Sentimental Reasons

by Laura16

To catch a congressional blackmailer, the Agency goes undercover at a Georgetown nightclub and that's when all the notes go flat.

Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and characters are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot The Moon Productions. I just like to take the kiddies out for a run around the playground every now and again. I have not profited from this story in any manner. The story premise is my own.

Sentimental Reasons

To catch a congressional blackmailer, the Agency goes undercover at a Georgetown nightclub and that's when all the notes go flat.

Cheek to Cheek written by Irving Berlin

Time after Time written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne

I Love you...for Sentimental Reasons written by William Best and Deek Watson

Prologue

"Everything is in place. "

"Excellent…excellent."

The Agency-Billy Melrose's Office

Francine Desmond strolled through the bullpen and headed straight to Billy's office. She opened the door and walked in, quietly closing it behind her. She gave a nod of silent greeting to Lee and Amanda and waited for Billy to finish reading the report in his hands.

Dropping the paper on his desk, Billy looked up and grinned at the agent waiting for his attention. "Welcome back Francine; did you have a good vacation? Where did you go--Hawaii you said?"

"Yes, it was very relaxing. So," she eyed the group, "what's happening here? What have I missed?"

If it was possible, Billy's grin grew even wider as she tried to change the subject. "How's Beaman doing? Is he enjoying Hong Kong--and how did you enjoy Hong Kong?"

Francine tossed off a shrug as she let her gaze fall to the report on Billy's desk. "You'd have to ask Efraim; he's in Hong Kong, not me."

Lee smiled as he watched his friend as she studiously eyed the report. "Nice suit, it's new--isn't it? Mr. Chen's or Mr. Andy? I'd know that tailoring anywhere," he remarked. Lee owned several custom suits from the expert tailors in Hong Kong and he recognized their work when he saw it.

Francine's cheeks flushed as she dodged the question. "So Amanda, how's the family? Is your mother well?"

With a shake of her head, Amanda smiled at Francine's dogged re-direction of the conversation.

"Mother is doing really well, Francine."

"Any new adventures?"

"I certainly hope not," Amanda said with slight shudder. She winked at her husband, hoping he was going to let his interrogation of Francine drop.

Francine smiled, grateful for the shift in the discussion. Hoping to keep it that way, she turned her attention back to the report she had in fact been reading. "Is this about Congressman Bennoit? He always did have a liking for figures--and not the type on paper!"

Billy nodded as the conversation returned to the business at hand. "Yes, it seems as though his latest dalliance has resulted in blackmail."

"Yeah, he came to us hat in hand and looking for help," Lee said, his tone telegraphing his feelings on the situation.

"What were they looking for?" Francine asked. "He isn't that high up in the House leadership that he'd have any real information that anyone would find valuable."

"True, but he is the biggest gossip in DC," Billy noted.

"You do have a point," Francine acceded. "So why are we involved and not the FBI?"

"He came to us," Lee's tone was telling much more than his actual words.

"That can't be good. Send him to the FBI," Francine told them, her tone brooking no argument.

"I'd like to, but it seems that Smyth owes the congressman a favor."

"And we get to punch the ticket paid," Lee added. "And since you're back, you'll be able to help with this. In fact, you'll be perfect."

"No."

"You haven't heard what we're planning," Lee replied.

"I don't have to hear what you're planning--no. Nothing good ever comes from dealing with congress. So whatever it is, no."

"But Francine," Amanda interrupted. "Lee's right; you are perfect. You sing and we need someone who can sing. I can't sing, well, I can sing--I mean everyone can sing--just not very well. I don't think I could get a job as a singer at this night club. These people wouldn't hire me, but they would hire you!"

Everyone was silent, as if to make sure Amanda had finished her ramble. She gave a little shrug and blushed, Lee rolled his eyes and picked up where Amanda had left off.

"Look, it's a nice little nightclub just off the canal in Georgetown..."

"How nice can it be if they're blackmailing the congressman?" Francine tapped her foot on the floor as she waited for Lee's answer.

Lee's head swung to Billy for back up.

"They have a no touching the talent rule!" Billy supplied, pleased with his answer.

"No." With a roll of her eyes, Francine turned and left the room, her loud and final "No!" tossed over her shoulder as she pulled the door closed behind her.

Billy, Lee and Amanda all looked at each other . Amanda shrugged and smiled, "It's probably a good thing we didn't tell her that Donnelly would be her partner on this."

The two men nodded their agreement. Billy smiled and reached for a file on his desk. "Amanda, I think you're the perfect person to tell her--why don't you go take care of that?"

"Sir! No, I couldn't, really. It would be better coming from you! Oh, all right," she said, her tone leaving them in no doubt that it wasn't all right at all. "Chickens..." she muttered as she left Billy's office to find Francine.

"Go back her up, Scarecrow!"

With a frown at his boss, Lee left Billy's office and went in search of Francine and Amanda. Chickens, Amanda had called them. And she was right.

Now they were coming home to roost!

Georgetown Blues Club

Francine sighed as she waited off stage for the piano player to finish her musical introduction. She closed her eyes as she let the music wash over her; setting the tempo for her set. Taking a deep breath, she pasted on a smile and walked out into the spotlight and with a nod at her pianist, Tommy, she began to hum along.

Picking up the beat, she smiled as the music started to flow. Lifting the mic to her lips, she sang Irving Berlin's Cheek to Cheek.

Heaven, I'm in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

They launched into the play list; Francine singing and bantering with the crowd and Tommy. It was her first week at the club and so far she hadn't come across any customer coercion or the thriving blackmail mill that Congressman Bennoit had told them about. And the other assertion that also fell by the wayside was the club's no touching the talent rule; the owner made a habit of 'touching' her whenever he could.

The regulars were an assortment of locals, congressional staffers and the occasional member of congress and even a West Winger or two. She had counted several CIA and FBI among the customers; but even they had seemed uninterested in anything other than the menu and the music.

She had just finished a B.B. King medley when she spotted Lee and Amanda Stetson being seated in the back of the room. With a nod to Tommy, they finished the first set of the evening to enthusiastic approval, if the applause was an indicator.

Smiling, Francine gave a thumbs up to her pianist and made her way through the club to chat with the audience. Her habit was to slowly make the circuit of the room, making sure to stop for a momentary chat with Matt Donnelly, her partner in this scheme. Their cover was that of feuding lovers, but there wasn't the chemistry for that and they came off as disinterested acquaintances. At least tonight she would be able to get the word on the future of this case directly from Lee. With a glance at her watch, she did the calculation for the time difference between DC and Hong Kong. Just after 10pm now, she thought, a little after noon in Hong Kong. By the time she got home, she should be able to catch Efraim just as he was getting back from lunch....

"I applaud your talent, Miss Delamond. We've had a variety of singers over the years, but none with your gift for touching all the bases with our customers. You are a hit!"

Francine lifted her hand to shade her eyes as she turned toward the voice behind her and looked directly into the bright lights that spot her on stage. "Thank you, Mr. Mellon. I'm giving it my all," she told the club owner, not untruthfully.

At least 6 feet tall, dark hair and eyes, Francine estimated the man's age between 40 and 45. A thin scar ran the length of the his face, from outer eye to jaw which coupled with his days growth of beard gave the man a hard, unapproachable air. The club's employee's avoided him at all costs. Francine's instincts sent up red flags when she was around him, but the Agency hadn't been able to dig anything up on Bruce Mellon when they had done their background checks.

Mellon reached out and let his hand rest on Francine's arm as he leaned close. "I would love to have a drink with you later this evening. And before you think this is something sordid, let me assure you I'd just like to discuss your future with us here at the club."

With a smile, Francine nodded. "I'd enjoy that--after my next set?"

"Excellent. I'll be at the owners table in the back. Just come and find me when you've finished your rounds." And with a soft stroke of Francine's bare arm, he removed his hand and turned.

Covering an involuntary shudder, she continued her circuit of the room, chatting at each table, finally coming to Lee and Amanda's .

"I hope you enjoyed the show this evening--is this your first time here?" She leaned on the table, her fingers splayed in a prearranged signal.

"You have an amazing voice, Ms. Delamond." Amanda's sincerity wasn't forced. She had been surprised by the quality of Francine's voice and range. "I'm so glad we were able to come this evening; we've been hearing wonderful reviews of your show."

"Thank you. We get quite a variety of people and I enjoy the opportunity to speak with everyone. It looks as though I'll be able to lengthen my run here, I have a meeting to discuss extending my engagement with the owner later this evening."

"That's wonderful news," Amanda said with a smile before turning to Lee. "Don't you agree, sweetheart?"

"Absolutely," Lee agreed. He adjusted his tie and gave a look to his watch--more signals. "We'll certainly look forward to more evenings out."

"Will you stay for the next set? I want to chat with the rest of our guests, but if you have anything you would like me to sing...."

"Thank you, perhaps our next visit. We'll think about what we'd like to hear," Amanda replied. "Thank you for stopping by, it was a pleasure to meet you."

Francine finished her rounds of the room before heading backstage for a short break before she returned to the stage. She closed her eyes and her thoughts turned to the chill she had felt when Bruce Mellon had touched her arm. She forced the feeling from her mind and let her thoughts settle on Efraim.

She missed him. She missed his viewpoints, she corrected herself. Who are you kidding? You miss having him around! She sat up straight in her chair, turned to the mirror, grabbed her brush and flicked at her hair. It wouldn't do to think like that, she told herself. She did miss how he challenged her thinking on everything; but she finally had to admit; she just missed the man. With a final toss of her hair, she gave her image a self-mocking grimace.

The knock on her door brought her from her reflection and she turned as Tommy stuck his head inside. "Five minutes Ms. Delamond--any changes to the lineup?"

She nodded and waved for the musician to come in as she tossed the brush to her table. "Just a few requests, nothing we can't handle, Tommy." When they had finished discussing the changes for the last set, she followed her pianist out and through the small hallways leading to the stage.

She leaned against the wall waiting for the finish of the musical introduction. She heard voices--Bruce Mellon's and another man's voice she didn't recognize. Francine tried to listen to what they were saying but the music was loud and the men were now speaking in hushed tones. Turning, she hurried back to the stage, arriving as Tommy hit her cue to come on.

"Thank you! I had the chance to speak with some of you this evening and ask for your requests--Tommy and I would like to do a few of those requests for you right now. Maestro, if you would be so kind!"

The music swung into a jazz classic and Francine noted that Amanda gave her the signal for message received. She sang several more requests from the audience before giving Tommy a nod to finish with the second half of their standard set.

Francine stepped off stage and made her way to the owners table in the back of the room. This was the first night that there had been any kind of contact out of the normal. Either Congressman Bennoit was being blackmailed or was hallucinating. She was putting her money on hallucinations, but the voices earlier had given her pause. If she was lucky, she'd be able to get Mellon to confide his troubles to her.

"Perfect," she told herself with a smile. "Everything is perfect."

The Agency-Billy Melrose's Office

"It's terrible, awful, horrible...absolutely the worst. I want out," Francine announced in Billy's office two days later.

"Francine," her boss intoned.

"No! It's that bad. This guy is all over me when he's not feeding me teaspoons of ridiculous gossip. I'm telling you, something is not right!"

"The information has been paying out, you have to admit that," Lee said, exasperation coloring his voice. He knew Francine was at her wits end with tap dancing around Bruce Mellon, but some of the information had paid dividends, albeit small, but he wanted to see if he could get to the mother lode.

"I can read the gossip page and get the same information he's dishing me. I'm in there by myself since no one with any sense believes that there is any type of relationship between Donnelly and myself. I have no one I can depend on to back me up and give me some cover should I need it. I certainly can't cozy up to Mellon after keeping him at arm's length, especially since he's the one offering these little tidbits to Bennoit," she spat out contemptuously.

"It's not like you can't play that you've changed your mind about him," Lee charged.

Francine bolted from her chair, her eyes blazing at the assemblage. "I am not going to play anything with anyone for information." She stormed from Billy's office, slamming the door behind her.

"That certainly didn't go well," Amanda broke into the silence after Francine's exit.

With a sigh, Lee dragged his hand through his hair. "I didn't mean it like that, but she's been in these situations before, she knows how to take care of herself."

Billy asked the obvious. "Are we getting quality information that would stipulate us keeping Francine in place? Is this going to pay out?"

"I don't know," Lee said, his tone echoing his frustration. "I just feel that there's something more and that we're close. You've seen the data, you've seen the patterns; we've got everything in place for when the cork comes out of the bottle."

Billy ran the scenarios over in his head one more time before nodding. "Okay, she stays in place--for the time being. If we don't hit the mother lode, I want her out of there. Run more agents in on the nights she's on stage. See if you can't get someone inside--an aide, a cleaning guy--I don't care who or what you have them do, I just want her to have some back up when she's in the club. Francine's instincts are too good to be ignored, and this situation with Mellon has her rattled and I want that toned down, understood?"

"Yeah," Lee replied, chastened by his boss' dressing down. "I'll take care of it."

"Good," Billy said. "Whatever it is you have to do--do it, but take care of it now."

Billy stuck his nose in an open file on his desk leaving Lee and Amanda to quietly leave the office. Lee headed straight for the Georgetown elevator and the sanctuary of the Q Bureau, Amanda silently following behind.

Upon reaching the Q Bureau, Lee dropped into his chair and steepled his fingers as he thought over the problems facing their case. Francine needed inside cover and backup, he wanted the information he felt they were about to receive. He frowned; how could he achieve both?

Amanda fiddled with a few of the files on her desk, stopping herself from asking Lee the same questions she knew he asking himself. She picked up the file on their case and started re-reading what they knew, hoping something would jump out to give them a new direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lee look at his watch and then she followed the slow grin that started across his face.

"Who are you calling?" She watched as Lee lifted the telephone receiver from its cradle.

He held up his hand, but his smile was back in full force. Lee leaned back in his chair and waited.

"How's life?" he asked the person who obviously had answered the phone on the other end.

Lee laughed, "Really? It's just after lunch--are you telling me you're taking a little nap after lunch?" Another round of laughter followed. "I'll take that under consideration, but listen; she needs you." He listened for a moment, the look on his face sobering. "Look, I'll have Amanda take care of the arrangements and get them to you as soon as possible. Hey thanks; I owe you for this." Lee set the phone down, looked over at his wife and smiled.

Amanda felt herself smile in response. She knew exactly what she was going to do, just as soon as she got up and hugged her husband.

With her arms around him, she gave him a light kiss and smiled. "You always have a surprise up your sleeve and this is going to be a big one."

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before--it's perfect when you think about it. Can you take care of the arrangements?"

Amanda gave her husband one last kiss and turned back to her desk. "Consider them arranged," she told him with a smile of her own.

"I'll go smooth the way with Smyth, he's not going to be happy we plucked one of his assets."

"Just remind him how well it will look for him on the Hill, that always helps. And he did want us to take care of this for Congressman Bennoit."

Lee stood and buttoned his jacket and headed for the door. "Thanks," he said with a wink. "I'll remember that."

Turning to her computer, Amanda looked up the information she'd need to make all the arrangements. She wondered who was going to tell Francine and then she remembered Lee's grin.

They were going to let Francine find out for herself!

Georgetown Blues Club

Francine didn't like the smirk on Lee's face.

It had been plastered there for the last day and a half and he had brought it with him to the club tonight. She'd give anything to wipe it off his kisser; but at least he had been sending agents to the club to keep Mellon occupied and to keep an eye on her.

She was ready to call it quits. Nothing was happening but she had the terrible feeling that things weren't quite right. It wasn't adding up. That feeling kept her from throwing in the towel.

It was the witching hour again as she'd come to call her last set of the night. If something was going to happen, it was during her last 45 minutes on stage. At least she had back up in the room to lend a hand should something go awry. She finished her tea and headed for the stage keeping one eye on the dark corridor and the other on the lookout for ole 'Make a Move' Mellon.

She heard her introduction and went out on stage. She had always taken requests for the second half of her show after she finished her first set, but lately she ventured out into the club itself to chat with guests during her act; the patrons loved it and it made it easier for her to observe anything that might be going on in the owners booth.

Giving a nod to the Tommy, they began the set with a medley of Rosemary Clooney hits that got the crowd warmed up. As they finished, she glanced toward Lee and Amanda to see if they were there and was glad to see them at their table, even if Lee was still wearing his best 'gotcha' smile.

"Many of you had requests for us and we'd like to do a few of them for you," Francine told the crowd. With a nod, the pianist began the introduction for 'Time After Time'. "This is a very special request by a couple who came here to celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary." She walked over to the couple's table and clapped along with the audience. "All of 46 years and you get taken to a night club? What, no cruise?" She sat on the gentleman's lap and whispered in his ear. He turned a bright red and Francine jumped up, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I gave him a few pointers, honey. He'll take better care of you from now on!" The crowd roared with laughter as she had intended, and with a nod to Tommy, she launched into the song.

Time after time I tell myself that I'm so lucky

To be loving you

I'm so lucky to be the one you run to see

In the evening when the day is through

She urged the couple to dance as she finished the song; her throat tightening at the look they were giving each other. That's what love is about, she thought. Years of being together and they still had eyes only for one another.

I only know what I know the passing years will show

You kept my love so young...so new

And time after time you'll hear me say that I'm

So lucky to be loving you

A gust of air swept through the room as the outer door opened. Francine turned to see who was coming in late and stopped in her tracks. It took her only a moment to recover her wits as she found herself walking over to the man who had just come in.

"You're late," she told Efraim Beaman. "My show starts at 11:00. What kept you?"

The crowd laughed. Efraim fell into character without missing a beat, his eyes on Francine. "I've had a long trip back to the States; I'm not sure what day it is, let alone the time."

Francine took his tie and pulled him along behind the hostess who showed them to a reserved table. She pushed him into the chair and sat on his lap. "So, you've been on a long trip--where have you been, China?"

Efraim smiled and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Hong Kong, to be exact. Will you forgive me for being late?"

"Maybe," Francine purred back. "Have a request?" she asked him, putting him on the spot.

"A song?"

The audience laughed and Francine rolled back against the table, her forehand to her brow in mock horror. "Of course a song! I'll have you know this is a classy club."

"Sentimental Reasons. Will you sing that for me?"

Francine sat up, the lyrics flashing through her mind. She turned in his lap and looked toward the stage. "Tommy, you heard the man, Sentimental Reasons please!"

"I love you for sentimental reasons..."

She sang the first line for Efraim, her eyes locked to his, a small, secretive smile playing about her lips. With a wink, she caressed his cheek before she stood and moved about the room, stopping and singing to the patrons seated at tables. She stopped at Lee and Amanda's table, smiled at Amanda, mussed Lee's hair and planted a big kiss on his cheek. The room hooted approvingly and Francine smiled widely as she watched Lee's face turn a brilliant red. She passed the table with the anniversary couple and sang a stanza for them--a love like that deserved all the special touches anyone could give it.

She made her way back toward Efraim as the music played through the bridge. She circled his chair, her hand lazily caressing his shoulders before she settled on his lap again, her arm around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder as she finished the last stanza.

I love you for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I've given you my heart

The room erupted in applause and Francine enjoyed the brief moment in Efraim's arms. She smiled and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "How was that?" she asked him, knowing they weren't talking about her singing, but the chance to be in each other's arms.

"Just about perfect," he told her.

She stood up and loosened his tie for him. "Yes, it was, wasn't it? Someone please send this man a drink, he seems a bit...warm," and with a lingering kiss on his cheek, she turned and walked away, aware that his eyes were on her.

A step back on the stage and a nod to her piano player; Francine finished her last set of the evening. Her night finished, she hurried to her dressing room, anxious to collect her things and leave. Thoughts and questions raced through her mind. She closed her eyes and braced her hands on her dressing table; it wouldn't do for her to get herself all in a twitter because Efraim Beaman was home.

She laughed out loud at that; all a twitter! Who was she kidding? She was all that and more! Why was he home? Why was he here? With a knowing look at her reflection in the mirror, she knew the answers to those questions; Lee had called him, which explained his smirks and smiles the past two days.

She groaned--that song! She had poured her heart into that song. Why had she sung that song?

Because you wanted to, because he asked you to, because you do...

"Hello," Efraim said from the door to her dressing room. "I wanted to come back and thank you; you made my homecoming much less lonely than it would have been otherwise. I enjoyed your version of Sentimental Reasons."

Francine spun when she heard his voice, her breathing coming quickly and flushing against her better efforts to remain cool and calm. "I'm glad," she told him, breathless as she quickly studied his face. She could see he was tired, the effects of his trans-oceanic flight. "It's a good song, is it special to you?"

"It is, someone extraordinary likes it," he told her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I wanted to introduce myself; I'm Dr. Efraim Bremen."

She reached out her hand and he took it in his. "Francine Delamond, torch singer. Are you the standard, I'll show you mine if you show me yours kind of doctor?"

Efraim nearly choked; he had to give it to her, she was going to play it for all it was worth and the banter would nearly kill him along the way. He had always known getting the best of Francine wouldn't be easy, but then, nothing worth having ever was, he told himself. "I'm afraid not, though I'm up for a game now and then. I'm a scientist; I work for NASA."

Francine smiled, she liked the plan as he unfolded it for her. "Sounds boring. But you don't seem boring; not a man who walks into a night club and asks for Sentimental Reasons."

"I've never been a one dimensional man, but not many people take the time to get beyond the mathematics."

"Their loss."

"My thoughts exactly. Without being more forward than I already am, how would you feel about a drink?"

"With you?"

He grinned. "I wasn't about to set you up with anyone else as I know only boring, mathematical geek types."

"I don't date patrons." A drink indeed, she thought! Shades of Christmas parties past!

"I'm not asking for a date, I'm asking for a drink. No strings, no attachments."

"If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that...."

"You'd be rich. But I'm telling you the truth, no strings."

"How long are you in town?"

"A month, maybe longer. Look, I just felt a connection with you, what do you say?"

Francine laughed in spite of herself. Here he was asking her to have a drink with him and knowing that she was going to agree, and he knew that she knew it and they both knew that one day in the future, he was going to hold this over her head. She would just have to make sure to remind him how many times she had told him 'no'. "How about tomorrow night after the show. There's an all night diner not too far from here, as long as you don't have a problem making that drink a cup of tea."

"No problem at all. Can I walk you out to your car?"

She nodded and turned as he picked up her jacket and held it for her. She smiled and took her purse as he ushered her out of her dressing room where they ran into Bruce Mellon. "Mr. Mellon--is there something wrong?"

He tried to forestall them as they began to leave. "I had hoped we could talk tonight, about...about, well about some things around the club."

"I'm sorry, I hadn't planned to stay this evening. Besides, Dr. Bremen has offered to see me to my car. But I'll be in a little early tomorrow so we can talk then, alright?" With a bright smile, she turned with Efraim and left.

Efraim saw her to her car and they both pulled out of the parking lot--she turning toward her apartment and Efraim deliberately turning in the opposite direction. He watched as the Agency tracker passed him; the tracker's job to follow Francine home.

He made a circuitous route around the club keeping an eye out for Bruce Mellon's car. As he stopped a corner away, he saw Mellon's car pull out of the lot and head in the same direction as Francine. Efraim frowned; the research Amanda had sent him stated that Bruce Mellon lived in another area of the District.

Efraim pulled the cell phone out of his pocket, he keyed in the contact number at the Agency for this case and waited for the call to transfer.

"Stetson," Lee answered on the third ring.

"Beaman here. Listen, I back tracked to follow Francine home and Bruce Mellon is headed that way. Are we sure there's a team watching her?"

"Yeah, but let me pull a couple other assets and get them in place. And we'll give Mr. Mellon another one 24/7 from here on out. Good catch, Beaman."

"That's what they pay me for."

Lee laughed. "That from a man who's been in the air for two days, no questions asked because I told you Francine needed you."

"The things we do for our partners, Stetson. But then, you know all about that, don't you?"

"I sure as hell do. Get some sleep, Beaman."

"I will. And Lee, thanks."

"It's the least I can do."

Georgetown Blues Club-Francine's Dressing Room

It had been nearly a week since Efraim had come home. He was at the club every night, not missing a night so there could be no question to any observer of his interest in Francine. Francine could attest that it was working; Mellon questioned her at length about Efraim each night he was in the club and complained about Francine's attentions to him.

The play list for the nights' sets was on her dressing table; no changes to their planned Saturday night lineup. It would be crowded tonight, harder for her to see if anything went down with Mellon. She frowned; all of her senses were telling her that time was running out; that whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon. Lee felt the same way and Efraim, well, he said he trusted her instincts. She had never had anyone believe her take on something the way Efraim did. It finally explained the trust Lee had in Amanda. And why she trusted Efraim without question as well.

She found she liked that explanation.

Lee and Amanda would be in the club tonight as well as several other Agency personnel. Lee told her he didn't want her worrying about the plan, she was to do her job and they'd do the rest.

Why was she worrying then?

She finished the bottle of water she had brought with her, the tea she normally drank sat cold and untouched on her dressing table.

"You haven't finished your tea," Tommy said from the door, frowning at her.

Francine grimaced. "I didn't feel like it; I'll get some later. Are you ready for tonight?"

"Yeah, we've got a standing room only crowd out there. You bringing your 'A' game, Miss Delamond?"

"It's the only game I've got, Tommy. See you out there," she told him with more enthusiasm than she felt. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Francine stood and with one last look in the mirror, she hurried out to the stage.

Bruce Mellon was waiting by the stage entrance for her. Francine could see that he was keyed up and quite nervous. He handed her the microphone and as her musical introduction started, he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her.

Francine pushed hard against him and he released her before stalking off. She checked her make-up in the stage mirror and quickly ran her fingers through her hair. When this was over, she was going to see to it that Bruce Mellon got exactly what he deserved. And it might just be her knee....

Francine stepped on stage, smiling and waving to the audience. Tommy hadn't been kidding; the room was packed. With a nod toward the piano man, they swung into their opening medley.

Forty minutes later as she took her final bow, she was concerned that Efraim hadn't yet arrived. The room was too crowded for her to make her usual rounds of the patrons; she decided she would ask for requests from the stage at the beginning of the second show.

She made her way to her dressing room and took a seat. Fanning herself with a magazine, she opened the little refrigerator and pulled out a small spray bottle that she kept filled with water. A quick spritz and she sighed, letting the chilled spray refresh her heated skin.

A knock on her door had her looking up to see Mellon bringing in her usual cup of tea and a bouquet of peonies.

"You have an admirer," Mellon told her petulantly as he set the flowers down. "Your tea. I regret my earlier actions, please accept my sincere apologies."

She took the flowers and buried her face in them, letting the lush blooms hide her smile. As she set them on her dressing table, she breathed deeply of their unique fragrance. "Thank you. Mr. Mellon, I've never given you any encouragement and if you believe I have, I apologize. We have a pleasant working arrangement, one that I would like to continue."

Mellon nodded and started to leave her dressing room. "Don't forget to drink your tea," he told her, smiling when she lifted the cup and took a sip.

She set the cup down and took the card from the flowers. She knew who they were from without even looking. Only Efraim would send her peonies, only Efraim knew how much she loved them. Sitting back in her chair, she sipped her tea and enjoyed her flowers.

It was getting hot in the room again, she thought. Setting the cup down, she reached for the little spray bottle of water again and found she was dizzy. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the tea cup and sniffed. A slightly bitter scent met her senses and she groaned. "Damn him, I'll...." she started as she stood only to find the room swimming about her.

A voice yelling "Fire" and the resulting screams had her trying to reach the door though the room tilted and spun with each move she made. The drug she had been given made it difficult for her to stay conscious, but she was determined to make it to the door.

She heard her name being called and she recognized Amanda's voice. Francine tried to answer, but her own voice was barely a whisper.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright Francine?" Amanda put her arm around Francine and helped her stand upright.

"Drugged, tea. Mellon gave it...Efraim...."

"He hasn't arrived yet; Lee's gone out to look for him. Oh my gosh, Francine, I have to get you out of here!"

Amanda pulled Francine along the darkened hallway toward the back exit. There was smoke filling the air, but it didn't smell like smoke from a fire. They were just about at the door when a figure loomed before them; it was Tommy, Francine's piano player.

"Let me help you with her," Tommy offered, lifting Francine into his arms and shouldering through the outer door.

Amanda followed closely behind, grateful for the man's help. She came to an abrupt halt upon reaching the small courtyard at the back of the club.

Bruce Mellon was on the ground, blood pooling around his body. A man stood over him, a gun in his hand. Amanda felt a chill run up her spine as she recognized the silhouette of the man.

"Ah, Mrs. King," the man said as he turned. "Or should I say Mrs. Stetson? It's such a pleasure to see you again." He waved his hand toward the back of a large delivery van, his demand for her to get inside evident. "Don't be concerned with Mr. Mellon, he's outlived his usefulness. Please, I must insist you climb inside," he brought the gun level with her to emphasis his point.

Tommy climbed in the back of the vehicle, Francine's drugged struggle was no hindrance to him. He laid Francine down on a pile of linens before he turned and reached for Amanda.

A yell from the club had them all spinning as Efraim tore through the door and straight toward them. He had speed and surprise on his side giving him time to reach the truck before anyone could react. Efraim pulled Amanda from Tommy's grasp, shoving her back toward the club as he attempted to climb into the vehicle to reach Francine.

Tommy lost his balance and fell from the van, hitting the ground with a dull thud. The other man finally reacted, bringing the butt of the gun down on Efraim's head. Amanda screamed and heard Lee's answering shout.

"Lee!" Amanda yelled again as she scrambled to find some cover as the gun was leveled at her. Efraim's body was pulled in the van, the door slammed and the shooter ran to the driver's side, the piano player managing to make it to the passenger side just as the van tore out of the lot.

Lee ran to her side and pulled her into his arms before the dust had a chance to settle.

"Are you okay?" He hugged her tightly, aware that his heart was doing swan dives from his throat.

"Francine was drugged, I found her in her dressing room trying to get out. I pulled her along the hallway and her piano player was there. He picked Francine up and we came outside. And Mr. Mellon--he was lying there on the gravel shot! Efraim came tearing out of the club and pulled me out of the van or else I wouldn't be here now. Oh Lee, he has Francine and Efraim! Lee, he has them both!"

"Amanda, who has them?"

"Gregory. It's Gregory! He has Francine and Efraim!"

SMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee shook his head as he checked the pulse of Mellon where he had fallen. Climbing to his feet, he took Amanda back in his arms and hugged her tightly; it was going to take days if not weeks before his heart calmed down. It was bad enough that Gregory had Francine and Beaman, but the thought of Amanda in Gregory's clutches made his blood run cold. Gregory. He hadn't given the man a thought in years. "Damn, what is Gregory doing in the middle of all of this?"

"I'm so afraid for them--what are we going to do?"

"We're going to find them. And thank God for Efraim, or Gregory would have all three of you!"

Agency personnel began pouring out the back of the club. They could hear the wail of an ambulance approaching along with the sounds of sirens. Lee and Amanda walked over to Bruce Mellon and watched as the ambulance team arrived and began to work on him.

Billy roared into the lot, climbed from his car and zeroed in on Lee and Amanda. "What the hell happened? Where's Francine and Beaman?"

"Gone; Gregory has them," Lee answered, the anger unmistakable in his tone.

Billy swore causing Amanda's eyes to widen. "I apologize Amanda. How did Gregory get in the country again without us knowing? What's he doing in the middle of this? I've got two missing agents and I don't know who the players are or what the ground rules are."

"I do, Billy," Lee said, his voice shaking with anger. "Revenge. Gregory wants revenge. I'll bet he's played us this entire time. When I get my hands on Bennoit, I'm gonna break his neck!"

Amanda laid a hand on her husband's chest to calm him. She saw a glint of metal reflecting the flashing lights of the official vehicles crowded around the lot. Bending, she recognized what it was. Lifting the bracelet from the ground, she brushed it off and turned to Lee. "We don't have any way to trace them; this is Francine's tracking bracelet."

"Bring it, Amanda. Let's go talk to Dr. Smyth about his friend, Bennoit," Billy said with a disgusted shake of his head as they walked toward his car.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

A streetlight cast a weak ray of light through the dirty pane of the basement window. Francine blinked against the unwelcome intrusion; the fog from the drug she had been given was beginning to wear off. It all came rushing back to her, the tea, Mellon, Efraim's flowers, Amanda. Efraim! She sat up, fighting her initial fears as the waves of dizziness and nausea threatened to overwhelm her. Efraim was flat out unconscious beside her on the dusty floor. She quickly checked his pulse and breathing before looking for any injuries as he lay unmoving. Her hand stilled on the back of his head; he must have been hit pretty hard, the lump on Efraim's head was proof he hadn't come along easily.

She looked about the small room where they were held--that Gregory had locked them in. She knew she wasn't hallucinating due to the drugs; she had seen Gregory--he was behind all of this! She hadn't thought about him in years. Now all she wanted was to get her hands around his neck! But she didn't want to admit, even to herself, but she was worried. Her mind raced back to her last encounter with Gregory and that had been too close for comfort.

She reached out and laid her hand on Efraim's chest, letting the steady rise and fall of his chest bring what little comfort his presence could afford. If she had to be in this kind of jam, she was glad that Efraim was here with her. The two of them would think of a way out of this.

Efraim turned his head and groaned faintly.

"Are you okay?" Francine brushed her hand through Efraim's hair.

"Okay? A more appropriate question would be to ask if I'm alive," he joked weakly. He tried to sit up, but thought better of it as his head swam. "Whoa, it seems all the synapses aren't firing yet."

Francine's laugh broke on a sob. "How can you joke at a time like this? You did in China too if I remember correctly," she whispered. "And when you were stabbed."

"I love to hear you laugh," he told her not untruthfully. "Where are we? Did I see…."

Francine hurriedly put her hand over his mouth to keep him from saying the name she knew he was about to utter. "In a basement somewhere--I'm so sorry you're caught up in this."

His eyes drilled into hers, understanding the danger should they slip from their cover. "What exactly is 'this'?"

The door opened and the lights came on, momentarily blinding them both. "A gathering of, shall we say, 'old friends'?" Gregory walked into the room, Tommy behind him. "Miss Desmond, it's such a pleasure to see you again though it seems we do meet up in these, how should we describe our relationship…"

"Unfortunate?" Francine supplied; anger evident in her tone. She admired Efraim's presence of mind when he shot her a questioning look when Gregory said her name.

"Ah, yes, unfortunate circumstances. Last time it was a trip out of Afghanistan--you should be grateful to me that I brought you home. You would have fared far worse had I left you with the tribal factions. And you've brought a new friend to our reunion…does he know who you are?"

"I know exactly who she is, or at least I know her as Francine Delamond." Efraim said with a hurt look at Francine. "And I know what she does for a living; after all I was there of my own volition. And who the hell are you?"

"You have a champion Ms Desmond! Dr. Bremen, the woman you are defending is a government operative--a spy. She is using you to see if you are willing to give away the secrets of your satellite propulsion program."

"And what are you using me for--a fourth for bridge?"

Gregory laughed. With a look over his shoulder to Tommy, who quickly moved to pull Beaman off the floor. Insuring that his hands were still bound, he led Efraim to the door.

Reaching the door, Beaman shoved a shoulder into the man and spun, kicking him in the kneecap and when Tommy's leg gave out under him, caught him under the chin with a high kick which sent him sliding in a heap, out cold from the blow. Efraim turned to attack Gregory and was just in time to see the taser as it fired.

The darts struck him and he collapsed to his knees, the pain intense. He heard Francine scream but he couldn't make out the words.

"Stop!" Francine cried as she tried to rush to Efraim as he lay writhing on the floor in pain. Gregory grabbed her arm and held her, lifting the taser out of her reach as she clawed at him for the device.

"Your friend seems to be more than he appears. You had better hope that he is who he claims to be--for both your sakes." He flung her aside and stepped over Beaman on the floor and into the hall, throwing the door shut with force.

Francine could hear Gregory dressing down the other man as she dropped to her knees beside Efraim. She hastily checked his pulse and found it beating wildly but strong. She carefully lifted his head to her lap and tried to assess his injuries and their situation.

"Did you get the number of the convoy that ran over me?" Efraim asked her, his voice weak with the lingering effects of the taser.

"Oh Efraim, you scared the daylights out of me! Why did you do that?"

"Trying to impress my best girl."

She laughed softly, shaking her head as her voice broke on a sob, uncaring of the tears that streamed down her cheeks. "Oh Efraim, what am I going to do with you?"

He tried to smile but only managed a pained grimace. "I have a 357 page, itemized and cross referenced compendium on my hard drive that I'll send to you. But for the time being, kiss me and tell me you love me."

Francine's eyes opened wide and then she smiled at him. And for the moment, their circumstances took a backseat and she did exactly as Efraim suggested.

The Agency-Q Bureau

Amanda paced the floor between her desk and Lee's in the Q Bureau. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, not a piece of paper out of place nor file left unfiled as she tried to lessen her anxiety with cleaning. It hadn't helped. So she paced and from the look on Lee's face, she was beginning to drive him crazy.

"Amanda, stop, please. This isn't helping."

"Oh yes it is. It helps me to think and right now we all need to be thinking about how we're going to get Francine and Efraim back from Gregory!"

"We're all working on that, Amanda.

Amanda stopped in the middle of the room and sighed. "This is our fault, my fault."

Lee dropped the pencil he had been fiddling with and looked hard at his wife. "Amanda...."

"I should be with Francine, we both know that if there is anyone Gregory wants to get even with, it's you and me. We've gotten the best of him twice and I can't think of anything that would even the score with us than hurting Francine and Efraim."

Pushing back his chair, Lee went to his wife and took her in his arms. "Listen, you can't think like that, you know that. First, Francine and Efraim know the score, they knew what could happen. We all know what could happen to any of us at anytime. But they also know we're doing everything we can to get them back. And to do that, we have to have our heads in the game. Thinking like this isn't going to help."

"I can't help it...I know," Amanda told him when Lee started to interrupt. "We have to get Bennoit and make him talk."

"We have to let this play out."

Amanda stopped and turned to look at Lee. Shock registered on her face and Lee knew he was going to have to do some quick explaining.

"Listen to me, Amanda. We have a congressman who is somehow tied up in all of this, we have to find out how and why. And we have to use him to find out what happened. If we bring in Bennoit now, he'll be able to worm his way out of this and we'll end up holding an empty bag. The old man isn't going to sit still for that. And neither would I."

"What about Francine and Efraim? Shouldn't they have a vote in this since it is their lives we're playing with?"

Lee sighed; Amanda wasn't taking this well. "They know; this was always one of the outcomes and you know both Francine and Efraim, they thought this all through. We are to get all the players if it all goes south."

Though Amanda nodded her head in agreement, her shoulders drooped in sadness. "I know, I just don't like it. And if Bennoit isn't involved, what if he's innocent? Will we use him to get Efraim and Francine back?"

"He's involved up to his neck."

"Yes, but you and I, will we use him?" Amanda watched as Lee's jaw clenched. He was wrestling with what he knew Amanda expected him to do and what he was going to do.

"I'll use every last drop of Bennoit and then throw him out like yesterday's newspaper." Lee walked to the door and waited for Amanda to join him.

He ushered Amanda out of the Q Bureau and towards the Georgetown elevator. "Amanda, it's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine--I should have been more on top of this. I assumed this was a game between congress and Smyth and because of that, all of this has gone very wrong."

"None of us saw this coming. But I couldn't live with myself if we didn't try everything and I know that you couldn't either."

"No," he said, "it won't be because we didn't try."

"Can we trust Dr. Smyth?"

"Not as far as we can throw him, but he'll flip a congressman for a cabinet member in a New York minute; that we can depend on."

Amanda smiled in spite of everything. "Everyone says that, a 'New York minute'; just how long is a New York minute?"

Lee pushed aside the overcoats that hung in the elevator. Amanda walked in, her eyebrows raised in expectation of his answer.

"Depends on what side of the clock you're on," he told her as he pushed the button for the Counter Intelligence floor.

He didn't tell her he thought they were on the wrong side of that clock.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

Francine and Efraim sat huddled together against the cold in a dark corner of the basement. They weren't able to find a surveillance camera, so they kept their conversation to the cover story and whispered just to make it difficult for the bug they knew had to be in the room.

All they could do was wait for Gregory to come back.

Francine tried to get comfortable; the sequins and bugle beads of the gown she had been wearing at the club were digging into her. Out of habit, she placed her hand on her wrist to keep the tracking bracelet she wore from snagging her gown. Holding her arm up in the dim light, she saw a bruise and scratches; the bracelet must have been pulled off at the club when she was put in the van. Francine felt her heart drop into her stomach; she now knew not to expect the Agency to come and break down their captor's door anytime soon. And she knew that Efraim was fully aware of that fact as well.

But still the time dragged as they waited for something--anything--to happen. And against all she knew, she wanted it all to be different, she wanted to see Lee and Billy come through that door.

She discovered she wanted more time. So she wrapped her arms tighter about Efraim and closed her eyes firmly to shut out all but the feel of him. She had pushed him off and played verbal games with him for years and now at the end, she found she wanted...

"Stop," he whispered harshly, "don't think that way. I know what you're thinking and I'm telling you, we are going to get out of this."

Nodding against his chest, she reached up and touched his face. "I'm sorry," she felt him shift under her and hurried to finish before he could stop her. "I lost my bracelet and I'm...I'm sorry for all those ... all that time. Is your offer for Greece still on the table?"

She felt the rumble of laughter in his chest which he covered with a cough. She didn't think he was going to answer, not that she expected one, but with Efraim, she should have known better.

"Greece and a lot of other things, Franny. For you, it's all on the table; except the Buick," he whispered against her ear.

"I really loved that car," she whispered as the tears stung her eyes. It was good to know a girl had options.

It took them both by surprise when the door swung open and in came Tommy, sporting a tape across his broken nose--courtesy of his last encounter with Efraim--as well as another man, one they hadn't seen before. He held a gun on them as Tommy motioned for Francine.

"Where are you taking her," Efraim demanded?

Francine turned to intercede before the situation got out of hand. "I'll be all right, Efraim. Don't go anywhere without me."

Tommy pushed Francine toward the other man and pressed the muzzle of a gun against Efraim's forehead. "Another word from you and I'll gladly take half pay and blow your brains out--I promise you--this isn't finished." He tossed his head at the other man who nudged Francine out of the room with the muzzle of the gun.

As soon as the door closed, Efraim climbed to his feet and began to pace the room. He knew Francine had hoped that Stetson would come riding in. Hell, he wouldn't mind that himself. He stopped and looked up at the dirty window knowing that he was trying not to think about what had happened to him in

China; no one with any sense looked back fondly on torture. And he would tell anyone who asked that the Chinese were masters of coercion. Not many lived through a course of the art that the Chinese had perfected. He was one of the few.

He sure as hell didn't want Francine to experience that.

But you're being premature, he told himself. He went back to the wall and sat down and began to prepare for what may or may not come. His mind wandered back to his early days at the Agency; to his early interactions with Francine.

He rolled his eyes when his thoughts settled on the Agency Christmas parties--that he had a job after a few of those repeat performances was amazing let alone the fact that he and Francine were now partners. He thought about the past few years; how their relationship had grown and changed into what it was now.

The light from the window was now thin and artificial, courtesy of a street lamp not far off. He didn't know how long he had sat waiting until the door opened and Tommy entered lugging a mattress. Heaving the mattress toward Efraim, he watched as the other man came in carrying Francine. She was unconscious and that drove him close to the breaking point; it was all he could to keep from grabbing Tommy, flipping the gun and seeing just how far he could shove the nozzle down the man's throat before pulling the trigger.

He took a deep breath and watched them through nearly closed eyelids. It wouldn't do to antagonize the man with the direct challenge of a stare. As it was, Tommy was itching to find a reason to work him over and Efraim knew he could use the man's anger to his advantage. He just had to wait for the right time.

The other man dropped Francine next to him; Efraim caught most of the impact of her body in effort to keep her from hitting the cold concrete. He kept his eyes on Francine because he knew the two men laughing before him would see their deaths in his eyes.

"Seems you aren't so special to her; she's got some guy in Greece. You are someone who turned up, just a nobody to her. Sorry to bust your bubble, but you aren't going anywhere with this one."

Efraim nodded and caught the blanket Tommy threw at him, keeping his eyes firmly on Francine's face until the door had closed.

He gently laid Francine down on the mattress. Efraim climbed to his knees and looked quickly at Francine's face and neck for trauma before turning her arms over. He found bruising that was consistent with an injection.

With a shake of his head, he wrapped the blanket around Francine before sitting and holding her securely in his arms. Leaning his head against the cinder block wall, he searched his memory for the formulary of Soviet drugs that might have been used.

His thumb slipped over Francine's wrist as he felt for her pulse; he found it beating strong and steady. Reassured, he put together what he knew of current Soviet drugs and her condition and decided they had probably used SB-17, a Soviet truth drug that left very few, if any, traces of its use.

The Soviets loved their truth serums; the problem they overlooked was they were talk serums; the more you talk the more likely you are to reveal something of a true nature. Thing was, if you had just seen a movie you identified with, the scenario might make its way into your gabfest--there was just no real way to know what was true and what was part of someone's fantasy. To beat them, one only had to have a vivid imagination.

He knew one thing for sure: when they got out of this situation, he was going to have to take her to Greece.

SMKSMKSMKSMK

He knew the moment she woke up; she stiffened and held her breath. He gently hugged her, "You're okay, you're with me," he whispered, feeling her broken sigh as she relaxed against him. Her slight nod let him know she was aware. "You were gone a couple of hours--my guess is they used SB-17. Any memories?"

She shook her head, he could feel the fierce rigidity of anger gather in her body. She hated the use of drugs and had ever since the Welch case--she had never reconciled the fact that she had been drugged for information and that agents had been killed. And Gregory, the bastard, knew that.

"You told them you had some guy in Greece,"

A burst of soft laughter broke on a sob and she turned in his arms. She looked in his eyes and tried to smile, "A goat herd in Greece is a mighty powerful enticement for a girl, even without a Buick to sweeten the deal. I can see the sun washed beaches and the blue waters of the Aegean in my mind," she told him quietly.

"Good girl, you keep those thoughts and I promise, I'll make them real for you,"

She yawned and put her head down on his chest. "I'm so tired," she said drowsily.

He kissed the top of her head. "Sleep," he ordered.

The Agency-The Director's office

Lee sat on the edge of the desk outside of Smyth's office, arms folded across his chest, as he listened on a headset to Smyth's conversation with Congressman Bennoit. Lee didn't trust Smyth, but the one thing he knew about him was that Smyth didn't like anyone who turned the tables on him. And Bennoit had done just that. No one threw an agent of Smyth's under the bus--that was his prerogative. And for stepping over the line with Smyth, Smyth was going to toss Bennoit off a cliff.

It also helped that the National Security Advisor had made a personal visit to Smyth on behalf of Beaman.

As he listened, he couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for the old man; he certainly could play the game. Bennoit had no idea he was being set up; and certainly no idea that he was making the last deal of his career. Or at least his career as he knew it. Both Smyth and the National Security Advisor knew the benefits of having a congressman on a short leash. And one that sat up, begged and could do tricks was even better in their view.

He heard Smyth wrap up the conversation. Leaning over the desk, he hit the button to turn off the phone and he dropped the headset he had been using on the desk. He grabbed the file and stood just in time for Smyth to open the door.

"Ah Scarecrow, you're just in time to say ciao to the Congressman."

As dutifully as Lee could, he extended his hand to Bennoit. "Have a good evening, Congressman." He handed the file to Smyth and turned to leave with the congressman.

"Is this the file on Desmond's current case? The Hong Kong connection?"

Lee stopped and turned back to Smyth, noting that the congressman did as well. "Yeah, that has all the details. I've made a few initial contacts and we should all be onboard."

"Excellent. Keep me updated."

"Yes sir." Lee turned to leave and nearly knocked the congressman over. "I apologize sir, I thought you had left. Let me walk you out." Lee opened the doors to the hall and ushered the congressman out into the public hallways of the Agency.

"Hong Kong," the congressman said, "is pretty quiet these days. Why would the Agency be working a case about the territory of one of our allies?"

"Seems a NASA propulsion expert is AWOL. He was last seen in the company of our missing agent."

"Is this classified?"

"Depends on who's asking. But as you're on House Space and Technology Committee, you'll get a briefing today, this evening at the latest. The missing scientist is heading a research team on rocket technology. His work is ground breaking--supposedly some amazing advances in propulsion."

"Any chance your agent and he walked off together?"

"Hard to say. Reports are she was taken at gun point," he shrugged. "But you can't tell if this was staged or if the agent turned."

"You think they'll get away with this?"

Lee stopped and stared hard at the congressman. Several thoughts raced through his head; squeezing the life out of the little traitor standing before him was high on his list, but not as high as getting his agents back. "Will they get away with this? Not for all the tea in China."

"Excellent, that's what we up on the Hill like to hear. Well Stetson, thank you for the information. I'll certainly pass that along when I get briefed. I'm glad to know that the guilty will get what they deserve."

Lee couldn't help the small smile that lifted at the corner of his mouth. "I feel exactly the same way, Congressman."

He watched the congressman leave, his mind turning over the conversation before coming to rest on Bennoit's final statement of retribution for the guilty.

"Yeah, it's good to know the guilty will get exactly what they deserve," he said to his reflection staring back at him in the glass doors. Turning on his heel, he found Dr. Smyth waiting.

"Well?"

"Hook, line and sinker, sir."

"Excellent. Have you any ideas vis-a-vis a location on Beaman and Desmond?"

"None. During the take down, Desmond lost her tracking device."

Smyth turned to leave without a word. Stopping, he swung. "Are you sure your agents will be able to get up to speed without a briefing?"

"Sir, they are two of the best agents we have, and their work in the field speaks for itself. They'll be able to pick this up without a problem."

"You're putting a lot on the line for them, Scarecrow."

"So are you, sir."

Smyth smiled. Lee felt a cold chill race up his spine at the implication hidden behind the sharks grin. He actually felt a thread of fear for the congressman which he quickly squashed.

"Yes I am. I don't buy into the game unless I'm assured of winning. I intend to win. Find me something on the congressman, something that I can use. Goodnight Stetson, keep me informed."

"Yes sir." Lee watched as the director turned back toward his office.

It dawned on him as he made his way back to the Q Bureau that the hook had been baited and the sharks were circling; now all they had to do was wait.

For Francine and Beaman's sake, he hoped it wasn't long.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

Beaman was ready when the door opened early the next morning. After all, he'd been through this before and he knew what to expect. And exactly how to act.

He felt Francine tense and he slowly tightened his clasp about her, trying to give her some reassurance.

"Good morning, Doctor Bremen. If you don't mind, I would like to have a chat with you," Gregory said in his most affable tones.

"And if I do mind," Beaman asked, matching the Russian's polite tone.

"Then I'm afraid I will want to talk with the lady again." This time his manner brooked no argument, and there wasn't any doubt that it would not be a pleasant experience.

"In that case, would you please lead the way?" Efraim stood up and stretched, smiling as both Tommy and his partner raised guns.

"Miss Desmond, I'll send some breakfast in for you, you must keep up your strength," Gregory offered pleasantly. "Dr. Bremen, as you can see, my associates are quite apprehensive of you. Might you tell me where you learned that fancy kick that broke poor Kupchenko's nose?"

Efraim subdued his smile, for the most part. "Hong Kong; I took a few kick boxing lessons while I was there. It was something to do," he shrugged, enjoying the glower Tommy shot him.

"Ah yes, Hong Kong. Quite a cosmopolitan city, is it not?"

Gregory kept up the chatter as he led Efraim up a flight of steps into what appeared to be the dining room of an older house. The windows were shuttered and very little light passed through.

There was an old dining room table, the kind his grandparents had in their home, one that could fit a couple dozen people when the leaves were put in. It was remarkably clean considering the state of the house it was in. And then he noted the leather restraints on the chair. At least they were concerned with giving mind altering drugs in an antiseptic and environment, Efraim quipped to himself. "I take it the chair with the straps is for me."

"Why yes, it is." Gregory held the chair for Beaman as though he was an honored guest.

Efraim sat in the chair and took a deep breath; steady Beaman, you've done this before. Just remember Hong Kong and one of the most amazing weeks of your life, Hong Kong and....

"You seem relatively calm. Have you had experience with alternative methods of coercion?"

"Is that what they're calling torture these days?" He marveled at his cool, calm and collected tone of voice. "Yes, I have had experience with several methods; I'm a scientist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and when we work overseas we go through a series of courses on what to expect if abducted--one of them being torture."

Gregory took a seat next to him and began to tighten the straps. "I find that enlightened, don't you? And since we are both enlightened men, shall we be truthful?"

"I find that is usually the best policy to follow. And for the record, I don't find anything enlightened about torture."

"To be honest, neither do I. But tell me then, Dr. Bremen; why are you claiming to be a NASA scientist when you are in fact, the chief engineer for the new propulsion system for your government's plans to militarize space?"

He couldn't help it, he laughed. "Sir, I don't even know your name or to which country you swear fealty, but space was militarized by the Soviets with Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin and then continued with our efforts in the 60's and through the 70's. There are no 'plans'; it is already a fact."

Gregory laughed. "Touché, Dr. Bremen, touché. My name is Gregory, I am a Soviet, soon to be a Russian citizen."

"KGB?" Efraim hoped he put enough eagerness into his voice.

"Dr. Bremen, those letters have struck fear into the hearts of men and woman all over the world and you are as eager as one about to meet a movie star."

"I'd probably be tongue tied if I was about to meet a movie star. Are you KGB? For real?"

"I am flattered by your interest. May I ask why?"

"Americans are curious about the country we know only as a rival. So I'm intrigued. Espionage is a very noble profession, don't you think? What would one man..."

"Or one woman. I did tell you that Miss Desmond is an American agent."

Efraim frowned. "Yes...yes you did," he said thoughtfully. He waited a moment, giving the impression of thought before he continued. It was key. "But my thought is how very noble to become one for whom your country would denounce or deny you if it was in their better interest. To sacrifice all for your country--I'm in awe of that kind of dedication. I always wanted to be a spy."

"Ah, you wanted to be James Bond."

"Of course. I am not, nor will I ever be, James Bond."

"Yet you attacked Kupchenko quite effectively yesterday. And he is a trained KGB assassin."

Well that's good to know, Efraim thought to himself. "If I was effective, I would have shattered his knee and slammed his nose into his brain killing him. As I said, I'm not James Bond."

"Yes, so you said," Gregory mused thoughtfully. "I'd like to talk about just exactly who you are and what you do for NASA."

Efraim frowned. "I don't think I'm cleared to tell you exactly what I do." He had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing out loud and he hoped the look of consternation that he knew was on his face was enough to convince Gregory of his lack of duplicity. If Stetson could hear him now, the man would be in hysterics.

"Oh, I guarantee that I'm not cleared to be briefed on your job and project. That's why we are going to use this," Gregory announced as he held up a syringe and bottle of clear liquid.

"Vitamin C?"

"I'm afraid not. But rest assured, there are no side effects and you won't remember a thing."

"I won't do anything crazy, will I?"

Gregory measured the dosage and produced an alcohol pad. He rolled up Efraim's sleeve and tied on a tourniquet, sterilized the area before looking for a vein. Efraim hated needles and the sweat that beaded on his forehead wasn't forced.

"Crazy?"

"I won't sing, dance, cluck like a chicken or anything stupid like that?"

"No, Dr. Bremen, you won't sing or dance, but you will talk. Relax," he told him as he injected the serum into Efraim's veins.

Hong Kong and one amazing week, Hong Kong and one amazing week...Hong...week...

The Agency-Q Bureau

Amanda had just replaced the telephone in its cradle as Lee came in the Q Bureau. "Hi--any news?"

"Yeah," Lee said as he sat on the corner of Amanda's desk. "We found some information on the Russian named Tomas Kupchenko--we know him as Tommy the piano player. He usually works with a partner, Pieter Turgenev, known the 'Pharmacist'."

"Drugs?"

"Yeah, drugs. Probably SB-17, at least that's his known preference."

"That's a truth serum, right?" Amanda bit her bottom lip in concern.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed before forcing a positive response. "It can be beaten."

"Do you think Francine and Beaman can beat it?"

"Depends. Beaman probably beat some type of it in China. Others have done it. What usually happens is many people start talking about fantasies...."

"Oh dear!"

Lee laughed. "Yeah, it can be interesting." At Amanda's disgusted look, he was quickly added. "Not that I've listened to any--lately. But could you imagine theirs, no, never mind." He flashed a wide grin at Amanda who rolled her eyes. "So to answer your question. I know Beaman can beat it. Francine knows how to and has always hoped never to face it again."

"When will we know if they've done it?"

"Everything will continue as it is, nothing changes."

"Or?"

Lee turned serious and Amanda felt the warmth flee the room. "We start finding bodies."

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

Beaman blinked then carefully opened his eyes. He was back in the basement. He tried to sit up but found that his body felt like lead. He knew what that feeling was and he slowly tried to move each limb to gain some control over the sensation. And to see what was broken, if anything.

"Francine?" he whispered. He heard movement and felt profound relief. The touch of her hand was warm and reassuring.

"Are you all right? You were up there a while. Seems you have a very active imagination; you've always wanted to be a spy. And you also had some good time honey in Hong Kong," her tone was accusatory for the benefit of anyone listening to their conversation.

Efraim grinned then sharply inhaled when Francine pushed her knuckles into his side. "And?"

She leaned close so he could see her; her eyes sparkling with the first merriment he had seen since he came home days ago. "You never told me you were a rocket scientist. You said you were a mathematician," she charged.

"It's a trifling difference. So, you weren't spying on me?"

"No," she told him tartly. Her demeanor sobered and she helped him to sit up. "Are you hungry? I saved you some of the fruit from my breakfast."

He gingerly shook his head, he didn't want food, all he wanted was to sleep. "I'm tired."

"Gregory asked about several mathematical theories you discussed," she told him, trying to keep him awake.

"Theories? I only know one theory about math," he was getting drowsy and having a hard time processing any coherent thoughts.

"Efraim please, please stay with me."

The concern in her tone cut through the fog. He struggled to sit up, finally pulling himself upright against the wall with her help.

Francine handed him a segment of orange she had saved and watched as he ate it. He nodded and she handed him another. "The theory--what theory do you know?"

In the shadowed light, she saw the corner of his mouth lift in a wry grin. "Do you remember when your high school math teacher told you that one day math would save your life?"

"Vaguely," she replied with more than a touch of sarcasm.

"That's the theory I know." He popped the last of the orange in his mouth, leaned his head back and chewed, aware of Francine's startled stare.

Damn, he thought as he drifted off to sleep, that Soviet truth serum does work!

The Agency-Q Bureau

Lee hung up the phone and smiled at Amanda who patiently waited for the information he had just received. "That was Leatherneck. Our tap on the congressman's phone just paid off; Benoit had a caller who asked for information on our very own Dr. Efraim Bremen."

"They're checking his story," she said with nod. It was standard practice, and what they had hoped for. They finally had a connection. If they could make it stick.

"That they are. The call was too short to trace, but Leatherneck said it originated within the Virginia area."

"This is good news. It's not the best news, but it's pretty good news."

"Especially since we have none. I'm going to see Billy."

Amanda nodded and went back to her computer screen. She had to find something about the congressman that they could use to pressure him with.

Something. Anything.

And before they ran out of time.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

The sound of something big and heavy being dragged down the basement stairs woke Francine and Efraim with a start. A loud bang outside their door had Francine scrambling to her feet. Efraim slowly stood up and placed a reassuring arm about Francine's shoulders, pulling her against his side.

"It's best to wait and see, try to stay as calm as possible or at least project calm. You don't want to give them anything to zero in on," he said in quiet tones.

Breathing in a deep sigh, Francine nodded and relaxed against her partner. She looked at Efraim and saw him with different eyes; he was in charge of this situation regardless of who was holding the gun on them. She saw experience and she saw intelligence and she finally saw--clear as day--exactly how she felt about him. He turned and looked at her, the question in his eyes. With a slight shake of her head, she turned her attention back to the door.

The door opened and the one man, whose name they now knew was Peter, entered with the ever present gun held on them--on Efraim to be exact. Francine tucked that away, they weren't giving her too much coverage and that would be useful--when the time came.

Gregory entered, arms folded across his chest as he watched two men drag in the table and chairs. Once they were set up, Tommy brought in a chalk board and box of chalk. With a nod from Gregory, both men left the room. He pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing one leg over the other and with a wave of his arm, offered the remaining two chairs to Francine and Efraim.

Efraim held a chair for Francine and sat between her and Gregory. "I take it you'd like a demonstration of something I told you in our little 'bare my soul' session," Efraim remarked, the sarcasm heavy in his tone.

"Not I, Dr. Bremen. However, your potential new employers would like a sampling of your work."

"New employers? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I like you, Dr. Bremen. I am absolutely positive that NASA is not paying you what you are worth so I have taken it upon myself to act as an agent on your behalf to find you new and appreciative employment."

"He's selling you," Francine mocked.

"Ah Miss Desmond, that is such an old school way of viewing the world. Surely you know the world is changing and we will all soon be friends."

"Not all," she replied. "Which of the world's bullies want a rocket man? Not China, maybe Syria, Iran and of course, North Korea. My money is on North Korea." She turned to Efraim and spoke in the Korean dialect used in Pyongyang.

"Miss Desmond, of course that is incorrect. It seems there is competition for your services, Dr. Bremen. Miss Desmond points out the completely false rumor of wage distribution in Pyongyang. As your agent, I highly advise that you disregard this unwelcome interference."

"I have no plans to accept anyone's offer. This is ridiculous!"

"I'm afraid this is the way business is done in the real world. If your propulsion theories are correct, the North Korean's are willing to pay top dollar to their supplier."

"And the supplier would be you?" Efraim asked, his tone derisive.

Gregory opened his hands in a dismissive plea. "I ask only a modest finder's fee."

Efraim snorted. "Yeah, right. And I get a lifetime sentence under an oppressive regime and if I'm lucky when they're done with me, I get shot quickly."

"Let's look at this proposal another way. If you resist and don't supply the information I wish to offer, I will shoot you quickly, but you must understand, it will not go as speedily for Miss Desmond."

"Bastard," Efraim said quietly.

"Quite. Now, if you would be as so kind as to give me an example of your equation. Nothing that would give the entire formula as we do want to be rewarded for our efforts."

"My efforts," Efraim reminded him.

Gregory laughed. "Not quite the team player, are you? Perhaps you should have been a spy after all, Dr. Bremen. Intelligence agents are dependably known to be lone wolves. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Desmond?"

"Not any that I know."

Gregory laughed. "How could I forget, even Scarecrow is partnered. Or should I say 'shackled'?"

Francine leaned on the table, her eyes narrowed, her voice low and challenging. "Would you want to run into Scarecrow now, even though you think he's been 'shackled'? No one knows better than you how dangerous that can be."

"Scarecrow? Code names?" Efraim asked excitedly as he looked from Francine to Gregory.

Gregory sighed deeply and pulled a Makarov pistol from his jacket and aimed it at Efraim. "I am beginning to find your enthusiasm tiring."

"I'll get to this formula--now," Efraim offered, pointing to the chalkboard. Efraim turned back to the chalkboard and began writing the equation he hoped he could sell. He had spent the entire time he was back from Hong Kong in sessions with the NSA and several NASA experts on perfecting his memorization and understanding of the equation.

They had tweaked the equation enough that it looked legitimate but the only thing that would fly from this thing would be tempers and maybe the roof if they got lucky. If it got that far, they were betting on a quick intervention to extract him.

Funny how those details never seemed to go the way they planned.

The Agency-Q Bureau

Lee hung up the phone and nodded to Amanda. She had been anxious all morning and he hoped this news would ease her worry. "That was Leatherneck; he said that everyone's favorite congressman made a call to the North Korean Mission."

Amanda glanced up from the report she was reading. "In New York?"

Nodding, Lee looked over his notes of the information Leatherneck had given him. "Yeah; he asked to talk to the ambassador."

"I don't like the sound of that at all."

"Neither do I. But the conversation was all very much on the up and up, just an invitation to visit the District and be a guest at the congressman's party after the Cherry Blossom Parade."

Amanda sighed. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Benoit thinks it's easier being a spy than a congressman." At his wife's annoyed glower, he continued with a more contrite attitude. "I'm sorry," he stood and walked over to his wife. "Hey, listen--we're going to get them back."

"Oh, I know we will. But I just don't see how this conversation with the North Koreans helps us."

"It's a lead. And you shouldn't feel guilty."

Amanda wrapped her arms about her waist, her head down. "I can't help that, Lee. I gave Francine to that man. I didn't do anything to help her. Or Efraim."

"You didn't have a weapon, Amanda. You did what you should have done--you got the details right."

"That really doesn't help Francine or Efraim right now."

Lee pulled his wife into his arms. He understood how she felt; he'd felt the same way about things in the past. And he was feeling that same guilt now--he had pulled Beaman into this, he had put Francine into the club in the first place. "I know that. Amanda, I feel the same way. Both of them are in this situation because of me and I won't forget that. But I can't let it distract me because I have to be on top of this to get them back. And we're going to get them back."

"You're right we are," Amanda told him, lacking some enthusiasm. "When?"

Lee mentally rolled his eyes; leave it to his Amanda to ask the one thing he couldn't answer. "Soon," he promised. "Let's go stop by Dr. Smyth's office; he'll want to know what we have."

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

The door to the room opened and Kupchenko and Peter came in, weapons drawn. "Time for another chat," Kupchenko told Efraim with a wave of his gun. "Let's go."

Climbing to his feet, Efraim slowly walked to the door, following Peter as Tommy shoved him from behind. Efraim sucked in a deep breath and held it before slowly releasing it. He knew that the Russian was trying to goad him, and to be honest, he was beginning to do a good job of it.

Coming face to face with Gregory at the top of the stairs, Efraim nodded when Gregory pointed to the table once again. Going directly to the chair with the restraining straps, he was surprised when a hand stopped him.

"Not today, Dr. Bremen. I would like to further discuss your role with NASA," Gregory pointed to another chair, taking the seat opposite.

"I've told you my role with NASA; I'm a scientist."

"A real live rocket man to be exact. Your project is so secret, even Congress isn't aware of it."

"Congress is aware of little."

Gregory laughed. "That is true, isn't it? As with all men who have a little power, they do all they can to keep it, all they can to increase it and all they can to profit from it."

"You'd do well in this town."

"Hmmm," he leaned back in the chair. "The Agency--that is the name of the department that Ms. Desmond works for--the Agency believes it a possibility that the two of you have jumped ship."

"That is ridiculous!"

"Stranger things have happened and in my business and this is not so strange as it seems. They are probably planning your trial as we speak."

"Well, since you plan to ship me off to the highest bidder, I probably don't have anything to worry about, do I?"

"Ah, an excellent observation. And to that, since you now see the futility of your situation, let's discuss your work."

"I want you to let Ms. Delamond or Desmond, whatever her name is, I want you to let her go."

"You aren't in a position to negotiate, Dr. Bremen," Gregory replied with a smile.

"I think I am. You obviously want something more from me. That means your buyer wants assurances. So do I."

Gregory's eyes narrowed as he studied the man before him. "What makes you think I'd keep any deals we made?"

"What makes you think that your buyer won't come after you if I don't cooperate."

"You'd be dead."

"And so would you."

"You'd go to that length for someone you don't even know? Someone who lied to you? Someone your own government thinks you have committed treason with?"

"My government isn't me and they aren't the woman in that room below us. She wasn't after me, I'm the unknown factor in all of this."

"The Agency doesn't know that, in fact, the man running the hunt--Scarecrow--has said you and Ms. Desmond wouldn't get away with this, not for all the tea in China."

"Really? It's debatable whether China produces more tea or if India has that honor these days," Efraim replied. Lee's message had been received loud and clear; they were working to bring him and Francine home. Now Efraim knew that there was a leak feeding information. He had to find a way to use it to keep him and Francine alive.

"You think you could convince a prosecutorial government agent that you are innocent?"

Efraim leaned on the table. "Gregory, we are talking in circles and wasting my time and your patience as well as that of your buyer. I'm not going to get that chance to prove my innocence and I'm smart enough to realize that. But I do want to know that Ms. Desmond can go home. Unless there's another reason why all of this is going on. Because I'm not the reason all of this has happened. You were after Ms. Desmond and the other woman. I fell into all of this."

Gregory nodded. "Never argue with a man when he is right. That is exactly what happened--you stumbled into this. Ms. Desmond is here because I have a score to settle with her."

"And the woman at the club."

"Yes. And that woman's partner, her husband to be exact. The Scarecrow we have discussed. So you see why it isn't possible for me to consent to your demand to release Ms. Desmond. I have need of her." He pushed paper and several pencils across the table to Efraim. "Your new employer would like the basic elements of your propulsion theory."

Efraim sighed. He had to get them through these next several steps. Somehow he had to have Francine with him when Gregory attempted to hand him over to whomever. He began to write on the paper when he dropped the pencil. "What if you trade both of us?"

"Trade both of you? What a novel notion, Dr. Bremen. I didn't believe you to be so...self interested."

Efraim smiled, "No, I'm just being practical. You've convinced me that she won't find it easy to clear her name should she get back to her agency. And I don't trust that you would leave her unharmed. That leaves her to come with me."

"What makes you think my buyer would want her?"

"Insurance. And she has to have value as an American agent. And skills beside that of a torch singer," he mocked.

Sitting back in the chair, Gregory watched the man across from him. "She's a gifted linguist. And a strategist; a skill not properly appreciated by either of our countries. And if I decide to keep her myself?"

Efraim forced himself to remain impassive, he certainly didn't want Gregory to see the fact that he wanted to strangle him. "We come to an impasse then. If she doesn't come with me, I don't produce. Whomever you sell me to will come after you--I promise you that I will convince them you tricked and cheated them. I will see to it that you meet a very unpleasant end. Surely it's worth it to you to send Francine with me. After all, you do want to live long enough to enjoy your money. And your revenge."

"How would I have my revenge should Ms. Desmond accompany you?"

Leaning on the table, Efraim realized this was where he either made the sale or it all fell through. "There's nothing to stop you from continuing with your plan for revenge, whatever it is. You were willing to leave that club with both woman, instead you got me. That left this Scarecrow out of the equation. Surely you had never envisioned you would get all three of them at once, you had to have a contingency plan. What's to stop you from following through with that?"

"Selling you and allowing Ms. Desmond to accompany you rather puts me in a weak bargaining position."

"Not at all. Arrange a trade and when they show up, grab them."

Gregory laughed. "That exact event is why we're where we are today--a trade gone wrong. It would be ironic though," he mused.

And very just when it all falls through like it did before, Efraim thought. "So you can't out maneuver them?"

Gregory's fist hit the table with a loud bang. "It is not a matter of out-maneuvering them, I have to out think them before they realize what has happened. These people are not mathematical equations that can be erased when they don't add up and then reworked--that is why they are dangerous. This man, Scarecrow, he is the best agent I've encountered in my career. And his wife, the woman whose place you now occupy, she is as good as he is, maybe even better. They are a formidable team and I don't take this encounter lightly."

"What about trading us and letting it lay?" Efraim forced himself to breath; he had to insure that Gregory went after Lee. It was the only way to get all of them; Lee wouldn't want Gregory or any of his cohorts slipping the net.

Gregory seemed to give the suggestion some consideration. "No, it's Scarecrow and his wife I want." He gave Efraim a hard stare. "Why are you so interested in this?"

"Because this is my life we're talking about. And I don't want that woman downstairs to die and that's what I think you are going to do, kill her and kill her co-workers."

"You sound as though you care about her, yet you've only known her a week."

"As you said; stranger things have happened."

"Let me think on it," Gregory told him and pointed to the paper.

Efraim picked up the pencil and twirled it between his fingers. "Think fast; you might end up with nothing to trade." He put pencil to paper and began to write the principles of the theory that had been drilled into his brain.

The Agency-Q Bureau

Lee hung up the phone, stood up and began to pace the room; his frustration evident.

"Who was that?" Amanda asked, not bothering to look up from the transcripts of Congressman Bennoit's phone calls.

"Nobody, nothing. That's the problem, I have nothing."

Amanda nodded. "I think I might have something interesting here; did you know that the congressman has an elderly parent in a rest home in Georgia?"

"His parents are both dead."

"No, I don't think so," she disagreed with a shake of her head. Chewing on the end of the pen, she scanned the printout before her. "There's a call to his office from a rest home in Georgia regarding a Frank Luster. They're giving him an update and requesting instructions for a birthday party."

"Could it be something to do with his district?"

Amanda shook her head. "No, they were giving him an update on the health and care of Mr. Luster and asking specific instructions about this birthday party and guest invitations." She sighed as she looked over the readout again. "I think it's something we have to check out."

Lee grabbed his jacket, swung it on and at the door, stopped and turned back to Amanda. "Would you?" He shot her a full spectrum smile to sweeten the deal.

She smiled back. "I'll have it by the time you get back," she assured him. As he closed the door behind him, Amanda shook her head. That smile of his still made her weak at the knees! She turned to the computer and began to dig for information.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

Francine awoke with a start at the commotion outside the door. She pulled herself to her feet and ran to the door as it opened. Tommy and Peter shoved Efraim in; she caught him full force and staggered under the weight.

"There's more of that in your future, you can be sure of that," Tommy sneered as he closed the door, the lock slamming into place.

"What happened?" Francine helped him to a chair at the table that Gregory had left in the room.

Carefully sitting, Efraim sucked in a breath filled with pain as he straightened. "Boys will be boys and they just couldn't resist a little horseplay." He smiled at Francine to try to ease her concern. "I'm okay, just a bit bruised."

Pulling the other chair next to him, Francine sat and took his hand in hers. "How can you stay so calm?"

"I've been through worse," he quietly reminded her.

She nodded. She had certainly found him in far worse shape. And she had spent hours talking with him about what he had endured and it had taken hundreds of hours before he finally opened up and told her everything he had been subjected to in China. Francine had thought at the time that he might have been the bravest man she had ever met; now she was convinced of it.

"So, tell me about that compendium on your hard drive? You know, the one with 357 pages of things for us to do together."

He chuckled then groaned at the effort. Wouldn't she be surprised to find that he did indeed have a list of things he wanted to do with her, but it wasn't the salacious list she thought it was. That one he kept tucked away in his imagination. "Well," he intoned, "how about you, me and a private beach on Santorini...," he whispered against her ear.

"Efraim!" She laid her head gently on his shoulder, entwined her fingers with his and waited expectantly. "I like it, tell me more!"

His own eyes opened wide in surprise. He nodded and did as she commanded.

The Agency-Billy's Office

Amanda rushed into the bullpen looking for Lee. Duffy saw her and pointed to Billy's office.

With a smile of thanks, Amanda hurried over to the door, opening it without her usual polite knock. Lee stopped in mid sentence as Amanda came to a stop at Billy's desk.

"Sir, Lee, I'm sorry to barge in, but I think this is important. It might explain why Congressman Bennoit is involved in all of this."

"Tell us, Amanda, " Billy urged.

"He's adopted, sir. The Congressman was adopted. The man in the Georgia home is his biological father. His mother was very young when she got pregnant and her parents forced her to give the baby up for adoption. Congressman Bennoit was adopted by a couple--the Bennoit's--from Louisiana. He found the truth of his birth when his parents were killed in a car accident seven years ago. He started his search for his biological parents then. Frank Luster is his biological father. He has Alzheimer's and the congressman has him in a very specialized home that is on the forefront of care for patients with that disease. It's very expensive, sir. Far more than what the congressman can afford."

Lee looked at Billy, both of their minds racing over the information from Amanda. "Did you check out his finances?"

"As much as I could--I'm no Efraim or Francine when it comes to finding all the dark corners, but I did find some. There isn't anything that passes through any of his bank accounts, either personal, congressional or campaign, and he makes the payments to the home in cash. And there aren't any corresponding withdrawals from any of his accounts."

"He has to be getting the money by selling information, it's the only thing that makes any sense," Lee remarked. "He wasn't lying when he told us about the blackmail. Except he's the blackmailer!"

"Amanda, I want you to dig into his relationships with other members of congress. My bet is he gets information by being part of the club and uses it to his advantage. See what you can uncover and let us know."

"Yes sir. I'll get right on it." Amanda turned to leave.

"Amanda?"

"Yes sir?"

"Good work, very good work," Billy told her, happy to have some information break their way.

Amanda smiled. "Thank you. I'll see what I can find."

Lee watched his wife leave and turned back to his boss. "This has hit her hard, she feels responsible for all of this."

"She shouldn't, but I understand. This will be good for her to work on, to find some background for us to use as leverage. You want to run this by Smyth?" Billy grinned at the look of consternation that flashed across Lee's features.

"Thanks. One thing we haven't considered; what if Smyth is involved?"

"By being blackmailed?" Billy laughed. "And the congressman is still alive? No Scarecrow, whatever the reason Smyth felt beholden to Bennoit has to do with something on the Hill, some vote or appropriations. No one blackmails Austin Smyth and gets away with it, I promise you that."

"There's a story there."

"Yes there is and it isn't one you'll hear from me. For all that Smyth is or isn't, he is a patriot."

Lee rose and headed toward the door thinking on the information Billy had given him. "I'll run this by the old man then and let you know his take on it."

"You won't have to, I'll know soon enough," Billy remarked.

Great, Lee thought. Just great.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

Francine let her mind wander on the very enticing tales Efraim had spun for her. She shook her head in wonder; the man certainly had a very active imagination! They had gone back to the mattress in the corner; Efraim, though he tried to disguise it, was in pain from the pummeling he had taken from the two Soviets. As they settled into the dark, quiet corner, he whispered his proposition of trading them both. It made sense and should the worst come to pass, she'd rather be with Efraim when it all came undone.

He told her not to think on the future, that it would all work out. She found she couldn't think of anything other than the future and what might not be. Her tears startled her and she hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand. She didn't want Efraim to see her crying and certainly not Gregory.

Her head hit the cinderblock wall when Efraim's thumb caressed her cheek where her tears had been. She should have known he'd see her crying, she thought with a wry press of her lips. She rubbed her head and looked down at the man who held her future in his hands and smiled. "I thought you were sleeping?"

"I couldn't sleep with you worrying so loudly," he whispered. "Franny, they're on this, we just need to wait it out. I promise you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know. Do you think Stetson would let a chance slip by to rub my nose in the fact that he had to save my butt twice in the space of a year?"

She giggled softly at his teasing. "Probably not," she conceded. "Efraim, for all those times...."

He put his fingertips over her lips to stop her from saying any more. "Don't."

"But I...."

"Do you love me?" When she nodded, he smiled and gave her cheek a soft pinch. "That's all that matters. And Francine?"

She raised her eyebrows at his questioning tone.

"You really should have let me catch you at one of those Christmas parties all those years ago!" He closed his eyes at her gasp of surprise. At her soft sigh, he began to worry enough for both of them.

The Agency-Dr. Smyth's Office

It took Amanda another day to put together enough evidence to present the case of extortion by the congressman for Billy and Dr. Smyth.

She had refused to go home, staying in the Q Bureau on the computer until she had found a pattern. At one point, she had used the emergency lock out to keep Lee away because he had demanded she stop, go home and rest. He had gone and gotten Leatherneck to override the system before he finally gave in, telling her he would stay with her.

Amanda sat rigidly silent while Dr. Smyth read the report she had put together. He showed no emotion as he studied the file; finally flipping it closed and bringing his stare to rest on her.

"So Mrs. Scarecrow, you put together quite a collection of ribbons and bows."

"Sir?"

"What can you prove?"

Amanda lifted her chin a notch higher. "None of it, sir, except the adoption. Blackmailing his fellow members of congress? Not without interviewing those I named who gave money to the congressman."

"Have you started to interview anyone?"

Amanda cast a quick glance at Lee and Billy who sat quietly beside her listening intently to her report. She straightened her shoulders and looked directly at Dr. Smyth. "No sir, we haven't started any interviews. It is my opinion that it would do no good for the Agency if we stirred this pot."

Smyth's eyebrows rose as Amanda finished her statement. "Excellent reasoning, Mrs. Stetson. There is no need to awaken the dogs on Capitol Hill. At least not at this time. But by all means, bring in the congressman and have a chat with him. And Melrose, take the gloves off this time."

Smyth picked up the file and held it out. Billy reached for it before backing away and giving a slight nod to Amanda. Amanda stepped forward and took the file from Dr. Smyth, bringing it against her chest in a protective manner. She turned to leave the office, grimacing when Smyth called to her.

"Yes sir?"

"Very good work, Mrs. Stetson. You just gave the momentum in this case back to us."

"Thank you, sir." She turned and nodded to Lee as she preceded him out of the office.

Lee put his arm around her and gave a slight squeeze of support. He knew how much she disliked Smyth, and more than that, how much he frightened her. She probably wasn't aware of it, but she had just passed an ad hoc test with flying colors. "You okay?"

"I'm very tired all of a sudden!"

Lee laughed. "You did great in there and you impressed the hell out of Smyth," he told her proudly.

"Indeed Amanda, excellent work," Billy added. Now, let's send Duffy and Donnelly out to bring the in the congressman. Put him in one of the old interrogation rooms, with the wired windows and metal chairs. I want to make an impression on him from the outset. And tell Duffy and Donnelly not to be too nice, got it?"

"Got it," Lee replied with a smile. Placing his hand on Amanda's back, he walked with her to the Q Bureau.

Closing the door behind them, he went to his desk and called Donnelly, giving him the lowdown on Bennoit. Hanging up the phone, he leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"That was a big sigh," Amanda remarked.

"Yeah. This is the break we needed Amanda. I won't lie to you, we were getting close to a shut out on this. We could have lost the congressman and who knows what that would have cost the Agency in the future."

"What about Francine and Efraim? I thought they were the reason we were doing all of this."

Lee stung at the accusation in her voice. "Yeah, they are. But Amanda, you know that a case hinges on more than the agents involved. And because of the information you found, we can set the trap and get those involved."

"What about all the people Congressman Bennoit has gotten money from? Won't this embarrass them when it comes out?"

"Amanda," Lee started to explain what was going to happen.

"No one is going to find out, are they? Smyth will keep Bennoit as a puppet, one that will dance to his tune."

"That is exactly what's going to happen. Amanda, you know how this works. What good would it do for the Agency to be the provider of all that scandal on the Hill? It would shut this town down and in some strange way, we're in the business of keeping this town in business."

"I know, but...."

"But it doesn't seem right. Amanda, trust me, those people that Bennoit rolled would rather know he's under our thumb then have all their laundry hung out to dry. And Smyth will let them all know, in his usual, inimitable style."

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea for Dr. Smyth to have that list, do you?" She waited for his answer and when he didn't, she asked again. "Lee, do you?"

Lee looked up and flashed her the patented Stetson smile, guaranteed to stop or start a stampede a block away. Amanda understood without Lee saying a word that Smyth would use that list until doomsday to get his way in this town.

Heaven help us all, she thought!

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

Francine toyed with the food that Gregory sent down to them; pushing bits and pieces around her plate. It was the first real meal they'd had since they were captured and she found she wasn't hungry.

She gasped as Efraim leaned over the table and divided the items on her plate into thirds.

"Eat--or else," he ordered, tapping her plate with his fork. "I need you to eat so you're focused when you need to be. I'm not kidding Francine, eat."

Shooting him a nasty look, she picked up her fork and slowly began to eat. "You're a bully," she announced.

"Yep," he agreed cheerfully. He sobered, "I'm serious, you have to keep up your strength."

"I know. But you're still a bully."

"And yet strangely, you like it," he told her with a grin and a waggle of eyebrows.

She shook her head and took a bite. "Yeah, strangely enough, I like it," she admitted. "A lot."

He laughed and continued to eat but he reached out and took her free hand in his and held it. He began to tell her about restaurants in Hong Kong that he liked and some of the odd items he had eaten there.

Before she knew it, she had eaten half of her dinner, rolling her eyes at Efraim's knowing grin. "You know, this is probably coming to a showdown soon. He's feeding you so you're sharp for any questioning."

"That thought has crossed my mind," he told her. "He's nailing down a time and place for a trade."

At her questioning look, he answered her unspoken query. "I'm ready for this, Francine. Compared to what I've been through in the past, this has been a cake walk."

With a barely perceptible nod, she chewed her bottom lip, concerned with the uncertainty that they faced. She was surprised when Efraim lifted her chin.

"Stop worrying that lip, I'd like a shot at that in the near future if you don't mind," he told her with a wink.

"Not at all--I'll look forward to that," she gave him some sass right back.

With that, the door opened and Kupchenko and Peter motioned for Efraim to follow them. Rising from the table, he gave Francine a small smile, barely falling out of step when Kupchenko elbowed him.

The door slammed and Francine let out the breath she had been holding. Time was getting short, she could feel it--events were speeding up around them.

She just hoped she was up to the task, because being handed over to the North Koreans as an intelligence officer wasn't something she was looking forward to. What it came down to was she didn't think she'd leave the country alive.

And now she knew she had something to live for. He had just walked out the door.

The Agency-Interrogations

Amanda paced the small confines of the observation room. Duffy and Donnelly had been interviewing Congressman Bennoit for the past hour and so far they really hadn't gotten anything except threats from the congressman.

Billy entered the observation room and said something quietly to Lee. Amanda stopped and watched, catching Lee's look to her. Something was about to happen.

She stood next to her husband and waited.

They didn't have to wait long at all.

The door to the interrogation room opened and Dr. Smyth walked in. With a nod to Duffy and Donnelly, he waited for them to leave before sitting across from the congressman.

Laying a file on the table, he leaned back in the chair, steepled his fingers and watched Congressman Bennoit; his face flushed and his cheeks puffed from indignation.

"Austin, it's about time you got here. Have your people gone insane? Do they know who the hell I am?

"They certainly know who you are, Charles. I made certain they were acquainted with your complete dossier before I sent them to retrieve you."

"Are you mad? I will see to it that you are...."

"Charles, have you had your rights read to you?" Smyth looked at his watch before he let his gaze settle unblinkingly on the congressman.

"I have had enough of this, Smyth. When I'm done with...."

"Shall we just say you're done? I had a lovely chat this afternoon with the director of the Atlanta Center for Elder Care."

The congressman's mouth gaped; opening and closing like a fish out of water before he marshaled his senses. "How dare you," he roared, lurching out of his chair, his fists slamming the worn metal table between them.

"Yes, quite. Sit down Charles before you hurt yourself and we find it necessary to restrain you." Smyth waited while the congressman took his seat. "After speaking with the director, I spoke with your fellow congressman from the Georgia 32nd. We had a very interesting exchange of information. I also spoke with quite a few other members of congress. Can you fathom what we possibly could have spoken of in conjunction with you?"

"You can't prove a thing, Austin. You're fishing, you don't have a thing," the congressman arrogantly announced. "I suggest you let me leave and I'll consider letting this go."

"You didn't answer my earlier question, Charles. About your rights? Did my agents read you your rights?"

"No, they didn't."

"Excellent. You aren't an attorney, so I'm sure you don't understand the significance of my question regardless of your stature as a...lawmaker. I, on the other hand, have the benefit of an education in the law, and I will endeavor to explain why my agents did not read you your rights. If they had, every news organization in this town and in the state of Louisiana would be flashing your picture across the wires and airwaves. You see, I would have to charge you with treason Charles, and in the run up to an election year, it's always unpleasant to try and defend oneself against such charges."

The color drained from Bennoit's face. "Treason? What are you talking about?"

Smyth raised his hand and gave a negligible wave. Leatherneck, in the observation room with Billy, Lee and Amanda, hit a switch and the congressman's voice spilled out of the speaker.

'....I don't care what you do with the woman, but I expect a cut from the sale of the scientist. He's valuable and I took a great deal of risk getting the information you wanted. And contacting the North Korean's about their interest.'

Smyth raised his hand again and the room went silent. "You have a remarkable speaking voice, quite distinctive, that is unmistakably you on the recording, Charles. We do have the remainder of the conversation and we have identification of the Russian agent you were speaking with."

The congressman swallowed hard and opened his mouth to talk and nothing came out. He leaned heavily against the chair he was in, seemingly to deflate before their eyes. The silence between them stretched. The congressman, coughed and leaned on the table. "They'll kill me!"

"Yes, they might kill you. But it seems I'm in a position to help keep you alive--if you're interested, of course."

"Why should I help you? I'm going to go to jail and for all I care, those people can go to hell!"

Amanda grabbed Lee by the arm as he started for the door.

"Sit tight Scarecrow. None of us like hearing it, but we have to be patient and let Smyth tie it up," Billy added.

The tick in Lee's jaw was working overtime, but he nodded and returned to his post next to Amanda.

"I don't think you'll want that to happen, Charles. I am in a position to see to it that your father wants for nothing in his remaining days. The Agency will see to the payments for his care, we will even see to an increase of his nursing to 24 hours a day. That would put an end to your collections from your fellow congressmen which will also have the advantage of not leaving you vulnerable to the blackmail of foreign agents."

"And for all of that, I get to be the water boy for the Agency on the Hill?"

"Well yes, that does seem fair, does it not? I'm asking for your support in matters you generally support at the present and for that I'm willing to see you not arrested, not thrown in jail, not humiliated in this town and your home state. And I'm also willing to see that your father lives his final days in comfort with the constant worry of his care taken from your shoulders. And as an added bonus, you remain free of custody and relatively open to follow your own whims."

"Free to follow my own whims, you mean if you agree to them."

"You do understand the charge of treason, do you not? You do know the penalties? Shall I outline them for you?"

"You bastard," the congressman spat out.

"Quite. Now, let me tell you how we will deal with your current quandary."

"Shouldn't I have an attorney present?"

"Why yes, you certainly may have an attorney present. We'll have him attend with the press corps on the Hill," Smyth agreed. "I'll have my people file charges at once." Smyth started to rise from his seat.

The congressman slumped in his chair. "I have no choice."

"Of course you had a choice, Charles. You could have made other decisions in the beginning that would not have brought us to this meeting."

"You haven't asked why I involved your Agency, Austin."

"I already know why. I'm positive that they found you to be a very easy mark. Your side business was a bonus and it ensured your cooperation. Now, I want the mechanics of contact with the North Koreans." At the congressman's shocked look, Dr. Smyth laughed. "Yes, I know about that as well. You should not have under estimated the ability of my agents, Charles. It has all been unraveled."

The congressman shook his head and stared for several minutes before speaking. "Mellon was the one who gave me the information on my fellow congressmen; we were partners. He would give me the information, most of it just bits and pieces, I'd confront the members and make the payment arrangements. Mellon got a cut."

"How did you become mixed up with the Soviets?"

"By chance. He hired Kupchenko, the piano player. He overheard the deals Mellon and I made. Turns out he's KGB."

"And thus we get to our little situation," Smyth prompted.

"They promised they would be out of our lives after this deal."

"That seems unlikely, at least from this side of the arrangement. I suggest you continue with your story as time does seem to be a valuable commodity in this issue."

Smyth turned his head and gave a barely perceptible nod. Billy turned to Lee and Amanda. "I want Kwan, Henry Lee and Park brought in on this. Amanda, find out who may be in town from the United Nations North Korean Mission and where they might be staying. Let's pick up these loose strings. And get me a body man for Bennoit--he isn't to be alone until this is over."

Lee held the door for Amanda as she proceeded him from the observation room. Heading into the Q Bureau, Lee shut the door and reached for the phone on his desk. Looking at Amanda as she sat down at her desk, he nodded. "Let's finish this."

"Absolutely," Amanda agreed, picking up her own telephone.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

The door opened, yellowed light from the hallway spilled in only to be blocked by Gregory entering the room. He was followed by the two Soviet thugs dragging Efraim--unconscious and limp--between them.

Francine turned from the window and hurried over to her partner, pushing Kupchenko out of the way, taking Efraim's weight on her slim shoulders. She saw Gregory raise a hand to stop Kupchenko from retaliating. The look she gave Peter let him know she expected him to hold Efraim up on his side until she was able to lay Efraim easily on the mattress in the corner.

With a nod, they eased Efraim down, he groaned once and turned to shield his side. Francine straightened and turned to Gregory. "How will your buyers like finding their merchandise in this shape?"

Taking one step toward Francine, Gregory reached out and grabbed her by her throat. Squeezing lightly at first, then with more force, he leaned into her face as she struggled for release. "You tell that man to be more cooperative. If he wants you to accompany him to his new assignment, you will control him. I want him to answer a series of questions and I don't want any of his verbal sparring. Am I making myself clear, Ms. Desmond?"

He let go of her throat and Francine stumbled, gasping as air rushed in to fill her lungs. "I understand," she rasped. Remembering what Efraim had told her, she lowered her eyes and backed off--there would be time enough for retribution. Right now, she had to take care of her partner.

Aware of the men's eyes upon her, she dropped to her knees beside Efraim and gently ran her hands over his limbs. Touching his ribs, he moaned and tried to move away from her touch. "His ribs are either broken or badly bruised. If you want him in any shape to answer questions or make an impression on the North Koreans, you'll get me several large elastic bandages to wrap his chest. Some hot water, anti-bacterial cream...and clean clothes would help."

When there was no answer, her head swung around, pinning Gregory with a hard stare. "Well," she demanded, holding eye contact until she saw him give a curt nod to the men behind him.

"He is a foolish man; he refuses to cooperate unless I guarantee your safety or trade you with him. Who is he to you?"

Francine shook her head; her stubborn, obstinate, hard headed, foolish and brave Efraim--he would die trying to protect her. "He's someone who...," she gave a quick shake of her head. "I met him at the club one night and we hit it off. He's...imprudent," she announced.

"Very. Oddly enough, I admire him for his continued protection of you. But I expect you to curb those tendencies. I don't want to have to control him through you, though I'm sure my associates would enjoy the encounter."

"I can just imagine." The sarcasm hung between them as the Kupchenko returned with several large bowls of water and a few of the items she had requested.

"I'm...Peter is getting the rest," Tommy told grudgingly with a toss of his head toward the door. "I brought a light bulb for the fixture." He pulled the chair over, stepped up and twisted the bulb into the empty socket in the ceiling.

The switch flipped, Francine had her first good look at Efraim since he had been brought back. There was bruising along his jaw, blood dried from his nose and the corner of his lip. Luckily or by design, his glasses were intact and his eyes looked undamaged.

She dropped a cloth into the bowl of water, finding it warm. Wringing out the cloth, she removed Efraim's glasses and wiped his eyes before gently dabbing at the cut on his lip. Rinsing the cloth, she cleaned his face and hands before demanding fresh water.

When no one moved, she turned and glared at the men. "Go on, I want fresh water and I want those clean clothes. Now!" Returning to Efraim, she allowed herself a small smile when she heard the door slam. She went about the task of unbuttoning his shirt, sucking in a deep breath when she saw the dark bruises along his chest and ribs. "Oh Efraim," she whispered, "why are you so stubborn?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have been able to convince you to fall in love with me," his voice was rough and barely loud enough to hear. "I don't feel very good, Franny," he confessed.

"I can't understand why not," she replied tartly. She bit her lip as she studied him. "How bad is it?"

"Pretty damn bad," he told her, accepting her help into a sitting position. He coughed and grimaced with pain, shaking his head in answer to her question if he was coughing blood. At least he hadn't punctured a lung, he thought grimly.

The door opened as Peter brought more water and clean clothes for Efraim, leaving quickly after receiving another of Francine's deadly looks. Francine removed Efraim's shirt, using the cooling water to numb the sting of his bruises before wrapping his ribs and easing the clean dress shirt over his shoulders.

"When we get out of here, I'm going to hire thugs to kick in my ribs once a week just to get your tender mercies, Francine." He tried to laugh at the very unpleasant glare she gave him, but ended up coughing and grabbing his ribs. "Kupchenko guards his left side in a fight and protects the right leg I kicked when we had our first encounter; he's damn fast. Peter comes full on but he has soft hands and a bad right knee."

"I can't believe you antagonized them to find their weaknesses. You're as bad as Scarecrow--worse!" Her words were low and full of anger at his revelation.

He looked her in the eyes, seeing her face sober when she realized what he was saying to her. "It may be the only thing we've got, Francine."

She nodded slowly. "I'll be ready," she promised.

"And remember, Kupchenko is mine." His tone brooked no argument from her.

"Let me help you with your pants," she ordered, changing the subject.

Efraim rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Now she offers!"

The Agency-Dr. Smyth's Office

Lee knocked on the double mahogany doors that led to Dr. Smyth's office. Entering after the quiet 'come', he closed the door behind him before crossing to Smyth's desk.

"Tell me you have good news, Scarecrow."

"Park, Lee and Kwan were out trolling the District and they found a couple of men and their aides that fit the bill on our North Korean's from the UN. We're running identities for them now."

"Excellent. Anything else?"

Lee raised his eyebrows. "Not at this point."

"Find an edge, Scarecrow."

With a curt nod, Lee left Smyth's office and headed back to Billy's. They were going to need an edge--and soon.

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

"Ms. Desmond, if you would come with me please," Gregory ordered from the door.

Both Francine and Efraim started at his words as he had woken them from a fitful sleep. Efraim climbed to his feet and extended his hand to Francine. He lightly squeezed her fingers, trying to give her reassurance--and his strength.

She gave him a barely visible nod and walked to the door. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she had an idea that she would find out her fate.

At the top of the stairs, the late afternoon light spilled through the uncovered windows and Francine spied several dogwood trees in bloom. Gregory grabbed her arm and jerked her away from the view, pointing to a chair at the old table he preferred to conduct his business.

Gregory paced until she sat in the chair. "I've decided to send you with the good doctor. I have no desire to be looking over my shoulder should he become intractable. I would have preferred to deal with you along with Scarecrow and Amanda Stetson, but one must play the cards how they are dealt."

Even though she knew that the Agency was working to free them, the news of their trade had her reeling. She didn't know what to say so she opted for silence.

"I know you were hoping for a rescue, but alas, none is forthcoming."

"You're underestimating Lee Stetson if you think he isn't a step ahead of you."

"I certainly hope so, Ms. Desmond...I certainly hope so." With a jerk of his head, Tommy pulled her from the seat and dragged her back to the basement prison below.

Opening the door, he pushed her up against the wall, well aware that Efraim was watching them. Roaming his hands over her freely, he pulled her by the hair, exposing her head and throat to him. Lowering his head, he said loud enough for Efraim to hear, "I get you before the North Koreans do, 'Ms. Delamond'; I'll thaw your ice princess act for the geek over there!" He pressed against her before shoving her toward Efraim who had started toward them. "Don't worry, doc, I'll warm her up for you!" He slammed the door, his laughter echoing in the hallway as he climbed the stairs.

Efraim took Francine in his arms and held her tightly. She was shaking and he knew her well enough to know she wasn't cold, but frightened. "What is it? It's not that goon that has you upset--what is it?"

"Gregory expects Lee to be a step or two ahead of him."

"You?"

"He's trading me, so he says. I don't know, Efraim, I just don't know."

"I need to think, I need to think this through. We need to anticipate all of this--we have to be the tipping point."

Nodding, she closed her eyes as she rested her head against his chest. The beating of her heart slowed and her mind calmed. She held Efraim tighter knowing that they would figure a way out of this.

And it would be together.

The Agency-Billy's Office

"Scarecrow! Henry Lee and his team just checked in. They had our two targets under surveillance and they have rented a limo for the evening," Billy announced with a big grin.

"And you've got just the driver for them!"

"I do. Get a team ready Scarecrow. I've got a feeling this is going down tonight."

"Consider it done, Billy."

"And Scarecrow?"

Lee turned and waited for his boss's parting advice.

"Gregory does not slip away. Not this time."

Lee smiled. "I understand."

Gregory's Safe House-Location Unknown

Several hours later, the basement door flew open. Kupchenko pointed his gun at Efraim and motioned for him to move. Peter nodded to Francine and she slowly climbed to her feet and followed Efraim out the door.

Climbing the stairs, Gregory awaited them in the kitchen. "Time to go; your new life awaits. I'll understand if you can't send a postcard and I will send your regrets to Scarecrow when I see him later for his 'chant du cygne'."

"If you think you've put Scarecrow in check, you have far too high an opinion of your abilities," Francine mocked.

Gregory's hand flew toward Francine's face and she stood firm, eyes open and waiting for the blow to land. Efraim, moving with speed, stepped into the blow and taking the strike full in the face. The force knocked his glasses off causing him to stagger into Kupchenko who shoved him into the wall.

"Stop!" Gregory shouted. "What do you think you're doing," he snarled at Efraim.

Efraim turned and leaned against the wall, spitting the blood from the cut on the side of his mouth. "You don't hit a woman for her opinion of your performance, Gregory."

The Russian's mouth twisted as he picked up Efraim's glasses and handed them to him. "Dr. Bremen, you are a thoroughly dislikable man; you would have made an excellent spy. I wish the North Korean's joy of you."

Efraim grinned and wiped his lip, the blood from the cut stark against the white of his shirt. "Thank you, that is probably the nicest compliment anyone has given me." He put his glasses on and followed Kupchenko out the door and into the garage that held the van they had been transported in that night at the club.

Climbing into the rear of the vehicle, they sat on the cargo floor as the doors slammed shut. The van shifted as Kupchenko and Peter climbed in the front of the van. Efraim looked at Francine and gave a slight nod of encouragement.

She mouthed the words 'I love you', and felt his smile go straight to her heart.

The Agency-The Q Bureau

Lee threw open the door to the Q Bureau, smiling when Amanda jumped in her seat. "Kwan sent the signal; there's been contact."

"Tonight?"

Lee nodded. "Yeah, seems our out of towners want to see the moon rise behind the Capital building first before they take a private jet back to North Korea."

Amanda turned to the computer and accessed the time of moon rise. "We have some time. Are we assuming it's close to the Mall?"

"Only one way to be sure," he replied.

"I'll be ready."

Washington DC-Exact Location Unknown

Francine's legs were asleep, she was sore from bouncing on the metal flooring, disoriented and her nerves were stretched woefully thin. Of course that had been the entire plan, to throw them off the game when they finally came to the end of the ride. Her eyes came to rest on Efraim again, studying him, committing his features to memory. And then she noticed his very deliberate breathing and the flexing of his hands and feet. He's meditating, she thought, he's readying himself. And so she did the same, feeling the blood flow back to her sleeping limbs and the disorienting fog lift from her mind.

The van came to a stop and silence filled the vehicle. Francine heard the cab doors open and steeled herself for what was to come. She noted that Efraim still had his eyes closed and she knew he was using every last moment before they stepped into the unknown.

She only wished she had paid closer attention all those years ago to the man who had come to mean everything to her.

The double doors swung open and Kupchenko waved the gun at them to get them to move. With the gun pointed at her and with a final glance at Efraim, Francine slid across the metal floor of the van and stood up. Surprisingly her legs held.

Kupchenko took her by the throat and held the gun to her head. "Get out, Dr. Bremen. No games or I will shoot," he threatened.

Efraim had opened his eyes and exhaled a deep breath when Kupchenko had called him. His eyes fleetingly rested on Francine before settling on Kupchenko. Efraim stood up as best he could within the vehicle and walked to the edge, not reacting to the fact that he had made Kupchenko back up. Francine knew that intimidation would give Efraim the advantage; it would only be a matter of when he would use it.

Jumping down, Efraim looked around as he tried to get his bearings and assess any advantages the terrain might offer. He knew immediately they were near the Tidal Basin--the cherry trees were a dead give away--and with a quick glance about, he recognized the walkway leading to the FDR Memorial.

Kupchenko shoved Francine at Efraim. "Get moving; and Dr. Bremen, one step out of line and she's dead. Do you understand me?"

Beaman nodded without turning. He took Francine's hand and walked down the path; his eyes darting the trees on either side of them to see who, if anyone, was lurking in the deep shadows. His heart sank a notch when all he heard was the whisper of the wind off of the basin as it rustled through the cherry blossom lined walkway.

"Inspiring sight, isn't it?" Gregory nodded approvingly as he joined them on the grounds of the memorial. The sound of the monument's waterfalls echoed in the night. Gregory clapped Beaman on the shoulders, "I should have liked to have had the opportunity to know you better, Dr. Bremen. In this business, friendships are so difficult to find let alone maintain."

"I doubt we would have been friends," Efraim's reply dripped with sarcasm.

The echo of footsteps caused everyone to freeze. Kupchenko and Turgenev went instantly into defensive mode.

"Anyong haseyo?"

Efraim noted that the greeting caused Kupchenko and Turgenev to relax. "I think my new employers are here," Efraim offered with a sharp edge to his voice. They all watched as three men emerged from the shadows to join them before one of the waterfalls of the memorial.

"How long will it take before you can make our rockets fly," the older of the two men asked.

"So much for the niceties," Efraim quipped. Tommy dug the barrel of his gun into Efraim's side. "I don't know. I don't know what stage your design program is in or any of the particulars on the program; your payloads, metallurgy, any of it."

"We want a fully functional rocket for the Dear Leaders birthday."

"Great, when's that?"

"Mid February," Francine supplied sotto voce.

"What 's the payload," Efraim asked.

"Weather satellites,"

"Right," Efraim drawled. "Well, still it depends on all the factors I mentioned and more. If you don't think I'd fit your program, we can just call it quits and go our separate ways." Kupchenko cocked his gun and Efraim shrugged. "Or not," he added quickly.

Two of the North Koreans spoke in low tones, barely audible above the rustling of the cherry trees. The third man maintained a guarded eye over the area. They reached an agreement between themselves and the elder of the men spoke. "Gregory, whether we are indebted to you remains to be seen." He jerked his head, bringing the third man into action, who pulled a pistol from his jacket and pointed it at Efraim.

"What about the woman? She's supposed to come with me," he said, not moving from Francine's side.

Gregory mockingly slapped the side of his head. "I'm so sorry Dr. Breman, it completely slipped my mind to tell you of a change in plans. I have need of Ms. Desmond, one certainly above your own. She stays with me."

"No!" Efraim shouted as the North Korean agent and Kupchenko reached for him.

Gregory grabbed Francine by the arm, laughing as the North Korean landed a blow bringing Efraim to his knees. Francine cried out and strained against the hold Gregory had on her. Kupchenko reached for Efraim, pulling him to his feet.

Efraim stood unsteadily, his head bowed. With a glance at Francine, he turned as if to follow the North Koreans when suddenly he spun into Kupchenko, grabbing the Russian's hand that was holding the gun. His eyes were cold and deadly as he applied pressure to a point on the man's wrist, causing him to drop the weapon. Stepping around and into Kupchenko's back, Efraim twisted the man's arm into his shoulder blade as he landed a powerful kick into the Russian's knee, the resounding pop echoed in the darkness telling everyone the blow had done the damage intended even before the big Russian hit the ground.

The moment Efraim reached for Kupchenko, the trees seemingly came to life as dark forms emerged from their shadows. Francine instantaneously reacted by strategically planting the spike of her heel on Gregory's instep and standing with all her weight. Gregory reacted by doubling over and howling with pain. As he lessened his grip on Francine, she pulled free of his grip and ran for Efraim.

Lee and his team acted the moment Efraim launched his attack on Kupchenko; his agents were on the scene as Kupchenko hit the ground from Beaman's attack. Mike Kwan took out the North Korean body guard and assisted his fellow agents in rounding up the two members of the UN Mission.

Lee quickly assured himself that Francine and Efraim were all right and turned his attention to Gregory. The moment in time seemed to freeze as the two adversaries eyes locked. Breaking the stare, Gregory turned and fled toward the Tidal Basin walk with Lee right behind him.

Peter Turgenev raised his gun to fire at Lee. Amanda rushed at him from behind, lowering her shoulder and hitting him in the middle of his back with her shoulder. Donnelly picked up the dropped weapon and grinned at Amanda. "Good hit," he told her with an appreciative nod of his head.

Amanda hurried to Francine and Efraim as Duffy and another agent pulled Tommy Kupchenko to his feet. The big Russian struggled feebly against the hands that restrained him before cursing at them in Russian when he realized his knee was blown.

"Francine, are you okay?" Amanda gave her a quick hug.

"I will be," Francine told her as she planted her feet and took a swing at Kupchenko; the blow landing on that man's jaw, his head snapping back.

Efraim pulled Francine into his arms and hugged her. "That was one hell of a right cross, Franny!"

Francine allowed herself to relax against the chest of the man who held her close. She closed her eyes and sighed a sigh of relief. "It seemed the appropriate thing to do at the moment. I just knew Gregory wasn't going to trade me...Gregory! He's getting away!" She pushed away from Efraim and frantically looked for Gregory.

The three agents hurried down the path toward the Tidal Basin and came upon Billy as he watched Lee and Gregory in the water.

"How did they end up in there?" Amanda asked, her eyes wide.

Billy shot her a grin and shook his head. "Lee hit him broadside."

Efraim tried to cover his laugh, and actually managed to stifle it until Billy started chuckling as well. Francine began to laugh and Amanda gave up the fight and joined in.

Lee had Gregory by the collar as he grabbed the edge of the basin. Several agents had joined them and at Billy's nod, they pulled Gregory from the water. Donnelly reached them and leaned over to give Lee a hand out of the water.

Now on dry land, Lee grabbed Gregory by the lapels and gave him a smile. "Look who I found swimming in the Tidal Basin; isn't there a fine for that?"

"I'm sure there's one on the federal books," Billy replied. He gave a nod to the agents holding Gregory. "Get him out of here!"

Lee shook his arms to shake off the water that ran in rivulets down his body. "I'm happy to see the two of you."

Billy gave his newly returned agents a once over. "Beaman, you look worse for wear."

"He does at that," Lee agreed with a heavy slap on Beaman's shoulder for which he was rewarded with that man's groan of pain. "Francine," his question plain in his tone.

"I'm fine, really. I never thanked you for convincing my partner to come home," she told Lee as she linked her arm with Efraim's.

Lee laughed. He looked at Beaman and gave the man a nod; they both understood it was never a question of convincing Beaman to return, and someday he'd tell Francine that. "What do you say we all head back to the Agency; I'm freezing and Beaman looks like he needs a doctor."

"Speak for yourself, Stetson. I have all I need here," Beaman said as he draped his arm around Francine's shoulder, grunting with the effort. "By the way, how'd you find us?"

"It's a long story, but Amanda was able to tie the congressman to Gregory. As far as being here tonight, just some good, old fashioned leg work, that and Henry Lee filling in as the limo driver for the North Koreans as they toured the sights of DC by moonlight!"

Billy listened to his agents banter back and forth as he followed them back to the parking lot. He stopped and looked back at the Jefferson Memorial across the water, starkly white against the inky night sky. "It was another night for the good guys, Tom," he said quietly to the illuminated monument in the distance. "We won another close one."

"Hey Billy, come on," Lee called out as the four agents stopped and waited for their boss to join them.

With a nod to history, Billy turned and hurried to catch his agents. Reaching them, he gave them each a smile. "Let's go home!"

The Agency-Q Bureau

Efraim found Francine in the Q Bureau looking out the windows onto the Georgetown street below. He quietly closed the door behind him and walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Francine put her hand over one of his and smiled when he leaned over and rested his chin on her shoulder. She could smell his shampoo and aftershave, scents that comforted and excited her all at the same time.

"Wanna take a ride?" he asked, letting his hands encircle her waist as he pulled her gently to him.

"Where? Don't we have things to do?"

"There will always be things to do. I just thought as you were admiring the beautiful day, we could go enjoy it together."

"What are you up to?" Francine eyed him suspiciously.

Efraim rolled his eyes at her, but wasn't able to keep the small grin at bay. "I'm trying to convince you to go see the cherry blossoms with me. The last time it was dark and it wasn't exactly a pleasure trip."

Francine flashed Efraim a wry smile, thinking about the other evening's excursion to the Tidal Basin. "True," she rolled her eyes at his comment. "Oh, alright; come on. If we're lucky we should be able to have stroll under the blossoms in peace with the tourists at dinner and the locals heading home for the evening. Just promise me, no water or mud."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Thanks," came her derisive reply.

"Anything for you, Franny!"

Washington DC-The Tidal Basin

The drive down to the Tidal Basin was made in relative calm. Efraim was quiet and Francine was happy within the comfort of their silence.

Since they had been released from Gregory's hold, they had spent hours apart in debriefings. At day's end, they each sought out the other and talked about what they had experienced. Both sensed they were at a cross roads, but Francine wasn't sure which road they would take.

Parking the car, Efraim opened the door for Francine, offering her his hand and then keeping hers tucked in his arm as they strolled along the pathways under the blossoms.

"The Japanese call it Hanami, the act of enjoying each moment of cherry blossom time," he told her as they walked under the branches, heavy laden with profusions of blossoms.

"I've never seen them this late in the day with the evening sun slanting through the trees--it's beautiful."

"It's my favorite time of day during the season. Look," he pointed to the area where they had encountered the Japanese national about to spray the soil with a biological agent to kill the trees the year before. "Seems the grass has grown back!" He smiled widely at her, both remembering their fall in the mud and the trouble they had getting and remaining on their feet.

"We'll avoid that area, thank you very much," she told him tartly.

"As you wish," he laughed.

Francine sent him a sideways glance, he sounded happy and carefree. She had worried about the effect of their captivity and interrogation on Efraim coming on the heels of his experience in China. She really didn't need to; Efraim had come through their debriefings with flying colors and was the one who held her hand when unpleasant memories intruded.

That was what had convinced her of her feelings for Efraim Beaman. Not only did she want him to comfort her, she had let him. No one had ever gotten that close to her. No one but Efraim.

She was finally ready to announce to anyone who would listen that her relationship with Efraim was more than a professional partnership--more than a casual friendship--and that it had been much more for a long time. So much more. Oh Francine, she thought, you're in deep. She tightened her hold on Efraim's arm and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked. I can do hanami, she told herself, I can enjoy this moment--forever.

No matter what happened, no matter what the future held for them, she would always have right now.

They came through a stand of trees to the basin and Francine stopped. A light breeze plucked the petals from the branches and danced about them. The slipping sun swathed the late afternoon in a golden cloak; the colors of the trees and water and sky--they each became more brilliant in the rich, deepening light.

"It's beautiful, Efraim. I've never seen anything so beautiful," she told him, her words whispered, reverent.

Efraim dragged his eyes away from her face and looked at the scene that lay before them and he nodded. "Yeah, this is perfect," he agreed as he turned to her, her hands clasped in his. "I hoped we would find the perfect spot here, Franny." He kneeled on one knee before her, grinning as her eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, shock registering in her words. She could feel her heart racing with hope and the beginnings of a new future mixed with the fear that she might just be imagining this.

He let go of her hands for a moment and opened the small box he had taken from his pocket. The large square cut, pave set diamond ring flashed with fire in the twilight as he took her hand again.

"I'm asking you to marry me. Marry me," he asked as he took the ring from the box. "I love you, Francine. I want to share all the rest of our days together. Marry me."

She nodded, her eyes glued to the ring which Efraim slipped on her hand. He stood and pulled her into his arms, waiting, watching and hoping. She looked in his eyes, seeing all the love he had for her and she was suddenly very certain of the future. "Yes," she told him simply. "Yes."

Efraim tilted her chin toward him and kissed her. "You can't take it back after this," he warned her.

Francine laughed, the sound blending with the soft breeze and petals that circled around them in the evening light. "No, I can't take it back now. I didn't really take it back all those times before."

He nodded. "Then tell me, Francine. Tell me now," he demanded.

"I love you Efraim. I love you," she told him just before she kissed him.

Tag

The Agency-Q Bureau

Lee burst through the door to the Q Bureau, sliding to a halt in front of Amanda's desk. He leaned on the desk, out of breath and struggling to find the right words.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Amanda asked, concern heavy in her voice.

Lee nodded and grinned. He had the news of the day, hell, in the history of the Agency. "Yeah, sorry, I ran all the way up here. You'll never guess what happened today!"

"Efraim proposed to Francine under the cherry blossoms and she accepted. They're engaged," Amanda told him as she continued to input her report into the computer.

Lee deflated. His jaw went slack in shock as he shook his head. "How did you find out? I just found out! You couldn't have heard it before me!"

Amanda smiled at her husband. How she loved to scoop him on Agency gossip. "Efraim told me he was going to propose to her--he asked me to call her and have her to come up here earlier, he wanted to talk to her away from everyone and take her out of the Agency."

"And you didn't tell me! Why didn't you let me in on the secret?"

"Need to know, buster. You didn't need to know. You would have blabbed it all over before it happened," Amanda smugly replied.

"I'll have you know I have been entrusted with State secrets where the balance of power and life and death were in my hands and not once have I ever 'blabbed' them," he told her, indignant that she didn't trust him.

"There's always a first time, Scarecrow."

Lee sat heavily on the corner of Amanda's desk. Hell, if he had known, he probably would have tailed them. With video cameras! He heaved a sigh, annoyed at the loss of his big news. "I don't know why he couldn't have proposed to her here," he told her, his tone petulant.

"I think it must have been very romantic; Francine is very happy. But Efraim's very quiet for a man who just became engaged to the woman of his dreams."

This was something Lee did understand. "That quiet is satisfaction. He won."

"He won," she asked with a light laugh. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Wooing Francine wasn't easy. What you're seeing is a happy man, he's won Francine so he's content. He doesn't think he needs to say anything about it."

Amanda laughed, not really understanding the male take on the whole thing. "Well, I hope they both will be happy; they certainly deserve to be." She decided to let her husband have a small victory in the gossip wars. "What will happen to Efraim now? What about his project?"

"Billy demanded that Beaman be reassigned in DC. Seems that he had gotten the ground work laid in Hong Kong, so all that's needed is a station chief to run it."

"And Efraim doesn't want to run his rings?"

"He said he proved what he had to with his theories in China, and that Hong Kong was just the icing on the cake. Said he doesn't need to be the one running it. So Donnelly is going to take over."

"Well, he does have all that experience overseas; he'll do a very good job with Efraim's creation."

"That he will."

"What about Gregory and his accomplices? Will he be able to wiggle his way out of this one last time?"

Lee shrugged. "I'm not sure. With the changing landscape, it might be years before he sees trial. And I doubt that Moscow is interested in dealing with a rogue agent at this time. It depends on who he knows and who owes him. But his last few outings haven't exactly panned out--thanks to you."

"Hmmmm. What will happen to the congressman?"

"Smyth has his water boy on the hill. And it seems he'll be on a very short leash; he has a new chief of staff--one of our guys. His old assistant was just given a plum assignment with State where he'll work on the Secretary's advance team. He gets to travel the world."

"And what about you? Are you itching to travel the world again," she teased?

Lee laughed, Amanda knew better. "Only on vacation and only with you," he told her as he stole a kiss from her.

"A very good answer, Stetson," as Amanda grabbed his tie and pulled him close for another kiss.

"I learned from the best!"

THE END