section7mfu | Song Story - 7/17 - My Life Has Changed (Reply)

Mister Waverly was in the midst of reading The Guardian when there was a knock on his door. It was well before normal working hours, but he was expecting his CEA.

"Come in and be seated, Mister Solo."

Napoleon entered as requested, closing the door behind him before taking a seat. His body language clearly showed both his curiosity and apprehension about being called into a meeting so early. Mister Waverly took his time, filling his faithful old pipe and lighting it, before speaking again.

"Do settle down, Mister Solo. This is not about your performance, which has been exemplary; your recent mission, which was a success; nor about your expense reports, which always inject a bit of humor into my day. My concern is a more personal one. Since I have teamed you with Mister Kuryakin, the partnership seems to be a good match for both of you, yet I have noted that you have been brooding of late."

"I'm sorry, Mister Waverly. I didn't realize my mood was so obvious."

"Tut, tut, Mister Solo. I doubt it is obvious to anyone not well acquainted with you. Besides, one cannot help having moods. We are all, after all, only human. What concerns me is the reason behind that mood. Is Mister Kuryakin no longer working well with you?"

Napoleon hesitated, then decided that the full truth was best.

"Honestly, sir? Illya . . . Mister Kuryakin has worked out too well."

Taking a puff of his pipe, Mister Waverly didn't immediately reply, but a frown formed. Two more puffs later, he shook his head slightly.

"I am afraid that I do not follow you, Mister Solo. Please elucidate."

"You do remember that I fought having a permanent partner."

"I am old, but not yet senile, Mister Solo. I remember your objections very well. What has . . . "

Stopping in mid-sentence, Mister Waverly took another puff of his pipe and then began to smile.

"Good lord, man - is that what all this is about? You've discovered all your objections to a permanent partner do not apply to Mister Kuryakin?"

"That is part of it, sir, but the part that has me brooding is that I've discovered I'm counting on his backup now. All of my contingency plans used to only take into account my own actions. It sounds peculiar, but that makes me feel . . . somewhat insecure."

"I believe that is a natural feeling, Mister Solo. Do believe me when I say that it is a step in the correct direction. You have begun to rely on your partner to the point that you now feel slightly uneasy at the prospect of having to do without him. But consider this. You have lost none of your abilities. If a situation arises where you must carry on by yourself, you still have all the means to do so and I have every faith that you would be able to complete your mission as you have in the past. However, while you may still bear that burden alone on occasion, you no longer need to do so constantly. You may, so to speak, distribute the weight of a mission's load with Mister Kuryakin and trust that he can shoulder his share."

A thoughtful look crossed Napoleon's face.

"Is that why you insisted I take a partner?"

"A man who takes too much weight onto his own shoulders too often eventually gives under the strain, Mister Solo. You are far too valuable an agent for me to allow you to undermine yourself. I have lost and will continue to lose agents in this fight of ours, but losing a man to something that preventable? Wasteful. And you know how I detest waste."

"Yes, sir. And thank you, sir."

"This is the sort of thing that I am here for, Mister Solo. We all need a bit of help now and again. I firmly believe it is a sign of strength to be able to acknowledge when help is needed and to seek it out. Now, I have a new assignment for you and Mister Kuryakin. You should have just enough time to review it before his arrival."

With a toss that was more calculated than it seemed, the folder slid to a stop directly in front of Napoleon. He picked it up and stood.

"I'll get right on it, sir."

"Good man. Feet on the ground and best face forward. Dismissed."

As Napoleon walked down the hall back to the office he now shared with Illya, he could almost feel his mood improving with every step. He hadn't lost his independence or his ability to do a mission on his own. He'd only lost the need to do it on his own.

At his desk, Mister Waverly heard it quite clearly when Napoleon began to whistle in the hall. Ah, the resilience of youth. Smiling to himself, he picked up the next folder from his inbox and began debating which team would be best to handle that mission.