Author’s Note: This story is an RPG (role playing game) between me and my friend BlackFox12 (aka Cat2000) for the movie Man from UNCLE. I’m playing Illya and Cat is playing Gaby and Solo. This is our take on Illya following through on that threat he made in the movie.
Discalimer: We don’t own any of these characters, and we’re not making any money from this story.
Warning: Spoilers for the entire movie. Non-consensual spanking of an adult.
Co-Author's Website:BlackFox12 Fanfiction.net page
No More Lies
Illya arrived at the UNCLE offices ten minutes late for his briefing thanks to the London traffic. The secretary out front waved him back to the conference room, where he found Waverly, Solo and Gaby all waiting for him. He quickly took the seat next to Gaby and said, “Sorry I’m late. I was not expecting so much traffic.”
“No problem.” Waverly passed him a file. “This is going to be your next mission and it’s right here in London.”
Illya opened the file and saw a picture of a middle aged man with dark hair. The name at the bottom of the picture was Kyle Harrison.
“We believe this individual is selling political information to Egypt. We need the three of you to go undercover and find out if that’s true, and then find out how he’s doing it. He runs a very profitable import export business, and because of his political affiliations and social standing, it’s been almost impossible to get someone on the inside.”
Waverly turned to Gaby, “That’s where you come in.”
Gaby had been a bit worried that she wasn’t going to be able to do much to help. She knew there were things she could do... but compared to Illya and Solo, she still had a long way to go. Even though she would never actually admit that out loud.
“What do I need to do?” Gaby was somewhat proud of the fact that she sounded as calm as the men did. She'd been training and learning and now she was looking forward to being able to put the skills she'd been developing to use.
“You’ll be going in as Mr. Harris’ personal chef.” Waverly said. “The chef he’s been using was recently deported after an anonyms tip, and he’s looking for a new one. He rarely has openings in his personal staff, so we can’t miss this window of opportunity.”
“Why Gaby?” Solo spoke up before she could. “It makes more sense if I join the staff. I’m good at cooking. And at working under pressure.”
Gaby bristled. “You think I can’t?”
“I think you haven’t been at this as long as we have,” Solo answered. And if there was an element of protectiveness, what of it? He and Illya were better-trained... and better-equipped to handle it if something went wrong.
Illya nodded in agreement with Solo. “This is a better plan.”
Waverly shook his head. “Part of what makes it difficult to get near Harris is the fact that he only hires woman. There isn’t one man on his staff.” He looked at Solo and said, “And we’ll be needing your knowledge and reputation as... someone comfortable working outside of the law. You're going to go to him with stolen gems to export.” Waverly smiled at Gaby and said, “You can cook well enough to get by for a couple of days, can’t you?”
When she didn't immediately answer, Illya said, “You can cook, yes?”
Gaby hesitated a fraction or too longer than she should have. Almost unwittingly, she remembered a conversation between her and Illya... one that she hadn't thought about in a while.
# # #
Illya, Gaby and Solo were all speechless for a few seconds after Waverly told them they were now all members of the same team.
As Waverley left, Solo shrugged and glanced at the two who were now his colleagues. “I don't know about you, but I'm going to get a drink. I'll leave you two to talk. Or whatever.” He headed inside.
“I could use one as well.” Gaby began to follow Solo off the balcony.
Illya wasn't sure if he was happy about this new assignment, but he was more than happy to spend more time with Gaby; he just wasn't sure if he could trust her or not. When she started to leave with Solo, Illya rushed over and grasped her upper arm to keep her on the balcony for a moment. Once she was looking in his eyes, he said, “Now that we’re all working for the same organization, there will need to be trust. Any more lies or deceptions from you and you go over my knee. No wrestling.”
Gaby shot Illya look that was purely incredulous. She thought about making some kind of comment, but what could she say to something like that? She wasn't going to give him permission to do that... but then again, she had no intention of lying to him again and had only done so in the first place because she'd been ordered to. “We’re on the same side, so... there’s no need to lie. Or deceive you.”
# # #
Could she cook? The short answer of it was... no. Of course, she could heat food up and make a couple of very basic things... like soup and pasta. Gaby thought about telling them that... and then she thought about what she was actually bringing to the team. She might be getting training, but if she couldn't do this simple job, then what use was she, compared to Illya and Solo, who had a lot more training than she did?
“I can do it.” Gaby nodded, faking a confidence she didn’t honestly feel.
“If you need any advice...” Solo let his voice trail off, figuring Gaby would pick up on his unspoken offer.
“Very good.” Waverly said. He handed them each a manila envelope, “These are your identities for this mission. Gaby will be a well respected chef from Germany who has recently arrived in London. Kyle has already hired her from reputation alone. Kuryakin, you’ll be Gaby's slightly overprotective brother. You’ll drive her to and from work, which will give you limited access to the kitchen. You’ll be responsible for bugging the place, and parking nearby to listen to what’s going on in the house. Solo, as I said, you’ll be a gem thief looking to export your illegally gained stones. Look over your cover stories tonight. Your mission starts tomorrow.”
Illya certainly didn't feel brotherly towards Gaby, but he was pleased to be playing her brother so that he could watch out for her.
Gaby opened her envelop and began looking through, trying to commit everything to memory so that it all sounded easy and natural when it came to it.
Solo didn't bother looking through his cover story just yet. He would have no problems stepping into a role that was so close to his old life. Instead, he looked at Gaby. “Want me to help you pick out a couple of dishes to try?”
Gaby shook her head without looking up. “I don’t need help.”
“If there are no other questions,” Waverly made a shooing gesture with his hands, “I suggest you all spend the rest of the day learning your cover stories. We’ll meet here again at seven o’clock tomorrow morning for a quick check in before Gaby and Illya go to meet Kyle.”
# # #
The following evening, Illya sat in a van two blocks away from Kyle’s estate, and listened to kitchen noises in one ear from the bug he'd put there, and the conversation between Kyle and Solo in his other ear from Solo’s bug. He wasn't sure exactly what Gaby was doing, but he'd had to turn the volume down on the kitchen bug to hear the conversation between Kyle and Solo. So far the two men hadn’t talked about anything important. The topics had ranged from horse racing, to the weather, and then to the Queen. With a sigh, Illya hoped that Gaby would have dinner ready soon so that it might prompt Solo to speed things along.
Lunch had actually gone better than Gaby had expected. She’d at least known how to cook one meal, so that hadn’t been a problem. Now? She didn't know what to do for dinner. So she was making soup... something that was basic, but she hoped she’d be able to pull it off.
Reminding herself it was all about being confident, Gaby placed the bowls on a tray and walked, quickly but carefully, through to the dining room, where the two men had moved in preparation for the meal.
Kyle smiled with relief when he saw his new chef bringing the first course. He would have to have a talk with her about serving meals promptly before she left with her Goliath of a brother for the night. Kyle turned to the man that he hoped would lead him to some new business and said, “Did I tell you that my new chef is from Germany?”
Solo smiled, easily keeping the persona of a charming businessman. “I don’t believe you mentioned that.” He might have made some comment about German cuisine, but didn’t want to put Gaby in a precarious position. Instead, he gave her a quick once-over. “She certainly looks the part.” Was he trying to needle Illya, who he was certain was listening in? He wasn't actually attracted to Gaby... but he knew the Russian was; and it was fun to get a rise out of his partner.
Gaby smiled, trying to keep a handle on her nerves, and placed a bowl in front of each of the men.
Kyle looked down at the watery looking soup and frowned. He dipped his spoon in and took a bite. He swallowed with effort and then set his spoon firmly back down on the table and glared at the girl who was embarrassing him in front of a prospective client. “What is the second course?” he asked stiffly.
“Uh...” Gaby faltered. “It's a fish dish, but it's going to be a few minutes longer. I need to go and check on it.” Maybe she should order something in? That would take longer, but it would give her a bit of time. She quickly began heading back to the kitchen, hoping she could get through this.
The hairs on the back of Illya’s neck started to stand up, as he got the feeling that something was distinctly wrong, but held his position for now.
When Kyle heard the words ‘a fish dish’, he knew this woman was no chef. Once she was back in the kitchen, he turned a fake polite smile to his prospective client and said, “Please enjoy the soup, I'm going to go speak to my chef for a moment. I'll be back directly.” He stood and followed the imposter to the kitchen.
Solo wasn’t fooled at all by the fake polite smile. He stood up, addressing Illya through the bugs. “There’s going to be trouble. Kyle just followed Gaby into the kitchen.”
Unable to respond to Solo, Illya rushed to the front seat of the van and started driving towards the estate. If he arrived and there wasn't actually a problem, he could play it off as being the concerned older brother getting there early to check on his sister on her first day of work.
Kyle stormed into the kitchen, walked up to the woman and said with a glare, “Who are you really?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Gaby took a step back, preparing to use some of the moves she’d been trained in. Even though she knew Solo, at least, and probably Illya as well would be through the door, there was no guarantee they’d get there in time... and Gaby wasn’t going to stand by and wait to be rescued.
Kyle’s hand snapped out and he grabbed her upper arm. “Don’t lie to me. You’re no chef. Tell me who you’re working for!”
Gaby didn't panic. She broke out of his grip and then aimed an uppercut at his jaw, planning to knock him out as quickly and cleanly as possible.
Caught completely off guard, Kyle stumbled backwards, tripped on a measuring cup that was on the floor and fell. He accidentally whacked the back of his head on the counter behind him on the way down and was out cold by the time he made it to the floor.
The van screeched to a halt as Illya parked at the back door to the estate. He rushed towards the kitchen, hoping that Gaby was alright.
Even moving as fast as he could, Solo only reached the kitchen seconds after Illya did. He looked around at the mess... both made by Kyle falling and by Gaby’s apparent lack of cooking skills. He walked over to check that their mark was still alive... and then frowned at Gaby. “You clearly can't cook... why did you claim you could?”
While Solo was checking on Kyle, Illya walked to Gaby and ran his hands down her arms. He had to touch her to assure himself she was alright. Before she could answer Solo’s question, he took her hand in both of his and asked, “Are you hurt?” Then Solo’s question registered in his brain and he added with a frown, “Wait, you can’t cook?”
“I... can cook.” Gaby’s eyes darted between the two men as she admitted, “One dish, at least. I thought I could manage for a couple of days.”
“You couldn’t. Obviously.” Solo shook his head. “You’d better get out of here before he wakes up... both of you. I can salvage this, but not if he sees you still here.”
Illya nodded. “We will meet you back at hotel.” He gently pulled at Gaby's arm and said, “Come.”
Gaby frowned, leaning back. “I can stay... help clean up.” Her eyes darted around, avoiding looking at Illya. She wasn't entirely sure he wouldn’t carry out his threat... and she didn’t want to be alone with him right now, even if that was normally something she was happy with.
Solo gave her a look that could have been exasperation. “I think you've done enough already.”
Illya frowned and pointed a finger at her. His worry for her and his irritation at being lied to made his accent thicker when he spoke. “You already have spanking coming for lying to me. Do not make it worse.”
Gaby couldn’t even claim to be very surprised. Her eyes immediately flew to Solo, as she opened her mouth to appeal to him.
“I’m not involved in this,” Solo said. “I’d say the Russian has a point.”
Surprised that Solo actually was backing him up, Illya said, “Thank you, Cowboy.” He gave Gaby a displeased glare, tightened his grip on her upper arm and pulled her across the kitchen towards the exit.
Gaby was even more surprised that Solo was backing Illya up... enough so that she didn’t start struggling again until they were through the kitchen door. But then she remembered Kyle and her struggles slowed. She fully intended to renew them as soon as it was ‘safe’ to, though.
Illya opened the passenger side door of the van, put Gaby in it and even went so far as to buckle her in, the need to protect her in overdrive while thinking of what could have happened if Kyle had decided to attack first and ask questions later. He got in on his side of the van and started driving towards their hotel while trying to calm himself down.
“I’m not a child!” That was the first thing Gaby blurted out, embarrassed at being buckled into the van like she was. A fleeting thought of undoing her seatbelt and opening the van’s door appeared... but vanished before she could consider it. She wasn’t going to seriously injure herself trying to get away and she did trust Illya... mostly...
His finger started tapping on the steering wheel when her outburst shattered the calm he was trying to achieve. “No,” he said firmly. “This is not conversation for van.” He took a deep breath and focused on his English. “We will talk about this at the hotel.”
While it was tempting to ignore his directions and let herself get riled up, it occurred to Gaby they were in a van. An enclosed space. Did she really want to be making him more irritated when she had zero chance of fending him off? Gaby subsided, but still bristled, ignoring the very small part of her that had realised she shouldn’t have lied; and it wasn’t as if she hadn’t known the consequences.
By the time they made it back to their hotel, Illya was much more calm. He still wasn’t happy with her for lying, but his adrenaline rush had gone down now that he knew she was safe. He parked, opened her door for her and held his hand out to help her down. “We’ll talk in your room.”
“I don’t think we need to talk.” Gaby eyed the outside speculatively as she undid her seatbelt, wondering how much of a head start she’d have if she ran from him. Probably not much of one... but she wasn’t going to meekly go along with his plan.
He watched her eyes darting around and reached out to take her arm as he ‘helped’ her out of the van. “You want to start with spanking first? That's fine. We’ll talk after.” He pulled her towards the lobby doors.
Although she was fairly sure that there were people around who could see, Gaby immediately put her energy into struggling to break Illya’s grip. “You can’t do this!” she hissed, pulling back... or trying to, anyway. She had no idea how he was as strong as he was.
He glanced down at her with irritation. The image of a frightened kitten who was hissing to try and scare off a large dog went through his mind when she glared back at him and tried to yank her arm away. Some of his irritation with her melted with that mental image. Wanting to avoid a scene in the lobby, he said, “Do not be frightened, little Gaby,” and scooped her up with one arm behind her knees and the other behind her back. He headed to the elevator and added, “It will not be so bad, but trust me, you do not want spanking here in lobby.”
Gaby let out a startled... well, she didn't want to call it a shriek. But that was what came out of her mouth. The next moment, her hand flew to her mouth as she thought about whether to call for help or not. But she didn’t want to draw even more attention to what was happening than she had already. She already felt mortified enough.
Illya stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for their floor, all while keeping her in his arms. Luckily, they had the elevator to themselves and only four floors to ride up.
She started to demand that he put her down... but there was a part of her that actually liked Illya holding her like this. She thought she shouldn’t be attracted to that... but she was. Instead of the demand, she started trying to placate him. “You really don’t need to... do this. I already learned not to lie.”
Her definition of ‘need to’ and his were clearly not the same. He ignored the first half of her statement for now and said, “Why did you lie?”
“Because...” Her voice trailed off in embarrassment. Her next words were much quieter. “I didn’t see any other way I could be useful.”
He shook his head. “You always have value...” He unconsciously held her closer and then realized how that might sound and added, “...To the team.” The elevator dinged and the doors swished open. He carried her down the hall to her room. He set her on her feet and gestured to the door. “Inside.”
Again, Gaby considered running for it. Since Illya had just proved he had no trouble picking her up (and she really didn’t want to draw even more attention to herself), she sighed and unlocked the door... though she didn't plan to be this cooperative inside.
Once they were both inside with the door shut, Illya grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards her bed.
She immediately began struggling and pulling back; or trying to, at least. While she didn’t expect to be able to break Illya’s hold, she wasn't going to give in without a fight. “Illya, stop!” What was meant to sound like an order sounded anything but.
Illya tightened his grip and didn’t stop until they were at the bed. He sat down on the corner of it, kept his hand around her wrist to make sure she couldn’t escape, and used his other hand to push at her hip until she was standing directly in front of him. “Is there anything you have to say before you go over my knee? An apology maybe?”
Gaby continued tugging at her wrist, trying to take a step back, fighting as much as she could. She ignored his question, a rising feeling of panic making it nearly impossible for her to actually hear what he was saying.
Growing tired of her continued struggles, he said, “Stubborn.” In one swift move, he flipped her down across his lap and let go of her wrist. He put one hand in the middle of her back to keep her in place and said, “I like strong women, but this is fight you can’t win.” He gave her one solid smack to the center of her backside.
She jumped, her mouth falling open in a startled yelp. She clenched her mouth shut, determined not to make another sound, and resumed her struggling, trying to twist herself away from his lap.
He pursed his lips at her ridiculous struggling. He wrapped his entire arm around her waist to keep her still and pulled her in tight against his stomach before flipping her short skirt up and out of the way. He was momentarily distracted by the sight of her silk panties, but forced himself to stay on task. He started slapping her rear end, moving from left to right, even though his hand was large enough to cover most of her tiny bottom with each strike.
Even though Gaby was held still, she didn't submit, jerking her legs as she continued to react to the spanking. There was a part of her that thought, as unpleasant as the spanking was, Illya being dominant was attractive. That thought flew out of her head as her backside became uncomfortably heated and she threw her hand back.
He paused when her hand came back. He let go of her waist long enough to take her wrist and then tucked her arm under her own stomach as he held her in place again. “You will not lie to me, Solo, or Waverly. Is dangerous for all of us if you do.” He started slapping again, but aimed a little lower, hitting her naked upper thighs.
She couldn’t stop the soft whimper... though she wasn't sure if it was at the increase in pain, his words, or a combination of the two. A soft sniffle escaped her as that part of her that had been feeling guilty surfaced once more... this time stronger.
He didn’t let her whimper deter him. He covered every bit of her rear end and upper thighs with red handprints from the top of her panties down to mid thigh. He could see the skin on her thighs turning a dark pink. He paused to say, “I can do this for long time, Gaby. If you don't apologize soon and show me that you are sorry...” He snapped the elastic of her underwear onto her side “...I will treat you like child instead of woman and pull these down.” He started spanking on top of the panties again.
By now, she’d been crying softly into her free arm, trying to keep the sound muffled. At Illya’s words, her breath hitched as she blurted, “I am sorry... I know I shouldn’t have lied.” Or that was what she tried to say, anyway. Her breathing was rough, coming almost in pants, and wet with tears. She wasn’t sure even she knew what she was saying.
As soon as he heard her apology, he gave her two slightly harder smacks, one to each sit spot, and then stopped spanking. He let go of her captured wrist, but kept his arm around her waist to keep her over his lap. He rested his spanking hand on her lower thigh and said, “Once you calm down, you tell me what you have learned and I decide if this spanking is done or not done.”
The pause didn't really help. Gaby's breath hitched as she fought to calm down... but it was nearly impossible to stop the tears. What had she learned? Well... not lying; but she wasn’t sure if that would be an acceptable answer or not. “I’ve learned not to... lie while on a mission?” She hated how uncertain she sounded, but although he’d made his point about lying clear, she didn’t know if he was looking for something else.
He moved his spanking hand back up to the center of her bottom and said, “You sound unsure. Are you asking question, or giving answer?”
She flinched and sounded more certain as she spoke next. “I shouldn't lie on a mission... I'm not going to lie on a mission again.” Not if this was the consequence.
“Good.” He knew it wasn't exactly appropriate behavior, but he couldn't help himself from gently rubbing her bottom for a few seconds. “And when we’re not on a mission? Will you lie to me then?”
“No? I guess... you don’t want me to lie to you when we’re not on a mission.” Gaby's voice wasn't exactly flippant... but after lying to him the last time, she had no intention of doing so again. This had been different. She didn't want to be useless.
His hand stilled. “Hmm... If you’re not sure, I think we are not done with spanking.” He gave her six sharp smacks to reignite the sting.
Gaby jumped, tears falling once more. “No! I am sure! I just... I only lied because I was embarrassed. I can’t do nearly as much as you and Solo... But I wouldn’t lie to you personally. Not again,” she muttered, her voice trembling.
He heard honesty in her voice and he believed that she had learned the lesson he was trying to teach her.
He smoothed her skirt back down to cover her rear end and gently flipped her over. He pulled her upright so that she was sitting on his lap. He wrapped one arm around her back with his hand resting at her hip, and cupped her face with his other hand so she would look at him. “You have it all wrong, Gaby. You are the only woman on our team. That makes you invaluable in many situations. None of us would have thought less of you for not being able to cook, only for lying about it.”
Gaby sniffled as she tried to calm down, wondering if she should be embarrassed to be sitting on Illya’s lap. Then again... he had just spanked her, so maybe she shouldn’t feel so embarrassed. She made eye contact with him. “I do understand. I just couldn’t see what else I could have done.”
He wiped some of her tears away with his thumb. “You could have still gone in as chef. Solo could have taught you something easy to cook, or we could have had food brought to you.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You are always useful to the team.”
She took a deep breath and nodded, the comfort helping her to calm down further. Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around Illya and hugged him. While she wasn’t sure he would be entirely comfortable with that, it helped calm some of the inner turmoil.
He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace and said softly, “All is forgiven. I believe you will not lie to me again.”
“I won’t.” Now she’d calmed down (even though she was still sore), Gaby couldn’t help but react to the close proximity to Illya, pressing herself closer as she leaned in so she could kiss him.
Caught slightly off guard, it took him a fraction of a second to respond to the kiss, but once he did, it was enthusiastic. He’d imagined this moment several times over the past month since they’d known each other. He’d been attracted to her from the beginning, but he’d tried to stifle his urges for the sake of the team and their missions. But now that she was here in his lap, kissing him, he couldn’t contain those urges anymore. He cupped the back of her head with a hand and pressed their lips together more firmly.
Half-worried that Illya would pull away from her or reject her (even though Gaby was fairly certain he was attracted to her), she was relieved when Illya responded and she responded as he acted, deepening their kiss.
Several seconds later, he reluctantly pulled back to break the kiss, but kept his eyes on hers. “Gaby... I need to go back and check on Solo. You should get some rest. Today was emotional day for you.” He didn’t want her doing something in her vulnerable state that she’d later regret.
She considered arguing with him, but now that he mentioned it, she could feel how emotionally drained she was. She carefully slid off his lap, trying to stifle a whimper as that movement hurt.
He heard the whimper and hoped that he wouldn’t have to spank her again anytime soon. He stood and brushed the backs of his fingers down the side of her face. “It will be less painful tomorrow.” He kissed the top of her head once before stepping away towards the door. “Sleep good. We will see you in the morning.”
Gaby stepped over to the door, so she could close and lock it behind him. Her emotions felt a bit over the place and she wanted to take a couple of seconds to calm herself down. “If you do need to tell me anything urgently, you know where to find me.”
Illya stepped through the door and said, “Goodnight.” He waited until he’d heard the lock engage on her door before heading back to Kyle’s to see if Solo needed any help.
Gaby returned to her bed, laying down on her stomach. Her thoughts and emotions were all over the place... She wasn’t really sure how she felt, except she didn’t want to be in this position again... Well, not exactly, at least. The spanking itself had been embarrassing and painful. But Illya taking control like that?
She wouldn’t mind if that happened again.
She closed her eyes, a bit irritated that she felt so tired and emotionally drained, and finally slipped into sleep.
# # #
Illya walked up to Gaby’s hotel room the next morning and checked his watch before knocking. He was a few minutes early, but he figured a few moments to talk to Gaby alone before Solo arrived would be a good thing. He’d had trouble sleeping the night before because of the kiss they'd shared, and even though he was trying not to show it, he was anxious to see her and make sure she was okay now that she’d had some time to process what had happened. He decided ten minutes wasn’t too early and knocked on her door.
Having woken up fairly early, Gaby had had a shower and was just running a towel over her hair when she heard the knock on the door. She walked over and opened the door, smiling as she saw Illya standing outside... even though she thought she should really be upset with him still. “Good morning.”
He returned her smile, resisted the urge to touch her, and stepped into the room. “Good morning, Gaby. How are you feeling this morning?”
She stepped back so that he could enter the room, then closed the door as she shrugged. There was still a whole myriad of emotions related to the previous evening... but she went for the safest option. “A little embarrassed, really... I'm sorry I lied.”
“It is already forgiven,” he said with sincerity, while purposely leaving his hands at his sides, even though they itched to reach out an touch her. “You are not too sore?” He couldn’t think of a more delicate way to ask, but wanted to make sure he hadn’t been too hard on her. “Or angry with me?”
“Sore? Not really... a little, I guess.” She set the towel down and stepped closer to Illya. “I’m not angry... though I kind of think I should be.”
He took the step that separated them and put both his hands on her face. “I’m glad you’re not,” he said softly, before leaning in to give her a kiss.
Gaby started to respond, but then glanced over as she heard the door open. She hadn't actually locked it after Illya entered, figuring anyone coming inside who shouldn’t be (anyone apart from Solo) could be handled by him; and if someone really wanted to get inside, a locked room wouldn't stop them.
Solo stepped into the room, raising his eyebrows. “Am I interrupting something?”
Illya broke off the kiss and let go of Gaby. “No,” he said with a deep scowl. He had to remind himself that Gaby wasn’t actually his woman, even if he’d been thinking of her that way for a while now. Wanting to break the tension in the room, he said, “Should we order room service for breakfast?”
Solo smirked. “We can stand to order something a bit more expensive to celebrate... I got the information we needed. And I didn’t need any help doing so.”
Gaby shook her head, but didn’t feel as irritated as she’d expected. “You’re paying for breakfast, then?” she asked Solo sweetly.
Illya rolled his eyes and waved Solo towards the phone. “If you want something special, you order; and you did have help. You might not have got information out of Kyle if he hadn’t been knocked out. You told him Gaby had knife to his throat and you chased her off. Of course he will trust you after that.”
Solo walked over to the phone. “That’s not the point. I was still able to get the information, without any further mishaps.” He picked up the phone and began ordering.
Illya turned to Gaby and said, “Before we were interrupted, I was going to tell you that we got the information. We will need to call Waverly and report in this morning.”
Gaby nodded. “Should we report in now? Or wait until after breakfast?”
“We wait.” Illya glanced at Solo, who was still ordering, and said to Gaby, “We three need to decide what we will tell Waverly about your part in the mission.”
Gaby grimaced at the reminder of how she’d come so close to messing up the mission. “I don’t suppose there's any way we could not tell him everything?”
Illya pursed his lips, not liking that idea, but not liking the alternative either. He waited until Solo was off the phone and then said, “We need to talk before we report to Waverly.”
Solo nodded. “How do you think we should handle this?” he asked Illya. “If we don’t say anything to Waverly and he finds out some other way, there could be problems.”
Illya nodded in agreement and turned to Gaby. “You know Waverly better than us. I prefer you being honest and Solo is right, if Waverly finds out later, he could be angry. Maybe angry enough to take you off team. But if you think being honest now will make him take you off team, maybe we don't tell him everything.” A surge of anxiety at the thought of her leaving hit him and he honestly couldn't tell if his feelings for her were impairing his judgment. He turned to Solo and said, “You can teach her to cook, yes? So it wouldn't be problem again.”
Gaby looked a bit hesitant, glancing between the two men. “I... suppose it would be better to be honest.” It was a bit nerve-wracking, but she decided she’d follow the advice of her two partners.
“I can teach you to cook,” Solo said. “And sometimes things go wrong... people make mistakes. Not me, but that's not the point.”
Illya ignored Solo’s egotistical remark and focused on Gaby. “So we tell him your cooking wasn't good enough to pass scrutiny and leave it at that. I'm sure Waverly will be more interested in hearing what Solo found out anyway.”
Gaby nodded. “I’m sure you're right.”
“And now that we’ve settled that...” Solo walked over towards the minibar. “We might as well congratulate ourselves on a job well done. Champagne?”
Feeling better now that they had a plan, Illya sat down on the couch and scowled at Solo. “If you think this was a job well done, I would hate to see what a bad job looks like.”
“I got the information and none of us were hurt. So it was a success.” Solo poured out glasses of champagne for them.
Illya took the glass Solo offered him and said, “Your idea of success and mine are not the same.” He turned to Gaby. “Would you call this mission a success?”
Gaby took the glass with a thoughtful frown. “I’d say that the end result was a success... maybe not the rest of it.”
Solo walked to the door as there was a knock on it. He opened the door and one of the hotel porters came in with the food he’d ordered. Once the man was gone, he spoke. “Let’s not waste time dwelling on what went wrong. We know what we’re going to do next time, right?”
Illya smiled at Gaby and said, “This is good idea. No more looking back, we look forward now.” He went to the cart of food and gestured for Gaby to get herself a plate before he got one for himself.
Soon, the three of them were all eating breakfast while Solo regaled them with his story of getting information out of Kyle.
The End
Email Author
(Feedback makes me happy.)
Return to RPG Stories
