*****ALL STORIES HERE ARE SLASH*****

Here are some of my favourite The Man From U.N.C.L.E. stories.
Click on the author's name for the link to where the stories can be found on the net.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is mostly a zine fandom, and that means that if you find it hard to afford to
buy zines and can't attend cons like me)  then you can miss out on a lot of good stories.

A lovely lady called Clare generously lent me her zines and I was able to read a lot of
great  MUNCLE fitcion,  including many of the stories recommended here.  She also has
a wonderful  site on the net, with a truly awesome range of MUNCLE related information,
including stories, links, vids, pictures and much more.  You can find this great site here.

Warning: Description of the stories may contain spoilers.

Stories marked with a     are highly recommended.

I'm happy to supply a copy of any story that has no link supplied
 - if I have a computer copy - by email on request.

	ANTRIM, BRENDA: "The Plausible Deniability Affair."
12/05/04 48 kb	Napoleon/Illya. Illya and Napoleon are covered with a mysterious powder from THRUSH that causes them to lose control fo themselves.
	"Zipless? Zipless? Since when have my sexual habits been any of your concern?" The slightly disdainful tone set all his hackles on end.
	"Since I've been the one getting pounded into the pavement, or the mud, or the sludge, while you sit in the back seat of the car and snuggle with all the beautiful women, that's when! And that's all the time. Face it, Napoleon, you have the self control of a rutting tom cat and you are continually on the prowl."
	"And this is a problem?" Sincere disbelief.
	This is a standard "pretend we're gay to trap the traitor/mole" scenario of fandom but it's complicated by a drug that reduces inhibitions, so the result is pretty funny.
	CALLAHAN, ROSEMARY:"The Prisoner Of Love Affair."
12/05/04	Napoleon/Illya. Illya has been in love with Napoleon for the 6 years of their partnership and he finally realises it.  At a nightclub one night Napoleon taxes him it - but can Napoleon handle Illya's feelings for him?
	"What I want is...equally as absurd as that lie would be, Napoleon."
	"Why 'absurd'?"
	"You know what we are.  The job--"
	"Will kill us both before retirement," Solo interrupted.  The older man's tone was calm, but there was something almost desperate in his eyes.  "We've given up all hope of a normal family life for U.N.C.L.E.  When the time comes, we'll sacrifice our lives as well.  I don't think either U.N.C.L.E. or Mr. Waverly would begrudge us what little comfort we might grab before then."
	Kuryakin tried, but he couldn't hold that gaze, not with the way those words made him quiver.  He wondered if Solo would see how he was shaking, wondered why Napoleon would even say such a thing.
	Napoleon speaking about emotional solace and lost hopes of domesticity?  This was so surreal, it almost seemed a dream.
	Very nicely done - intensely emotional.  Contains an interesting shared consciousness when they have  a simultaneous orgasm from frottage.  Illya is pretty much the repressed virgin here - but Napoleon is also portrayed as nervous when faced by the depth of love they share.  The complicated emotional state of each man is intelligently explored and I adore the fact that this story is technically so well written that I don't have to wade through grammatical or punctuation errors - what bliss!  Rosemary Callahan's work is consistently good.  Sometimes her stories can have less than happy endings, which is not my cup of tea, but this one ends very satisfactorily.
	HIGGINS, ANNE: "Sex, Lies And U.N.C.L.E. Part 1: The Affair Affair."
12/05/04 48 kb	Napoleon/Illya. Illya and Napoleon pose as lovers to expose a Thrush ring of blackmailers and a spy within UNCLE.  Pictures are taken of them having sex and Illya suffers many slights by homophobic UNCLE agents before it comes out that they were acting undercover.
	Napoleon walked into the main briefing room with Illya at his side and almost felt a draft from all the heads that turned in their direction. At another time he would have been amused and most eager to hear the details of the current version of what Lisa had seen, but now he felt annoyed. He did not want this foolishness distracting anyone from the reason they were gathering.
	Illya apparently had the same thought because he leaned close and whispered, "I should leave."
	"No," he whispered back, automatically taking hold of Illya’s arm. That sent a little ripple through the large room, but the Russian did not pull away. "They’ll just talk about that, and you should be here."
	"All right," Illya agreed, then slipped away to his usual spot.
	This is a wonderful story that appears on many MUNCLE recs lists.   I like the plot - I'm a sucker for the "posing as gays to catch the bad guys" plotline - and I love the characterisation.  I don't care for this fannonish representation of Illya as so slight and delicate that he's a natural victim, but it's not a big part of this story so it's not too much of a problem.
	HIGGINS, ANNE: "Sex, Lies And U.N.C.L.E. Part 2: The 8x10 Glossy Affair."
12/05/04 223 kb	Napoleon/Illya. Six months after they posed as lovers to trap a traitor,  Illya and Napoleon have to deal with the emotional fallout.
	Illya shook his head in confusion. "Is this some sort of game you win if I become a willing notch on your bedpost?"
	It wasn’t the politest way to put it, but Napoleon seemed to opt against taking offense. He leaned back in the chair and looked at the Russian for a long moment. "I was in love once. I married her, and I lost her. I don’t expect to feel that way about anyone again."
	Napoleon stood up and touched Illya’s cheek. "But I love you, Illya. And I want you."
	Illya drew back from the tender touch, then shook his head. "My life has to mean more to you than a one-hour fling."
	"I am well aware of the fact that I could never be so casual with you."
	"I thought you were the one who was afraid of commitments."
	Napoleon shrugged. "I realized that we already have one."
	Illya looked at him. "We what?"
	"Illya, we’re partners. If that isn’t a commitment, what is?"<
	"That is different."
	"It was until we made love."
	This story contains the lovely "get together for real" portion of "Sex, Lies, and M.U.N.C.L.E." It's done rather well, despite the fact that Illya is once again the bottom to Napoleon's top, and I get so bored with that dynamic.  Lots of lovely plot in this one and lots of lovely Illya/Solo interaction, both in and out of the bedroom.
	NATALIYA: "Family Affair."
12/05/04 135 kb	Napoleon/Illya. Illya and Napoleon are am established couple.  In this story they face not only the prospect of being forcibly "outed" to Napoleon's family, but also a mysterious couple of attempts on their lives.
	Illya looked at him coolly. “I would prefer that you shoot him, because then I will have ample time to shoot YOU. Now drop your weapon.”
	“No, I---”
	The man looked to Napoleon, to Illya, then back to Napoleon again.
	Illya fired.
	Hopkins turned his head and stared at him, stunned. Napoleon lurched forward and seized the man’s wrist, taking himself out of the line of fire, then watched him slump to the floor in slow motion, the look of surprise frozen on his face.
	Illya jumped down to examine the body.
	“What do you mean, you’d prefer he shot me?” Napoleon asked indignantly.
	This isn't as good as "The Healing" (see below) but I liked it very much - I'm a sucker for family stories like this one.  This writer has a style I like very much - not OTT in any way but still lovely emotion portrayed.  Illya is presented as active partner in their sexual activities (which is a change from common fannish portrayal of delicate Illya the virginal, docile receptical for Naploean's passion) but unfortunately, there's no example of him actually topping in this story - damn it.
	NATALIYA: "The Healing."
12/05/04 108 kb	Napoleon/Illya. Solo helps a traumatised Illya recover from a nasty bout of torture.
	“How’s the patient?” he asked when he came upon John Harrison, the physician in charge at the moment. Solo and Kuryakin considered Harrison to be a friend, someone who was as skilled at his job as they were, someone who didn’t mollycoddle them but made sure they got the care they needed.
	The doctor hesitated a second too long with his reply, and Solo’s mood changed instantly. “Is there a problem, John?” he asked flatly.
	“A word, Napoleon,” the doctor said, cocking his head toward his office.
	Once the door was closed, Harrison walked around his desk and took his chair. Solo’s eyes never left the doctor’s face as he hovered over him.
	Harrison looked up at him. “Please sit down,” he said softly.
	Solo complied. “I’ll stand on my head if it’ll start the information flowing,” he said with an uncharacteristic raise in tone.
	Anxiety translated into anger in Section Two agents. The doctor was accustomed to being glowered at, interrogated like a criminal, even manhandled occasionally. But his voice stayed calm and he didn’t mince words. “Did Illya tell you he was tortured?”
	Solo leaned back in the chair and drew his mouth into a thin line. “No. He didn’t say much at all. I didn’t see any evidence of it, though.”
	Harrison ignored the typical statement of denial. “And you politely didn’t look at his penis?”
	Solo went pale.
	This is the nicest, slowest, most naturaly lead into slash that I've ever read.  And the writing is excellent.  The one thing I did dislike was the tendency to explain things it would have been better to show, or let the reader assume from what  is shown, as can be seen in the quotation above.  It'snot a major problem but it was a prevalent enough that I found it irritating at times.
	NYSSA: "Room Temperature."
12/05/04 14 kb	Napoleon/Illya. Napoleon and Illya have a one night stand while Illya is on loan from the London office of U.N.C.L.E.
	Warm.  The word crept silently into his consciousness, slipping past the dissipating layers of sleep.  He was lying wrapped in a nest of blankets, listening drowsily to the soft hiss of a radiator, an infinitely comforting sound that always reminded him of childhood winters spent at his grandparents’ farm in Manitoba.  But then there had been no warm, solid weight in his arms, no pleasant scent of spent desire in the air.  Smiling, he nuzzled the longish hair at the nape of his companion’s neck.  The Russian – Illya, he reminded himself – slept on, his chest filling and emptying slowly, evenly.
	Reluctantly, Napoleon disentangled himself and rose.  He padded to the window and parted the blinds.  Still full dark.  The sign across the parking lot blinked Vacancy, its cold neon lending no warmth to the freezing night air.  He sighed, anticipating the chill and dreading it.  He let the blinds fall shut and walked across to the little bathroom with the door that wouldn’t close completely.
	Very nice PWP. And Napoleon is the one who gets fucked!  Hurry and read this one, folks, 'cause you don't see Bottom!Napoleon very often.  A very rare species indeed. And the fact that it's a pretty damned wonderful piece of writing is a bonus.
	NYSSA: "The Safety Of Distance."
12/05/04 155 kb	Napoleon/Illya. Napoleon and Illya were in a relationship and got caught - with appalling consequences for both of them.
	I haven’t told him yet, but after this is over I’m leaving. I’ve already got my letter of resignation written and signed. It’s at home in the drawer of my nightstand.  That would have been the last place I’d have chosen to hide something from him once, but now I don’t have to worry about him finding it there.  He hasn’t been inside that bedroom in months.  Which, when you get right down to it, is why I’m leaving.
	But I’m not leaving until my work is done
	I don’t think he’ll be surprised.  This has been hell for both of us.  I know him much too well not to see that he hurts as much as I do, even though I doubt if anyone else has noticed much difference in him.  Most people seem to think he has no feelings to hide, which can be convenient, I guess.  I know it’s written all over me.
	If you're looking for a feel good fic with a happy ending, this ain't it.  But it's fabulously well-written, as poignant as hell, and it rippped my heart out and stomped on it thoroughly.  Highly recommended.
	NYSSA: "Veritas."
12/05/04 45  kb	Napoleon/Illya. Ilya is in love with Napoleon.  When he realises that Napoleon is interested in men (when Napoloen goes off with an old army buddy) he gets drunk.
	For a moment, he couldn't move. Then, robotically, he walked to the toilet and relieved himself. When he finished, he lowered the lid and sank down on it. The sudden panic that had seized him was paralyzing.
	Napoleon knew now. His face burned as he remembered his jealous tirade of the night before; the pathetic way he had clung to Napoleon in the shower; the shameful begging; and worst of all, his partner's rejection. Napoleon knew how he felt, Napoleon was apparently not averse to having sex with men, and Napoleon still didn't want him.
	I  like Nyssa's Illya, he gets to make the first move.  I love the sex scene in this story, too - it's very sweet.
	ULRICH, ELIZABETH: "Trilogy."  [Not available on the net.]
12/05/04	Napoleon/Illya. 15 years ago, Illya ended their partnership for good when Napoleon kissed him.  Now, Napoleon and Illya are back together as partners, but can they still work together?
	Had Illya Kuryakin snapped at him, used the icy courtesy that was worse than being ignored, or simply looked right through him, Napoleon Solo would have understood.  He was hard put to master his own feelings.
	But he was unprepared for the wide smile and the delighted "It IS you!" in the Russian Tea Room.  He was even less prepared for the subsequent total calm--after he punched Napoleon's lights out, of course.
	This is a well-written and very sweet, romantic story.  Unfortunately, it's not available on the net but only in zine format.

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