LOGINShare
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Back at U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, Don was able to find Melanie a blouse from the undercover agent's wardrobe. She changed her top and waited, alone, as Don took Wyatt into the interrogation room. Whenever the front door opened, she half expected to see Stuart walk in, then she sadly remembered that he wasn't going to be walking into any room ever again. She hoped that someone from the agency would contact his sister and brothers and that they would tell them that he died saving her life and omit the part about him being the one who had put that life, and others, in jeopardy in the first place.
Melanie was exhausted. Even though it was just past nine, she felt her eyes close. Just as she began to doze off, Don entered the room. In spite of what they had shared on the boat, Melanie couldn't read anything in his expression. She had no doubt that he was well trained in concealing his emotions, even from himself.
"What's going to happen to Wyatt?" Melanie asked
Related chapters
Undercover Reunion Epilogue
The obituary that appeared in the Abbeyville Newspress reported that the brother of Jack Gaynes, Wyatt William Gaynes, was killed in an accidental fire at his downtown stationery store.Even after his supposed death, Jack received top billing, and Wyatt's name was mentioned second. Jack led the memorial service which was short and sparsely attended. Brenda chose to stay home.James O'Brien turned over all of his financial statements to the FEC, and after paying several thousands in fines, was completely exonerated. He re-introduced the bill to ban the toxic dye, which pasted unanimously, and his continued work on environmental issues further helped his political career.James was offered the choice of running for Governor or U.S. Senate, but Katie made it quite clear that she neither wanted to move to Washington, nor have a part-time long distance husband. Eighteen months later, she and her family moved into the Governor's mansion in St. Paul.Charles Hau
Undercover Reunion Prologue
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!""Shut up, Chuck. We're not going to die."If he doesn't quit his whining, I'll kill him myself, Melanie thought as she ran her fingers along the concrete blocks feeling for an opening. "Katie, can you find any cracks on your side of the room?""No, Mel. However Wyatt built this place, he made sure whoever or whatever he put in here wouldn't be able to get out."Katie tried to clear the dust away from an area on the floor next to Eric and Chuck, who had already resigned to their fate several minutes earlier. "I give up," he sighed, slumping down onto the dirty concrete."Melanie, you should listen to Katie and take a break," Chuck groaned. "I'm sure Wyatt will be back soon to let us out. He wouldn't seriously leave us in here to suffocate to death.""I don't know, Chuck," Eric continued to run his fingers over the concrete wall. "That warning shot he fired at the ceiling looked pretty threatening to me. Then he forced u
Undercover Reunion Chapter One - Six Months Prior
This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor."Dammit, not again."Melanie cursed at the annoying error message on the computer monitor which cut off her instant message in mid-sentence. She clicked the re-set button then went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee while she waited for the system to re-boot.One of these days, I'll have to connect to DSL, she thought as the annoying buzzing of the dial-up connection permeated the room. She had been in the middle of a friendly argument with her best friend about their upcoming high school reunion, and Katie's insistence that she attend was starting to wear down her resolve to keep her attendance a secret. When the computer error occurred, she was almost relieved. Melanie didn't want to let Katie know that she had already made up her mind and she wanted her friend to be surprised.When Katie first began talking about their reunion
Undercover Reunion Chapter Two - Present Day
Class of '72 High - Friday Night Cocktail PartyThe Grand Ballroom of the Abbeyville Hilton was designed to accommodate more than five hundred, but for this event only a hundred and seventy-five invitees and guests had confirmed reservations. Katie had worked tirelessly for over a year planning the reunion, but she was beginning to think the entire weekend was going to be a disaster.Abbeyville High School boasted a graduating class of one-hundred-thirty-seven, which was quite large in a town of only five thousand residents. Unlike the majority of her classmates who had gone off to attend out-of-state colleges and moved on to live in various parts of the world, Katie had attended Minnesota State and had stayed in her hometown to raise her family with her husband James.James O'Brien obtained his law degree, passed the bar on his firs
Undercover Reunion Chapter Three - 1967
Chapter Three1967On a typically frigid February morning, thirteen- year-old Melanie Tyler exited the warmth of the heated school bus and rushed through the heavy insulated glass doorway which led into the Junior High section of Abbeyville Public School. She headed to her locker and met her best friend, who was brushing snow from her coat."Katie, what happened?" She asked."Eric and Chuck threw snowballs at me again. That's the third time this week. They nearly broke my glasses and my mom can't afford to buy another pair." Katie was close to tears.Melanie helped her friend clean off the remaining snow before removing her own coat and boots. As she opened her locker, a flurry of red paper hearts flew onto the floor, each one with the same stick-figure picture of a girl with huge frizzy hair and exaggerated breasts. Happy Valentine's Day, loser, was scrawled over the face. Melanie angrily crumpled them before tossing th
Undercover Reunion Chapter Four
Chapter FourThe Abbeyville Hilton suite provided the luxury of a relaxing hot tub, which Melanie took full advantage of before getting ready for the cocktail party. She unpacked her belongings, hung the black and white designer dress she was planning on wearing to the banquet the following night, and did her best to iron away the travel wrinkles from the ocean blue sleeveless dress she would be wearing to meet her former classmates whom she hadn't seen since they received their diplomas.Melanie was a bit surprised by her reaction when she'd told Don about her former high school crush. She hadn't seen Wyatt Gaynes in nearly twenty years, but it seemed to her that the old adage was true; no matter how many candles you blow out each year, some flames continue to burn.Melanie pushed the then and gone from her mind and continued to apply her make-up to the face in the here and now. She wished she had changed her attire before she met the bartender, b
Undercover Reunion Chapter Five
As her former classmates began leaving the cocktail party, they each made a stop at the entrance to tell Katie what a great time they had, and how much they were looking forward to the banquet on Saturday. Katie thanked them for attending, then quickly gathered the registration papers and called James to let him know she was going to be home late. When the call went to voice mail again, Katie started to feel an unfamiliar worry knot begin to grow in her stomach. There were many times the legislature would work late, but James always found a way to let her know what time he'd be coming home. If she didn't know any better, she might have suspected he was with another woman.Katie met Melanie at the elevator and they entered together, but just before the doors closed completely, a man's hand triggered them to reopen. The hand was connected to the body of Wyatt, and his other hand was connected to the waist of the cocktail waitress who had been serving at the party."Hi gi
Undercover Reunion Chapter Six
The women left the hotel room and headed toward the elevator, both silently contemplating what they had just been told."I know those two made it all sound very real, but I still don't fully believe Wyatt is some kind of international criminal. A bit full of himself yes, but the new head of T.H.R.U.S.H.? Give me a break!"Melanie followed Katie to the parking lot."That's not as hard to believe as it is that Chuck and Eric are part of it. Eric writes for the Wall Street Journal and his partner in crime, so to speak, is the CEO of a mega software company. At least that's what they wrote on their reunion bio," Katie said."And I suppose Wyatt's ambition came true if he thought donating millions to the school building fund was his idea of bringing peace of mind to those who needed a new junior high, or maybe it was only seeing his name etched on the plaque in the wall that gave him peace of mind."The women laughed, which helped release some of the te
Latest chapter
Undercover Reunion Epilogue
The obituary that appeared in the Abbeyville Newspress reported that the brother of Jack Gaynes, Wyatt William Gaynes, was killed in an accidental fire at his downtown stationery store.Even after his supposed death, Jack received top billing, and Wyatt's name was mentioned second. Jack led the memorial service which was short and sparsely attended. Brenda chose to stay home.James O'Brien turned over all of his financial statements to the FEC, and after paying several thousands in fines, was completely exonerated. He re-introduced the bill to ban the toxic dye, which pasted unanimously, and his continued work on environmental issues further helped his political career.James was offered the choice of running for Governor or U.S. Senate, but Katie made it quite clear that she neither wanted to move to Washington, nor have a part-time long distance husband. Eighteen months later, she and her family moved into the Governor's mansion in St. Paul.Charles Hau
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-Eight
Back at U.N.C.L.E. headquarters, Don was able to find Melanie a blouse from the undercover agent's wardrobe. She changed her top and waited, alone, as Don took Wyatt into the interrogation room. Whenever the front door opened, she half expected to see Stuart walk in, then she sadly remembered that he wasn't going to be walking into any room ever again. She hoped that someone from the agency would contact his sister and brothers and that they would tell them that he died saving her life and omit the part about him being the one who had put that life, and others, in jeopardy in the first place.Melanie was exhausted. Even though it was just past nine, she felt her eyes close. Just as she began to doze off, Don entered the room. In spite of what they had shared on the boat, Melanie couldn't read anything in his expression. She had no doubt that he was well trained in concealing his emotions, even from himself."What's going to happen to Wyatt?" Melanie asked
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Melanie saw Don's face, it was all she could do not to jump straight into his arms. Instead, she calmly took hold of his outstretched hand, climbed out of the sub and onto the deck of the speedboat."How did you find us?"She said, once she was safely on his boat."I followed the signal from your communicator pen. Once I saw the sub surface, I hit the gas, so to speak.""Just like my knight in shining armor on the white horse I dreamed about, only your white horse is a white speed boat.""Horses don't do that well on a lake, don't cha know," Don laughed. "I'd love to hear the rest of that dream, Mel, but right now I have a big fish to pull out of that little submarine."Don reached into the hatch for Wyatt's hand, but Wyatt didn't move."I'm not going anywhere with you, Mr. U.N.C.L.E. agent," Wyatt said."That's fine with me. I'm more than happy to leave you here to wait for your friends to catch up with you."Don p
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-Six
Five nautical miles from where Melanie and Wyatt were submerged, emergency sensors at U.N.C.L.E. headquarters were tracking their route. The moment he had received the signal from Stuart's communicator pen, Don immediately called his team to inform them that "Sunday in the park" with their families was cancelled.Alarms were going off in every corner of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. Every agent within a twenty mile radius had responded to the emergency call. Not a single one complained about having to cut short their one day off. The U.N.C.L.E. network was stronger than any other ties. Nothing, not family, not friends, not even the birth of a child, was more important than the life of a fellow agent. They all knew that if any one of them were in a similar situation, every other agent would do the same for them.No matter his suspicions, if Stuart was in trouble, Don was going to do whatever was necessary to come to his assistance. As soon as he received the signal from Stua
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-Five
Wyatt, took hold of Melanie's hand and the two started moving toward the rear exit. With their backs turned they didn't see one of the wounded T.H.R.U.S.H. agents lift his arm off the floor, pick up a gun and aim it directly at Melanie's back.With no time to warn her, Stuart jumped in-between the bullet and its intended target. Wyatt pulled out his weapon and got off one more shot, ending the threat of the wounded assailant right after the bullet entered Stuart's solar plexus."Stuart, NO!"Melanie screamed and ran to where Stuart had fallen. His shirt was already covered with a deep red stain that was growing larger by the second. Knowing he didn't have more than a few moments of life, Stuart reached into his shirt pocket and handed Melanie his communicator pen."It's working now," he coughed slightly. "Call Don. And tell him I'm sorry."Melanie took the pen from Stuart. Her tears streamed down her face, landing on Stuart's lifeless body. W
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-Four
Melanie entered her birthday code into the touch pad on the side of the door leading to the Wyatt's base of operations. She cautiously removed her heels, so her footsteps wouldn't make any sound just in case he wasn't alone. She found him in the control room, his back toward her. He was talking on the phone and didn't hear her enter. Once she noticed that he was alone, she began to run toward him. Startled, Wyatt grabbed his gun, but when he saw who it was, put it back in his holster and put his finger to his lips in a motion to signal her to be quiet, then motioned that he'd be off the phone in a second."Mel? What on earth are you doing here?" he asked when the call ended. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again after what you said at the brunch. I guess I was right about us.""Wyatt, listen to me!" Melanie yelled, "This has nothing to do with us, or not us. DAMMIT, Wyatt there is no us!"Ignoring her, Wyatt moved to pick up the phone."Mel, as much as I
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-Three
Melanie said her final good-byes to the remaining classmates and returned to her room. She was relieved that Wyatt had left before her. As far as she was concerned, her last good-bye to Wyatt was definitely her last and final good-bye.Her date with Don wasn't for another few hours, so Melanie decided that now would be a good time to catch up on some much needed rest. This time, she made certain that both the safety bolt and the chain link latch were secure.With so much on her mind, Melanie didn't think she would be able to sleep, but she was out the moment her head hit the pillow. Her dreams were a mixture of Wyatt back in high school, Wyatt's hand holding a gun to her face, Wyatt turning into a fire breathing dragon, and then Don riding in on a white horse to slay the dragon and rescue the maiden in distress. She woke up just as the dream had them riding off into the sunset. She laughed aloud at the way her mind put her into so many scenes she had read in scripts, b
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-Two
The last few members of the class of '72 said their good-byes, exchanged e-mail addresses and made promises to keep in touch that none of them intended to keep. The pleasantries were as phony and the promises as empty as the end-of-high-school greetings each had scrawled to one another over their yearbook photographs thirty years ago.Everyone had been so very happy to see Stuart at the reunion. No one seemed to remember that they never signed his yearbook, or question why he hadn't graduated with the rest of the class. Those that did were too polite to ask, and Stuart wasn't about to satisfy their curiosity, not now, not ever. It was enough that he had returned to his hometown with a mission to finish. A mission that had begun long before he joined U.N.C.L.E.Stuart got into his car and waited until he saw Wyatt pull out of the parking lot before starting the engine. Keeping at a safe distance, he followed the black Mercedes as it proceeded through the streets of Abbe
Undercover Reunion Chapter Twenty-One
By the time Melanie arrived at the brunch a good number of reunion guests had already returned to their homes and their twenty-first century lives. Even though it was almost over, she was glad she was able to spend a bit of normal time in Abbeyville with people she knew she'd never see again. Unfortunately, one of those people had also decided to make a final appearance. "I can't believe you would show your face here after what you tried to do to us this morning, Wyatt!"It was all she could do not to slap his face, but that would lead to too many questions that she'd rather not answer."Mel, I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were heading back to Los Angeles," Wyatt said, then in a whisper added, "You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's all. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you.""The hell I do," She shot back. "That's all you've been doing since the day we met back in the sixth grade. After today, I never want to see or hear fro
