"The Birthday" - Bridget Frawley (Scarecro9@aol.com)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters that are copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot The Moon Productions. It is meant for enjoyment purposes. I retain the rights to the plot and not the characters
The alarm clock rang shrilly. Amanda groaned sleepily, leaned over and turned it off. She then collapsed back on the bed for a few seconds, exhausted. She'd gotten in very late last night after her date with Lee. She smiled, thinking that missing a few hours sleep was worth a little time with him, especially since it had been getting harder and harder to spend some time alone as a couple. She stretched wearily and got out of bed, slowly making her way to the shower. At least today promised to be pleasant enough. It was her birthday and she was curious to see how Lee planned to acknowledge it.
After about a half hour she hurried downstairs. "Mother," she called, going into the kitchen. "Boys?" There was no one there. She looked around and spotted a note on the refrigerator. "'Amanda,'" she read aloud. "'I took Philip and Jamie to the morning pep rally. We'll see you later. Love, Mother.'" She sighed and threw the note away. 'Oh, well,' she thought optimistically, reaching into the refrigerator for a breakfast bar and going to the coffee pot to pour a cup. 'The day is young. I'm sure they'll call later.' She glanced at her watch, noticing the time. She gulped a few sips of coffee, put the cup in the sink and hurried out the door, eating the breakfast bar as she went.
When she got to the Q Bureau Lee was already there, diligently doing paperwork. "Good morning," he smiled.
"Hi," she smiled, sitting at her desk and waiting expectantly.
"How'd you sleep?"
Her smile fell a little. "Fine, and you?"
"Oh, I always sleep well. I had a great time last night."
"I did, too."
He glanced down at his desk ruefully. "Unfortunately we have all this paperwork to clear up. I'm afraid it'll take most of the day."
"All day?" She repeated in disappointment.
He glanced over at her for a few seconds, eyebrows rising in surprise. "You're the one that thought the Queue Bureau was a big honor, remember? Unfortunately this goes with the territory."
"I know, but -- Lee, do you know what today is?"
He nodded. "October 29th. Why?"
"Oh, I was just wondering." She bit her lip in frustration, not about to remind him what else today was. Maybe she was making too much of a big deal out of this. After all, they'd only just started dating as a couple.
"Oooo-kay," he replied in confusion. "If you can think of a way out of this I'll be glad to listen."
"No, no," she stated hastily. "Like you said, if it has to be done today it has to be done today." She grabbed a folder with more force than necessary and began to read it, checking for inconsistencies and missing details.
Lee hid a smile, enjoying her discomfiture.
They'd stayed hard at work all day, sending out for sandwiches so that they wouldn't waste any more time. Suddenly the telephone rang.
"Stetson here," Lee answered, glad for the break. "What? -- Now? -- But I have plans -- Wait just a minute! -- I -- "
Amanda glanced over, curious as to who was on the other end of the phone who wouldn't let Lee get a word in edgewise.
Lee slammed down the telephone in disgust.
"What's wrong?" Amanda asked.
"That was Dr. Smyth," he answered grumpily. "He just ordered me to go to New York to help one of our agents over there."
"When do you have to leave?" She asked, wide-eyed.
He glanced at his watch. "In about two hours. That leaves me just enough time to pack and get to the airport." He got to his feet. "I'm sorry to leave you stuck with this mess. I promise I'll take you to dinner when I get back, okay?"
"How long will you be gone?" She asked unhappily.
"A few days. I'll be back as fast as I can." He grabbed his jacket and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow morning, all right?"
She nodded silently.
He hurried out the door.
'Some birthday this was turning out to be,' she thought to herself morosely. Her mother or the boys hadn't called her yet and now the man she loved was going out of town. She threw her pen down in frustration.
Suddenly the telephone rang again.
She grabbed the receiver. Maybe it was Mother after all! "Queue Bureau."
"Amanda," Billy said over the receiver. "I hate to do this to you, but I have to send you on a courier assignment."
"Right, sir," she sighed. Typical. "When?"
"Right now. I'm sorry for the short notice, but we don't have anyone else available. It's just routine. It shouldn't take more than a few hours."
"A few hours?" She groaned unhappily.
"It's just a quick pickup. The sooner you leave the sooner you're finished. We got an anonymous tip that a top KGB agent was going to be at the Key Bridge Marriott restaurant in Arlington making a drop to a member of the President's personal staff. We need to know who that is and we need someone that can blend in with that area."
"But, sir -- " she began.
"You're wondering if the tip is reliable, I know," Billy interrupted, misinterpreting her apprehension. "From what I understand it's straight up. You know where the Key Bridge Marriott is, don't you?"
"Yes, sir, but -- " she started again.
"Very well. Then I'll look forward to your report later this evening."
She sighed again. There was no way out. Besides, what else did she have to do tonight? "Yes, sir." She hung up the telephone and grabbed her purse from the desk drawer, slamming it with more force than necessary and left.
She got to the Key Bridge Marriott and peered through the glass casually, trying to spot anything or anyone suspicious. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary at present she slowly walked around the outside, pretending to be looking for someone.
Suddenly a hand came up from behind her and grabbed her close.
She yelped and spun around, coming face to face with Lee. "What are you doing here?" She whispered sharply.
He was dressed in blue suit and his hands were hidden behind his back. "Happy birthday."
"What?" She was thrown off balance.
He smiled and kissed her. "I said happy birthday."
"I'm on assignment," she answered breathlessly, forcing her mind to the issue at hand.
"I know," he said. "Who do you think called the front desk to report the tip?" He presented a rose to her that had been hidden behind his back until now.
"You?" She took the rose and pressed it close to her, inhaling its fragrance.
He nodded. "I do a pretty good Russian accent, if I say so myself, comrade." He started chuckling. "You looked so upset this morning but I couldn't say anything to spoil the surprise." He led her off to his car.
"Wait! Where are we going? What about your assignment in New York?" She asked pleadingly.
"There was no assignment. It was all a setup." He helped her get into the car and then got into the drivers side. "I asked Mrs. Marsden to call me at 5pm so I could check my watch. After I left I called the switchboard from the pay phone down the hall." He started the car and drove off.
"But what if Mr. Melrose sent someone else?" She asked, warmed that he'd go to all this trouble to surprise her.
He shook his head. "There was no one else. I checked the duty roster around 3 and saw that everyone was on assignment."
"Where are we going?" She asked breathlessly.
"Mario's. The reservations are all made. I thought we'd do a little dancing. Then later we can go back to my place for a nightcap and I can give you your present."
"Lee, I can't be gone for two nights in a row," she objected unhappily. "Mother would kill me."
"I took care of that too. I called her an hour ago and told her that you were on assignment and wouldn't be home for the week-end."
"We have to be at work tomorrow," she reminded him regretfully.
"No, we don't," he corrected, smiling smugly. "I already spoke to Billy. He said that since you were nice enough to take this assignment on such short notice he was giving you the day off. I'd already planned to take off tomorrow anyway so it works out perfectly."
Her eyes widened in surprise. He'd thought of everything.
"And don't get mad at your mother for not calling you either," he continued, happy that his plan worked. "I called her last night and said we'd be leaving for a location shoot around noon today."
"What about my contact report?" She asked pointedly.
"Since I know you hate to lie you can tell the truth," he answered, eyes twinkling. "You showed up at the restaurant, no information exchanged hands and you don't know what happened." They pulled up in front of a very elegant restaurant. The doorman opened the passenger door and helped Amanda out while Lee got out of the drivers side and gave the bellman his car keys. He then went over to her side. "Any more questions?"
She shook her head in amazement.
He led her inside.
The waiter seated them near the back of the restaurant to a candle-lit table. "Your waiter will be with you shortly." He left.
"He knows me," Lee smiled before she could ask.
"You know you're a pretty special man, Lee Stetson?" She whispered, eyes shining.
"I've heard that," he teased.
She slapped his arm playfully. "This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."
"You know the best part about this place?" He whispered huskily.
She shook her head.
"It's known for its discretion."
She smiled and took his hand. "You mean that we can just be ourselves?"
He nodded, leaned over and kissed her hungrily. "Yep."
She stared deep into his eyes. "Just don't expect me to be able to come up with something this elaborate on your birthday, okay?"
He laughed. "I promise."