LAPOCHKA, CROSS MY HEART.

The Vegas Rule

Nallya had always been a light sleeper because it was required in her line of work. but she never actually slept. In the almost two decades that she has lived, she started to think that every decision always landed on the same platform despite the differences in choices. It almost always came around to bite her in the ass. The recent one being escaping where she works. She was an asset to them. She figured that out when they hired a doctor from the opposing side to treat her when she almost died. What she doesn't know is in what way could she be so valuable. Obviously not as herself but something she was never told about her because she was treated like shit ever since she got picked up by Illya and the only reason it was so tolerable all those years was because of him.

Nallya was staring at the extravagant ceiling of the hotel room, running memories through her head again and again.

The sound of the shower stops and there were soft steps on the carpet and it halts just by her feet, where the mattress dips. She sits up and look at Illya who has his bare back turned to her, glistening as the water from his hair drops to leave trails.

"I have not seen you in years..." he says, not turning around.

"How have you been?" He was twiddling with his thumbs on his lap waiting for a response. He felt guilty for not leaving a goodbye before vanishing from the organization. He knew that she could handle herself, but he also knew what they've been doing to her all the years. The thought of her dealing with it all alone makes him feel ashamed.

".. better than I've ever been.." she replied, hugging her knees against her chest.

"I'm sorry." He looks at her. Making sure she knew, and she saw, how truly sorry he was.

"For what?" Her eyebrows quirked at the unexpected apology.

"I should not have left without telling you anything. Especially in their hands.."

"Are you saying my dear Illya has changed allegiance?" She teases, nudging the older man with  her foot.

He puts a hand on her foot, running his thumb over it.

"No.. I just know what they're capable of. They treated you twice as badly as they did me when I was taken... " Nallya stops his hand  and crawled over to sit by his side. She rested her head on his arm since she still could not reach past his shoulders sitting down.

"But I had you there before.. three years isn't much, Illya."

"Not about time... nothing is sacred to them. You know well the things they had made me do to you even when I was there."Illya's voice lowered, running the scene in his head and clenching his fists.

"You did what you had to. I told you I forgive you."

"You were thirteen, Mishka. You didn't speak or look at me or anyone.You suffered because of me."

"Don't do this to yourself...That was there; Before. Don't bring it with you."Nallya soothes his white knuckles with her thumb and slowly unclenched the fists.

- flashback -

Agents, Directors, everyone who was working behind the iron curtains. They noticed. They noticed how much closer Kuryakin and the girl had grown throughout the years. 7 years to be exact. And they used this against them whenever they had the chance. Of course the two knew better than to let them have that, so they follow orders as it was told and do them perfectly. Any mistake is punishable. They knew that when they were told ANY it meant ANY. It might be a small slip up but the consequences were still jarring.