Starring ...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I'm a little late, but this is my story for the What's My Line? Challenge
This duet is also heard on the soundtrack to Woman on Top.
Just think Illya and Coco...

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Starring...


It seemed a ludicrous concept to the Russian agent.  He was accustomed to utilizing his musical talents in the course of a mission, just as Napoleon called upon his, ummm... specialties.  Generally speaking, the American didn't need an audience in the pursuit of a beautiful woman, nor would Mister Waverly have approved of any sort of public display.

But Illya Kuryakin seemed destined to be on disiplay, whether on stage in an off-broadway production or now, in this impossibly ridiculous corporate musical being pitched to the Old Man now by the Section VII head of operations. The charity front, also in charge of public relations in general, was trying to convince Waverly of the benefit of something called a Corporate Musical, a venture intended to promote a positive image while offering otherwise unseen operatives an opportunity to be, well... seen.

The life of an UNCLE operative was secretive, their roles in saving the world on a regular basis something that no one outside of the Command understood or recognized as a viable function.  A Corporate Musical could be a morale booster, letting the employees engage and receive well deserved recognition in a non-threatening manner.  It had all of the perks and none of the drawbacks.

Unless...

"Sir, I serve at your pleasure, of course, but..." Waverly put up a hand to stop his young agent from digging a hole from which he might never emerge.

"Mister Kuryakin, you have a singular talent that will benefit this enterprise.  And in a turn of events that... ' Waverly smiled, an expression that suddently struck a measure of fear into the blond's usually calm demeanor.

"A new member of our staff is someone who was inspired by her encounter with you, and you Mister Solo.'  Napoleon smiled in response to the idea that a new woman was joining his list of possible dating partners.

"A Miss Coco Cool is now employed as a member of the Section VII team of event planners and logistical technicians."  Illya blanched at the memory of a young woman who had become smitten with him, hoping to lure him into some musical venture.  How did she end up in UNCLE?

"Sir, Miss Cool and I were merely abducted by that peculiar industrialist who put on a ludicrous prank, a ridiculous flying saucer charade.  She was very young, how is it she is here, working for the Command?" That wasn't his only question, but he dared not ask what it was that might involve them both.

Napoleon was gauging the impact of this little scenario, wondering if he would also be included in this musical.  Perhaps he could emcee the show, it was a natural choice.

Waverly could see that Kuryakin was resisting this entire concept, but he had an ulterior motive that needn't be revealed just yet.

"Mister Kuryakin, the show will go on, and you will be singing with Miss Cool.  How she got here is not of importance at the moment, but teaching her this song is.  You do speak Portuguese, do you not?"

Puzzled at the question, Illya nodded in the affirmative, accompanied by a dutiful 'yes sir'.

Very well then, rehearsals begin tonight.' He produced some sheet music, handing it to the reluctant crooner. "Please learn this song, and do be civil to Miss Cool.  She is merely doing a job that has been assigned to her. That is all gentlemen, the show premieres in two days."

Napoleon got up and waited on his partner to do the same.  Illya was glaring at the music in front of him, wondering how he managed to get into these situations time and again.  Noticing that Napoleon was waiting on him, he also rose from his chair and walked out of Waverly's office at his partner's side.

Later that evening found Illya waiting in a small theater several blocks from Headquarters.  A group of people from Section VII were there as well, clipboards in hand as they marked off details listed on various papers.  This arm of the Command was for publicity, propaganda and in charge of a charity front that operated both openly and covertly.  Illya was beginning to formulate an idea concerning this musical, and what was actually going on.  The probability that Coco Cool had actually joined the Command and was part of Section VII still seemed nearly unbelievable.  But, Waverly had explained it as an inspiration to serve that she had picked up during their time together.  It had been a couple of years, she was a sophomore in college and possibly not the impressionable girl he had encountered.

It was as he mused on this that Coco appeared.  She looked more sophisticated than he remembered, and suddenly the time they had shared was a vivid memory.  He rose to greet her, buffing her cheek with a kiss.

"Hello Illya.  I bet you were surprised to find out I was here, working for UNCLE." Her smile was radiant, not a sign of the crush she had developed during the affair with the crazy spaceship hoax.

"I was, a little. It seems we are to revisit our little duo, the... what did you call it? A combo." Her response to that was to laugh, her memory of Illya was fresh, but not as he might have feared.

"I loved singing with you, no doubt about it.  I guess growing up, just a little, has put perspective on all of it.' Coco took a deep breath, maybe not as over him as she would have hoped.

"So, what are we going to sing?"

...................

Waverly's 'musical' was a ruse that he hoped would prove valuable in exposing a THRUSH mole within the ranks of his organization.  This problem raised its ugly head far too often, and both sides of the ongoing conflict between UNCLE and THRUSH would use nearly anything in order to thwart the opposition.  He was fairly certain of who the mole was, and believed the man would make his move tonight during the big production.

The night of the show found all of the individuals involved in performances assembled at the theater, each of them taking care to stay focused on his or her part.  Illya and Coco were in a shared dressing room, running through their song once more.  Illya had grown appreciative of the young woman's changed attitude and maturity.  She could still sing, and had quickly learned the song, picking up the correct accent for a language unknown to her.  Why she was here, working for Section VII, was still a puzzle.  She wasn't yet out of college; her father, the scientist who had alerted UNCLE to the spaceship hoax two years ago, had passed away recently.  He didn't know the details and Coco hadn't offered any.  There was something in all of it, however, that set off a series of alarms.

Alexander Waverly sat between two Section III agents, his concerns not so much for himself but for the young woman singing a duet with Kuryakin.  He believed that the man they were after was the one who had assasinated Doctor Cool, Coco's father.  His research was coveted by THRUSH, and after several attempts, the man Waverly sought to expose had succeded in stealing several key documents and killing Adrian Cool.  Coco still possessed the other documents necessary to fully interpreting Adrian Cool's research, and her presence here was to help catch the man responsible for her father's death.

Illya didn't yet know all of this, but his instincts were on high alert; he sensed something more to Coco's story than what he had been told.  As for the need for secrecy, the determination had been made to keep this affair between a select few.  Napoleon was aware of it, and of course Waverly and Coco.  Keeping Illya in the dark had been a problem for Napoleon until it was explained to him that it might interfere with his reaction to Miss Cool.  Everything had to seem normal, for whatever that might entail.

The THRUSH mole had a role in the production as a background singer, part of the chorus.  He wouldn't be on stage with Illya and Coco, but it had been arranged for him to have access to her between scenes.  Coco was aware of the potential danger, but she wanted to catch the man responsible for her father's death, and if this would make it happen, she was willing to risk everything.  Being with Illya again had sparked a few emotions, surprising her and making their duet even more authentic.  She was sensing something similar in his attitude towards her, no longer viewing her as a silly teenager.

When it came time for their song, Illya and Coco took the stage like professionals. Unknown to Illya, Coco was following her youthful dreams of a career in music.  When the two of them began rehearsals, she revisited her declaration that they had what it took to 'make it big'.  He still had that resonate tone, the sexy demeanor that made her knees weak.  The audience caught all of that and more, captivating the house with the charisma and chemistry on stage.

They ended to rousing applause, something that made Illya take Coco in his arms and kiss her.  An audible sigh went up from the women in the audience, and although it was a shortened version of what Illya really wanted to do, the desired effect was accomplished. Coco saw stars when their lips met, and then he was pulling her offstage to more applause.  When he had her out of view of the audience, he took her once more and kissed her with all of the passion he was feeling for the young woman.  She responded in kind, forgetting momentarily that her real job here was to catch her father's killer.

As the two romantics came up for air, Illya felt a gun in his back.  He was immediately alert, something that corresponded to Coco's awareness of the man standing behind Illya.

"Okay you two, we're going to walk slowly and calmly to the exit, and then..." He stopped suddenly as the barrel of a gun was pressed again his skull.

"I think what you mean to say is that we're going to lock you up and throw away the key." It was Napoleon, and on cue he had been ready to apprehend the man when he made his move on Coco.  It seemed a shame that he interrupted a perfectly good kiss, although he was fairly certain that these two would somehow get a second chance at kindling a romance.

When everything was fully explained to Illya, he understood the need for keeping him out of the loop, so to speak.  His admiration for Coco's determination to get the man responsible for her father's death only added to his impression of her as a newly matured young woman.  He was attracted to her, and the feelings that prompted the kiss were still simmering away, engendering a real desire to spend time with her.

Alexander Waverly had invited a friend in the music business to attend the show, willing to help the young woman in her pursuit of a career.  He hadn't quite expected the man to want to sign them both, and decided that Mister Kuryakin didn't need to know he was being courted for a new career.  Coco did want music to be her life, however, and Illya became the affair that never was.

In later years she would seek him out for a different reason entirely, but for now, her life was going to take a turn that would make her famous. 

Coco & Illya Page

Comments

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this satisfying and canonesque post-affair affair. A musical is a great ploy, and I would have loved to have watched.

Good work on Coco, and the Illya/Coco. We're looking forward to that later adventure.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

They did make a good vocal duo. Thanks for the encouragement for writing another chapter in their story.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Excellent job with this! Unfortunately it was a prompt around which I couldn't wrap my head.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I had the song already, just needed a story to go with it.

[ssclassof56.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this story and for running with my crazy prompt. What a great idea to bring Coco back! I wish we had heard more from that combo. They sounded so good together.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I loved the idea, so thank you for that. Coco and Illya seemed to fit the song, and I really wanted to do a story around that song :D