Shaken

by TB's LMC

Amanda and Lee have to go undercover in Mexico, but things don't go exactly as anyone planned.

Shaken

By: Christine L. Davis

Summary:Amanda and Lee have to go undercover in Mexico, but things don't
go exactly as anyone planned.

Rating:PG for some bad language

Disclaimer:The characters that you recognize belong to The Powers That
Be at Warner Bros. and Shoot The Moon. All other people contained herein
are mine.

Timeline: Alternate universe, takes place before Amanda and Lee
confessed their feelings, but will skew the story as you currently know
it due to events contained within.

Author's Notes: If my Spanish is incorrect in certain instances, my
apologies, it is not my primary language. I used to write fan fiction
back when the show was on its original run and I was a young teen. Over
the years, however, things have gotten lost, but this story has stuck
with me all this time, just begging to be let out of my brain, so I had
to try and recreate it from distant memory. I hope you enjoy it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: For purposes of this story, and to make it easier on the
reader, the Mexican characters will speak in English while talking
amongst themselves.)

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

Part 1

"Good morning, Mother!" Amanda greeted as she bounded down the steps and
breezed into the kitchen.

Eyeing her daughter suspiciously, Dotty half-smiled, a knowing look on
her face. "Well, well.somebody's in a good mood."

"Sure am! Who wouldn't be? It's a beautiful day!"

"Hi, Mom!" two voices said in unison.

Amanda and Dotty turned to greet Phillip and Jaime as they entered from
the living room, each stuffing their schoolbooks into their respective
bags.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Amanda kissed Phillip on the top of the head as he
hugged her. She caught Jaime by the arm when he tried to dash past her.
"Not so fast."

"Aw, Mom!" Jaime wriggled as his mother pulled him into a fierce bear
hug.

"Since when are you too old to give your mother a hug?" Amanda asked,
pretending to be hurt.

Phillip cracked a smile. "Since Lisa Marchand started following him
around school!"

"Shut up, Phillip!" Jaime screeched, whacking his brother with his
backpack.

"Jaime, do not tell your brother to shut up. And don't hit. Use your
words." Amanda spoke firmly, trying hard to hide her smile. So.her
little boy had a little girlfriend, huh? She sighed as they each grabbed
an apple from the bar, then chased one another out the front door.

"Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, Grandma!"

"Bye boys!" the women replied.

"Oh, Mother, they're growing up too fast." Amanda said sadly as she
seated herself in the breakfast nook.

"Children always do, Amanda. I should know." Dotty laid her hand on
Amanda's shoulder, allowing her daughter to lean her head against her
bosom as she had done so often in her life.

"That Lisa Marchand had better not break his heart," Amanda faked a
serious look, never removing her head from its treasured resting place.
"or she's gonna have me to deal with."

Dotty laughed.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

The room was filled to overflowing with all sorts of important-looking
people. Some wore blue military uniforms, some wore black ones, white
ones, green ones.some of them wore suits and ties, or silk blouses and
long skirts. If you judged solely by their faces, they looked like they
could be bankers or furniture salespeople or any other such ordinary
occupation.

But the military uniforms were unmistakable. And the suits and skirts
belonged to The Agency's finest men and women. In this conference room a
serious meeting was taking place. The balding dark-skinned man at the
helm was William Melrose. A long-time veteran of The Agency, he knew and
respected every person in this room. But the one person he knew best and
respected the most.the one he felt he could call friend.was the one he
knew he had to send on this mission. And he wasn't even here yet.

Normally this would be the job of any national group but The Agency.
However, the issue at hand had become much more important than ever
before. At least, politically it had. Drugs were always a most serious
matter, but now the President of the United States had placed both his
and the country's reputation on the line. He had made some promises and
it was up to Billy to see that the President kept his word. Dr. Smyth
hadn't told Billy absolutely everything. He never did. Nevertheless,
Billy was now under the kind of pressure that sent Jeanne Melrose to the
drug store at night for big bottles of Tums to ease her troubled
husband's stomach. And only one man could come through for them.

"Scarecrow. Glad you could make it." Billy smiled grimly.

"Billy." Lee nodded at his superior as he closed the door behind him,
then glanced uneasily around the room at the military's and Agency's
finest. "Somebody press a button somewhere?"

Melrose was unimpressed by Lee's half-hearted attempt to lighten the
prevailing mood of darkness. He therefore chose to ignore it and
continue his speech. All eyes snapped to his face as he spoke.

"Okay, people. The President appreciates the early start you're getting
on this. You all have your assignments. If you have any questions,
Francine will be able to answer them. You have Home Base contact
information. I want a report on your progress every four hours. We need
to keep a tight lid on this, so mum's the word."

Nods and murmurs of assent filled the room as one-by-one, personnel
slowly filed out the door. A handful stayed behind to get some details
from Francine. Billy looked sidelong at them as he pulled Lee to the
other side of the room. He saw Francine glance at him while talking to
Army Sargent Benjamin T. James. Concern was etched on her face. Lee must
have seen the same in Billy's countenance, for his mood sobered
dramatically.

"Billy.I'm getting bad vibes, here. What's going on?"

"Lee, you know the drug trade between Mexico and the U.S. has become
worse over the past year."

Lee nodded. "Yeah, I've heard the news. But what's that got to do with
us?"

"Dr. Smyth called at three this morning to let me know that the
President has given his word to several foreign leaders that the flow of
drugs from Mexico to Texas and Arizona will stop within the next month."

"What?"

Billy nodded. He knew his best agent wouldn't quite get this at first.
Actually, he could see the questions in everyone's eyes back in that
conference room as he'd explained their situation. Yes, the drugs were a
serious problem.but it didn't seem serious enough to warrant such
drastic military and Agency involvement. He watched as Lee worked
through the same thoughts in his own mind and came to his own
conclusion.the correct conclusion.

"Okay, Billy, what's the spin on it? The President and the Old Man
wouldn't be getting this heavily involved in mere drug trafficking. Not
to mention Top Brass only a stone's throw from the Pentagon."

"As usual, you hit the nail on the head. But I have to meet privately
with you on this. Only Dr. Smyth, Francine and I know about this secret
part of the whole thing. And I need you to bring your partner."

"Wh-Amanda?"

Melrose nodded.

"Why?"

"Just have her in the Q bureau in an hour."

Lee didn't like this one bit. But he nodded. "Okay."

The last of the questioners exited the room. Francine looked back at
Billy as she followed them. Off his affirmative nod, she bobbed her head
at him and headed for his office. She sighed. Never before had she
feared for Lee Stetson's safety. And as much as she'd had her
differences with Amanda in the past.well, the
housewife-turned-part-time-spy didn't deserve to be put in this much
danger, either.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

"Mother? Where are you off to?" Amanda questioned as Dotty pulled a
lightweight jacket on.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? Marge and I are heading over to that new
exhibit they've got at the Smithsonian."

"You're interested in dinosaurs?!?"

"Amanda, dear.men my age may seem old to you, but I would hardly call
them dinosaurs."

The honk of a horn interrupted as Amanda burst into laughter. Dotty
giggled as she waved at her daughter. "Bye, Amanda! Have a good day!"

"You too, Mother!" Teary-eyed from the good laugh she'd just had, Amanda
shook her head as the phone rang. "Only my mother and her best friend
would go trolling for men at a dinosaur exhibit at the Smithsonian." She
picked up the receiver in the kitchen, still smiling. "Hello."

"Hi, Amanda."

"Lee, hi! How are you?"

"I'm fine.look, how fast can you get here?"

Amanda sighed. "As fast as it takes for me to drive from here to there.
Lee, why is everything always spur-of-the-moment with you?"

"It's not me this time, it's Billy. He and Francine want to meet with us
in an hour."

"Sounds serious."

"I think it is. They had a big pow-wow here this morning, even before I
got in."

"What about?"

"I'll fill you in when you get here."

"Okay. See you soon. Bye."

As was his way, Lee didn't say good-bye. He just hung up. "I have got to
teach that man basic manners." She said, scowling at the phone as she
re-cradled the receiver.

Part 2

"I just don't understand why you're sending Amanda, Billy."

"Francine, we've had this discussion a thousand times since Amanda
started working with us. I'm not going to spell it out for you again."

Francine rolled her eyes. "Billy, the fact that Amanda and Lee have
worked well together on relatively innocuous cases in the past does not
predicate that she is ready for a mission of this magnitude."

Billy hated it when Francine used big words. He hadn't gotten enough
sleep last night to decipher her graduate-degree lingo. "Francine, she
knows him better than any of us, even better than I know him, and I've
known that man for *years*!" Billy accentuated the last word. Lee meant
a lot to him.

Francine knew it, and that's why she knew it was very difficult for
Billy to send Scarecrow on this assignment. But it was precisely because
of the great danger to Lee that Francine couldn't fathom Amanda King
being his only backup. Emotional support she could provide. But was she
capable of killing someone should the need arise? Shaking her head,
Francine checked her wristwatch. "It's time." She said quietly.

Billy nodded, removing his head from where it rested on his open palms.
"She's the right backup for this, Francine. Trust me, I have thought
about this nonstop since 3am. You are simply too obvious. Amanda King is
the best cover Lee Stetson could have."

A half-hearted nod was Francine's only response as she gathered a pile
of paperwork and followed Billy out of his office. He was putting on his
suit jacket and looking very much in charge, but underneath Francine
knew he was in turmoil. She may have acted like a stuck-up snob, but
Francine Desmond knew mens' hearts, and Billy's was being yanked right
out of his chest.

How Francine wished she were the one going with Lee.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

Amanda opened the door to the office she shared with Lee. Her cheerful
smile faded and the 'Good morning!' on her lips was lost into thin air
without a sound. She closed the door quietly behind her, never taking
her eyes from her partner.

Lee was seated behind his desk, leaning back comfortably, his hands
steepled in front of him. His gaze never left his fingers as he spoke.

"Amanda, I'm glad you got here a little early."

"Lee.you're scaring me, what's going on?" Amanda asked as she seated
herself in her own chair.

Rising to his feet, Lee began to pace their small area like a caged cat.
"I don't know, Amanda. I don't know what's going on at all. I'm
completely in the dark." After a few moments of silence, Lee brought
Amanda up to speed on his earlier conversation with Billy. "You wouldn't
have believed it. That conference room was a who's who of military
generals and Agency veterans. There were more brass and brass-kissers in
that room than in the London Philharmonic."

"It doesn't make any sense." Amanda said slowly as her mind chewed on
Lee's story. "Why would the President get so heavily involved in drug
trafficking and to such a drastic degree?"

Lee shrugged.

"And why would the best of the best be requisitioned to fix the drug
problem?"

Lee shrugged.

"And what kind of promises did the President make that must be kept at
all costs?"

Lee shrugged a third time. "I know zip except what I've told you."
Looking at his watch, he said, "They should be here any minute."

As if on cue, Lee and Amanda heard the hall door slam closed.

"And why does he want me involved?" Amanda asked, not really expecting
an answer.

There was a rapid tapping on the Q bureau door. Francine and Billy
entered, closing and locking it behind them.

"Is this secure?" Billy asked of Lee, glancing about their office.

"We were checked out two weeks ago, the Boys in Bugs said we were
clean." Lee replied, leaning on the edge of Amanda's desk.

Billy nodded and took a deep breath as Francine shuffled her paperwork.
"Okay, you two, this is why I've called you here."

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

"You're kidding."

"I'm not." Carlos replied, lighting his cigar slowly and deliberately.

"But this doesn't make any sense." Eduardo removed his military cap and
ran his hand through his thick black hair. His eyes darted nervously
about the generously appointed office. The walls were of oak paneling,
the floor made of the same wood. The desk was also of finished oak, the
chair, black leather executive. The Mexican flag stood in one corner
behind Carlos, while many medals, letters of honor, commendations and
personal photographs adorned the walls. The unexploded but diffused
round bomb which sat on Carlos' desk like a trophy told exactly what the
man's interests were.

"When do Americans ever make sense?" Carlos laughed.

But Eduardo was not amused. "The flow of business cannot be interrupted
by anyone, most especially not the Americans. It will cost us millions."

Carlos calmly blew a ring of smoke above his head. "Then we will take
care of whomever they send after us. It is simple, Eduardo. Watch your
back."

Eduardo glared at his general for a moment, then stalked out of the
room. A younger man soon appeared at the door. "General, you have a
telephone call."

"Thank you." Carlos picked up the receiver on his desk. "Hello."

After a short conversation, Carlos ended it by saying, "Good. I will
meet you there in an hour." Replacing the receiver on its cradle, he
took a long drag on his cigar. "You will not stop us, Americans."

The look on his face was pure evil.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

"Hurry, Amanda. We still have to pack before we catch our flight."

"I know, I know. But I can't leave without telling Mother, you know
that. She's got to be here somewhere."

Amanda darted in and out of rooms at the Smithsonian's dinosaur exhibit.
She didn't see Dotty or Marge anywhere. They'd been through the entire
thing.

Lee caught up to her. "Is it possible she didn't tell you the truth
about where she and her friend were going?"

"Mother would never lie to me. We never lie to-" Amanda stopped short
and looked at Lee rather sadly. "We never *used* to lie to each other."
She said in a near-whisper.

Lee gathered her into his arms, not knowing quite why. She just looked
like she needed a hug, his mind reasoned. But as he brought his arms
around her for the first time ever, he suddenly felt.complete. Whole. It
scared the crap out of him, and he practically fell backwards removing
himself from the embrace.

Amanda was quite confused as well. When Lee had taken her into his
arms.she'd never felt that safe, had never felt the surge of unending
love that welled up within her. Sure, she had always loved Joe.but this
was different. So Amanda was not offended when Lee backed off as though
she were a hot coal. Right now was not the time to even think about what
it meant. She sighed deeply and looked at her watch.

"I guess I'll just have to leave her a note."

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

Lee had dropped Amanda at her house so she could pack. Then he headed
for his place to pack his own bags. Being Lee Stetson, he was not at all
concerned that he could successfully complete the mission he and Amanda
had been given. Whenever he was given a case it never really occurred to
him that he wouldn't make it out alive. It just wasn't in his psyche.
However, now that he had Amanda coming along with him.well, he was a bit
trepidatious. Yes, she'd been developing her skills and training hard to
become an agent, but.the Scarecrow practically lived on instinct, and
every one of his senses was telling him that something bad was going to
happen in Mexico. He just couldn't put a finger on what that something
was.

Back at 4247 Maplewood Drive, Amanda sighed deeply as she placed her
suitcase and carry-on bag next to the front door. She sauntered into the
kitchen and re-read the note she'd written to her mother.

Dear Mother,
I tried to find you at the Smithsonian so I could tell you this in
person, but I didn't see you or Marge anywhere. I have been called on an
emergency assignment to Mexico for work. I don't yet know where I'll be
staying, but I'll call you as soon as I get there. Please don't worry.
Tell the boys I love them and miss them already. And you know I love
you. I'll talk to you soon.
Love,
Amanda

"Oh, I hate this!" Amanda pouted as her doorbell rang. She placed the
note on the bar in her kitchen, turned quickly and headed for the front
door. She didn't see the breeze created by her pirouette lift the piece
of paper off the bar. She didn't see the piece of paper subsequently
float gently toward the floor. And she didn't see that piece of paper
glide silently and effortlessly under her refrigerator.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

Carlos stood next to his army jeep smoking his fat cigar. Looking at his
watch for the tenth time, he muttered, "I should know better than to
trust any American to keep his word. Even this one."

He turned his head to survey his surroundings as he'd done so many times
in the past half-hour. To his left stood a rickety old windmill that
hadn't been used for at least twenty years. The metal tail and spokes
were bent and rusted and looked as though they might fall off given the
slightest gust of wind. The wood was rotted completely through, having
at one time or other been a fancy banquet for several families of
termites. That's why Carlos had parked some distance away. He wasn't
quite certain the damn thing would remain standing for any length of
time.

He looked briefly down between his feet at the sparse, dry grass,
covered mostly by very dry dirt, so indicative of his homeland. Looking
behind him, he saw nothing but a low set of mountains about ten miles
away. In front of him was a vast expanse of nothingness. Finally, a look
to his right revealed the stone monument erected to honor the place
where General Fidel Cristal Bonamo had ambushed an American onslaught
from Texas.

Carlos grinned as he thought of Bonamo. In his mind, the General had
been a great man. He had taken on an army of Americans and beaten them
severely. Long ago the blood of thousands had soaked into the cracked,
dry land upon which he now stood. Some Mexican blood, but mostly
American. The 1940s had not been without their share of drug-related
war. The savage battering the Americans took so close to their own
country's border ended with one of the survivors sneaking into Bonamo's
camp two nights later and murdering him while he slept. Knowing Bonamo's
reputation for being extra careful about his personal safety, Mexican
authorities had always claimed the American soldier must have had help
from someone in Bonamo's troop. In the end, though, interrogation of
each of the general's men had proven futile.

But Carlos Guerra Martes, just a fresh young army recruit at the time of
Bonamo's murder, had outsmarted even his own higher-ups. The American
Lieutenant had been captured and was awaiting justice in a tiny prison
located in the border town of Nuevo Laredo. Carlos had a very strong
belief in loyalty, not only to one's own people, but to one's battalion.
He felt the only way justice could ultimately be served was to find the
traitor among Bonamo's men and kill him for giving his leader over to
the enemy. And Carlos felt he could get this information from the
American prisoner.

The fourth night after the murder, Carlos sneaked into the prison and
down to the American's cell. It was not difficult. At that time, the
pueblo had been quite small. After much whispering and negotiating with
the man, he found him to be a Mexican sympathizer who was quite willing
to provide top secret information to Carlos for the rest of his life in
exchange for *having* a 'rest of his life'. So Carlos got the name of
the Mexican traitor and released the American lieutenant. Later that
night, Carlos went to the home of Efrain Joaquin Rodriguez and killed
him in his sleep with a knife, just as the American had done to Bonamo
with Rodriguez's help.

And now it was thirty-eight years later. Carlos looked on as a line of
dust appeared in the vast nothingness and made its way closer and closer
to where he stood. He had never forgiven this American for killing
Bonamo, but the information he'd gained over these last many years had
more than healed the wound in Carlos' eyes. He and the American were now
in their late fifties. They'd almost become friendly as time had passed.
Carlos knew about his family, he knew about Carlos'. They were both
grandfathers, yet just as manipulative and hell-bent on their ideals as
always.

A jeep similar to Carlos' stopped about fifty yards from his. A
thick-waisted, yet in shape, man stepped out of the jeep and walked
toward Carlos, his white hair in stark contrast to his deeply tanned
skin. Having not seen each other in some time, both men let out hearty
laughs. They clapped right hands heartily and shook those hands
vigorously.

"I very much admire your choice of meeting places." The American said
with a glance at the statue.

"I thought you would appreciate it." Carlos replied as his eyes wandered
to the man's gold nameplate.

It read 'Benjamin T. James'.

Part 3

The beige-colored two-story building looked much better kept than the
surrounding structures. The clay tile roof seemed fairly new, the
windows were spot-clean and the surrounding yard was full of thick,
green grass. The water spraying from different spots throughout the lawn
told how this particular property was able to keep its grass from dying
while its neighbors suffered from a severe lack of vegetation. A sign
situated on the front lawn was made of the same material as the building
itself, with clay tiles on its top to match its counterpart. The sign
read 'Su Casa' which means "Your House" in English.

"Lee, it's absolutely beautiful here." Amanda remarked as the taxi
pulled up to the seemingly out-of-place quaint bed-and-breakfast. "How'd
you find this place again?"

"I didn't." Lee flashed a brilliant smile at his partner, causing her to
blush and look away. "Billy did. Says he heard about it from an old army
buddy."

"It sure seems out-of-the-way. And it doesn't quite look like it fits
into this town."

Lee looked around as he opened the building's front door for Amanda.
"No, it sure doesn't."

After attending to the business of checking in and unpacking some of
their belongings, the partners attended a fabulous dinner put on by the
bed-and-breakfast's plump mistress, Senora Lidia Chavez Batista.

"Por favor, call me Lidia." The charming woman smiled broadly, revealing
a mouth not entirely full of teeth. Dinner was delicious, and since
Amanda and Lee were the only current patrons of the B&B, it was quiet as
well. The dining room floor had darkly-colored clay tiles arranged in
odd intricate patterns. The walls were bright white, and the mahogany
table seated eight. There were several pictures of what looked to be the
Batista family adorning each of the four walls. A swinging door led from
the dining room into the large, sunny kitchen.

Unknown to the two agents, Lidia and her husband Marco strained to
listen to their conversation from the other side of that swinging door.

"Are you certain, Marco?"

"Yes. Eduardo warned us that American military personnel might be
arriving any day now."

Lidia opened the door a crack and peered out at the duo. "But they seem
to be what they said.a couple of American tourists on a pre-wedding
vacation. Have you not seen how they look at one another?"

Marco snorted in disgust. Women could be so silly sometimes. "Trust me.
I have spoken to Eduardo already about them. He is coming here tomorrow
morning to see for himself."

Lidia just shook her head and frowned. Over the years she had learned to
trust her husband's judgement. After all, his intelligence had seen them
through raising five children and assisting their government in
thousands of different ways. But this time she just didn't believe him.
These two were in love. And she knew as well as anyone else that
American military people did not get involved with each other. They
weren't allowed to.

After dinner, Amanda decided it was time to retire to her room. From the
dining room, she re-entered the main hall and ascended the large
staircase to the second floor which contained six bedrooms. Each room
had its own bath and television. The TV picked up quite a few U.S.
channels since they were just across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Amanda's room was the last one on the left. The door was painted a very
light pink with a white numeral 3 centered at the top. Once you entered,
you found that the carpeting was plush and colored the same as the door.
In fact, the entire room was done in varying shades of pink. Lidia had
called it, appropriately enough, the Pink Room. The bed was canopy,
covered in pink and white lace and silk ribbonry. Amanda was surprised
by the amount of work Lidia had put into the decorations, but the older
woman had insisted it was nothing but an old lady with too much time on
her hands that caused the ornate appearance of the B&B.

Lidia had put Lee into Room #6, the last room on the right. It was the
Red Room. The door was red, the carpeting was red, the whole thing was
done in reds varying from Candy Apple all the way to deep burgundy. Lee
liked it. His bed wasn't as ornate as Amanda's, but the velvet comforter
and soft goose-down pillows were a welcome respite from Lee's usual
bachelor accomodations.

Amanda smiled as she made her way down the hall towards her room. The
idea of making each of the rooms contain a different colored motif
amused her. If only she had enough time to do that at home. She passed
the Yellow Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room and the Lavender Room
before reaching her own. Lee had remained downstairs to have brandy and
a cigar with Marco, so Amanda put on her white silk pajamas and laid
down in the soft bed for a good night's sleep.

Downstairs in the parlor, Lee knew almost immediately that Marco was
trying to get information out of him. He played his part to the hilt,
though, implying over and over again that he and Amanda were involved
and that this was their way of celebrating their recent engagement, by
taking this trip to Nuevo Laredo. He explained that a long time ago a
friend of his had visited the town and told of this stunning B&B and the
gorgeous countryside, not to mention the fun you could have on the Rio
Grande.

Marco refused to believe for a second that this Lee character was just
an ordinary man on a sex trip. The American made the little hairs on the
back of his neck stand on end, and Marco's instinct told him to be wary
of this couple (not to mention the rather obvious fact that they had
taken separate rooms.some sex trip). It soon became apparent, however,
that no amount of poking and prodding was going to make him spill the
beans, so Marco told Lee he was tired from a long day's work and wished
to retire.

On his way up the staircase, Lee smiled to himself. He could tell he'd
been frustrating the hell out of the master of the house, and it made
him proud to know he still had 'it'. No one could get anything out of
Lee Stetson that he didn't want them to have, he mused as he stopped in
front of his red door.

Then he turned to look at Amanda's pink door. 'No one except the woman
in there.' His mind told him. He raised his hand as if to knock on her
door, but thought the better of it. 'She's probably asleep already.' He
thought. 'I shouldn't wake her.'

As Lee closed his door behind him, his mind screamed out, 'CHICKEN!!!'

Amanda sighed as she lay in bed. She'd not gone to sleep yet. She kept
thinking about that smile Lee had given her when they first arrived. It
had made her shiver and blush and avert her eyes, something she hadn't
done since.since the last time she'd been in love. She practically broke
out in a cold sweat as the thought came and went. 'I can't be in love
with my partner. I just can't.'

As the two agents finally drifted off to sleep, strangely enough,
neither of them was thinking about the reason they were in Nuevo Laredo
to begin with.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

7 o'clock the next morning found Amanda in the B&B's parlor using the
telephone. She dialed the number for her house and waited as it rang.
And rang. And rang. And rang some more. Amanda frowned. Why wasn't
anyone answering the phone? It was a Saturday morning, 9am Eastern time.
Her mother and the boys should be there.

Lee noticed Amanda's demeanor as soon as he entered the room. She was
worried. "Amanda? What is it?"

"That's odd." Amanda said as she replaced the receiver on its cradle.
"Nobody's answering at home."

"Hm. Well, could your mother have taken your boys to the park or a
museum or something?"

"I don't think so. Not until I'd called. In the note I left, I said I
would call as soon as I could. Mother would never have left the house
until she'd heard from me."

Lee really felt badly about them having to leave the country without
Amanda personally saying good-bye to her family. But unfortunately, in
this line of work, that's the type of thing that happened. A lot. He
knelt down in front of her and, to her surprise, took both her hands in
his. "Amanda, I'm really sorry you can't get ahold of your family, and
I'm sorry I had to drag you out of the country before you could talk to
them. Listen, I have to give Billy a call. Do you want me to have him
check on them for you?"

"Would you? I'm really worried."

"Sure. Here, give me the phone. Now, don't worry if you can't understand
the conversation. We don't know how many eyes and ears these walls have,
so I'm going to talk in code."

Amanda nodded and rose from the brown plaid sofa to give Lee room to
sit. She stood at the front window overlooking Avenida Estado (State
Avenue), the road upon which the B&B fronted. She half-listened to Lee's
call as she watched a sleek black car park on the street in front of Su
Casa. A man in a military uniform emerged from the back seat of the car
and headed for Su Casa's front door.

Lee ended his call and stood as Amanda came to stand in front of him.
"Somebody's here." She whispered. "Mexican military, from the look of
him."

Lee raised his eyebrows and was headed for the parlor door when suddenly
it opened to reveal Marco and the military man Amanda had seen get out
of the car.

"Senor Statmen, Senorita Kang, may I present our newest guest, Lt.
Colonel Eduardo Hechalpa Comedo. He is a friend of my cousin's on his
way to Piedras Negras."

Now it was the hairs on the back of Lee's neck that were standing on
end. "Pleased to meet you, Lt. Colonel." Lee forced a smile while at the
same time wanting to ring the man's neck. They shook hands, then Lee
stepped aside, revealing Amanda, who smiled sheepishly as Eduardo took
her hand in his.

"Marco, eso es una mujer *muy* bonita." Eduardo said, kissing the back
of Amanda's hand.

"Why, uh, gracias, Lt. Colonel." Amanda smiled.

Lee raised an eyebrow in Amanda's direction. She spoke Spanish?

"De nada." Eduardo replied, glancing sidelong at Lee.

"My apologies, Senor Statmen, but Eduardo does not speak English." Marco
lied.

"I understand." Lee forced a smile. "Amanda, shall we?" He took Amanda's
elbow and led her toward the front door. "We're off to do some
sightseeing. We'll see you for dinner!" he called back over his
shoulder.

Once they'd put some distance between themselves and Su Casa, Amanda
asked, "Lee, why'd you rush me out of there?"

"You didn't tell me you spoke Spanish."

"You didn't ask."

Lee gave her an annoyed look.

"Besides," she continued, "I don't really *speak* it, I just understand
some of it. Took it in college. But that doesn't answer my question."

"Billy had some information for us." Lee said quietly as they walked out
of the city. "One of the men from the Army, Sargent Ben James, came up
with a lead on the Martes family in Mexico City. Billy wants us to
vacate Nuevo Laredo and get to Mexico City today."

"Today? But what about this place?"

"I guess their original info about Nuevo Laredo was off base." Lee
shrugged. "Amanda, I have a really bad feeling about the Batistas and
our new friend Eduardo."

"Me too." She stated.

"Really?"

Amanda nodded. "He makes the hairs on my arms stand up."

"Your arms, my neck."

"When do we leave for Mexico City?"

"I have to call a taxi to pick us up and take us back to the little
airport."

"Oh, Lee, look!" Amanda gasped, pointing straight ahead of them.

Lee followed Amanda's finger and found a beautiful, tall waterfall
directly in front of them. A few small mountains stood as backdrop to
this stunning cliffside beauty. Even Lee's breath was taken away. Now
that he was listening, he could hear the rush of the water. Before he
knew it, Amanda was pulling him towards the waterfall, a large grin on
her face.

Neither of them saw two men hiding behind a nearby grove of trees.

Part 4

"Amanda, what-we have to get going!" Lee protested, halfheartedly trying
to pull his arm away from his recently-gone-insane partner.

"Lee, come on, just a few minutes! I've never been to Mexico, I've only
seen waterfalls like this on TV and I want to see this one in person!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious. Lee found that he, too, wanted to see
that waterfall up close and personal. The two jogged side-by-side the
rest of the way to the greenish waters of the reflecting pool below the
falls. Together they stood at the edge, marveling at the natural beauty
surrounding them.

"This," Lee mused, "is something you can't see in D.C."

"No." Amanda said softly, her eyes bright. "It isn't."

Lee stepped forward and turned to look.really *look*.at his partner. The
sun was directly behind her head, casting an ethereal glow around her
face and hair. Dressed in an all-white sundress, she looked positively
angelic at this moment. He could almost see a pair of beautiful white
feathery wings extend from her back and a golden halo above her head.
She was an angel, no doubt about it. *His* angel. He was overwhelmed by
her presence.

Her eyes shifted to meet his gaze. The sun was coming from behind her,
and it shone on his face, lighting his hair afire and reflecting off his
hazel eyes, making them look almost completely green. His strong
features were outlined by shadow, and with his navy blue shirt and
matching Dockers, she almost gasped at the manly aura he exuded. She was
overwhelmed by his presence.

He reached for her, cautious fingertips lighting under her chin. Her
lips parted slightly, her eyes shining. 'What is happening to me? My
head is spinning my feet aren't on the ground he's touching me I've
never felt this way about anybody before but this can't be happening
because he thinks I'm just a plain old nobody and.oh, my gosh.' She
thought. 'I *am* in love with him.'

Amanda's hand rested on Lee's forearm. Her touch sent bolts of lightning
through his body, bringing each of his senses to life, some of which had
lain dormant for more years than he could remember. And some of which
had never been awakened at all. His heartbeat was louder in his ears
than the rush of the waterfall. 'At this moment I truly believe she is
the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on. Damn.' He thought.
'I *can't* be in love with her.'

After losing several minutes just staring into each other's eyes, an
odd, out-of-place noise brought them abruptly back to reality. Jerking
their hands away from each other, they glanced around surreptitiously.
"Lee, what was that?" Amanda whispered.

"I don't know, but let's get back to Su Casa." He replied, grasping her
hand firmly.

They walked at a rapid pace back to the B&B. Marco, Eduardo and Lidia
were nowhere to be seen. Lee placed a call and got them booked on a
small plane to Mexico City within the hour. Then he called a taxi while
Amanda packed both of their suitcases. Thirty minutes after returning
from the waterfall, the agents and their bags were at the front door of
Su Casa waiting for their transportation.

Amanda was startled when the front door opened, almost hitting her. She
and Lee exchanged glances as the Batistas and Eduardo entered, all three
laughing at something recently said.

"Oh, no, you're not leaving us already?" Lidia asked when she spied
their packed suitcases.

Lee placed his arm protectively around Amanda's shoulders. "Yes, I'm
afraid we must be going."

"But what about your trip? Your sightseeing?" Marco asked.

"Well, I was called back home for an emergency." Amanda chimed in. "My
son Jaime was hit by a car. He needs me."

The concern Amanda saw in Lidia's face was real. "Oh, no, will he be all
right?"

"They're not sure, that's why we're going home." Lee replied.

"You have a son?" Marco asked.

"Oh, I have two boys from my previous marriage." Amanda smiled, her
teeth grinding in anxiety.

"Que paso?" Eduardo asked.

While Marco filled Eduardo in on the conversation, Lidia said to Amanda,
"I hope your son will heal well, Senorita.perdon.*Senora* Kang."

"Thank you."

Lee was delighted to see the taxi pull up in front of Su Casa. "Well, we
have to be going. Sorry for the short stay, but I'm sure we'll be back!"

A chorus of "Adios!" followed the agents out the door and down the
sidewalk. They both turned and waved as they got into the cab.

"A donde van Uds?" the driver asked.

"La Nieve Air Strip." Lee replied, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized
he was holding.

"Why do I feel like we just escaped from the Gestapo?" Amanda asked,
shivering involuntarily.

Once again, Lee brought his arm around her as he turned his head to look
back. Sure enough, Marco, Lidia and Estuardo were standing out by the
street watching them go. "I feel the same way, Amanda. I just wish I
knew who those people really were."

Amanda took a deep breath and a few moments to calm herself. She enjoyed
how Lee's arm felt around her and leaned into him without really
realizing she'd done so. Her mind raced, wondering about this whole
case, about what was really going on.

"Lee."

"Hm?"

"What kind of information did this Sargent James have about the Martes
family?"

"Well, apparently their ringleader, one Carlos Guerra Martes, has
temporarily moved his headquarters to the penthouse suite of one of
Mexico City's Ritz-Carlton hotels.

Amanda nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I remember Mr. Melrose showing us his
picture. But I don't understand. When we had our meeting, he and
Francine seemed so sure that we'd find the key Martes family members in
Nuevo Laredo. Who is this Sargent James? How did he find out what he
found out?"

"I asked Billy the same questions, Amanda. James is a career military
man in his fifties. Billy's known him for years, as has most of
Washington. I guess his big claim to fame was an incident back when he
was fresh out of West Point. Mexico was trying to take back parts of
Texas. There was a constant onslaught to the border towns, so the U.S.
military sent dozens of troops to defend them."

Amanda nodded her understanding as Lee continued. "Apparently one
battalion crossed over the Rio Grande into Mexico and attacked one
General by the name of Bonamo and his men. Well, unfortunately Bonamo
had the advantage and slaughtered thousands of U.S. soldiers. Several
nights later, as he slept in his tent, Bonamo was murdered by one of the
American soldiers who'd survived the skirmish."

"Sargent James?" Amanda guessed.

"You got it." Lee replied.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Anyway, the Federales caught him and he was imprisoned in Nuevo
Laredo. Less than a week later, he somehow escaped. The authorities were
never able to figure out how. Billy said James never told anyone how he
got out of there, but he has made frequent trips to Mexico over the past
thirty-eight years and is very familiar with certain cities. That's why
he was assigned to do some information gathering in Mexico City, and
that's when he discovered Carlos Martes holed up in a penthouse suite
smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle."

Amanda noted that they were nearing La Nieve.

"What does Mr. Melrose want us to do?"

"Well, at first we're just supposed to verify Ben James' information.
Then, if Martes really is there, we're going to have to go in."

Amanda shuddered again. She knew what 'go in' meant in this situation,
and she did *not* want to do it. How she desperately wished something
would happen, anything, that would keep them from having to get involved
with such serious drug lords.

"You okay?" Lee asked, having felt the involuntary shudder.

She nodded, but felt a knot forming in the pit of her stomach. Maybe she
should have told Mr. Melrose 'no' when he assigned her to be part of
Lee's cover. 'I'm a housewife, a mother of two boys.what in God's name
am I doing here?' she asked herself as they boarded the Cessna.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

That evening found Eduardo in Carlos' penthouse suite.

"You were able to meet the Americans?" Carlos asked.

"Yes."

Carlos pulled two photographs from a manila envelope on his desk. He
flipped them face-side-out towards Eduardo. "Do you recognize these two
people?" he asked.

"That's.it's them! Those are Statmen and Kang from Su Casa!" Eduardo
exclaimed, his face ashen. "Carlos? Who are they?"

"According to my source, the man is Lee *Stetson* and the woman is
Amanda *King*."

"Stetson and.King??"

"Yes. They work for the American underground government group known as
'The Agency'. Stetson is their top agent, and the woman is his partner.
Obviously they were using false last names."

Eduardo shook his head in disbelief. He would never have believed it,
especially of the woman. She'd seemed so.normal.

"Did you pick anything up by pretending to speak only Spanish?"

"No. At first I thought it was because they have nothing to hide, but
after what you have told me, I see it must be because they are both very
clever. They must have spoken about their mission when they were out of
everyone's earshot, because Marco and Lidia heard nothing incriminating
either."

"That is too bad. Well, your journey was not futile." Carlos said,
placing the pictures back into their envelope. He picked up one of his
trademark cigars and bit the end off, spitting into a nearby gold
ashtray. "At least we now have a positive identification."

"What are you going to do now? They said they were heading back to
America when they left Su Casa."

"They lied, Eduardo. We planted some information in their 'Agency' which
has them coming straight here to the Ritz-Carlton."

"Here?!? You *want* them to come here?"

"Yes. I have laid a trap which they will walk into blindly thanks to my
American friend. Stetson is very valuable to his people. They will pay
dearly to get him back. And if they don't, I'll just kill him." Opening
the envelope he'd just closed, Carlos removed only the picture of Amanda
this time. "As for her.I have other things in mind for this beauty."

Eduardo cringed at the faraway look in his comrade's eye. He was very
glad at this moment that he was not Amanda King.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

"WHAT?!?!?!?" Billy practically choked on his own loud voice as he
screamed this to Francine.

Being the professional she was, however, and used to Billy's tirades,
Francine kept her cool and did not reply.

"Does anyone know where they are?" Billy asked in a much lower tone of
voice.

"I don't know, Billy. The police and firefighters say that so far
they've seen no signs of human remains, but it could be days before they
find bodies if there are any."

Billy sank into his chair. "I've got to call them back."

"No, Billy.you can't do that. Not now. We're so close."

As Billy opened his mouth to protest, Francine reminded him, "The
President."

"Dammit!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist hard onto his desktop. "All
right. I'll give it twenty-four hours. Whatever the police do or don't
come up with in that time frame, I'm calling them back. Amanda needs to
know that her home isn't there anymore and that nobody knows where her
family is."

Silence reigned for a few moments.

"And there's no word yet on how the fire started, either." Francine
added.

Billy just shook his head. Things couldn't get any worse than this.

Part 5

"The seventeenth floor?" Amanda inquired as she and Lee made their way
from the front desk to the elevators.

"Yep. It's the closest I could get us to the Penthouse on such short
notice." Lee replied, pressing the Call Button.

This time they had registered as Lee Statesman and Amanda Keng. "We
change last names more often than I change my underwear." Amanda said,
mostly to herself.

"Oh, really." Lee deadpanned, sending Amanda's face into a fast and
furious shade of crimson. He smiled at her discomfort. God, she was
adorable!

It was getting late, so Lee suggested that they freshen up and then meet
down in the motel restaurant for dinner. Amanda agreed, suddenly glad
she'd brought that new dress. She recalled seeing how elegantly people
were dressed for dinner when they'd been checking in.

Lee showered and pulled out his tux, which he'd had the motel press for
him. He looked dashing once he'd pulled the whole thing together. He
stood in the full-length mirror, checking and critiquing every aspect of
his appearance. He wanted tonight to be special, because it could very
well be last night he and Amanda could spend together for a while as
themselves. And what had happened earlier that day at the waterfall had
affected him greatly. He had to explore this new avenue and see if he
could deduce Amanda's feelings for him. Did they go beyond friendship
and loyalty? Had he truly seen something more in her eyes back at that
waterfall? Or was he barking up the wrong tree?

Amanda, too, had showered. She blew her hair dry and proceeded to roll
first one side and then the other back until the two rolls met at the
nape of her neck. She then took her gold-colored hair clip fitted in the
middle with several red rubies in the shape of a heart and fastened her
hair with it, using a hand-held mirror to determine the degree of
perfection. Having decided it was as good as she could do without her
mother's help, Amanda sprayed hairspray all over her head to ensure not
one hair would move all evening. She then carefully applied her makeup,
opting for the minimalistic route.

Her dress was hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She could wear
neither slip nor bra with it, as it had spaghetti straps and a rather
low back. The red fabric matched perfectly with the red ruby heart in
her hair clip and the red shoes she'd had dyed to go with it. She
slipped it over her head and was pleased to find that it still made her
look as good as it had in the store two weeks ago. It hugged her figure
a little at her breast and waist, and the loose skirt hung to
tea-length. It almost reminded her of a prom dress, with a slip-type top
half and a full bottom skirt with the hem gathered up in dips like a
drapery valance. Underneath that showed red lace with an intricately
woven pattern of hearts. Amanda blushed as she realized that she
probably looked like she wanted 'something' from her partner, but right
now she didn't care. She looked damn good, and she knew it.

What had happened earlier that day at the waterfall had profoundly
affected Amanda. Her subconscious mind had realized that she was in love
with Lee, and after much thought she tended to agree with it. But how
was she to know what, if anything, he felt for her? He'd always acted
like he'd rather be picking ticks off a deer than working with her.
Until recently, that is. Over the past several weeks he'd begun treating
her with a little more respect.but that didn't mean he had any feelings
for her, only that he'd begun tolerating her presence in his life.

"It's one heck of a leap from tolerance to love, Amanda." She chided
herself aloud.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

He leaned one arm on the bar, trying to appear relaxed when in reality
the slightest pin drop would have made him jump out of his skin. The
bartender brought him a whisky on the rocks, which he downed in one
gulp. He'd just finished dusting his mouth with breath spray when he saw
a sight that froze him completely in place.

Amanda glided through the main lobby of the motel and through the high
archway that led to the restaurant. She stood there, rather unsure of
herself, her eyes lighting briefly upon each male face until they found
the one she'd been looking for. 'My whole life.' Her mind added. She saw
him stiffen and wondered if she'd dressed inappropriately. After all,
they were working here in Mexico City. They were partners.nothing more.

Quickly shaking off his numbness, Lee was at her side in an instant,
offering his arm to her. Unable to look into his eyes, she accepted his
gallant gesture and allowed him to lead her to the maitre'd.

"Reservation for two under the name Stetson."

Amanda frowned. Why had he used his real name?

"Raht zees way, sare." Their host Jacques led them to the far corner of
the restaurant, to a secluded half-circle booth where, once seated, they
were hidden from view by small potted palms.

Amanda surveyed the elegant dining area. Above their heads, crystal
chandeliers hung evenly spaced, their white light casting prisms here
and there on the floor, walls and ceiling. The ceiling itself was one
large silver mirror. Plush emerald green carpeting lay under their feet,
while the walls were adorned with matching green wallpaper inlaid with
intricate silver patterns. The seats to the booths and chairs were
emerald green velvet. Plants native to the area were everywhere. Amanda
wondered at first why they had upset the room's elegance with plants
like palm trees and ferns, but then she noticed the two palms by her and
Lee's table and realized that all the plants were strategically placed
so as to offer each patron as much privacy as possible.

"Your best white wine." Lee said to Jacques, bringing Amanda back to the
moment.

"Oui, monsieur."

As Jacques scurried off to fetch the wine, Lee took one of Amanda's
hands in his own. "Mrs. King, as you have never before been to Mexico, I
fully intend to make as much of your stay here as pleasant as possible."

For about the hundredth time since they'd arrived, Amanda blushed. "Lee,
we're here to work, how can that be pleasant?"

"Not tonight. You noticed I'm using our real last names?"

"Yes, actually, I did notice. Isn't that dangerous?"

He smiled that knowing smile that she'd first seen when she met with him
at that costume party about the package containing the music box. He was
at once debonair and sure of himself.yet strangely vulnerable. But only
to her.

"No, not tonight. I highly doubt that Jacques wants to do us in, nor do
I think he cares exactly who we are."

"So, let me get this straight: for tonight, we're Lee Stetson and Amanda
King."

"Right."

"And we're not working, so we can pretty much forget that we're spies."

"Yep." He replied, tenderly kissing the back of her hand.

It almost made her choke on her words, but she quickly recovered. "And
you're going to show me a good time?"

"By George, I think she's got it!"

A moment of silence hung in the air as thick as butter.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Does there have to be a why?"

"Lee, most of the time you act like you'd really rather be anywhere but
with me. I find it hard to believe that all of a sudden you want to show
me a good time, especially after you've shown 'good times' to any number
of femme fatale-"

"You're beautiful when you ramble."

"-whatevers and it's obvious none of them ever meant anything to you
becau-what did you say?"

"I said you're beautiful when you ramble." That dashing smile again.

"Oh. Well.thank you. I think."

Jacques returned and performed the customary wine-sniffing ritual with
Lee before pouring them each a glass of the sweet-smelling liquid. He
left the bottle chilling in a silver bucket of ice at the edge of their
table. Lee lifted his glass, Amanda following suit.

"To you."

Amanda raised her glass.

"No." he stopped her movement with this word. Then, ".to us."

She finally gathered the courage to look into his eyes as he said this
and almost dropped her glass in the process. Amazing. He was looking at
her like he'd never looked at her before. "To us." She echoed. Their
glasses tinked together and each took a generous sip of the delicious
wine.

"I have a feeling there's a lot I don't know about you, Amanda King."

"I know for a fact there's a lot I don't know about you." She replied.

"You really do look beautiful tonight. I had no idea you'd brought such
a stunning dress."

"And I didn't know you'd brought a tux. I figured that if we had to
attend some function while we were here, at least I'd have something
nice to wear."

"Amanda."

"Mm?"

"Dance with me."

"Oh.oh, no, I couldn't.I mean, I haven't." Her fumbled words did nothing
to dissuade her partner from pulling her gently from her seat. He put
his arm around her and led her to the modest dance floor in the other
back corner of the restaurant. A small orchestra played soft music.
Several other couples were already dancing. Lee eased Amanda into step
effortlessly.

For several moments she found herself staring at his bow tie, but
eventually she lifted her face up to look at his. As she did so, he
pulled her close, so close she could feel his breath and would have
sworn she could hear his heartbeat.

He didn't want to let her go. Ever. Lee couldn't believe he'd never
looked at her this way before. She'd been there by his side the whole
time.

Several restaurant patrons clapped their hands, causing the agents to
stop staring at each other long enough to locate the reason for
applause. A middle-aged man stepped in front of the orchestra and picked
up the microphone as the music changed to a new number.

"Thank you." The singer said softly, looking out at all the people whose
eyes were on him. He glanced sideways and saw the couples dancing, but
one couple in particular really got his attention. One look at them and
he knew exactly what was going on. He'd been in and out of love and
romantic situations his whole adult life and was never wrong about these
things. He turned and whispered something to the conductor, and the
orchestra music shifted once more to yet another song. Then the man
opened his mouth and sang.

"How can I convince you what you see is real?
Who am I to blame you for doubting what you feel?
I was always reaching. You were just a girl.
I knew I took for granted the friend I had in you.

I was living for a dream. Loving for a moment.
Taking on the world, that was just my style.
Now I look into your eyes. I can see forever.
The search is over, you were with me all the while.

Can we last forever? Will we fall apart?
At times it's so confusing, the questions of the heart.
You followed me through changes, and patiently you'd wait
'Til I came to my senses through some miracle of fate.

I was living for a dream. Loving for a moment.
Taking on the world, that was just my style.
Now I look into your eyes. I can see forever.
The search is over, you were with me all the while.

Now the miles stretch out behind me, loves that I have lost.
Broken hearts lie victims of the dead.
Then good luck, it finally struck like lightnin' from the blue.
Every highway's leadin' me back to you.

Now at last I hold you. Now all is said and done.
The search has come full circle. Our destinies are one.
So if you ever loved me, show me that you give a damn
To know for certain the man I really am.

I was living for a dream. Loving for a moment.
Taking on the world, that was just my style.
Now I look into your eyes. I can see forever.
The search is over, love was right before my eyes."

Lee knew the song.the group 'Survivor' had released this one, if his
memory was working right. Not being one to pay much attention to songs
and their words, however, it came as quite a shock to him when he
actually listened to the current singer's voice and, more importantly,
the words he was singing.

'I could be singing this to Amanda.' He thought. 'This is exactly how I
feel.'

He touched his cheek to hers and pulled her closer yet. All at once he
feared that he might crush her to death and that he could never bring
her close enough. 'I can't let her get away. I'll regret it for the rest
of my life if I do.'

"Oh, Amanda." He whispered into her ear.

She practically melted in his arms as his breath grazed her ear and his
whispered words infiltrated her mind.

All too soon the song ended and the orchestra took a break. Lee led his
partner back to their table where elegant shrimp cocktails awaited their
arrival. The rest of their dinner passed in relative silence. Neither
knew quite what to say, but they weren't uncomfortable with the silence.
It was as though their minds had come to a mutual agreement: they
couldn't process what was happening at the rate at which it was
happening, so they needed quiet time to try and sort through the
bombardment of strange signals they were receiving. From time to time
one of them stole a glance at the other and tried to hide small smiles
of happiness.

At last, dinner was over. Lee escorted Amanda back through the archway,
through the lobby and to the elevator doors. He pressed the Call Button
and waited silently, wondering what his next move should be. Ask her
into his room for a nightcap? Ask if he could come to *her* room for a
nightcap? Say goodnight in the hall and go his own way?

Kiss her?

Those lips of hers sure were inviting him to do so this evening. If she
didn't stop running her tongue along them at odd intervals he was going
to go mad.

"Amanda-"

"Lee-"

They giggled nervously as they stepped into the waiting elevator. "Are
we still on our own time?" Amanda asked quietly, staring at the floor.

"Yes." He replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Then will you come back to my room for.a cup of.coffee?"

Lee closed his eyes and smiled in relief. Leave it to Amanda to make
this easier for him. "I would love to."

She grinned up at him. Who knew where this was going to go? 'But,' her
mind reasoned as the elevator came to a stop at the 17th floor, 'tonight
it doesn't matter because tonight we're just normal people.'

Part 6

"They are here." Carlos said to the two men standing across the room.

The men nodded silently.

"You have your instructions."

The men nodded once again.

"Very well. See that your mission is completed within the next hour. The
sooner we get rid of these two American agents, the sooner I can relax
in that jacuzzi over there."

Carlos smiled as he seated himself behind the desk he'd set up in his
penthouse suite. He'd decided to forget about trying to negotiate with
the United States for Lee Stetson's life. He eyed the jacuzzi longingly,
but promised himself that he would not use it until he received word
that the Americans were dead.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

Lee noticed that Amanda's room was a mirror image of his own, which was
right next to hers. In fact, there was a door adjoining the two rooms,
but neither of them had unlocked it. Lee had been told that each floor
of the Ritz-Carlton had a different color theme. 'What is it with us and
color themes here in Mexico?' he wondered. The 17th floor was the peach
floor. Not exactly manly, but oh, well. The carpeting was rich and soft,
the beds were huge and very comfortable. Lee blushed when, as he thought
of the bed, his mind began to wander into other, more X-rated areas,
concerning his partner.

Amanda had been using the restroom. Afterwards she freshened her makeup,
dabbed a bit more of her White Diamonds perfume on her wrists and neck
and returned to find Lee leaning against her front door.

"Come on in and have a seat." She smiled at his awkwardness. Who knew
that Lee Stetson could ever be gauche in any situation?

He smiled, nodded and seated himself in the room's only chair. Amanda
busied herself with the small coffee pot that the hotel provided. Lee
watched the back of her as she worked.

"So, you've never been to Mexico at all?" he queried, desperate to feel
more comfortable.

"No. Joe and I always meant to bring the boys here for a vacation, but
they weren't old enough and by the time they were, Joe and I weren't
married anymore."

"A-ha."

"Why?" she asked, turning to face him. "How many times have you been
here?"

He rolled his eyes. "More times than I can count."

"On vacation or for work?"

"Both."

She walked to the bed and sat lightly upon its edge.

"Do you want this chair?" Lee asked, rising to his feet.

"No, I'm fine." She smiled. "But tell me."

"Hm?" He didn't sit back down. He just kind of stood there, looking like
he was trying to decide whether to walk towards her or the door.

"Why the sudden interest in showing me a good time?"

God, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever known. Hands down, no
competition. Slowly he stepped towards her. Their eyes locked and he
felt like he was being sucked into a whirlpool. His mind struggled
against it, but he couldn't break free of her gaze, couldn't break free
from.from her. He suddenly realized that he didn't *want* to break free
from her. As a matter of fact, he didn't want to ever be without her
again, as long as he lived.

"Lee? Are you going to answer my question?" she whispered, her voice
broken with emotion.

"The search is over."

Her eyes widened as he spoke the words from the song they'd danced to
earlier.

"You were with me all the while."

Now he was standing in front of her. He reached his hand out to her. She
took it and he pulled her to her feet and into his eager arms. He led
her in a dance without music. A dance which *needed* no music. Lee
closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, her intoxicating fragrance
sending his senses reeling with pleasure.

"God, why didn't I see it before?" he mumbled into her hair.

"See what?" she squeaked.

He leaned back slightly so he could see her face. That face that he.that
he *loved*. Loved so very much. Tears sprang involuntarily to his eyes,
but he was too overwhelmed to even be embarrassed by them.

"Oh, my God, Amanda, I-I-"

"You.what? Lee, are you okay?" A light frown appeared on her forehead.
She'd never seen Lee have tears in his eyes and was a bit concerned.
What was he trying to tell her?

"Okay? I'm more than okay. I just realized something. Something that has
been so obvious, but I've been too stupid to see past my own ego and
insecurities and grab hold of it. Grab hold of you."

Her frown disappeared. So *that's* what he'd been trying to say! "You
wanna grab hold of me?" A smile spread slowly across her face.

"Very much so. Amanda, I-if I didn't know better, I'd think I'm in love
with you." His admission startled *him* almost as much as it did *her*.

She almost fainted right there in his arms. Now it was *her* senses that
were reeling. All at once she felt like she could fly and that she was
being sucked down into the earth. "Do you mean that? It's not just you
getting caught up in the moment?"

"No, it's not that at all. It took this special evening for me to open
my eyes, but I now recognize that I've been feeling this for a long
time. You know me, I-I'm not very good with my emotions."

"You're doing fine right now."

She smiled. He smiled. But he still seemed a little unsure, so Amanda,
once again, helped him out.

"Lee, kiss me."

"I'm not one to question a lady." He quipped, capturing her mouth with
his own. His arms tightened around her body while hers snaked around his
neck. Little moans of pleasure and delight escaped from each of them as
they set out to do what both had been wanting to do for a very long
time. One corner of Amanda's mind wondered if they were setting the
world record for Longest Passionate Kiss. If there were such a category.

But the moment was not to last.

Lee was the first to notice the loud banging at the door. He broke away
and whirled around to face it, leaving Amanda rather dazed. "Lee?"

"Shh. Someone's trying to break your door down."

This jolted Amanda right back to reality. "What?!?"

"Amanda, get back behind the bed." Lee ordered in a whisper.

She did as he said, scared to death for both of them. She peeked over
the mattress and saw the door moving. It was about to give way.

"Amanda, get *under* the bed." Lee changed his request. He didn't have
his gun on him, it was in his own room. He briefly glanced at the
adjoining door, but realized that the main door would be kicked open
before he could get the gun and get back in here to protect Amanda.
Besides, it was locked from his side as well as from hers.

She lay down flat, her belly to the ground, and scooted under the bed.
She had just gotten completely under when the door gave and she saw two
pairs of feet standing in the doorway.

Then, without any warning at all, she felt the floor beneath her begin
to shake. Her mind whirled with confusion. What was happening? Why was
the floor shaking?

"TERRAMOTO! TERRAMOTO!" the two men at the door shouted. "TERRAMOTO!"

"What the--?" Lee began to ask, but a violent lurch threw him to the
floor. He looked up and noticed that the two intruders were nowhere in
sight. "Amanda!?!"

"Lee!" She tried scooting out from under the bed, but the floor was
shaking so violently now that she could hardly get her bearings.

"Stay under the bed, Amanda! It's an earthquake!"

She saw him struggle to his feet as things around the room began falling
to the floor. Somehow her mind registered that her bottle of perfume had
fallen off the bathroom counter and broken. The smell of White Diamonds
permeated the room. Pictures crashed to the floor one by one, the chair
and desk fell over and somewhere Amanda could hear something
large.something that could have been steel.ripping apart.

Things happened so fast, there just wasn't time for either of them to
get a grip on the situation. The floor beneath the bed gave way just as
the large picture window imploded. Amanda screamed as she and the bed
slid downward. Horrified, Lee began to yell her name just as pieces of
glass came flying at him.

The earth continued its violent convulsions for several minutes more,
but neither Lee nor Amanda were aware of it. Dust hung heavy in the air
as things finally stopped moving. The stillness afterwards was almost
more frightening than the earthquake had been. The different sounds,
though, made the scene anything but quiet: the zap-zap of fallen and
split electrical wiring, the tink of objects continuing to dislodge from
their resting places, car horns and alarms going off everywhere, quiet
sobbing, screaming and from time to time, loud thuds and bangs as larger
objects, like buildings, settled into their new misshapen selves.

Plaster fell in crumbs from what was left of the ceiling. Shards of
glass lay strewn everywhere. Only half the room was still there, the
other half having broken off and fallen to the fifteenth floor. Sparks
flew on either side of the room from frayed and broken wires, which were
all that was holding the track lighting in place. A figure lay askance,
motionless on the floor. He was covered with a thin layer of dust, and
spots of blood appeared here and there all over his body, which had been
pelted with glass when the window shattered. The slight rise and fall of
his chest was the only indication that Lee Stetson was still alive.

Two floors beneath Lee, sparks were also flying everywhere. A pile of
rubble lay beneath the King-size bed, which was tilted outward at a
45-degree angle. Under the thick layer of plaster and dust, one could
just make out the peach color of the bedspread. Pieces of the hotel were
still falling from where the sixteenth and seventeenth floors had
collapsed. Steel girders were exposed, and carpeting hung over the edge
where the floor had been ripped away. Outside the sky was clear blue,
tinged with the first pastel colors of a setting sun. It *should* have
been a beautiful, romantic evening for two lovers to enjoy.

Without warning the bed slid a few inches, now teetering precariously
close to the outside edge of the motel. Someone coughed, but there was
not a soul in sight. Then there was more coughing. And more, and more.
Slowly, little pieces of wall and ceiling were pushed away from below
the bed, which ever-so-often inched closer and closer to the brink of
nothingness. The coughing continued, peppered intermittently with
sneezing, as more and more rubble was pushed out from under the bed. But
the more that was moved, the more unstable the bed became.

Finally a pair of hands emerged from the dark shadows. There was some
grunting and groaning as the hands methodically pulled their owner's
body further and further up the incline of flooring. A frazzled head of
dark hair finally appeared just as the bed slid halfway over the edge.
It wobbled, looking as though it might fall at any second. Amanda King
turned and saw this sight for herself. Summoning as much strength as she
could muster, she grabbed hold of a huge piece of concrete and hauled
herself up to relative safety. As she turned to sit down, the bed dipped
sharply and finally let go its tentative hold, scraping against the wood
and concrete under it before becoming airborne at last. A relatively
short while later, Amanda actually heard it land on the driveway below.

She was alive. What had happened? Earthquake. Her once-beautiful red
dress was now tattered and dirty. Her shoes had long-since disappeared.
The gold and ruby hair clip still held its ground, but most of her hair
had come out of its do. Her face, arms and legs were covered with
scratches and streaks of dirt, joined here and there by spots of blood.
All things considered, she had come out of the whole incident very well.
Probably because she'd been under the bed when the whole thing began.
Thanks to Lee. Lee. Lee?

"LEE!" Amanda jumped to her feet. Her stocking caught on a nail and
tore. Fighting the urge to cuss, Amanda looked around, trying to see
through the thick air to find her partner. "LEE? LEE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Amanda looked up. Only then did she realize the magnitude of what she'd
been through, as the two open floors gaped at her. "Oh, my gosh!" she
exclaimed. "I fell two whole floors!" But then, where was Lee? Had he
fallen with her? She couldn't tell just how much of her room had come
crashing down. Well, she reasoned, there was no way for her to get back
up the way she'd come down, so she made her way through the 15th floor
room she was in and to its door.

Cautiously she opened it and peered into the hallway. Except for it
being relatively dark and quite dusty, it looked perfectly fine. So
Amanda stepped into the hall and turned left, making her way toward the
emergency staircase she knew was only a short walk away. As she passed
one of the rooms, she heard frantic screaming coming from behind the
door. It made her shiver, and she would have liked to stop and see if
she could assist whomever was behind that door, but right now she didn't
know where the man she loved was, or even if he was all right. He'd
finally admitted his feelings to her. There was no way in hell that
Amanda was going to do anything until she found Lee. For once, she was
going to be selfish.

Part 7

"Melrose." Billy said into the phone receiver.

"Billy, it's Francine. I found them."

"Oh, thank God! Where are they?"

"They're staying with Mrs. West's sister, Lillian. Billy.now I know
where Amanda gets her rambling from."

Billy laughed out loud. He'd been so concerned about Amanda's mother and
sons, but now he knew they were okay. "Did they know about their house?"

"No, they didn't. I guess when Lee and Amanda left for Mexico there
wasn't time enough for Amanda to speak with her family. Mrs. West said
they all came home that day and it was only when she discovered a
suitcase and carry-on bag missing that she decided Amanda must've gone
on a trip somewhere. The kids had a couple of days off school so she
took them to see her sister."

"Amanda didn't leave them a note?"

"If she did, Mrs. West didn't find it."

"That's odd." Billy mused. "So what's going to happen now?"

"Well, as I understand it, Amanda's sons are going to stay with their
Great-Aunt Lillian while Mrs. West comes back to Arlington to try and
tend to matters here. I told her that Amanda and her partner were in
Mexico on a film shoot, so she's not worried."

"Good work, Francine."

"But, Billy.Billy."

"What? What is it?"

"I'm worried about them."

"Amanda's family?"

"No, Lee and Amanda."

"Why?"

"Didn't you send them to Mexico City to find Carlos Guerra Martes?"

"Yes. So?"

"Billy, I'm using a pay phone outside an electronics repair shop. They
have a TV on in the window. There-there was just an 8.5 earthquake in
Mexico City."

"WHAT?!?!?!? Francine, PLEASE tell me you're joking!" The look on
Billy's face was one of pure horror. No. It couldn't be.

"I wish I were. Billy, I'm coming straight back to The Agency."

"All right. I'm going to get the News Boys going on this story so we can
find out if Lee and Amanda are okay."

"I hope so." Francine said in a small, uncharacteristically scared
voice. For crying out loud, they'd gone down there to take on one of the
biggest drug families in the business.to get taken out by an earthquake
was just not right. It just wasn't right.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

Amanda found the stairwell without difficulty. She opened the door and
began to ascend the steps. When she got to the landing midway between
the 15th and 16th floors, however, she realized that part of the stairs
had been ripped away going from the 16th floor to the 17th. Craning her
neck up and back to try and see above her, Amanda decided she had no
choice but to try and scale up the hand railing in order to get around
the missing steps. 'Amanda King,' she said to herself, 'when did you
ever become so brave? Or would 'foolish' be more appropriate?'

It was very slow-going. 30 minutes later Amanda had finally reached the
17th floor. She'd bumped and bruised her arms and legs a little, but her
focus was on her man, so she was barely conscious of the aches and
pains. She ran down the hall and threw open her motel door.and gasped at
the way it looked.

There was glass everywhere.and wouldn't you know it, she didn't have her
shoes. The room was a shambles and opened right out into the sky. There,
laying with his feet hanging over the edge of the building, was her Lee.

"Lee! Lee, are you okay?" she called out.

No answer.

Amanda frowned as she surveyed the scene. She couldn't walk on glass
without cutting her feet all to heck.what to do? It was only about five
steps to get to Lee.then she glanced to her left and saw the
bathroom.and the bathroom towels piled neatly inside.

"A-ha!" she exclaimed. She did a quick hop from the hall to the bathroom
and gathered up all the thick, expensive towels. "These will work just
fine." She lay them down on the floor, creating a path to lead her over
the broken glass. When she finally got to Lee's side, she let out a soft
"Oh, no."

His face and body were riddled with shards of glass, some very small,
some very large. She was certain there were a lot she couldn't even see.
"Oh, Lee." Tears came to her eyes. For the largest piece of glass was
embedded in the left side of his chest.right over his heart. "No.oh,
Lee."

Amanda checked his pulse. It was thin, but at least he was alive. His
breathing was shallow. Suddenly she was afraid. She was so very afraid.
Any other time they'd gotten into trouble, Amanda had always relied on
the fact that Lee would save her.or them, whichever was warranted. Now
he was unconscious, barely alive and about to fall off the seventeenth
floor of a once-fancy motel. Realizing this, she pulled his body onto a
towel, then slowly pulled him on that towel across the glass, having to
stop and re-lay towels for herself to walk on along the way.

When she finally got him to the hall, she sighed in relief. No more
glass, no more open edge of the motel. This was much safer. She hoped.
She could hear very faint sirens in the distance, but Lee was losing
blood pretty fast. Amanda had to do something now. She just wasn't sure
what.

Should she remove the glass? Should she leave it there and try to stop
the blood flow around it? But if she left it there, wouldn't pressing
down to stop blood loss make the sharp glass go deeper into his chest?
If the glass were actually already piercing his heart, she reasoned, he
wasn't going to last very long whether or not she removed it. If it were
just lodged in his muscle tissue, pulling it out wouldn't really hurt
him. Or would it?

"I'm not a doctor." She said softly, fighting the tears that desperately
wanted to fall. "What do I do?"

Knowing she had little time to dilly-dally, Amanda made the decision to
pull the large shard of glass from his chest and just pray that God
wouldn't take him from her. Not now. She loved him too much. If
something happened to him.well, she couldn't even fathom going on
without him in her life.

Amanda yanked open the little refrigerator just inside the door and
pulled out two small bottles of vodka for cleansing once the glass had
been removed. She knelt down beside him, kissed his forehead and began
unbuttoning his shirt. Thankfully he had removed his jacket sometime
before the earthquake had hit. It was funny, she couldn't even remember
him having done so.

"I'm sorry about this, Lee." She said, somewhat embarrassed that she was
undressing him. Carefully she pulled back the right side of the shirt,
dislodging smaller pieces of glass as she went along. Now it was on to
the left side. The glass had cut through the shirt and into Lee's body.
Amanda cringed when she grabbed hold of the end sticking out of him.
Then she took a deep breath and pulled it out, being careful to do so in
a perpendicular fashion so as not to create more cuts inside him.

As soon as the glass was out, blood began gushing. "NO! Oh, God, no,
what have I done??" Amanda screeched in horror. "I've killed him, I've
killed him!"

There was a large piece of fabric ripped halfway off her skirt.
Hurriedly she tore it the rest of the way off and placed it over his
chest wound, pressing down as hard as she could. "Lee? Lee, please don't
die on me, please don't die. Lee, please stay with me. I need you. I
didn't get the chance to say it back to you, you know. I love you so
much, please, you can't leave me now, please. Lee? Lee, you stay with
me! Help is going to be here soon."

Amanda thought about that for a moment, then opened her mouth and
hollered, "HELP!! HELP!!! PLEASE, HELP US!!!!"

But nobody answered. It didn't seem there was a soul alive in this motel
except for her and Lee. She continued putting heavy pressure over his
wound. Just as she thought the bleeding was subsiding, she noticed that
the sun was setting. The only light she'd had so far was from the sun
through the room. Now that darkness was settling in, she wouldn't be
able to see a blasted thing. So she grabbed the two tiny bottles of
vodka and poured them over the wound, then picked up a hand towel that
she hadn't put on the floor, and used it to place more pressure on the
hole in his chest. She touched his bare skin and forehead with her other
hand. He felt cool and very clammy. Now she was worried that he'd go
into shock.

Once more she screamed for help, but no one answered. Not a sound.
Knowing she had to keep Lee warm, she lay half on top of his right side
so she could still use her arm to exert pressure on the towel on his
left side. Laying her head on the side of his face, she realized that he
might die right there underneath her. Quietly the tears began to flow.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

Amanda woke with a start. 'I must have dozed off.' She thought.
Something under her was moving. Oh, no not another earthquake. No, this
was different. It was.

"Lee!" she jumped off and tried to adjust her eyes to the total
darkness.

She heard him groan and wanted to laugh for joy. He was alive!

"Oh, Lee, you're alive, you're alive!"

"Ooooooh. A.A-man-da?"

"Lee, I'm right here, it's okay, I'm here with you."

"Wh.where-am-I?"

"In the hallway on Floor 17. You were injured pretty badly and I knew I
couldn't get you down any stairs and still keep pressure on your wound,
so we just stayed here. How are you feeling?"

"Th-thirsty. C-c-cold. Hungry. My chest.it h-hurts. Ohhhhh. Ahh."

"I know, I'm sorry. You were cut by the picture window when it broke. A
piece of the glass embedded in your chest. I took it out, but now I
can't see well enough to know what it looks like."

"You.took it out?"

"Yes. Should I have left it in?"

"Don't.don't know. My Aman-Amanda.br.br.brave. You okay?"

Amanda blushed in the darkness. Even in his condition he could flatter
her like that. He was pretty amazing.

"Yes, I'm fine. But I have to save you. I'm not going to let you get rid
of me that easily. Lee?"

"Mm?"

"I just want you to know.I didn't get the chance to say it back to you.
I'm in love with you, too."

Lee smiled in the dark. But he was so cold and so tired.he just wanted
to sleep, that's all he wanted to do. Now that he knew Amanda was okay,
he could sleep. "Love.y-you.too." He breathed before losing
consciousness once more.

"Lee? Ohhhh, noooo." Now Amanda was *really* worried. He could be going
into shock right now and here she was, just standing there helplessly in
the darkness. "I have to get you outside. If anybody *is* trying to
rescue us, they have no idea you're up here and need help."

Amanda was bone-tired. She'd slept for about two hours, but after being
awake all day and then going through what she went through, she could
barely stand on her own two feet let alone carry her 6'2" partner down
seventeen flights of stairs. Not to mention that she'd have to get him
to a different staircase since the one nearby was missing enough stairs
to make it impossible for her to get Lee down that way.

'Amanda,' she thought, 'if you don't buck up and do this, the man who
loves you, and who you love, is going to die.'

Well, that little motivational sentence was all it took for Amanda King
to shake off her weariness and get her brain to working overtime. First
she had to think about where the next nearest staircase was. Blast this
darkness, she couldn't see her hand in front of her own face! "Think,
Amanda, think!"

"The refrigerator!" she exclaimed. Feeling her way, she found the
ashtray on top of the mini-fridge. And there, just as she'd remembered,
was a book of matches. "Yes!"

Amanda also knew that on the back of every motel door in America, even
fancy-schmancy ones like the Ritz, there was a diagram of the floor they
were on, with all emergency exits clearly labeled. She needed to see
that diagram. Back into the room she went, being careful to lay the
towels down under her feet. She closed the door and lit a match. It took
her a few seconds to become acquainted with what she was looking at, and
by that time the match had burned out.

She struck a second match and surveyed the picture. The next nearest
staircase was."Ow!" The match had burned down to her fingertips. For the
third time, she struck a new match and was able to pinpoint where she
had to take Lee. It was quite a ways from their present location, but
that didn't even occur to Amanda. All she cared about was Lee's safety.

She stuffed the pack of matches into her brassiere. Now she had to
figure out the safest way to get Lee where she needed to get him. If
only she had something to carry him on or in.that was it! Amanda knelt
next to Lee and began rifling through his pockets until she found what
she was looking for.his room key card. "Yes! Got it!" She was batting
1,000 tonight.

Feeling her way along the wall, she located Lee's room door and after
several unsuccessful tries, got it to unlock. "Fancy that." She mused.
"Even with all the power off these little key cards still work." When
she opened the door, she was relieved to see that most of his room was
still intact. Most especially the bed sheets. But as she got closer to
the bed, she realized that it was ready to fall out of the building just
like hers had. Then some of her old clumsiness kicked in and she bumped
into the bed. It began sliding full-tilt right off the edge. Just in
time Amanda yanked the comforter from it and then.it was gone.

"I'm really getting tired of these close calls." She whispered before
heading back out to the hall.

With no small amount of effort, Amanda managed to wrap Lee in the
comforter, partially to keep him warm and partially to transport him.
Having left quite a bit of fabric gathered near his head, she used that
to begin pulling him along the floor in the direction of the second
stairwell.

Part 8

Several hours had passed since Francine had first heard of the Mexico
City earthquake. She and Billy were working nonstop with The Agency's
News Bureau to gather all the information they could. So far no one
matching Lee or Amanda's description had been admitted into any local
Mexico City hospital, but beyond that they could get nothing. They
didn't even know what motel the partners had checked into. Lee had left
a message for Billy earlier that afternoon while he'dbeen at lunch,
saying he'd call the next day right before he and Amanda began their
surveillance. He'd said nothing more.

"Dammit! There has to be *some* way of finding out where they were!"

"Okay, let's think." Francine was trying desperately to be the voice of
reason here, but she, too was scared to death. "Wait.did Ben James tell
you *where* Martes was holed up?"

"Yes! Yes, he did! The Ritz-Carlton hotel, he.he got a penthouse suite
there!"

"If I know Lee, he and Amanda checked into that motel."

"You're right. He would want to get as close as possible to Martes.keep
an eye on him."

Billy smiled thankfully at Francine, so glad to have her there to help
him through this. *This* was the part about working for The Agency he
despised.and this wasn't even an Agency-related disaster! He picked up
his phone and began barking orders to whatever unlucky soul was on the
other end. When he hung up, he said to Francine, "I don't know about
you, but I'm going to go home and take a shower, maybe even catch a nap.
Why don't you do the same? We can't help Lee and Amanda if we're
exhausted."

She'd been about to protest, but she knew Billy was right. "Okay. I'll
go, too. But Billy, the *second* you hear something.anything.you had
*better* call me!"

"You're the first one on my list. Come on, I'll walk you to your car."

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

She had gotten him to the stairwell. She had gotten him onto the
landing. Now, however, Amanda had to figure out how she was going to get
Lee down seventeen flights of stairs. "Think." She said aloud. The
morning dawn had not yet arrived, leaving her nothing but a book of
matches to use for light. After going through several of them, she
determined that this staircase was intact as far down as she could see.
She was strong for her slight build, but not strong enough to carry her
partner as far as they had to go. Especially in the dark down all those
stairs.she could so easily misstep or lose her balance and then they'd
both get hurt some more. She paced for a moment, trying desperately to
come up with a viable solution. Amanda had to guard his chest wound
carefully. God only knew how he *really* was doing. Suddenly it came to
her. It wasn't the best of ideas, but under the circumstances it would
have to do.

Steeling herself for the monumental task ahead of her, Amanda lifted Lee
under his arms, resting his head back against her chest. She clasped her
hands together in order to maintain a solid hold on him and slowly began
backing down the steps. Left foot down. Right foot down. Left foot down.
Right foot down. One step.two steps.three steps.four steps.five
steps.six steps.seven steps.landing. Curve around.one step.two
steps.three steps. Lee's feet, wrapped securely together with the
comforter, hitting each step as they descended.
Thump.thump.thump.thump.thump.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

"He-hello?"

"Francine?"

"Billy!" She sat bolt upright in bed, peering at her bedside clock. It
read 3:14am.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. What have you found out?"

"Not much. Apparently part of the Ritz-Carlton in Mexico City was
destroyed.some of the floors fell to floors below them, some of the
building crumbled away to the beach below."

"Oh, no."

"But things are so chaotic down there that we have no idea if Lee and
Amanda were even staying there. And if they were, we really have no way
of finding out if they're okay."

Francine sighed. "What's the plan now?"

"Nothing. News Bureau boys are going to call me with anything else they
can get their hands on. We're also trying to hook up with the Ritz's
managers, but haven't had any luck so far. Right now the Mexico City
airport is in a shambles, so we can't even fly anyone down there to
investigate."

"So basically what you're telling me, Billy, is that we have to just sit
on our thumbs and wait?"

"Yes. Unfortunately."

Francine sighed a second time. "What are we going to tell Amanda's
family?"

"Nothing yet. We don't know anything anyway. There's no sense in sending
Mrs. West into a panic without any concrete information."

"I agree."

"Well, try and get some more sleep. I will, too. I'll see you at The
Agency at nine."

Francine yawned, "Okay." And hung up. Laying her head back down on her
pillow, she stared straight up at her ceiling. She knew she wouldn't be
going back to sleep anytime soon.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

Amanda and Lee just kept spiraling downward, downward, downward. The
sound of her feet padding down the steps followed by the thud of Lee's
feet became almost rhythmic, lulling her into an automaton state where
her actions were being propelled by nothing more than instinctual
subconscious mechanization. She was running on autopilot.

It took her a few moments to realize that she'd turned a corner.and
there were no more steps. Her back bumped lightly into the door leading
out into a main floor hallway. Amanda stiffened for a few seconds as her
mind came back to itself. Then it became clear to her that she had
reached her goal. By now the sun had just barely begun to appear low
along the horizon, and when she found the doorknob and pulled the heavy
door open, she could actually see beyond it without the aid of matches!

An indescribable wave of relief washed over Amanda now that she saw
where she was. She'd done it! She wanted to break down in tears, but her
logical side regained control quickly, telling her that she had to get
Lee some medical attention and fast. She dropped to her knees and
checked his pulse, gratefully acknowledging that he still had one.

Swiftly dragging him along, it was only about ten minutes before Amanda
reached the front lobby of the motel.only to find that it was no longer
there. The entire central portion of the Ritz, which had consisted of
the main lobby and numerous floors of rooms above it, had come crashing
down during the earthquake.

"Oh, my gosh." She gaped openly at the destruction before her.

Then she heard voices. Her eyes widened in recognition of human life.

"HERE! OVER HERE! HELP! HELP US!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
However, her dry throat and the stress and strain on her body made her
yelling voice about the same decibel as most peoples' normal
conversational voice. She continued screaming for help for almost five
minutes, but nobody came.

Amanda sank down to the floor next to Lee. She was utterly exhausted.
Her voice was now almost completely gone. Her body ached so badly she
couldn't tell if she were seriously injured anywhere. Her mind began to
cloud and her vision, to blur. The shape of a rescue worker entered her
field of sight like an apparition, but it was too late for her to
respond. in seconds she lay in a crumpled heap at Lee's side, completely
unconscious, no longer able to keep herself going.

-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-SMK-

"Oh, look, look.she's coming out of it! She's waking up!"

Amanda felt like she'd been hit by a freight train. Or maybe it'd been a
train full of men with red hats. Either way, she *thought* she was
opening her eyes, but everything was just one big blob of colors all
bunched together. She did, however, recognize that voice.

"Moth-Mother?"

Dotty grasped Amanda's hand tightly. "Amanda! Oh, Amanda, darling,
you're okay! She's fine, she's just fine, I *knew* she would be, I just
knew it! You see? I told you so. Oh, I have to go call the boys.Amanda,
darling, how are you feeling?"

"Um.thirsty. Where am I?"

"I'll go get you some water, dear. Oh, silly me, here it is right next
to your bed.here. You're at Arlington Memorial, dear." Her mother held a
glass to her lips and Amanda managed to get some of the water down her
throat. She also opened her eyes all the way and was successful in
focusing them.

"Mother." Amanda smiled. Then she frowned. "The boys."

"They're fine, they're with Aunt Lillian."

Aunt Lillian? What for? Amanda didn't understand, she didn't even know
where she was. But she was so tired that at this point she didn't care.
The boys were safe with Aunt Lillian no matter why they were there, and
she? She just wanted to go back to sleep. Amanda watched as her mother
rose and headed out of the room.

"Oh, I have to go call them, Amanda, they've been worried sick about
you. I'll be back!"

Them? Oh, yeah, the boys. Just as her eyelids drooped shut, another
familiar voice came from nowhere.

"Hey."

Amanda smiled. "Lee." Then all of a sudden the earthquake and its
aftermath came back to her. She shot up in bed, nearly yanking the IV's
from her arms. "Lee! Lee, are you all right? Oh, my gosh, where am I?
What--?"

"Whoa, whoa, Amanda, it's okay, everything's okay." Lee placed one hand
on her arm and the other around the back of her skull. He leaned in from
his position in a wheelchair and kissed her soundly on the forehead.

"It is? You're okay?"

"Yes, I am. Thanks to you I'll be good as new in no time."

She blushed. "I didn't do all that much."

"Nonsense." Came an unfamiliar voice from the doorway. "Mrs. King, Mr.
Stetson would surely have died within an hour if you hadn't removed the
glass from his chest, cleansed the wound and stopped the blood flow."

A chill swept over Amanda, causing her to shiver. Lee almost died. She
had saved him. She could hardly believe it. She'd actually done it. They
had both lived.

She didn't resist when Lee eased her back so she was once again lying
down. The doctor poked and prodded for a few minutes then announced that
although it looked like she'd be fine, he wanted to keep Amanda in the
hospital for observation for at *least* one more day, if not two.

"Thanks, Doc." Lee said as the man left. "You hear that? You're going to
be just fine." He said to Amanda, who was staring at him.

"Lee?" she whispered, her voice still not fully functional.

"Yeah?" he answered softly.

"I'm so glad you're alive." She began crying softly, the emotions from
the earthquake coming back to haunt her now. Finally she was able to
vent them.

"Me too. I owe you everything. Not only my life, but everything that I
am."

She sniffled. "Not just because I pulled you out of the hotel."

"No, of course not. Amanda, I'm in love with you. I meant everything I
said to you before the earthquake.and now, even more so."

"I did too. I love you so much." She smiled through her tears.

"And you've proven to me and everyone how much you love me by what you
did for me in Mexico City."

She looked away, embarrassed by the accolades.

"Now I want to prove to you and everyone else just how much *I* love
*you*."

Curious, she looked back at him as he raised his hand, fist closed, for
her to see. She frowned, not understanding his gesture. Then he
unclenched his fist to reveal a small red velvet box. She gasped and sat
upright once more. Very much appreciating her reaction, Lee got out of
the wheelchair, pushed it aside and seated himself on the edge of
Amanda's hospital bed.

Her eyes wide and full of unshed tears, Amanda just couldn't believe
what she thought was about to happen. "Lee?" she croaked.

"Amanda.Agency policy and KGB operatives be damned. I want to show
everyone how I feel about you. I don't want to hide it anymore.I *can't*
hide it anymore. I have never felt this way about anyone. Please say
you'll spend the rest of your life with me."

Lee opened the box for Amanda. In it lay a gold engagement ring with a
good-sized diamond mounted at the front and clusters of tiny diamonds
nestled to either side of it.

"Please?" Lee asked as Amanda looked from him to the ring and back
again.

"Yes." She smiled, the tears flowing freely.

He removed the ring from its velvet resting place and slid it onto her
finger. Then he kissed her like she'd never been kissed before.

Outside the door, in the hospital hallway, Billy and Francine had
arrived just in time to see Amanda's mother faint dead away onto the
floor. They rushed to assist her, wondering what was happening. Then
Billy looked into Amanda's room and saw the ring on her finger and the
liplock she and Lee were in.

"Um.Francine, I think you ought to get a doctor to check on Mrs. West."
Billy was trying valiantly to hide his grin.

"But Billy, I thought we were going to tell Amanda and Lee that Carlos
Guerra Martes died in the earthquake."

"We were, but right now Mrs. West needs our undivided attention." Billy
knew exactly why Dotty had fainted. As soon as Francine was out of
earshot, he closed the door to Amanda's room and laughed heartily.

It was about time.

The End