We Have Each Other

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Zine
Title: We Have Each Other
Publisher: World Peace Press
Editor(s): Trish Jeffers
Date(s): 1996-1999
Series?:
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Man from UNCLE
Language: English
External Links:
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Contents

We Have Each Other is a slash Man from UNCLE anthology edited by Trish Jeffers.

Issue 1

We Have Each Other 1 was published in 1996 and is 248 pages. The front cover is by Suzan Lovett, and the interior illos are clip art.

cover of issue #1, Suzan Lovett: "Blue on Blue"


Review

In 1997, terrio posted the following review of the zine to the Virgule-L mailing list. It is reposted here with permission:

Here are my thoughts and feelings on the UNCLE slash zine "We Have Each Other".

First, a quick recap for those of you who might not have read the first review:

  • Warning #1: This review contains OPINIONS. Do not read if such things offend you.
  • Warning #2: This review contains SPOILERS. 'Nuff said. :-)
  • Warning #3: This review contains WUSS-RATINGS. My personal Wuss-ometer has five different levels:
  1. "Who You Callin' A Wuss?!!"
  2. "What's A Wuss?" (In my opinion, no significant wussiness is present.)
  3. "Minimal" (Slight degree of wussiness.)
  4. "Moderate" (Higher degree of wussiness.)
  5. "Severe" (Highest degree of wussiness.)

Opinions, as always, are by definition subjective; my opinions and, most especially, my Wuss-Ratings, are very subjective indeed. Take with the appropriate quantity of salt.

Now, on to the review....

"We Have Each Other" is 248 pages long, single-column format, readable font. This zine is especially notable (as is "We Have Each Other" II, for that matter) for its almost complete lack of typos and grammar, punctuation, and usage atrocities. Color cover by Suzan Lovett; Illya and Napoleon and a kitten (all in a state of appropriate dress, I hasten to add; we're not getting kinky here). Available from Mary Millard.

And now the stories!

  • Blue on Blue, Theresa Kyle, 9 pages. Napoleon notices that Illya seems upset about something and sets out to find out why and to cheer him up. Admissions Are Made.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: I liked this one. It was cute without being sappy. I don't know which came first, but this story and the zine's cover art go perfectly together.
  • The Time of Truth Affair, Mary L. Millard, 36 pages. Someone breaks into Illya's apartment and administers a very slow-acting poison -- we're talking months here. Napoleon takes care of Illya as his health gradually deteriorates; the two become lovers. (This is not a death story.)
    • Wuss-Rating: Severe. Admittedly, Illya's in a lot of pain, but whimpering almost inevitably sets off my Wuss-ometer.
    • Opinion: This one didn't work for me. I had major suspension-of-disbelief problems with both the plot and the character development. My single biggest problem was the idea that Napoleon would leave the investigation of Illya's poisoning to Mark Slate and April Dancer; my perception of him is completely at odds with this. The way I see him, he'd be a lot more likely to be hell-for-leather on the investigation, and anyone or anything foolish enough to get in his way -- be it THRUSH, Waverly, or a three-foot-thick brick wall -- would end up with a Napoleon-sized hole right through him/her/it/them. I felt rather cheated by the ending, too, since the only reason they got the antidote was the phenomenal stupidity of the one responsible for the poisoning. (Honestly -- would *you* waltz into Napoleon's apartment alone, gun in one hand, antidote in the other, and say, essentially, "Here's the antidote, you can't have it, neener neener neener!" and expect to walk away??!)
  • Exchanging Confidences, Emily Levin, 9 pages. Napoleon finds Illya just after he's overheard some lab personnel making derogatory remarks about him and takes him out to dinner to find out why he seems upset. One Thing Leads To Another.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: I liked this one; the dialog between them was well-written.
  • A Minor Difficulty, Linda White, 9 pages. Napoleon and Illya deal with homophobia within UNCLE before and after an operation they're conducting along with Mark Slate; they come out to him. Another entry in Linda's ongoing sequence of stories; this one didn't do as much to develop their relationship as some of her other stories.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: Another winner for me, though I would have liked more relationship stuff.
  • Seductive Reasoning, Elizabeth Cochrane, 23 pages. Napoleon keeps making passes at Illya; Illya keeps refusing. For a while, anyway....
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: Good story; I thought the characterization of Napoleon was espiecially good. Manipulative bastard... but when it comes down to it, honorable as well.
  • The Only on the Holidays Affair, Rosemary C, 54 pages. Illya and Napoleon's relationship develops slowly over the course of three Christmases they spend together. Warning: This is *not* a sappy holiday story! (I saw you rolling your eyes...!) The first Christmas is spent at the UNCLE Christmas party, then in deep conversation in other places around the city; during the second, Illya rescues a three-quarters-dead Napoleon from a Thrush dungeon; in the third, Napoleon cares for a temporarily blinded Illya.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: Another winner from Rosemary. Yum.
  • The Return to Love Affair, Mary L. Millard, 9 pages. Not having seen the movie, I can't be sure, but I believe this is meant to be missing scenes from "The Fifteen Years Later Affair". Illya and Napoleon resume the affair Napoleon ended when he left UNCLE, fearing that his lack of objectivity about Illya would get Illya killed.
    • Wuss-Rating: Moderate. Nothing I can point to specifically, just a tendency towards what I perceive as purple prose when they're speaking to each other.
    • Opinion: Sorry, this one didn't work for me.
  • A Little R&R, Anonymous, 2 pages. PWP; Illya and Napoleon are sharing a room while on vacation; Illya walks in on Napoleon during a Private Moment. Things Proceed From There.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: Short and sweet first-time story.
  • The Bogeyman, Susan Devereaux, 35 pages. Napoleon's leg goes numb after a workout with Illya; Illya drags him to the doctor, who sends him to a neurologist, who runs lots of tests. Illya stays at Napoleon's during all this; they become lovers. Napoleon learns his diagnosis, and they must both deal with the implications for them and their relationship.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: This is well-written, and I suspect the author would win major points from the medically knowledgable for her accuracy. But I thought the relationship (which was my main interest) was over-shadowed by the medical stuff. (The scene where Napoleon undergoes a spinal tap, while not at all gory or gross, nevertheless gave me the willies. Also, I do *not* want to think about Napoleon becoming either incontinent or impotent, two eventual possibilities, depending on how his condition progresses.)
  • The K.O.A. Affair, Jane Terry, 13 pages. Illya and Napoleon must pass a day together, waiting till it's time for their mission. The catch: they're in a campground in a little orange tent in the middle of a pouring-down rainstorm. Napoleon gets caught looking at Illya and One Thing Leads To Another.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: I liked this one, especially the bit where Illya muses that the color orange, never a favorite of his, is really rather pleasant after all!
  • Brief Candle, Suzan Lovett, 45 pages. Napoleon feels responsible when Illya is critically injured during a mission. The doctors drag him back from death's door, but make it clear that he will not survive. Napoleon takes certain extraordinary measures to ensure that he does. Exactly what he does, and exactly why he does it, and the eventual consequences for both of them, I will not specify. I'm not sure I'd forgive myself if I said too much and spoiled this story for someone.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: This is one of the most incredible, amazing, gut-wrenching, utterly *exquisite* things I've ever read in my life. In my opinion, it is worth the cost of the zine all by its lonesome. (D'you get the feeling that I kind of liked this story? :-)
  • The Ultimate Insurance Salesman Story Affair, Eleanor Burke Marshall, 4 pages. AU story; Illya and Napoleon work for the United National Casualty, Life and Earthquake insurance company. Illya suspects Napoleon of insurance fraud, but soon learns better.
    • Wuss-Rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: Funny, light, and sweet; just the thing to close out the zine and bring you down gently from the shattering intensity of "Brief Candle".
Overall, another winner; another addition to my already-lengthy ZCon shopping list!

Issue 2

We Have Each Other 2 was published in 1997 and is 244 pages. It has a Suzan Lovett cover (called "To Touch the Earth") and one interior piece of artwork, also by Suzan ("To Reach the Sky", a companion piece to the cover); both pieces of artwork are in color.

cover of issue #2, Suzan Lovett: "To Touch the Earth"
  • Q&A by Elizabeth Cochrane (10 pages)
  • Changes by Emily Levin (14 pages)
  • In Sickness and In Health by Mary L. Millard (14 pages)
  • Dreamscape by Bethany Kent (2 pages)
  • Oral Gratification by Theresa Kyle (32 pages)
  • The New Beginning Affair by Bethany Kent (14 pages)
  • Family Affair by Taliesin (28 pages)
  • Love Letters by Linda White (6 pages)
  • The Engaging Affair by Mary L. Millard (32 pages)
  • Pushing the Odds by Elizabeth Cochrane (8 pages)
  • Intermission by Susan Devereaux (2 pages)
  • Kinks by Nikki Weston (28 pages)
  • The Arctic Nights Affair by Rosemary C. (53 pages, winner of 1998 FanQ) (Summary: While on a training mission, Napoleon Solo is faced with the hardest challenge of his career – prolonged celibacy.)
  • Duet by Bethany Kent (poem)

Review

In 1997, terrio posted the following review of the zine to the Virgule-L mailing list. It is reposted here with permission:

Here are my thoughts and feelings on the UNCLE slash zine "We Have Each Other" II.
  • Warning #1: This review contains OPINIONS. Do not read if such things offend you.
  • Warning #2: This review contains SPOILERS. 'Nuff said. :-)
  • Warning #3: This review contains WUSS-RATINGS. This one takes a bit of explaining.... I was discussing this zine with someone who asked me essentially how wussy Illya is in it. So I was forced to devise Terri's Certified Wuss-Ratings (um, Certified in that they are certified to be

1) "Who You Callin' A Wuss?!!" (rarely seen, this rating might be applied to the story "Fool's Mate", or other stories where it's clear that both Napoleon and Illya are Really Dangerous People.)

2) "What's A Wuss?" (In my opinion, no significant wussiness is present.)

3) "Minimal" (Slight degree of wussiness.)

4) "Moderate" (Higher degree of wussiness.)

5) "Severe" (Highest degree of wussiness.)

Note: different people's Wuss-ometers are triggered by different things.

(F'r instance, some people might consider Illya to automatically be a wuss if he's always on the bottom sexually. I don't, necessarily.) That is, as they say, life. These are just my opinions, with which you are more than welcome to disagree. (In fact, if you do disagree, I'd love to see some discussion about this!)

There. That's enough disclaiming -- on to the review:

"We Have Each Other" II is 244 pages long (sorry, no word count given), single-column format, reasonable sized font, very readable. It has a Suzan Lovett cover (called "To Touch the Earth", for those of you who know them by name) and one interior piece of artwork, also by Suzan ("To Reach the Sky", a companion piece to the cover); both pieces of artwork are in color. The zine is available from Mary Millard.

As the editorial makes clear, the stories are not centered around their working lives; most take place between cases. If you're looking for hard-edged gee-this-is-just-like-an-episode-but-it's-slash stories, this may not be the zine for you!

  • Q & A, Elizabeth Cochrane, 10 pages. Napoleon's in the hospital, recovering from injuries; Illya visits him and they pass the time asking each other personal questions, at Napoleon's instigation.
    • Wuss-rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: I liked this story; there are some really neat bits in the questions each chooses to ask, as well as in the answers.
  • Changes, Emily Levin, 13 pages. Napoleon and Illya are unwinding after a rough mission and One Thing Leads To Another. Napoleon is immediately called away to the Paris branch for 5 months; upon his return, they discuss what happened.
    • Wuss-rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: Another good one, with an interesting and (for me) totally unforseen twist in their discussion afterward.
  • In Sickness And In Health, Mary L. Millard, 14 pages. H/C; Illya has appendicitis, Napoleon takes care of him, coming to Certain Realizations in the process.
    • Wuss-rating: Moderate, but extremely localized -- Illya weeps on Napoleon's shoulder from the pain while on the way to the hospital; while zonked out of his mind on drugs in the Recovery Room, he seems desperate at first to keep Napoleon with him, but quickly gets a grip. Other than those two bits, I thought it was okay, wuss-wise.
    • Opinion: I didn't like this one quite as well. I thought Illya went on a bit too much about how he was ruining Napoleon's vacation. (I also had to keep reminding myself that in the mid-to-late 60's, appendectomies were a lot more major surgery than they are today!)
  • Dreamscape, Bethany Kent, 2 pages. Fantasy sequence in a letter Illya sends to Napoleon (supposedly a sequel to one where N sends such a letter to I). PWP, sex in Waverly's office.
    • Wuss-rating: Severe. Illya's more than a bit of a wuss, even though he's the one having the fantasy! In fact, by changing some pronouns and bits of anatomy, he could be replaced by the secretary-du-jour and no one would know the difference.
    • Opinion: This one didn't work for me. At all. Perhaps it would work better after reading the prequel....
  • Oral Gratification, Theresa Kyle, 32 pages. Napoleon notices Illya's extreme pleasure in eating, and starts to wonder if he'd be equally sensual in Other Areas.
    • Wuss-rating: What's A Wuss?.
    • Opinion: I really, *really* liked this story! It's all told from Napoleon's point of view, and he's just driving himself *nuts* watching Illya eat, which he seems to do rather a lot.
  • The New Beginning Affair, Bethany Kent, 14 pages. After the 15 Years Later Affair, Napoleon and Illya discuss N's reasons for leaving UNCLE, each admits he loves the other, One Thing Leads To Another.
    • Wuss-rating: Minimal. Illya's *extremely* nervous about sex at first. (He gets over it though! :-) (Nervous-virgin syndrome does tend to trip my Wuss-ometer.)
    • Opinion: Better than the usual run of such stories, I thought the sex scene was really well handled. For one thing, they fall asleep together on the couch before they even get that far! And during the first time they're making love, Napoleon teases Illya a bit about his nervous reactions every time N responds to something Illya does; Illya: "Oh. You *like* that." Napoleon: "You really scare me."
  • A Family Affair, Taliesin, 28 pages. Napoleon's injured and has amnesia while in the middle of a case he was working, er, solo; Waverly takes himself and Illya to watch out for him while trying to lure out the villains. The twist: He passes himself off as N's father, and Illya as N's brother.
    • Wuss-rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: I loved this story. Napoleon's reaction when he first meets his "brother": "I think your face is more familiar to me than my own, though I can't remember where I've seen it before." Yum. (I did find it slightly surprising, though, that no-one batted an eye that the "brothers" were expected to share not only a room, but a bed.)
  • Love Letters, Linda White, 6 pages. Napoleon's writing letters to his sister the Sister 'cause he knows if he calls her, he'll end up telling her about him and Illya. (This is in the same sequence as "The Sleepless Nights Affair" and "The PartyTime Affair", printed in "Relative Secrecy".)
    • Wuss-rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: I'm loving this whole sequence of stories!
  • The Engaging Affair, Mary L. Millard, 32 pages. 5 years after Illya and Napoleon have left UNCLE (ignores 15 Years Later, but Illya is still a fashion designer and N is a computer dude), Illya learns that N is engaged to be married. He offers to design the wedding gown as his gift; during consultations with the bride-to-be, he comes to believe that N was and still is in love with him.
    • Wuss-rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: I liked this one, but didn't love it. It relied rather heavily on coincidence in a couple of places, and I ended up feeling rather sorry for the (blonde, blue-eyed, Russian) woman Napoleon was supposed to marry.
  • Pushing the Odds, Elizabeth Cochrane, 8 pages. Post-15 Years Later; Napoleon has sold and is saying a last farewell to the penthouse condo he got from Aunt Amy, musing over the relationship he and Illya used to have before Illya broke it off saying there was someone else. Illya is now married, with two kids. In the midst of N's musings, who should show up but Illya, who is the new owner. They talk.
    • Wuss-rating: Minimal. One of the few stories I've ever seen where if anyone's a wuss, it's Napoleon!
    • Opinion: This one didn't really work for me. Sorry, I just don't see Napoleon being willing to accept second place in Illya's life, nor do I see Illya as being capable of the kind of double-dealing necessary for him to keep Napoleon as a lover on the side.
  • Intermission, Susan Devereaux, 2 pages. Illya has a near-death experience; Napoleon calls him back. Admissions Are Made.
    • Wuss-rating: What's A Wuss?
    • Opinion: Short and sweet, without being sappy.
  • Kinks, Nikki Weston, 28 pages. Illya and Napoleon unwind after a mission; during a wrestling bout in which N swats I on the rear, N notices that I seems to like it, so he does it some more. They talk. They have sex, dom/sub style, Illya loves it.
    • Wuss-rating: Hard to classify. Other than the nature of the kinks explored, Illya is not wussy at all, and their relationship and conversations outside of the sex are well-developed and not at all one-sided. But where do you draw the line between getting a thrill out of being sexually submissive and being a wuss? Or do the two even have anything to do with each other?
    • Opinion: There's a lot to like in this story; the character development is very well handled. I thought it was especially interesting that Napoleon doesn't particularly get off on dominating Illya, but on Illya's pleasure. But the kinks being explored are anti-kinks for me, which hindered my enjoyment of the story (obviously! :-). Also, there was a throw-away line at the end, where Napoleon muses that he might need some "discipline" himself someday that felt forced, like the author felt she *had* to add it.
  • The Arctic Nights Affair, Rosemary C., 53 pages. Illya, who is recovering from injuries, and Napoleon, who comes along to get it over with, are assigned for 12 weeks to the UNCLE training complex in northern Canada (all field operatives have to do this once every three years). The class is entirely male, there are no female instructors present, and after 6 weeks, N is ready to chew iron and spit nails from sexual frustration. He asks Illya how he manages and One Thing Leads To Another.
Overall -- this is the best UNCLE zine I've read in a long time, possibly ever. And it's going on my shopping list for ZCon!

Issue 3


We Have Each Other 3 was published in 1999 and is 300 pages long. It has a cover by Suzan Lovett entitled "Wrapped in Sunshine".

cover of issue #3, "Wrapped in Sunshine"
  • Kismet by Linda McGee (14 pages)
  • The Heart of Stone Affair by Sarah Lindsay (20 pages)
  • A Matter of Necessity by Kate Drummond (5 pages)
  • A Five-Minute Course in Russian (1 page)
  • The Best Friend Affair by Bethany Kent (45 pages)
  • Little Flower by Elizabeth Cochrane (9 pages)
  • Farewells by S. Mockingbird (4 pages)
  • Joust by Taliesin (6 pages)
  • Long Shadows by Kate Drummond (58 pages)
  • Dreaming in Color by Jane Terry (4 pages)
  • The Prisoner of Love Affair by Rosemary C. (34 pages) (Summary: A night out on the town leads to some interesting revelations.)
  • The Last Resort Affair by Linda White (24 pages)
  • Survival of the Fittest by Theresa Kyle (73 pages)
  • A Song of Wolves by Cara J. Loup (3 pages)
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