Permission to Leave the Car
I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.
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(Sometime in Season 1)
"No." Lee said sternly as he looked over at Amanda, before she could utter a word or make a move towards the door handle. "You are staying in my car, Amanda King, and that's final. Now I don't know what I'll be going up against in there and I want you here, safe and out of the way."
"It's not your car." She rebutted trying to get around making a promise she had no intentions of keeping. "This is an agency car. Yours is in the shop."
Lee narrowed his eyes at her. "You know what I mean. I want you to stay here. I don't want you to pass go and I don't want you to collect $200 dollars. Stay here and if you see or hear anything, then take the car and leave. Call the agency and request back up for me but don't come back here. Do you understand?"
To his surprise, Amanda made no objections. Quietly, she sat back in the seat and nodded. "Alright, Lee, I understand."
Lee was stunned. "You do?"
Brown eyes looked at him with total sincerity. "Yes, Lee, I do. You want me to stay here and I understand."
Suddenly Lee understood. "Un, huh." He shook his head. "I want more than that, Amanda. You understand alright, but that doesn't mean you'll listen. Now, I want your promise that you will not leave this car."
"Oh, come on, Lee." Amanda's voice held a hint of irritation.
"No, Amanda. I mean it. I want your promise." Lee's voice held irritation too and more than a little warning.
"Oh, alright, Lee." Amanda sighed in exasperation. "I promise; I will not leave this car."
Lee looked her over carefully, to make sure she wasn't crossing her fingers or anything, before nodding and getting out of the agency car, satisfied she'd stay put, while he went inside.
Amanda sat back in her seat, quietly watching as Lee made his way onto the grounds of the old amusement park, just outside of DC. Though it had been shut down four years prior, most of the buildings were still there as well as some of the rides and it made a perfect place for a clandestine meeting.
He had been asked to meet one of his family for a handoff of information and given a very short time frame in which to get there. Though Lee hadn't wanted Amanda along, there'd been little help for it. She had been with him on a routine milk run, thanks to Billy's insistence, when he'd checked in with the office and gotten the message. He simply didn't have time to take her back to her car.
As Amanda sat silently fuming in the car, she suddenly saw something worrisome. Lee had told her the woman, he was supposed to meet, was an older Chinese lady named Mae Lei, who had never failed to be not only a good source of information but also a good friend. The two tall, blonde and brutish looking men she saw, moving towards the entrance of the park, weren't her.
For several moments, Amanda wasn't quite sure what to do. Although closed down with heavy chained gates across its entrance, the park still had its fair share of visitors. Teenagers looking for a place to get away from their parents prying eyes, homeless looking for a place to shelter, and others looking for a place to conduct not all together legal business could all be seen coming and going in there.
But Amanda has a terrible feeling that those men weren't there for any of those reasons. Those men were there for Lee Stetson and though he had his gun, she doubted it'd much use with those two. Scrunching down in the seat, so as not to be noticed, she watched the men slip through the wide gap of the chained gates and walk in, drawing guns as they went.
Nope, this was definitely not good. What to do, what to do. Lee had told her to leave if she saw anything wrong and call for backup. Well, this was most definitely wrong, but she was his partner, whether he admitted it or not. She was his back up.
Suddenly she heard shouts coming from inside the park. It sounded like Lee's voice but she couldn't be sure. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Just one shot, but enough to convince her that Lee was in trouble and he needed that back up now. He couldn't wait for her to call the Agency.
But she had promised to stay in the car.
Suddenly, it dawned on her. Sliding over into the driver's seat, she started the car and gunned the engine. "He said to stay in the car." She muttered. "So, I'm staying in the car."
Throwing the sedan into gear, she maneuvered the almost tank like vehicle down to the entrance way and stepped on the gas, barreling through the chained entrance, throwing gates backward as she whizzed past. The driver's side window was down, which made it easier to hear Lee's distressed yell over the roar of the engine and the wind whipping past and she headed that way.
Once inside the park, she rocketed through the deserted parking lot and towards the four figures she saw at the end of it. Lee and what looked like a woman, were on the ground and the two men, along with two more, were moving in on him. One had his gun drawn and was aiming at Lee.
Honking her horn furiously, Amanda careened down the roadway and right towards the men, who, realizing they were about to be mowed down by a brunette in a brown sedan, jumped out of the way. Amanda managed to crank the wheel at the last second while hitting her brakes and coming to a screeching halt right beside Lee and the woman.
Lee didn't hesitate. Springing to his feet, he grabbed the woman, who looked unconscious, and moved towards the door that Amanda had thrown open for him. Laying the lady in the seat, Lee jumped in after her. "Drive." He demanded.
Amanda didn't need any further instructions. Hitting the gas once again, she whirled the big automobile around and hurtled them back the way she'd come and out of the park as bullets whizzed dangerously and disturbingly close by.
Lee said nothing, for a moment, as they sped away. He wasn't sure whether to be irritated at her refusal to follow orders, or proud of her for saving his and Mae Lei's lives.
For the moment, he chose neither one.
"Take us to Parker General, Amanda." He instructed. "Mae Lei's hurt."
Amanda didn't reply, glad he wasn't yelling at her for ignoring his instructions. Giving him a simple nod, she turned on her blinkers and rushed them to the hospital.
Two hours later, Lee was pacing the waiting room like a caged lion, frequently running an agitated hand through his hair, as they waited for some word on how Mae Lei was doing.
While they waited, Lee had told Amanda what had taken place right before she got there.
He'd slipped into the park as quietly as he could and made his way carefully down to the place where Amanda had found him. Mae Lei was there as promised, pensively waiting.
But instead of a package, she had two men with her, one with a gun pointed at her and the other had a gun pointed at Lee. Seeing no one else around, Lee was sure he could take the two men. When he reached them, Lee stopped, waiting for just the right moment to attack. Looking over at Mae Lei, he could see a bruise on her chin but other than that she looked okay. Giving her a reassuring smile, he looked back at the two men.
"What's this about? What do you two want?" He demanded as though he was in charge and not the two goons with guns.
The shorter of the two villains laughed. "Ve vant you, Scarecrow." His Russian accent was heavy and Lee understood all he needed to. The KGB had gotten to Mae Lei and unwillingly she'd helped them lure him there. He had all the information he needed for the moment.
Giving no notice of his intent, he flung himself at the man closest to him, grabbing for the gun which went off. Mae Lei, seeing that the man next to her was distracted, grabbed his arm and bit it. But instead of dropping his gun, the bandit brought it up and slammed it against the back of her skull, dropping her instantly to the ground.
Lee had just knocked his assailant to the ground and ran over to Mae Lei when the other two men arrived.
"I tell you, Amanda. I thought we'd pretty much bought it when you got there." He grudgingly admitted. "If you hadn't of…" He stopped. He didn't want to encourage Amanda. He still thought the pretty suburban housewife had no business in this game, even if he did have to admit, to himself only; she had a certain talent for the work.
But then again. She did ignore his orders. And a good Agent obeyed orders. 'Okay, well, not ALL good agents.' He thought.
"If I hadn't, what?" Amanda prodded him out of his revelry. "Helped you? What else was I to do? You're my partner, Lee. I couldn't just take off and leave you. And that poor woman, what's her name, well anyway, she looked hurt and those men, Lee, those men, well they had guns and…"
"Amanda." Lee quickly stepped over to her and took her hand, stopping her mid-ramble. She'd said very little since the whole thing had happened and he knew she probably had quite a few words stored up. He wanted to spare himself and her.
"In the first place, I am not your partner. You're not my partner. And I still think you should've done as I asked but…"
"But what, Lee?" Amanda's voice showed her displeasure as she pulled her hand from his. "I couldn't just drive off and leave you there. I saw two of those men go in there and I knew you were alone and I was worried. Besides, I did do what you told me."
Lee had been about to apologize to her when she'd said that and it irritated him. "No, you did not, Amanda King!" He snapped, causing the nurse at the desk to give him a reproving look. "I told you to stay in the car and get out of there."
"And I did, Scarecrow." Amanda said matter of fact. "I never once got out of the car until we got here. And I did leave. Of course, I made a small detour through the park, to save your tail, I might add, but I did leave."
Brown eyes and an arched brow dared him to refute her logic and he realized he couldn't. Technically, she had followed his instructions to a tee. Taking a deep breath, he took her hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I guess you did at that. And I want you to know, I'm grateful that you helped me, Amanda. Thank you."
For just a second there, Amanda had the strangest feeling that Lee was going to do more than merely squeeze her hand. His expression softened and his handhold became firmer and he actually took a step closer to her. But before she could see if she was right, they were interrupted by the ER doctor.
"Family of Mae Lei Song?"
Instantly, Lee released her hand and took a quick step back, turning towards the not altogether welcome intrusion. "Uh, here." Lee put a finger in between his neck and his suddenly too tight collar.
The doctor looked askance at Lee. "You're family?"
"Yes," Amanda quickly pitched in. "He's her nephew by marriage."
The doctor still didn't look convinced but he had nothing to refute it.
"How is she?" Lee asked glad for the interruption. For a second there he had an overwhelming desire to… Uh, huh. He wasn't even going to think it.
"She's going to be fine." The doctor told him. "She has a slight concussion and a bruise on her chin, but otherwise, she's just fine. We're going to keep her overnight for observation but I see no problems. You can see her when we get her into a room."
As the doctor turned and left, Lee was so happy he forgot himself and turned, pulling Amanda into his arms, hugging her tightly.
Amanda grinned, loving the embrace and hating it when he suddenly released her and stepped back self-consciously. "Lee, I am so happy for you." She smiled.
Lee nodded. "Me too." He offered her a smile. "And thank you, again, Amanda. I mean that. I appreciate what you did for both me and Mae Lei." Lee stared at the beautiful woman next to him and had to mentally slap himself to keep from doing more. 'THIS IS AMANDA' he silently yelled at himself. 'She's not your type. She's not your anything. SNAP OUT OF IT!'
Amanda noticed a strange look cross his face and wondered why. "Lee?"
Taking a deep breath he distanced himself even more from her intoxicating presence. "Uh, Amanda, I want to hang around and see Mae Lei when they get her in a room and it may take them a while, so why don't you go on back to the Agency. There's no need for you to hang around."
"I don't mind." She protested.
"I know." He nodded. "But there's really no need. Now you go on and I'll grab a cab back when I get ready to leave."
"You sure?" She really wanted to be there for him if he needed it.
"I'm sure." His smile returned. "Go on. I'll see you later. Okay?"
Amanda reluctantly nodded. "Alright, then. See you later."
"Yeah." His gruff answer was his only reply as he watched her turn and leave. Shaking his head at himself, he inwardly chastised himself for even thinking of kissing her, as he had earlier. Amanda was trouble with a capital T and he didn't need that.
Still…
Later that night, as Amanda washed the last dish from dinner and did a final cleaning of the kitchen counter, she heard a soft tap on the window. Darting a glance into the family room, she quickly stepped to the door and went out into the back yard, expecting Lee to be right there. But he wasn't. Looking thoroughly around the yard, she saw no sign of him. "Lee?"
"Hi." He popped up behind her, causing her to jump.
"Don't do that." She scolded him.
"I'm sorry," he looked properly chastised. "But I wanted to come by and let you know that Mae Lei is going to be fine and she sends her thanks for helping her."
"Well, I appreciate that, Lee." Amanda smiled. "I'm glad she's going to be alright."
Lee nodded. "And it's even better than that." He looked proud of himself. "Mae Lei was able to give me enough information on those men that I think we'll be able to capture them before the weeks out."
"Oh, Lee, that's wonderful." Amanda was truly glad to hear that. "Thank you for letting me know."
"Amanda?" Dotty's voice was suddenly heard.
"Well, I guess, I'd better get back inside." Amanda told him regretfully. "Before she comes out here looking for me."
"Yeah," Lee answered but as she turned, he reached out and took her hand. "Uh, before you go in, I have one more thing for you."
"Oh?" She asked, her gaze pleased but questioning.
Lee nodded and placed a small card in her hand. Looking down, Amanda saw it was a Get Out of Jail Free card from a monopoly game. "Uh, what's this for?" She asked.
"It's for the next time I tell you to stay in the car." He grinned. "I know you think of that as a kind of jail, so I thought it appropriate. You can use that card to get out. But it's only good for one time." He joined her in her chuckle before sobering a little. "I appreciate what you did today, Amanda. And I'm glad you ignored my orders this time. Thank you."
"Amanda?" Dorothy's voice sounded closer. Amanda looked back towards the kitchen to see her mother coming and quickly turned to tell Lee to go, but she didn't have to. He was already gone. Smiling down at the card, she carefully tucked it into her back pocket with a sigh and turned again, going back inside. Whether he knew or it not, Lee had just acknowledged that there would be a next time.
With a soft smile, Lee watched her return to the house, before he carefully crept from the bushes and headed back to his car, a smile on his face, absently looking forward to the 'next time'.
The End