THE
THANKSGIVING WISH AFFAIR
"Tell me again
why we must do this...?" Illya Kuryakin eyed the object in his partner's
hand suspiciously.
"It's
tradition," Napoleon Solo explained.
"Like blowing out candles on a birthday cake."
"So, we each
wrap a finger around a piece of this...thing...then we make a wish, break it,
and whoever ends up with the bigger half gets their wish. Correct?"
"By Jove, I
think he's got it!" Napoleon said, holding out the dried wishbone from the
Thanksgiving turkey they had catered in from a local restaurant.
"But what is the
point?" Illya said, querulous to the end.
"I have never received what I wished for when I have blown out my
birthday candles."
Napoleon's mood
dampened. "Illya...What was it you
wished for? I would have bought it for
you if you had dropped me a hint."
"Unfortunately,
what I want is something that cannot be purchased," Illya said, smiling
crookedly. "Still, maybe I will
have better luck breaking this...thing."
"You'd have even
better luck if you told me what it is
you want," Napoleon said, searching his friend's face as if the answer
were written there. "Christmas is
coming up and I haven't gotten you your present yet. This is the perfect time to tell me..."
Illya's lips closed
in a tight line.
"Alright,"
Napoleon sighed, knowing it would take nothing less than THRUSH's strongest
truth serum to get the answer out of the stubborn Russian. "Make a wish then tell me when you're
ready."
"Ready,"
Illya said with a bob of his head.
"Okay, when I
count to three, we both pull hard.
One...two...three!"
With a small cracking
sound, the wishbone snapped. When the
dust settled, so to speak, the blond Agent held the bigger half.
"You win!"
Napoleon cheered good-naturedly.
"That means your wish will come true!"
<><><><><>
One month later,
Illya Kuryakin unpacked the last of his belongings in the bedroom he would
forever be sharing with U.N.C.L.E.'s CEA.
Opening a fireproof lockbox, his hands brushed over the contents:
important papers, photographs of his family, trinkets from around the
world...and the winning half of a broken wishbone.
After five years of
hoping, he had finally gotten his wish: Napoleon Solo had sworn to him his
undying love...
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