that she was innocent. That she obviously had no idea what her brother actually did for a living. Twilight was at least a bit amused watching her nearly break Frankie's arm as he did kind of have that coming. No... what he felt was guilt. Guilt in putting her through that. And Frankie called him out on that. In annoyance, Twilight ripped the fake face off Frankie.

"Don't lecture me wearing that face." Twilight snarks as he looked out from the alley.

Frankie started bemoaning how he was going to use the mask to get women and even Twilight felt like a hypocrite telling Frankie lying to get a woman was poor form. 'What's wrong with me? Why am I... why am I letting my feelings get the better of me on this? Frankie is right that I should be relieved yet all I can think about is how guilty I feel for putting Yor through all that.' Twilight thinks with a frown. Frankie notices and cuts his irritated rant short.

"You okay? You seem... disturbed by something." Frankie frowns, studying a man he would call friend if Twilight wasn't so closed off. "Look. Maybe we did go too far here. And I guess it's natural to feel a little guilt when it involves someone you're pretending to be married to. Just... be careful Twilight. Opening up isn't a bad thing but don't let it distract you. Anyway... I'm going home. You know where to find me if you need anything."

Twilight gives a simple nod, changing into his regular attire, his mind a storm of chaos as he tries to fully comprehend why he's so off track from normal. He overheard her confess her worries to her co-workers and it bothered him that she was so worried about how wife like she is. Not to mention he doesn't think much of her co-workers after what he heard from them. Saying he was out of Yor's league? That bothered him for some reason because he certainly didn't think that. Maybe Anya's words had affected Yor a lot more than Twilight thought. Rubbing his eyes with a sigh, Twilight figures he should have a talk with Anya. She could be too blunt for her own good and as his daughter... Twilight pauses with a slight frown. He'd realized he'd been thinking of Anya more and more as his daughter instead of a mission asset. Yes, it's cold to view people in a such a way but it's part of his job as a spy.

He's getting attached. Not just to Anya, but to Yor as well. His lips twitch slightly at the irony that this fake family he's built is starting to be more real than anything. But... if Operation Strix is a success... then that would be it. Twilight leans against the wall in the alley, a thoughtful expression on his face. Maybe it would be the end or maybe not. For all he knows, Operation Strix might be a lot longer term than any of them back at HQ realize.

Twilight spots Yor exiting the train station a few hours later. Seeing how down in the dumps she is tugs at Twilight's softer side that somehow Anya and Yor have worked their way into. Smoothly, Twilight slips from the alley and approaches Yor with a smile on his face. "Yor. What a coincidence."

"Hey there, Loid." Yor looks over, surprised to see him.

"How about we walk home together?" Loid suggests with a kind smile before reaching up casually to her collar. "Oh, there's something on your collar again."

Twilight easily removes the planted bug without Yor knowing. Her mood seems to turn worse as she starts to feel like a horrible wife. Hearing this, Twilight corrects her gently, explaining that she's perfect as a wife by just being herself. Twilight feels he needs to make it up to her, for putting her through all this turmoil and gives a smirk as they walk together. "You know... we should probably do something for our 'one year anniversary'."

Seeing Yor grin, amusement dancing in her eyes at his suggestion gives Twilight a warm, happy feeling in his chest. Temporary or not, fake or not... he'll be the best husband and father his can. To at least give Yor and Anya the best life he can while he has the time to do so.

-x-x-x-

Anya shuffles into the house a few days later, grumbling about the dodge ball match. Yor and Loid share a look as Anya seems zoned out. Twilight clears his throat, curious and concerned. "How was school today, Anya?"

The girl gives Twilight a deadpan look before turning her gaze to Yor. The woman is concerned, wondering what happened when Anya points at Yor, childish annoyance on Anya's cherub features. "Mama... it didn't work!"

Twilight is amused by Anya's declaration, having watched Yor help Anya get ready for the dodge ball game. He wisely decides to just listen to Mother and Daughter talk.

"Didn't work?" Yor repeats in surprise. "Did you do what I taught you?"

"Yes."

"You planted your foot firmly? Twisting your hips and shifting your weight?"

"Uh huh."

"Channeled your strength to your shoulder?

"Of course!" Anya says sourly with a pout.

"And you used your off hand to aim where you wanted the ball to go?"

"Yeah, I..." Anya pauses before her cheeks flushed and she looked away in embarrassment. "Anya... forgot that part."

Twilight couldn't help it. He started laughing as Yor covered her own smile as Anya looked away from her parents. Loid chuckled as he got his emotions under control. "Well, I'm sure you'll remember next time. Now, let's get your homework knocked out before dinner, shall we?"

Anya looks at Loid with an expression of annoyance at the mention of homework but freeze at Yor's next statement. Yor recalls what Loid told her and gives a slight devious smirk as she looks to her daughter. Perhaps she can help get Anya to want to study and do her homework. "Well, if you don't want to do your homework... I could get dinner ready for all of us."

Twilight and Anya look at Yor in alarm, unnerved by the woman's sweet smile, father and daughter sharing a look before Anya hurriedly digs her books from her bag, the fear of eating her Mama's cooking causing her to not even notice Yor's thoughts. Twilight looks back to Yor and she gives him a knowing smile and a wink. 'I see. That's quite clever.' Twilight smirks and gives Yor a short nod of approval. 'She's taken my suggestion to heart. Perhaps using Yor's threat of cooking can curtail Anya's distaste of studying.'

-x-x-x-

Sylvia sips her tea as she waits for an old acquaintance. She's now nearly positive Yor Forger is an assassin. Running what she saw on the recording through her mind... it appears Yor Forger is also a lightweight. From what else she was able to glean not to mention recognizing the signs... Yor had been smashed which actually made it funnier to Sylvia that Twilight nearly lost. She didn't know whether to admire Yor's abilities or be disappointed in Twilight's. Either way, she could at least tell the fight hadn't been intentional and merely been from Yor drinking too much. Still... for that woman to fight so effectively even when intoxicated was quite remarkable.

"Good afternoon... Or good evening, Sylvia." An aged but familiar voice catches her attention. Sylvia sets her teacup down and looks to the man that just entered the study. Despite the man's appearance, Sylvia knows just how dangerous he is.

"Shopkeeper. It's been a long time." Sylvia smiles as the man sits opposite of her, pouring his own cup of tea.

"Yes, it has." The man replies with a pleasant smile though his curiosity is clear. "To what do I owe the pleasure? It's been some time since WISE reached out to us."

Sylvia nods, knowing that on occasion, WISE has worked with GARDEN on a few critical joint missions. Missions that required cooperation to ensure success. In those cases, WISE agents would provide entry and egress while GARDEN Assassin's would remove the target. Sylvia had contemplated the possibility of bringing them on board for Operation Strix. "I'm here for some piece of mind, Shopkeeper. Tell me... are any of my people up to be pruned?"

Shopkeeper gives an amused snort. "I should have anticipated gardening analogies from you. To put your mind at ease, no. Our organizations have the same goal: keeping the peace and preventing war by any means necessary."

Sylvia wasn't one to put trust in someone's words. Not since... she didn't want to think back about what happened to her precious daughter. But she knew she could trust Shopkeeper. She nods before a slight grin crosses her face. "Yor Forger."

Shopkeeper doesn't let his surprise show, but his own amused smirk crosses his face. "Loid Forger is one of yours, I take it?"

Sylvia inclines her head slightly before sipping her tea. Shopkeeper does the same.

"The odds of such a situation... " Shopkeeper let's his voice trails off, his amusement at the irony of the situation bubbling in him.

"You can understand my concerns." Sylvia responds as she sets a camera film on the table. "We didn't know ourselves if that helps. In fact, it's only because of what happened in this film that I figured it out. I must say, I think you'll be amused by her actions as she certainly gave my agent a run for his money."

Shopkeeper nods his head in thanks as he takes the film. "I'm assuming your operation has something to do with Donovan Desmond. He's been rattling the Sabre with the Unity Party for some time now."

"You could say that. He's a person of interest to be sure."

"Eden?"

Sylvia gives a nod. Normally, she wouldn't divulge such information, but Shopkeeper had been helpful in the past... a past she can't think about at the moment. "I'd appreciate discretion about this."

"You mean, don't inform Thorn Princess she's married to a spy?" Shopkeeper asks for clarification.

"Wait... Twilight somehow married one of the top assassins in the word?" Sylvia's eyes go wide at the sheer absurdity. Shopkeeper finally shows an emotion other than politeness.

"You're serious? The world's top spy is married to the top assassin... and neither are aware of this?" Shopkeeper has an incredulous look on his face as he sets his teacup down.

Both of them sit in silence as they contemplate how utterly ridiculous this is.

"We aren't telling them. Not yet."

"Agreed. Joint operation?"

"It seems it already is." Sylvia sighs before smirking. "At least it should be amusing seeing those two keep their real jobs secret from the other."

-x-x-x-x-

Loid smiles as he ruffles Anya's hair. He really is proud of her. Not because she earned a Stella... well that was part of it, but because of what she did to earn it. It had been a headache trying to figure out how she can earn stella stars that didn't rely on academics. But as he told himself earlier, she's just a first grader and Operation Strix is a marathon, not a sprint. He's been hard on her, but she had showed him her potential, putting herself at risk to try to save a drowning child at the hospital. When he'd entered the area not far behind her, he'd nearly felt his heart stop when she dove in. He'd been annoyed at the time as the trip to the hospital to do community service had been a disaster and he'd explicitly told her the pool wasn't for recreation. Not to mention the fact she'd not listened very well.

Twilight had dove in after her, not as a spy protecting an asset... but as a father saving his daughter. Twilight didn't know if Anya could swim, and it scared him. He'd been in war, gone undercover throughout the years with his life on the line and seeing Anaya just seemingly dive into the deep end of the pool scared him to a degree he'd never felt. So, imagine his utter shock upon going in after Anya to see her desperately trying to swim down to a boy that had fallen in. The boy had a broken leg, so he was unable to swim to safety. His daughter had seen the bubbles from the struggling boy and had acted when no one else had. The pride he felt in her was genuine as he watched the boy and his family wave after stopping by to say thank you.

And then he had to hold back his amusement as Anya slowly stepped away from Yor after the woman offered to cook her dinner. Loid looks to Yor who is embarrassed by Anya's words and grins at her. "Why don't both of us make dinner for the little Hero?"

Yor smiles and nods. "Of course. And I promise not to sneeze in the flour."

"No fair! Anaya only did that once!" The little girl chirped in annoyance before Loid picked her up and hugged her.

"I really am proud of you Anya." Twilight says softly as he hugs her. "You saved a life, and that boy will remember what you did for him every day for the rest of his life."

Anya buries her face into her Papa's shoulder, an adorable smile on her face as she feels the pride from him. She made her Papa proud again and this time he didn't fall over. The small family walks into the apartment, unaware of the coming days that'll test them.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Anya wakens with a cry. Her nightmare had been horrible! It had been of the hospital. Of the boy drowning. Her sleep had been fitful when it should have been peaceful. In her nightmare, her subconscious played out the worst possible outcomes. In one of them, her Papa hadn't made it in time and she and the boy had drowned. In another, she'd been sent away by her Papa because he figured out, she can read minds. The nightmare had been relentless. Her bedroom door flew open, and her parents were there. Yor looks dangerous, fearing that someone was in Anya's room and ready to send them to the afterlife while Twilight's eyes were focused as he swiftly scanned for any intruder that had somehow gotten past his security.

Seeing no one in the room, Loid relaxes his guard slightly as Yor quickly pulls Anya into a comforting hug, stroking the crying child's hair as she gently rocks her. Loid is once again in awe of what a natural mother Yor is as he sits on the edge of the bed by them. Anya sniffles as she buries her face into her Mama's shoulder. Twilight reaches out and rubs Anya's back gently.

"Nightmare?" His voice is gentle as they tend to her. Anya nods, her hands gripping Yor's shirt as she calms down. "It's okay Anya. You're safe."

Yor feels Anya calming down as the little girl wipes her eyes. "Was it about the pool?"

Twilight should have expected that. While things had turned out alright, she probably started dreaming about all the ways it could have gone wrong. Yor looks to Loid as Anya shifts in her arms towards her father. Without thought, Loid takes Anya and both her and Yor simply comfort her.

"Anya... you don't need to think about the what ifs." Twilight's voice is still gentle he rubs her back. "I know I had said things like that happen, but I didn't mean to scare you. You don't need to be afraid that'll happen to you, alright? Your Mama and I would never let anything bad happen to you."

'Would Papa still think that way if he knows I can read minds?' Anya looks at him before looking to Yor, an expression of worry on Anya's face. 'Would Mama?'

Yor, seeing Anya's worry believes it's from what Loid said and smiles. "Your father is right Anya. We'll always keep you safe."

Anya nods but in her mind, she remembers what she was told. 'No one will understand your abilities, nor will they accept them. They'll abandon you if they ever find out'. So, she can't tell them. She won't let anything cause her Papa and Mama to get rid of her.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Twilight sinks into his bed, exhaustion radiating from him. Because of the lack of agents in recent months... WISE is running him into the ground. Instead of a simple day at the aquarium with Anya and Yor, he had to recover a microfilm from a penguin. He gives an annoyed snort. If it hadn't been such an absurd method, he'd have been impressed. But using a penguin? If Twilight was going to use a damn bird, he'd use one that could fly to transport the information. Not to mention how utterly amateurish the enemy spy had been with an ID that was obviously a fake. Speaking of that spy... Loid sits up as his brain latches onto a detail, he'd not paid much attention to at the time.

The spy had been kicked into the ceiling. And the only people near there... Wait... why had Yor and Anya been back in the service corridors? Could it have been Yor that turned the spy into the new exit light? She was surprisingly skilled in hand to hand... but to get the better of even an amateur spy... no, it was just a weird coincidence is all. Most likely, Anya had wondered off and Yor had went looking for her. Maybe the enemy spy had been handled by his own partner for falling to recover the microfilm. There is no plausible way Yor took care of him.

Twilight frowned as he also recalled Yor's seemingly skilled abilities have come into play. First was that party where he'd screwed up by mixing up their roles. Second was that very same night when she sent one of the attackers sailing twenty feet into a wall. Come to think of it... she was also very calm with gunfire and a grenade explosion. Twilight sighs in annoyance as he lays back down. He's overthinking this. If Yor was some sort of secret agent, there's no way he'd be unaware. No, she's just a simple skilled civilian woman.

In her room, Anya breathes a sigh of relief as she overheard her father's thoughts. He was too close to the mark! Anya had no idea what he'd do if he found out Yor was an assassin. Would he divorce Yor? Send Anya back to the orphanage? It wasn't worth the risk. Anya would have to work super hard to make sure that never happened!