Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the property of Warner Bros. and Shoot the Moon Productions.

Author: angelsslave

Date: May 2002

Synopsis: Amanda is in turmoil over her feelings for Lee, newly discovered emotion creeps around the door to peek!

Authors note: this is my first attempt at fan fiction that I have actually been happy with, all comments are welcome and very much appreciated. I would like to thank the writer of the Scarecrow & Mrs. King episode that I have based my story around – Robert Bielak.

Timeline: after ‘The Triumvirate’ Season Three

Summary: I took this story from ‘The Triumvirate’ as to me this is a special touchy – feely episode from season three (I absolutely loved it). Lee in my opinion starts to come to terms with his feelings for Amanda as more than just friendship. He sees her in this story as a very brave, very special woman in the face of adversary, ‘as in some episodes previous’ he is starting to open his eyes and ‘his heart’. Instead of being the cool ‘Scarecrow’, we have known from the past - we get a sneaky peek at the man he is to become.

The story is in flashbacks - from Amanda’s point of view, as she spends many ‘restless’ nights going through the motions of what happened, and try to come to terms with the newly awakened feelings she has for Lee. In addition, I have taking some dialogue from the actual episode - which I have threaded through her thoughts. It deals in her mind, what happened in those 24hrs from the arrival of ‘the wrong check’

Finally, the words of the song throughout the story are one of my favorites by Roxette – Listen to Your Heart. If you know it, then you will understand we are I am going with this.

Feedback: yes please, as it is my ‘First Time’ writing fan fiction – be gentle LOL

This was the third night in a row that she had found little solace in sleep; in fact, sleep would be very much-appreciated thank you very much. After plumping and re-plumping her pillow, Amanda King blew out a noise of exasperation and got up slipping on her robe and slippers and crept quietly down the stairs making sure not to waken the other occupants of the house.

Putting on the kettle hoping some tea would sooth her fragile mind and allow sleep to come, her eyes drifted to the window above the sink as if hoping he would magically appear there smiling that egmatic smile of his - beckoning her outside.

‘Get a grip on yourself Amanda it’s two-thirty in the morning’

He was probably fast asleep a place where she should be…not in his bed…in her own fast asleep.

"Oh My Gosh, sleep I need some sleep!"

She rubbed her eyes wearily as she poured the water into her mug, switching off the cooker ring and stirred the amber liquid around, going through the motions of squeezing out the tea bag with her spoon and adding just a splash of milk

She sat down on the sofa in the den leaning her head back wearily while waiting for her tea to cool just enough to drink, and found her mind deciding ‘yet’ again like the nights before - drifting back over the events that had led to this ’36 hour insomnia.

***

It had started quite simply with her paycheck; yes incredulous as it sounded her paycheck from IFF was very much wrong – over a hundred thousand dollars wrong to be exact. So as soon as she dropped the boys’ off at school she headed into IFF to sort her little problem out. She awarded Mrs. Marsden with one of her brightest smiles as she collected her badge and rode the closet elevator down to the Bullpen, only to find Lee and Francine in Billy’s office deep in discussion over a case involving Eastern block agents who had been systematically killed within the last ’48 hours. Hoping not to disturb them she knocked lightly on the door, Billy’s usual signal of raising his head gained her entrance – even in his busiest of times as Section Chief of this little band of Intelligence Operatives he always had time for Amanda. She spoke her greetings to everyone lingering slightly on Lee’s face and his warm smile that reached his beautiful hazel eyes,

She had been feeling stirrings of emotions, emotions she wasn’t quite ready to admit herself – just yet.

Explaining the check that was written out to her was pretty straight forward, even with Lee’s interjection that the oversight was probably her overtime - that was until she told them the amount and all three sets of eyes locked with her’s. So under Billy’s instruction she went in the direction of the accounts department to stand in line along with the other half dozen agents whose pay was also wrong and waited - and waited. Lee came round the corner in search of her and found her at the end of the line and no fore-seeable movement for a very long time.

"Have you been waiting at the end of the line?"

Amanda was never a line-bunker, she always believe in diplomacy and would wait her turn just like the everyone else – Lee on the other hand had other idea’s and after…very little persuasion,

"There IS an easier way to do this…this is going to take forever!"

She allowed him to take her to ‘his friend’ a man called Lance Dorn who she found out lived in a trailer park and whose job – amongst other things was to test the computer security at ‘The Agency’.

After polite introductions Lee explained the problem, and Amanda listened hoping that this man would be able to help, although in her mind she seriously doubted it. A trailer for a home, a modest workstation, and the only things he possessed was his computer a small grocery list and a ‘Bananagram’ word search – which he had thought he cracked.

After a few moments typing on his keyboard, he was able to assess that Amanda had indeed been paid the money that should have gone into an account in the Bahamas to a code name King. After Lee scribbled down a telephone number ‘Amanda’s’ they left Lance to snoop around and headed back.

Unfortunately Amanda had more than just an overpaid check to worry her. She had also received an invitation for a reunion party to mingle with all the people she had gone to school with – her mother thought it was great idea to meet up with old friends to find out what they were doing, Amanda wasn’t so sure. Just as they were at an awkward situation where Dotty had thought she had cracked the ‘Bananagram’ – and Amanda without thinking told her she hadn’t, because Lance Dorn had told her – the doorbell had rang and an Agent Brown introduced himself showing her his pass, giving her all the ‘Agency’ recognition codes and explained he was from accounting and had written authorization from Lance Dorn to pick up the check, Amanda didn’t think there was problem with that – in fact she was glad to be rid of it. I had burnt a whole in her pocket book since she had gotten it and the sooner she got ‘her’ own check the better. She had no idea that not very far away Lance had been trying to access the account ‘666 that the check had been originally written for, and was locked out of it – by Joel falcon at ‘The Agency’ who promptly telephoned his superior with the disturbing news and was giving instructions to clean up. Lance was not going to give up either – not without a fight. After being given the run around by Falcon finally cracked the code with an eight digit password ‘Guardian’ and gained access again – followed by a called from Falcon himself arranging a ‘meet’

Little did Amanda know that by giving ‘Agent Brown’ the check for One Thousand Dollars she had helped seal Lance Dorn’s fate. He arrived for the scheduled meeting finding Falcon with a stranger he had never seen before, nor would he see again. The stranger who had posed as ‘Agent Brown’ at Amanda’s house was in fact the man that Lance had been investigating ‘King’ from active file ‘666, who knocked Lance unconscious, poured a bottle of bourbon over him and with the reluctant help of Falcon pushed his red jeep over the cliff’s edge down into a gully.

Still Amanda was blissfully unaware of just what kind of danger she was in. Even when Lee had got a call from a ‘Miss Harriet Owens’ from the trailer park stating that Lance’s door to his home had been busted open and he was missing, along with everything that had been on his computer – all had been wiped clean. Even as they had enlarged the piece of paper that had the grocery list and phone numbers of hopeful girlfriends along with the ‘Bananagram’ that he had left behind ‘giving them some clues into his life’ still nothing. Billy had put a call through to personnel and, just as they had expected no agent ‘codename King’ lived in the Bahamas. It all just didn’t make sense to her, someone had giving her the wrong amount in her wages - and now the man she had let see the check was nowhere to be found.

Carl Eagles – Senior Staff Administrator had then introduced himself to her in Billy’s Office informing them all that there was no such agent listed as ‘Jeffery Brown’ on file. Francine had more disturbing news as if what they had heard hadn’t been enough. According to Lance’s computer files, it confirmed that he had accessed the file ‘666 and got promptly locked out - just before he went missing. It was all looking like an embezzling ring and felt responsible for the mess as it came from one of his department’s. After Billy’s re-assurances that it wasn’t, Lee and Amanda got to work on their own end of the investigation concentrating on all the old Agency inactive accounts. It had taken longer than either of them would have liked, going through all the ‘Agency’s’ inactive accounts on Billy’s instructions. And just as it seemed they were getting nowhere fast, they stumbled across a file for ‘Wet Operations’ in Lee’s opinion an operation for ‘heavy tricks and political assassinations’ although he was quick to point out that ‘The Agency’ was never involved in that sort of thing – at least he didn’t think they were.

Amanda sat forward wearily, picking up her now empty cup and took it to the sink. She washed it automatically setting it back on the drainer as she stared out into the midnight sky - deep in thought. Her mind still troubled - going through the motions of where she was before.

Congress had clamped down on ‘Wet Operations’ in the late sixties – and file ‘666 was closed. So why had she been given a check written from it? Looking again at Lance’s ‘Bananagram’ Amanda discovered the best possible lead yet.

Each Agency computer password had eight letters, and Lance had written on the top of the sheet the word ‘guardian’ which also had eight letters – so using Amanda’s name to access the file and the word ‘guardian’ they got into ‘666 and to their surprise had been locked out – someone had stopped them reading the file. That someone was Falcon who in a blind panic pick up the telephone and called ‘King’ for another job.

Lee was as exasperated as much as Amanda, after all the work trying to make sense of the connection to her paycheck, Lance’s disappearance and inactive Agency files, they now had been shut out in his opinion as a warning – but he wasn’t going to let her know what he was thinking not yet anyway. If she was in any danger he sure wasn’t going to voice his opinion until it was absolutely necessary. Deciding their best solution was to tell Billy everything that they knew, went in search of him. Only to be told by Francine that he was in a meeting with Dr. Smyth and could be five minutes or all day. Lee sent her off for a bit of a break – after all she had cracked the code if not the ‘Bananagram’ and could do with clearing her head. Making sure she wasn’t needed followed Francine’s ‘advice’ and went off to find a suitable dress for the ‘Reunion Party’ in a quaint little shop called ‘Sixties-R-Us’ not really knowing whether it was ‘yet’ another Francine-dig at her sensible clothes. Sometimes it irked Amanda at her put downs, she could show Francine a thing or two about balancing a budget with a mother and two growing boys to feed and still find enough left over for what she called ‘simple but classy’ outfits to go to work in. Seeing as nine times out of ten she ended up coming home with them ruined.

Wandering around the various racks of clothes she had no idea that back at ‘The Agency’ Billy had just arrived back from a short but brief meeting with Lee going over what they had just discovered. Earlier he had thought it was some sort of ‘in-house’ link up to which Francine had placed a call to the ‘janitors’ to investigate. Informing Billy that they had accessed file ‘666 before the door had been shut on them and Lee had taken a peek inside writing down a record for check distributions, dates, places and names with one in particular - King Cobra. Billy was if anything shocked as the ‘Agency’ had him on a list of 10 international shooters – number seven with a bullet. All Lee could ascertain was a name but no picture for him – Ren Jepperd and he had been previously in active for years, but had received three checks written on his behalf. As if that hadn’t been bad enough Lee had to inform Billy that they had used Amanda’s name to access the file, which meant if Ren Jepperd was King Cobra and possibly be also the very same man that had came to Amanda’s house for his check. Then Amanda could identify him, and he could recognize Amanda. Billy ordered Lee to pull Amanda in, only to be informed by Francine where she had sent her.

She had finally been persuaded by the shop owner to try on a lavender print dress with a high ruffled neck and buttons all the way up the front. For her part she had to hear the tale of the particular rack it had been sitting in – ‘Chicago ‘69’ some of the items he assured her that,

"You can still smell the tear-gas on them"

Her outfit was ‘a Gracie Slick, New Years Eve Winter wonderland 1969’ he even had the papers to prove it. Not to sure whether it had been tear-gas that was affecting his judgment or something maybe a little stronger; she took the offending dress into the cubicle to try it on. That’s when she heard voices outside in the shop, the owner’s and another she vaguely recognized. Ducking her head out from behind the curtain she was just in time to see the man that had come to her house the day before under the guise of ‘Agent Brown’ strike the owner over the back of the head with his pistol. Unfortunate for her, he had seen her too and came after her. Ducking, she frantically crawled along underneath the adjoining walls to the other side of the shop. A screech of tires signaled Lee had come after her ‘thank you’ and entered the shop just as the man pulled open the curtains of the wrong cubicle frightening a tall blonde inside. Hearing a woman screech Lee called out Amanda’s name, which caused the man to turn round and shoot at Lee – missing. Amanda by that stage had almost got to the far side of the shop, using Lee’s distraction to get to safety. Lee had ducked for cover watching the shooter make his way along the stalls and as he raised his head a bullet whizzed into a dummy’s head causing a splinter to go into Lee’s eyes, allowing ‘Brown, King Cobra, Ren Jepperd’ to escape.

‘It had been all she could do at that time not to allow her heart to stop as Lee had called out frantically her name. He was in pain and she knew it but his number one priority had been to check if she was all right as he had done too many times in the past’

Leaning wearily of the kitchen sink she looked at the clock; it read just a little after three and was no sleepier than she had been half an hour ago.

The man whom she thought was a harmless employee from accounting had turned out to be a killer with her name at the top of his list. She had churned it over in her mind so many times as to why she had got mixed up in all of this. Amanda enjoyed her work. No strike that – ‘she loved her work’ she loved everything about it, from the moment she opened her eyes all she could think of was what sort of case she and Lee would be working on. Where would they go? What sort of ‘cover’ would they be donning in aid to get the ‘bad guys’

Only this time - this time the case was ‘she’ and it had been personal.

Billy’s only solution was to put Amanda under ‘Code Blue Alert’ until they caught Jepperd. When he arrived at the shop with the paramedics after the shooting, the news he brought with him wasn’t good. It had transpired that the ‘State Highway Patrol’ had found Lance Dorn’s body at the bottom of a gully stating that he had been drinking, a statement Lee vehemently denied. He knew Lance was a player but even Lance knew ‘his limits’ it wasn’t possible that he had gotten himself intoxicated and simply crashed his jeep. Billy also had proved that ‘King Cobra’ had been paid after three recent assassinations – all enemy agents that ‘The Agency’ had, had to let go. Amanda was going to have to be put under guard for her own protection, which meant she couldn’t see her family and had to yet again tell more ‘white lies’ although she had to admit she was getting pretty good at it now. Billy, Lee and herself entered the ‘Cumberland Grand’ a hotel that had been bought over by ‘The Agency’ five years previously, and now served as a retreat often housing wealthy defectors that entered the county. No such luxury for Amanda as it was to be her home for the night.

Waiting until Lee had his gun checked was a way of life that she had gotten used to, and after being briefed by Billy that she was much safer in here and ‘him’ out there, it was then she felt the warmness of Lee’s hand in hers.

Amanda smiled whimsically remembering the fear churning around in the pit of her stomach, yet at the same time the feel of his hand in her’s letting her know that she was not alone. She touched her right hand, as if she could still feel the texture of his skin against her’s - their fingers laced together, held tightly like a lover’s embrace. Her eyes widened as she dropped her hand back down to her side, feeling her face already begin to burn at the way her thoughts had betrayed her,

"Ohmygosh where did that thought come from Amanda King?"

In the past it had always been a way of letting her know everything was going to be all right a friendly reassurance that he was there. But things had changed so much between them over the past six months, that the hand holding now felt like a connection to him - not the Intelligence Operative codename ‘Scarecrow’, but Lee Stetson the charming witty alluring man underneath. As they entered the elevator to go up to the suite she would be staying in, she suddenly felt the walls closing in on her and fear raise it’s ugly head to snap. Blindly she reached for his hoping he wouldn’t refuse – he didn’t, instead wrapped her tiny hand in both of his enveloping her in their warmth.

Having to tell her mother there was a ‘swarm of termites’ was genius in her part, much better than Lee’s suggestion that ‘she was spending the night in a grand hotel with a handsome sexy man’ and wouldn’t be home until the morning. Although to tell the truth the handsome sexy man certainly held some appeal on her part as she said her farewells to her mother asking her to kiss Phillip and Jamie who were all going to spend the night at Aunt Edna’s. As she was just about to say goodbye, Lee came in ‘he had been in the adjoining bedroom checking the balcony doors were secure and the outside perimeter of the grounds had no-one skulking on it’ and perched himself on the back of the couch Amanda was sitting on. They were once again – totally alone.

Lee sensing her distress in all this patted her arm, hoping to make her feel better

"Look it’s going to be alright!"

"Is It?"

Amanda felt totally helpless and vulnerable,

"Boy don’t you ever get tired of all this?"

Lee smiled reflectively,

"Comes with the territory,"

Amanda shook her head, she knew feeling sorry for herself wasn’t very ‘Agent’ proper conduct, but the way she was feeling she didn’t really care.

"No, I know that’s what I mean. Don’t you get tired of the territory? I mean - lately I feel like I can’t make any plans!"

It was out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop herself and she didn’t care, it was getting to the point that it was always the ‘bad guys’ screwing up her social life – ‘what social life?’ her family life and the people around her that she cared about.

" Y’know I missed Phillip when he was in ‘Rumplestilskin’ and now it looks like I am going to miss Jamie’s first ‘Open House’ in school."

Lee smiled down at her, not condemning or rolling his eyes at being forced to hear about her sad state of life but instead agreeing.

"Yeah I hear you. This job has cost me my fair share of relationships that’s for sure."

"Why do you keep on doing it?"

She had recently enjoyed the simple conversations that they would hold during stakeouts or simply back at work while helping him with reports or his expense accounts. The friendship they had, had become more intimate in the way that Lee had begun to open up to her – he trusted her with personal moments from his life that he had never told anyone else.

"It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it!"

Amanda groaned inwardly at Lee’s ‘John Wayne’ quirk,

"Come on, I’m trying to be serious here!"

At her trying to scold him and failing miserably Lee laughed, his rich baritone chuckle warming her right to her toes.

"Well I guess I am too! It is a job someone has to do – I happen to do it well. There are some parts of it I don’t like,"

He looked directly at her then almost boring into her soul – if she hadn’t been sitting down then her legs would’ve turned to Jell-O.

"Parts of it I’ve liked a lot"

She lowered her head feeling her cheeks heat up under his gaze. Sensing her shyness and knowing that he had put that rosy glow on her face, Lee smiled and continued.

"What about you? I mean aren’t there part time jobs that pay a lot more than this. And are a hell of a lot less dangerous – right!"

She shook her head; they had been down this path before.

"I don’t know. I guess I had some kind of idea of making the world a better place for Phillip and Jamie, it’s really pretty silly isn’t it?"

Lee shook his head – this woman constantly surprised him. Her inner strength never wavered even in a desolate situation such as this – and there had been many ‘this times’ when she would put others before her – to protect them with her life if need be.

"No, it isn’t – that’s why we’re stuck with this!"

Amanda smiled up at him. Suddenly making sense of what was going on – feeling so much more focused than she had when she first came in.

"Yeah – I guess so…"

She hugged herself tightly as she slipped silently out the back door into the yard. Settling herself in the white garden swing - rocked it gently deep in thought – thoughts that had been eating away at her the last few days.

Lee Stetson had come a long way from that fateful day at the train station when he had asked for her help - a day that changed both their lives. Catapulting a simple housewife from Virginia into a world of espionage and danger – and a top Operative Agent into a world of P.T.A meetings and school runs - making him experience what real life was all about. His ‘Partners’ outside ‘Agency’ life not to mention her Mother’s comical interference into whether ‘her daughter’ would find a suitable man and live happily ever after - used to be a source of frustration and amusement. But Lately she had found him listening to her constant ramblings about her life – Phillip or Jamie’s school project’s and yes, even her mother’s ‘who she adored unconditionally’ match-making skills.

Yes Lee had certainly changed - but was it a change that he was willing to accept? Amanda’s dark chocolate eyes clouded with un-certain worry.

‘Was it a change that she could let into her heart?’

Yet again her mind reeled back, back to the ‘Cumberland Grand – back to the feelings she had tried to understand, that caused her so much restlessness’

Lee had smiled at her then, a tentative warming smile that she had felt from the top of her head right down to her toes. His smiles could always convey words that never needed to be spoken, and lately – they were more directed at ‘her’ than at her sometimes-clumsy mistakes or poor choice of words. Reaching his eyes, those gorgeous beautiful hazel eyes making him look so boyish and innocent.

She had gazed upon his face so many times, at first she hastened to point out was through’ infatuation’ - she had never met a man quite like him before in her life, so sophisticated and debonair - living in a totally different world to her ‘normal’ mundane one. Entering ‘his’ life with a resounding ‘crash’ and finding it compared to ‘Jamborees and Junior trail-blazing’ straight out of a spy novel – only more realistic and certainly more dangerous. Awakening a woman in her that she found ‘exciting but disturbing at the same time’

They had settled themselves in for the night – Lee had made his check in with the downstairs guards and all had appeared to be safe. Amanda had taken her place ‘yet’ again on the couch – Lee on the seat beside it. Both emerged in their thoughts and magazines – well that was until she felt herself being scrutinized more than the magazine Lee was flicking through, and looked up catching him on. Like a child being caught with his hand in the cookie jar all Lee could do was cough - absently raked his hand through his hair and look away. Amanda smiled back at him ‘gotcha’ It felt nice to find out that even Lee, in stolen moments would stare at her - the way she had stared at him ‘far too many times’ to mention.

Keeping that moment close to her heart for the time being, she yet again tried to read the same page she had been looking at for the last thirty minutes. That gave Lee another chance to look at her – look at the woman that was slowly but surely capturing his heart. The great ‘Scarecrow’s’ barriers were being pulled down – his cool façade was starting to slip.

Checking his watch, suddenly feeling uneasy with were his train of thought was heading - decided to get some space between them.

"Ah Amanda it’s getting late. Why don’t you get some rest – I’ll go into the other room."

Amanda looked up smiling she didn’t want to be left alone right now, but she didn’t want to scare him of either.

"Well I’m not really tired and I’m probably too nervous to sleep!"

Lee didn’t need any further invitation – Amanda didn’t want him to leave ‘a good sign’

"Okay I can stay…"

He looked so cute sitting beside her - his smile conveying his relief of not being told to leave. Unfortunately to Amanda and Lee’s annoyance the door to the suite was knocked – it was Francine ‘who wasn’t due to relieve Lee until the morning’

She excused herself, explaining that she had got a call from Billy to take over from him as he was needed back at ‘The Agency’ although her connection with him was bad – all the recognition codes where in place and they had to trade shifts. It was evident to Amanda that Lee didn’t want to leave, but knew that if Billy needed him – then he had to go no questions asked.

Making sure that they would lock up he finally smiled to Amanda behind Francine’s back, a secret smile only for her.

"See you later!"

It was more like a promise than a statement, and it allowed to put hope in her heart that that is what he meant. All she could do in front of Francine was display a poker face ‘devoid of all the emotion she was feeling at that moment in time’

"Goodbye"

Sitting back in the swing she closed her eyes, feeling the tears well up as they did sometimes over the events that had lead to the fall of ‘The Triumvirate’ - and Ren Jepperd’s untimely demise. She had been in some tricky situations before and always managed to get out of them ‘just in time’ but the whole circle of events had started to spiral out of control. This ‘Mercenary’ was after her - Not Lee Not ‘The Agency’ but the simple housewife from Arlington. All because she had gotten his money by mistake.

Her emotions became too raw during the whole ordeal. The feelings she had for Lee were so above the surface - and the thoughts she had for the people who were doing this to her – so clouded with anger. When she remembered back to how she felt after Lee had left - it was like being ‘a deer caught in the headlights of a car’. Sure she knew Francine was a ‘good’ agent and a pretty good shot. She just never imagined she would ever be put in a situation where Francine Desmond would save her life…

***

Lee was not happy with Francine trading shifts with him, and decided to call Billy himself from his car phone. Luckily for Amanda he did - because it had been a set up from the start to draw Lee and ‘The Agency’ away from her.

Francine and Amanda had been sitting playing ‘Hearts’ when the telephone in the suite rang – it was Lee-informing Francine that he had just talked to Billy and that she had been tricked. They put two and two together working out that ‘ Jepperd was trying to shake them off Amanda ‘

Amanda over hearing the conversation - sensed trouble. At least one consolation was to come out of it - Lee was on his way, playing it ‘safety in numbers’

"What’s going on?"

Francine didn’t turn around ‘not a good sign’ instead picked up the handset again and began dialing,

"Nothing good, I’m going to call downstairs for a guard!"

Amanda started to feel the panicky sense of dread in the pit of her stomach – something was deadly wrong.

‘Jepperd had already scaled the wall up to the room where Mrs. King was, it had been easy getting Lee Stetson away from her – Falcon had helped him with that. His only worry was now the woman agent – ‘easy’ he had already taking care of the guards downstairs, one more agent wouldn’t pose as a problem’

Little did he know that at that moment in time, Lee had made it back to ‘The Cumberland Grand’ and as he had earlier that day imprinted the layout of the grounds in his mind, was able to run through the hotel out the exit to the back. Pulling off his jacket as he did - freeing his arms and his pistol for easier access, spied Jepperd just reaching the doors leading into the bedroom. Fired a shot and all hell broke loose.

Although she had learned not let it fear show - well to anyone but Lee, Amanda was beside herself with worry. So when the doors to the balcony banged open and a man in black fell through – time and space seemed to go in slow motion.

Francine yelled for her to "get down!" as she fired of a round hitting the wall at the door frame, missing Jepperd by inches

"Amanda get the back up car started I’ll be right there!"

Francine fired off another round missing him ‘yet’ again, as Amanda unlocked the door and with all the strength she had in her ‘now’ wobbly legs and sped off down the hallway to the elevator. Francine had tried to make her escape but was caught with a bullet from Jepperd’s gun – hitting her in the leg as she got to the door. In spite of her pain, she managed to get to the stairwell before he got out of the room. Jepperd was distracted at finishing the wounded agent off by seeing the doors closing with ‘Mrs. King’ inside. Annoyed he had missed her yet again, went to the other stairwell to head her off.

Lee by this stage had ran back into the hotel after hearing the gunfire. Hoping that Amanda and Francine were alright - found himself confronted by Jepperd coming out of the stairwell doors - in seeing Lee, Jepperd fired a shot and ran. Thus starting a ‘cat and mouse’ game with ‘The Agency’s’ top agent throughout the lobby of the hotel.

Amanda was now on a flight for her life, as she ran as fast as she could - into the courtyard. Hoping she wasn’t going to be followed thankfully reached the door of the back up car and got in. The keys were not there - she searched frantically around for them knowing that it was only a matter of time before Jepperd would reach her. A hand held them up at the window to her ‘please thank you’ it was Carl Eagles - with a gun.

The first light of dawn drew over the horizon bringing in with it a cool breeze chilling Amanda as she sat. But it wasn’t as cool a chill, as she was experiencing inside. Her freedom had been but a hair’s breadth away – and then it was gone. All because she had gotten too close to the truth. Lee was in danger she knew that - she didn’t know how but something inside her just didn’t feel right. And now she was having to drive away by gunpoint - held by a top senior agent. Away from what she thought was her ‘safe house’ maybe never to see Lee Stetson again.

Wrapping her robe tightly around her – she stared out into her beautiful garden. ‘Her family’ above her was safely tucked up in bed, unaware of just how close they had been in not seeing their mommy again. That revelation brought a sense of sadness to her heart - as it was times like this, between dust and dawn that she thought over what her life had come to represent – and in all her conclusions she could only come up with one name to it all – Lee Stetson.

If she hadn’t agreed to help him three and a half years ago to deliver a package to the ‘man in the red hat’ then she would have never gotten involved and end up saving his life, not to mention fly a helicopter for the very first time. Start a journey of espionage and counter espionage – Russians and defectors – good guys and bad, and all in the name of ‘serving her country’.

To live a double life unknown to her family - and yet ‘would she give it all up tomorrow?’

No, she wouldn’t - not today - not tomorrow - not ever. Because to give it up would mean not seeing Lee. And not seeing Lee would mean her life would be empty ‘yes’ empty, incomplete - unfulfilled.

A smile spread across her face as she finally felt the heavy burden that had settled on her shoulders days previous disappear – SHE needed Lee in her life! Through all the frustration and there had been many, she had never doubted he would be there for her. As a friend, as a work colleague, as her savior when her life was in danger ‘seemingly all the time’ – Lee was always there, even when she had been faced with the uncertainty that Carl Eagles and Joel Falcon were going to kill her

Time was running out for Amanda and she knew it – Carl had completely lost his mind ranting and raving about how when he first set up his little group of ‘triumvirates’ it was to right the wrongs that had been happening – to make the world a ‘safer’ place,

"Vigilante killings will not make the world a safer place!"

But Carl wasn’t listening; it was if he was trying to explain that what he was doing was right – justified. She couldn’t believe that in his eyes the five years since ‘their existence’ the many assassinations had taken place by ‘his’ hands. And had sometimes led to ‘unfortunate gaps’

Amanda was totally stunned – as if handcuffed to a pipe wasn’t bad enough,

" Was Lance Dorn an unfortunate gap? – Is that what I am, an unfortunate gap?"

Joel Falcon had the made the preparations with the furnace in the warehouse she was being held in – stoking it up to eighteen hundred degrees. It was evident they where planning to kill her with a lethal injection already being prepared by the woman member to their ‘sick’ organization, and her body tossed into it never to be found. Amanda only hoped Lee would find her in time.

Lee ended the ‘game’ with Jepperd critically wounded and had no reason to feel sorry for him. Amanda was missing and the only person who could tell him where she was was Jepperd. Getting him to talk wasn’t easy as yet still in his death bed ‘King Cobra’ was wanting to make a deal – luckily for him and for Amanda, Billy was the calmer of the two agents and was able to make out where she was being held.

As for Amanda as time was ticking quickly away – Carl apologizing for it all, was just preposterous. Making it all seem like it was for her own good – another blip in the almost perfect ‘world’

‘Please Lee – find me’

Her prayer’s where answered as his deep baritone voice ran out across the silence,

"Okay Falcon drop it!"

Joel decides not to, instead shoots at him and takes off running. What surprised her more was that Carl unlocked the cuffs before running off himself – leaving her a little bit dazed and confused. Her mind was still reeling with shock and relief as Lee ran passed with a simple command,

"Stay put!"

As he took off after them – cornering a very ashamed Carl first enabling him to run any further. Billy on the opposite end of the warehouse quickly rounded up the woman leaving her no choice but to give up. Falcon was trickier – he had everything to loose, as it was him who had involved Ren Jepperd to get rid of Amanda King.

‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know I was that popular’

Lee finally cornered Joel who, after firing all the bullets in his gun, and loosing his jacket in a struggle ended up on a conveyor belt loosing his footing – only to be held just barely by Lee who had the advantage of ending the ‘sorry son of a bitches’ life. But didn’t, deciding enough people had taken lives for the sake of ‘justice’ and dropped Falcon into a truck full of hard packed sand.

It was all over – Amanda was safe and the group of ‘vigilantes’ were captured. It was if the last twenty-four hours in her life had been one bad dream. Except it had a silver lining – Lee! Her legs were so weak and were threatening to fold in on her, but she didn’t care. She needed to find him to make sure he was safe. And safe he was, standing there in the flesh – her savior pulling Joel falcon out of the truck towards Billy ‘Billy was here too?’ and the needle-pushing woman. Not caring if she made a fool of herself ran towards Lee, to saw her just as she approached.

"Lee, are you alright?"

"Yeah, how are you?"

Amanda grabbed the collar of his jacket, relief washing over her like a tidal wave, she was finally safe and free – all because of this man standing in front of her who would never give up.

"How did you find me?"

Lee smiled at her relief shining in his hazel eyes, softening as he spoke.

"I guess I made a little deal with the devil – I’m sure glad I did!"

Amanda didn’t need any more explanation - Lee had come like she knew he would no matter what, and her heart soared. Tired of holding in all the emotions she was feeling inside – pulled him into her arms and held on tight. It felt warm, it felt safe, and it felt right.

Getting up from the swing she decided that sleep wasn’t going to come – Phillip and Jamie would be up in a few hours filling her house with noise and laughter, and her mother would cast a worrying look in her direction again noticing the dark circles under her eyes. Maybe she would catch a few minutes peace up in ‘The Q Bureau’ while Lee was out at lunch – Lee the constant source of her problem – when did having him around become such a calamity? Since she had started to have feelings for him that were most definitely ‘not’ of the friendship kind that’s when. And those feelings scared her, knowing that it could complicate things if she told him how she felt. But on the other hand - if she kept them bottled up anymore she was sure to explode. He could be so unpredictable one minute and so sweet and caring the next, particularly following what had happened.

***

She had bought the ‘Gracie Slick’ dress, but her ‘family’ had decided it was a bad investment. Her mother try as she did could not contain the laughter she was hiding behind her teacup as Phillip and Jamie made jokes about her ‘ancient threads’. Seeing her daughter’s obvious ‘lack’ of humor Dotty took the boys into the den along with their milk and cookies – leaving Amanda to wallow in her self-pity.

"You shouldn’t laugh at me - you shouldn’t laugh at me!"

Her back door was knocked, that could only be one person – Lee. Checking to make sure the coast was clear and that no one had heard it, Amanda opened the door and slipped outside.

There he stood a little in the shadows, dressed in a brown suede jacket long tassels adorned the sleeves. A pink tee shirt where hung a long string of ‘love beads’ and a patchwork pair of denims hung snuggly on his hips. In her minds eye she could just imagine a youthful Lee Stetson - his hair just touching his shoulders full of smiles and charm ‘ that she knew for certain would be in abundance’

He drawled at her in his best ‘hippy’ voice,

"Hey baby – what’s happening?"

She looked him up and down in mock perusal, using the same line Phillip had used on her only moments ago,

"Where did you get the ancient threads?"

Lee opened and closed his mouth biting back a response knowing she was goading him.

"Well, I heard through the grapevine that you just might be needing an escort to your reunion?"

"Oh no, I’m not going to the reunion…"

"And why not?"

"I’m not going to go…"

"Amanda!"

"I don’t like this dress…"

He grabbed her gently around the arms – his way recently to curb her rambling, and she didn’t mind one bit.

"C’mon – we’ll make the perfect couple!"

Amanda didn’t need any more persuading – as she looked into those eyes she felt herself falling all over again,

"Okay thanks…"

Even after that he had still managed to collect her ‘own’ check from accounts, and to her surprise and heartfelt dismay they had paid her a day late - and exactly one dollar short. But Amanda didn’t care Lee was her’s for the night; even with the ‘dreadful’ dress she had the time of her life. Meeting friends of her ‘past’ on his arm was like heaven. He paid attention to her all night long and charmed the legs of most of the females there, which looked upon him with adoration - and glared at Amanda with jealousy.

She had made the decision a long time ago not to let her heart get broken again – it was just too painful. Her marriage to Joe King despite her better judgment had ended – leaving her disillusioned about the whole ‘love’ package and what it represented. But maybe – just maybe there was no stopping love creeping up on you and capturing your heart, no matter how well you guarded it. She laughed when she remembered how infatuated she had been with ‘Scarecrow’ at the beginning ‘gosh two and a half years ago’ he had tried in many ways to let her down gently, and for that she was thankful. He had changed so much over so little time, from being hard noised and opinionated; to warm and often very romantic without knowing he was doing it. She had seen him break down the walls that guarded his emotions, during the regurgitating of the ‘Oz’ case that had lead to him finally lying to rest the ghost of ‘Dorothy’ his first true love. And although he had had ‘many’ short-term affairs – none had lasted very long, Leslie had been the last ‘thank you’ and since then – Amanda had suffered his undivided attention. ‘Suffered’ is that what you called it? No she hadn’t suffered - enjoyed very much indeed, and she knew he had enjoyed spending all the time with her too.

Amanda smiled feeling the first rays of sunshine caress her face as she looked up to the early morning sky – and at that very moment made her mind up; she was going to let her heart be her guide. She didn’t know where it was going to lead her and she didn’t really care. All she knew, what she was certain of was that no matter what – Lee Stetson had gotten inside and churned her insides upside down, making a grow woman feel like a school girl experiencing her first crush all over again. With that thought she stepped inside her home once again and silently closed the door, sleep wasn’t going to come – but tonight she had a funny feeling it would. Patience had always been her strong point - and she would be very patient because Lee Stetson was definitely worth the wait.