CONCLUSION

"It seems obvious that you were given drugs to make you talk. I'm sure that's what we'll find in your bloodstream. And then they gave you something to make you forget. They were even continuing to control your memory by having you take the drug in pill form. These people are incredible!" Stephan was more than a little upset at the treatment received by this lovely and charming woman; who somehow didn't strike him as the usual Agency type.

"Stephan," Lee said to agent Gareheardt, "we need to check the Agency's database for *Hans Gruenwald*. He may be real or the name may be an alias. If we have nothing, how about trying Interpol?"

"Of course, I'll get right on it."

"Oh, and I need to call Billy right now,"

"Certainly, Mr. Stetson. That phone," he indicated a red phone on his desk, "is completely secure."

"Thanks," Lee responded, as he began to dial Billy's private number.

"Melrose."

"Hey Billy, we found her - or she found me - or we found each other."

"Lee, you've got Amanda? Oh, I'm so relieved. Of course, Scarecrow, you never should have lost her in the first place!"

"I know," Lee said softly and contritely.

Billy instantly regretted his little outburst. "It's worked out OK. So, how is she?"

"Well, that's another thing. Whoever had her has given her something to erase her memory."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, she doesn't remember me or the Agency or why we're here. She's been brainwashed into thinking she's someone named Anna Gruenwald. And she's married to a German national. She goes on like a broken record. You can tell this little story was drummed into her. Anyway, she had some pills in her purse, some new memory inhibitor, which she won't be taking any more. They drew some blood and it's being analyzed right now. The tech here thinks it'll be two or three days before the stuff is out of her system completely. Then we'll know if her memory is going to come back all at once or if she'll get it back in pieces, over time. Listen, would you send someone up to the Q-Bureau and get that picture that Amanda keeps there of her boys. And make a copy and fax it over here? It might help to see pictures of the kids."

"That's just terrific. Well, I know there is nothing you can do to hurry the process along. Yes, I'll get a copy of that picture faxed over to you, ASAP. And I'll have Francine call Amanda's mother and tell her that, uhh, that...oh, that Amanda has a severe ear infection and she can't come home because she can't fly yet. Not until the infection is cleared up."

"Good story, Billy. You could help out the boys in *scenarios*. I'll call you again tomorrow. Maybe I'll have something a little more encouraging to report. Oh, before I forget. I just figured out why we - Amanda and I - are here in Munich."

"You're there to help locate agent Hoffman," Billy's voice betrayed the anxiety he felt at the lie he was telling.

"No, we were sent over here as bait, because the Reboden bunch have Hoffman and they know us. They might even risk coming out in the open to get us. So, they did come out in the open and they got Amanda and so far, we've got zip. I hope Dr. Smyth is happy with his little plan."

"OK, I can't confirm or deny your suspicions. But think about it. Some people might believe that someone in the Reboden bunch might recognize you and they *might* want revenge bad enough so that they would come out of hiding and try and grab you or Amanda. Anyway, Lee...."

"Yeah, Billy?"

"I know you're doing the best you can. When or if I guess, Amanda remembers me, tell her I said I'm glad she's OK."

"I will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Scarecrow."

Amanda had been sitting quietly, apparently lost in thought, the whole time Lee was on the phone. When Lee hung up, she looked at him and smiled.

"You know," Amanda started, "this looks..."

"Familiar," Lee interjected hopefully.

"Ahh, no. I was going to say that it looks interesting, kind of exciting."

"Oh, too bad!"

"Mr. Stetson, I have found the information we were looking for. That name, Hans Gruenwald, is indeed an alias for Hans Von Eiger. The records show that he is a younger cousin of Baron Klaus Von Eiger. There is no proof, but it is suspected that he has taken his cousin's place in the Reboden Group. The records also indicate that he hasn't been seen for about the past three months. Here is a photo of Herr Von Eiger."

"Good work, Stephan. At least we know who we're looking for and what he looks like. Amanda," Lee walked back over to where she was sitting, "does this guy look familiar?"

Holding the photo and studying it carefully for a long minute, she sighed and handed the picture back to Lee. "No, I'm sorry, but he doesn't look familiar at all."

"Stephan, I'm taking Amanda back to the hotel. I'd like you to post two of your men, your best men, near our room. Just in case. We don't know how or where they spotted her. They might know where we're staying."

"I'll be happy to send two of my best. Agents Gottfried Freund and Heinrich Schmidt will be in a car right behind you when you leave here."

"Thanks, Stephan," Lee said, extending his hand. The two men shook hands and then Stephan picked up the phone, as Lee helped Amanda to her feet and they headed out of the office and down the hall to the exit.

----------------------

Arriving back at their hotel, they took the elevator to the eighth floor.

"Down this way. Here's your room," Lee said, unlocking the door and gesturing for Amanda to precede him. "Your things are in the closet, if you'd like to change."

After rummaging through the clothes, which didn't look at all familiar, she picked out a blouse and a pair of slacks. "Think I'll take a shower and change," she said walking toward the door she assumed must be the bathroom.

"Let's bag that dress and give it to the lab boys tomorrow," Lee called to Amanda.

"Bag it?"

"Yeah." Lee checked the closet shelf. "Here's one of those plastic bags the hotel provides in case you have something you want to send to have cleaned and pressed.

"OK," she replied. "How about the slip? I'm pretty sure that it isn't mine."

"Sure. We'll send 'em both in. Maybe they can come up with something. We sure don't have much now."

After showering and changing into fresh clothes, Amanda came out of the bathroom and sat on the bed, towel drying her hair. They chatted amiably and Lee told her more about her family back in Arlington and about their working together. They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Amanda asked who was there.

"Room service, madam," came the answer.

Amanda started to say that she hadn't ordered anything when Lee stopped her.

Standing close, he whispered in her ear, "tell him just a minute, go and unlock the door, then go into the bathroom, tell him to come on in and then shut the bathroom door and *stay* there until I tell you it's safe to come out. OK?"

She nodded. "Just a minute." Crossing over to the door, she unlocked it and then turned and headed for the bathroom. "OK, come on in." With that she closed the door.

The door to the room opened and a man in a waiter's outfit, pushing a dinner cart, entered. He stopped a few feet in and pushed the door, intending to shut it. As he did that, he pulled a gun from under one of the serving dishes. Before the door closed all the way, Lee took a step forward and held his pistol close to the man's temple. "Drop the gun, pal, or I will drop you," he said menacingly. The waiter did as he was told.

"What is the problem sir? I'm only delivering dinner." He turned his head slightly and looked at the American, who was pointing a 9mm pistol at his head. Resistance seemed futile.

"Oh right," Lee said incredulously. "The crime rate in this hotel is so bad that the waiters carry weapons for self-protection." Lee pointed at the man's gun, which lay on the floor. "And they even put silencers on them so they won't disturb the other guests!" He snorted in disgust at the stupidity of the man's comment. "Put your hands behind your head." As Lee cuffed the suspect, the door opened and agents Freund and Schmidt entered, guns drawn.

"What have you got here, Stetson," Schmidt grinned.

"A piece of trash. Take it downtown and dispose of it for me, will you boys?"

"Sure," Freund said. "Come on you." With that he took the suspect out of the room.

Lee turned to Schmidt. "How long can you keep him and question him?"

"Not too long. As soon as he starts screaming for a lawyer, we'll probably have to call in the local police and turn him over. What have we got - impersonating a waiter and carrying a concealed weapon?"

"How about turning him over to Friedrich Volkert at Interpol? You and Fred can run this guys prints and compare his mug shots. Maybe he'll match something in Interpol's files. Anyway, I want his picture. I want to show it to Amanda and see if he rings any bells."

"She didn't see him just now?"

"No, I told her to go in the bathroom and stay there and she actually did it. Hmmm," Lee said mostly to himself, "maybe this amnesia isn't such a bad thing."

"What?"

"Never mind. Just make sure you have a picture of this guy and anything else you can dig up on him so we - Amanda and I - can check it later. Oh, and take this and have your lab boys check it will you?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"It's the dress, uhh, and the, umm, slip, that those people gave Amanda to wear."

"I will see to it. Goodbye and say goodbye to Mrs. King for me, will you?"

"Sure." As the door closed behind agent Schmidt, Lee turned and called, "Amanda, you can come out now."

"What happened? What took so long? What..."

"That waiter was not a waiter. He probably was one of the Reboden. I want you to look at a picture of him later, but I didn't want him to see you. Ahh, Amanda, I want you to pack your things. We're moving to another hotel. I don't know how this guy found us. I don't know how they found you. I've been very careful about not being tailed, but I'd feel a lot better if we were someplace else."

Lee made a call to another hotel on the other side of town. It took only a few minutes to confirm a room for that afternoon. After quickly packing their belongings, they left the room and took the elevator down to the parking garage. Lee had the suitcases and Amanda carried the garment bags, her overnight case and her purse. They made it to the car without incident and loaded the luggage into the trunk.

"Are we skipping out on the bill?" Amanda asked with a raised eyebrow and a disapproving expression on her face.

"No, we aren't. I'll have some one from the Agency go by tomorrow and explain that we were called back to the States suddenly - and they can pay the bill for us."

"That's good. It wouldn't do much for German-American relations if we cheated the hotel."

Lee drove out of town and then took another road back into the city.

"My, you do know the scenic routes," Amanda commented wryly. "How much longer till we get where we're going?"

"We'll be there soon. I wanted to make double sure that we weren't followed. I'm not going to tell the people at the Agency where we're staying."

"Lee, don't tell me you don't trust your own agents?"

"It's not that I don't trust them. It's just that...I'd feel better if we're the only ones who have our address. OK?"

"Whatever you say. I'm the spy that got caught, remember?"

"I remember. I remember everything. What do you remember? Anything yet?"

"No."

"Damn!"

"Look, I'm sorry. I wish I *did* remember. You tell me I'm not who I thought I was, so now I don't know who I am and I'd really like to know who I am and what I do and ...."

"Amanda," Lee stopped her ramble in mid-sentence, "please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. That wasn't an accusation, believe me. It's just that I feel like it's my fault that you don't know who you are. I...I want you to remember so I can stop feeling guilty."

"Oh," she patted his arm. "Don't feel guilty. I'm sure it *isn't* your fault. I mean, if I'm an agent too, then I should be able to take care of myself, right?"

"Well," Lee said, glancing over at Amanda, "you're kind of an apprentice agent. And it's part of my job to watch out for you."

"I think I just got demoted."

-------------------

After registering as Mr. and Mrs. Braun, they were shown to a very nice, double room.

"Ahh, Lee....a double room...we're both staying in this room - together - all night?"

"Yes. Amanda, we've done this many times before. Played husband and wife. It's perfectly all right. Your honor and your reputation have never been compromised, I promise," he gave her his most engaging, Boy Scout smile. He could see her relax a bit.

"How about something to eat. There's a menu on the nightstand. See what you'd like and I'll call room service."

"What? Can't we go down to the restaurant?"

"I'd rather not. I'd feel better if we just stayed in our room. At least for now."

After they had eaten and the waiter had returned and taken away the small table with the remnants of their dinner, Amanda began to pace the room.

"Hey, what's the matter? Usually *I'm* the one who's pacing up and down, not you."

"Well, I just can't sit still. I don't know why."

"Maybe it's because of those drugs. The fact that your system is getting rid of them."

"Could be. Whatever the reason....I sure would like to get out of here. This room seems so - so small."

"Amanda, I really........"

"Oh, please Lee, just for a while. Just downstairs. We don't have to leave the hotel."

However he felt about the wisdom of her suggestion, he couldn't say no to her. "OK. We'll go down to the hotel bar and maybe have a glass of wine. But that's it. No further. Got it?"

"OK," she smiled. "Thank you."

'I hope I don't regret this.' Lee stood up and reached for her hand. "Let's go."

They sat in a booth at the back of the bar enjoying a glass of white wine.

After finishing her second glass of Riesling, Amanda stretched and looked over at Lee. "OK. I'm ready to go back up now."

"Are you a little more relaxed?" he asked

"Yup. I'm not really tired but I could probably sleep now."

"Good." He dug in his pocket for a some change and left it on the table. They both stood and, with his hand on her elbow, they started back towards the elevators.

"We should try and get some sleep. We'll have to go back to the office tomorrow. I want you to see the picture of that *waiter* and see if you can ID him."

"Right. Do you want to shower first? Well, actually, I've already had a shower once today anyway and...."

"No. You go ahead. I'll shower when you're finished."

She gathered up her night things and started for the bathroom, but stopped and turned back to Lee. "Look, you kissed....Amanda....ahh, me, I guess, twice and you started to call her - me - sweetheart."

"I, uhh..."

She put up a hand to stop whatever denial he was about to make. "Just how closely do we work anyway? Are we - did - do we - ahh...."

"We're partners and friends. You're the best friend I've ever had. But, we don't...we aren't...."

"We aren't emotionally involved," she finished for him.

"No, we aren't," Lee said, obviously wishing this conversation was over.

"But the way you.... Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. It's just that I was so happy to see you. I, ahh, well you know that I feel responsible for you and I'd been so worried and............."

"But those kisses didn't...."

"It was just a friendly little kiss...."

"Two kisses," she interjected.

"OK, *two* friendly little kisses. That's all. Friendly."

Amanda looked at him, her smile and the twinkle in her eyes registering more than a little skepticism.

"I'll be out in just a few minutes. Then it's your turn."

--------------------------------------

The next morning they went back to the Office.

"Stephan," Lee asked, " did your lab people get anything from that dress?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. There was a homing device sewn into the collar."

"Oh-oh."

"Don't worry, it wasn't functioning properly. The battery was almost dead."

"Thank goodness. Do you have the picture of that phony waiter?"

"Yes, here it is."

"Amanda. Here, take a look at this."

Amanda took the photo of the man who had entered her room with the obvious intent of killing her. She studied the picture intently, her brow creased.....

"Do you recognize.....," Lee started to ask, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand and continued to stare at the picture.

Finally, you could almost see the light go on. "Yes. I remember him! And I also remember being in a small house. It was in a quiet neighborhood. I vaguely recall hearing a dog bark once, but no street noises, no kids playing, nobody talking outside. I don't remember being able to look out of a window."

"That's great Amanda. Can you keep going?"

"Yeah. There were three men. One was tall, slender with dark hair. I can't quite visualize his face. Darn it!

"Frau King," Stephan produced the picture of Hans Von Eiger, whom she had been unable to recognize the first time she was shown the photo. "Look at this again, please."

"That's him. The tall, dark haired man is Hans, the Baron's cousin. Let's see....the other two men...umm. One was named Johannes. Once he called him by his last name - Getz. He is about 5'10", medium build. He has light brown hair and brown eyes. I'd say he's thirtyish"

As soon as she finished describing Johannes, Stephan and Lee both pointed to the picture of the waiter.

"Of course! That's him. The third man is Jurgen - Jurgen Meier. He's close to forty. Probably about six feet tall and maybe about 175 pounds. He has light hair, light eyes and wears wire rim glasses. You know," she paused for a moment. "It was Johannes who gave me the injections and Hans seemed to ask him any questions he had about the drugs. Maybe this Johannes is a pharmacist or something."

"That is excellent, Mrs. King. Continue."

"Oh, and then of course there's Inga."

"What?" Lee exclaimed. "You mean that blonde who wanted to kill us. Well, she wanted to kill everybody!"

"That's her. She's the one who stuck a gun in my ribs at the restaurant."

"Do you remember any more?" Stephan asked

"Yes. I recall being alone in the house, which I thought was strange. It seemed like there was always someone around before. Anyway, I decided to go for a walk. As I was walking, I saw a bus, bus number Forty-Seven. Let's see... I got on and rode for, I'm not positive, maybe ten minutes, when the bus passed a church with a lovely big yard surrounding it. I got off and that's where I was when Lee found me - or we found each other." Amanda looked from Lee to Stephan with a big smile on her face. "Hey, I think I'm getting my memory back!"

"Mrs. King, I would like to video tape your story, your, ah, testimony regarding this event. Then if, or should I say *when* we apprehend these terrorists, we will, as you Americans say, have the goods on them."

Amanda recited the whole ordeal again for the camera. She hoped this would mean she would never have to come back to testify in any court case. Munich had lost some of its charm and another visit was not something she relished.

"Amanda," Lee took her hands in his and asked tentatively, "do you remember me yet?"

She looked into his beautiful hazel eyes and shook her head. "No, not really."

He was crestfallen.

"You know what I *do* remember though? They were going to ship me down to Hans' summer home as some kind of servant, or.....oh my gosh!"

"Take it easy, Amanda," Lee said putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm just thankful that it never got that far."

"You and me both!" She shook her head as if to dispel this very unpleasant thought.

"Amanda, I have another picture for you to look at. It's not very good quality. It's actually a facsimile of a copy of a picture back in our office in DC." Lee handed her the picture of Philip and Jamie. "Do you recognize them?"

"Well, they look kind of familiar. But, it is a pretty bad picture. It's so dark. Can I keep it?"

"Of course."

"Good. Maybe if I keep looking at it, it'll come back to me."

------------

Stephan sent one of his men to obtain a bus schedule. They began tracing the route back from the church and soon had an approximate area for the house. With some further study and deduction, they were able to narrow down the possibilities. After driving around for about thirty minutes, Amanda spotted the house. Stephan got on his car phone and they waited until a team from Interpol and a special anti-terrorist unit from the Munich Police Department, commanded by Leutnant Dietrich Felder, could converge on the place. When there was no response to repeated calls for anyone on the inside to surrender, the police finally stormed the house, only to discover that it was empty. The Reboden gang was gone. However, Stephan pointed out, it would now be possible to charge them with kidnapping and administering drugs illegally, plus other charges.

"When they are caught, they will be going to prison for a long time," Stephan said confidently.

"Right," Lee looked disappointed. "Let's get out of here. We'll stop by the office in the morning and then we're catching a flight home tomorrow afternoon."

-----------

Gesturing for Lee and Amanda to sit down, Stephan had a grim expression on his face. "I...I have some bad news and some good news."

"Sounds like maybe we should have the bad news first," Lee said apprehensively.

"Early this morning, the local police found Curt Hoffman's body in a ditch near the side of the Autobahn, about twenty miles outside of Munich."

"Oh, no." Tears came immediately to Amanda's eyes. Lee clenched his fists and lowered his head. "Damn," he said softly. "So, what's the good news?"

"Well," Stephan began," this is what we have pieced together so far. It seems that Hans and Jurgen, together with two other men," he leaned over and read from a paper on his desk, "Erik Hellinger and Manfried Apfel, these are the two who had charge of keeping Curt a prisoner, ahh they, after dumping Curt's body, they drove to the Austrian border. It was decided that Hans, Jurgen and Erik would cross over on foot and Manfried would drive through the Border Control station. What Manfried had neglected to tell his employer was that he is a petty criminal, a smuggler with a police record. His face is known to the Border guards. At any rate, when he tried to cross, he was detained. He panicked and told the authorities where he was supposed to pick up Hans and the others. When the police got there, a gunfight ensued. Hans and Erik were wounded. The three of them were taken into custody and now all four of them are in jail in Austria."

"What'll happen to them?" Amanda asked.

"They will be returned to Munich to stand trial for kidnapping and murder. Manfried has agreed to turn States evidence against them. He knows of your kidnapping too, Mrs. King. But, of course, his testimony in your case would be only hearsay."

"What about Inga," Lee wanted to know. "And how did they know where to find us?"

"Apparently finding you was pure luck. Good luck for them - bad luck for you. Anyway, you had lunch at the restaurant where Inga worked as a waitress. She recognized you and called Johannes. He followed you and that morning when Mrs. King went out by herself, Johannes and Inga followed her. The rest you know.... As far as Inga is concerned, well, she has disappeared. But, rest assured, we will never stop looking for her."

"Stephan," Lee stood, extending his hand. "It's been something, my friend. No reflection on you but I can honestly say that I hope I don't ever see you again. Unless you come to DC."

Stephan smiled and stood, shaking hands with Lee and Amanda in turn. "Goodbye and a safe journey home to you both."

----------

They tried to settle in for what they knew would be a long flight home. After picking a magazine or two out of the pocket in the seat in front of her, Amanda sat back and closed her eyes.

Lee looked over and realized that she was crying. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about that poor young man. He had so much of his life ahead of him."

"I know, I know. Here, take my handkerchief."

"Thanks." Amanda blotted her tears and managed a small smile.

They were exhausted, emotionally if not physically.

"Wait a minute," Lee said, reaching for the armrest. "Let me put this up and then...," he put his arms around her. "You just rest your head and try and get some sleep."

Gladly leaning her head on his chest, she soon was asleep. After a short time, he dozed off too. It seemed like only a short time later, when Lee was disturbed by Amanda as she tried to get up without waking him.

"I'm sorry. I hoped I could get up without bothering you. I need to go to the restroom."

"That's OK," Lee stretched and yawned. Go ahead."

Lee decided that the restroom wasn't a bad idea. He got up and headed down the aisle.

When he returned to his seat, he found Amanda sitting there, looking at the fax of the picture of Philip and Jamie.

"Lee, guess what?" She pointed to the picture of the boys. "I remember them....Philip and Jamie." Closing her eyes, she continued. "I can visualize them as babies and toddlers and, oh! I remember my mother too! It's wonderful!" She said with an ever-widening smile.

"Yup, it's wonderful. How about me? Lee asked, a look of anticipation on his face.

"No, not yet," she said apologetically, the smile fading quickly.

-----------------

After clearing U.S. Customs, Lee and Amanda walked into the large International Arrivals terminal. The first face Amanda saw was - Mr. Melrose - whom she immediately recognized as the Chief of Field Section and her boss. He was accompanied by an impeccably dressed and beautifully coifed blond, who Amanda knew was Francine Desmond. She of the acerbic wit, whose hobby seemed to be making snide remarks about Amanda and her suburban background.

"Lee, I remember Mr. Melrose and Francine. I know who they are!" Amanda said excitedly.

"That's great Amanda. We all work together. Do you remember me now?"

"Nope." She looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

---------------------------

The drive to Arlington was made mostly in silence. Billy preferred to have a formal debriefing the next morning when his two favorite agents would be rested. He hoped the extra time would help Amanda to recover more of her memory. He sensed that Lee was very upset that Amanda seemed to remember everybody except him.

Arriving at 4247 Maplewood, Billy parked the car. Lee got out and took Amanda's luggage from the trunk of the car and carried it up to the porch.

"Well, see you tomorrow. Get a good night's rest."

"I will. You too. Thanks, Lee."

The door opened and Dotty and the boys pounced on Amanda, each one trying to be the first to hug her and kiss her hello. It had been the longest ten days of their lives.

Lee walked almost unnoticed back to the car and the three agents drove away.

----------------

The next morning's debriefing session was long and tiring for both Lee and Amanda.

"All things considered, you two did a pretty good job over there," Billy said, folding his hands and smiling.

"We were sent over there to rescue Hoffman, weren't we Billy? We didn't do that."

Billy flinched under Lee's accusatory look. "You did a pretty good job, Scarecrow. Let's leave it at that."

When they finally finished, Lee told Billy, Francine and Amanda that he intended to have a small memorial gathering for Curt Hoffman. It would be held at his apartment the day after tomorrow. He planned to invite a few of the other agents who knew of Curt, even if they didn't know him personally. Everyone agreed that it was a nice gesture.

----------------------------

TAG

Sitting next to her mother, in the comfort of their family room, Amanda told Dotty that she was going over to Mr. Stetson's apartment that evening. He was having a small gathering of IFF employees to honor the memory of one of their European employees, who had been killed in a tragic accident while filming the documentary in Munich.

"Oh, Amanda darling, how sad. Well, it sounds like a lovely idea. Will any of the poor soul's family be there?"

"No Mother. His family is in Germany. This is just for the Americans who worked with him."

"I see. You won't be too late will you?"

"I don't think so, but don't wait up for me if I am late. It's not necessary."

"All right. I won't." Dotty reached over and patted her daughter's hand. "It's so good to have you home, love."

"It's good to *be* home."

"Amanda, are you sure you're all right? You seem so - so preoccupied since you've been home. Is something bothering you? I mean other than the death of your co-worker?"

"I'm fine, really. It's just that...well, did you ever have something - a word or a person - and it's right on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't remember it?"

"Oh, yes. Drives me *crazy* when that happens."

"Me too."

"The best thing is not to try too hard. Just forget about it and it'll come to you."

"Think so?"

"It's worked for me many times," Dotty said smiling.

-------------------------

It was a quiet, rather somber affair. Even if they didn't know Curt Hoffman personally, this sort of thing hit far too close to home for all the agents.

Billy and Francine were the last of the guests to leave.

Lee and Amanda sat on the couch. Lee looked tired and dejected. He was beginning to be afraid that Amanda just didn't *want* to remember him. He wasn't sure he could handle that.

"Well, you remember your family - your mother and the boys. You remember Billy and the Agency - Francine and even Dr. Smyth. You remember Joe King. I guess I'm the only one you *don't* recall. I wonder why....do you think maybe you're mad at me, subconsciously I mean, for getting you kidnapped?"

Amanda shrugged. "No, I don't think I'm angry with you."

He realized that she seemed to be studying him. He forced a smile.

"In fact," she stopped and looked at him. Her eyes widened.....

"What?" His smile turned into a big, dimpled grin.

She had tears in her eyes, as she was overwhelmed with the sudden recollection of who he was. "Mother was right!"

"What does...."

"I *do* know you Lee," She hugged him briefly, then pulled back. "Lee Stetson - my partner, my friend - my...my very *best* friend." She put her hand on his arm. 'My friend....and maybe a little bit more...'

Lee covered her hand with his and looked directly into her eyes. "Welcome back," he said. 'My Amanda,' he thought.

THE END